TLM Associates and Witnessing Businesses Take Root Downtown
“I think Downtown is the core of our whole community. Bringing people Downtown creates a vibrant and flourishing area. People see Jackson as a really nice place to be if our Downtown is developed,” Randy McKinnon, President of TLM Associates said.
These very words, something along the lines of “downtown is the center of our community,” are the first to exit the mouths of business owners all over downtown. I hear it daily. But very few actually put their statement into practice like TLM Associates. They have been located in Downtown Jackson since 2001 and have been responsible for many buildings we think of as “iconic downtown landmarks.”
TLM’s leadership structure is made up of three principles, Randy McKinnon, Ginger French, and Robert Safin. Randy, the President, is a third-generation owner of this business. Originally, TLM started in 1964 as an engineering firm and since then they have added architects and designers who do architectural design, structural design, and interior design all over West Tennessee.
The City Hall building, right in the center of the downtown landscape, is the largest piece of downtown architecture TLM is responsible for. They’ve had their business located downtown for over 20 years and Randy has seen the growth from only a few businesses, to where it is now, with businesses taking hold and planting roots Downtown. Randy says that when LIFT Wellness Center came to the downtown scene, that is when he noticed the environment really taking off. People began to move downtown and residents were more active outdoors and created a fresh environment in this space.
“The buildings we’ve built downtown serve the purpose they were intended to serve, and they have remained timeless,” Randy said as he described the process of tearing down a whole block of old buildings to create City Hall.
Not only has TLM been responsible for many buildings downtown, but they have also built iconic buildings such as Union University’s library and UT Martin’s Latimer-Smith Engineering and Science Building. They are not only an integral part of the downtown community but the West Tennessee community at large.
Randy sees the biggest benefit to working downtown as not having to drive anywhere during the day. Once he arrives at work and parks, he can walk to lunch or to the gym or to many of his meetings throughout the day. There is a convenience to placing their building in a place where many of their clients are located.
“The value of the property is downtown, it is where people can afford to live, and everyone wants to live downtown. The availability and affordability is here. This is where change is happening,” Randy said. “We all as a company have a lot of pride in the work we do throughout the work we do in West Tennessee to make people’s dreams a reality and to make the spaces more useful. We’re glad to make West Tennessee a better place to live, that’s why we’re here today.”
