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January 17, 2021 | Tom Ballard

Knoxville Chamber announces winners of its annual “Pinnacle Awards”

More than 300 nominations were received for the 2021 “Pinnacle Awards” presented by the Knoxville Chamber, and the winners in eight categories were announced on Friday. The 17th annual celebration, scheduled as a virtual event beginning at 11:45 a.m. February 19, will formally honor the companies that are committed to driving regional economic prosperity and being models of business excellence.

“The Pinnacle Business Awards recognize organizations and individuals whose success is having a positive impact on our region’s economic vitality and sustainability,” said Mike Odom, Knoxville Chamber President and Chief Executive Officer. “Their contributions and commitment enhance our quality of life and drive economic prosperity for everyone living in Knoxville and the surrounding counties.”

The winners by category are:

  • “Impact Award” – Accenture, a global professional services company with leading capabilities in digital, cloud and security.
  • “Innovator Award” – Integrity Laboratories, a Knoxville-based healthcare company serving its clients by providing comprehensive, state-of-the-art clinical laboratory testing with the highest standards of honesty, transparency and integrity. We spotlighted the company last August in this teknovation.biz article.
  • “Small Business Excellence Award” – Big Slate Media, one of Knoxville’s top content creation agencies that helps brands produce consistent, relevant content that makes a lasting impact.
  • “Minority-Owned Business Excellence Award” – Boston Government Services, LLC, an engineering, technology and security firm supporting missions of national importance across the U.S., including research laboratories, security facilities, nuclear operations, environmental cleanup and government programs. We spotlighted the company and Founder Harry Boston in this 2020 teknovation.biz article.
  • “Woman-Owned Business Excellence Award” – Barre Skinny LLC, dba Neighborhood Barre. Founded by Katy Richardson in 2011, the fitness studio now has 15 brick-and-mortar studios across the Southeast with two more locations slated to open in 2021.
  • “Mid-Sized Business Excellence Award” – The Trust Company of Tennessee, founded in 1987 and currently managing more than $3.5 billion with more than 75 employees.
  • “Large Business Excellence Award” – The Christman Company, founded in 1894, now has more than four billion in dollars in construction across a variety of markets and is ranked No. 88 in the Engineering News-Record’s list of top national contractors.
  • “Young Entrepreneur Award” – Bobby Haines of Haines Structural Group, originally the Knoxville branch of a Memphis-based company that he acquired and rebranded in 2017.

More information about the winners is included in the Chamber’s news release (Knox Chamber Pinnacle Award Winners).


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