Contrary to recent media reports, Advance Auto Parts said Wednesday it is eliminating 80 jobs at its Andersonville facility, but it is not closing the warehouse.
Advance Auto Parts said it is moving its lower demand products that were housed only in the Andersonville facility to other distribution centers around the country. The move is meant to give customers better and faster service, the company said in a statement.
The Clinton City Council on Monday approved a five-year lease with Roane State Community College on the old National Guard Armory, which will allow the school to use the facility as an “Industrial Training Center.”
The Council also agreed to sell almost 10 acres of land to Techmer PM, according to WYSH Radio in Clinton.
About 80 workers will lose their jobs at an Advance Auto Parts warehouse facility on Mountain Road in Andersonville, according to WYSH Radio in Clinton.
Advance Auto Parts said Friday that the company will move its low-demand products that were housed only in the Andersonville warehouse to other distribution facilities around the country. Ten to 15 employees will remain at the East Tennessee facility, but the move will cost about 80 people their jobs, WYSH said.
The company said full-time workers who lose their jobs will be offered a severance package and job placement help. The remaining positions will be filled based upon seniority and qualifications, the radio station said.
The Young Professionals of Oak Ridge will have its fourth quarterly “cash mob” on Saturday at The Ferrell Shop in Jackson Square.
A cash mob is an event designed to provide an economic boost to a deserving local business. Everyone in the community is encouraged to participate, a YPOR press release said.
Saturday’s cash mob is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Owner Barbara Ferrell is excited that her business, which is celebrating 30 years, was chosen.
“We plan to have hot spiced cider, and a sampling of some of the food items we sale,” Ferrell said.
The Ferrell Shop sells candles, greeting cards, toiletries and soap, tabletop items, as well as toys, kitchenware, calendars, and ornaments, an announcement said.
Past cash mobs have included The Epicurean, Downtown Hardware, Mickey’s Produce, and J&M Butcher shop. All of them have seen an increase in sales on the day of the cash mob as well as weeks and months after, the press release said.
One business owner said the cash mobs have helped reach new, younger customers.
The Ferrell Shop is located in the Historic Jackson Square. Earlier this year, Oak Ridge was awarded a $798,687 grant to be used in the revitalization efforts for the square. One goal of the grant is to stimulate economic diversification in the Jackson Square District, with an objective of increasing spending in Jackson Square by 25 percent during the next five years, the press release said.
“Our organization aims to encourage our members to eat, shop, play and live local,” it said.
For more information, call The Ferrell Shop at (865) 483-0961 or visit ypor.org.
The Ferrell Shop is located at 235 Jackson Square.
A new bank in Jackson Square will have a grand opening and open house on Friday.
The celebration at CapitalMark Bank and Trust will include an 11:30 a.m. ribbon-cutting ceremony. The public is invited to visit any time during the day, and Oak Ridge Mayor Tom Beehan and CapitalMark staff will attend the ribbon-cutting, a press release said.
For more information on CapitalMark Bank and Trust, visit www.capitalmark.com.
Answer Financial Inc., a local insurance agency, hopes to help Second Harvest Food Bank of East Tennessee by making a donation to the food bank for every resume it receives during a career fair in West Knoxville today.
The company, one of the largest auto and home insurance agencies in the United States, is planning to hire 75 sales associates in the Knoxville area by the end of the year.
Residents and job seekers with sales or customer service experience can take part in the fair at the Holiday Inn on Cedar Bluff from noon to 7 p.m. today. The career fair will include guests Josh and Will of Sports Animal radio.
“We’re trying to get the word out on the large number of open positions and great career opportunities we have at Answer Financial, while at the same time providing help to a nonprofit organization that does great work in the community,” said Lance Dawson, the company’s human resources director.
He said Answer Financial, which has offices in Oak Ridge, is hiring for November, December, and January training classes. The goal is to hire 75 new associates before year-end and more than 100 in 2013 in the Knoxville area alone. Answer Financial represents more than 20 insurance companies, including The Hartford, Safeco, Progressive, and Esurance.
Applicants can email their resumes to careers@answerfinancial.com or visit the website at www.answerfinancial.com/careers.
MK Technologies CEO and founder Mike Carroll and director of strategic development and acquisition Chris Van Beke met Y-12 chemist and inventor Ron Simandl in his Y-12 laboratory to see the SIMWyPES production process along with a sampling of its numerous applications. From left, Simandl shows Van Beke and Carroll two of a variety of items enhanced with SIMWyPES technology. (Submitted photo)
A Knoxville engineering resources firm recently became the newest licensee of technology developed at the Y-12 National Security Complex, a press release said.
MK Technologies Corporation is now the exclusive commercial patent licensee of SIMWyPES, a method of enhancing cleaning items so they leave dry surfaces ultraclean.
The environmentally friendly method of removing contamination on a nanoscale level incorporates a highly effective nontoxic proprietary treatment that transfers no residue to cleaned surfaces. A variety of items including cloths, swabs, polishers, filters, and sponges can be treated. The company plans to start production in 2013.
Y-12 senior chemist Ron Simandl had the lead in inventing this technology, which was originally developed to remove residual amounts of unwanted particulates from dry, solid surfaces. Engineered to permeate the cleaning medium suited to the job at hand, it can be employed to remove submicron particles in a wide range of manufacturing industries in which surface cleanliness and air purification are critical.
The method also has a wide range of household applications, several of which are of particular interest to the licensee. Specific uses around the home include removing brake dust and dry road dirt from alloy wheels, preparing surfaces for painting, filtering air flow, dry-mopping floors, and dusting.
Simandl, a 35-year Y-12 employee, holds 11 U.S. patents. Two of his inventions have won R&D 100 awards, one of which was for this newly licensed technology.
The coveted R&D 100 awards, considered “Oscars of Invention,” are given annually to the world’s top 100 innovations as determined by R&D Magazine. SIMWyPES earned the award in 2008.
Regarding the method’s development, Simandl noted that “the trick was finding the right combination of ingredients.”
MK Technologies CEO and founder Mike Carroll said: “This technology is synergistic with our existing products that improve safety in industrial processes and safely remediate and handle toxic materials. We also plan to use it to create more effective filters for use in medical facilities to help prevent the spread of infection and in public spaces to help contain the spread of diseases or biological agents. We are especially excited about uses that benefit the everyday consumer. This technology will help make personal environments safer and will make cleaning activities more effective. Its versatility is impressive.”
Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce President Parker Hardy will discuss local business developments and organizations during a Tuesday talk to the Kiwanis Club, a press release said.
The talk starts shortly after noon Tuesday in the meeting room of the Super China Buffet, 330 South Illinois Ave.
The press release said topics could include commercial and business developments, available buildings, Chamber functions and staff, Leadership Oak Ridge, Young Professionals of Oak Ridge, and areas of interest and concern.
The meeting is open to the public, and it starts at noon. Hardy’s talk is scheduled to start at 12:10 p.m. An optional lunch buffet will be available at 11:40 a.m.
Additional information about the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce is available at the organization’s website at http://www.orcc.org/.
The Staybridge Suites Oak Ridge has received a top award from InterContinental Hotels Group, a global company that operates seven hotel brands, including Crowne Plaza Hotels and Resorts, Holiday Inn Hotels and Resorts, and Holiday Inn Express, a press release said.
The IHG 2012 Torchbearer Award was presented during an investors and leadership conference in Orlando in October. It’s the company’s most prestigious award, the release said.
The release said Staybridge Suites Oak Ridge was chosen from the IHG system of more than 4,500 hotels and is one of only 102 properties within the United States recognized for achieving the highest levels of excellence in all aspects of operation—from quality to customer satisfaction. A Torchbearer trophy will be on permanent display at the hotel.
“It is my pleasure to name the Staybridge Suites Oak Ridge as one of the top-notch hotels in our industry,” said Kirk Kinsell, president of the Americas for IHG. “This hotel embodies the heart of our brand promise and continues to make IHG properties known and admired throughout the world, continuing our mission to deliver great hotels guests love.”
The press release said almost 5,000 franchise owners, operators, and company officials attended the 2012 IHG Americas Investors and Leadership Conference in Orlando.
IHG is the world’s largest hotel group by number of rooms, the release said. It franchises, leases, manages, or owns more than 4,400 hotels and more than 650,000 rooms in 100 countries and territories. InterContinental Hotels Group PLC is the group’s holding company, and it is incorporated in Great Britain and registered in England and Wales.
Volunteer Excavating of Maryville clears a one-acre lot at Oak Ridge Turnpike and Division Road for a new Zaxby’s chicken restaurant that could open in mid-February.
A Zaxby’s chicken restaurant could open on Oak Ridge Turnpike in February, one of the owners said Friday.
The new 3,500-square-foot store will be on about one acre that used to be a car lot at the corner of Division Road and Oak Ridge Turnpike.
The site has been cleared already, and building construction could start this week, said Chris Andrews of Knoxville, who will co-own the restaurant with Brandon Barrett of Athens, Ga. But the construction schedule will depend upon the weather, Andrews said.
He said Zaxby’s specializes in chicken fingers and chicken wings and is also known for its chicken and buffalo salads. It’s a step above fast food, Andrews said, but the higher-quality food is still served quickly.
It will feature sit-down dining and a drive-through and be open from 10:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. Andrews said.
Zaxby’s restaurants typically have a crew of about 50 workers, and the search for a general manager could start in the next week or so.
Zaxby’s is one of three new completed or proposed chicken restaurants in Oak Ridge. Popeyes recently replaced Wishbones on South Illinois Avenue south of Oak Ridge Turnpike, and a Bojangles’ has been proposed next to the former Dean Stallings Ford on South Illinois Avenue.
A site plan has been approved for Bojangles, but a building permit hasn’t been issued yet, said Monica Austin Carroll, Oak Ridge Community Development division manager.
Zaxby’s will be in a high-traffic area bustling with commercial activity as well as the Methodist Medical Center. Andrews said he expects lunches, in particular, to be busy. The traffic light at Division Road and the Turnpike will help make it easier for cars to get in and out of Zaxby’s, he said.
Andrews said he and Barrett also own two other Zaxby’s stores, one in Lenoir City and another in Maryville. This will be their third in East Tennessee.
He said Zaxby’s, which is based in Athens, Ga., is gaining a foothold in East Tennessee, and Oak Ridge was targeted as “ready for the brand.”
“Oak Ridge is still growing,” Andrews said. “There’s a lot of jobs. It’s still a thriving community.”
He said there are Oak Ridge residents who now drive to Lenoir City and Clinton to eat at Zaxby’s. They won’t have to any more.
Zaxby’s was founded in 1990 and now operates more than 560 stores in 13 states, including Tennessee.
Local officials, business leaders, and supporters celebrate the opening of Birdwell Catering on Midway Lane with a ribbon-cutting Thursday.
Local officials, business leaders, and supporters celebrated the opening of Birdwell Catering on Midway Lane with a ribbon-cutting ceremony Thursday.
Executive chef Robert Birdwell said the business replaces Manny’s Catering, which was in business for about 10 years.
Birdwell and general manager Jim Bouchard used to work for Manny, but Manny retired and Birdwell bought out the business in June.
Birdwell said the new company does a lot of work for Oak Ridge National Laboratory, but also caters for weddings, reunions, and sporting events. They try to customize their menus for each client, serving a range of food from continental breakfasts to box lunches to fine dining.
“We’re very flexible,” Robert Birdwell said.
“The customer is very important to us,” said his wife, Jackie Birdwell.
Although it’s not a restaurant, the family-owned business does have take-out lunches.
More information is available on Birdwell Catering’s Facebook page.
Note: This story was updated at 11:07 p.m.
After a four-week transition, B&W Y-12 has taken over the security guard force at the Y-12 National Security Complex and hired 560 WSI Oak Ridge employees.
The transition ends three months after an unprecedented security breach at Y-12 and one month after B&W Y-12 announced it would terminate its contract with WSI Oak Ridge. That company, also known as Wackenhut and G4S Government Solutions, had provided security guards at the nuclear weapons complex for about a dozen years.
“The transition from WSI Oak Ridge to B&W Y-12 has gone very smoothly, and we welcome these new employees to the company,” said retired Brig. Gen. Rod Johnson, deputy general manager for security. “We’ve already seen improvements in security performance following previously announced contracting changes, and we believe we’ll see additional successes with the protective force fully integrated into B&W Y-12.”
B&W Y-12 announced it would end the WSI Oak Ridge contract after a Sept. 28 recommendation from the National Nuclear Security Administration. B&W Y-12 manages and operates Y-12 for the NNSA.
The transition from WSI to B&W Y-12 began Oct. 1. B&W had said it would offer employment to active Y-12 security police officers and other active union WSI Oak Ridge employees at Y-12 and the Central Training Facility in Oak Ridge.
B&W Y-12 had also said it would evaluate non-union WSI Oak Ridge employees who supervise and support Y-12 guards.
WSI became a subcontractor to B&W Y-12 after the July 28 security breach. Before that highly publicized intrusion, WSI had operated under a separate contract with the NNSA.
The contracting change was among many made after three anti-nuclear weapons activists, including an 82-year-old nun, sneaked into Y-12 before dawn on July 28, cut through three fences with bolt cutters, and vandalized a building where bomb-grade uranium is stored. The breach also led to federal investigations and critical reports, congressional hearings, staff re-assignments and suspensions, and at least one firing.
B&W Y-12 said it has made many improvements in security in the past three months, significantly reducing false and nuisance alarms, successfully completing two intensive force-on-force exercises to test protective force readiness, and installing new security cameras.
