Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce Archives

Bob and Carol Smallridge, Colin Anderson, others to be honored by Oak Ridge Chamber

Posted at 4:00 am January 6, 2020
By Kathy Gillenwaters Leave a Comment

The Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce will honor area business leaders and businesses at its first An ExtraORdinary Evening Installation and Awards Dinner this week.

It is scheduled to start at 7 p.m., Friday, January 10, at the Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge. The cocktail hour will begin at 6 p.m.

Bob and Carol Smallridge and Colin Anderson will be presented with the Chamber’s most prestigious awards at the event, a press release said.

Bob and Carol Smallridge will be the recipients of the Eugene L. Joyce Lifetime Achievement Award.

“The award is given to recognize and celebrate individuals who have truly distinguished themselves and embody the essential values of volunteerism, community service, and dedication to the economic vitality of our community,” the press release said. “It is the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce’s preeminent award given to honor the memory of the late Eugene L. Joyce.” [Read more…]

Hardy retiring from Oak Ridge Chamber

Posted at 2:32 pm December 18, 2019
By Kathy Gillenwaters Leave a Comment

Parker Hardy

Parker Hardy will retire next summer after more than 20 years as president and chief executive officer of the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce.

Hardy has been president and CEO of the Chamber since November 1996. Under his leadership, the Chamber received the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Chamber of the Year designation in 2010, a press release said.

“During Hardy’s tenure, the Chamber has played a vital role in recruiting new retail to (the) city, including the Main Street development, as well as the Marriott TownePlace Suites,” the press release said. “Residential development has been a key area of focus for the Chamber as well. The Chamber has been instrumental in recruiting residential developers now building in The Preserve, Groves Park Commons, and Forest Creek Village. The Chamber also was instrumental in the attraction of Bristol Park, Centennial Village, and Centennial Bluff multi-family developments.” [Read more…]

Close to 100 entries registered for Christmas Parade on Saturday

Posted at 6:00 am December 11, 2019
By Kathy Gillenwaters Leave a Comment

The Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce’s annual Christmas Parade is pictured above on Saturday, Dec. 10, 2016. (File photo by Eli Welton)

Almost 100 organizations and individuals have already registered to be a part of the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce’s annual Christmas Parade on Saturday, December 14.

This year’s theme is “Christmas Around the World,” and it wil provide spectators with plenty of music, lights, and beautiful floats, a press release said.

The first official entry of the parade is always a crowd favorite: the award-winning Oak Ridge High School Marching Band. Other entries will include skaters, adoptable animals, antique and classic vehicles, dancers, and much more, the press release said.

All of these entries help lead the way for the arrival of Santa Claus. Santa will be helped along his way by the Oak Ridge Fire Department, the press release said. [Read more…]

Leadership Oak Ridge provides outdoor seating area at AMSE

Posted at 2:42 pm December 5, 2019
By Kathy Gillenwaters Leave a Comment

Members of the 2019 Leadership Oak Ridge Class recently graduated and dedicated their class project: a gathering space near the American Museum of Science and Energy. (Submitted photo)

Information from Kathy Gillenwaters and Amanda Meixel Kinghorn

Members of the Leadership Oak Ridge program recently finished a project that provides enhancements to the American Museum of Science and Energy. The multi-offering project was made possible through numerous volunteer hours from participants and generous donations from local businesses, a press release said.

Additions include a new outdoor seating area, landscaping, and beautification installations, the press release said.

“The new gathering area was a project of particular importance and filled a need that existed since AMSE’s location change last year,” the release said.

AMSE now has outdoor classroom space, transition space for rotating large groups through the educational facility, and seating for the bus tour that departs from the building nine months of the year. The project also included new landscaping and beautification pieces that enhance the visual appeal of Oak Ridge’s expanding Main Street area, the press release said. [Read more…]

Call center relocates to Oak Ridge

Posted at 10:40 am December 5, 2019
By Kathy Gillenwaters Leave a Comment

Avant LLC hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony on Friday, Nov. 8, 2019. Avant recently relocated its call center operations to Commerce Park in Oak Ridge. (Submitted photo)

Avant LLC recently announced that the company has completed the relocation of its call center operations from nearby Louisville to Commerce Park in Oak Ridge.

This completes a year-long series of planning discussions that started in the fall of 2018, a press release said. The financial services company currently employs 200 people in the region. Site director Steve Massey expects that number to grow to between 350 and 400 in 2020.

“Our move has been very successful so far, and we are looking forward to growing with Oak Ridge into a bright future here,” Massey said.

“It’s exciting to see a company that is growing and already has plans to increase employment levels come into the City of Oak Ridge,” said Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge Chamber’s Christmas Parade will be Saturday, Dec. 14

Posted at 10:04 am November 5, 2019
By Kathy Gillenwaters Leave a Comment

The Oak Ridge High School Softball team prepares for the 2018 Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce Christmas Parade. This year’s parade will be held on Saturday, Dec. 14, 2019. (Submitted photo)

The annual Christmas Parade organized by the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce will be Saturday, December 14.

This year’s theme is “Christmas Around the World.” The parade promises to provide spectators with plenty of music, lights, and beautiful floats, a press release said.

The sponsor of this year’s parade is The Cowperwood Company. There is no cost to participate.

The Chamber will be accepting entries online through Monday, December 9. Register by visiting the Chamber’s website at www.oakridgechamber.org. [Read more…]

Cirrus Aircraft, Coquí Radio Pharmaceuticals could use Oak Ridge Airport

Posted at 2:41 pm September 10, 2019
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

This is an aerial image of the current layout plan for the proposed Oak Ridge Airport at the Heritage Center (the former K-25 site) in west Oak Ridge. (Image courtesy Metropolitan Knoxville Airport Authority)

Cirrus Aircraft and Coquí Radio Pharmaceuticals could both use the proposed Oak Ridge Airport, a project consultant said Tuesday.

Oak Ridge Today has previously reported that Coquí Radio Pharmaceuticals Corporation could use the airport, which would have a 5,000-foot runway and be located at Heritage Center, the former K-25 site. Coquí has announced plans to build a $500 million medical isotope production facility at Heritage Center.

The company makes medical isotopes with a half-life of 62 hours, airport project consultant Billy Stair said at an Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce breakfast on Tuesday. Using the Oak Ridge Airport, rather than spending 42 minutes driving to McGhee Tyson Airport in Blount County, would save Coquí about $2.3 million per year, Stair said. It would also avoid the loss of about 1,000 doses per day of isotopes used for medical treatments, Stair said.

The Federal Aviation Administration conditionally approved the Oak Ridge Airport in March. That was a very significant step after four years of work, Stair said. The master plan has been approved; the precise location of the runway has been set; and a model of likely traffic has been developed.

As part of the conditional approval, the FAA wants an environmental assessment and a benefit-cost analysis.

[Read more…]

Dairy Queen coming to Oak Ridge

Posted at 11:29 am August 19, 2019
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Dairy-Queen-Site-Aug-19-2019 — A Dairy Queen restaurant will be located at the corner of Rutgers Avenue and Oak Ridge Turnpike, where a Taco Bell restaurant used to be. Workers were at the site on Monday morning, Aug. 19, 2019. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

Note: This story was last updated at 5 p.m. Aug. 20.

Dairy Queen is coming to Oak Ridge.

The Dairy Queen will be located at the corner of Rutgers Avenue and Oak Ridge Turnpike, where a Taco Bell restaurant used to be. A new Taco Bell has been built east on the Turnpike, at the intersection with Bus Terminal Road.

Workers were at the Dairy Queen restaurant site on Monday, putting up a “DQ Coming Soon!” sign and unloading construction equipment.

[Read more…]

Small businesses, business leaders honored

Posted at 9:03 am June 14, 2019
By Kathy Gillenwaters Leave a Comment

Lisa Copeland, CNS Y-12 small business program manager, presents the CNS Small Business of the Year award to Diana Tremaine and Darrin Lawrence of ARS Aleut Remediation. (Submitted photo)

Consolidated Nuclear Security, UT-Battelle, and the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce recently honored local business leaders and outstanding small businesses. The three entities annually sponsor a Celebrate Oak Ridge Business breakfast in May.

ARS International LLC was awarded the Small Business of the Year designation by Consolidated Nuclear Security. ARS is an Alaskan native corporation, small disadvantaged business, and is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Aleut Corporation, a press release said. ARS has provided services to the U.S. Department of Energy, Department of Defense, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and commercial industries in the form of hazardous material remediation, laboratory analysis, and construction/demolition services, a press release said.

UT-Battelle named Kelsan as its Small Business of the Year. Kelsan provides its customers with the region’s largest selection of sanitary maintenance-related products and consistently ranks as the southeast’s leading “Jan-San” distributor, the press release said. [Read more…]

Ninth graduating class of Youth Leadership Oak Ridge

Posted at 8:33 am June 14, 2019
By Kathy Gillenwaters Leave a Comment

The 2018-2019 Youth Leadership Oak Ridge Class recently celebrated with a graduation ceremony. Youth Leadership Oak Ridge is a program of the Center for Leadership and Community Development, an affiliated organization of the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce. (Submitted photo)

Youth Leadership Oak Ridge, a program of the Center for Leadership and Community Development, an organization affiliated with the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce, recently had a graduation ceremony for its 2018/2019 class. The celebration was held at the DoubleTree by Hilton. Gene Patterson of Consolidated Nuclear Security offered the keynote speech, a press release said.

Youth Leadership Oak Ridge was started as the community project of the 2009 Leadership Oak Ridge class. Patterned after the adult program, but revised to reflect the interests of high school students, the program has just completed its ninth year, the press release said.

The class met most Wednesdays after school during the school year and covered topics related to personal skills development, entrepreneurship, government, and quality of life, the press release said. Each area of focus provided for interactive activities as well as advice and guidance from experts in those areas. [Read more…]

Chamber’s Spring Fling Primetime Event is Thursday

Posted at 1:36 pm April 23, 2019
By Kathy Gillenwaters Leave a Comment

The Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce Spring Fling Primetime will be held on Thursday, April 25, from 4-6 p.m. It is free to attend the event, and the public is invited, a press release said.

Primetime is the Chamber’s semi-annual networking event, but with some new and exciting additions, the press release said:

Live music by Twelve Years Truce
Food trucks, such as B&B BarBQ, with free samples
Free custard samples by Freddy’s Frozen Custard
Beer provided by Calhoun’s
Sidewalk chalk painting contest
Door prizes
Giveaways
Fun for the whole family

More than 40 Chamber-member organizations have already reserved exhibit space, the press release said. [Read more…]

Celebrate Oak Ridge Business Awards Breakfast to be held May 7

Posted at 2:46 pm April 15, 2019
By Kathy Gillenwaters Leave a Comment

Consolidated Nuclear Security, UT-Battelle, and the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce are joining together to host a breakfast in May to honor local business leaders and outstanding small businesses. May is National Small Business Month.

The honorees at the May 7 breakfast will be ARS International LLC, Karen Prillhart, Kelsan, Dustin Mackey, and Stephanie Hale-Smith of State Farm.

The Celebrate Oak Ridge Business awards breakfast will be held from 7:30-9 a.m. Tuesday, May 7, at the Doubletree by Hilton.

To reserve a spot at the breakfast, visit the Oak Ridge Chamber’s website at www.oakridgechamber.org. [Read more…]