Clarksville's Conversation

If you’re a 19-year-old soldier new to a duty station, it can be hard to find community and fun. But BOSS – Better Opportunities for Single Soldiers – offers day trips, gaming groups, and more to let Fort Campbell soldiers relax. This week, BOSS President Staff Sgt. Russell Lovelace tells Charlie and Chris about how the program works, and how BOSS has expanded. It’s not just for single soldiers anymore.

Leo and Lillie Millan are truly a self-made couple. They grew up together in poverty, came to Clarksville through the military, and through hard work and smart business deals, they created a set of companies that now employ over 1,000 people. This week, Leo and Lillie tell Katie and Charlie about the steps in their success, and about their latest venture: The Millan Center – at 10 stories, the tallest building yet in Clarksville.

While growing up near downtown Clarksville, Wes Cunningham enjoyed visiting the restaurants and shops. Today, he’s the owner of not one but two downtown restaurants: Strawberry Alley Ale Works and now The Mailroom. This week, Wes Cunningham joins Katie and Charlie to talk about the restaurant business and the exciting things happening in downtown Clarksville.

With the heavy lifting done, the F&M Bank Arena is just about ready for move-in day. This week, Miles Markiewicz, director of sales and marketing for the arena, joins Katie and Charlie to talk about concerts, APSU basketball, hockey at the Ford Ice Center, and everything else that visitors can expect when the arena opens in July.

Mark Kelly and Melinda Shepard of the Clarksville Area Chamber of Commerce stop by for a chat with Charlie and Katie about the incredible growth we are seeing in the city. They also talk about some new initiatives coming to the chamber, and some upcoming events.

2022 was a big year for Clarksville and Montgomery County. Clarksville Now Editor in Chief Chris Smith joins Charlie and Katie for a look back at the biggest news stories in the area for 2022.

Get to know Clarksville's Conversation Co-Host Katie Gambill on this episode. Hear about her journey from Arkansas to Clarksville, her thoughts on leadership and service, and what it is about Clarksville that makes her proud to call the city home.

Santa Claus, the Jolly Old Elf Himself stops by to chat with Charlie and Katie about all the preparations going on at the North Pole as he gets ready for the Big Day, what toys his elves are making a lot of this year, and how proud he is of all the good girls and boys in Clarksville.

It is no secret that Clarksville and Montgomery County are growing at an incredible rate, and big businesses want to call the area home. Josh Ward and Chris Self from the Industrial Development Board stop by to talk about the recent announcement made from LG Chem about an over 3-billion-dollar investment in the community, and various other projects around town.

Montgomery County Mayor Wes Golden joins Charlie and Katie to talk about the lessons he has learned over the first couple of months in office. He also shares some important projects that he is working on how he is trying to balance being Mayor of one of the fastest growing counties in the state and being the father of young children.

Kelli Pendleton is president and CEO of Campbell Strong Defense Alliance. She joins Katie and Charlie to announce a new internship program that will connect transitioning soldiers who are looking for jobs with local businesses that are looking for employees. The internship program is designed to help military families and businesses in both Kentucky and Tennessee.

Sara Hendrix is the Head of School for the new Chapel Hill Christian Academy. She joins Katie and Charlie to talk about the inspiration behind the school, which opened just as the pandemic was starting, and she shares some big news about the land they’ve acquired in Sango for their new school campus.

Now in it's fifth year, Turkeys for Troops is back providing free turkeys to active-duty military, veteran's and their families just in time for Thanksgiving.

Lloyd Nicely has now opened two guitar shops in Clarksville, one of them selling rare, vintage guitars. This week he joined Katie and Charlie to talk about his musician parents and growing up hanging out in Clarksville guitar shops, learning from the best before making his way for two decades with Nashville musicians.

Austin Peay Women's Basketball Coach Brittany Young stops by to talk about what fans can expect to see on the court this season from the Govs in their final season in the Dunn Center and first season in the ASUN.

Austin Peay Men's Basketball Coach Nate James joins us to share his journey from playing at Duke to Coaching the Govs. He also talks about the Govs final season in the Dunn Center and first season in the ASUN Conference.

Roland Fanning is the new baseball coach at Austin Peay State University. This week on Clarksville’s Conversation, he tells Katie and Charlie about growing up in small-town Oklahoma, the importance of getting loud and talking trash in baseball, and his plans to “create chaos” with a unique new center field.

Command Sergeant Major Joseph Harbour is the Garrison CSM for Fort Campbell. He joins Charlie and Katie to share the story of why he joined the army, what a garrison CSM does, what makes Fort Campbell special, and some great events coming to post. This Fort Campbell episode brought to you by F&M Bank.

Joe and Cathy Maynard have a lot of things going on in Clarksville, they stop by with Sara Golden to give an update on their amazing new three-story restaurant, Shelby’s Trio, and talk about an incredible event called Operation Honor, which provides support to the military and their families.

With the F&M Bank Arena set to open this summer, the big question is where will everyone park? Buck Dellinger, president and CEO of the Clarksville-Montgomery County Economic Development Council, has three answers, and they add up to over 2,500 spaces in walking distance of the arena. This week, he talks parking with Katie and Charlie on Clarksville’s Conversation.