Ladies and germs, I’d like to introduce you to my friend and Spin Sucks crazy, Clay Morgan.

Clay, who once had a judo student who explained how to spell his last name this way, “Big M, little organ,” is a natural storyteller, journalist, and communicator.

And yes, he is a judo master (is that what they’re called?) and once taught classes.

In his professional life, he is the executive editor and general manager of the Daily News Journal in Tennessee, a position he’s held for a little more than a year. He was managing editor of the Lebanon Democrat before that, but our paths nearly crossed nearly 10 years ago.

My former boss at Rhea & Kaiser started his own business and hired Clay as a freelancer. He also subcontracted work to me, as I was starting out and trying to figure out what I was going to do next. Missing one another by maybe only a year or two, we’ve made up for lost time. (more…)