The East Tennessee Section of AACE International is offering a 2-day Construction Claims seminar on May 15-16, 2008, in west Knoxville.

Leading the seminar will be Mr. James G. Zack, Jr., Executive Director of Corporate Claims Management for Fluor Corporation.
Full details, and online registration forms are now available on the East Tennessee Section website -- http://www.aace-ets.org/. Class size is limited. Sign up today to ensure your seminar seat.

NOTE: This release was sent from LBMC, a Knoxville Chamber member business.

LBMC Technologies, LLC, a member of the LBMC (Lattimore Black Morgan & Cain, PC) Family of Companies, is pleased to announce that Ani L. Ehlers, Marie Gray and David Ulrich have been added to its Knoxville office.

Ani L. Ehlers will join the Knoxville team as a technical manger. Ani, previously a project manager with Scripps Networks Interactive, earned a bachelor’s degree in marketing from the University of Toledo. She is an active member of the Society for Technical Communicators, Usability Professionals Association and Content Management Professionals.

Marie Gray, previously owner of and consultant with The Gray Area, will be a business development consultant in the Knoxville office. Marie has earned degrees from both the University of Phoenix and New York University. Marie is an active member and holds a leadership position in many professional organizations including the Help Desk Institute, East Tennessee Technology Council, American Society of Training and Development and Microsoft Organizational Assessment Team. She has also received a number of accolades for her work including the 2006 National Leadership Award from the National Business Advisory Council and the 2006 Congressional Medal of Distinction.

David Ulrich will join the Knoxville team as a Microsoft SharePoint network engineer. David previously worked as a server analyst with Memorial Healthcare System. He earned an associate’s degree in technical programming from The Computer Learning Center. David has extensive experience architecting and implementing enterprise wide Microsoft SharePoint solutions.
LBMC Technologies, LLC, is a leading technology partner which services the Nashville, Knoxville, Memphis, Chattanooga and Birmingham, AL areas. LBMC Technologies is a Microsoft-certified Gold Partner, has been a member of the Microsoft President’s Club for nine consecutive years and was recently awarded Microsoft’s elite Strategic Excellence Award. The firm has the only Microsoft Dynamics certified training center in Tennessee. For more information on LBMC Technologies, visit its Web site at lbmctech.com.

Note: This release was sent from Jim Ragonese, KAMA media relations director.

The Knoxville Chapter of the American Marketing Association (KAMA) recognized some of Knoxville’s top marketing professionals and students at its annual Gala on Friday, April 11 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Knoxville. The event, A Platinum Evening, marked the celebration of the organization’s 20th anniversary.

During the gala, emceed by UT director of broadcasting Bob Kesling, the 2008 Outstanding Marketing Professional of the Year award went to Ed Brantley, vice president and general manager of Citadel Broadcasting. Brantley has a 35-year career in broadcasting and manages radio stations WIVK, WNOX, WNML, WNRX and WOKI.

Under Brantley’s leadership, WIVK has won the Country Music Association’s Station of the Year award in 2000, 2001, 2004 and 2006, the National Association of Broadcasters Station of the Year award in 2003, 2004 and 2006 and the Academy of Country Music’s Station of the Year award in 2002, 2004 and 2006. During Brantley’s tenure, WNOX won the Edward R. Murrow award for overall excellence in 2000. Always community oriented, Brantley founded WIVK’s annual Coats for the Cold campaign and The Dream Connection.

Other marketing professionals recognized during the gala included Billy Rivet, partner at BlueGill Creative, who earned the Locander Award for Outstanding Service to the KAMA chapter, and Amy Styles, marketing manager at Covenant Health, who took home the Volunteer of the Year award. The organization also recognized past presidents of the chapter from each of the past 19 years.

KAMA recognized two University of Tennessee-Knoxville marketing students, Ashley Owen and Karen Key, with the Brantley Scholarship Award. Owen is a senior at UT with a 3.7 grade point average and serves as president of the UT – AMA chapter. Key, a UT junior, has a 3.2 grade point average and comes to Tennessee from Massachusetts, where she earned her Associate’s from Berkshire Community College, in Pittsfield, Mass. Each student was awarded a $4,000 scholarship by KAMA.

The annual awards gala and benefit auction raises money for the Eagle Endowment for Marketing Education. The scholarships awarded by KAMA are made possible through the endowment, which was created by the organization in 1990. The endowment is a permanent fund to provide scholarships for marketing majors at UT-Knoxville who have proven their leadership abilities and commitment to the marketing profession.

The American Marketing Association is the world’s largest and most comprehensive professional society of individual members with an interest in the practice, study and teaching of marketing. KAMA, a nonprofit chapter with a volunteer board of directors, strives to enhance and inform marketing professionals throughout East Tennessee and to educate and inform the general public about the function and purpose of marketing. For more information about KAMA, visit www.kama.org, or call (865) 539-1300.

Gregg Morton, President of AT&T Tennessee told a group of Chamber Premier Partner members about the changing landscape of the communications industry Thursday at the Knoxville Chamber office.

He said that his company is responding to the changing market by expanding existing services and by looking into new ways to connect customers to the information and entertainment that they want.

One example of this is a new option in video that would compete with cable television. He said that their program would be "cooler than cable" because of additional features such as interactivity and multiple-program DVR.

Here is the PowerPoint presentation that he gave to the Premier Partners.

Note: This release was sent from LBMC, a Knoxville Chamber member business.

Lattimore Black Morgan & Cain, PC (LBMC), one of the Southeast’s largest accounting and business consulting firms, has added Sara Wilch in its Knoxville office.

Sara Nicole Wilch will be a senior accountant in the audit division of LBMC. Sara, a Certified Public Accountant, has experience working with a big four firm as well as another regional accounting firm. She has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Findlay and a master’s degree from Ohio State University. Sara enjoys traveling, reading, cooking and attending various community events.

Virtual Interactive Center will host an open house Thursday, May 1st, from 5:00-8:00 p.m. to celebrate its recent office expansion in downtown’s historic Keller Building.

Virtual Interactive Center (VIC) is a web technology agency specializing in web application design and hosting. VIC has been in business since 1995 acting as an outsourced technology partner for multiple Knoxville businesses including marketing and advertising agencies and various non-profit organizations. Included in its client list are the Knoxville Chamber, the Central Business Improvement District downtownknoxville.org and the East Tennessee Television & Film Commission ettfc.com/

Questions and R.S.V.P. for the open house should be directed to Lindsay Parrott at 865-246-5042 or lparrott@vic.com.

Tierney Bates, president of the Knoxville Area Urban League Young Professionals, has been awarded the Chancellor's Award for extraordinary community service from the University of Tennessee.

Bates is also the assistant director for Minority Student Affairs.

According to the University of Tennessee website, "Under his leadership, the organization received its charter from the national Urban League. Since then, he has been instrumental in recruiting young professionals who have joined together on community service projects such as Shoes for School, the Academic Summit and a minority health fair."

See the other winners and learn more about the award by visiting The University of Tennessee Chancellor's Website.

Note: This information was provided by Landmark International Trucks, Inc., a Knoxville Chamber member business.

Landmark International Trucks, Inc. is having an open house on May 5, 2008 at 4550 Rutledge Pike. The event is called "Ready to Roll Sales Event" and will run from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

If you have any more questions please contact Suzanne Rose or Andy Jablonski at 637-4881.

Today the Knoxville Chamber named finalists for the 2008 Pinnacle Business Awards presented by Regions Bank. The Awards gala is the business community’s marquee event and includes a celebration of business accomplishments and the honoring of the 2008 winners. The Pinnacle Business Awards event will be April 25th at the Knoxville Convention Center and will begin with a reception and silent auction at 6:30 p.m. The dinner and awards presentation will begin at 8:00 p.m.

More than 650 businesspeople are expected to attend the gala. Corporate tables and individual tickets are available and can be purchased online at www.knoxvillechamber.com or by contacting the Chamber at 865-637-4550.

Awards are presented in eight categories – six business and two individual categories. Finalists are named in four of those categories – Innovator Award, Small Business Excellence Award, Impact Award, and Minority Business Excellence Award. Winners will be announced in all categories at the Pinnacle Business Awards gala event.

Finalists and award categories are:

Innovator Award – presented by Image Matters, Inc.
This award is given to a business that has developed a new technology, innovative product or service or applied a business system or service in an innovative way.

Finalists:
Advanced Polymer Recycling Inc.
Molecular Pathology Laboratory Network, Inc.
Sunlight Direct, LLC

Small Business Excellence Award – presented by Bank of America
This award is presented to a business with 50 or fewer employees that has consistently grown its workforce and revenue and overcome obstacles including access to capital, operational efficiency, control of expenses, customer loyalty and distribution.

Finalists
AC Entertainment
Junk Bee Gone
Professional Drivers Medical Depots
Studio Four Design

Impact Award – presented by Sperry Van Ness R.M. Moore
This award honors a business that displays a commitment to making East Tennessee a better place to live and work through the development and support of a community project or program.

Finalists
Goody’s Family Clothing, Inc.
Knoxville Comprehensive Breast Center
Shoney’s of Knoxville, Inc.

Minority Business Excellence Award – presented by Covenant Health
This award is presented to a minority business that has produced outstanding business results and growth and overcome the obstacles of race or sex.

Finalists
ES&H, Inc.
GEM Technologies, Inc.
Visionary Solutions LLC

Business Excellence Awards – Mid-Sized Award presented by the Conference Center at Water’s Edge
This award is given to a company headquartered in East Tennessee or a company with a significant presence in East Tennessee that has shown remarkable profitability, growth and stability and is recognized regionally, nationally and/or internationally in their its respective business sector. Both a mid-sized and a large business are selected in this category.

Young Entrepreneur Award – presented by Cariten Healthcare
Presented to a young professional under forty that lives and works in East Tennessee and has achieved success while overcoming obstacles, to become one of tomorrow’s top business leaders. The winner will have started or is at risk in ownership of his/her business.

James A. Haslam, II Leadership Award – presented by Lexus of Knoxville
This award is given to a longtime business leader that exhibits strength in character, resolve and a commitment to the community and exemplary success in the regional business community.

The following is a release from the Knoxville Area Chapter of the American Red Cross, a Chamber member.

The Knoxville Area Chapter of the American Red Cross has been named one of the highest-performing chapters in the United States by the national American Red Cross, headquartered in Washington, D.C.

Only 90 out of 756 U.S. Red Cross chapters received the designation of being named a “high-performing chapter.”

“This outstanding achievement is the result of the hard work of our 19 employees and more than 1,900 volunteers, who consistently deliver the highest levels of service to those in need” said Allan Cox, chapter chairman. “All of us who are part of the Knoxville Area Chapter are extremely pleased to receive this award.”

Chapters were graded on a comprehensive set of 47 performance criteria as part of the Red Cross Chapter Performance Standards system. High scores in all areas of the evaluation are required to receive the honor. Among the performance standards in which the chapter excelled are:

• Achieving and maintaining proven disaster readiness and response capability to serve the community
• Training significant percentages of people in CPR, First Aid and other safety courses
• Ensuring strong efficiency in use of donated dollars, with emphasis on program expenditures
• Achieving high levels of customer satisfaction, as demonstrated through ongoing client surveys

In 2007, the 10-county region of the Knoxville Area Chapter provided relief to 247 families following local house and apartment fires, trained over 30,000 people in one or more lifesaving course, provided emergency communications for over 800 military personnel and their loved ones and did much more while spending some 88 cents of every dollar on programs and services.

In November 2005, Red Cross was selected as a “Best-Practice Partner” by the American Productivity and Quality Center (APQC), for the Chapter Performance Standards system itself, which was formally recognized as a best practice for both non-profit and for-profit corporations. The APQC is a not-for-profit organization which has specialized in benchmarking and identifying business-related best practices for nearly 30 years.