— LISTEE'S SPOTLIGHT —

Raymond K. Mays has exemplified his entrepreneurial spirit as the chief executive officer of the Eye Centers of Tennessee in Crossville, Tennessee. Joining the Eye Centers of Tennessee in 1999 after a request to collaborate with an ophthalmologist in business development, Mr. Mays accepted the opportunity and has since facilitated significant business growth. Notably, the organization helps patients pursue optimal eye health and performs approximately 8,000 surgical procedures annually across nine locations in Tennessee, comprising 200 employees and 16 physicians. Adjacent to this venture, Mr. Mays is the chief manager of RKB Group, through which he oversees business dealings within the health care, real estate and property management industries. Having invested in and/or established 17 companies over the span of nearly three decades, he previously served in the U.S. Marine Corps for 15 years, attaining the rank of major. Since departing from the military, he has applied lessons in determination, resilience and discipline to his civilian life. Outside his professional endeavors, he is the co-founder and chair of the Eye Centers of Tennessee Foundation and the Upper Cumberland Entrepreneurial Foundation, nonprofits that support entrepreneurship and education in the region. Notably, Mr. Mays earned the Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Business Awards.