Franklin Promotes Several to Leadership Positions
Retirements of long-time employees leads to change
Franklin—The City of Franklin has celebrated the retirements of four leaders within the city and promoted others to fill the positions. The positions include Streets Director, Sanitation Director, Purchasing Manager and Comptroller. The City searched both outside the city and within and found the best talent with existing employees of Franklin!
In the Streets Department, Director Steve Grubb retired from the City in December. He served a total of 28 years, with the last five as Director of the Department. Jerry Hatcher. P.E., Assistant Director since 2021, was promoted at the end of 2024 to Director. Jerry has been with the city for three years and has more than 30 years of Civil Engineering experience. He previously worked with the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) for 29 years, in various leadership roles. He is a member of the Middle Tennessee Section of the American Society of Highway Engineers where he has served as a member of the Program Committee, Board Member and Section President. He is also a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers. He served for many years on the Board of Advisors for the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department at UT, Knoxville.
Nate Ridley was promoted to Director of Sanitation and Environmental Services in January. Nate began his career with the City in 1999. He worked his way up from working on the back of a sanitation truck to director! Nate has more than 25 years’ experience in solid waste management, including collection, transfer, and recycling. He holds Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA) certifications in Managing Collection Systems (2011) and Integrated Solid Waste Management Systems (2015) and has been a Certified Instructor with SWANA since 2013, sharing his knowledge and experience with others in the industry. In addition, Nate proudly serves as the Safety Ambassador for the TN Volunteer Chapter of SWANA. Prior to this promotion, Nate served five years as Assistant Director. Nate replaces Jack Tucker who served 11 years with the City and six years as Director.
In the Purchasing division of the Finance Department, Purchasing Manager Brian Wilcox retired at the end of 2024 after serving 20 years with the City. Suzanne Ward worked with Brian in the Purchasing Department for the last 12 years and worked her way up from Purchasing Analyst to Purchasing Manager. Suzanne has earned the Certified Professional Public Buyer (CPPB) certification from the Universal Public Procurement Certification Council (UPPCC). She also earned the National Institute of Government Purchasing (NIGP: The Institute for Public Procurement) Certified Procurement Professional (NIGP-CPP) certification from the NIGP.
Also in Finance, Margaret Wilson has been promoted to Comptroller. Margaret has worked for the City since 2018 and was promoted to Financial Manager in 2020. In 2024 she completed the Certified Public Finance Officer program through the Government Financial Officers Association. She also earned the Certified Municipal Finance Officer certification through the State of Tennessee in 2021. Margaret replaces previous Comptroller Mike Lowe who served in that position for 25 years.
The City appreciates the service of the members of our leadership team who retired in 2024 and know our new leaders will do well in their positions.
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