Oak Ridge Today

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

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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…]

Proton Power named Roane County’s 2014 Industry of the Year

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Industry of the Year: Proton Power

Proton Power was named 2014 Industry of the Year in Roane County. From left to right are Roane County Industrial Board Chair Tommy Thompson, Proton Power Human Resources Manager Sean Hensley, and Wade Creswell, president and CEO of The Roane Alliance. (Photos courtesy of The Roane Alliance)

 

Submitted

HARRIMAN—The annual Roane County Industry Appreciation Breakfast was held at the end of May at Roane State Community College. The Roane County Industrial Board announced this year’s Industry of the Year and Roane Beautification Awards.

The event was sponsored by the Harriman Utility Board and Rockwood Electric Utility.

Thom Mason, director of Oak Ridge National Laboratory, was the guest speaker, speaking about how the lab wants to be used as a resource to businesses and industry in the state—and especially to Roane County. More than 95 percent of the lab is in Roane County. According to Mason, more than $450 million in products and services were spent by the lab last year, with around 40 percent of that being spent in the state, and much of that from local business and industry.

Mason spoke about specific examples of how ORNL was working with local businesses to help them grow and develop. He encouraged industries in attendance to reach out to them for their help with any challenges they may have.

“ORNL is a research and technology facility,” Mason said. “If we can help business and industry expand and ultimately grow jobs, then we have done our job.”

Proton Power was named 2014 Roane County Industry of the Year, and Volkswagen received the 2014 Roane Beautification Award. [Read more…]

2013 record-breaking year for Roane County and Roane Alliance

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Leslie Henderson

Leslie Henderson

Submitted by Roane Alliance

$150 million worth of new development opened

KINGSTON—To The Roane Alliance—and to many across Roane County—2013 will be remembered as one of the busiest years ever, with record-setting activity in major grand openings, business expansions, and in state-wide, national, and international recognition and awards.

“Most impressive were grand openings of more than $150 million worth of new development projects,” said Leslie Henderson, president and chief executive officer of The Roane Alliance, “including the new $76 million hospital in Midtown, the $35 million carbon fiber manufacturing research facility in Oak Ridge, and the $40 million Volkswagen 460,000-square-foot distribution facility along I-40 in east Roane.”

Henderson said in the report that in 2013 Roane County also saw records set in numbers of announced expansions of existing industry and also in a record number of recognitions and awards for Alliance programs’ accomplishments. [Read more…]

Roane Alliance names new president, CEO

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Wade Creswell

Wade Creswell

KINGSTON—The Roane Alliance board on Thursday unanimously agreed to hire Roane County native Wade Creswell as their next president and chief executive officer.

Creswell, 39, was recommended to the board by its officers and the selection committee after a nationwide search that began several weeks ago, shortly after current President and CEO Leslie Henderson announced she would retire on March 28.

Creswell will come to the Alliance from his position as vice president of development and public relations for health services at Michael Dunn Center, one of Roane County’s largest employers. The Michael Dunn Center is a nonprofit agency that serves children and adults with developmental disabilities. [Read more…]

Roane Alliance President Leslie Henderson retiring in March

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Leslie Henderson

Leslie Henderson

KINGSTON—Roane Alliance President and Chief Executive Officer Leslie Henderson has announced she will retire at the end of March.

She has been the president and CEO of The Roane Alliance, the county’s economic development organization, since Feb. 16, 2004. Henderson announced her retirement in a Tuesday letter to Sharon Templeton, Roane Alliance board chair.

“Although I struggled with this decision, I feel now that it is the right time to start on the next phase of my life and start working on some of that bucket list—travel, writing, project work, family time, and maybe even some business ventures of my own,” Henderson said in the letter.

“As for The Alliance, I think the time is also right, as the staff is not only one of the best I’ve ever worked with, but is also well-positioned to do great things for Roane County going forward. Each of them is very competent and capable,” Henderson said. “All I do is keep them focused and provide the tools they need. I could not be more proud of their successes.” [Read more…]

Roane Alliance’s annual fundraising gala is Nov. 1

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Roane Alliance Annual Gala

The crowd at a previous Roane Alliance Annual Gala. (Submitted photo)

The 2013 Roane Alliance Gala will be held Friday, Nov. 1, and the theme of this year’s annual fundraiser will be “Magic.”

“The Roane Alliance Gala is always kind of a magical event,” said Roane Alliance President and Chief Executive Officer Leslie Henderson. “So, it just made sense to embrace that as our theme this year.”

The Gala is the primary annual fundraising event for The Alliance, and the money raised from the night goes toward funding the many programs The Alliance administers throughout the year to ensure quality growth for Roane County, a press release said. [Read more…]