Tuesday, February 18
7:00 a.m.
DeShay Williams
Executive Director of Spark Thomasville,
Yes, I am a broken record... But can I tell you one more time what makes Thomasville truly special? It’s caring people like Blanding Beatty who choose to make a difference right here in our community.
A serial entrepreneur, Blanding could live anywhere. He runs successful businesses in Nashville, but when it came time to put down roots, he and his family chose his wife's home town, our friendly little corner of Georgia.
“Thomasville is the perfect small-town, high touch, high relationship cultural place for raising a family,” he says with that warm smile of his.
He didn’t just move here - he dove right in.
After hearing about Spark Thomasville through his church and our friend Harry T. Jones, something clicked. You see, Blanding grew up watching his dad and grandfather tackle the entrepreneurial journey, and that experience lit a fire in him that still burns bright today.
“So much of who we are is a result of what we experience in our youth,” he shares. “Seeing them work through the struggles and challenges of business helped give me a confident ‘can do’ mindset. I want to share that with Spark entrepreneurs.”
Here’s what really gets him excited: “I have a calling to make impact in our local community, economically. Society’s social divides are more a product of economic circumstances than anything else.”
And you know what? He’s putting those words into action. What started as a financial gift has grown into something even more meaningful - he’s now a hardworking Spark business coach, helping underestimated entrepreneurs turn their dreams into reality.
Just ask Ordette Thomas, who won second place in our last Spark Pitch Competition with Blanding’s help. He loves working with our entrepreneurs because, as he puts it, “Their attitudes, instincts and drive are amazing, they just need a boost in some of the technical aspects of business.”
But perhaps the most endearing thing about Blanding is his challenge to other successful entrepreneurs: “I would love to spark something in my successful entrepreneur peers in Thomasville to be active and serve in this community, because this is where we can have the biggest impact."
Through leaders like Blanding Beatty, Thomasville is blessed with more than just economic growth - we’re blessed with the kind of hardworking wisdom that transforms communities from the inside out. His generous spirit, honest guidance, and helpful mentorship create ripples that will benefit our city for generations to come.
When successful entrepreneurs choose to love their neighbors by investing time and knowledge in underestimated business leaders, they don’t just build businesses - they build the vibrant, fair, and economically viable community we all love to call home.