United Grocery Outlet in west Oak Ridge is closing January 18.
“We are unable to provide our customers with the options we have at our other locations, and we are unable to sustain in our current environment,” the store said in a sign posted on its front door.
New hours went into effect today (Monday, January 6): Monday to Saturday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
[Read more…]The Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce will honor area business leaders and businesses at its first An ExtraORdinary Evening Installation and Awards Dinner this week.
It is scheduled to start at 7 p.m., Friday, January 10, at the Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge. The cocktail hour will begin at 6 p.m.
Bob and Carol Smallridge and Colin Anderson will be presented with the Chamber’s most prestigious awards at the event, a press release said.
Bob and Carol Smallridge will be the recipients of the Eugene L. Joyce Lifetime Achievement Award.
“The award is given to recognize and celebrate individuals who have truly distinguished themselves and embody the essential values of volunteerism, community service, and dedication to the economic vitality of our community,” the press release said. “It is the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce’s preeminent award given to honor the memory of the late Eugene L. Joyce.” [Read more…]
Parker Hardy
Parker Hardy will retire next summer after more than 20 years as president and chief executive officer of the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce.
Hardy has been president and CEO of the Chamber since November 1996. Under his leadership, the Chamber received the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Chamber of the Year designation in 2010, a press release said.
“During Hardy’s tenure, the Chamber has played a vital role in recruiting new retail to (the) city, including the Main Street development, as well as the Marriott TownePlace Suites,” the press release said. “Residential development has been a key area of focus for the Chamber as well. The Chamber has been instrumental in recruiting residential developers now building in The Preserve, Groves Park Commons, and Forest Creek Village. The Chamber also was instrumental in the attraction of Bristol Park, Centennial Village, and Centennial Bluff multi-family developments.” [Read more…]
DQ Grill and Chill has opened a restaurant in Oak Ridge.
The restaurant opened Tuesday, December 3. It is at the intersection of South Rutgers Avenue and Oak Ridge Turnpike, where a Taco Bell restaurant used to be. The opening of the DQ Grill and Chill last week was announced by American Dairy Queen Corporation (ADQ), franchisor of the DQ brand.
A grand opening celebration for the new restaurant is expected in late January 2020.
The new DQ Grill and Chill includes about 75 staff members, ranging from crew members to managers, a press release said. The restaurant and the drive-through will be open daily.
[Read more…]
The Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce’s annual Christmas Parade is pictured above on Saturday, Dec. 10, 2016. (File photo by Eli Welton)
Almost 100 organizations and individuals have already registered to be a part of the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce’s annual Christmas Parade on Saturday, December 14.
This year’s theme is “Christmas Around the World,” and it wil provide spectators with plenty of music, lights, and beautiful floats, a press release said.
The first official entry of the parade is always a crowd favorite: the award-winning Oak Ridge High School Marching Band. Other entries will include skaters, adoptable animals, antique and classic vehicles, dancers, and much more, the press release said.
All of these entries help lead the way for the arrival of Santa Claus. Santa will be helped along his way by the Oak Ridge Fire Department, the press release said. [Read more…]
Karen’s Jewelers has an open house today (Thursday, December 5) from 4 to 7:30 p.m.
During the open house, Karen’s Jewelers said you can see all the newest jewelry fashions and enjoy some special treats.
Karen’s Jewelers is located at 1120 Oak Ridge Turnpike in Oak Ridge. You can call the store at (865) 483-6717. You can visit the website at www.karensjewelers.com.
Members of the 2019 Leadership Oak Ridge Class recently graduated and dedicated their class project: a gathering space near the American Museum of Science and Energy. (Submitted photo)
Information from Kathy Gillenwaters and Amanda Meixel Kinghorn
Members of the Leadership Oak Ridge program recently finished a project that provides enhancements to the American Museum of Science and Energy. The multi-offering project was made possible through numerous volunteer hours from participants and generous donations from local businesses, a press release said.
Additions include a new outdoor seating area, landscaping, and beautification installations, the press release said.
“The new gathering area was a project of particular importance and filled a need that existed since AMSE’s location change last year,” the release said.
AMSE now has outdoor classroom space, transition space for rotating large groups through the educational facility, and seating for the bus tour that departs from the building nine months of the year. The project also included new landscaping and beautification pieces that enhance the visual appeal of Oak Ridge’s expanding Main Street area, the press release said. [Read more…]
Avant LLC hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony on Friday, Nov. 8, 2019. Avant recently relocated its call center operations to Commerce Park in Oak Ridge. (Submitted photo)
Avant LLC recently announced that the company has completed the relocation of its call center operations from nearby Louisville to Commerce Park in Oak Ridge.
This completes a year-long series of planning discussions that started in the fall of 2018, a press release said. The financial services company currently employs 200 people in the region. Site director Steve Massey expects that number to grow to between 350 and 400 in 2020.
“Our move has been very successful so far, and we are looking forward to growing with Oak Ridge into a bright future here,” Massey said.
“It’s exciting to see a company that is growing and already has plans to increase employment levels come into the City of Oak Ridge,” said Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson. [Read more…]
ADFAC’s Becky Hook and Nan Shugart recently brought ‘Addy the School Supplies Frog’ along for a celebratory lunch at Mediterranean Delight. (Submitted photo)
The holiday season is in full force! Black Friday is over, and Cyber Monday has come and gone—but the blizzard of holiday activities won’t be over for a few more weeks.
On Monday, December 9, rest your feet and enjoy good eats with ADFAC’s Dine and Donate event! On that day, participating restaurants will donate a portion of sales to support Aid to Distressed Families of Appalachian Counties (ADFAC). Whether you need a break from holiday stress or want to share an early festive meal with friends and family, Dine and Donate restaurants are ready for you.
December’s featured Dine & Donate supporter is Mediterranean Delight, located in Security Square shopping center, tucked behind Methodist Therapy Services. Mediterranean Delight offers exceptional ethnic cuisine. Customers “delight” in regional Mediterranean specialties such as tabbouleh, hummus, baba ghanoush, kubeh, shawarma, and kebabs. Multiple vegetarian and gluten-free dishes are available. [Read more…]
Note: This story was last updated at 10:30 a.m. Nov. 25.
A company that Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates helped launch in 2006 is working with a federal cleanup contractor in Oak Ridge to extract rare isotopes from nuclear materials for cancer treatment research.
The project will significantly increase the number of cancer treatment doses available each year, federal officials and company executives said Friday. It will help remove highly enriched fissile nuclear material from Oak Ridge National Laboratory and save taxpayers an estimated $90 million, the officials and executives said. And it will recycle an isotope that would otherwise be “irretrievably lost” as the nuclear material, uranium-233, is converted into a disposal-ready form.
The U.S. Department of Energy, Isotek Systems LLC, and TerraPower celebrated with an announcement of the project in Oak Ridge on Friday morning.
TerraPower, which is based in Bellevue, Washington, where Gates is chairman, is particularly interested in actinium-225. That isotope can be extracted from thorium-229. The thorium will be removed from the fissile material, the uranium-233 stored at ORNL, by the federal cleanup contractor, Isotek.
The unique agreement, a public-private partnership, is expected to allow TerraPower the ability to make 100 times more actinium-225-based cancer treatment doses per year than the 4,000 doses that are currently available worldwide. TerraPower could first offer actinium-225 in late 2020, company executives said.
[Read more…]
The carbonization and heat treatment furnace used to produce TRISO fuel, a high-assay, low-enriched uranium fuel, at a pilot production facility at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. (Photo courtesy X-energy)
A company that has a trial fuel fabrication facility at Oak Ridge National Laboratory is collaborating with a joint venture led by GE with Hitachi to produce nuclear fuel for the U.S. Department of Defense and NASA.
The company, X-energy of Rockville, Maryland, announced the collaboration with Global Nuclear Fuel on November 6.
The two companies have an agreement to develop high-assay, low-enriched uranium TRISO fuel. The fuel could be used in defense micro-reactors and by NASA for nuclear thermal propulsion, a press release said.
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Cindy Snow
Cindy Snow has been promoted to director of procurement for Oak Ridge Associated Universities.
As a long-time employee of ORAU, Snow has experience in both contracts administration and the management of purchasing company equipment, materials, supplies, and professional services, a press release said. In her new role, she will direct all ORAU procurement and small business activities and staff, including internal purchases, acquisitions and sub-contracting, and ensure excellent customer service to internal and external clients, the press release said.
“We are proud to see an employee as dedicated to ORAU as Cindy take this next step in the company,” said Andy Page, ORAU president and chief executive officer. “She has held numerous leadership roles, and we know she will only continue to prosper as our director of procurement. We all offer her sincere congratulations and look forward to what she accomplishes in this new role.” [Read more…]
