He Followed His Dreams and Became a Man of Value

The first question that comes to my mind is, "Does this man ever sleep?" Dubbed as one of the 100 most influential Georgians by the Georgia Trend Magazine, Tommie Williams continues to influence the world around him. 

His political tenure includes 18 years in the State Senate along with other accolades including 10 years in leadership and serving as Majority Leader and President Pro Temp. He has also served as chairman of the transportation committee.

But our friend Tommie blooms in the business world as well. He, along with his brother and partners have founded several successful businesses including Williams Development, Advanced Fabrications and Georgia Pine Straw, Inc. I am reminded of a quote by Albert Einstein, "Try not to become a man of success, but rather try to become a man of value." I do believe that Tommie has become a man of value and because of that, we have seen him succeed.

I think one of my favorite things that Tommie has wholeheartedly invested in is a deliciously, elegant restaurant named Elements Bistro in little ol' Lyons, GA. I have been and it is amazing! If you are in the area, you should go visit. You can check out their menu here. I remember going over for a visit one night. The food was fantabulous (yes, I made that up because just saying fantastic or fabulous isn't descriptive enough) and I was honored to be served by Tommie himself. He came by and talked to me and my husband and offered for us to taste some of his olive oil which was still in the testing stages. I remember thinking, this man is not pretentious despite his elevated status as Senator.  And after knowing him a couple of years my mind hasn't changed. Tommie is likable and he is down to earth, honest and hard working.

One of his latest accomplishments includes growing olives and producing an award-winning olive oil at Terra Dolce Farms. It's produced locally, right here in our own back yard and this is what I tasted on our visit to Elements. While I am not an olive oil aficionado and I probably am not using the right descriptive words, I remember thinking that it was smooth and had a peppery finish and I just kept wanting more of it. I had to wait quite a few months to get my hands on my own bottle of that elixir. It was worth the wait!

We met Tommie when he came on board with Carter Group as an agent a couple of years back, so you can add Real Estate to his long list of accomplishments. We loved how personable he is. It's understandable why he has been newly appointed as Minister-counselor for Agriculture in the US Mission in Rome, Italy. You can read all the deets about that appointment in the AJC article here.

So, our hats are off to you Tommie Williams, as you begin this new adventure. We congratulate you on your successes and count it an honor to know you. May you have continued success and may you occasionally get a good nights sleep!