The Journey of Mayor Mike Werner
In this episode, we sit down with Mike Werner, the longtime Mayor of Gatlinburg, Tennessee, who shares his remarkable journey from first visiting the area in 1976 to becoming a pillar of the community he now leads.
Mike's story starts with an impulse land purchase in Walden's Creek that led him to relocate his family to Gatlinburg in 1980 — with no job and no home waiting for him. He recounts building his first house from hand-hewn poplar logs with help from neighbors he'd only just met, setting the tone for a deep, lifelong connection to the town.
From there, the conversation traces his path through land surveying, construction, and condominium sales at the Highlands — eventually running the property for over three decades. Mike offers a striking picture of Gatlinburg's scale: fewer than 4,000 year-round residents hosting up to 60,000 overnight guests on any given night.
A significant portion of the episode is devoted to the 2016 wildfires, one of the most difficult chapters in Gatlinburg's history. Mike shares what it was like leading the city through the crisis, the origins of the "Mountain Tough" slogan that came to define the town's recovery, and the community support — from Food City to Dolly Parton's My People Fund — that helped Gatlinburg rebuild. He also pays tribute to community leaders like Bud Ogle, Jim Gerding, and Xeno Wall, and reflects on projects like Rocky Top Sports World that have shaped Gatlinburg's future.
Throughout, Mike's love for the town and its people comes through clearly — a conversation that leaves listeners with a deeper appreciation for the leadership and resilience behind Gatlinburg's enduring charm.
Discover more about our guest.
Mike Werner is the longtime Mayor of Gatlinburg, Tennessee. He first visited the area in 1976 and relocated his family there in 1980, building a career in land surveying, construction, and condominium sales and management at the Highlands before becoming a civic leader in the community he's called home for over 40 years.
- A sight-unseen land purchase changed everything. Mike bought property in Walden's Creek in 1976 without ever having visited Tennessee — and by 1980, he'd moved his family of six to Gatlinburg with no job or home lined up.
- Community built his first house, literally. Neighbors showed up "like a barn raising" to help finish the cabin he built from poplar logs — plumbing, electrical, and all — heated by a single wood stove.
- A town of 4,000 that hosts 60,000 nightly. Mike describes the core civic challenge of Gatlinburg: balancing infrastructure and services for a small residential population against a massive nightly tourist population.
- The 2016 wildfires tested the town — and revealed its character. Mike recounts leading Gatlinburg through the crisis, including the loss of his own home, the birth of the "Mountain Tough" slogan, and community support like Food City's $750,000 relief fundraising effort.
- Honoring the community's builders. Mike reflects on mentors and civic leaders like Bud Ogle and Jim Gerding, crediting their hands-on, front-line approach to hospitality as foundational to Gatlinburg's success.
- Looking ahead. Mike shares his hopes for the next 10–15 years, focused on preserving Gatlinburg's character through code enforcement and downtown improvements — without "killing the goose that lays the golden egg."
Discover more about our host.
As the CEO of Mountain Laurel Chalets and a lifelong student of hospitality, Tom took the helm of MLC in 2012 — a company his in-laws Ralph and Dot Egli built from scratch in 1972 — and has spent every year since trying to learn from the owners, guests, and community that make this place worth caring about.
