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Creswell leaving Roane Allliance

Posted at 11:10 am August 30, 2018
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

pat-postma-and-wade-creswell-young-professional-award-dec-9-2016-scaled

Pat Postma, left, presents the Postma Young Professional Medal to Wade Creswell, chief executive officer of Roane Alliance, during an East Tennessee Economic Council meeting on Friday, Dec. 9, 2016. (DOE photo courtesy Lynn Freeny)

Note: This story was updated at 2:25 p.m.

Wade Creswell, president and chief executive officer of Roane Alliance, is leaving his position to begin work with an area business. His last day at the Alliance will be September 21.

The departure was announced Wednesday by Chris Whaley, chair of the Roane Alliance Board of Directors.

Pam May, Roane Alliance vice president, will serve as interim president and CEO until the board decides on the long-term future of the position, a press release said.

“I would like to take this opportunity to express my appreciation of the great work that Wade has done in his four and a half years leading the Roane Alliance,” Whaley said in a statement sent to the Board of Directors for the Roane Alliance, Chamber of Commerce, and Industrial Development Board. “His passion, vision, and love for Roane County have fueled his tireless work for this county and region, and I sincerely appreciate all he has done.” [Read more…]

Filed Under: Business, Government, Roane County, Roane County, Top Stories Tagged With: Chris Whaley, Jim Palmer, Marilyn Calfee, Pam May, Roane Alliance, Roane County, Wade Creswell

Presentation on Oak Ridge Airport scheduled for Tuesday

Posted at 12:40 pm January 11, 2018
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Image from a Billy Stair presentation on the Oak Ridge Airport project to Roane County officials at the Roane County Courthouse in Kingston on Thursday, Dec. 7, 2017.

Image from a Billy Stair presentation on the Oak Ridge Airport project to Roane County officials at the Roane County Courthouse in Kingston on Thursday, Dec. 7, 2017.

 

A presentation that will provide information about the status of the Oak Ridge General Aviation Airport project has been scheduled for Tuesday evening.

The presentation is scheduled to start at 7 p.m. Tuesday, January 16, in the Robertsville Middle School Library. It’s part of a joint work session between the Oak Ridge City Council and Oak Ridge Board of Education that will begin at 6 p.m.

The airport presentation will be given by Billy Stair, aviation consultant, and Bill Marrison, president of the Metropolitan Knoxville Airport Authority. In December, Stair gave a presentation about the airport to Roane County officials.

After that meeting, Oak Ridge Today reported that Tennessee officials have appropriated $15 million that could be used for the proposed airport at Heritage Center, the former K-25 site in west Oak Ridge. The appropriation, which is pending approval of the Oak Ridge Airport by the Federal Aviation Administration, would be enough to cover about 33 percent to 38 percent of the current estimated project cost of $40 million to $45 million. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Business, Federal, Front Page News, Government, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge, Roane County, Top Stories Tagged With: Appalachian Regional Commission, Bill Marrison, Billy Stair, City of Oak Ridge, Community Reuse Organization, CROET, FAA, Federal Aviation Administration, Heritage Center, John C. Schroer, K-25 site, Metropolitan Knoxville Airport Authority, Oak Ridge airport, Oak Ridge Board of Education, Oak Ridge City Council, Oak Ridge General Aviation Airport, Roane County, Robertsville Middle School, Steve Kelley, Tennessee Aeronautics Commission, Tennessee Department of Transportation, Tennessee General Assembly, The Roane Alliance, U.S. Department of Energy, Wade Creswell

Once like a small city, Happy Valley has been sold

Posted at 5:42 pm October 20, 2017
By John Huotari 2 Comments

An early aerial photo of Happy Valley, a construction camp that was like a small city and used to help build the former K-25 in west Oak Ridge. This picture was taken May, 22, 1944, by Ed Westcott, the official government photographer in Oak Ridge during World War II. (Photo courtesy Ed Westcott/Emily Hunnicutt)

An early aerial photo of Happy Valley, a construction camp that was like a small city and used to help build the former K-25 site in west Oak Ridge. This picture was taken May, 22, 1944, by Ed Westcott, the official government photographer in Oak Ridge during World War II. (Photo courtesy Ed Westcott/Emily Hunnicutt)

 

It was once home to a large construction camp that was like a small city and housed workers building K-25 during World War II.

Now the 160-acre parcel known as Happy Valley has been sold.

Happy Valley was in west Oak Ridge, across State Route 58 from the K-25 site. One of three major sites in Oak Ridge, K-25 was built to enrich uranium for atomic weapons as part of the top-secret Manhattan Project during World War II.

Today, Happy Valley appears to be mostly a rolling tree-covered landscape between Oak Ridge and Kingston along SR 58. To the public, there is little or no obvious evidence of what was once there—homes, a grocery store, schools, a post office, recreation halls, a gas station, and a bowling alley.

But those who have walked the property have seen evidence of the small city that was once there. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Business, Business, East Tennessee Technology Park, Federal, Front Page News, Government, K-25, Oak Ridge, Roane County, Slider, U.S. Department of Energy Tagged With: atomic weapons, Bionomics, City of Oak Ridge, David Bradshaw, DOE, East Tennessee Technology Park, Ed Westcott, General Services Administration, GSA, Happy Valley, History Channel, John McCormick, K-25, K-25 site, Lost Worlds, Manhattan Project, Oak Ridge, Parcel ED-3, Parcel ED-3 Western Expansion Area, Ray Smith, Roane Alliance, Roane County Register of Deeds, Roane County Sheriff's Department, Ron Woody, Secret Cities of the A-Bomb, Steve Goodpasture, U.S. Department of Energy, Wade Creswell, World War II

Roane Alliance contributes $10,000 to International Friendship Bell Fund

Posted at 6:59 am October 18, 2016
By Kay Brookshire Leave a Comment

roane-alliance-check-presentation-3

Steve Kelley, left, Pam May and Wade Creswell present a $10,000 check from the Roane Alliance to Pat Postma, second from right, for the new Peace Pavilion to house the International Friendship Bell. (Submitted photo)

 

The Roane Alliance recently contributed $10,000 to the fund supporting a new Peace Pavilion to house the International Friendship Bell in Oak Ridge’s Bissell Park.

Wade Creswell, president of the Roane Alliance; Pam May, Roane Alliance vice president; and Roane County Commissioner Steve Kelley presented the contribution to Pat Postma, co-chair of the International Friendship Bell Citizens Advisory Committee.

Kelley, who represents Roane County Commission District 4 in Oak Ridge, said county officials consider this a tourism contribution that will bring economic benefit to the county.

“The Tourism Committee of Roane County Commission had been looking for ways to help the new Manhattan Project National Historical Park become an economic engine for Roane County,” said Kelley, who chairs the committee. “I suggested a donation through the Roane Alliance to the bell project, to support the Bell and Peace Pavilion as an attraction for national park visitors. We believe it will help increase traffic to the national park and surrounding attractions.” [Read more…]

Filed Under: Business, Community, Front Page News, Government, Oak Ridge, Roane County, Top Stories Tagged With: Bissell Park, International Friendship Bell, Japan, Manhattan Project National Historical Park, National Park Service, Pam May, Pat Postma, Peace Pavilion, Roane Alliance, Roane County Visitors Bureau, Steve Kelley, United States, Wade Creswell, World War II, Ziad Demian

Photos: LeMond Composites opening celebration

Posted at 9:21 pm October 13, 2016
By John Huotari 2 Comments

lemond-composites-ceremony-2-oct-12-2016-web

Greg LeMond, center, three-time Tour de France champion, celebrated the opening of LeMond Composites, a new company he co-founded, during a ceremony on Wednesday afternoon, Oct. 12, 2016, at Heritage Center in west Oak Ridge. The company is expected to make composite bicycles and carbon fiber, and invest $125 million and create 242 new jobs. Behind LeMond is Nicolas Wegener, LeMond Composites chief operating officer. At left is Thomas Zacharia, ORNL deputy director for science and technology. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

A new company co-founded by Greg LeMond, a three-time Tour de France champion, will make composite bicycles and carbon fiber for other products in Oak Ridge, and the business, called LeMond Composites, will invest $125 million and create 242 new jobs, officials said during a Wednesday afternoon ceremony. Here are photos from the ceremony. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Business, Federal, Government, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Roane County, Roane County, State, U.S. Department of Energy Tagged With: carbon fiber, Greg LeMond, Heritage Center, LeMond Composites, Nicolas Wegener, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Randy Boyd, Thomas Zacharia, Tour de France

LeMond Composites to make carbon fiber, composite bicycles—invest $125 million, create 242 jobs

Posted at 8:32 pm October 13, 2016
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

lemond-composites-greg-lemond-2-oct-12-2016-web

Greg LeMond, three-time Tour de France champion, celebrated the opening of LeMond Composites, a new company he co-founded, during a ceremony on Wednesday afternoon, Oct. 12, 2016, at Horizon Center in west Oak Ridge. The company is expected to make composite bicycles and carbon fiber, and invest $125 million and create 242 new jobs. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

A new company co-founded by Greg LeMond, a three-time Tour de France champion, will make composite bicycles and carbon fiber for other products in Oak Ridge, and the business, called LeMond Composites, will invest $125 million and create 242 new jobs, officials said during a Wednesday afternoon ceremony.

Among the officials celebrating the opening on Wednesday were LeMond, and Tennessee Economic and Community Development Commissioner Randy Boyd.

Carbon fiber has advantageous properties, but cost has been a barrier to using it, said Connie Jackson, chief executive officer of LeMond Composites. She said the manufacturing process has been changed to reduce production cost.

“We have overcome a significant part of the cost barrier,” Jackson said.

Carbon fiber is light, stiff, and strong, making it the perfect material for advanced composites in a variety of applications. It can be used to improve efficiency, save energy, and build or repair vehicles and planes, wind turbines and containers, and bridges and tunnels. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Business, Business, Federal, Front Page News, Government, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Recreation, Roane County, Roane County, Slider, Sports, State, Top Stories, U.S. Department of Energy Tagged With: advanced manufacturing, Bill Haslam, carbon fiber, Carbon Fiber Technology Facility, Connie Jackson, Greg LeMond, Heritage Center, John Bradley, LeMond Companies, LeMond Composites, Nicolas Wegener, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge Electric Department, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, ORNL, Randy Boyd, Roane Alliance, Roane County, Roane State Community College, Tennessee Economic and Community Development, Tennessee Valley Authority, Thomas Zacharia, Tour de France, TVA, U.S. Department of Energy, vehicle technologies

Register for small business webinar series, training events

Posted at 5:47 pm June 25, 2016
By Oak Ridge Today Staff 2 Comments

Registration is available for a small business webinar series and training events. The webinar series starts July 7, and it focuses on what the health care law means for your small business.

See the announcement from the Tennessee Small Business Development Center below. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Anderson County, Business, Clinton, Front Page News, Kingston, Oak Ridge, Roane County Tagged With: health care, small business, small business webinar, Tennessee Small Business Development Center, training

CVMR still hopes to build $300M metal refinery, but R&D center on hold

Posted at 3:41 pm December 4, 2015
By John Huotari 8 Comments

Michael Hargett and Kamran Khoza of CVMR USA

CVMR President Michael Hargett, left, and Kamran Khozan, chairman and chief executive officer, joined local, state, and federal officials on Friday, March 13, 2015, to announce they’re moving company headquarters from Toronto to Oak Ridge, investing $313 million and adding 620 jobs.

 

Note: This story was last updated at 7:05 p.m.

Seeking to clarify its plans, CVMR on Friday said it still hopes to build a metal refining facility in Oak Ridge to produce metal powders and “nano materials.” That investment, to be completed in three phases, could cost more than $300 million in the first phase and eventually employ 1,200 to 1,500 engineers and technicians, the company said Friday.

But they will not establish a Center of Excellence focused on research and development of the application of vapor metallurgy technology to an expanding group of elements, CVMR said in a Friday letter to Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam.

The company sought to publicly clarify its position after news stories this week suggested that the CVMR deal was dead. Some officials and developers had pushed back after those stories appeared in several Knoxville media outlets, saying they remained “cautiously optimistic” that the company could still come to Oak Ridge. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Business, Business, Oak Ridge, Roane County, Slider Tagged With: Center of Excellence, City of Oak Ridge, Clint Brewer, CVMR, CVMR USA, Kamran Khozan, Mark Watson, metal refinery, metal refining, Michael Hargett, Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, ORNL, Parker Hardy, Randy Boyd, Ron Woody, Steve Jones, Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development, Tennessee Economic and Community Development, The Roane Alliance, University of Tennessee, Wade Creswell

VanderSteeg to be president, CEO of Covenant Health, which includes MMC

Posted at 11:10 am November 23, 2015
By Covenant Health Leave a Comment

Jim VanderSteeg

Jim VanderSteeg (Photo by Covenant Health)

Covenant Health, the major health system headquartered in Knoxville and the region’s largest employer, has announced plans for a leadership transition. Effective April 1, 2016, Anthony L. “Tony” Spezia, Covenant’s long-time president and chief executive officer, will become CEO emeritus and Jim VanderSteeg, executive vice-president of operations, will assume the role of president and CEO of the health system.

“This announcement is a culmination of several years of succession planning by Covenant’s board and our CEO,” said Larry Mauldin, chairman of Covenant Health’s board of directors. “Tony Spezia has been Covenant’s CEO for over 15 years and has led a remarkable business turnaround which has made Covenant Health one of the leading health systems in the country.

“The Covenant board wants to assure that the organization continues the successful strategies and commitment to quality that has led to the health system’s success,” he said. “Jim VanderSteeg has worked closely with Tony for the past eight years and has demonstrated that he is well qualified to lead Covenant Health.” [Read more…]

Filed Under: Business, Front Page News, Health, Knoxville, Oak Ridge, Roane County, Top Stories Tagged With: Anthony L. "Tony" Spezia, CEO, chief executive officer, Covenant Health, Jim VanderSteeg, Larry Mauldin, president

Property transfer for Oak Ridge airport to be discussed during info session on Aug. 19

Posted at 12:00 pm August 5, 2015
By John Huotari 1 Comment

Oak Ridge Airport Development Plan

The Heritage Center airport development plan is pictured above. The airport site is the area pictured in yellow. The main entrance to Heritage Center off Oak Ridge Turnpike is at bottom left, in the area of the ponds. (Cropped image from DOE Draft Environmental Assessment)

 

About 170 acres of land at a federal site in west Oak Ridge could be transferred to a nonprofit organization for a new general aviation airport that would feature a 5,000-foot runway and accommodate airplanes and helicopters.

The airport would be built on the south side of Heritage Center, which is also known as East Tennessee Technology Park and the former K-25 site. The runway would be close to and run roughly parallel to Oak Ridge Turnpike/State Route 58.

A draft environmental assessment, or EA, has been prepared for the property transfer. It evaluates the potential impacts of transferring the ETTP land from the U.S. Department of Energy to the nonprofit Metropolitan Knoxville Airport Authority. DOE and MKAA representatives will be available to discuss the proposed action during a public information session from 5-6:30 p.m. Wednesday, August 19, at the DOE Information Center. The Information Center is on the west end of the building that houses the Office of Scientific and Technical Information in east Oak Ridge.

No formal presentation is planned, and the public may stop by at any time during the session. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Business, DOE, East Tennessee Technology Park, Federal, Front Page News, Government, Meetings and Events, Oak Ridge, Roane County, Slider, State, U.S. Department of Energy Tagged With: airport, Ben Williams, Blair Road, business development, Community Reuse Organization of East Tennessee, CROET, DOE, DOE Information Center, DOE Office of Environmental Management, Downtown Island Airport, draft EA, draft environmental assessment, EA, East Tennessee Technology Park, environmental assessment, ETTP, Federal Aviation Administration, general aviation, general aviation airport, haul road, Heritage Center, K-25 site, Leidos, McGhee Tyson Airport, Metropolitan Knoxville Airport Authority, MKAA, National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems, Oak Ridge airport, Oak Ridge Turnpike, property transfer, Rockwood Municipal Airport, SR 58, State Route 58, State Route 61, U.S. Department of Energy, Victorius Boulevard

Crete Carrier named Industry of Year in Roane, Sound Aviation gets Beautification Award

Posted at 11:16 pm August 1, 2015
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

Roane IDB Industry of the Year Crete Carrier

Crete Carrier Award: Pictured above are Wade Creswell, left, of The Roane Alliance, James Owens of JR Global Manufacturing, and Jeff Hazlewood of Crete Carrier. (Photo courtesy Roane Alliance)

 

The Roane County Industrial Development Board has named Crete Carrier Corporation as Industry of the Year and presented a Beautification Award to Sound Aviation.

The IDB recognizes an industry each year for providing outstanding leadership in Roane County, a press release said.

“In addition, the Roane Beautification Award is given annually to an industry that demonstrates a strong sense of community pride and a standard of excellence through the presentation of their facilities on a consistent basis,” the release said. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Business, Front Page News, Roane County, Top Stories Tagged With: "The Rising Sun" redbud trees, Beautification Award, Crete Carrier, Crete Carrier Corporation, Ed Blom, IDB, Industry of the Year, James Owens, Jeff Hazelwood, Roane County, Roane County Industrial Development Board, Roane Regional Business and Technology Park, Sound Aviation, the Roane County Industrial Development Board, Wade Creswell

Small business seminars offered in June

Posted at 8:20 pm June 1, 2015
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

TSBDC and Roane State

The Tennessee Small Business Development Center will offer five free seminars in June.

The first is titled “Business Planning/Get ready to see a lender.”

It’s scheduled from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, June 9, at the Roane County Chamber of Commerce in Kingston.

“This workshop covers the fundamentals of writing a business plan, and is designed for individuals who want to increase their chances for successful self-employment,” organizers said.

The second is titled “How to do business with the government.” [Read more…]

Filed Under: Business, Front Page News, Meetings and Events, Oak Ridge, Roane County Tagged With: business, business planning, Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce, Roane County Chamber of Commerce, small business seminars, Tennessee Small Business Development Center

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