Board Meetings

Bryan Avery
Board Member

Bryan Avery grew up in the foothills of East Tennessee and graduated in 1990 with a marketing degree from East Tennessee State University. Before moving to Blue Ridge in 2021, he had extensive experience in both corporate leadership and operating his own successful business, earning various honors and awards along the way.

Over his 24-year corporate career, Bryan held a variety of senior leadership positions for Frito-Lay, Red Bull, Nestle and Goodwill Industries, working across the southeast. In 2014 he went into business for himself, opening an Allstate Agency in North Fort Myers, Fla., and earning numerous awards along the way. 

In 2021, after moving to Blue Ridge, he continued operating his Allstate agency while opening PMI North GA Mountains, a full-service property management company. In July, 2022 he sold his Allstate agency to put his full attention on his property management business, which he operates along with his wife, Karla, and their two sons, Austin and Nathan.

Bryan is an active member and ambassador for the Fannin Chamber and is a board member for the Blue Ridge Business Association. In his spare time, he and his wife enjoy supporting the local businesses, hiking the many trails in the area and visiting with family and friends.
 

Teresa Bidez
Board Member

Teresa Bidez is a native of North Georgia and is currently an Associate Broker and Certified Residential Specialist with Coldwell Banker High Country Realty in Blue Ridge. She has been a member of the Fannin County Development Authority for 5 years. She began her career as a realtor in 2004 and obtained the Associate Broker license in 2007. Teresa graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of West Georgia and obtained a Master of Education from the University of Tennessee, Chattanooga.

She has been very involved in serving her community and the real estate industry. She serves on the Finance Committee for the Georgia Association of Realtors and is the current GA Realtor RPAC Trustee for the 9th Congressional District of Georgia. Teresa serves on the Governmental Affairs committee of the Fannin County Chamber of Commerce, which she served as chairman for three years. She has also served as a board member for the Blue Ridge Mountains Arts, Fannin County Preschool, and Georgia Association of Realtors.

Teresa lives in Blue Ridge with her husband. E. Rene Bidez, owner- operator of the accounting firm E. Rene Bidez, CPA for the past 38 years. They have two daughters.  
In her spare time, Teresa enjoys hiking, cycling, boating, and traveling. 

Cory Callihan
Board Member

Cory is currently employed at United Community Bank in Blue Ridge as a Relationship Manager and Assistant Vice President.  He been employed at United Community Bank for 29 years. Cory is a lifelong resident of Fannin County (45 Years) and enjoys spending time with his wife and three kids at church and playing sports.

Steve Grable
Board Member

Steve Grable retired as Senior Managing Director from JLL (Jones lang LaSalle) at the end of 2021, completing a 40-year career in commercial real estate. His business bridged the industrial facility transition from warehouse distribution buildings into the internet age with massive e-commerce fulfillment centers and last mile logistics hubs. Along the way he learned the art of working in team environments and the importance of building consensus in decision making.

While working on a national business platform based in Atlanta, Steve and his wife enjoyed getting out of the big city and exploring life in North Geogia. In 1996, they found land in Fannin County with lake frontage and then constructed a weekend cottage on the property in 2020. Weekends were filled with making friends, boating, and hiking favored trails. When it came time in 2016 to begin planning the next phase of their lives together, they made the decision to expand the cottage into a retirement house and make Fannin County their full-time residence.

Steve’s passion at a younger age was running; followed at a later age by boating, hiking and fishing; and now with cranky knees he takes enjoyment from a brisk walk through the woods around his house; and this second only to enjoying a glass of wine and spending time with neighbors.

Lisa Hood
Board Member

Lisa Hood was born in Fannin County and has been employed for over thirty-four years with Tri-State EMC in McCaysville GA. She is the Office and Billing Manager for Tri-State EMC and manages the office staff, accounts receivable, collections and customer relations.

Lisa was on the team that implemented the Smart Meter Project in which Tri-State EMC was awarded $1.1 million in federal grant money. This grant allowed Tri-State EMC to fully implement their Smart Meter Project that was completed on time and within budget. Lisa has been married to Shawn Hood for 24 years and has 3 grown sons who are married and 4 grandchildren. She is actively involved in the community by being a past Board Chairman with the Fannin County Chamber of Commerce and is currently serving as Secretary for the Fannin County Development Authority. Lisa received the 2011 Ambassador of the Year award and completed Leadership Fannin that same year. Lisa has attended the Tri-County Leadership Development Institute in 1997 and the Georgia Regional Economic & Development class in 2014. She has also served on several committees including Heat Fannin and Relay for Life. Lisa enjoys the outdoors, camping and hiking and has a secret love of ballroom dance.

Frankie Rigdon
Board Member

Frankie graduated from Fannin County High School in 1984. Soon after graduating high school Frankie began working at the locally, privately owned Blue Ridge Telephone Company.

Since beginning his employment at Blue Ridge Telephone Company, Frankie found himself working at other telecommunications companies across the southeast gaining knowledge and skill in his craft.

In 1999 Frankie began working for ETC. Since beginning his employment at ETC, he has worked as a Service Technician, Dispatcher/Data Base Operator, Engineering Manager, Plant Manager, and the position he holds today, VP of Operations.

Frankie’s parents are Leroy and Joanne Rigdon of McCaysville who owned and operated Leroy’s Grocery for many years.

Frankie is married to Sarah Finch Rigdon who was born and raised in Fannin County and is a 1987 graduate of Fannin County High School.

Together, Frankie and Sarah have seven children and eleven grandchildren.

Jackie Self
Board Member

Jackie Self is a life-long resident of Fannin County. She graduated from Fannin County High School in 1998. She then graduated from Truett McConnell College with her Associates in the Arts. She next graduated from Kennesaw State University to receive her Bachelor's degree in Business Administration concentration in Accounting. She has been a Certified Public Accountant since 2008 and owned her own business for many years. She is currently working as a private CPA to several local businesses and is an expert in the real estate and short term vacation rental industries. Jackie is married to Jamie Self and they have three children. She has a passion for volunteerism and is currently serving as the Chairman of the Board for the Fannin County Development Authority and the Treasurer for the Fannin County Scholarship Foundation. Past work includes serving as a Board member and the Chairman of the Fannin County Chamber of Commerce, Treasurer of the Fannin County Empty Stocking Program and Treasurer and member of the Blue Ridge Rotary Club. In her off time she enjoys vacationing with her family and attending Church at New Vision Church.

Gini Tipton
Board Member

Gini Tipton has worked for the Fannin County School System since 2013 and is currently the Director of Communications and Information Services. Before that, she served as a Special Education Teacher, Assistant Principal, Student Services Coordinator, and Director of Student Services. Before moving to Fannin County, she taught in Athens, GA, Horn Lake, Mississippi, and Oxford, Mississippi. She also serves on the Board of the North Georgia Autism Foundation, Inc. and volunteers to lead the NGAF, Inc. Art Gallery. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her family, arts and crafts, and adventuring in God’s creation.

Amber Twiggs
Board Member

Amber’s roots in the Fannin business community run three generations deep: Her grandparents, Joe and Joann Sisson, set up their Fannin business developing land in 1968, Sisson Company in the early 80s, and opened Sisson, Dupont and Carder in 1987. Her parents Doyle and Caroline Carder are also part owners in the family run business.

While she was still in high school, Amber gained her earliest business experience working at the two family operations, and continued to work there after her graduation from Fannin County High School in 2003. She moved on in 2009, broadening her experience in diverse sectors, including five years in banking and a short stint at a privately owned security and gate company. Since 2017 Amber has worked for the Fannin County Sheriff’s Office as the warrant’s administrator.

Amber and her husband Jeremy, also a Fannin County native, have four children.