A familiar voice is the Rutherford County Chamber of Commerce Business Legend of the Year… We will give you a clue, he once worked at WGNS in the late 1940’s and into the mid 1950’s. He started working for WGNS while a student at Central High School (Pictures Here)...
That was John Hood. The Rutherford County Chamber of Commerce has named Hood as the 2013 Business Legend of the Year, and will honor him at the Chamber’s annual Business at its Best celebration on Friday, Feb. 7, at the Embassy Suites Murfreesboro Hotel & Conference Center.
Hood’s career spans over six decades, with posts in radio broadcasting, banking, human resources, higher education and governmental service at the city, county and state levels.
He currently serves as director of government and community affairs for Middle Tennessee State University, a position he’s held since 2008. From 1996 to 2008, he represented the 48th District in the Tennessee General Assembly House of Representatives. Prior to that, he spent 20 years of his career as vice president of marketing for SunTrust Bank, 10 years at MTSU, as the first director of development, followed by assistant to the president, six years as personnel manager for Samsonite Corporation and 10 years in radio broadcasting for WGNS and WMTS. He is a military veteran, having served in the United States Army from 1954 to 1956.
Hood was a member of the Rutherford County Quarterly Court (now the County Commission) from 1968 to 1978 and the Murfreesboro City School Board from 1967 to 1983.
Hood is a devoted community advocate, has volunteered for many civic and non-profit organizations, and emceed countless community events and fundraisers. Affiliations include the Exchange Club of Murfreesboro, United Way of Rutherford & Cannon Counties, Read to Succeed and the Rutherford County Chamber of Commerce, where he has served as a diplomat for the past 18 years.
Previous leadership roles include national president of the Exchange Clubs of America, chairman of the Rutherford County Chamber of Commerce, president of the Tennessee School Boards Association, chairman of the Tennessee Advisory Board for the AAA Auto Club Group, president of the MTSU National Alumni Association, and treasurer of the Rutherford County Emergency Communications District. He was the 2012 recipient of the Murfreesboro City Schools Foundation’s Excellence in Education Award.
John and wife Marilyn have been married for 62 years, and have three children, Garry W. Hood, Rebecca Hagan and Mark R. Hood; and four grandchildren, Christin H. Waters, twins Grady and Cooper Hood and John Robin Hood.
The Business at its Best reception will begin at 5:30 p.m., followed by a dinner at 6:30 p.m. Reservations are $70 for Chamber members and $90 for non-members. To reserve your seat, please contact the Chamber at 615-893-6565 or visit www.rutherfordchamber.org.
WGNS' Bart Walker interviewed John Hood on Monday, Jan. 6, 2014:
See the pictures HERE:
