Benchmarks 2020 | Section A | Business & Industry

SECTION A

BUSINESS

BENCHMARKS EDITION March 14, 2020

Page 2

The Greeneville Sun Benchmarks Edition

GreenevilleSun.com

Saturday, March 14, 2020

Peggy Ann Saw Growth And Loss In Last Year

BY CICELY BABB STAFF WRITER A family business spanning three generations, Peggy Ann Bakery is nearing 40 years in operation.

As the well-loved bakery approaches that milestone, the family behind it both saw the opening of the second location in Johnson City and lost the man known for making the baked goods that drove the bakery’s success since it opened in 1982.

The son of the bakery’s namesake and original owners Bill and Peggy Ann Arrowood, Johnny Dale Arrowood was known locally for his baking.

As his daughter Stacy Martin, who now manages Peggy Ann Bakery with her husband Will, explained, John Arrowood met his wife Imogene when they both were working in a Food City bakery.

Imogene is talented with cake decorating, like her mother-inlaw Peggy Ann. While the bakery is named for Peggy Ann, it was Peggy Ann’s husband Bill who started the family bakery.

Stacy said her grandfather worked in a bakery in Elizabethton when he was a teenager.

“That’s what he learned and what he knew how to do,” Stacy said.

Bill Arrowood went on to own and manage bakeries in the area for Super Dollar until Food City bought them out in 1982 and he decided to open his own bakery.

“He called it Peggy Ann because he didn’t want to take the phone calls,” Stacy said.

Stacy’s parents worked in and then ran the bakery in Greeneville.

“Dad and mom are Peggy Ann Bakery,” Stacy said.

Stacy spent a lot of time in the bakery growing up and began working there, too, as a teenager.

Growing up Stacy said she was a “daddy’s girl,” and she especially enjoyed working with him and spending her work days alongside her family as they taught her all about baking and running a business.

“I’m lucky I got to work with him every day. He prepared me the best he could, and I just hope I make him proud and keep the bakery open,” Stacy said.

Johnny Dale Arrowood died in January at age 69 after a battle with cancer, but his legacy lives on through Peggy Ann Bakery and his family.

JOHNSON CITY LOCATION Johnson City’s Peggy Ann location, at 803 Walnut St., opened in late 2019 in the former Slammin’ Sammy’s/Alley Kat building.

Stacy said part of the reason the family chose Johnson City for the second bakery location was because customers travel from surrounding areas to Greeneville to visit Peggy Ann, and a great number of those outof-county visitors come from the Johnson City area.

Her husband Will primarily

SPECIAL TO THE SUN/PEGGY ANN BAKERY

Stacy Martin stands with her parents John and Imogene Arrowood, who she said “are Peggy Ann Bakery.”

PHOTO SPECIAL TO THE SUN

Peggy Ann Bakery in Johnson City serves customers who came to the Greeneville location from that area and East Tennessee State University Students.

SPECIAL TO THE SUN/PEGGY ANN BAKERY

John Arrowood displays some of his signature bakery goods in a photo dating from the 1980s.

manages that location, with Stacy mainly working at the Greeneville one.

“We help each other out,” Stacy said.

She added that they both loved making food at a young age.

Will Martin is a trained chef, which Stacy pointed out is a different trade from baking.

“It’s chemistry, so it needs to be more precise,” she explained, but she said Will has been doing some baking in Johnson City and has introduced some new bakery and lunch items at that location.

Stacy said the new location has

most of the same treats as the Greeneville one, but demand has differed.

“We’ve tried out a lot of recipes in Johnson City,” Stacy said.

“We’ve been more playful.”

One big seller in Johnson City that Stacy said did not sell when she and her family offered it in Greeneville was rice crispy treats.

The glazed donuts are a particular local favorite in Greeneville, and people tend to go to Peggy Ann Bakery for dozens of them to bring back to work. The Johnson City bakery tends to receive

smaller orders with more variety in donut flavors chosen.

Stacy said flavors more popular at the Johnson City location include bacon and strawberry iced donuts.

The Johnson City location has also introduced sandwiches and a daily plate special for lunch but does not have a full hot bar like the Greeneville store does.

The Reuben sandwich has been especially popular.

The Johnson City bakery’s proximity to East Tennessee State University has meant that a higher volume of students have been working, as well as eating, at Peggy Ann. Stacy said she and Will wel-

comed their fourth child last year, so it has been a very busy time. She said their youngest son, now 6 years old, is already showing an interest in baking.

“Hopefully Peggy Ann has a fourth generation coming up,” Stacy said.

Hours at the Johnson City location are Tuesday through Friday, 6 a.m.-8 p.m. and Saturday, 7 a.m.-4 p.m.

For more information about Peggy Ann Bakery, visit www. peggyannbakerytn.com.

The phone number for the Johnson City location is 423461-0104, and the number for the original Greeneville location is 639-1924.

SUN PHOTO BY CICELY BABB

Imogene Arrowood and Stacy Martin stop for a photo in front of the counter at Greeneville’s Peggy Ann Bakery.

SPECIAL TO THE SUN/PEGGY ANN BAKERY

Peggy Ann Bakery opened a second location in Johnson City in 2019 at 803 W. Walnut St.

Benchmarks A Story Index Peggy Ann Saw Growth And Loss In Last Year ........................................................2 Seven New Businesses Open in Greeneville Commons ...........................................3 New Gym Coming To Commons ..............................................................................3 Gateway Expansion & Nissan Line Topped Local 2019 Dealership News ..............4 Chasan Expands, Opens Aubrey’s in Greeneville ..................................................... 5 Hardin Industrial Complex Named A Select Tennessee Certifi ed Site ..................6 Individual Professional Achievements Recognized .................................................7 Greene County Tire And Supply Building Gets New Life ........................................8 Milestones, Achievements & Honors Attained By Businesses Here ......................10

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Benchmarks A Advertisers Index Bachman Bernard Chevrolet • Buick • GMC • Cadillac ..................................................14 Brooks Excavating & Construction, LLC ...........................................................................7 Chasan, LLC .......................................................................................................................9 Consumer Credit Union ....................................................................................................7 Greene County Partnership ...............................................................................................9 Industry Guide ..........................................................................................................12 & 13 Staffing Guide ............................................................................................................. 4 & 5 Towne Square Package Store ........................................................................................... 8 US Nitrogen ...................................................................................................................... 8

The Greeneville Sun

GreenevilleSun.com

Saturday, March 14, 2020

The Greeneville Sun Benchmarks Edition

Page 3

Seven New Businesses Open In Greeneville Commons

BY EUGENIA ESTES STAFF WRITER For the Greeneville Commons, the past year has been one of transition — from vacant storefronts to construction to bustling activity in seven new businesses and one to open soon.

As 2019 began, the Greeneville Regional Planning Commission gave its approval for a plot plan reflecting the redevelopment of the former Kmart store into three spaces to house Marshalls, Five Below and Hobby Lobby as work continued to prepare for the Rack Room Shoes opening in March in a storefront nearby.

Five Below, Marshalls and a Farm Bureau office opened in the summer with Hobby Lobby and Ross Dress for Less following in the fall.

The dawning of 2020 brought a new restaurant, Nova’s Sushi Bar & Grille, to the Commons, and construction is continuing to prepare Workout Anytime for an opening in April.

“With the opening of five national tenants this year: Hobby Lobby, Marshalls, Five Below, Rack Room Shoes and Ross Dress for Less, we have seen renewed energy and interest in the center and from the community,” said Brixmor spokeswoman Maria Pace.

All the activity within the Commons contributed to an increase of local option sales tax collections in Greene County for the second half of the year.

According to a report from Greene County Trustee Nathan Holt, the sales tax collections for July through December 2019 were up 6.88% over collections for the same period in the previous year.

With the additions of the seven new establishments, two small storefronts remain vacant in the shopping center.

In late February, Pace said that Brixmor continues its efforts to fill those vacancies. “We are actively marketing the last two vacant spaces at Greeneville Commons to tenants that will meet the needs of the Greeneville community,” she said.

One of the spots available is a 3,467 square foot space between GNC and Casa Nostra. A 3,000-squarefoot space between Hobby Lobby and Maurices is also being marketed by Brixmor.

RENOVATIONS BEGIN After the Greeneville Planning Commission approved plans for the former Kmart building in January 2019, changes began to be visible within

SUN FILE PHOTO

Parking became bit more challenging in the Greeneville Commons shopping center in the summer and fall. Seven new businesses have opened in the past year in the shopping center.

SUN FILE PHOTO

Shoppers explore the new Ross Dress for Less store after it opened in October. The store was the fourth retail establishment to open in the Greeneville Commons last year.

weeks. Dumpsters were one sight, and caution tape blocked off construction areas to traffic with the start of demolition of the old Kmart storefront as well as at the former JCPenney store. That storefront now houses Ross Dress for Less.

Work was also continuing on the Rack Room Shoes store, which opened in March in the former Carolyn’s Hallmark.

Rack Room Shoes is in a 5,400-square-foot storefront between Belk and Maurices.

One of the smaller spaces also had a new tenant around mid-year as a new Farm Bureau Insurance office opened in a 1,350-square-foot space between Pal’s and Radio Shack. The new Commons

location became the insurance company’s fifth office in Greene County.

All of the renovations reflected a great deal of investment. Building permits for more than $2.25 million were issued for the renovations.

Brixmor did the initial work to prepare the basic structure of the new stores and their facades, and then turned the buildings over to the individual stores to complete the interiors and signage based on their own design scheme. Brixmor’s work also included replacement of the roof over the Ross Dress for Less store.

In addition, Brixmor made other improvements to the shopping center during the year, including repaving and striping the

parking lot.

STORES OPEN The first store to open in the former Kmart location was Five Below in July.

The smallest of the major new stores occupies 9,000 square feet between Marshalls and Hobby Lobby. It features a variety of merchandise under $5.

Parking and driving on that end of the shopping center was still challenging as work continued on the other three major stores.

That began to improve as Marshalls opened a month later. Occupying 21,000 square feet to anchor a part of the 11E Bypass end of the shopping center, the national chain offers brand name and designer fashions at a

discount. It is part of the TJ Maxx family of stores.

Opening in September, Hobby Lobby became not only the largest of the new stores, but the most sizable one in the shopping center.

The national arts and crafts chain occupies 52,000 square feet.

A month later, Greene Countians had another shopping option as Ross Dress for Less opened. That national chain features discounted department and speciality store brands in its 22,016-square-foot store.

As the new stores opened in the fall, Brixmor also announced two more establishments coming to the Greeneville Commons in 2020.

Nova’s Sushi Bar & Grille had a soft opening

in January of this year in a 2,800-square-foot restaurant. Two storefront spaces between Pals and GNC were combined to provide space for the restaurant, which is owned by siblings who are Greene County natives and serves a variety of Asian and Asian-fusion dishes including hibachi and noodles as well as a range of unique sushi rolls.

Workout Anytime, a 24-hour gym, has temporarily opened a membership office in the storefront next to Hobby Lobby during the construction of a 7,767-square-foot fitness facility between PT Solutions Physical Therapy and Radio Shack. An opening of the establishment is planned in April. Workout Anytime has more than 100 locations across the country with one opening in 2019 in Elizabethton.

As with Nova’s Sushi, Workout Anytime will be using two storefronts. Part of the space where Workout Anytime will be located is now occupied by Southern Belle Bridal, which has relocated to a storefront next to Burkes Outlet.

In addition to the two vacant spaces inside the shopping center, outparcel lots are also available for development as free-standing construction sites.

An outparcel at the entrance to the shopping center near the Belk store is part of the property owned

by Brixmor.

At the other major entrance to the shopping center from Tusculum Boulevard, the Brumit Company has two parcels available for development.

Workout Anytime Planning April Open In Greeneville Commons

BY EUGENIA ESTES STAFF WRITER Construction crews are hard at work to make sure that Workout Anytime is ready to open next month.

Mike King, franchise owner of the local Workout Anytime, said he hopes the fitness facility, the newest business in the Greeneville Commons shopping center, will be opening in April.

“We are excited about the Greeneville location,” King said. “We have been looking at Greeneville for a while and were waiting for a space the size we needed to open up in the Greeneville Commons.”

“Greeneville is a community that really matches what our model looks for,” he continued.

In researching the community, King visited Greeneville, spending time in businesses and restaurants asking people about gyms in the community and what they would like to see in a fitness center.

While there are several gyms and fitness programs available in Greeneville, Workout Anytime can fill a niche with the flexibility it offers to help people maintain a healthy lifestyle, he said.

SUN PHOTO BY EUGENIA ESTES

Construction crews can be seen working inside the Workout Anytime, which is scheduled to open in April in the Greeneville Commons Shopping Center.

“We have a lot of different options for people,” King continued. “We are all busy, and time can be an issue. Being open 24 hours, people are able to find time three days a week for a 30-minute workout.”

This will be the third Workout Anytime franchise location for King. His first franchise location opened in Marion, North Carolina,

in 2017. His second, also in North Carolina, opened in 2018 in Weaverville.

The two most important things to King in operating the fitness gyms is cleanliness and friendly employees.

“Cleanliness is super important in a gym,” he said.

“It is easy to say you want a clean and friendly gym. But when you go back in two

years time, does it look like it did when it opened? We want our gyms to look as clean as when it opened.”

People are often intimidated by the thought of going to a gym, so friendly employees are a must, and that is one of the things he looks for in interviewing prospective staff for the gym, King said.

“When I am hiring

personnel, I want to find out if they are friendly,” he said. “I do not look at skills foremost, but friendliness.

You can teach skills, but you can’t personality. We are looking for people who are friendly and care about people and helping them live a healthy lifestyle.”

The Marion location earned high scores for gym cleanliness in a report published by Medallia and has also been named “Franchise of the Year”

by Workout Anytime. The Weaverville location has been recognized for its high member satisfaction scores and its average of 250 enrollments per month since the opening. That franchise has about 3,600 members currently.

Two storefronts between PT Solutions Physical Therapy and Radio Shack have been combined for Workout Anytime, and construction crews are working to prepare the 7,767-square-foot space for the fitness facility.

King said the contractors are about 60% finished and indicate they should be finished by the end of March.

Currently, Workout Anytime is operating an office in a small storefront beside Hobby Lobby to provide information about the gym

and enroll people in memberships.

In addition, King said a couple pieces of equipment are on display that are not typically found in a gym such as a hydro-massage bed and a 3-D body scanning machine.

The 3-D body scanning machine can help people see the progress they may be making through their exercise efforts.

“Sometimes when we look in the mirror at ourselves, we don’t see changes, and people can get discouraged that they are not making any progress,” he said. “The 3-D body scan can show those changes that may not be visible to the individual.”

Exercise classes with high activity levels will also be offered, which are preferred by some people rather than an individual exercise routine, King said.

Different levels of memberships are available, and the fitness center will accept insurance coverage, such as the Silver Sneaker program, that can pay for memberships, he said.

The Workout Anytime office is open from 10 a.m.7 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

Friday and 10 a.m.-3 p.m. on Saturday.

Page 4

The Greeneville Sun Benchmarks Edition

GreenevilleSun.com

Saturday, March 14, 2020

Gateway Expansion & Nissan Line Topped Local 2019 Dealership News

BY CAMERON JUDD ASSISTANT EDITOR A Greeneville family long associated with automobile sales and service in the region is associating itself with a new-but-familiar name and bolstering the commercial growth on the western end of Highway 11E with a major expansion.

The Gateway dealership, located in a part of town that has seen commercial development in recent years in the form of a large movie theatre, a large new restaurant, and soon a new branch of a major financial institution, is expanding and taking on the Nissan line of vehicles while retaining its Ford-Lincoln dealership as well.

The expansion became the biggest news item of 2019 in the area of auto sales.

Gateway owner and auto sales veteran Lennie Lawson combined announcement of the new development with the ceremonial breaking of ground at the site in November of 2019. Lawson said that the expansion will add about 7,200 square feet in showroom/sales space, plus another 4,000 square feet of service area. The existing Ford-Lincoln showroom and service areas will remain and be improved.

He estimated the total cost of the completed project would be about $2 million.

Lawson spoke to media representatives, local government leaders, Nis-

san representatives and others who attended the groundbreaking ceremony directly in front of the existing Gateway showroom.

Lawson, a 42-year veteran of the auto sales business, said the association of the dealership with Nissan has been in place for more than a year at the dealership.

Nissan, however, wanted a showroom to expand its local presence and visibility, and Lawson said Gateway is “excited� to fulfill that request and move forward.

Lawson said the most important benefit from the expansion will be for car buyers. “We’re not just renovating the dealership; we’re renovating the way we do business as well,� Lawson said. “The advantage to customers is that they’ll be able to buy a vehicle from two powerful manufacturers at one location.� Lawson noted that Nissan sales at Gateway could double once the construction is finished. “Our goal is to be the number-one Nissan dealer in the region,� he said.

Lawson said further that, as a Greeneville resident himself, he is pleased that the project is good for Greeneville and its region.

Lawson said the Highway 11E location is a good site for commerce, with an estimated 35,000 cars a day passing.

The Nissan branch of Gateway will operate independently of the neighboring Ford-Lincoln opera-

SUN FILE PHOTO BY CAMERON JUDD

Smiles and applause celebrated the breaking of ground in November 2019 as the Gateway dealership announced a new Nissan showroom and other changes on the West Andrew Johnson Highway. Construction is anticipated to take eight months. Shown are, from left, Brian Bode, Nissan ďŹ xed operations manager; Steve Shultz, Nissan sales operations manager; Abby Lawson, Gateway executive manager for Nissan; Lennie Lawson, Gateway owner; Audra Nelson, Gateway human resources; Max Lawson III, Gateway staff; Greene County Mayor Kevin Morrison; Greeneville Alderman Buddy Hawk; and Doug Weller, of C&C Millwright.

tions, Lawson said.

The expansion should add a few new jobs in the sales and service areas at Gateway, he anticipates, and the project will enhance tax revenues and customer convenience.

Despite being dierent branches, both Nissan and Ford-Lincoln will have easy common accessibility for online vehicle shoppers through the portal gatewaydeal.com, Lawson noted.

Expanding on his comment about doing business in a dierent way, he said that a major shift in the auto sales industry is the increase of online customer research in advance of purchase, and a lessening focus on dealership showroom visits as the initial step in auto purchasing.

The internet eectively is becoming a virtual showroom for the auto market.

Lawson, whose father, the late Max Lawson, en-

tered the dealership aspect of the auto business in 1971, today works alongside his own daughters, Abby Lawson, Gateway’s executive manager for Nissan, and Audra Nelson, who works in human resources, title operations and other aspects of the dealership. Max Lawson III, nephew of Lennie Lawson, also is part of the Gateway operation.

Among Nissan representatives present for

the groundbreaking were Brian Bode, fixed operations manager for Nissan, and Steve Shultz, dealer operations manager for Nissan. Bode and Shultz are based in Knoxville but are frequent visitors to Gateway, Abby Lawson said. Doug Weller of C&C Millwright, builder in the project, was present at the groundbreaking, as were Greeneville and Greene County governmental representatives.

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GreenevilleSun.com

Saturday, March 14, 2020

The Greeneville Sun Benchmarks Edition

Page 5

Chasan Expands, Opens Aubrey’s in Greeneville

BY CICELY BABB STAFF WRITER With the purchase of the former Bristol Compressor facility in Bristol, Virginia, and the opening of Greeneville’s Aubrey’s location, 2019 was a big year for Chasan LLC. Chasan Vice President Ricky Shepherd said those additions top off a five- to six-year trend of steady growth.

Based in Greeneville at the 1.1 million-square-foot Chasan Industrial Complex at the former Magnavox plant on Snapps Ferry Road, Chasan primarily provides warehousing, logistics and property leasing. The company also offers other services including record storage, transportation and rail car unloading. Additionally, Chasan has also been involved with the development of four Aubrey’s restaurants, including the Greeneville location, through a lease-purchase agreement with the chain.

Shepherd said that Chasan’s properties now total over 2.5 million square feet and approximately 200 acres of industrial property, with Chasan’s 23 tenants employing roughly 730 people.

AUBREY’S The Greeneville Aubrey’s location, located next to the AMC Town Crossing 8 movie theatre at 885 W Andrew Johnson Highway, opened in May 2019.

Shepherd said Chasan’s involvement with Aubrey’s has been due to a longtime

friendship between Chasan CEO and President Charles White and Aubrey’s owner Randy Burelson.

White and his wife Sandra especially wanted to bring an Aubrey’s location to Greeneville for the over 500 people employed by Chasan’s tenants in Greeneville.

Shepherd said it is the fourth Aubrey’s location Chasan has been involved with by helping finance and construct the buildings.

The restaurants are leased back to and operated by Aubrey’s, and after a period of time, the chain purchases the restaurant from Chasan.

Currently, Chasan owns and leases the Morristown Aubrey’s as well as Greeneville’s.

The Greeneville Aubrey’s is a single-story, 7,437-square-foot building with 137 parking spaces.

Outdoor seating is available through the season.

Access to the restaurant can be made directly from the AMC Towne Crossing 8 movie theater’s parking lot, as well as a private drive from East Andrew Johnson Highway. As part of the construction process, turning lanes were added to Highway 11E from both directions.

Aubrey’s, launched in west Knoxville in 1992, currently has 14 locations in East Tennessee. The restaurant’s menu features steaks, seafood, pasta dishes, chicken entrees, burgers and sandwiches served in a family dining atmosphere.

Shepherd said the

SUN PHOTO BY CICELY BABB

Chasan Vice President Ricky Shepherd in his office at Chasan headquarters, the former Magnavox manufacturing facility.

SUN FILE PHOTO BY EUGENIA ESTES

In February 2019 the Greeneville Aubrey’s location on West Andrew Johnson Highway was just beginning to resemble the East Tennessee chain’s other restaurant locations.

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Page 6

The Greeneville Sun Benchmarks Edition

GreenevilleSun.com

Saturday, March 14, 2020

SUN FILE PHOTO BY SARAH R. GREGORY

The state announced in October that the second phase of the Hardin Industrial Complex in Greeneville had been designated a Select Tennessee Certified Site by the state’s Department of Economic and Community Development.

Hardin Industrial Complex Named A Select Tennessee Certified Site In October, the second phase of the Hardin Industrial Complex in Greeneville was designated a Select Tennessee Certified Site by the state’s Department of Economic and Community Development.

Hardin was one of four sites to receive the designation in October. the others were in Crockett, Coffee and Dyer counties.

“By utilizing this program, these communities will be better positioned to recruit new businesses and jobs. I applaud them for fostering economic growth

in their communities and look forward to seeing their future success,” Gov. Bill Lee said in a news release issued at the time.

Launched in 2012, the Select Tennessee program helps communities prepare industrial sites for private investment and job creation, according to the news release. The program sets rigorous standards to give companies detailed and reliable information during the site selection process. Qualifications for certification include having at least 20 acres of devel-

opable land for industrial operations, documented environmental conditions and geotechnical analysis, existing onsite utilities or a formal plan to extend utilities to the site, and truck-quality road access.

Sixty-one sites across Tennessee have been certified.

As of October, 23 companies had invested more than $1.8 billion to construct facilities on certified sites, accounting for more than 7,200 new job commitments, according to the news release.

“One of the first things we are asked when we are recruiting new and expanding business to our state is if we have shovel-ready sites. With the assistance of Select Tennessee Certified Site program, we are giving opportunities for communities across the state to be better prepared for economic growth. I congratulate the four communities and look forward to seeing what is in store for them in the future,” Department of Economic and Community Development Commissioner Bob Rolfe said.

The Select Tennessee suite of programs – including the Property Evaluation Program and the Site Development Grant program – ensures that Tennessee sites are primed for development, whether through marketing sites that are ready for prospective businesses or providing local communities guidance and funding to achieve a higher level of preparedness. The state has partnered with Austin Consulting to administer the certified sites program. Communities interested in participating

in the program must begin the formal application process by sending their letter of intent to Select.

Tennessee@tn.gov.

“The State of Tennessee is widely recognized by site selectors and corporate leaders as a low tax, business friendly location.

The Select Tennessee Certified Sites program helps connect prospective job creators to high-quality sites where they can locate, grow and support local communities,” said Austin Consulting location consultant Charles Slife.

CHASAN CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5

Greeneville Aubrey’s has been “a very successful venture.”

BRISTOL COMPRESSOR In March 2019, Chasan acquired the former Bristol Compressor facility in the Bristol-Washington County Industrial Park in Virginia.

Now referred to as the Virginia Chasan Industrial Complex, the property consists of 60 acres of real estate and approximately 800,000 square feet of leasable space with a Norfolk Southern rail spur.

Shepherd said the Bristol property compliments Chasan’s main Greeneville location in that both were former manufacturing facilities and involved significant remodeling.

“As far as repurposing a large manufacturing facility into a multi-tenant industrial complex, we learned how to do that here in Greeneville, so we repeated that in Bristol, and we’re going to do the same things there as we do in Greeneville,” Shepherd said.

Additionally, Shepherd said the Bristol Compressor building has been a part of the Bristol landscape since the 1970s, and residents there had a vested interest in the building, like the Greeneville community has had in the Magnavox building.

In fact, support from the Greene County community is one factor that Shepherd says has contributed directly to Chasan’s growth

SUN FILE PHOTO BY MANSI BOEGEMANN

Chasan repurposed the former Magnavox facility on Snapps Ferry Road and put it back into use.

and success, and he said one reason the community has been so willing to lend support is because of the building Chasan has kept in use. It’s close to Shepherd’s heart too, as he has worked there for over 40 years now.

Like in Greeneville, Shepherd said, “the community up there just didn’t want to see that building sit idle for years and years.”

Shepherd said Chasan is operating both facilities “almost identical,” and that Chasan has the ability to handle transportation between the two through trucking, plus both locations have access to Norfolk Southern rail.

In less than a year the company purchased and remodeled the building as well as leased more than half of the available space to tenants.

There is still space

available, however, and Shepherd said he sees “integrated success” with the two facilities.

The added space and connection via Norfolk Southern rail, as well as Chasan’s existing service of truck transportation, means that existing and new tenants have more options as far as expansion.

Shepherd said Chasan has the ability to help a company relocate, and the two locations present the company with “a unique opportunity.”

Shepherd said one of Chasan’s tenants has already claimed some of the space in Bristol.

As for the future, Shepherd said Chasan has no particular plans for further expansion in the coming year, “but that could change.”

For more information about Chasan, visit www. chasantn.com.

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SUN FILE PHOTO

BY MANSI BOEGEMANN

This blueprint proposal for the Magnavox building hangs in the corporate office of Chasan Industries.

The Greeneville Sun

GreenevilleSun.com

Saturday, March 14, 2020

The Greeneville Sun Benchmarks Edition

Page 7

Individual Professional Achievements Recognized JOYCE GAMMON Joyce Gammon, activities director at Durham-Hensley Health and Rehabilitation in Chuckey, was honored as the 2019 Member of the Year by the Activity Coordinators of Tennessee, an affiliate of the Tennessee Health Care Association.

Gammon developed a gardening committee so residents could enjoy planting flowers around the facility.

Gammon implemented a “Monthly Resident’s Choice Buffet Bar” where residents vote on special meals.

She has also been an active member within Activity Coordinators of Tennessee and an active supporter of the association. Gammon accepted the award Aug. 1 during THCA’s Convention & Trade Show in Nashville.

THCA is a nonprofit organization whose members include long-term care facilities located throughout the state.

FOOD CITY VOLUNTEERS Three local Food City Employees were recognized in 2019 by the grocery chain for their volunteerism. Local residents recognized were Ricky Landers, an assistant manager at the 905 Snapps Ferry Road store; John A. Laster, an assistant manager at the 509 Asheville Highway store; and Cardiela Vickery, a cashier at the 2755 E. Andrew Johnson Highway store.

Landers and his family raised money for the Greene County Sheriffs Department’s K9 unit; Laster volunteered with Relay for Life, Toys for Tots and other organizations; and Vickery volunteered with the Cedar Creek Volunteer Fire Department.

Steven C. Smith, Food City’s president and chief executive officer, oversaw the creation of the Claude P. Varney Volunteer Recognition Program, in memory of the company’s former president and board

BY CAMERON JUDD ASSISTANT EDITOR DR. TERESA M.KIDD Dr. Teresa M. Kidd, who retired in 2019 as president and CEO of Frontier Health, was honored by the State of Tennessee for years of service to the mental health profession. State Rep. David Hawk, R-1st, of Greeneville, presented Kidd with a resolution from the Tennessee General Assembly that noted her “passion and commitment to those individuals in the East Tennessee area with mental illness.”

Hawk called Kidd a “leader and champion in the field of mental health who has inspired me to become an advocate for our citizens who are dealing with mental health issues.”

Kidd began her career in 1976 as a school psychologist, and in 1982 joined Nolachuckey Mental Health Services as special projects coordinator. In 1991, Kidd was named associate executive director of the Nolachuckey Holston Area Mental Center.

In May 1997, when Nolachuckey Mental Health merged with three other area mental health agencies to form Frontier Health, Kidd transitioned to senior vice president of Tennessee Children’s Services. In 2001, she became senior vice president of Tennessee Outpatient Services, overseeing adult, children and youth services. In 2011, Kidd became Frontier Health’s senior vice president of operations, and in 2014 was appointed president and CEO. LEE R. HOUSE Financial advisor Lee R. House qualified in 2019 for the Edward Jones Financial Advisor Leaders Conference. This conference recognized financial advisors who are among the leaders in the financial services firm, according to the company.

House was among only 800 who qualified out

FILE PHOTO

Dr. Teresa Kidd, left, was presented a Tennessee state resolution honoring her work in the mental health field. Rep. David Hawk is shown presenting the resolution to Kidd.

SPECIAL TO THE SUN

Travis Parton, right, receives a certificate marking his achievement of two decades of work as one of Tusculum University’s most popular food services workers. Dom Donnelly of TU makes the presentation.

FILE PHOTO

The GCP’s Joni Parker reached another milestone in her professional education advancement.

SPECIAL TO THE SUN/GCP PHOTO

FILE PHOTO

Krista Collier was honored for her outstanding work as a Green Coat Ambassador for the Greene County Partnership.

Brook DeLotto, of Greeneville, was a 2019 recipient of a major honor for her work with Life Care Centers of America.

of the firm’s more than 17,000 financial advisors in the U.S. and Canada.

PARTNERSHIP AWARDS The Greene County Partnership honored several

local business figures in 2019.

Leslie Morgan of the USDA Forest Service was honored with the 2018-19 Outstanding Leadership Award for her dedication

and achievement in the Leadership program, while Ron Zook with Greeneville Light & Power System received the 2018-19 Outstanding Character Award.

Class members receiving graduation certificates through the program included: Dr. Donnie Akers, Tusculum University; Melissa Batson, Greeneville City Schools; Michele Cedillo, Life Care Center of Greeneville; Andrea Clarkstone, Parker Hannifin; Denise Coffey, Mountain Song Jewelers; Tim Coley, First Tennessee

Bank; Erin Elmore, Greene County government; Logan Engle, Town of Greeneville; Daniel Foulks, Dollywood; Angel Gass, Parker Hannifin; Garrett Hensley, Greeneville Light & Power System; Garry Kelley, Premium Waters; Dr. Sam Lawson, Benchmark Physical Therapy; T. J. Manis, Greene County EMS; Leslie Morgan, USDA Forest Service; Anne Perez, John Deere Power Products; Zac Randolph, Parker Hannifin; Benjy Ryans, Greeneville Fire Department; Dr. Jaime Parman-Ryans, Walters State Community College; Nancy Southerland, East Tennessee State University; Chuck Wagner, Andrew Johnson Investment Services; and Ron Zook, Greeneville Light & Power System. The Leadership Greene County Program is designed to introduce local business leaders to the various aspects of the community. Programming includes in-depth sessions on leadership skills and training, agriculture, heritage and religion, government, economic development, health care and environment, and social services, and education.

SEE AWARDS ON PAGE 8

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Page 8

The Greeneville Sun Benchmarks Edition

GreenevilleSun.com

Saturday, March 14, 2020

Greene County Tire And Supply Building Gets New Life

BY CICELY BABB STAFF WRITER The former Greene County Tire and Supply building, 233 W. Depot St., has been a part of the landscape of downtown Greeneville for decades.

Now, after months of construction work to remodel the structure into an office for Brick House Wealth Strategies, it represents one early step toward the revitalization of downtown Greeneville.

BRICK HOUSE WEALTH STRATEGIES Lee House, financial planner and owner of the new Raymond James-affiliated Brick House Wealth Strategies, said he decided to buy the building after reading about plans for redevelopment downtown last year in The Greeneville Sun. The preliminary design for the first phase of the Downtown Redevelopment Project, involving improvements on Depot Street between its intersection with Academy Street to near the railroad depot building, was released in March 2019.

House said he was planning to build his new office in another Greeneville location, but after reading about the plans and hearing the same day from his realtor who called to say the Depot Street building was for sale, House made a visit to the building and quickly made an offer.

After purchasing the building, House said he made a general floor plan indicating roughly what he wanted the interior of his new office to look like, which he then gave to architect Dave Wright and Jeff Idell of Idell Construction.

Work on the building began in July 2019, and House said Idell “came through with his expertise on building.”

“The hardest part was picking paint and floor colors,” House said.

A significant part of the

construction work involved grinding the concrete floor down to make a level surface for the new floor surface to lay on, and there were other issues related to the age of the building, House said.

“The electrical system had to be redone, and the sewage system was a problem,” House explained.

The heat and air ducts also had to be redone.

“I was a little antsy and wanted it done sooner than it was, but it was still done well ahead of projections,” House said.

The next item of business, aside from continuing to settle in to his new business and office building, is to decide what to do with the garage area, which has not been remodeled yet.

House said he has ideas for the roughly 3,500 square feet of space and “would love to partner with somebody to draw traffic downtown.”

For now, House said he is “sitting back and waiting to see what’s going on and what’s going to happen.”

Brick House Wealth Strategies opened Feb. 21.

“We’re very excited to be downtown, all three of us,” House said of his team, which consists of Sheri Lawlor and Tonya Patterson. “We’re excited to be contributing to this project and we’re hoping it is a major success.”

SUN PHOTO BY CICELY BABB

Some of the Brick House Wealth Strategies team including Tonya Patterson, Sheri Lawlor and Lee House, the business owner, stand in the newly renovated office on West Depot Street.

PHOTO SPECIAL TO THE SUN

The interior of the former Greene County Tire and Supply store, more recently Global Swap Shop, is unrecognizable as either of the previous businesses that occupied the space.

PREVIOUSLY IN THE BUILDING According to Chris Douthat, a native of Greeneville who owned the building for a time and whose father Max worked at Greene County Tire and Supply for almost 40 years, the building was built around 1940 and originally housed Wells Battery.

Douthat said Wells Battery moved to Summer Street, and the Depot Street building was remodeled before it opened its doors as the Firestone dealership and supply SEE BRICK ON PAGE 9

AWARDS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 7

vice-chairman, after attending a June 2002 White House meeting geared toward boosting national volunteerism through corporate support. “As a company, we strive to maintain a high level of dedication to service, quality, value and community involvement, while providing a work environment that enables our associates to grow both personally and professionally as successful members of the team,” Smith said.

BROOK DeLOTTO Greeneville’s Brook DeLotto, Tri-Cities’ director of business development for Life Care Centers of America, was awarded the company’s Eastern Division Hospital Liaison Award last January. DeLotto was nominated for partnering with Alzheimer’s Tennessee to provide the Virtual Dementia Tour to about 100

•WINE •SPIRITS •BEER

Johnson City Medical Center staff members, including administration, nurses, therapists, nurse techs and social workers.

The experience helped them to get a feel for what patients with dementia struggle with through altered sensory functions. Participants wore rubber gloves with corn kernels in them to simulate arthritis, as well as corn kernels in their shoes to simulate neuropathy. They wore distorted goggles to represent cataracts and glaucoma and affect their peripheral vision, and wore headphones that played background noise to depict audio hallucinations, delusions and paranoia. They then entered a room where they were given a long list of instructions and told not to come out until someone came in to get them after several minutes.

“The results of the training are always enlightening to see,” said DeLotto. “Most people were extremely anxious and

overwhelmed when the time was up. This tool is important for caregivers of patients with Alzheimer’s and other types of dementia as it opens their minds to what their patients go through on a daily basis.”

Founded in 1976, Life Care Centers of America is a nationwide health care company that manages more than 200 nursing, post-acute and Alzheimer’s centers in 28 states.

JONI PARKER Joni Parker, general manager of the Greene County Partnership, completed her second year at the Institute for Organization Management, the professional development program of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation. The program is a four-year nonprofit leadership training institute in Athens, Ga. “Institute graduates are recognized across the country as leaders in their industries and organizations,” said Raymond P. Towle, the U.S. Chamber

Foundation’s vice president of Institute for Organization Management. “These individuals have the knowledge, skills, and dedication necessary to achieve professional and organizational success in the dynamic association and chamber industries.”

Since its commencement in 1921, the program’s curriculum consists of four week-long sessions at five university locations throughout the country.

KRISTA COLLIER The Greene County Partnership named Krista Collier the Green Coat Ambassador of the Year for 2018. The Green Coat Ambassadors team members serve as goodwill representatives for the Greene County Partnership/Chamber of Commerce by welcoming new members at various functions, such as ribbon cuttings, grand openings and Business After-Hours events The Ambassador of the Year is awarded to the ambassador who

best exemplifies the ambassador program each year.

TRAVIS PARTON Travis Parton was honored in 2019 for achieving 20 years of work for Tusculum University’s food service providers. During a special ceremony in which Parton received a certificate to mark the moment in his work career, Dom Donnelly, Tusculum’s assistant athletic director for communications, said of Parton, who has Down syndrome, “No matter how bad a day you might be having, he always perks you up. He always wants to say hi. I think there’s going to be a special place in heaven for that young man.” Parton works weekdays in the cafeteria and is known for the pride he takes in his job, and his friendliness. “He’s always self-sufficient and self-reliant,” Donnelly said of the popular cafeteria figure. “He makes it clear that it’s his job and he wants to do it. If I pick up his bucket, he says, ‘No, that’s my job.’”

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GreenevilleSun.com

The Greeneville Sun Benchmarks Edition

Saturday, March 14, 2020

Page 9

SUN PHOTO BY CICELY BABB

Brick House Wealth Strategies now occupies the former Greene County Tire and Supply store building at 233 W. Depot St.

BRICK CONTINUED FROM PAGE 8

store in 1953.

“Back in those days they had appliances, toys, sporting goods — it was like your modern day Walmart,” Douthat said.

It was common practice at the time to hold accounts for farmers, who would make smaller but regular payments until “around Christmas time when they sold their tobacco and had a big lump sum of money, they’d come and pay it off,” Douthat explained.

Douthat said it was around 1980 when Greene County Tire and Supply shifted its focus to strictly tires and automobile services as appliance stores became more common and stores like Walmart and K-Mart gained popularity.

In the early days tires were changed at the back of the building. Douthat said the garage was added in stages, with the first three bays added in 1960 and then three more built in the late 1960s.

“It was Greene County Tire longer than I’ve been around,” Douthat said.

The original founders of Greene County Tire and Supply were Clyde Austin, Nelson Humphreys and C.B. Burns.

Max Douthat started working at the store in February 1953 and was promoted to a management position a year later.

He continued to work

PHOTO SPECIAL TO THE SUN

Certified financial advisor Lee House opened his new business, Brick House Financial Services, this year on Depot Street. This photo shows the building as it looked prior to renovations.

there until he died in 1990.

“My dad put me to work on bicycles when I was seven,” Douthat said. “That place is more like home to me than anywhere.”

Chris Douthat bought the building from one of the original founders’ son in 1996, but Greene County Tire closed in December 2010.

“It was the economy more than anything,” Douthat said.

With a limited staff at the time, one of whom was ready to retire, Douthat said “it was a good place to turn it loose. It was a hard decision to make, but it turned out to be the right one.”

When Douthat sold the building in 2016 or 2017 to Preston Mulvene, it housed Global Swap Shop, an e-commerce business

similar to Pier 1 Imports.

Douthat said Global Swap Shop outgrew the size of the Depot Street building. It is now located at 109 E. Hardin St. “I’m actually glad he outgrew it and sold it to Lee (House). He’s done wonders for the building and I’m tickled to see it used again,” Douthat said.

“I’m so pleased because of the redevelopment downtown,” Douthat added. “I think what everyone is doing there is great and I’d love to see Greeneville come back to life downtown.”

For more information about Brick House Financial Services, visit www. raymondjames.com/brickhousews/ and watch the Greeneville Sun’s weekly business page.

This advertisement for Firestone, published in the Greeneville Sun 1950s, shows crowds waiting to get into the new tire and supply business at its grand opening.

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The Greene County Partnership exists to provide community leadership, consensus-building and problemsolving through the cooperative efforts of business and government and to serve as a catalyst for positive improvement and change. We are committed to serving the needs of our members, industry, government, business and citizens by: • Providing a forum to identify common problems and develop solutions • Expanding and diversifying the Greene County economy • Providing and supporting initiatives that will enhance Greene County’s overall quality of life • Serving as a common denominator for governmental and community programs • Cooperating with regional programs of mutual interest

115 Academy Street, Greeneville, TN 37743 Phone: 423-638-4111 • FAX (423) 638-5345 www.GreeneCountyPartnership.com

Page 10

The Greeneville Sun Benchmarks Edition

GreenevilleSun.com

Saturday, March 14, 2020

SPECIAL TO THE SUN

Employees of SumiRiko Tennessee gathered here to accept an award, also were celebrated through an article in the industry magazine Compressed Air Best Practices for developing a more environmentally friendly and efficient compressed air system.

Milestones, Achievements & Honors Attained By Businesses Here

BY CAMERON JUDD ASSISTANT EDITOR Numerous Greeneville and Greene County companies gained recognition for excellence or reached important milestones during 2019.

From manufacturing through banking, journalism, retail and industrial site development progress, Greeneville and Greene County drew attention and honors.

Following are highlights of honors and recognitions reflecting achievements and quality on the part of companies as a whole, or represent benchmark or milestone developments and transitions within those companies that have local significance.

EASTMAN CREDIT UNION According to MagnifyMoney, ratings posted by Eastman Credit Union mobile app users earned ECU, in 2019, a first-place designation among the nation’s top 100 banks and credit unions.

Members’ voluntary reviews on both Google Play and iTunes ranked ECU’s app at the top. Since MagnifyMoney started the ranking in 2014, ECU has maintained a top position.

“This is a national ranking. The rating is unbiased evidence that in all decisions ECU truly puts members first. We do our best to only offer services that are safe, secure, and value-adding,” a company representative said.

Further, he said, “Once ECU has the level of net worth that exceeds what we need to retain to keep us safe and sound, our volunteer board of directors chooses to pay that excess back to our members in the form of an extraordinary dividend, the spokesman said.

ECU operates 26 locations across Tennessee, Virginia and Texas and has more than 220,000 members. It has one Greeneville branch with a second soon to come.

SPECIAL TO THE SUN/ANDREW JOHNSON BANK

Andrew Johnson Bank is headquartered in a classic and historic downtown building on a busy corner.

JOHN DEERE POWER PRODUCTS John Deere Power Products in Greeneville achieved a manufacturing milestone last year with the completion of the 5-millionth unit of riding lawn equipment.

The Greeneville facility was recognized by John Deere as its highest-volume facility is responsible for manufacturing many of the iconic green lawn mowers sold by the brand, company officials said.

“The production of the 5-millionth machine is a significant milestone for the Power Products team, John Deere and our loyal customers,” Factory Manager Jeff Hollett said. “We take immense pride in the legacy we have built here in Greeneville, and to know

SUN FILE PHOTO

The retirement of Sam Miller, right, Consumer Credit Union president, brought a transitional milestone to CCU as Mandy Kilday, left, advanced from her prior senior vice presidential position to succeed Miller at the helm of the financial institution.

we have built 5 million machines is something we are really proud of.”

The Greene County facility was established in 1988 and celebrated its 30th anniversary in July 2018.

It has received many accolades and awards throughout the years, including the TOSHA VPP Star Award and the N.S.C. Occupational Excellence Achievement honor.

The plant previously received the Tennessee

Commissioner’s Excellence Award for three consecutive years (2012, 2013 and 2014).

THE GREENEVILLE SUN The Greeneville Sun received recognitions in multiple areas during 2019.

The newspaper won the top advertising award in its division plus nine other advertising/marketing honors at the annual conference of Mid-Atlantic Newspaper

Advertising & Marketing Executives in April 2019.

The Sun received the Metro Plus Business Award, which recognizes overall excellence in categories including print and online ads, sales materials, special publications and websites.

Presented by Metro Creative Graphics, the Plus Business Award assigns points for a newspaper’s total number of first- and second-place prizes in the

Mid-Atlantic competition.

With six first-place honors and three second-place certificates, the Sun collected the most points in its division, which includes newspapers with daily circulations of up to 15,000 in Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia.

The Greeneville Sun received the following firstplace awards from Mid-Atlantic N.A.M.E.: Best Merchant Group Ad, Best Transportation Ad, Best Special Section, Best Self Promotion, Best Sales Materials, and Best Overall Web Advertising, the latter for Greenevillesun.com.

The Greeneville Sun garnered three second-place honors as well.

The editorial work of The Greeneville Sun also was recognized and awarded in 2019.

The Greeneville Sun won top journalism awards for best Daily Deadline reporting, Editorials and Video from the Tennessee Associated Press Broadcasters and Media Editors at AP’s “News Excellence Awards” program, held in April 2019.

Tennessee newspapers, television stations and radio stations had submitted more than 630 entries in the competition, sponsored by the Middle Tennessee State University School of Journalism.

The Greeneville Sun competed in Newspaper Division I, which consists of papers with daily circulations of up to 15,000.

In Division I, other winning newspapers included (Cookeville) Herald-Citizen, The Daily Memphian,

The (Murfreesboro) Daily News Journal and Union City Daily Messenger.

At the awards banquet, Director of Online Operations Brian Cutshall accepted a total of six awards for The Greeneville Sun. Later in the year, the Sun also won honors through the Tennessee Press Association.

The Greeneville Sun won 18 first-place awards at the Tennessee Press Association Summer Convention July 18-20. The statewide honors recognized Sun excellence in print and online journalism, advertising and circulation.

In all, the newspaper collected 39 awards for first, second or third place.

Sun advertising also received honors from TPA. The Greeneville Sun won 16 awards related to print and online advertising, as well as for subscription and circulation services. Several first-place awards were among those won by the Sun in those categories.

APEX BANK For a third consecutive year, Apex Bank was named as the top-performing community bank in Tennessee by the Independent Community Bankers Association’s (ICBA) Top-Performing Community Banks industry analysis, as featured in Independent Banker magazine.

Additionally, Apex Bank maintained the number two spot nationwide for banks with $300 million to $1 billion in assets.

With $578 million in assets at the time of the announcement, Apex Bank SEE HONORS ON PAGE 11

GreenevilleSun.com

Saturday, March 14, 2020

The Greeneville Sun Benchmarks Edition

Page 11

SUN FILE PHOTO

The name and bright logo of Apex Bank have become familiar as part of Greeneville’s townscape over past months.

HONORS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 10

has retail offices throughout Tennessee in addition to a Knoxville-based national mortgage-servicing center.

Apex Bank’s presence in Greene County has grown in the last two years after its acquisition of American Patriot Bank in 2016, and since other changes in the local banking community.

Another milestone for Apex came later in the year when it was recognized by the Institute of Extraordinary Banking with the Thought Leader Banky Award for Extraordinary Bank Practices, raising the standards of banking with excellence in unique and cutting-edge practices while achieving exemplary financial results, according to a news release.

“We are both proud and humbled to be the recipient of the Thought Leader Banky Award for our bank’s asset category,” said Matt Daniels, president and CEO of Apex Bank.

“At Apex Bank, our success stems from our focus on in-office experiences and our commitment to serve our communities.”

HARDIN INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX The second phase of the Hardin Industrial Complex in Greeneville was designated a Select Tennessee Certified Site in October 2019, the state’s Department of Economic and Community Development announced.

Hardin is one of four sites to receive the designation. the others are in Crockett, Coffee and Dyer counties.

“Congratulations to the four communities that have met the rigorous requirements in this round of the Select Tennessee Certified Sites program.

By utilizing this program, these communities will be better positioned to recruit new businesses and jobs. I applaud them for fostering economic growth in their communities and look forward to seeing their future success,” Gov. Bill Lee said.

SUN FILE PHOTO

Worthington’s cab products add color to every place they are stored after coming off the line.

ment of Labor & Workforce Development and the Tennessee Occupational Safety and Health Administration recognized SRK Tennessee Inc. with the Volunteer STAR (Safety Through Accountability and Recognition) award.

Out of tens of thousands of employers in the state, SRK is one of only 38 Volunteer STAR award recipients. The only other Greene County recipient is John Deer Power Products on Hal Henard Road.

SRK’s Midway plant manufactures rubber products used in the production of automobiles.

The Volunteer STAR award is the state’s highest honor for workplace safety and health and a nationally recognized program. The Volunteer STAR is patterned after the OSHA Voluntary Protection Program and recognizes the best of the best in the area of safety and health programming and performance.

SUMIRIKO-TENNESSEE SRK TENNESSEE SRK Tennessee, Midway, for the third time earned the state’s highest safety recognition last year.

The Tennessee Depart-

SumiRiko-Tennessee was publicized for efforts that resulted in more efficient and environmentally friendly compressed air system with a cover story in an industry magazine.

The company was featured in an article in the August issue of the Compressed Air Best Practices publication.

The company was able to realize a total of 3.6 million kilowatts in energy, 2.1 million in the Midway facility and 1.5 million in its Tazewell facility from the upgrade in the system, according to company offcials.

That translates to an estimated $100,000 in energy cost per year for the Midway plant, according to company officials.

The adjustments have also resulted in an estimated reduction of 800 tons in carbon dioxide emissions from the local facility, according to the company. The effort was led by employees Carroll Buckner, Jeff Partin and Ralph Winburn.

The results from the Midway plant resulted in similar upgrades at the automotive part manufacturer’s Tazewell facility.

The six-page article details the upgrades, that were part of the company’s continual improvement efforts.

ANDREW JOHNSON BANK Andrew Johnson Bank earned a “5-Star Superior

Rating” last year from bank rating firm BauerFinancial, its highest rating for financial strength and stability.

Andrew Johnson Bank has maintained that top rating for 22 consecutive quarters, according to a news release that announced the rating and stated that the achievement “indicates Andrew Johnson Bank is one of the strongest banks in the nation.”

“BauerFinancial would like to congratulate Ms. Paige Hull, president and CEO, and the entire team at Andrew Johnson Bank.

Strong leadership and dedication to excellence both inside the bank and outside in the community are the building blocks for success,” Karen L. Dorway, president of the research firm, said.

Andrew Johnson Bank was established in 1975.

Today, the bank operates through offices in Greeneville, Jonesborough, Johnson City, Morristown, and Cleveland. Its website is andrewjohnsonbank. com.

Mandy Kilday became his successor.

Kilday had been senior vice president for business development at CCU. Miller joined Consumer Credit Union as president in February 1989. Under his leadership, the credit union has increased its assets from approximately $23 million to more than $470 million.

Over the years, Miller has been actively involved in the community in many influential capacities.

Miller currently serves as secretary of the board for the Greeneville Light and Power System, a board member for GreeneLeaf and is recognized as a lifetime member of the Tennessee Society of Certified Public Accountants.

Consumer Credit Union was chartered in February 1953. Today it is the 12th largest credit union in the state with $474.48 million in assets and more than 42,000 members. It is headquartered in Greeneville with major branch offices in Knoxville, Morristown, Mosheim, Johnson City and Jefferson City.

CONSUMER CREDIT UNION

WORTHINGTON INDUSTRIES

Consumer Credit Union witnessed a milestone transitional event at the end of 2019 as the long CCU presidential career of Sam Miller came to an end with his retirement, and

A transitional milestone event happened at Worthington Industries in 2019.

Worthington Industries Engineered Cabs, which includes the Greeneville facility, was acquired in 2019

by Angeles Equity Partners, LLC., and merged with Crenlo Cab Products, LLC., but the milestone event is not expected to alter local Worthington operations, the acquiring company said.

The acquisition of WIEC from parent company Worthington Industries as well as Crenlo Cab from its parent company KPS Capital Partners, LP was announced by Angeles, a private equity firm.

Asked about any future changes at the local plant that employs 342 people, Angeles company said the Worthington operations will continue as they are now.

“Worthington Industries Engineered Cabs team members in Greeneville will continue delivering the personalized service and high-quality products our customers deserve and have come to expect. We will measure our success based on our customers’ satisfaction,” an Angeles spokesman said.

He continued, “The Greeneville team is well positioned with value-added engineering, complex fabrication, manufacturing speed, and exceptional service capabilities. The investment we will make in our manufacturing capabilities over the coming years will allow us to offer exceptional value, quality, and reliability to our customers.”

Page 12

The Greeneville Sun Benchmarks Edition

GreenevilleSun.com

Saturday, March 14, 2020

INDUSTRY

e d i u G

Celebrating 50 years of being a proud member of the Greeneville/Greene County community.

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Manufacturer Vehicle Systems!

GreenevilleSun.com

Saturday, March 14, 2020

The Greeneville Sun Benchmarks Edition

Page 13

INDUSTRY e d i u G

175 Holder Rd. Afton, TN 37616 C.N.C. Production Specialists

Phone 423-638-9000 • Fax 423-638-9033 www.precisionmw.com BOB CUTSHALL Cell: (423) 620-5377 TIM CUTSHALL tcutshall@precisionmw.com ROBYN CUTSHALL MURRAY rmurray@precisionmw.com

President Vice President Corporate Secretary

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Midway, Tennessee

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Over the past 5 decades, the Pump & Motor Division of Parker has become a world leader in the manufacture of orbit-type Low Speed High Torque hydraulic motors. Our success is due in no small measure to the partnership with the people of Greene County. We’re proud to call Greeneville home.

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Mosheim Welcomes

Business & Industry

More and more people and businesses are choosing to locate in Mosheim.

In Mosheim we’re ready to assist, develop and grow with Greeneville, Greene County and our industrial prospects and their projects. Infrastructure is readily available and includes water, sewer, gas, and electrical.

Mosheim is a progressive community that is growing and a desirable location for families and new industries to locate.

Come out! Look us over! Join us in our future growth and progress.

Stop in and visit the Town of

Thomas L. Gregg, Jr., MAYOR

James Foshie ALDERMAN

Dave Long, ALDERMAN

Harold Smith, ALDERMAN

Mosheim

David Myers, ALDERMAN

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DTR DT Tennessee, Inc.

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Page 14

The Greeneville Sun Benchmarks Edition

GreenevilleSun.com

Saturday, March 14, 2020

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