Bear Stephenson considers himself fortunate to have received the support of the Anderson County community and the Anderson County Chamber of Commerce in his nearly 43 years as owner of Stephenson Realty and Auction in Clinton.
Grateful for that support and in memory of his parents and brother, Stephenson is donating $1 million to the Anderson County Chamber Foundation for the construction of the new Chamber headquarters in Clinton.
Rick Meredith, Anderson County Chamber President and CEO, announced that Stephenson is the $1 million donor as the Chamber broke ground Tuesday for its new headquarters at the 1.35-acre tract at the corner of North Charles G. Seivers Boulevard and West Weaver Street in Clinton.
“Bear Stephenson made this new Chamber building possible for us when he committed to becoming a major donor at the start of the fund drive,” Meredith said. “The building will be his family’s legacy, expressing his true belief in the Chamber in its first 90 years. I admire him, and I thank him for his confidence in the Chamber’s continuing contributions to Anderson County.”
The new headquarters will be on land donated by Joe Hollingsworth, Jr., CEO of The Hollingsworth Companies. It will be the first building that the Chamber has owned in it 92-year history, having rented offices in Clinton since its founding.
“The Chamber is a vital part of economic development and economic activity in the community,” Stephenson said in talking about his donation. “In 1982, I opened Stephenson Realty and Auction in the Stansberry-Wink Building in Clinton. The Chamber had a ribbon cutting when I opened my business on August 25, 1982. The Chamber was very helpful in assisting me in promoting my business, networking, and becoming a success with my business.”
He became involved in the Anderson County Chamber, first serving on the board and then as Chamber Chair in 1989 and again in 2004. He is one of seven Chamber members who have served twice as chair, and he is the only one of those seven still living, he said. The Chamber hosted a coffee for Stephenson on August 25, 2022, 40 years after he founded his business, now located in a building he owns at 210 North Charles G. Seivers Boulevard.
Stephenson, who never married and whose parents and brother, his only immediate family members, have passed away, said he has no close relatives to inherit his wealth.
“So I’m leaving it to the future of Clinton and Anderson County,” he said.
The Chamber called the Tuesday event “Groundbreaking 2.0,” since an earlier groundbreaking was held in November 2022 at the previous site on North Main Street planned for the Chamber headquarters. Before construction began there, Hollingsworth donated the commercial site that will offer high visibility for the new Chamber headquarters along one of the busiest streets in Clinton.
At the time of his donation, Hollingsworth said the Anderson County Chamber Foundation’s success with disclosed donors and an undisclosed major donor in the fund drive led him to donate the land for the new headquarters, which will house Chamber offices, as well as state-of-the-art training and meeting facilities for members and the community. The building has an official address of 107 East Washington Avenue, Clinton.
Stephenson, that major donor, is recognized throughout the region as an auctioneer who donates his time and talents to help nonprofit organizations raise funds. He conducted his first charity auction in 1983, and he now conducts an average of 50 charity auctions a year.
United Community Bank, 1110 North Charles G. Seivers Boulevard, Clinton, is the Chamber’s lending partner for the new building. Johnson & Galyon, Inc., a construction company based in Knoxville since 1914, is the contractor for the building. Steve Heatherly, of Commercial Construction Consulting of East Tennessee, is serving as the Chamber’s construction consultant.
The Anderson County Chamber Foundation, a nonprofit formed in December 2022, heads the “Building a Better Future” capital campaign for the new headquarters and continues to raise the additional funds needed to complete the building. Learn more about contributing to the campaign at the Foundation’s web site, www.acccfoundation.org.
The Foundation is also offering the opportunity to purchase laser-engraved bricks that will pave the walkway and plaza at the entrance of the new Chamber headquarters. The bricks may display individual names, be placed to honor or to remember someone, or feature a company name or logo. To purchase a brick, go to the web site www.fundraisingbrick.com/accoc/ or make an appointment at the Chamber office, 865-457-2559, to complete an order form.
The one-story Chamber headquarters will include a diversified room with up-to-date technology for training and videoconferencing, available for Chamber members, nonprofits, and community partners. A welcoming lobby, a catering kitchen for events, and offices for Chamber staff and the Anderson County Economic Development Association are included in the building’s plans.
MBI Companies, Inc., an architectural, engineering and interiors firm with offices in Knoxville and Chattanooga, designed the building and serves as project manager.
To learn more about the Anderson County Chamber Foundation, visit the Foundation website at www.acccfoundation.org. For information about the Anderson County Chamber of Commerce, see the Chamber’s website at www.andersoncountychamber.org.
