Chip’s Story

Thank you for taking the time to read a little bit about myself and why you should vote for me as I run for Floyd Commission Post 4. I grew up in a family with a strong work ethic and a desire to help in the community. My parents began their long work history at the FBI in Washington, DC, where they first met. A popular story shared among my family is that my mom, while working the switchboard, took the call from then President Lyndon Johnson to J Edgar Hoover to start the investigation into President John F Kennedy’s assassination.

They moved to Rome in 1965 and settled in the Garden Lakes area. My sister was born in 1965. I was born in May 1971. I started out at Alto Park, where Mrs. Ruthann Sargent was my kindergarten teacher. For first grade, I moved to Garden Lakes Elementary and often walked to school with my dog. As I got older, around 5th grade, I started delivering newspapers for Sherold Salmon/Rome News around my neighborhood. I delivered around 400 papers on my bicycle every day for a couple of years until I saved enough to buy a moped. I also drove my parent’s riding lawnmower around the neighborhood to cut grass for my neighbors, with my dad often following me in his car to make sure I made it to the yard okay.

Many of you may remember the article in the Rome News about the kid who saved his money and bought a Corvette; that was me. I bought a 1986 red Corvette with all my earnings. I graduated from Coosa High School in 1989. Go Eagles! I continued working my lawn care business while attending Floyd College. I moved to Augusta College after marrying my wife, Beth Cordell, on September 11, 1993. My wife Beth graduated from Medical College of Georgia as an Occupational therapist in 1994, I graduated from August College in June 1995 with a Bachelor in Science. We stayed in Augusta for around 4 years, working and continuing to take classes. We moved back to Rome in 1998 and settled in Armuchee. My dad had kept several of my yards over the years I was away. We talked and decided to give the lawncare business our full attention and effort. We started ForEvergreen, Inc. in 1998 with myself, my dad, and my father-in-law in the backyard of our house. I grew Forevergreen from those small beginnings to a thriving company that employees 30+ employees with a building in the city and multiple trucks. We now do not only lawn maintenance but also landscaping, hardscapes, spraying, pool maintenance, and pool installation/builds.
My wife Beth works as an occupational therapist for Floyd County Schools. We have three children: Noah (21), Braden (19), and Katelyn (16). Noah graduated from Armuchee High School in 2021. He played football and baseball. He now works with me at ForEvergreen and primarily handles the pool installation/design and hardscapes. Braden graduated from AHS in May 2023. He played soccer. He is a sophomore at the University of North Georgia in Dahlonega and is studying business administration. Katelyn is a sophomore at Armuchee High School. She currently does competition cheer and plays soccer.
We attend church at First Baptist Church of Rome and have since we returned in 1998. I serve as a deacon and am currently the chairman of the properties committee and serve on the finance committee. In my spare time, which is few and far between, I enjoy flying and am a certified pilot. Most recently, I was elected and served 10 years on the Floyd County School Board of Education. At the time I initially ran, there were a lot of financial concerns, and the school had gone through an RIF (multiple teachers lost their jobs). I wanted to do something to help, so I ran for a position on the FCBOE. We worked hard over the years to improve the financial position of the school. We discovered and were able to recover a large amount of money that was taken from the school. We passed and completed ESPLOST for county-wide school improvements, which I fought hard to ensure for my community. As a board, we lowered the millage rate to help with property tax costs. I have worked alongside some great people and have always believed that teamwork makes the dream work.