Monroe County has a new Conference Center Manager, and she’s a very familiar face to most locals.
Longtime Monroe Countian Tammie Pierson accepted the long-vacant position in July and officially began work earlier this month. Pierson replaces the late Karinne Flemming, who served as Center director for nearly six years until she died in September 2020 following a battle with pancreatic cancer.
Prior to being hired by Monroe County, Pierson had spent the past five years working for the City of Forsyth in a myriad of positions, including Main Street Executive Director, Downtown Development Authority Executive Director, Economic Development Director and Zoning Officer.
In addition, Pierson formerly served on Culloden’s city council and was the owner/operator of The Barn, a Culloden wedding venue. The ever-busy Pierson is also the coordinator for the annual Michael Norris ATV Memorial Ride and has organized several golf tournaments and Public Safety dinners.
District 2 Commissioner Eddie Rowland said of Pierson’s hiring: “She has run a family business, The Barn, that is similar to this. She has a lot of experience dealing with the public on organizing events. I have personally worked alongside her on several of those events, and I think she has the right disposition for the job. She’s a good face for Monroe County.”
Around the same time Pierson, who was initially hired as Forsyth Main Street Director, assumed the Economic Development Director and Zoning Director positions in 2018, the City of Forsyth began booming with new businesses, particularly restaurants. Pierson said working with aspiring business owners and seeing their dreams come to fruition was the most enjoyable part of her job.
“My favorite part was working with the businesses and working closely with the business owners and the communities and the developers,” Pierson said. “I really enjoyed that part of working for the City. I liked working with them and seeing the bigger projects develop from beginning to end. . . But I feel the City is in a good position right now. And I see them still growing, and I’m still a part of it in some way.”
Pierson said she’s proud of her achievements with the City of Forsyth, particularly in making business owners and new developers feel welcome. Similarly, Pierson said in her new position she will have time to channel all of her energy into making the Conference Center run smoothly and effectively and ensure that visitors to the Center leave with a similar satisfied feeling.
“I have a background in event planning, so this job appealed to me,” Pierson said. “And I felt like it was time to concentrate on and put a lot of effort into one thing and try to make sure that one thing is done very well. I also think there was a need for this event center to be promoted to bring more people into the community, have more organizations come here, and get more attention to the City of Forsyth and Monroe County.”
Pierson said she views the Monroe County Conference Center as having the opportunity to be a smaller version of the Macon Coliseum, used for large out-of-town gatherings as well as by locals for parties and meetings. Pierson said the large-scale events that bring out-of-towners who stay overnight are the most profitable, particularly since they enable local motels and restaurants to prosper as well. But she said the Center has already become a popular spot for local residents to hold birthday parties, anniversary parties, showers, etc., and she wants to Center to remain available for smaller-scale uses like that as well.
“It’s kind of a multi-purpose use building,” Pierson said. “The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office Job Fair is here tomorrow. The Wild Turkey Federation is here this weekend. We have some regular organizations that use it annually. Some I think have slacked off because of Covid. So once we get through this Covid, you just don’t know. All you can do is the best you can.”
Pierson said she hopes the Center’s technology will continue to be enhanced so that visitors will have the ability to both gather in-person as well as to use Zoom or other online virtual platforms when necessary.
“How is the world going to function amid Covid?” Pierson asked rhetorically. “I think the Conference Center can still be utilized because if you look at it another way, people need bigger spaces. So they need to be spread out. They need some place to go to be able to do that. . . But I think we’re going to have to adjust to a little bit of virtual too.”
One of Pierson’s first goals for boosting the Conference Center’s profile both locally and regionally is to update the Center’s Facebook page, which has been dormant for several years, as well as to enhance the Conference Center webpage on the county’s website www.monroecoga.org with up-to-date information and photos. Pierson also plans to use her extensive network of contacts through working for the City of Forsyth as a recruitment tool for the Center.
Pierson will be able to rely on a small but committed four-person Center staff, including Sandra Sego, who has kept the Conference Center operating in the interim period before Pierson’s hiring.
“The staff here is very knowledgeable,” Pierson said. “They’ve been doing it for a long time, and they’ve got a great system going. So I’m hoping that I will just help them continue with doing the job they’ve done. Because from what I can see, they’ve been doing a good job.”
Pierson grew up in Macon before moving to Monroe County about 30 years ago. After living in Culloden for many years, she recently moved to Forsyth. Pierson said she spends most of her time and money within Monroe County and will continue to promote it as much as she can.
“A lot of people who are moving here are scared of future development, and I always tell them I feel like we’ll be able to maintain our small-town charm and still grow,” Pierson said. “I’m glad that I will continue to be a part of that growth.”
