Nick Pavlis
Founder and Chief Strategist
Nick was born and raised in Fountain City, Tennessee. He graduated from Central High School in 1973, and then earned a bachelor’s degree from University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in 1977.
After working in his family’s specialty foods distribution business for more than 25 years, Nick started a two-decade career in the cable industry. He retired at the end of 2020 after serving as director of government affairs for Charter Communications.
In 1995, Nick was elected as an at-large member of City Council in Knoxville and served two terms. During this time, he supported the renaissance of downtown, the creation of new city parks and greenways, the building of the Convention Center, and the renovation of McGhee Tyson Airport. He also chaired the Beer Board for eight years.
In 2009, Nick won a seat on City Council in the First District. After being re-elected in 2013, he also served as vice mayor from 2011-15.
Nick has been an avid golfer since childhood. He loves football, animals of all kinds, especially dogs and blue birds, biking and hiking. He lives in Knoxville with his wife, Suzan, a distinguished lecturer of finance in the Haslam College of Business at UT Knoxville.
