New executive hires and a finished training facility at TCAT lead the Knoxville business roundup
(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.)
Denark Construction completes TCAT Morristown Project
Knoxville-based Denark Construction announced in an email newsletter that it has completed the Tennessee College of Applied Technology, Morristown training facility. The building is nearly 44,000 square feet and contains labs and classrooms. The building will be used to train students in welding, HVAC, and machine tool technology as well as mechatronics, a specialized engineering training used in the auto industry.
A video of the project can be found here.
U.S. Commercial Service fills vacancy in Knoxville office
Jennifer Woods has been appointed the new Director of the Knoxville office of the U.S. Commercial Service. In this role, she will help companies get started in exporting or increasing sales to new global markets. The U.S. Commercial Service office also offers trade counseling, business matchmaking, market intelligence, and other services. Learn more here.
Red Stag Fulfillment brings in new VP of Sales Operations
Red Stag Fulfillment announced Brandon Cantrell joined the company as the Vice President of Sales Operations. His first day was April 4. Throughout his career, Cantrell has led multiple digital transformations for companies in varied industries and launched hundreds of new products for clients. In addition, he’s led multiple manufacturing revitalizations.
“I’m thrilled to have Brandon joining the team. He brings a tremendous amount of experience in building high-performance sales organizations and I’m confident that his abilities are key in leading Red Stag into its next phase of growth while creating strategic opportunities for us to offer new, diverse value propositions to our growing client base,” says Red Stag Fulfillment Chief Executive Officer Dusty Holcomb.
Read more in this news release.
Schedule and speakers announced for Workforce Symposium
The “2022 Workforce Symposium: Growing and Retaining Talent” is organized by the Knoxville Chamber, the University of Tennessee’s Center for Advanced Systems Research & Education (UTK CASRE), and the UT-Oak Ridge Innovation Institute. The fourth annual symposium will feature speakers such as Dr. Rupy Sawhney, Professor of Industrial and Systems Engineering at UTK CASRE; and keynote speakers Paul Allen, founder of Ancestry.com (morning); and Torin Monet, Principal Director for Accenture (afternoon). See the full schedule here.
New Businesses and Developments
Dewhirst Properties has purchased the Greyhound Bus Station. Specific plans have not been put in place yet, but in an interview by Inside of Knoxville, Mark Heinz of Dewhirst Properties pointed to The Grey in Savannah as an example of what could be done. The Grey is also in a former bus station. The Knoxville bus station is still being used by two bus routes, but they should be out of the building by the end of April, according to the article. The Inside of Knoxville article also included updates on several other Dewhirst projects. Read more here.
In a different article from Inside of Knoxville, city and county officials recently announced the opening season for the Knoxville Smokies would be delayed until 2025. Supply chain issues and labor issues in the construction market were cited as the cause of the delay. However, should construction on the stadium be completed before then, other events outside of the baseball team may still be scheduled in the space. The delays also do not impact surrounding development projects, according to the article. Work on the stadium is still scheduled to being this spring.
