Bill Lee, chairman of Lee Co. says he's close to jumping into the Tennessee governor's race.

Lee told The Tennessean on March 31 that he has been touring the state and meeting with 15 county and other Republican leaders. While a formal announcement may be weeks away, Lee says he wants to join the race "sooner rather than later."

"This is just about leadership and leadership around meaningful, purposeful work, and I started having conversations about public service," he told the newspaper. "Ultimately I just kind of said what it would be like to wake up in the morning instead of thinking how do I make life better for 1,100 Lee Company workers, how do I make life better for 6.5 million people?”

Lee is chairman of the Lee Co., which was founded by his grandfather. The company's services include plumbing, electrical and HVAC for residential, business and government customers. Lee said he wants voters to know he's "a regular guy."

"I have a plumbing license, I raise cattle and show livestock, I clean barns, I clean stalls," he said. "I'm a regular person who happens to own and run a big company and have CEO experience."

More details here.

Source: The Tennessean