News Roundup | New CEOs, higher ed programs, contract renewals, and acquisitions
By Shannon Smith, Teknovation Assistant Editor, PYA
Here’s your weekly roundup of business news from throughout the Knoxville region.
If you have any business news or updates you’d like to feature in Teknovation Weekend, please send us an email at teknovation@pyapc.com.
YWCA Knoxville searching for new CEO, appoints former health leader as interim
East Tennessee Foundation searching for new President and CEO, selects interim
Michael McClamroch is no longer serving in the role of President and Chief Executive Officer for the East TennesseeFoundation (ETF), according to an announcement made this week. He will be available to the ETF team in an advisory role as needed through the end of 2022. Board Chair Bruce Hartmann thanked him “for his 21 years of service to the Foundation and the communities we serve,” and wishes him well.
Effective immediately, 18-year ETF veteran Jeanette Kelleher will serve as interim President and CEO while the team organizes a search committee to find a permanent replacement for McClamroch.
The ETF is a public charity and community foundation created by and for the people of East Tennessee, where many donors join together to make the region they love a better place, today and for future generations
UT CIS welcomes new workforce development program
The University of Tennessee Center for Industrial Services (UT CIS) will now serve as the One-Stop Operator for the East Tennessee Local Workforce Development Area. As the One-Stop Operator, UT CIS will coordinate multiple American Job Center (AJC) partners and service providers throughout the East Tennessee Local Workforce Development Area.
This is to assure functional alignment of services and management of operations resources as well as the quality review of partner and service provider activities. “We are happy and proud that East Tennessee’s AJC One-Stop Operator is now part of the University of Tennessee,” said Paul Jennings, UT CIS Executive Director.
Since 1963, UT CIS has been proudly serving Tennessee’s economic developers, manufacturers, and small businesses through the work of its five programs:
- Health, Safety, and Emergency Preparedness
- Economic Development
- Manufacturing Excellence
- Government Contracting
- Energy Efficiency and Environmental Management
Roane State announces workforce training partnership with IACMI as part of America’s Cutting Edge
Roane State Community College announced its workforce training partnership with the Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing InnovationÒ (IACMI) as the school becomes just the third location in the state of Tennessee to offer specialized no-cost machine tool training opportunities through America’s Cutting Edge (ACE).
ACE is a joint Department of Defense (DoD) and Department of Energy (DOE) effort launched in 2020 to reestablish American leadership in the machine tool industry through transformative thinking, technology innovation, and workforce development.
Expanding the number of training centers is a key part of ACENet, the emerging national network of regional machine tools innovation and workforce development centers. Through ACE, DoD’s Industrial Base Analysis and Sustainment program established a national CNC machining training program developed by University of Tennessee Knoxville (UTK) professor Tony Schmitz. The program brings together the scientific expertise of Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s Manufacturing Demonstration Facility and the proven workforce development capabilities of IACMI. Roane State now joins UTK and Pellissippi State Community College as ACE training centers in Tennessee.
CNS will continue to operate Y-12, Pantex
The Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) announced earlier this week that it has awarded a contract extension to Consolidated Nuclear Security, LLC (CNS) for the management and operation of the Y-12 National Security Complex (Y-12) and Pantex Plant (Pantex). The extension period is up to five years for the Y-12 Complex and up to three years for the Pantex Plant.
In making the announcement, NNSA said the contract extension is the most advantageous method of ensuring NNSA’s critical mission work is not impacted. The extension also provides stability and continuity for the workforce at the two sites. It follows several years of uncertainty starting in November 2020 when NNSA announced a contract solicitation for the management and operation of the two facilities. A year later, a contract was awarded, and the Government Accountability Office received protests about that award. In January 2022, NNSA announced that it was taking voluntary corrective action to assess alleged organizational conflicts of interest and alleged proprieties. Then, in May, NNSA canceled the solicitation and terminated the resulting award.
NNSA will begin acquisition planning for Pantex and Y-12 facilities in Fiscal Years 2023 and 2024, respectively. This extension will allow NNSA sufficient time to facilitate a full and open competition and an orderly transition for both sites.
RDI Technologies Acquires Fastec Imaging
RDI Technologies, Inc., a global provider of vision-based vibration analysis solutions, announced in a release this week it has completed the purchase of privately-held Fastec Imaging Corporation (“Fastec”), a leading global supplier of digital scientific high-speed imaging systems. RDI’s acquisition of Fastec adds new customers, talent, and intellectual property, and it enables RDI to accelerate its product development initiatives.
The transaction follows SFW Capital Partners’ strategic investment in RDI in February 2022. SFW is supporting the RDI management team in its execution of various growth initiatives, including building out its management team, enhancing its sales and marketing capabilities, expanding its product offering, and pursuing strategic add-on acquisitions.
