Stories of Technology, Innovation, & Entrepreneurship in the Southeast

From Knoxville:

Ministry Brands, the leading provider of software and services for faith-based, non-profit, and other purpose-driven organizations, has a new Chief Executive Officer. Chris Bacon, who joined the company in 2022 as Chief Operating Officer, was elevated to the post last week.

According to the news release announcing his appointment, Bacon will draw from his two decades of knowledge, leadership experience, and an impressive track record of business transformation earned with Fortune 150 corporations such as ADP and Fiserv, where he served as President. With a vast understanding of the systems, teams, and strategies necessary to deploy technology solutions at scale, coupled with his passion for serving faith-based, non-profit and purpose-driven organizations, Bacon will drive innovation and further strengthen the company’s market position.

From Kingsport:

John Rose, currently the Director of Economic Development for the City of Kingsport, is the new Executive Director of the Northeast Tennessee Regional Hub (NETNHub). He assumes the role on December 4.

As noted in this teknovation.biz article from April 2022, the new organization was created to support and enhance existing and new economic development across the eight counties of Northeast Tennessee. Its vision is to elevate the region’s profile to both national and international companies to locate in those counties, as well as to attract, retain and support talent.

NETNHub is primarily primarily by Eastman Chemical Co., Bank of Tennessee, Ballad Health and Bristol Motor Speedway.

From Oak Ridge:

Consolidated Nuclear Security (CNS), managing contractor for the Y-12 National Security Complex, presented its “Small Business of the Year Award” to Master Machine Inc. (MMI) during a recent Partners in Excellence supplier outreach event. The Chattanooga-based business focuses on machining, weld fabrication, and engineering services.

MMI has been a supplier to Consolidated Nuclear Security for more than five years, starting with the Y-12 plant and adding the Pantex Plant in 2022.

From Brentwood:

National healthcare strategic communications advisory firm Jarrard Inc. has added five new professionals to its team, including veteran business development expert Jennifer Dye as Vice President of Strategic Partnerships, supporting the consultancy’s Health Systems Practice.

With more than 15 years of experience establishing successful strategic partnerships through networking and cultivating relationships, Dye has deep expertise in expanding current client relationships while activating new connections with C-level leaders at renowned healthcare organizations and state associations across the country.

Before joining Jarrard, Dye was a strategic account executive and national lab lead at Change Healthcare/Optum. Previously, she was a hospital account executive at Mayo Clinic, where she led hospital and lab sales throughout the Northeast. Dye also held director and executive roles at several other organizations, including Quest Diagnostics and AMBI.

From Nashville:

Petra Capital Partners, a pioneer in the growth capital model since its founding 1996, and Relevance Ventures, another pioneering Native American-owned venture capital firm based in Music City, have made Inc. Magazine‘s prestigious “2023 Founder-Friendly Investors” list. They are the only two firms from Tennessee among 218 firms that remain actively involved with the businesses they invest in, and that have earned the trust of the entrepreneurs they support to help drive growth.

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