With colder nights seeming to crystallize red and green ornamental lights about our hometown, the past week, carried us into winter, whose official start is Monday, the shortest day of the year. If snow arrives, can winter be far behind?

There are few places that you can drive or visit and not come across some of this man's work. Lately he has been helping us promote our new Internet service, Cockecountymarketplace.com. Yes, those giant banners on the side of the Plain Talk were done by Jeff Cody at Rocky Top Grafix.

Although I've chatted with him briefly over the years, it wasn't until last week that we spent time talking about his family and business. And it was a timely meeting because this column is being published on his first wedding anniversary. His wife, Melissa "Missy," who is not from Newport, will be surprised when she reads here that I set up the photo of her and Jeff to recognize them on their first.

He is the son of Tommy and Pat (Blazer) Cody, who now live at Dutch Bottoms. Tommy is from Jefferson Co. and grew up in Rankin and is a distant kin to the Cosby Cody family. Jeff told me the story that years ago Jerry Cody, retired Guardsman and a longtime friend of mine, was talking about the family name. He said that originally it was McCody and three brothers shortened it and gave rise to most of the Codys around Cocke County. Pat was raised near Mannings Chapel. Because of where they worked many of you know them. Tommy worked for 30 years at Wall Tube & Metal and Pat retired from Electro-Voice.

Jeff is one of three children. The others being Pam Marshall, married to Buck, who works for Mahle, and Sharon Hensley. She is married to Benny a retired North Greene teacher. I saw Jimmy Hensley at the Billy Bible benefit and Jimmy is a brother to Benny. Jeff graduated from Cocke County High School in 1981. To put that in my perspective, I was news editor at the time, the year Co-Publisher Arthur Petrey died. At school, Jeff studied some industrial classes such as mechanical drawing under Donnie Frazier and got a taste of silk screening. Jeff had no real interest in perusing graphics. One person from his calls, Jeff recalled, that had some real ability was Edwin Inman, who did freehand art. His sister is Penny Webb, Plain Talk receptionist. Not knowing what he wanted to do, Jeff got recruited by Doodle Weems operating the grocery where White Foods is located. After a time he worked a bit for Wood Products and Ace Products still trying to find his niche. After a few years he got a delivery job with Pepsi and worked on a route for about 10 years. Perhaps you remember seeing him in local stores. His uncle, John Clark, the talented upholsterer, suggested that Jeff come over to his house and help with Thumbprint Designs. If I understood Jeff correctly, this business was actually started by Tony Willis and William France.

Uncle John is married to Pat Cody's sister, Freda. It was in the Clarks' basement that Jeff renewed his encounter with silk screening. There were, at the time, others in Newport also doing interesting silk screen design, including Ricky Foust. In a way, the technique reminds me of printing, using screen mats, a form of ink, and squeegee applicator instead of ink rollers. After a year or so, John decided to focus more on an industrial job with Great Lakes Chemical and his upholstery work. Jeff moved the business to a building owned by Bud McMillan near the McSween Bridge and across from Faye Fish's Modern Woodmen office. C&C Graphics expanded to do vinyl signs and then the newest print technique, dye sublimation. He also found a vendor to supply embroidery designs and offered all this to customers from about 1993 and on.

I suppose he just outgrew the location and saw a chance to buy the Volunteer Rental business off North Street at the last traffic light before leaving Newport traveling north. Ricky and Jamie Watts plus Jim Shelly had the business at the time. That was about 2000 when Jeff moved into the 3,500 square foot facility, which includes a garage. This was to come in handy. If you've seen county sheriff's cruisers or Newport patrol cars chances are Jeff did the decals and reflective green safety striping. Over the years some of the sign and design techniques have remained unchanged but the digital information age has really changed other aspects. For example, most folks have digital cameras and phone cameras that can easily capture photos. These can be carried to Rocky Top Grafixs and used in a number of ways whether as a license plate design or jewelry.

A popular item during the holidays are stars and ornaments carrying loved one's photos permanently affixed. He started doing these about 1995, but improved quality. School youth like dog tags with school emblems, key chains with athlete's photos, jewelry and other items. Some of these cost as a little as $5. Jewelry with tiny photos and designs include lapel pins, earrings, and charm bracelets. Jeff learned the business by trying methods and teaching himself using the popular computer design tool, Corel.

Silk screen technique probably has been around hundreds if not thousands of years. Jeff demonstrated the eight-panel device that looks like a windmill on its side. Each panel is used to imprint a certain part of the design in a specific color. Most of the time it is used to do art/design on T-shirts but there was a pile of black sweat outfits with purple Edgemont Panther logos. He or Missy can do one T-shirt or hundreds. Five hundred is a large order, and during a year they can produce thousands at prices ranging from $6 to $12 depending on design and number of colors used.

Jeff held up a Jingle Bell Run T-shirt he prepared for Newport Health and Rehabilitation's annual 5K run and fundraiser for Relay for Life. Computer design, photo emulsions, various silk screens and plastisol ink produce sharp colorful images. I was surprised how quickly the ink is pushed by hand squeegee through the screen onto the shirt. This was a lot of craftsmanship and handwork. Then in the front room where assistant Mark Bucker worked, Jeff showed more modern devices. I recognized a large Epson printer like we used one time for tabloid size page proofs. But Jeff's printer is a dye sublimation printer. This thin material with photo or designs can be heat transferred onto almost any surface. He had examples of mugs, plaques, aluminum, glass, and hardboard done by this method. Mark was using a plotter to imprint vinyl sheet. You may know him as the son of Ruble and Violet Buckner of Ruble's Barbershop fame. Rocky Top Grafix also can do signs up to 42-inches wide on an HP printer. If you buy signs of this size, you pay by the square foot.

Sign size is only limited by the length and width of where you want to place or hang them. There was a three-by-twenty-foot vinyl banner that was placed on the cable crossing East Broadway between the Plain Talk and Lynn Allen's. I think Tim Grooms of Motel 6 had something to do with the sign to help direct tourist traffic detoured by the I-40 slide to businesses hurt by the near-vacant I-40. Jeff and Missy have done a lot of signage to boost local benefits such as Relay for Life, March of Dimes or the street festivals.

About three years ago, Jeff got into the trophy business and his first order was 500 trophies to be used for a car show. He got hooked up with NOPI Motor sports and did trophies for many national shows. Another thing you will see at the shop and find out about Jeff is his keen sense of humor. Above the counter are three signs related to the infamous cockfighting raids in the county that brought in federal agents. Some FBI agents thought they were so unique; Jeff sold more than a dozen. He produced a T-shirt with the cockfighting "priceless" theme and has sold these to folks as far away as California. A photo of the famous T-shirt appeared in the Knoxville News-Sentinel. Eventually, more than 1,000 were sold even Gov. Phil Bredesen got one, said Jeff.

Let me tell you a little more about Missy, whose family name is Farmer from a town not far northeast of Abington, Virginia-Marion. They met at West End Baptist Church and Got married Dec. 20, 2008. Jeff and Missy live in Carson Springs at a home formerly owned by the Dollar family. She has two children by a prior marriage: Mallory, a junior at CCHS, and Andrew. Likewise, Jeff has a son by his first marriage. Chuck Cody, born in 1986, teaches at Gallatin High School. I asked how a Virginia girl ended up in Newport, and she explained that she and her former husband moved here many years ago.

At 46, Jeff is the oldest member of the Rocky Top Grafix team and the youngest is Bella, four. She is a smart but tiny rat terrier that has been known to scoot her empty water bowl to Jeff or Missy for them to fill it. I saw Mallory at the shop but don't know if she is getting an interest in art and design. Missy has learned many of the print techniques and in addition does accounting and customer service. It's a good match, they argue at work and leave it there, said Jeff.

With many businesses shrinking and hurting because of the recently-ended recession, the Codys' business faired well. People always like sports and recreation and a lot of trophies, uniforms, and signs go to this interest area. Signs as part of marketing and advertising are basic and always in demand. It also doesn't hurt that the upcoming 2010 elections will bring a lot of new sign and button business because of candidates.