Celebrating a century

Three businesses mark more than 100 years

Three Bledsoe County businesses are celebrating more than 100 years in business, and they all have one thing in common — a focus on community.

From the community news reported in The Bledsonian Banner, to the trusted financial expertise of First Farmers and Commercial Bank, to the homage paid to beloved community members at Putnam-Reed Funeral Home, these businesses care about the people they serve. And that devotion to serving their neighbors well has earned them customer loyalty in return.

Bledsonian Banner

The Bledsonian Banner is a survivor. Nearly 3,000 weekly newspapers closed or merged with other papers between 2004 and 2023, but the Banner has thrived since 1891. Its sister paper, The Dunlap Tribune, has been printing since 1889.

The reason behind the paper’s success is no secret. “Community is the driving force behind it,” says Sandy Dodson, who owns the paper with her husband, Wade. “If we didn’t have community news, we wouldn’t have a community newspaper.”

Sandy knows her community well. Her husband’s aunt and uncle, Amy Sue and Robert Hale, bought the paper in 1962, after Robert had worked there. Wade was such a newshound, he worked at the paper from age 12, starting with taking the papers off the hand press. He went on to serve as editor until he took a job at First Farmers and Commercial Bank. Now Sandy fills the editor’s role. “I do everything from sweep the floors to pay the bills,” she says.

Sandy has seen many changes in her 40 years in the industry, but she is confident community newspapers will continue. “They’re going to last a lot longer than the big, corporate-owned papers,” she says. For one thing, the big papers fill their pages with news from national wire services. “People want to read about their neighbors, about the businesses they frequent, about their families, about community,” Sandy says.

Putnam-Reed Funeral Home

When Roscoe Putnam started his funeral home in the back of Putnam Grocery Store in 1916, everything surrounding death was taken care of at home. “He didn’t embalm people in the back of the store,” Heather Reed-Poston, one of the business’s current funeral directors, is quick to point out.

At that time, Roscoe embalmed individuals in their homes, where families sat up all night with the dead. Funeral services were held at a church. In 1922, Putnam Funeral Home moved out of the grocery store.

Roscoe’s son, Jack, took over for his dad, but Jack’s children didn’t want to take over the family business. So, Jack hired Heather’s father, George Reed, to be manager. George and his wife, Treva, became owners after Jack’s retirement. George also served as a BTC board member for many years.

Now Heather and her brother, Eric, are second-generation funeral directors at Putnam-Reed. Heather’s daughter, Victoria Rodriquez, is the third generation involved in the business.

Being raised in the business, Heather and her family members aren’t afraid to tackle difficult topics. “It’s like taking care of my neighbors,” she says. “It’s the last thing I can do for them.”

First Farmers and Commercial Bank

First Farmers and Commercial Bank Director Phillip Crawford and President/CEO Terry Eastwood know what’s kept the bank in business for 111 years — trust from the community.

As national and international financial institutions gobble up smaller banks, First Farmers and Commercial has withstood the tide. When Phillip started at the bank in 1974, there were 300 banks in Tennessee. Now there are about 120.

But First Farmers and Commercial has not only stuck around, it’s grown exponentially since a group of farmers and  merchants signed the charter Sept. 30, 1913. Then, the bank had $10,000 in cash. When Phillip joined the bank, where he served as president and CEO for 40 years, it had $10 million in assets. Today, it has $225 million in assets.

Now the bank offers its account holders debit cards, ATMs and online banking and bill pay. “We spend our money wisely on technology to support our local community,” Terry says.

It’s that sense of community that makes a difference. “When a customer walks in here, they see smiling faces,” Terry says. “We’re a community. We know people, people know us, and we do everything person to person.”

“And we will fight to keep it that way as long as we can,” Phillip adds.

Published with permission from BTC Fiber.