Murfreesboro's Ronnie Barrett has is this year's recipient of the prestigious Joe M. Rodgers Spirit of America Award from Middle Tennessee State University. Barrett is the founder and CEO of Barrett Firearms Manufacturing, Inc., located here in Murfreesboro.

The honor is given to a businessman who has demonstrated the best of the spirit of America through significant contributions in government, education, and/or civic and charitable organizations.

Ronnie Barrett is a Murfreesboro native whose entrepreneurial drive and self taught firearms knowledge led to a multi-million dollar business that serves all branches of the US military as well as over 73 different allied governments.

Mr. Barrett has been involved in many local and national philanthropic causes and donates time to students of the MTSU Business College by engaging in speaking events to encourage entrepreneurial minds by telling his American success story.

Past recipients of the Joe M. Rodgers Spirit of America Award have been: Charlie Daniels, John R. Ingram, Joel C. Gordon, Jack O. Bovender Jr., Andrea Loughry, Governor Winfield Dunn, Tommy Smith, Bud Wendell, Jack Vaughn, Aubrey B. Harwell Jr., Bob Corker, and Marvin Runyon.