Oak Ridge Today

Officials celebrate opening of $40 million Volkswagen distribution center in Roane County

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Volkswagen Southeast Regional Distribution Center Opening

Volkswagen, Roane County, and Tennessee officials celebrate the opening of a $40 million parts distribution center in eastern Roane County on Tuesday.

ROANE COUNTY—A new $40 million Volkswagen distribution center in eastern Roane County will distribute domestic auto parts to a global market for the Passat, which is made in Chattanooga, the company said Tuesday.

The Southeast Regional Distribution Center started operating on a limited basis as a redistribution center in April. It serves five other depots in the United States, as well as warehouses in Canada, Mexico, and Germany.

Later, it will include a parts distribution center for 110 Volkswagen and Audi dealers in the Southeast. [Read more…]

State announces first Select Tennessee Certified Sites, including Horizon Center area

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Tennessee Certified Site at Horizon Center

The Select Tennessee Certified Site is pictured above at Horizon Center. (Submitted photo)

NASHVILLE—The Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development announced on Tuesday the first six Select Tennessee Certified Sites.

As previously reported on Oak Ridge Today, one of the sites is at Horizon Center in west Oak Ridge.

The Select Tennessee program was launched in June 2012 with the goal of helping Tennessee communities prepare available sites for investment and expansion. The program sets a consistent and rigorous standard upon which companies can rely in making critical location decisions. [Read more…]

IDB endorses project to add power at Horizon Center, subject to TVA grant

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With a pre-application deadline this Wednesday, the Oak Ridge Industrial Development Board agreed last week to commit $750,000 to a project to increase the electrical capacity at Horizon Center Business Park if the city gets a matching grant from the Tennessee Valley Authority.

The project, which would add 14 megawatts to the park’s electrical capacity with the potential to add more later, would extend power from a substation on Blair Road in west Oak Ridge to the edge of Lot 5 on the back side of Horizon Center. It would install 13 kilovolt lines on poles that could hold 69 kilovolt lines later. [Read more…]

Roane State, ORNL, industries train workers in composites, advanced manufacturing

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John Thornton at Carbon Fiber Technology Facility

John Thornton, left, a graduate of Roane State’s Advanced Materials Training and Education Center and an intern at Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s Carbon Fiber Technology Facility, chats with Roane State President Chris Whaley. (Submitted photos)

John Thornton of Clinton graduated from Roane State Community College’s Advanced Materials Training and Education Center, or AMTEC, a year ago.

Today, he works in one of the most innovative places in the country.

“It’s been an amazing experience,” Thornton said. “It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be a part of this and hopefully develop a career out of it.”

Thornton is one of 13 AMTEC trainees interning at Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s Carbon Fiber Technology Facility. The $35 million plant is a new advanced manufacturing facility designed to reduce the cost of carbon fiber—a critical material for efficient, lightweight vehicles, next-generation wind turbines, and a wide array of other consumer and industrial products. [Read more…]

Perma-Fix awards scholarships from Roane Chamber high school career day

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The third annual Perma-Fix Career Day Scholarships have been awarded to a graduate from each of the five Roane County high schools. The students receiving the $250 scholarships applied for them during their junior year while participating in the High School Career Day, sponsored by the Roane County Chamber of Commerce.

The five graduating students receiving the Perma-Fix Scholarships this year are David “Tre” Pack, Harriman High; Patricia Howe, Midway High; Charlee Lee Roberts, Oliver Springs High, Eric Luffman, Roane-Kingston County High; and Kelsey Legg, Rockwood High. They all attended the Chamber’s 2011 Career Day. [Read more…]

Rowe named Roane Alliance office, fiscal services manager

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Brenda Rowe has been named office and fiscal services manager for The Roane Alliance.

Rowe has been working for The Roane Alliance since July of last year, after working in the public relations office at Roane State Community College in Harriman. [Read more…]

TVA names Horizon Center site as primary data center site

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Horizon Center Data Center Site

A 28-acre site at Horizon Center has been designated by the Tennessee Valley Authority as a site that is ready to recruit data centers. (Submitted photo)

The Tennessee Valley Authority has identified a 28-acre site at Horizon Center in west Oak Ridge as a potential data center site, a designation that will help Oak Ridge recruit companies, an official said.

“Having a primary data center site in Oak Ridge is a tremendous advantage and will definitely give us a competitive edge when recruiting data center prospects,” said Kim Denton, president and chief executive officer of the Oak Ridge Economic Partnership. [Read more…]

Roane Alliance kicks off Education Matters! fundraising drive

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Roane County Education Matters

Front row: Allen Lutz; back row (l-r): Carmen Van Horn, Gary Aytes, Chris Whaley, Leslie Henderson, and Chris Ayers. (Submitted photo)

The Roane Alliance on Thursday kicked off a fund drive to keep its Education Matters! initiative—a “Best Practice” program, according to the Tennessee Chamber of Commerce— continuing in the future.

The Education Matters! program funding is being cut as of June 30 of this year.

“The Education Matters! mission is that every child in Roane County gets some post-secondary education—and does well at it,” said Leslie Henderson, president and chief executive officer of The Roane Alliance. “Education Matters! is making remarkable progress towards that goal, but starting at the end of June this year, the program has lost its funding and we need the community’s help. [Read more…]

Roane Chamber human resources seminar on Tuesday

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The Roane Chamber of Commerce is providing a special seminar, “Stay out of court: Human Resource Legal Matters Update” on Tuesday May 14, from 10 a.m. to 2:45 pm at Roane State Community College. [Read more…]

Roane Chamber has home, garden show Saturday

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The Roane County Chamber of Commerce is having its 7th annual Home and Garden Show on Saturday at the Expo Center at Roane State Community College’s Harriman campus. The theme this year is “Go Green and Save Money!”

There will be booths and displays from home improvement products and services, gardening displays, gardener and hardware demonstrations, and arts and crafts. [Read more…]

B&W says it’s pleased with federal decision on Y-12, Pantex contract protests

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Y-12 National Security Complex

The Babcock and Wilcox Co., the lead management and operating contractor at the Y-12 National Security Complex, said it was pleased with a federal decision Monday upholding protests of a five-year consolidated contract to manage Y-12 and the Pantex Plant near Amarillo, Texas.

One of the two teams that lost a bid to manage two nuclear weapons facilities in Tennessee and Texas said it was pleased by a federal decision announced Monday that upheld protests of the five-year contract, which was awarded in January.

The decision by the U.S. Government Accountability Office also recommended that the procurement be re-opened.

The contract is reported to have a total value of $22 billion, and it was awarded to Consolidated Nuclear Security LLC, or CNS, a team that includes Bechtel National Inc. and Lockheed Martin Services Inc. [Read more…]

Pic: Roane Chamber honors 2013 business award winners

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Roane Chamber Business Awards

The Roane County Chamber of Commerce on Friday presented its annual business awards during a banquet at the Whitestone Country Inn. (Submitted photo)

The Roane County Chamber of Commerce on Friday presented its annual business awards for 2013 before a crowd of community and business leaders attending the Chamber’s 67th Annual Banquet at Whitestone Country Inn.

The awards included:

  • Chamber Ambassador of the Year—Rose Meza, of Harriman Care and Rehab;
  • Business of the Year—Foust Family Fitness, of Kingston;
  • Paul E. Goldberg Young Professional Award—Brantley Rivers, president of Acme Brick and Block;
  • Roane Chamber Woman of the Year—Gail Lyke, of First Bank of Tennessee; and
  • Distinguished Service Award—Paul Cowell, of Whitestone Country Inn.