NOTE: The following release was sent by Wood Properties, Inc., a Knoxville Chamber member business.
John M. Adams III, CCIM, SIOR of Wood Properties, Inc. has achieved the SIOR Office Specialist designation awarded by the SOCIETY OF INDUSTRIAL AND OFFICE REALTORS®, an international association of professional commercial real estate brokers. John is one of only six SIOR’s in Knoxville.
To achieve the SIOR designation, John completed five years of creditable experience in the highly specialized field of office real estate; and demonstrated to SIOR professional ability, competency, ethical conduct, and personal integrity. John becomes the second individual in Knoxville to hold the SIOR Office Specialist and CCIM designations.
The SOCIETY OF INDUSTRIAL AND OFFICE REALTORS® is the leading professional commercial and industrial real estate association. With more than 3,200 members in 562 cities in 22 countries, SIOR represents today’s most knowledgeable, experienced, and successful commercial real estate brokerage specialists.
SIOR has certified more than 2,500 of its members with the prestigious SIOR designation, a professional symbol of the highest level of knowledge, production, and ethics in the real estate industry. Real estate professionals who have earned the SIOR designation are recognized by corporate real estate executives, commercial real estate brokers, agents, lenders, and other real estate professionals as the most capable and experienced brokerage practitioners in any market. SIOR designees can hold the following specialty designations: industrial, office, sales manager, executive manager, or advisory service.
The most recent data extrapolated from an SIOR member survey revealed that SIOR designees closed more than 82,747 transactions involving 2.7 billion square feet of commercial real estate bought, sold or leased. These transactions totaled $85.6 billion, or an average of $33.5 million per member.
John, a Knoxville native, was awarded the Certified Commercial Investment Member (CCIM) designation by the Commercial Investment Real Estate Institute in 2007. He was elected the 2008 President of the East Tennessee CCIM Chapter. John is a member of Nucleus Knoxville, where he serves as the new member representative for the Nucleus Executive Committee. John is also a member of the Commercial Investment Committee at the Knoxville Association of Realtors.
NOTE: This release was sent from Pro2Serve, a Knoxville Chamber member business.
Oak Ridge, Tennessee, June 2008 –Charles S. (Tyler) Przybylek, the former Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel of the Department of Energy’s (DOE) National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), has joined Professional Project Services, Inc. (Pro2Serve) as an Advisor to the Board of Directors. In this capacity, Mr. Przybylek will provide strategic guidance to Pro2Serve’s Board and corporate leadership as it continues to expand its role in providing critical infrastructure engineering services in support of national security.
In his former role as NNSA’s Chief Operating Officer, Mr. Przybylek served as the headquarters interface for integration of field and headquarters operations. He also served as NNSA’s chief legal officer and served as the Source Evaluation Board Chairman for the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) contract competition and as the Source Selection Authority for the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) contract competition.
Prior to his positions in Washington, DC, Mr. Przybylek was the chief counsel for NNSA’s Albuquerque Operations Office. There, he twice served as the deputy manager, and also served as site manager for the Los Alamos Site Office. Before 1994, Mr. Przybylek served as chief counsel for the Oak Ridge Operations Office. His first mission with the DOE was as senior counsel for the Strategic Petroleum Reserve Project Management Office in New Orleans.
Mr. Przybylek received his Juris Doctor degree with honors from the National Law Center at George Washington University. He is a member of the West Virginia and District of Columbia Bar Associations.
Other Pro2Serve board members are Dr. Robert Van Hook, former President of Lockheed Martin Energy Systems, Dr. Everet Beckner, former Deputy Administrator of NNSA for Defense Programs, Homer Fisher, Senior Vice President Emeritus of the University of Tennessee, Paul Martin, Jr., Chief Managing Member of Clarity Resources, LLC, and Dr. L. Barry Goss, Pro2Serve’s founder and Board Chairman.
Pro2Serve is a nationally-recognized technical and engineering services firm dedicated to providing critical infrastructure engineering services in support of our Nation’s security. Pro2Serve provides innovative solutions to government and private industry on critical security, defense, facilities and infrastructure, nuclear nonproliferation, and environmental projects. Engineering News-Record named Pro2Serve as the 242nd largest design firm and the 15th largest manufacturing design firm in the nation for 2006. It was the only east Tennessee headquartered firm to make the list. Pro2Serve is also a two-time alumnus of the Inc. 500, a listing of the 500 fastest growing privately held companies in the United States. In addition to Tennessee, Pro2Serve has offices in Colorado, Ohio, Nevada, New Mexico, California, Texas, and Washington, D.C.
NOTE: This information comes from an advertisement sent by Maaco, a Knoxville Chamber member business.
Maaco Collision Repair and Auto Painting will host a grand opening celebration at their new location at 6130 Western Ave. on Saturday June 21, from 10am to 2pm.
Guests can enter to win a free supreme paint service.
For more information, call 865-212-3299.
NOTE: This release was sent from LBMC, a Knoxville Chamber member business.
LBMC Strategic Staffing, LLC, a member of the LBMC (Lattimore Black Morgan & Cain, PC) Family of Companies, has added Eric Wrzesniewski as an executive recruiter to its Knoxville office.
Eric Wrzesniewski previously worked in the media industry as an HR coordinator and recruiter. He has a strong background in HR and enjoys the challenge of recruiting. In his new role, Eric will be working with both candidates and employers primarily on accounting and finance positions. As a graduate of Tusculum College, Eric holds a bachelor’s degree in organizational management with a focus in HR. He enjoys golfing and spending time with his family.
LBMC Strategic Staffing, LLC, is a specialized recruiting firm whose focus is on the placement of Accounting/Financial, Human Resources and Executive Administrative professionals in contract and direct-hire opportunities. LBMC Strategic Staffing works closely with both the candidates and employers to find the best fit for both parties involved in the hiring process. LBMC Strategic Staffing services the Nashville (Brentwood), Knoxville and Chattanooga, Tenn areas. For more information on LBMC, visit its Web site at www.lbmcstaffing.com.
NOTE: This release was sent from LBMC, a Knoxville Chamber member business.
Angela M. Sparks, CPA, a manager at Lattimore Black Morgan & Cain, PC (LBMC), recently accepted on behalf of the Knoxville Chapter of the Association of Legal Administrators (ALA) an Award of Excellence at the ALA annual conference in Seattle, Washington.
Angela assisted in the coordination of the Community Challenge Weekend back in October of 2007 and earned her chapter a top award based on the project summary presentation she put together. ALA’s Community Challenge weekend consists of bringing chapter members together to contribute time, energy and resources towards improving their own communities. Over the course of this project, the Knoxville ALA Chapter contributed time as administrative volunteers to the John T. O’Connor Senior Center Flu Shot Saturday, supplies to Knox Area Rescue Ministries and supplies to The Ronald McDonald House of Knoxville.
Angela has over 27 years of accounting experience and focuses specifically on individual and small business taxation as well as bankruptcy taxation and legal practice management. She has been involved with the Knoxville Chapter of ALA for four years and enjoys opportunities such as the Community Challenge Weekend in which she can make a positive impact in her community.
The Knoxville Chapter of the Association of Legal Administrators is a chapter of the Association of Legal Administrators (ALA), an organization founded in 1971 to promote and enhance the competence and professionalism of Legal Administrators and all members of the management team.
Lattimore Black Morgan & Cain, PC, and the LBMC Family of Companies has more than 400 employees, with offices in Nashville (Brentwood), Knoxville and Chattanooga, Tennessee. Founded in 1984 as a traditional accounting firm, LBMC has expanded its focus to meet a broad range of financial, human resources and technology needs for its diverse client base. Specific services offered by the LBMC “Family of Companies” include accounting and assurance services, business and personal tax consulting, investment advisory services, permanent and contract staffing, human resources outsourcing, payroll services, technology solutions, health care consulting, litigation support, business valuations, and mergers and acquisitions. For more information on LBMC, visit its Web site at lbmc.com.
The Knoxville Chamber has sent letters to a number of Knoxville-area legislators urging them to vote against Rep. Niceley's amendment, which would have the superintendent voted by the public, rather than appointed by the school board. Here is a copy of the letter, sent from Mike Edwards, which states the Chamber's position:
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To sustain our economy and continue our economic prosperity substantial improvements are necessary in public education. We need to increase academic rigor and improve the skills of high school graduates so students are ready for the workplace or post-secondary training. These improvements will not come easy and will require the focused effort of a strong, professional school superintendent.
The current legislative effort to allow for an elected school superintendent (Amendment 3 to HB 3857) is bad public policy. The Knoxville Chamber is opposed to this legislation and would look at its passage as hostile to public education. I hope you will not allow such a vote to become part of your public record.
Knox County's superintendent of schools needs to have academic improvement and execution of strategies to increase the skills of graduates as his/her singular focus. That professional cannot be distracted by periodic elections.
The School Board is, and ought to continue to be, the place where public policy is set and the public's desires and the electorate's voice is heard. The Board should continue to formulate policies based on public input. But the implementation of those policies should
be left to the professional staff employed by the Board.
I urge you to vote against the amendment offered by Rep. Niceley.
Sincerely,
Michael Edwards
President & CEO, Knoxville Chamber
___________________________________________
Also, the Knoxville News Sentinel had an editorial on the proposed superintendent policy change, which was attached to Edwards' letter.
Note: This notice was sent from LBMC, a Knoxville Chamber member business.
An inside view of how successful organizations throughout the world use proven business strategies to gain a competitive edge while exceeding goals and expectations.
Strategies that will be discussed include:
- Tightened customer focus in a crowded market
- Defined value-added differentiation
- Maximized customer relationships
- Reduced spending using technology
- Expanded geographic distribution that is profitable and permanent
- A culture of sales excellence - close more business in a shorter time frame
- Inspired thinking to make a strategic leap
See how a winning strategy will unify your team and allow them to experience the excitement of contributing to the future of a growing company with a clearly defined direction. This session will be led by Allen Hovious, President of LBMC Planning Services, who has worked with hundreds of clients in over 30 industries to develop winning strategies for their organizations.
Cost: FREE and lunch will be provided.
Date: June 10th, 2008 (12:00-1:30)
Location: Knoxville LBMC Office – 10024 Investment Drive, Suite 200, Knoxville 2nd Floor Training Room
RSVP: Christie Knapper at 865-862-3059 or cknapper@lbmc.com
CPE Credit: (1.5 hrs) available upon request.
Note: This release was sent from the East Tennessee Healthcare Center.
A major medical park, East Tennessee Healthcare Center, will break ground on Wednesday, May 7th at 11:00 a.m. The development is on 12 acres located in Dowell Springs Business Park which is off Middlebrook Pike. Mayor Bill Haslam, Mayor Mike Ragsdale and Mike Edwards, CEO of the Knoxville Chamber, will participate in the ceremony.
“We will break ground on two new buildings that will total 175,000 square feet of medical office and clinical facilities with plans for an additional 75,000 square feet of space as demand grows,” said Terry Douglass, CEO of East Tennessee Healthcare Development, LLC. “We have two anchor tenants, Knoxville Comprehensive Breast Center (KCBC) and Tennessee Cancer Specialists (TCS), who together will utilize approximately 70,000 square feet of space initially. Other physician practice groups and clinical facilities have agreed to lease an additional 30,000 square feet of space to date. Construction is scheduled to start in May, 2008. The architect is The Lewis Group and the contractor is Merit Construction.”
“Knoxville Comprehensive Breast Center has outgrown our current location and is looking forward to expanding the facilities for our patients, physicians and staff,” said Dr. Kamilia Kozlowski, CEO and Medical Director. “We are excited to be affiliated with East Tennessee Healthcare Center and that the groundbreaking will coincide with Knoxville Comprehensive Breast Center’s 25th anniversary.”
East Tennessee Healthcare Center will be a world-class medical park that will seek to serve all patients and physicians in East Tennessee and will be centrally located to all area hospitals. Patients will benefit from multi-specialty physician groups on-site and will enjoy easy access, convenient parking, walking paths, waterfalls and beautiful mountain views. The focus will be on wellness, healthy living, and comprehensive diagnostic and therapy solutions to meet many of the healthcare needs of the East Tennessee community.
“To be able to offer all cancer services including clinic, radiation therapy, imaging, clinical trials, and related services in one location makes it convenient for our patients”, said Dr. Tracy Dobbs, CEO of Tennessee Cancer Specialists.
The $35 million healthcare center will provide comprehensive medical and clinical services including a diagnostic imaging center, a clinical laboratory capability, pathology services, chemotherapy and radiation therapy services, a tumor board, an ambulatory surgery center, physical therapy, alternative medicine, medical spa services, research, and clinical trials. Healthcare support services will include a pharmacy, social services, dietician, weight loss center, massage therapy, plastic surgery, acupuncture and dermatology services.
Current businesses located at Dowell Springs Business Park include: Allergy Specialists, Ascendant Lab, East Tennessee Diagnostic Center, East Tennessee Vein Clinic, Endocrinology Consultants of East Tennessee, LifeCare Partners, Thompson Cancer Survival Center and Weisgarber Eye Center.
For more information, contact Terry Douglass at East Tennessee Healthcare Development at 865-691-8098 or by e-mail at terry@provisionfoundation.org.
NOTE: This release was sent from RM Technologies/Claris Networks, a Knoxville Chamber member business.
RM Technologies is now Claris Networks.
Knoxville’s premier information technology solutions company, serving more than 250 clients, is being renamed as a result of the company’s January purchase by members of its senior management team.
Claris Networks serves clients throughout East Tennessee, including some of the country’s largest specialty medical practices.
"Claris is a variation of the Greek word meaning clear," said Paul Sponcia, chief executive officer of Claris Networks. "We want our name to describe our creativity, efficiency, value and our ability to communicate with our clients."
Claris Networks celebrates its 10th anniversary this year, having been founded in 1998 as RM Technologies. The firm started with Sponcia and two other employees. Today the company numbers 45 employees in Knoxville and recently expanded into Chattanooga. Claris Networks provides managed services and data hosting solutions, network implementation and integration solutions, consulting and strategic advising services, as well as a full assortment of IT support and outsourcing services.
Claris Networks is located in the Offices at Waters Edge, 608 Mabry Hood Road and can be found on the Web at clarisnetworks.com.
Note: This release was sent from First Tennessee Bank, a Knoxville Chamber member business.
First Tennessee Bank recently named Karen Johnson senior corporate real estate and properties manager.
Before joining First Tennessee, Johnson served for five years as a facility manager with CB Richard Ellis and was assigned to the Regions Bank account.
Johnson is a member of the International Facility Management Association, the National Association of Realtors and the Tennessee Association of Realtors. She received her bachelor’s degree in business administration from California Coast University in 2005.
Johnson resides in the Middlebrook Heights community.
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