Making Space/Finding Place with Randy Boyd and Jaleria Rivera

Meet Our Guests

Randy Boyd is the President of the University of Tennessee and a lifelong entrepreneur. He’s best known for founding Radio Systems Corporation (the company behind PetSafe, Invisible Fence, and other brands), growing it into a global leader. But beyond business, Randy has dedicated much of his career to education, economic development, and community investment, serving as Tennessee’s Commissioner of Economic and Community Development and playing a key role in launching Tennessee Promise, which has provided free community college to thousands of students. He’s also a passionate supporter of Knoxville’s arts and culture scene—and, of course, a big believer in baseball’s role in placemaking. 

Jaleria Rivera is an artist, activist, and the founder of Spacecraft Knoxville—a creative incubator that describes itself as a constellation of artists, misfits, and dreamers, focused on joy activism and community care. She’s helping build a grassroots arts economy that creates real opportunities for artists to live, work, and thrive in Knoxville. Jaleria moved here during the pandemic, and like so many creative people, she had to figure out how to find her people, build connections, and create opportunities where they didn’t exist before. Spacecraft is the result of that work, and it’s just getting started.

What’s This Conversation About?

This episode is about how people like Randy and Jaleria shape places - and how the places they build shape the people and communities from the ground up. 

We dig into:

• How communities attract and retain talent—and why the arts are just as important as jobs and infrastructure.
• What makes a city feel real—how Knoxville can avoid the pitfalls of becoming “just another mid-sized city” and instead double down on what makes it special.
• The role of failure in success—Randy shares some of his early entrepreneurial failures and why he believes in “failing early and often.”
• The power of grassroots collaboration—how Jaleria and her peers are building an arts economy from the ground up, creating spaces where creativity and economic opportunity go hand in hand.
• Big moves on the horizon—from the UT system’s billion-dollar investments to a stadium that aims to host 700 events a year, including concerts, markets, and more.

A huge thank you to Dr. Marianne Wanamaker of the Howard H. Baker Jr. School of Public Policy and Public Affairs for kicking off this conversation with such a great question: How do entrepreneurs, innovators, and leaders get involved in civic life and make a real impact on their communities? That question sets the stage for everything we’re about to discuss.

Why Should You Listen?

If you care about YOUR city, if you care about making your community better, whether you’re an entrepreneur, an artist, a civic leader, or just someone who believes in the power of big ideas, this conversation is for you.

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Listen to all episodes of the Big Ideas Welcome podcast, available now on your favorite streaming platforms, YouTube, and at bigideaswelcome.com.

This Big Ideas Welcome podcast is brought to you by Knoxville Entrepreneur Center, hosted and curated by KEC Chief Experience Officer Chris McAdoo, and produced and edited by Palm Tree Pod Co.

A special thanks to K BREW for making this episode possible.

Original theme music “Thinking of You” courtesy of and copyright Kelsi Walker.