Tim Spires, president and CEO of the Tennessee Association of Manufacturers and the Chattanooga Regional Manufacturers Association died suddenly of a heart attack on Sunday.
"Tim was an 'army of one' and will be deeply missed across the state," said Chamber of Commerce preside Bill Kilbride. "He was the head of the state manufacturing association as well and he single-handedly put together a program called 'Pathways to Prosperity' that many smaller communities utilize to get kids coming out of high schools good job that will last a lifetime.
"Tim Spires did more for the Boy Scouts in Bradley County than anyone can describe. Nobody could figure out how he could get so much good out of every single day. This is a huge loss for all of us... He was simply a magnificent man."
Mr. Spires, a resident of Cleveland, was 57.
He took over as president of the Chattanooga Manufacturers Association in 2010 after Ray Childers retired after leading the group for 18 years.
Mr. Spires in 2013 helped form the Tennessee Association of Manufacturers.
He was a member of Cleveland First Baptist Church, where he was a deacon and choir member.
He held a bachelor of science in chemical engineering from the University of Cincinnati and an master’s of business administration from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville.
He was on the faculty of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, College of Business Administration. His field was leadership development and he worked one-on-one with executives and physicians working on their MBA.
He was described as a great humanitarian, very active in the Boy Scouts of America, and was a Scout Master for Troop 10. He was the former chairman of the board for the Cherokee Area Council and the current BSA Area 6 president.
He was very active in the United Way of Bradley County, serving as chair of the impact committee. He was past president of the Cleveland Rotary Club and president of the Cleveland and Chattanooga Metropolitan YMCA.
He was preceded in death by his father-in-law, Robert Daasch.
He is survived by his wife, Cindy Spires of Cleveland; children: Ben Spires of Knoxville, and Lindsay Spires of Kathleen, Ga.; mother and father, Forrest and Janice Spires of Stout, Ohio; and mother-in-law, Marjorie Daasch of Cleveland.
A Celebration of Life service will be held at 4 p.m. Wednesday at First Baptist Church with Pastor Steve Morgan and Pastor Jim Gibson officiating.
The family will receive friends from 1 to 4 p.m. Wednesday at the church prior to the service.
Memorials may be made to the Boy Scouts of America; United Way of Cleveland; or the First Baptist Mission Department.
Ralph Buckner Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.