Businessman Lee Beaman told the Nashville Business Journal last week that musical artist Bob Ritchie, known to fans as Kid Rock, played a role in his June nomination by President Donald Trump to serve on the board of directors of the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA).
Beaman, who sold Beaman Automotive in 2020, told the outlet that he was inspired to seek the board seat by his wife, Julie Hannah, who worked on Governor Bill Lee’s gubernatorial campaign and led the Tennessee Department of General Services for much of his administration.
After being convinced by Hannah, the Nashville businessman told The Journal that he began contacting prominent Tennesseans and Trump supporters who might help him capture the president’s attention, which led him to consider the musician.
He told the outlet, “I called Bob Ritchie and he said, ‘Sure, I’ll call him right now!’ Twenty minutes later, he called me back and said, ‘I just talked with him, and you’re in!'”
Beaman (pictured above) added that Ritchie’s endorsement garnered a warm response from the White House.
“When I got a call from the White House, the lady said, ‘I have to admit, you have the most impressive list of recommendations,'” said Beaman, according to The Journal. “She said, ‘even Kid Rock!'”
Ritchie has been a prominent Trump supporter since 2016, and earlier this year held firm in his support for the president’s immigration policies after his Nashville steakhouse, which a local businessman operates, briefly closed during the May federal immigration crackdown in Davidson County.
“I 100% support getting illegal criminals out of our country no matter where they are,” wrote the artist in a post to X. “I also like President Trump want to speed up the process of getting GREAT immigrants into our country – LEGALLY!”Â
Awaiting confirmation by the U.S. Senate for four months, Beaman was nominated by Trump to one of the board seats made vacant after a series of firings of board members at the publicly owned energy company, who previous presidents appointed.
The shakeup at TVA followed urging from Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Bill Hagerty (R-TN) for the TVA to embrace nuclear energy, particularly new small modular reactor (SMR) technology, to help meet the nation’s energy demands amid soaring interest in artificial intelligence (AI).
Since then, TVA has made multiple announcements involving new nuclear energy projects.
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Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Pennsylvania Daily Star and The Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Lea Beaman” by Lee Beaman. Background Photo “TVA Facility” by TVA.Â
Great to see liberals removed from the board.