Chris Heard
Grew up in the 50’s on the Tennessee River north of Chattanooga near what was then Soddy before the area became Soddy-Daisy. Father had commercial refrigeration business and mother was library volunteer. High school in Chattanooga and then went to University of North Carolina for BS degree and then to Nashville to attend grad school at Vanderbilt. While working at a motorcycle dealership I met several people in the real estate business and became an affiliate broker and two l years later acquired a broker’s license and started my company in Franklin, TN with four agents. This was early 70’ and the financial crisis with 14% interest loans broke me.
Went back to school at what was then UT Nashville and began an engineering curriculum. Worked with several manufactur1ing companies and after designing a 25-ton telescoping boom for a heavy equipment manufacturer became their Chief Engineer, some years later serving as the Plant Superintendent for an Emerson Electric factory. In the late 80’s I started my own company designing and building special machines for industry. Some of the work I found interesting was designing the machine that assembled the ABS braking models for Chrysler products and the machining process for the Patriot missile stabilizers. “Retired” in 2018 and moved to Etowah from middle Tennessee.
My recreational activities seem to involve internal combustion engines or water. I have navigated the Tennessee River from Knoxville to the Mississippi River in my 16’ open bow and kayak the local rivers almost every month. I have built four airplanes, accumulating over 1000 hours of stick time and was a flight instructor for Experimental aircraft for about 20 years. One of my main hobbies is restoring and riding vintage motorcycles. I ride almost every day the roads are not damp (can’t get them dirty) and still have the bike I rode to California in 1969. Used to ride the Forestry service around Tellico Plains with my father in the 60’s. It was a different world then.
Only one child and twin grandchildren from my daughter who lives in Knoxville. Live near Etowah.
Cell: 423-435-7699
Email: cph@tellicomountainrealty.com