‘Thrilled, humbled’ MTSU alum Polk lands TN Small Business Person of the Year honor

Middle Tennessee State University alumnus Reggie Polk, left, receives the Tennessee Small Business Administration Person of the Year Award for 2025 in Washington, D.C., on Monday, May 5, from Lisa Shimkat, U.S. Small Business Administration Office of Field Operations associate administrator. A 1993 graduate of the MTSU concrete program, Polk owns Polk and Associates Construction Inc. (Photo by Brian Ach Photography Inc.)

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — It has truly been an amazing year for Middle Tennessee State University alumnus Reggie Polk.

With his business growing, the owner of Polk and Associates Construction Inc. was named Tennessee Small Business Administration Person of the Year in March.

Celebrating Middle Tennessee State University alumnus Reggie Polk’s recognition as Tennessee Small Business Administration’s Person of the Year for 2025 are, from left, MTSU College of Basic and Applied Sciences Dean Greg Van Patten, President Sidney A. McPhee, Tanora and Reggie Polk, and Tom Nicholas, director of the School of Concrete and Construction Management, on Friday, May 2, outside the Concrete and Construction Building on the east side of campus in Murfreesboro, Tenn. (MTSU photo by J. Intintoli)

As part of 2025 National Small Business Week, Polk received the state award Monday, May 5, while attending the Small Business Association banquet in Washington, D.C., where it was announced Greg and Shelley McArthur of NTL Industries Inc. earned the nationwide distinction.

Awards were announced by Kelly Loeffler, U.S. Small Business Administration administrator, who said the SBA “is proud to recognize excellence across our small businesses and key resource partners. … We are laser-focused on our mission to empower American job creators and drive economic growth.”

Polk said the D.C. trip was “such an amazing experience,” from meeting the new U.S. Small Business Administration team, networking, panel discussions and he and wife Tanora Polk, also an MTSU alumnus, visiting various monuments, especially the World War I monument.

Polk (Class of 2003), a former MTSU football player who co-founded the Brentwood-based business with his wife, Tanora Polk, said he’s “so proud to be a Blue Raider — your belief and confidence in me means so much” — when meeting Friday, May 2, in the School of Concrete and Construction Building with President Sidney A. McPhee, College of Basic and Applied Sciences Dean Greg Van Patten and Tom Nicholas, chair of the School of Concrete and Construction Management.

Sidney A. McPhee, MTSU President — Dr. Sidney A. McPhee

“I’m really proud of you,” said McPhee, acknowledging Polk’s statewide recognition and business success.

“It’s one of the greatest honors I’ve experienced, and to receive support from Gov. Bill Lee is very special,” Polk said. “… This honor would not have been possible without your heartfelt and unwavering support. I am proud to represent the voice of businesses across the state of Tennessee.”

Polk credits “the dedication and hard work and passion” of his 33-member Polk and Associates team, which has offices in Brentwood and Odon, Indiana, and with a footprint that includes Florida and Georgia. “That is what makes us great. We make it a point to invest in our people.”

Alumnus Reggie Polk, right, of Nashville, Tenn., the 2025 Tennessee Small Business Administration Person of the Year, talks about his time as a student in the Middle Tennessee State University concrete program with MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee, left, and College of Basic and Applied Sciences Dean Greg Van Patten when visiting campus Friday, May 2, in Murfreesboro, Tenn. The owner of Polk and Associates Construction Inc., in Brentwood, Tenn., is a former Blue Raider football player. (MTSU photo by J. Intintoli)

Helping build NFL Titans stadium

The NFL Tennessee Titans selected the four-member Tennessee Builders Alliance — Polk and Associates, Turner Construction, ICF Builders and AECOM Hunt — along with trade partners to construct the new $2 billion stadium.

“It’s going extremely well. We’re making good progress,” Polk said, adding that a topping out ceremony was held recently for the concrete deck placement. “We’ve already celebrated over one million worker hours — including all of the trade partners — on the project. We’re trying to get in as safely and efficiently as possible.

“We’re extremely thankful to the Titans organization to collaborate on this project, as well as the design consultants and engineers, and the local trade community’s full commitment.”

Polk said the project “is a generational impact for our company and it allowed us to scale to new levels of growth.”

An architectural rendering of the exterior of the new Tennessee Titans Nissan Stadium, to open in 2027 on the East Bank next to the Cumberland River in Nashville, Tenn. (Graphic by Manica Architecture)

SBA administrator visits Nashville May 8

Kelly Loeffler, U.S. Small Business Administration — Kelly Loeffler

Polk will join Loeffler, her U.S. Small Business Administration team and other small business partners for an invitation-only meeting Thursday, May 8, at Belmont University in Nashville. Part of the day will include a stadium tour.

It marks one of four regional visits nationally by the Washington, D.C., organization.

“We are fortunate for Tennessee to be one of the four states they will visit,” Polk said, adding that Lee and other elected officials will participate.

— Randy Weiler (Randy.Weiler@mtsu.edu)