The Big Deal In 2000, when Oak Ridge officials began touting the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) project across the state at many an economic development luncheon, they encountered many a blank look. Most business and civic leaders weren’t clear on exactly what a Spallation Neutron Source was, let alone able to foresee its impact on the region’s immediate future. … More...
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Features
Tennessee's Top Employers Each year, the Best Companies Group examines Tennessee businesses and evaluates them to determine which ones stand out as the best employers. By considering many factors such as salary, tenure of CEOs, personal benefits and more, the Best Companies Group has assembled its 2006 list of the top 20 organizations to work for in Tennessee. The companies are listed alphabetically. Beaman Automotive Group …
Mayor Roundtable: Nearly 40% of Tennessee’s population resides in one of the state’s “Big Four” urban counties—Davidson, Hamilton, Knox and Shelby. The mayors of these counties recently sat down together in the Nashville offices of Farris, Matthews, Branan, Bobango, Hellen & Dunlap to discuss issues of commonality across their jurisdictions with Business Tennessee editor Drew Ruble.
Where, Robot? Philip K. Dick is missing.Not the American sci-fi writer whose work spawned hit films like Blade Runner and Total Recall—he died more than 20 years ago—but a state-of-the-art robot named after the author, built by robotics teams in Tennessee and Texas.The quirky android, which made a major splash at Wired magazine’s NextFest in Chicago in June, was lost in early January en route to California via commercial airline. “We’re pressing hard to find Phil,” says Steve…
An Option of Second Resort The Great Smoky Mountains area—the crown jewel of Tennessee tourism— didn’t grow without a little government help.A bill passed in the early 1970s bestowed special resort status on the area, allowing it to keep a larger portion of state-shared taxes to fund tourism projects. That “extra” yearly revenue—recently figured at $5 million a year—is credited with keeping the tourism machine of Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge well-oiled. …
Financial Pieces Brentwood-based Dave Ramsey’s The Lampo Group just keeps expanding. Ramsey’s flagship radio program, The Dave Ramsey Show, can be heard on more than 270 radio stations across the country. Boasting more than two million weekly listeners, it is the largest independently owned, operated and syndicated talk radio show in the country. …
Master of the Horn Few people outside the world of trumpet professionals would know that along a stretch of no-man’s-land on Highway 30W in the foothills of the Smoky Mountains there resides one of the most recognized trumpet makers in the world, Cliff Blackburn. In fact, it’s difficult to find anyone in the Decatur-area business community who is even aware that Blackburn operates a globally significant business near the Meigs-McMinn County line. …
Baptist Bids Financially strapped Baptist Health System of East Tennessee has allegedly garnered attention from many of the expected health care high rollers (and usual suspects) like Nashville’s HCA, Dallas-based Triad and even Memphis’ LifePoint Hospitals. But one potential purchaser with its hat officially in the ring may be the most intriguing. …
Here Kitty, Kitty Trucking sensation Forward Air sits unchallenged in the industry’s less-than-truckload sweet spot.Many have tried to emulate the success of the Greeneville-based company, founded by Scott Niswonger, but few have succeeded. Forward Air provides time-definite ground transportation and logistics between airports to the North American deferred air freight market. (Similar to the airline industry, it runs designated routes on a schedule, even when the shipments are not full.) …
Born in the HSA In his January State of the Union address, President Bush announced plans to “strengthen health savings accounts” and make sure individuals and small-business employees “can buy insurance with the same advantages that people working for big businesses now get.” Since then, Americans interested in new ways to save on health care costs have taken a renewed interest in health savings accounts. …
Home Schooling Non-traditional learning isn’t a new idea. For many years, universities have offered continuing education and professional training to adults looking to build their resumés through low-residency programs and video teleconferencing. But for adults saddled with full-time employment, it is a struggle to obtain even a degree, though studies show that higher education equals higher earnings—sometimes as much as 50% higher when an adult makes the jump from high school graduation to bachelor’s degree, and then…
