Team Strong Supports Tennessee Educators

When James Corlew Chevrolet made the decision to give away cars and diamonds, they knew they wanted a team from Strong there to witness it.

That’s how John Paul Strong, Joel Snead, and Andrew Taylor ended up at the Clarksville-Montgomery County School System Teacher of the Year Banquet this past month. Aside from publicizing the event, the team got to support JCC and local educators at a meaningful and unique celebration.

About the Awards

The CMCSS Red Carpet Awards took place on Thursday, Feb. 22. That afternoon, the team climbed aboard Strong Air to make the short flight to Clarksville, Tennessee. This was Taylor’s first time flying the company jet, but his apprehension was quickly replaced with mounting excitement.

The evening of the event, presenters took to the stage to read the accolades of the teacher nominees. Taylor captured the heartfelt moments, sharing them via JCC’s social media channels.

The pinnacle of the ceremony came when the three finalists were handed one small box each. As they opened them in unison, two discovered apple-shaped diamond necklaces, and the Teacher of the Year winner found not a diamond, but a key. The prize for this year’s winner was a new Chevy Spark, donated by James Corlew Chevrolet.

Take-Aways from Client Interaction

Snead and Taylor both enjoyed and learned from the experience of meeting the clients behind JCC.

“When you meet a client, the most important thing to do is be yourself,” Snead said. “Once they put a name with a face, I find that they tend to be more responsive afterward, too.”

Taylor had similarly positive sentiments.

“It’s good to get direct feedback from a client, to ask them if they like what we’re doing and see how we can improve,” Taylor said.

Overall, the trio represented Strong well and helped document a meaningful moment for the people of Clarksville.