Oak Ridge Today

ORNL, Ohio company work together on new large-scale 3-D printing system

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ORNL and Cincinnati Inc. CRADA

From left are David Danielson, DOE assistant secretary for energy efficiency and renewable energy; Johnny Moore; DOE site office manager, Andy Jamison, Cincinnati Inc. CEO; and U.S. Rep. Chuck Fleischmann. (ORNL photo/Jason Richards)

Technology seeks to provide new capabilities for auto, aerospace, other U.S. industries

Oak Ridge National Laboratory is partnering with Cincinnati Inc., a manufacturer of high quality machine tools located in Harrison, Ohio, to develop a large-scale polymer additive manufacturing (3-D printing) system.

The partnership aims to accelerate the commercialization of a new additive manufacturing machine that can print large polymer parts faster and more cheaply than current technologies. The partnership agreement supports the U.S. Department of Energy’s Clean Energy Manufacturing Initiative to increase the efficiency of the U.S. manufacturing sector and ensure that innovative clean energy technologies continue to be developed in America.

ORNL is a DOE lab. [Read more…]

Second and final state approval granted for Oak Ridge Mall redevelopment

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Oak Ridge Mall Concept Plan Featured

The site plan for the redevelopment of the Oak Ridge Mall shows a multi-use, town center development with retail, office, hotel, and residential properties. (Submitted image)

The two state approvals required for the $13 million tax financing agreement for the proposed redevelopment of the Oak Ridge Mall have now been granted.

Tennessee Comptroller Justin P. Wilson notified mall redevelopment representatives of his approval in a Feb. 5 letter.

Earlier, in January, the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development notified project representatives that it had approved the proposed tax increment financing, or TIF, but would not issue a separate letter.

Under Tennessee law, the comptroller and ECD both had to approve the TIF after considering whether its use is in the state’s best interest. The comptroller said it was in the Feb. 5 letter.

ECD approval was granted in a different manner. In a January e-mail, ECD General Counsel Sharon Kolb said the department had received the request for a “best interest” determination for the Oak Ridge Mall on Dec. 19. Since the department did not approve or deny the request within 30 days, it was deemed approved under the Tax Increment Financing Act, Kolb said. [Read more…]

Wealth management adviser to discuss women, money with Altrusa Club

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Ali Swofford

Ali Swofford

An independent wealth management adviser will discuss women and money during a Wednesday meeting of the Altrusa Club of Oak Ridge.

The presentation by Aleen “Ali” Swofford is titled “Women and Money—Taking Charge of Your Financial Future.”

The meeting will take place at the Oak Ridge Utility District office conference facility at 120 S. Jefferson Circle.

“Women often face unique financial challenges that their male counterparts don’t,” Swofford said in a press release. “They have longer life expectancies, and may have less income and therefore reduced savings as they head into retirement. Women are also more likely to take a career break at some point to be a caretaker, and we tend to invest too conservatively.” [Read more…]

Free small business start-up seminar on Feb. 28

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A free Feb. 28 workshop will give small business owners and entrepreneurs a better understanding of how to start a new business.

The workshop is from 11:30 a.m.– 1:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 28, at the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce at 1400 Oak Ridge Turnpike. The workshop is offered by the Tennessee Small Business Development Center.

Registration is required. To see more details, and to register, please visit www.roanestate.edu/tsbdc. For questions, contact Jutta Bangs at (865) 483-2668 or jbangs@tsbdc.org.

Career Coach Computer Center at Public Library on March 4

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Oak Ridge Public Library Career Coach

Submitted

Are you looking for work? Do you need help with your resume? Online applications? Are you worried you don’t know where to find the most recent job listings?

The Career Coach, sponsored by the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development Employment Security Division, will be coming to the Oak Ridge Public Library parking lot for one more session, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. March 4. Come by anytime during those hours and receive job assistance. With access to their state-of-the-art computer workstations and well-trained team, you can successfully navigate online job searching and get on track to find the job you want. [Read more…]

State comptroller approves $13 million agreement for Oak Ridge Mall

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Oak Ridge Mall

The Tennessee Comptroller has approved the use of a $13 million tax financing agreement that could be used for the $85 million redevelopment of the Oak Ridge Mall. The L-shaped mall is pictured at center above.

The Tennessee Comptroller has approved a $13 million tax financing agreement that could be used for the $85 million redevelopment of the Oak Ridge Mall.

The approval was announced in a Wednesday letter from Tennessee Comptroller Justin P. Wilson to Nashville law firm Bradley, Arant, Boult, and Cummings, which is working with Crosland Southeast, the North Carolina company that wants to redevelop the mostly empty mall.

The 20-year tax increment financing, or TIF, agreement, would use new property tax revenues generated at the 59-acre site to help pay for development costs, possibly including tearing down the existing space between the two remaining anchor stores, JCPenney and Belk, as well as for replacing aging infrastructure and building new roads. [Read more…]

Franchise Lunch and Learn: An overview of franchising opportunities

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The Anderson County Chamber of Commerce and the Tennessee Small Business Development Center will host a seminar on “An Overview of Franchising Opportunities” on Thursday, Feb. 20, from 11 a.m.–1 p.m. at the Anderson County Chamber office at 245 N. Main Street, Suite 200, in Clinton.

Jerry Bird with FranNet of Alabama/Tennessee will be the speaker. Attendees may bring their own lunch to enjoy during the seminar.

Topics covered will include: [Read more…]

Marketing your business online: Lessons on LinkedIn

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Daniel Monday

Daniel Monday

The chief operating officer of a Knoxville website company will present a Feb. 19 seminar in Anderson County on marketing your business using LinkedIn.

Daniel Monday of Slamdot will give his presentation, titled “Marketing Your Business Online: Lessons on LinkedIn,” at the Anderson County Chamber of Commerce in Clinton from 12 to 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 19.

“If you’re not joining the 250 million-plus people on LinkedIn, you may be missing out on business opportunities,” a press release said. “From connecting with potential customers or establishing new referral partnerships, to locating that next great employee or finding reputable vendors and suppliers, LinkedIn can become a very affordable marketing and operations tool for your company or nonprofit organization.

 [Read more…]

Information International wins major ORNL IT support contract

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Information International Associates

Pictured above is the headquarters of Information International Associates on Union Valley Road in Oak Ridge.

Information International Associates has won a five-year contract worth up to $24 million to provide information technology support to Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

The contract includes a one-year base and four one-year options. IIa will lead a team that includes Science Applications International Corp. and other partners with special capabilities, including Qbase, CADRE5, and EMC2 Corp., a press release said.

The work will include application development, systems administration, cyber security, help desk support, and data center management.

 

[Read more…]

Firehouse Subs Foundation donates equipment to ORFD, Roane County

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Firehouse Subs and Oak Ridge Fire Department Thermal Imaging Camera

Above, representatives of Firehouse Subs present a $10,000 thermal imaging camera to the Oak Ridge Fire Department in January. (Photo courtesy Oak Ridge Fire Department)

Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation recently donated a thermal imaging camera worth more than $10,000 to Oak Ridge Fire Department.

The foundation also donated first-aid kits and six automated external defibrillators, worth a total of more than $10,200, to Roane County Sheriff’s Office.

The equipment was presented in ceremonies at Firehouse Subs in Oak Ridge and Lenoir City.

The thermal imaging camera donated to ORFD will detect body heat and hot spots in burning buildings, allowing firefighters to reach victims quickly and put out deadly fires. [Read more…]

Officials say little about Monday hearing on Y-12, Pantex contract

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Y-12 National Security Complex

The Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge is pictured above.

Officials said little about the federal hearing held Monday to discuss the consolidated but contested contract to manage the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge and Pantex Plant near Amarillo, Texas.

The hearing is related to the protest filed by Nuclear Production Partners LLC, or NP2, which has contested the decision to award the contract to Consolidated Nuclear Security LLC of Reston, Va. Originally announced in January 2013, the contract could be worth up to $22.8 billion over a decade.

The hearing had originally been scheduled for Jan. 29, but it was rescheduled. [Read more…]

ORNL, Local Motors agree to pave way to world’s first 3-D printed vehicle

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Local Motors and ORNL on 3-D Printing

A new partnership between Local Motors and ORNL will explore vehicle design and construction using 3-D printing technologies. The project will make use of equipment at DOE’s Manufacturing Demonstration Facility, such as the large-scale additive manufacturing machine operated here by ORNL’s Peter LLoyd.

Local Motors Inc. and Oak Ridge National Laboratory have signed a new partnership to develop and deliver technology to produce the world’s first production 3-D printed vehicle.

The cooperative research and development agreement, or CRADA, between Local Motors and ORNL will explore ways to make vehicle construction more efficient—including by lower production time, costs, and part count—and raise standards for control, safety, aesthetics, and mechanical flexibility.

“The primary tool in this drive for efficiency is a combination of material science and cutting-edge advanced manufacturing techniques that are both additive and subtractive,” an ORNL press release said. ORNL is part of the U.S. Department of Energy’s national laboratory system.

“By invoking the principle of open-source, this partnership—and future efforts like it—will drive a true paradigm shift in hardware product development and automotive manufacturing technologies,” said Jay Rogers, co-founder and chief executive officers of Local Motors. “Just as exciting as the vision of delivering the first direct digital manufactured car is that we will be engaging future consumers to contribute and evangelize its creation. We are living in a time when speed to market trumps slow-going protectionism. Local Motors’ open development platform is what delivers this very speed.” [Read more…]