King’s Crossroads The exterior of the headquarters of Bristol-based King Pharmaceuticals paints a serene picture. Stately brick buildings sit on an immaculately manicured lawn, which itself is enclosed by a black, wrought-iron fence. Perhaps its peaceful aura stems in part from its historical significance as the original site of King College (the current operations’ namesake). Or perhaps the grounds benefit from a certain mystique of the wealthy. After all, these buildings are home to quite a few… More...
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The Smart Money As community banks continue to crop up across Tennessee, organizers of SmartBank in Sevier County are hoping to cut into the local market share by taking advantage of the area’s bread-and-butter tourism sprawl. Led by a father and son team, Bill Carroll and Billy Carroll are local, seasoned banking veterans whose name is as famous for deposits and lending as the name Ogle is to real estate. (The Ogle family originally owned much of the county’s…
Simple Arithmetic East Tennessee’s largest employers boast their size in every scrap of promotional literature, yet the truth is that most of them are losing large chunks of their workforce to retirement. Kingsport’s global corporate force, Eastman Chemical Co., is sounding the alarm. “This is the perfect storm,” says Eastman’s staffing manager, Sharon Dietrich. With 2,000 jobs becoming vacant, the $7 billion manufacturer of chemicals, fibers and plastics is struggling to replace 60% of its professional and 40%…
A Rebuilding Stage Most of America’s 5,000 hospitals were built in the 1960s and ’70s, a late-in-developing consequence of passage of the Hospital Survey and Construction Act, or Hill-Burton Act, inspired by President Harry S. Truman back in 1946. Hill-Burton provided federal grants and loans to thousands of state-based health care providers for infrastructure improvements and to improve the ratio of hospital beds to population. …
Catch 493 When Murfreesboro or Memphis—with their obvious logistical benefits—set out to recruit new industry, even the most disinterested of companies can recognize such urban centers have much to offer. While economic officials for such cities can attest that actually landing a new headquarters or factory still takes a lot of work, few would deny they start the race with a sizable headstart over their rural cousins. …
Wrap Music Long before Memphis music phenomenon Three 6 Mafia won its Oscar Award earlier this year, the Bluff City already had a reputation as one of the country’s most fertile hip-hop markets. In a blend of marketing savvy and ego, those hip-hop artists are increasingly taking advantage of new technology to “pimp their rides” in a personalized way that turns their vehicles into rolling billboards featuring larger-than-life self-portraits. …
The Nine-Day Buffet Seeking a test market for its new survey software, the International Festival and Events Association (IFEA) bypassed such august members as the Kentucky Derby and the Tournament of Roses, instead tapping Chattanooga’s Riverbend Festival. “They have a very high respect within our industry,” says Steve Schmader, IFEA president. “They’re a festival that’s fairly typical in terms of draw and offerings.” …
