News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
As Crossville City Manager Greg Wood sees his tenure come to a close, he credits the team around him for the progress the city has made.
Wood said the Garrison Park splash pad project and the additions of businesses like Buccee’s and Harbor Freight are among the developments he is most proud of during his time leading Crossville. He said his city councils featured solid, community-minded servants.
“They’ve all worked together cooperatively to empower the employees and citizens to do things to move the city forward,” Wood said. “And of course, this is just a lovely place to be.”
Wood said when he began, the city had been through several city managers in recent years. He said his experience in the military prepared him to hit the ground running. He said he was given the freedom to weed out employees and construct a qualified team dedicated to progress.
“We’ve pretty well set up all of the other departments so that we have succession plans for folks to move up,” Wood said. “Just got a good group of people. I mean I can’t take credit for anything other than getting a good group of people together who work well and have the support of city council. It’s been a privilege”
He said going forward, he said his role in strengthening connections with Tennessee Tech and energy company Whisper Aero is likely to be the most exciting part of the legacy he will leave behind. He said those groups have brought a resurgence of energy to the town. Whisper Aero, he said, has become nationally known as an innovator and will continue to bring impressive new technology to the table for Crossville.
City Clerk Valeria Hale is set to take over as city manager in April.
“The way she’s going to want to do things are going to be different than mine,” Wood said. “But she’s been here, she’s worked with this team, she’s very comfortable with it, and I think they’ll continue to work as a team, and I stress that.”
Wood said after some 40 years in the business, he looks forward to retirement and seeing Crossville continue to grow.
