Ahead of the 84th annual competition, the Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration® made improvements to its 105-acre grounds and facility. In order to make these need mortifications, surveying services were needed to measure the relative elevation, physical characteristics, and legal boundaries and corners of the land. Once completed, the improvements provided additional space for guests to celebrate the legacy of the Tennessee Walking Horse for years to come.

Fans travel from across the country to witness this Tennessee tradition, with upwards of a quarter of a million tickets sold each year. The show takes place annually on the Saturday night before Labor Day and lasts for a total of 11 days. More than 2,000 horses compete, but only one is named the World Grand Champion Tennessee Walking Horse®.

The Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration®, known as the Celebration®, is home to the largest event facility in the state of Tennessee. The 105-acre grounds are home to numerous event venues, barns, and RV sites. The premier arenas include the Celebration ® Outdoor Arena which seats over 30,000, the Cooper Steel Indoor Arena with 45,000 heated and ventilated square feet, and the Champions Arena which is a covered stadium. The Celebration also offers the Blue Ribbon Circle Club Venue, the Celebration® Campground which harbors 289 total spots with water and electric hookups, and 45 barns that house 1,272 total stalls.

Surveying services were provided by L.I. Smith & Associates (LIS) and included a boundary and topographic survey of the entire Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration facility. The surveys allowed for improvements to be made to the facility including the addition of new RV parking sites to accommodate the large crowds. Due to the large size of the grounds, the project spanned three months prior to the 2023 Celebration®.

LIS Vice President of Surveying Tommy Young stated, “We thoroughly enjoyed getting to survey such a prestigious location. We hope that our survey is the basis of many large improvements in the future.”

The Tennessee Walking Horse Festival, now known as the Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration®, dates all the way back to 1939. The event began when Henry Davis was inspired by the nearby Crimson Clover Festival and decided that the city of Shelbyville should begin its own festival centered around its most important asset at the time, the Tennessee Walking Horse. The event has been held annually, without interruption, since then.

Last year, we introduced our Staff Photo Competition. This competition allowed our staff to showcase the work they did, the locations they visited, as well as their professional and personal achievements. For our staff members, no two workdays are alike, so we received a wide range of unique photos! 

Following last year’s success, we decided to toughen the competition. Some months will now have photo themes. To win a themed month, a photo should match the theme! For other months, we will accept photos of all subject matter.   

Each month, one photo is chosen as the winner. Additional photo(s) are also highlighted as honorable mentions. Since the participants could submit any photo they wanted this month, we saw many creative submissions! 

Five new staff members have been added to the L.I. Smith & Associates (LIS) team as the company continues to expand. Each of the new team members adds a unique knowledge and skill set that will undoubtedly benefit LIS and our increasingly diverse workforce.  

“Growing a company requires expanding the infrastructure, reinforcing working processes and initiating new processes,” said LIS President Patrick Smith. “This is not possible without a talented, educated, and engaged workforce. It is a testament to the current staff that we were blessed to attract these awesome hires!” 

We are excited to introduce Amanda Perry, Carolyn Dotson, Chris Mills, Angela Dortch, and Madison Bickerstaff. Each new hire joined LIS over the past few months and is located at our headquarters in Paris, Tenn. Perry and Dotson filled vacant positions, while Mills, Dortch, and Bickerstaff were hired for the new positions of Project Administrator and Communications Specialist.  

Professional Engineers Day (PE Day) is an industry holiday that raises awareness of the vast engineering career field and the professionals who work in it. Each year, PE Day is recognized on the first Wednesday of August. 

A Professional Engineer (PE) is a registered or licensed engineer with the authority to sign off on a structure or design. This engineering industry includes professionals in various specialties such as aerospace, chemical, civil, electrical, firmware, mechanical, and software. 

While engineering is one of the most trusted professions in the world, it is also one of the least understood by the general public. Engineers bring you fresh drinking water, provide transportation networks across the world, develop the power sources and distribution systems that bring power to your home, and design the very buildings and spaces where all other professions reside. 

LIS President Patrick Smith commented, “The challenges that the civil engineering workforce faces highlight the necessity to not only showcase what a professional engineer does, but also the need for them in this industry.”  

In honor of PE Day, LIS is pleased to introduce our talented engineering team, who are registered in seven states including Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, Tennessee, and Virginia. The team is comprised of two Professional Civil Engineers (PE), three Professional Engineers in Training (EIT). 

Larry Smith 

Larry Smith, LIS cofounder and current Executive Vice President, was the company’s first licensed engineer and surveyor. He earned his first, and LIS’ first, civil engineering license in March of 1990. This accomplishment allowed LIS to expand and begin providing civil engineering services to the public. Smith is currently a licensed engineer in six out of LIS’ seven states of coverage. He has over 40 years of experience in the industry and holds a bachelor’s degree from Tennessee Technological University. 

Patrick Smith 

LIS President Patrick Smith acts as the Principal Civil Engineer on staff. He provides training and mentorship to the engineering staff. P. Smith has decades of industry experience and holds both a PE and Professional Land Surveyor license (RLS). He earned a bachelor’s degree from Mississippi State University and is involved in engineering organizations such as the Tennessee Society of Professional Engineers and the American Society of Professional Engineers.  

Trevor Teague 

Working under the mentorship of our PEs, LIS has three PEITs on staff, Trevor Teague, Will Clark, and Zech Rowley. Teague began his career in the industry directly after earning his civil engineering degree at UTM, when he interned at the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT). There he gained valuable knowledge in different areas of transportation. Shortly thereafter, Teague joined the LIS team where he assists in both engineering and surveying projects. In addition, Teague earned his RLS in 2022.  

“As an engineer, I have realized that our roles go beyond the realms of equations and plan sheets. The work we do shapes the future of our communities and leaves a lasting impact on lives we will likely never know,” Teague stated. 

Will Clark 

Will Clark is LIS’ second PEIT. Clark graduated from UTM in 2020 and has been working at LIS for two years. Clark was previously an intern at Construction Materials Laboratory where he learned skillsets such as construction site inspection, quality control test, and geotechnical engineering, which are necessities within the civil engineering field. Clark is a team player and shows great potential as a future professional. 

Zech Rowley 

Former intern, Zech Rowley, is LIS’ newest EIT graduate engineer. Rowley graduated from Lipscomb University in 2021 with a degree in civil engineering and began working with LIS full-time. In the future, he plans to take the Fundamentals of Engineering exam to officially become a PEIT. 

Initially launched in 2016 by the National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE), 2023 marks the eighth anniversary of this industry holiday. NSPE was founded in 1934 to represent licensed Professional Engineers within the United States. Over the last 89 years, the organization has grown and is represented in 53 states and has over 500 chapters.  

“LIS is proud to assist in raising much needed awareness not only of this industry holiday but also of this vast field,” commented LIS Marketing Coordinator Ashley Horn. “It is our goal to assist the community in exposing the youth to the many engineering career opportunities both throughout the industry and those available locally.” 

To become a PE, one must graduate from an accredited four-year university and pass the Fundamentals of Engineering exam to become a PEIT. After gaining four years of experience under the mentorship of a PE, a PEIT is eligible to take the Professional Engineering exam. When the PEIT has passed the exam, he or she will finally reach their goal of becoming a PE. 

For more information about career opportunities and internships at LIS, contact Ashley Horn at careers@lismith.com. 

Independence Day, fireworks, family gatherings, and a day off from work make July an exciting time each year! While our staff enjoyed the holiday spending time with their friends and family, we asked them to capture moments of their celebrations and patriotism. For July, staff members were required to submit photos that incorporated the flag or red, white, and blue.  

The Staff Photo Competition challenges our staff to submit images that reflect their day in the workplace- wherever that may be.  Each month, one photo is chosen as the winner. Additional photo(s) are also highlighted as honorable mentions.  

This month was a lot of fun and we enjoyed getting to see everyone spending time with their friends and family!