Oak Ridge Today

Curves of Oak Ridge helps fill pantries at MMC Hospitality Houses

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Curves Food Donation to MMC Hospitality House

Kim Maes, left, Hospitality House coordinator, and Misti Binkley, owner, Curves of Oak Ridge, stand among the three large shopping carts filled with food and household goods donated to Methodist Medical Center’s Hospitality Houses by members of the Curves gym. (Submitted photo)

The Hospitality Houses at Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge received a weighty donation from Curves in Oak Ridge, a gym facility exclusively for women. Members collected and donated about 900 pounds of groceries and household goods to help stock the pantries at Methodist’s two Hospitality Houses—the Manly House and CALM House— which provide free lodging for patients and their families who must travel to Methodist for their cancer treatment.

The effort to collect goods for the Hospitality Houses was part of a Curves’ community food drive, which allowed members to make a donation in lieu of a down payment for their gym membership.

“Women come here because they want to take care of themselves,” said Curves of Oak Ridge owner and collection organizer Misti Binkley. “The food drive membership promotion is a way they can take care of others at the same time.” [Read more…]

EnergySolutions contributes $50K to Habitat over five years

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When building houses for those in need, Habitat for Humanity seeks volunteers, supplies, and monetary donations. In an effort to help the organization achieve its goals, EnergySolutions contributed $50,000 to Habitat for Humanity of Anderson County over a period of five years to support housing developments in both Oak Ridge and Clinton, and the company also assisted the organization with transporting much-needed supplies to the community.

Habitat for Humanity of Anderson County is an ecumenical ministry founded in 1992 that builds simple, decent, and affordable houses with participating families, and works with diverse individuals, organizations, and faith communities to serve others. Habitat for Humanity of Anderson County accepts monetary donations, as well as ink cartridges, cell phones, aluminum cans, and even vehicles to recycle, and the Habitat ReStore accepts gently used household items, furniture, appliances, and even building materials to resell. [Read more…]

USEC centrifuge agreement extended, but future uncertain as workers receive WARN notices

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Centrifuge Machine Manufacturing

In Oak Ridge, USEC workers take part in centrifuge operations, testing, and manufacturing for the American Centrifuge Project. (Photos courtesy USEC)

Note: This story was last updated at 11:11 a.m.

The American Centrifuge Project, a program that would enrich uranium for commercial nuclear power plants and has operations in Oak Ridge, got a little extra time this week.

Several billions have already been spent and funding was set to expire April 15, but USEC announced Tuesday morning that the research, development, and demonstration agreement was extended through April 30. That was done at no additional cost to the taxpayer through “prudent management of existing program funds by USEC,” the company said in a press release.

In the meantime, USEC said it continues its discussions with Oak Ridge National Laboratory, which could take over the management of the project for national security purposes. The DOE takeover was announced by Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz during a House Appropriations subcommittee hearing earlier this month.

The future of the project is not clear and several hundred workers have received notices that they could be laid off. On Friday, USEC Inc. spokesperson Paul Jacobson said the 60-day notices, which were effective March 19, were sent to 174 USEC employees in the Oak Ridge area and a total of 400 workers. Most of the other workers are in Piketon, Ohio, but there are also a few at USEC headquarters in Bethseda, Md. [Read more…]

Children’s Museum hosts Young Child Celebration on April 11

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Backwoods Rambling Puppets

Wood and Strings Theatre will bring the rich folklore and toe-tapping tunes of the Appalachian Mountains to life with a puppet performance of “Backwoods Ramblin’” on Friday, April 11, for the Celebration of the Young Child at the Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge.

The celebration, from 9 a.m.-1 p.m., will be a tribute to Selma Shapiro, who led the museum for 32 years before her retirement at age 80 in 2004. She expanded the museum from a group of small exhibits established by Girl Scouts into a nationally recognized regional center of learning and play, and continued to volunteer at the museum until her death in 2011.

Wood and Strings Theatre’s marionettes play fiddles, smoke corn cob pipes, dance jigs, and sing mountain tunes as they take the audience to the front porch of storyteller Grandpa Will’s cabin. He spins tall tales based on “Jack Tales,” authentic Appalachian folk tales compiled by Richard Chase. Grandpa Will’s family, friends, and hound dog all join in the lively entertainment. [Read more…]

Farmers Markets to open this weekend in Knoxville, Oak Ridge

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Farmers Market

The longest continuous operating farmers markets in East Tennessee will open for the season on Friday, April 11, in Knoxville, and Saturday, April 12, in Oak Ridge. The second Knoxville market location will open on Wednesday, April 16. 

“After a long winter, it’s always a welcome sign of spring when the farmers markets open and we see the first of the spring harvest coming in,” said Steve Colvin, president of the East Tennessee Farmers Association for Retail Marketing, or FARM. “We’re hoping the final cold snaps won’t take too much of a toll on the early crops.”

FARM operates markets on Fridays from 3 p.m. until 6 p.m. in the parking lot of the Laurel Church of Christ, 3457 Kingston Pike at Cherokee Boulevard. On Wednesdays, the FARM Market operates at Ebenezer United Methodist Church, 1001 Ebenezer Road near Westland Avenue. The Saturday market is held from 8 a.m. until noon in the parking lot adjacent to historic Jackson Square in Oak Ridge. [Read more…]

ORHS students work on branding, design ideas with mall redevelopment company

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ORHS Students Work on Mall Redevelopment

Standing from left to right are Buddy McWilliams, Payne Adkins, Abigail Clanton, and Chris Giese. Seated from left to right are Wesley Robinson and Alex Tavangaran. (Photo courtesy J. Clint LaFollette)

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For three classes at Oak Ridge High School, the future of the old Oak Ridge Mall property is something the students are taking personally. Nearly 60 students in the Digital Arts and Design and Virtual Enterprise classes have been working on a branding strategy for the once-thriving retail site, and their top ideas will be presented to Crosland Southeast, the Charlotte-based firm that has been working with the City of Oak Ridge to develop a plan to establish a multi-use work-live-play-shop destination.

“It has been an exciting project to work on, because there have been several attempts to revitalize this property, and all have failed due to, among other things, the lack of focus on the specific interest of Oak Ridge residents,” said Buddy McWilliams, an ORHS senior who is working on the project. “Crosland Southeast has shown that they want to be successful by looking at the interest of students and others who will be using the property.”

Crosland Southeast approached Oak Ridge School Board Chairman Keys Fillauer with the idea to work with the students, and an enthusiastic Fillauer discussed it with ORHS Principal David Bryant and teachers Linda Ousley and Clint Lafollette, and the project was off and running.

Ousley is the facilitator of the school’s Virtual Enterprise program. Ousley said that Crosland Southeast will get a good cross-section of Oak Ridge opinion by talking with the students, and the students are getting excellent experience they can use on their future resumes. [Read more…]

Mortgage originator Yvonne Cummings moves to CapitalMark

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CapitalMark Bank and Trust has added Yvonne Cummings as a mortgage loan originator in the Knoxville and Oak Ridge markets, a press release said.

Cummings is a 16-year veteran mortgage loan officer and consultant who most recently worked with a regional financial institution. She has earned corporate recognition from previous employers as a top producer and customer loyalty expert, the press release said.

Cummings received a bachelor’s degree in business administration and a minor in economics from Methodist University in Fayetteville, Tenn. She received a master’s in computer science and management of information systems from Webster University. [Read more…]

K-25: Large, flat, close to ORNL, interstate—good for economic development

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Gov. Bill Haslam Visits ETTP/K-25

Sue Cange gives Gov. Bill Haslam, right, an update on the almost-completed demolition of the mile-long, U-shaped K-25 Building. Cange is deputy manager of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management. Also pictured are Leo Sain, left, president of cleanup contractor UCOR, and Jeff Tucker, UCOR deactivation and decommissioning manager.

It was built during World War II to help enrich uranium for the world’s first atomic bombs. Then, it helped win the Cold War. Now, the former K-25 site in west Oak Ridge presents a giant opportunity for economic development in Tennessee, Gov. Bill Haslam said during a tour last Friday.

“We have a real interest in what happens here,” Haslam said in a short meeting with reporters before getting a brief update on the demolition of the former mile-long, U-shaped K-25 Building, which was once the world’s largest building under one roof.

The governor said the K-25 site, now known as East Tennessee Technology Park or Heritage Center, has 2,000 flat acres with infrastructure already in place, including roads and rails, and it’s three miles from Interstate 40 and seven miles from Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the U.S. Department of Energy’s largest science and energy laboratory.

“We don’t have that opportunity in a lot of places,” Haslam said. “Finding 2,000 flat acres in East Tennessee is virtually impossible.” [Read more…]

Demolition, construction to start soon on ORNL shipping, receiving building

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Demolition and construction are expected to start soon on a shipping and receiving building at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, a press release said.

“Hickory Construction Inc. will begin demolition of an existing structure ahead of breaking ground on a LEED Gold design-built construction at Oak Ridge National Laboratory on April 1, as part of the campus-wide Site Sustainability Plan,” the press release said.

“We are always honored to work with ORNL, and the chance to build a LEED Gold structure is something we love to do,” said Chris Duncan, project manager. “Hickory not only has the ability to make quality LEED buildings, but it does so for incredible value and on time.”

The building, which will serve as a central hub for everything that ORNL ships and receives, will be a total of 26,000 square feet. Of that, 17,000 square feet is designated as a shipping/receiving warehouse with 11 loading docks, and areas for packaging, staging, and storage. The remainder of the building is designated as office space. [Read more…]

Six companies receive ORNL small business awards

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Six East Tennessee companies doing business with Oak Ridge National Laboratory received 2014 ORNL Small Business Impact Awards from the laboratory Friday morning at a meeting of the East Tennessee Economic Council.

“This is the first time the awards have gone exclusively to regional companies,” ORNL Deputy Director for Operations Jeff Smith said. “Recognizing these firms at ETEC highlights their importance to the economic development of the region, as well as their contribution to our laboratory operations.”

The companies were recognized by ORNL’s Small Business Programs Office in categories emphasizing their specific capabilities and contributions. [Read more…]

Pro2Serve appoints new chief financial officer

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Mark Haub

Mark Haub

Professional Project Services Inc., also known as Pro2Serve, has appointed Mark A. Haub as the company’s new chief financial officer, or CFO.

Haub replaces Paul Martin, Pro2Serve’s CFO and treasurer since February 1999. Martin retired this month.

Haub is a certified public accountant who earned his master’s of business administration in marketing, management, and strategy, and finance from the Kellogg School of Management and his bachelor’s degree in accounting from Illinois State University.

He has more than 23 years of experience as a senior financial executive working in higher education, manufacturing, distribution, and retail in domestic and international markets, a press release said. Haub has negotiated terms to secure a multimillion dollar equity capital infusion to fund corporate growth initiatives, led the substantial improvement of product and services bids through implementing market-driven bid processes, played key roles in the development and execution of strategic business plans that substantially improved cash flow and new product gross margins, and provided financial and operational leadership in an entrepreneurial venture resulting in substantial revenue growth, the release said. [Read more…]

Alexander Inn removed from endangered places list

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Alexander Inn Groundbreaking

Local, state, and federal officials join volunteers and nonprofit and business executives for a groundbreaking ceremony at the historic Alexander Inn in November.

Note: This story was updated at 3:37 p.m.

The Alexander Inn, a historic Oak Ridge hotel being converted into an assisted living center, has been removed from an annual list of endangered places in East Tennessee.

The East Tennessee Preservation Alliance announced its 2014 East Tennessee’s Endangered Heritage on Monday in Knoxville. The list includes endangered historic buildings and places in a 16-county region.

The Alexander Inn, also known as the Guest House, had previously been on the list, which includes Magnet Mills in Clinton.

“ETPA was excited to remove the Alexander Inn from the list this year as construction continues in earnest on the new Guest House Alexander Inn Assisted Living Facility,” a press release said. [Read more…]