Issue link: http://maconmagazine.uberflip.com/i/153540
JAMIE WEATHERFORD 38 years old What is your occupation? I am a third-generation "candy man" at Crown Candy Corporation where I serve as the plant manager. My grandfather, E.L. Brooking, and three of his children moved Crown Candy Corporation to Macon in 1971. In addition, my wife, Jessica Walden, and I own Rock Candy Tours, Macon's music history tour company. How long have you lived here? I was born in Virginia but grew up in Macon. I left Macon to attend the College of Charleston and stayed six additional years working in the restaurant industry before returning to Macon in 2003. You have been selected as one of Macon Magazine's "Five under 40" because you have shown a commitment to this community to move it forward in positive, important ways. Tell us about your activities in the community. To feel a part of the community, you need to be engaged with the community. When I moved back, I immersed myself by purchasing a home from Historic Macon Foundation in what was then a depressed area. Once settled, I set out to make my neighborhood a better place to live. A few years later, I was asked to join the Bragg Jam Music, Arts & AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2013 Community Festival board. It has kept me actively engaged with the arts and culture scene, and I met my wife while serving on the board. We believe in servant leadership and community development and have been involved with both, through Bragg Jam, Leadership Macon, the College Hill Corridor, the Mentors Project, Intown Macon board and Leadership Georgia. I also hire adults who are transitioning from incarceration to independent living through the Macon Transitional Center. Crown Candy not only provides "first-chance employment," but we also believe in giving those who have made mistakes a second chance. What are you most optimistic about what is happening in Macon right now? The consolidation of our city and county governments. I am also excited about the explosion of downtown residential opportunity and the commercial growth that will follow. I am ready for Mercer University football and continue to remain excited about the College Hill Corridor's efforts. What would you like to see happen that isn't happening? I'd like to see greater regional cooperation. Central Georgia is going to learn to swim together or sink together. Crime and education remain Macon's two largest obstacles to growth and it will require Herculean efforts to resolve these issues, but I do believe the "will" is there. Tell us about your personal goals and where you would like to be personally and professionally in five years. Personally, I strive to be a good husband to my wonderful wife, Jessica. I will always remain active in the Macon community. Joined together, there is nothing we can't accomplish. Professionally, Crown Candy Corporation and honoring my family's shared legacy will always remain my top priority. I would love to see us expand by opening a retail candy store in downtown. I also have great hope for Rock Candy Tours. Macon Magazine's Young Leaders 2001 Steve Bell Gene Dunwody Jr. Lynn Murphey Cary Pickard Anita Ponder 2002 Derrick Chatman Kathryn Dennis Rebecca Grist Milton Heard Dan Slagle 2003 Robbo Hatcher Paul Leath Dion Moten Carlen Self Georgia Slagle 2004 Suzanne Beers Roy Fickling Mardie Herndon Jr. Jeffery Monroe Molly Muse 2005 Leonard Bevill Isaac Culver III Angela Edwards Brigitte Moten Tripp Self III 2006 Cyndey Busbee Seth Bush Sam Hart Jr. Julia Magda Gene Perkins 2007 Stephen Brown David Danzie Jr. Heather Shaver Evans Mary Bowman Hampton Keith Watson 2008 Brad Evans Cindy Gaskins Sarah Gerwig Keith Moffett Kevin Watson 2010 Brian Adams Jason Delves Shae Hinson Charise Stephens Jessica Walden 2011 Heather Bowman Cutway Wes Griffith Josh Rogers Pilar Wilder Julia Wood 2012 Christi H. James Chris Howard Jonathan L. Pitts Bert Maxwell IV Tabitha Walker MACON MAGAZINE I 23