Business Stories That Connect

By Tom Ballard, Chief Alliance Officer, PYA More than nine years ago, we first spotlighted Protomet and Jeff Bohanan, its Founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), in this March 2013 teknovation.biz article. At the time, the company was 16 years old, having started as an engineering consulting firm in the…

By Kailyn Lamb, Marketing Content Writer and Editor, PYA The May “Economic Conditions Outlook” (ECO), financed by First Horizon Bank, continues to show supply chain issues and rising costs impacting the local businesses surveyed by the Knoxville Chamber for the report. Companies in the manufacturing sector said general business activity had…

Ara Partners, a Houston-based private equity firm that specializes in industrial decarbonization investments, has announced that it has acquired Genera Energy Inc., a manufacturer of non-wood agricultural pulp and molded fiber products. As part of the transaction, Ara has also committed up to an additional $200 million of capital to support significant…

(EDITOR’S NOTE: This is a roundup of business news from throughout the Knoxville region. If you have some business news that you would like to be included in Teknovation Weekend, please email us at news@teknovation.biz.) South College earns Military Spouse Friendly® School designation South College, a longtime advocate for veterans and…

By Kailyn Lamb, Marketing Content Writer and Editor, PYA Continuing to expand its already wide reach of programming, Catholic Charities of East Tennessee opened a new Columbus Home Safe Place for Kids near the Juvenile Court. Whenever staff from the Knox County office of the Department of Children’s Services (DCS) need…

(EDITOR’S NOTE: This is a roundup of business news from throughout the Knoxville region. If you have some business news that you would like to be included in Teknovation Weekend, please email us at news@teknovation.biz.) Knoxville Area Urban League announces retirement, search for new CEO The Knoxville Area Urban League announced…

Another recent ranking from WalletHub, the personal finance website, compared the 50 states and District of Columbia across 28 key indicators of economic performance and strength. The data set ranges from Gross Domestic Product growth to start-up activity to the share of jobs in high-tech industries. The good news for…

Longtime business owners of Vine Furniture announced its closure to customers in a letter earlier this month, according to a recent article from Inside of Knoxville. “Knoxville Urban Guy” Alan Sims interviewed Vine Furniture Owner Kelly Shinlever about the closure. The business has been open downtown since 1944. Three years…

(EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the first article in a two-part series describing the evolution of the Harper Auto Square enterprise and the plans by its young President and Dealer Principal for the future. Part 2 will publish on Monday in the weekday edition of teknovation.biz.) By Tom Ballard, Chief Alliance…

(EDITOR’S NOTE: This is a roundup of business news from throughout the Knoxville region. If you have some business news that you would like to be included in Teknovation Weekend, please email us at news@teknovation.biz.) City of Knoxville hosting two events The City of Knoxville’s Small Business & Diversity Outreach Office…