14th District State Senate Special Election Candidate Shane Reeves ‘Won’t Be Available at Least the Next Couple Weeks’ for Tennessee Star Interview

Matt Herriman, campaign manager for Shane Reeves’ State Senate campaign in the special election in the 14th State Senate District to replace State Senator Jim Tracy (R-Shelbyville), tells The Tennessee Star that Reeves “probably won’t be available at least the next couple of weeks” for an in person interview with The Star “as our schedule is packed as we jumpstart this campaign.”

You can read Herriman’s complete response to our request for an interview here:

Thank you for your email request to meet with Shane. Unfortunately, he probably won’t be available at least the next couple of weeks as our schedule is packed as we jumpstart this campaign. He will be on the road all across the district. If you’d like, for deadline purposes, to send your questions to me, I’ll get them in front of Shane and back to you as soon as I can. You are also welcome to use any photo from the website for your story. Thanks again for reaching out.

The 14th State Senate District covers parts of Rutherford County, all of Moore, Marshall, and Bedford Counties, and the northern two-thirds of Lincoln County.

The Republican primary is expected to be held in January, with the general election likely to be held in February.

The winner will participate in the Spring 2018 session of the Tennessee General Assembly, which will convene in January, prior to the general election.

Reeves’ campaign website offers information about his background, as well as his policy positions on three things he says “I am focusing on” — strong families, building businesses and rethink healthcare:

Strong Families – If you want a strong state, then we need to equip our state’s families with the necessary tools to attract quality jobs, educate our children, have clean air and water, have safe neighborhoods and tolerable traffic and can attend a house of worship freely on Sunday morning.

Building Businesses – Businesses are, too often, overtaxed, overregulated, over mandated, over litigated and often under-appreciated. We need to clear the way for Tennessee to become an economic juggernaut and offer excellent high paying jobs.

Rethink Healthcare – Tennessee has always been a thought leader in how we provide healthcare access to our citizens. With middle Tennessee’s emergence as the healthcare capital of the country, it is time for our state to take control of its own healthcare destiny. We must rethink complex issues in order to encourage greater competition within the healthcare marketplace to give the consumer more say with their healthcare choices. It is also imperative that we take, very seriously, the rising opiate crisis in order to protect those most vulnerable.

Reeves’ campaign website offers no information on where he stands on these six important issues:

1. Where do you stand on either repealing the gas tax increase or keeping it in place?

2. Do you support giving the DACA Dreamers legal status to remain here and, if so, under what, if any, conditions?

3. Do you support or oppose allowing those illegally in the US to get the in-state tuition discount while we charge the full cost to American citizens who live out of state but choose to attend our colleges and universities?

4. If Obamacare is not “repealed and replaced” by Congress, will you follow Governor Haslam’s lead and vote yes to expand Obamacare or Medicaid in Tennessee or will you vote no and oppose the expansion?

5. For three straight years we have experienced serious problems with our standardized testing and replaced the companies in charge of the testing and scoring twice, so far. Should we eliminate the high stakes standardized tests, or reduce the number of them, or are you satisfied with the testing focus and process currently in place?

6. With regards to the so called “transgender bathroom bill,” do you support proposed legislation that would require men and women, boys and girls, to use the restrooms and locker rooms in public schools that correspond to their physical gender rather than how they might choose to identify?

On Thursday Reeves announced the seven people working on his campaign team.

Reeves was endorsed on Wednesday by the man he seeks to replace, State Sen. Tracy, who voted in favor of increasing the gas tax and in favor of providing in-state tuition to illegal aliens.

Tracy resigned on Monday to accept his appointment as the U.S. Department of Agriculture Tennessee State Rural Development Director.

Reeves is a supporter of Knoxville businessman and former Haslam administration commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development, Randy Boyd in his bid for the Republican nomination for governor.

“Reeves is the lone officer of Reeves Family PAC, a political action committee whose treasurer is prominent GOP fundraiser Rachel Barrett. Earlier this year the PAC donated $5,000 to Randy Boyd,” The Tennessean reported.

In this DNJ.com video from April, “Murfreesboro resident Shane Reeves also discusses his support for Boyd.”

Reeves has an accomplished record in business, and currently serves as CEO of Murfreesboro based TwelveStones Health Partners.

In February 2016, Gov. Haslam and then-Economic and Community Development Commissioner Boyd joined Reeves and other TwelveStone Health Partner officials in announcing a new corporate headquarters for the company in Murfreesboro:

The headquarters will consolidate the company’s corporate, logistics, billing and service divisions. TwelveStone, formerly Reeves-Sain Family of Medical Services, will invest $14.9 million and create 200 new jobs.

“We appreciate TwelveStone Health Partners for its ongoing commitment to Tennessee and creating 200 new jobs,” Haslam said. “The momentum of Tennessee’s healthcare industry is strengthened not only when companies locate in our state, but also when they decide to expand and grow here. We congratulate TwelveStone on today’s announcement and thank the company for bringing us one step closer toward making Tennessee the No. 1 location in the Southeast for high quality jobs.”

“In Middle Tennessee alone, the healthcare industry contributes an overall economic benefit of nearly $40 billion and more than 250,000 jobs to the local economy each year. Because of companies like TwelveStone Health Partners, that number continues to grow,” Boyd said. “We thank TwelveStone for expanding its presence in Rutherford County and creating valuable jobs for our Team Tennessee workforce.”

“As a fourth generation Tennessee entrepreneur, creating high-value jobs statewide is very important to me,” TwelveStone Health Partners CEO Shane Reeves said. “The mission of TwelveStone Health Partners is very much in line with the Department of Economic and Community Development. We are building a business that will have statewide impact benefiting communities in Chattanooga, Memphis and Knoxville. I appreciate the support we’ve received from TNECD, it is no surprise given the tremendous leadership shown by the state of Tennessee in supporting business.”

Reeves’ campaign website features his business career.

“After college, I married my wife Amanda, had three great children and bought into a small family pharmacy in Murfreesboro. Over the last 20 years, I have started new businesses, created jobs, enjoyed giving back to my community and served as a deacon in my church,” the website says.

The Reeves family has been prominent in the Murfreesboro area since at least 1980, the year Shane Reeves’ father, Richard Reeves, and Ron Powell “opened “Reeves-Powell” Saveway Drug Store in a small trailer on Memorial Blvd in Murfreesboro,” according to the TwelveStone Health Partners website

The subsequent timeline shows the growth of the family business:

1987–Reeves-Powell establishes a relationship with The University of Tennessee. (Student Preceptor’s Program)
1989–Reeves-Powell move into 5,000 sq. ft. building at 1801 Memorial Blvd. Adds an old-fashioned Soda Shoppe, post office and state of the art Compounding Center.
1993–After finding some success selling medical equipment in retail store, Richard Reeves opens free standing building to house Reeves Medical Equipment and Supplies.

1994–Shane Reeves and Rick Sain buy a majority share of the business from Richard Reeves and Ron Powell. Shortly after that purchase, Reeves-Sain opens up Reeves-Sain Infusion and Extended Care services (packaging for long term care facilities).
1997–Reeves-Sain opens pharmacy on South Church St. in Murfreesboro.

1997–Reeves-Sain Extended Care introduces automation to its Extended Care services and starts to market statewide in Tennessee.
1999–Reeves-Sain opens pharmacy in Murfreesboro Medical Clinic.
2003–Reeves-Sain Drug Store on Church Street sells to Eckerd to retire debt and invest in new growth opportunities.

2004–Reeves-Sain unveils new logo and mission statement.

2005–Reeves-Sain launches new multi dose packaging for the retail market called MEDIpack®.
2012–Reeves-Sain opens specialty pharmacy business called Entrust.

2015–Reeves-Sain sells Entrust and the retail pharmacy to Fred’s a national chain.

2016–Reeves launches a new brand under the name TwelveStone Health Partners with the packaged medication, infusion, respiratory and durable medical good services lines.

2017–TwelveStone closed on its first venture round with Claritas Capital to support greater focus on chronic care medication management.

The 14th District State Senate special election marks Reeves’ first run for political office.

Former State Rep. Joe Carr (R-Lascassas) is the only other announced candidate for the Republican nomination in the special election.