Steven Goodpaster and Dr. Shana Sparks were named Powell’s Man and Woman of the Year for 2018 at the Powell Business and Professional Association’s annual banquet, held Jan. 25 at Beaver Brook Country Club.
State Rep. Bill Dunn installed officers for 2019: R. Larry Smith, president; Jeff Bagwell, vice president; Tina Marshall, secretary; and Steve Mouser, treasurer. All but Bagwell are holdovers.
Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs spoke briefly, outlining benefits of living in Knox County: great climate, low taxes and good jobs generated in part by the proximity of the University of Tennessee, Oak Ridge National Labs and the headquarters of TVA.
Goodpaster updated the projects underway by Enhance Powell, a PBPA committee that he co-chairs with Justin Bailey. He said the goal is connectivity – Beaver Creek to neighborhoods, sidewalks and greenways to schools and shopping.
A string quartet from The Crown College entertained during dinner. Smith even got them to play “Rocky Top.”
Dr. Donald Wegener introduced the woman of the year. He thanked his committee colleagues Clare Crawford, Sandra Clark and Carolyn Wells.
Shana Sparks, D.C. is a relative newcomer to Powell, having founded Knoxville Chiropractic Solutions, 7217 Clinton Highway, in 2013. She quickly became active in the PBPA, serving last year as membership chair. The club soared from about 100 to almost 150 members.
She graduated from Sherman College of Chiropractic in 2005. She and husband Bryan have two English bulldogs and enjoy a myriad of outdoor activities. She’s a native of Augusta, Ga.
Sparks hosts a monthly cookout or similar event for Knoxville’s homeless. And she is always eager to network. Why did she choose Powell for her business? It was the friendliness, she said. “Powell reminds me of home.”
Steven Goodpaster also is a transplant to Powell. A commercial real estate appraiser, he joined Woodford & Associates, 6201 Central Ave. Pike, in 2008. He and wife Jennifer moved to Broadacres where Steven became president of the homeowners association.
He joined PBPA and its “beautification committee on steroids,” Enhance Powell. He soon was named co-chair, and he organized the group’s first flotilla (watercraft on Beaver Creek) in 2018. He holds business degrees from Berea College and the University of Florida – Warrington College of Business. His children, Grady and Emery Sinclair, attend Powell Elementary School.
In introducing him, Carolyn Wells noted his “can-do attitude and vision.” She said he’s making a great Powell community even better. “He’s a mover and a shaker, a visionary and a planner,” she said. “We thank Sevier County for raising him, but we’ve got him now and we won’t give him back.”
Posing with Mayor Jacobs are Derek Jarnigan of Manning Windows and Kelley Jarnigan of Farm Bureau Insurance. Carolyn Wells is shooting a picture and Knox County Clerk Sherry Witt is in far back.
Jim and Tammy Roberts of Reliable Resources pose with Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs following the PBPA banquet. At right is Sara McGinniss of Shining Light Equestrian.