MOSS –The Smith Companies, based in Moss, recently celebrated 50 years in business with a community event attended by more than 200.
“My heart was so full seeing so many people from our community and our employees, past and present, come out for this event,” said April Smith Patterson, who along with her mother, Janie Smith, and brother, Shane Smith, own and operate the family of companies launched by her late father, Doug, in 1968.
The Smith Companies currently include Honest Abe Log Homes, Barky Beaver Mulch and Soil Mix,GF Hardwoods, Happy Trucking, Green Forest Products, Southern TimberCraft, The Wood Store and Moss Sawmills.
The October 27 celebration began with the Clay County FFA conducting a flag raising ceremony. Patterson’s husband, Nick Patterson, President of Barky Beaver, opened the event with a prayer.
“Nick thanked the Lord for all his blessings and for allowing us to be stewards over these companies that have had such an impact on the community and the families in this region,” Patterson said.
“It was a great day to celebrate a legacy that started from such sweet and small beginnings,” Patterson observed, explaining that her father’s first business was manufacturing broom handles.
In honor of that endeavor, each guest received a miniature reproduction of Smith’s original wooden broom handle. A broom maker was on hand to demonstrate the making of brooms as well as use some of the reproduction handles to create truly incomparable keepsakes.
“We had customers and suppliers from our various companies who came for the day,” Patterson said. “There were even people who drove three hours who had seen the feature story announcing the celebration in Farm Bureau’s summer issue of Home and Farm Magazine.”
A highlight of the day was remarks by Sen. Mark Pody, who presented a proclamation from the Tennessee State General Assembly honoring the history and impact of the companies. Also offering remarks about the company’s importance to Clay County was Clay County Mayor Dale Reagan.
David Arnold of the State Forestry Division spoke about the importance of stewardship of the land, a practice to which the Smith Companies have exhibited strong commitment over the decades.
Honest Abe Log Homes revealed its new logo, kicking off the 1979 40-year anniversary of the company’s operation. A video retrospective was presented, and guests took guided tours of the manufacturing facilities at the Smith Companies’ Moss complex.
Guests were fed and entertained, and everyone left with a goody bag containing gifts, cups, t-shirts and a special commemorative magazine, Smith Family Traditions, filled with stories and interviews that celebrates the history and legacy of the companies.
“We had a packed house for the celebration,” Patterson said, adding, “It was just the best day!”
To read the proclamation and download the magazine, visit www.honestabe.com/50-years/.
