Oak Ridge Today

Covenant Health has leadership changes, new president at MMC

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Jeremy Biggs

Jeremy Biggs

Mike Belbeck, the current president of Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge, will become the executive vice president of operations for Covenant Health, and a new president and chief administrative officer will succeed Belbeck at MMC on April 1.

The leadership changes were announced by Covenant Health on Tuesday.

Covenant Health, which is headquartered in Knoxville and the region’s largest employer, had previously announced its current president and chief executive officer, Anthony L. Spezia, will become CEO emeritus, and Jim VanderSteeg, current executive vice president of operations, will become president and CEO.

Belbeck, who is also chief administrative officer, or CAO, at Methodist Medical Center, will succeed VanderSteeg as the health system’s executive vice president of operations.

Jeremy Biggs, president and chief administrative officer of Cumberland Medical Center in Crossville, will succeed Belbeck as president and CAO of Methodist Medical Center. [Read more…]

Close to 2,000 bowlers competing in state tournament in Oak Ridge, Knoxville

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A state bowling tournament is bringing a few thousand people to Oak Ridge and Knoxville for two weekends in February and one weekend in March. Above, teams bowl in the Tennessee State USBC Bowling Association 69th Annual Handicap Tournament at the Oak Ridge Bowling Center on Saturday, Feb. 27, 2016. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

A state bowling tournament is bringing close to 2,000 bowlers to Oak Ridge and Knoxville for the last two weekends in February and the first weekend in March.

It’s the Tennessee State USBC Bowling Association 69th Annual Handicap Tournament.

The team events are at Oak Ridge Bowling Center on South Illinois Avenue in Oak Ridge, and the singles and doubles events are at Strike and Spare on Western Avenue in Knoxville.

Officials estimated there are between 1,400 and 1,800 bowlers participating. Add in local bowlers on sub lists, and the total is probably close to 2,000, they said. Plus, many bowlers bring others with them, including family members, and they’re staying in area hotels, eating at local restaurants, and taking children to see tourist attractions like the Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge and American Museum of Science and Energy.

“This is phenomenal for Oak Ridge,” said Craig Porter, general manager at the Oak Ridge Bowling Center. It also helps Knoxville, he said. [Read more…]

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Centrus completes centrifuge demonstration, reducing Ohio workforce, continuing Oak Ridge work

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American Centrifuge Technology Manufacturing Center

The American Centrifuge Technology Manufacturing Center in south Oak Ridge is pictured above. (Photo courtesy USEC/Centrus Energy Corp.)

 

A centrifuge demonstration is complete in Piketon, Ohio, and the workforce there will be reduced, but  research, engineering, and testing work will continue in Oak Ridge, Centrus Energy Corporation announced Friday.

The company, which is based in Bethesda, Maryland, said it has completed operations of its three-year demonstration cascade of American Centrifuge machines at its facility in Piketon, Ohio. Now, it will demobilize the demonstration cascade and reduce its workforce at Piketon starting with the layoff of about 60 employees during the week of February 29, Centrus said.

Centrus currently has more than 120 employees working at two dedicated facilities in the Oak Ridge area to engineer, design, and test improvements in full-size machines operating in individual test stands, a press release said. The company’s scientists and engineers will continue to improve the reliability and manufacturability of centrifuge machines for potential future applications, the release said. [Read more…]

Photo: Fast Pace Urgent Care has ribbon-cutting

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The Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony on Friday, Feb. 15, 2016, at Fast Pace Urgent Care on South Illinois Avenue. (Photo submitted by Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce)

 

The Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony on Friday, February 15, at Fast Pace Urgent Care. The new business is located at 441 South Illinois Avenue.

ORNL Federal Credit Union opens new Oak Ridge branch

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Local officials and executives celebrate the new Oak Ridge branch of ORNL Federal Credit Union with a ribbon-cutting on Monday, Feb. 15, 2016. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

The new Oak Ridge branch of ORNL Federal Credit Union opened Tuesday. Officials and executives celebrated with a ribbon-cutting on Monday.

It’s the new main Oak Ridge branch, and it’s at 215 South Rutgers Avenue. That’s where ORNL Federal Credit Union had its original headquarters, right next to where the current headquarters are.

The main Oak Ridge branch was in the current headquarters building until this week.

The new branch building has extended drive-through hours: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, and from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday (lobby will close at noon).

“This is a great addition to our community,” Oak Ridge Mayor Warren Gooch said at Monday’s ribbon-cutting. [Read more…]

Consolidated Nuclear Security has more leadership changes

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Michelle Reichert

Michelle Reichert

The company that manages and operates the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge and Pantex Plant in Amarillo, Texas, has announced two more leadership changes.

Effective Monday, Michelle Reichert became the deputy enterprise manager for Consolidated Nuclear Security LLC, or CNS. She will report directly to CNS President and Chief Executive Officer Morgan Smith.

Todd Ailes is succeeding Reichert as the Pantex site manager.

Operating primarily out of CNS offices at Pantex, Reichert will share leadership responsibilities with Smith, focusing on communications with employees, customers, and other key stakeholders, a press release said. Reichert will also coordinate integration activities between the two sites to ensure they are aligned in the best interest of CNS and the NNSA. [Read more…]

American Employer Group moves from Oak Ridge to Clinton

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Anderson County Chamber of Commerce

American Employer Group, or AEG, is moving from Oak Ridge to Clinton, relocating more than 90 employees, officials said Tuesday. The move was announced by the Anderson County Chamber of Commerce.

AEG is now located at 439 South Charles Seivers Boulevard in Clinton. It was previously located in Jackson Plaza, Oak Ridge’s tallest business building on Oak Ridge Turnpike.

“Although we enjoyed our time in Oak Ridge, we needed a larger space due to our recent growth,” said Anne Heath, AEG vice president of operations and finance. “We are excited to have the Clinton community be a part of our future success.”

American Employer Group specializes in a wide range of business solutions, including human resources outsourcing, workers’ compensation, payroll services, and more, the Anderson County Chamber of Commerce said. [Read more…]

Pro2Serve, Covenant Health form joint venture in health care data analytics

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Pictured above are Tony Spezia, left, president and CEO of Covenant Health, and Barry Goss, founder and CEO of Pro2Serve. (Submitted photo)

 

Professional Project Services Inc., or Pro2Serve, and Covenant Health have formed VortexT Analytics Inc., a strategic partnership that will address the rapidly evolving field of big data analytics in health care, a press release said.

The joint venture will use VortexT, a data analytics software based on algorithms originally developed and patented by Oak Ridge National Laboratory and licensed and further advanced by Pro2Serve. VortexT is currently being used in critical national security applications and is producing valuable data, the press release said.

Barry Goss, founder and chief executive officer of Pro2Serve, calls VortexT “a disruptive big data analytics technology that is proven, sustainable, and ready to be introduced into commercial markets, starting with healthcare.

“VortexT analyzes more data in less time and at less cost, and produces more valuable information than other big data analytics technologies,” Goss said. “We also hold field-of-use licenses for applying the technology to the insurance, financial services, and legal services industries.” [Read more…]

Williams named UCOR chief operating officer

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Fran-Williams

Fran Williams

Fran Williams has been selected as the chief operating officer for UCOR, the federal government’s cleanup contractor in Oak Ridge.

Williams will fill the position vacated last month by Matt Marston, who left to accept a senior management position within AECOM, one of the parent companies of UCOR, or URS|CH2M Oak Ridge LLC.

Williams is returning to UCOR, where she previously served as manager of Environment, Safety, Health, and Quality Assurance, a press release said. She retired in 2015 after overseeing UCOR’s successful designation as a Star site in the U.S. Department of Energy’s Voluntary Protection Program. Star status recognizes the safest operating sites in the nation.

She also helped set the company on a course to achieve more than five million work hours without a lost-time accident, the press release said. [Read more…]

Fall in love with ‘Dine and Donate’

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Dean's-Restaurant-Dean-Russell-Lynn-Randolph-Feb-2016

Dean Russell and Lynn Randolph, co-owners of Dean’s are pictured above. Ranked the number one restaurant in Oak Ridge on tripadvisor.com, Dean’s Restaurant and Bakery offers a variety of wood-grilled and home cooked favorites. (Submitted photo)

 

On Monday, February 8, several local restaurants will “share the love” by donating a portion of their sales to support Aid to Distressed Families of Appalachian Counties, or ADFAC. With Valentine’s Day around the corner, ADFAC’s February Dine and Donate event provides an early opportunity to treat loved ones to a special meal.

Restaurants participating on Monday, February 8, are:

  • Dean’s in Oak Ridge,
  • Hoskins in Clinton,
  • Mediterranean Delight in Oak Ridge,
  • Popeye’s in Oak Ridge,
  • Razzleberry’s in Oak Ridge,
  • Secret City BBQ and Pies in Oak Ridge, and
  • Subway locations in Clinton (both), Oak Ridge (Four Oaks Center), Oliver Springs, and Rocky Top.

[Read more…]

Downtown Hardware, ADFAC partner to collect weatherization items for struggling families

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Downtown-Hardware-60th-Anniversary-ADFAC-January-2015

Downtown Hardware’s co-owner Roger Clary, along with his wife, Sondra, present the ADFAC collection area. (Submitted photo)

 

Families in need of utility assistance often request help in obtaining weatherization materials to reduce home energy costs.

This year, ADFAC and Downtown Hardware have partnered to collect those materials to help families struggling with higher energy bills through the colder months.

Downtown Hardware customers can help provide items or donations to help the families stay warmer and reduce utility bills. The hardware store is collecting donations purchased at a discounted price by customers, providing receipts, paying all sales taxes, and delivering the materials to ADFAC.

“When clients are able to weatherize their homes, it is a helpful, proactive step to clients becoming more self-sufficient,” ADFAC said in its monthly newsletter. “We are very grateful to Downtown Hardware and their customers for their generosity and commitment to the community.  If you would like to help with this effort, stop by Downtown Hardware at 298 South Illinois Avenue in Oak Ridge.” [Read more…]