Oak Ridge Today

Business executive, community volunteer running for City Council

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Kelly Callison

Kelly Callison

Business executive and community volunteer Kelly Callison is running for Oak Ridge City Council in the November 4 municipal election.

Callison is chief operating officer of Information International Associates Inc. He is also vice chairman of the Oak Ridge Municipal Planning Commission.

In a press release, Callison said he thinks his community, business, and military experience will enable him to bring a cooperative and positive approach to city government. Callison said he will focus on “maintaining our great schools, improving housing, and increasing retail and commercial business.”

Callison and his family came to Oak Ridge seven years ago and have been active in the community from the beginning, the press release said. Besides serving as vice chair of the Municipal Planning Commission, Callison is a member of the East Tennessee Economic Council, a member of the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce Advocacy Task Force, a board member of Contact CareLine, president of the Oak Ridge Breakfast Rotary Club, and a member of the Oak Ridge Chapter of the League of Woman Voters. [Read more…]

Gooch running for Oak Ridge City Council

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Warren L. Gooch

Warren L. Gooch

Warren Gooch is running for Oak Ridge City Council in the November 4 election.

Gooch is a partner in the law firm of Kramer Rayson LLP, which has offices in Oak Ridge and Knoxville. He has been recognized as a leading health care lawyer by national and regional publications, including the 2015 edition of “The Best Lawyers in America,” a press release said.

“I am a candidate for City Council because I believe in Oak Ridge,” Gooch said. “I am proud to live in a city with an unparalleled history of accomplishments.”

But Oak Ridge is at a crossroads, he said.

“In order for us to continue to prosper, we must have a vision to grow the city, energy to promote it, and a commitment to excellence in our schools, city services, and our quality of life,” Gooch said. “Our city government  must be efficient, responsive to all of its citizens, and open for business. As a member of City Council, I pledge to be a consensus builder, and to provide the leadership that will move Oak Ridge forward.” [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…]

Oak Ridge Chamber to host customer service workshop Oct. 9

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Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce

The Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce is pictured above.

The Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce will host a customer service seminar led by Bill Drury on October 9 from 8:30 a.m.-noon at the chamber.

Entitled “A Passion For Service,” the seminar will focus on how to win customers and reduce lost sales, a press release said. A discount is available for chamber members.

From 1985 until 1990, Drury was the national training consultant for the Zig Ziglar Corporation. He speaks, trains, and travels extensively, and he has proven to be one of the most effective and entertaining speakers in the industry, the release said.

Subjects that Drury will cover include the following: [Read more…]

Dale Carnegie Employee Engagement Workshop Series starts Aug. 14

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Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce

The Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce is pictured above.

The Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce has teamed up with Dale Carnegie of Tennessee to offer a six-workshop series on employee engagement. A discount is available for members of the Chamber and for those who register for all six sessions, a press release said.

The first session will be held on August 14 from 7:30-9:30 a.m. at the Chamber, located at 1400 Oak Ridge Turnpike. Session one is titled “How Smart Leaders Create Engaged Employees.” Based on new, groundbreaking research you will learn the three clusters of behaviors that significantly impact engagement.

Then, within each cluster, individual actions will be broken down to help participants develop enthusiastic, empowered, confident, and inspired employees—the type of employees who care, who want to be part of a success story, and who will drive an organization to the top. Learn how to increase productivity and reduce turnover by cultivating a workforce of engaged employees. [Read more…]

Tuesday morning forum features Anderson County Commission candidates

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Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce

A Tuesday morning election forum at the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce will feature candidates for Anderson County Commission in the three Oak Ridge districts.

A Tuesday morning election forum will feature candidates for Anderson County Commission in the three Oak Ridge districts.

The Election Selection forum at the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce will start at 7:30 a.m. Tuesday. It will feature candidates for Anderson County Commission in Districts 6, 7, and 8 in Oak Ridge. It’s open to the public, all the candidates in those three districts have been invited to participate, a press release said.

“There will be time to meet the candidates during unstructured social time followed by a structured question and answer session,” the release said. “This is a wonderful opportunity to talk with candidates and learn first-hand their thoughts and positions on key issues facing our community.”

For additional information, contact Greta Ownby.

Fleischmann, Wamp at Q&A session at Chamber on Monday

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U.S. Rep. Chuck Fleischmann and his Republican challenger Weston Wamp will take part in a question-and-answer session at the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce on Monday morning.

The event starts at 7:30 a.m. Monday.

Fleischmann is running for his third term as a congressman in Tennessee’s Third District, which includes Oak Ridge. Wamp is challenging him for the second time.

The two are running in the Aug. 7 federal Republican primary. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge Chamber has Q&A with mayor, sheriff candidates Thursday morning

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Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce

The Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce is pictured above.

Learn more about the three candidates for Anderson County mayor and two candidates for Anderson County sheriff on Thursday morning at the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce.

The first “Election Selection” event is 7:30 a.m. Thursday, July 10, in the Joyce Conference Room at the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce. It’s open to the public.

All five candidates for mayor and sheriff have confirmed their plans to attend, the Chamber said. Here are the candidates: [Read more…]

Grand opening, ribbon cutting at New China Palace on Thursday

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New China Palace Restaurant Interior

The interior of the New China Palace restaurant on Central Avenue is pictured above.

 

The New China Palace restaurant will have a grand opening and ribbing cutting ceremony at 4:30 p.m. Thursday.

The hour-long ceremony is sponsored by the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce.

The New China Palace, which has relocated from the Oak Ridge Marina, is now at 123 Central Avenue in the Jackson Square area. [Read more…]

In first vote this month, Council rejects schools request for tax increase

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Oak Ridge City Council Budget Meeting

The Oak Ridge City Council rejected the school system’s request for a 37-cent tax rate increase on Monday, instead voting in the first of two votes this month to keep the tax rate steady for the seventh year in a row.

Note: This story was last updated at 9:55 a.m. June 10.

In the first of two votes this month, the Oak Ridge City Council on Monday rejected a request from school officials for a 37-cent tax rate increase that would, among other things, help fund a technology initiative meant to eventually provide an electronic learning device or tablet to all students.

Council member Charlie Hensley said the tax increase would be the largest in the city’s history, and it came in late in the budget process.

The property tax rate is now $2.39 per $100 of assessed value. The increase would push it to $2.76, and it could cost the owner of a $200,000 home another $15 per month.

“I was looking to support a tax increase, but the one that we got asked for is really, really high,” Hensley said.

There was a two-part vote on the budget on Monday. The first reduced the amount transferred to the schools to roughly $14.6 million, which was about $3.3 million less than the school board had requested, and it kept the tax rate steady for the seventh year in a row. The vote on that amendment was 5-2, with Hensley and Council member Chuck Hope voting no. [Read more…]

Free workshop on indirect rates for government contractors

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There is a free workshop on Thursday, June 26, to help government contractors understand indirect rates and how to correctly calculate them.

The workshop is being offered by the Tennessee Small Business Development Center at Roane State Community College, in partnership with Strategic Consulting Solutions. It’s scheduled from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. June 26 at the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce at 1400 Oak Ridge Turnpike.

To see more details, and to register, please visit www.roanestate.edu/tsbdc. For questions, contact Jutta Bangs at (865) 483-2668 or jbangs@tsbdc.org.

The Tennessee Small Business Development Center advises and assists entrepreneurs and small business owners at no cost to them.

City recommends budget with no tax increase, Council votes Monday

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Oak Ridge City Council

The Oak Ridge City Council is pictured above during an August 2013 meeting. (File photo)

Note: This story was updated at 7:40 p.m. June 4.

Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson on Monday recommended a budget that does not raise the property tax rate, setting up a potential conflict with school officials, who have requested a 37-cent tax increase to avoid cuts.

The Oak Ridge Board of Education already approved its budget in in two meetings last week. That budget, which was scaled back from an earlier proposal, could include an extra $3.3 million to start implementing a technology initiative known as 1:1 that would provide electronic learning devices to all students over three years, add five technology positions, and give 2 percent pay raises to staff.

But the budget is still subject to the amount appropriated to the schools by the city. Oak Ridge provides a little less than one-third of the school system’s funding.

While the schools have approved a budget for the fiscal year that starts July 1, the city has not. The Oak Ridge City Council will consider the municipal budget in two separate meetings this month, one on June 9 and the second on June 16. The city budget also includes a 2 percent pay raise for employees.

It’s not clear that Oak Ridge City Council members will agree to raise taxes to accommodate the school system’s request. In his budget presentation to Council on Monday, Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson said Council members have endorsed keeping the tax rate unchanged for the seventh year in a row.

[Read more…]