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.
NOTE: This is from a release from Bandit Lites, Inc., a Chamber member. They are celebrating a milestone anniversary with a trip down memory lane.
Bandit Lites is celebrating 40 Years of Excellence in 2008. To highlight this significant anniversary, Bandit is releasing a 6-Part Series featuring key milestones from the first 40 Years. The series will provide readers with a unique behind-the-scenes perspective as to how Bandit Lites started with a 12-year-old’s idea and grew into the world’s preeminent lighting company.
The first installment, The Early Years, describes how a kid with a vision and some borrowed equipment was able to start a successful business.
The story began 40 years ago, when a touring band stopped in Bandit CEO, Michael T. Strickland’s hometown of Kingsport, TN to perform a concert. In the late 60’s most acts were just beginning to use lighting of any type. However, having been involved in Community Theater since age 5, Michael knew that theatrical lighting existed and could be applied to the live music industry.
"After a Beach Boys concert I approached the promoter and asked him if he would like to use lighting for his next concert,” Michael explained. The promoter asked Michael to name his price, and he quoted a modest $25, which seemed like a huge amount of money to a 12-year-old in 1968. They agreed to the price, and the next month when another band came, he did the same thing.
“The next month we took all the lights from the school theater, hung them in the gymnasium around the stage, and lit Paul Revere and The Raiders. I didn't have any knowledge back then," he admits, "but neither did the people I was working for, so anything and everything I did was correct. The color I used was right. The mood I set was right. There was no wrong for these people, nor was there any wrong for me."
Word of Strickland’s success spread and soon other touring bands began requesting Bandit to light their concerts.
"We'd do a show one night for the Beach Boys, and they'd ask us to go the next night to another city. The first time they asked, I had to say no. I was twelve years old," he says. "I couldn't drive. I had no way of getting there. I was ready the next time. I hired a friend with a car and a U-Haul trailer. When they asked if we could do a show the next night in Asheville, I said sure. I did not think that after Asheville, he was going to say, 'Can you go to Charlotte?’ I had to go to school the next day, and had to pass on Charlotte. After that experience I hired 2 people, with 2 cars, so one could drive me home on Sunday night while the other stayed on the road.”
Juggling the demands of adolescence and a budding company proved to be a bit challenging at times, but determined to succeed, Strickland pressed on while in Junior High and High School while also playing football and basketball.
“We worked most of the major rock concerts within 300 miles of Kingsport in the early years. We did it mainly to see free concerts and meet girls. Making money was never really part of the equation at that point. Most of the shows took place on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays so we were able to travel to them. At that time all the equipment we used was borrowed from the local schools and theaters, hence the name Bandit!”
From 1968 to 1971 Bandit had the pleasure of working with a large number of national acts, including The Monkees, The Grassroots, Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons, Dennis Yost and the Classics Four, BJ Thomas, Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels, The Beach Boys, Kris Kristofferson plus many others. This was the beginning of a firm foundation for what would eventually become one of the world’s leading lighting companies.
Please stay tuned for the second installment of Bandit History: 40 Years of Excellence – The 70’s.
Bandit Lites is a global leader in the entertainment lighting marketplace. From touring productions to fixed installations, Bandit Lites has a full staff of highly trained professionals to deal with all types of lighting needs. With offices in Knoxville, Nashville, San Francisco, London, Hong Kong and Taiwan, Bandit’s global presence will insure seamless transitions no matter where your next show takes you.
NOTE: This release was sent by Julia Wood of PSTCC and represents a positive event for a Chamber member.
Pellissippi State Technical Community College is one major step closer to building a new campus in Blount County. The state of Tennessee has completed its purchase of property for the college to relocate and expand its current site, Blount County Center.
"Pellissippi State is committed to improving the educational opportunities available to Blount County residents," said Allen Edwards, president of Pellissippi State. "Building the new campus supports our mission and dedication to higher education in East Tennessee."
The new campus is projected to cost more than $22 million, with $17.2 million coming from the state and more than $2.9 million coming from the sale of the Blount County Center property on Middlesettlements Road in Alcoa.
The remaining $2 million needed to complete the facility will come from funds raised by the Pellissippi State Foundation. The Foundation has already begun a major gifts campaign that includes the project.
"With the additional giving for the Blount County campaign, we have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to build the optimal campus, which is something that doesn't come along every day," said Jerome Moon, Foundation Board of Trustees member.
The 39.5-acre property was purchased from James A. Bumgarner and Dorothy B. Petree for approximately $1.18 million. The land is located on Highway 321, with access from South Old Grey Ridge Road and Nelson Lane. The property fronts both sides of Highway 321, with about 3.5 acres on one side of the road and the remainder on the other side.
"When I was first approached about selling the Bumgarner family farm, I thought that a college campus would be a good addition to the community and that my father would be pleased," said Dorothy Petree. "I taught in public schools for 34 years. Our daughters are teachers, too. Given our family history, I think we'd all be proud to help generate educational opportunities for this area."
After requesting and receiving input from a community site advisory committee, Pellissippi State looked at a number of properties in Blount County before deciding on the Highway 321 location.
"All of the sites were excellent," said Moon, who also is chair of the site advisory committee, "but with considerable community input, the decision made was the best fit for the community and the college's future. This site will allow for expansion and growth within the community."
"Pellissippi State has been looking and planning for a new campus for Blount County for a long time," said Steve West, co-chair of the Blount County portion of the major gifts campaign. "During this time, we feel that we found the best location to fill the needs of Blount County and area students. We have also used this time to visualize what a true college campus should look and feel like. This is the next exciting step in higher education for Blount County."
"Really, all of this has been made possible by the good people of Blount County," said Edwards. "Without the support of the Blount County Commission, who authorized us in 1999 to use the proceeds from the sale of the current Blount County Center for the construction and improvement of a new facility, we would never have been able to pursue this dream.
"This turns out to be a wonderful win-win situation for all involved. We look forward to completing the arrangements for the sale of the current site and moving forward with our new campus."
Pellissippi State has offered classes in Blount County since 1985. The satellite campus has been housed at the former Bungalow Elementary School building since 1991. While that location served the needs of the college for many years, the institution has outgrown the aging facility.
"This has been a great home for us for the last 17 years, but with increasing enrollment and the desire for more programs in Blount County, the need for a new campus is ever-present," said Bill Eanes, assistant dean of the Blount County Center. "We look forward to the exciting opportunities that lie ahead for Pellissippi State and Blount County."
Currently, more than 700 students attend classes at the Blount County Center. Yet roughly 1,300 Pellissippi State students list Blount County as their residence. A new, expanded facility will allow more students to attend classes nearer to where they live.
"As someone who loves Blount County, I would like to see a new Pellissippi campus built there," said Laura McCulloch, a student at the Blount County Center. "Then maybe more local students would choose to stay close to home like I did."
The new facility will have more science labs, traditional classrooms and computer classrooms than are currently available. It will also include an art studio, a multipurpose fitness room and an auditorium and stage area for performances and speakers. The campus also will provide a manufacturing technology lab to train students for employment in area businesses and to allow people in the workforce to continue to upgrade their skills.
"Having the space in Blount County will allow us to be more responsive to the training needs of local business and industry," said Teri Brahams, executive director of Business and Community Services at Pellissippi State. "The lab will be state of the art and flexible, which will allow us to meet a myriad of training needs both now and in the future."
The state of Tennessee has awarded the design contract to Community Tectonics and Cope Associates as a joint venture and the construction management contract to Messer Construction Company.
The college plans to break ground later this year and will offer classes for the first time in the fall of 2010.
RM Technology Group, a member of the Knoxville Chamber, has initiated a bill that would have convicted sex offenders provide the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation with their email address, instant message and chat names, and other identifying online contact information.
“This bill presents an outstanding opportunity for us to strengthen Tennessee’s child protection laws,” said Senator Woodson. “I look forward to sponsoring this bill and working to keep our children safe from these predators.”
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