Oak Ridge Today

Williams is new director of Roane State’s Small Business Development Center

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Stephen Williams

By Bob Fowler Roane State staff writer

A local business consultant with vast experience has been named the director of Roane State’s Tennessee Small Business Development Center.

Stephen Williams, well known in the Oak Ridge and Roane State service area, begins his new duties on Monday, February 8, in his office at the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce at 1400 Oak Ridge Turnpike.

He replaces long-time director Jutta Bangs, who has taken another job.

“I’m really excited about being a part of Roane State and their efforts with workforce development,” Williams said. “I’ll be able to contribute what I’ve learned in more than 35 years in business and owning businesses.”

[Read more…]

Small businesses invited to learn how to work with NASA

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Small businesses have many opportunities to support NASA’s space flight mission—such as the Space Launch System that will be used for deep space exploration and new missions to the moon—and additional NASA projects. Learn more at the June 19 NASA networking conference “Think Big: Learn How To Do Business with NASA” at Roane State’s W.H. Swain Scott County Center in Huntsville, Tenn. (Artist’s concept courtesy of NASA).

Small businesses have many opportunities to support NASA’s space flight mission—such as the Space Launch System that will be used for deep space exploration and new missions to the moon—and additional NASA projects. Learn more at the June 19 NASA networking conference “Think Big: Learn How To Do Business with NASA” at Roane State’s W.H. Swain Scott County Center in Huntsville, Tenn. (Artist’s concept courtesy of NASA).

 

Small businesses are invited to a conference in June that will offer information on how to do business with NASA.

It’s an all-day networking conference titled “Think Big: Learn How To Do Business with NASA.” It’s scheduled for Tuesday, June 19, at Roane State’s W.H. Swain Scott County Center, which is at 410 W.H. Swain Boulevard in Huntsville. It was organized by U.S. Representative Chuck Fleischmann, a Tennessee Republican, and Congressman Hal Rogers, a Kentucky Republican.

At the conference, small businesses can meet with NASA officials and representatives from NASA prime contractors, a press release said. Conference participants will learn about various small business opportunities provided by NASA.

“NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, is just four hours from Huntsville, Tennessee,” Roane State President Chris Whaley said in the press release. “Opportunities with NASA are abundant for businesses of all shapes and sizes in this region. We want to raise awareness that big agencies such as NASA want and need services from small businesses. A business from a small community in a rural county can think big because NASA may be interested in your products.” [Read more…]

Photos: ORHS WildBand performs with UT Pride of Southland at Neyland

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The Oak Ridge High School Wildcat Marching Band performs with the Pride of the Southland Band on Saturday, Sept. 23, 2017, at the University of Tennessee and UMass football game. (Photo courtesy Ginger Meadows)

The Oak Ridge High School Wildcat Marching Band performs with the Pride of the Southland Band on Saturday, Sept. 23, 2017, at the University of Tennessee and UMass football game. (Photo courtesy Ginger Meadows)

 

Note: This story was updated at 10 a.m. Sept. 25.

Here are photos of the Oak Ridge High School Wildcat Marching Band performing with the Pride of the Southland Band on Saturday at Neyland Stadium before and during the University of Tennessee and UMass football game.

The WildBand participated in the march to the stadium and the patriotic themed halftime performance.

Here are pictures by ORHS Counseling, Teresa Ledden, Ginger Meadows, Jutta Bangs, and Danny L. Weeks, along with a video by Kristin Hensley. [Read more…]

Free workshop on accounting for small businesses

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A free workshop on accounting for small businesses is being offered Friday, June 26.

The workshop is for small businesses, and it’s being offered by the Tennessee Small Business Development Center at Roane State Community College, in partnership with Pugh CPAs.

It’s scheduled from 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Friday, June 26, at the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce, 1400 Oak Ridge Turnpike. [Read more…]

Small business seminars this week

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There are two more small business seminars in Oak Ridge this month, and both are scheduled for this week.

The first is from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday, March 26, at the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce. It’s free.

The seminar is titled “Inside the DCAA Audit—What are they looking for?” The speaker is Laura Davis, president of Strategic Consulting Solutions. [Read more…]

Anderson Chamber hosts business planning seminar on April 7

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Anderson County Chamber of Commerce

The Anderson County Chamber of Commerce in partnership with the Tennessee Small Business Development Center will host a free workshop for potential and existing small business owners and entrepreneurs who want a better understanding of the business planning process.

The TSBDC advises and assists entrepreneurs and small business owners in our area at no cost to them.

This free seminar will be held on Tuesday, April 7, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Anderson County Chamber of Commerce office at 245 North Main Street, Suite 200, in Clinton. It will feature Jutta Bangs, director of the TSBDC center at Roane State Community College. [Read more…]

Free small business workshop on Wednesday, Dec. 10

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Jutta Bangs

Jutta Bangs

The Anderson County Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with the Tennessee Small Business Development Center, will host a free workshop next week for small business owners and entrepreneurs who want a better understanding of starting a new business.

This free seminar will be held on Wednesday, December 10, from 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. at the Anderson County Chamber of Commerce office at 245 North Main Street, Suite 200, in Clinton with Jutta Bangs, director of the Tennessee Small Business Development Center at Roane State Community College. [Read more…]

Small business workshop on government contracting on Dec. 2

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The Tennessee Small Business Development Center will have a free workshop for small businesses on the basics of government contracting on Tuesday, December 2.

The workshop is being conducted in partnership with the University of Tennessee CIS-PTAC. It’s scheduled from 9 a.m. to noon December 2 at the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce at 1400 Oak Ridge Turnpike in Oak Ridge.

To sign up, call (865) 483-2668, email Jutta Bangs at [email protected], or visit www.roanestate.edu/tsbdc.

The Tennessee Small Business Development Center at Roane State Community College advises and assists entrepreneurs and small business owners in the area at no cost to them.

Letter: Encourages candidate forum groups, objects to ‘harassment’

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While state and federal elections (at least here in Oak Ridge) are somewhat uninspiring this year, with many races either uncontested or practically so, our municipal election has drawn an unusually high number of candidates. That there are several open seats where incumbents chose not to run—two on City Council and two on the Board of Education—is probably the reason for the larger number of candidates.

Ten are running for four seats on City Council, while eight are competing for three seats on the Board of Education.

The League of Women Voters is doing its usual outstanding job of hosting candidate forums, but despite standing-room-only attendance at the first of those, it’s inevitable that not everyone was able to attend. Fortunately, several other interested groups have also scheduled candidate forums or meet-and-greet events: the Oak Ridge Schools’ PTA/PTO Council, the Chamber of Commerce, and Democracy for East Tennessee.

It’s important to get to know the people who seek to represent you, to hear their views on issues of interest, and to see how they respond to questions.

Unfortunately, one member of Council who is not up for election this year is seeking to eliminate some of these opportunities, based on the fact that they’re scheduled to be held on city property. The Chamber of Commerce is situated on land leased from the city, although they own the building. The PTA/PTO forums will be held at Oak Ridge High School, and have been promoted through the schools (as most PTA/PTO activities are). [Read more…]

U.S. SBA honors Street Legal Industries with small business award

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Street Legal Industries Inc. has received the highest recognition by the U. S. Small Business Administration in Tennessee, a press release said. The company was proclaimed “Tennessee Historically Underutilized (HUB) Zone Small Business of the Year.”

Every year since 1963, the U.S. Small Business Administration takes the opportunity to highlight, through National Small Business Week, the impact of outstanding small businesses.

“These award winners represent the many excellent small businesses that we have in the Volunteer State,” said Walter Perry, district director of SBA’s Tennessee District Office.

The award will be presented to Street Legal Industries Inc. at 3 p.m. Thursday, September 25, at their offices at 102A Jefferson Court in Oak Ridge. The presentation will be combined with an open house. Customers and partners of the company are invited to attend. [Read more…]

Free government contracting seminars on Sept. 16

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The Tennessee Small Business Development Center will have two free government contracting seminars on September 16.

The first is scheduled from 9 a.m.-12 p.m. Tuesday, September 16, at the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce. During that seminar, the TSBDC at Roane State Community College, in partnership with the  University of Tennessee, CIS-PTAC, will offer a free workshop for small businesses on the basics of government contracting.

The second seminar is scheduled from 1-3 p.m. Tuesday, September 16, also at the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce. During that seminar, the TSBDC, in partnership with the U.S. Small Business Administration, will offer a free workshop for small businesses on government contracting
programs such as HUBZone, 8a, and WOSB. [Read more…]

Parents, teachers, friends form Friends of Oak Ridge Schools

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A group of parents, neighbors, teachers, and friends have created a new organization that will focus on maintaining a strong school system in Oak Ridge.

The new organization, Friends of Oak Ridge Schools, or FORS, was founded on the idea that a great school system benefits each and every child and also enhances the socioeconomic condition of the city, a press release said.

“We believe a strong school system is important to draw and retain businesses, industries, and new citizens by providing a well-educated, diverse workforce,” said the release, authored by Fernanda Foertter, Linda Gilpin, Donna Butcher, and Jutta Bangs.

The release said Friends of Oak Ridge Schools was started on the knowledge and experience of a similar organization in Support Strong Sumner Country Schools, but FORS has its own mission unique to Oak Ridge. FORS is totally independent of any other group, including Oak Ridge Schools, Oak Ridge Board of Education, and Oak Ridge City Council, the release said. [Read more…]