The Knoxville Chamber honors nine recipients at the 2025 Pinnacle Business Awards
Winners of the prestigious awards were selected among more than 200 nominated companies by the Knoxville Chamber's board of directors.
The Knoxville Chamber, in conjunction with Pinnacle Financial Partners, announced the winners of the 2025 Pinnacle Business Awards on Thursday. The annual Pinnacle Awards recognize regional business excellence, honoring outstanding professionals in nine categories for their contributions to the greater Knoxville economy.
Over a hundred of Knoxville’s most prominent business leaders and partners attended the event at the Pavilion at Hunter Valley Farm.
Winners of the prestigious awards were selected among more than 200 nominated companies by the Knoxville Chamber’s board of directors.
Large Business Excellence
The Knoxville Chamber announced PYA was the recipient of the Large Business Excellence category. The award is presented to a non-franchisee company with over 200 employees that has shown remarkable profitability, growth, and stability. PYA also is recognized for its reputation of integrity, client service, relationship-building, strategic expansion, and excellence in its Accounting and Advisory service.
“Our focus on building trusted relationships with clients in East Tennessee and across the nation helps define our reputation as a nimble firm able to respond quickly to our clients’ needs,” said Marty Brown, PYA President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO). “Here in Knoxville and in our offices in key locations across the country, we’re honored to be a trusted and knowledgeable resource for tax, audit, accounting, and management consulting.”
“We look forward to PYA’s next 40 years and beyond,” said Mike Odom, Knoxville Chamber President and CEO. “The Pinnacle Award is another in a long line of accolades that PYA has received, further supporting their expertise in the industry and commitment to their community.”
Founded in Knoxville in 1983, PYA, which also publishes teknovation.biz, has grown into a nationally recognized firm serving clients across all 50 states. Today it is one of the largest tax and accounting firms in the Southeast.
Learn more about PYA’s Accounting and Advisory service.
Mid-Sized Business Excellence
Earthadelic was the recipient of the Pinnacle Business Award in the Mid-Sized Business Excellence category. Earthadelic has become a leader in transforming outdoor living spaces, offering a wide range of services, from whole home remodels to custom pool and spa construction.
“Our niche in creating livable outdoor spaces has become highly popular for people seeking that lifestyle at home,” said Dale Madden, the company’s founder.
Small Business Excellence
Endeavor Composites was the recipient of the Pinnacle Business Award in the Small Business Excellence category.
Specializing in the production of high-quality composites for industries like automotive and aerospace, the company blends strength, sustainability, and innovation to provide environmentally friendly solutions.
The CEO, President, and Founder of Endeavor Composites, Hicham Ghossein walked across the stage to accept the award. He was also a part of Innovation Crossroads Cohort 3 at Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
“We’ve found a way to make the reinforcement part of composites affordable,” he said, sharing how his company has helped break barriers when it comes to implementing new composite technologies.
The Small Business Excellence Award was presented to an East Tennessee small business, employing 50 or less, that has consistently grown its workforce and revenue.
Woman-Owned Business Excellence
LaborExchange was the recipient of the Pinnacle Business Award in the Woman-Owned Business Excellence category.
The company specializes in providing high-caliber staffing support across several sectors including hospitality, manufacturing, general labor, and construction.
To be able to place someone in a role that truly works for them—that’s what makes this work so fulfilling,” said Kelly Peterson, the owner of LaborExchange.
The staffing company was founded in 2013 by Kelly’s late husband, who brought his background in HR into the staffing industry. After his passing in 2018, Kelly stepped into the leadership role, facing the challenge of carrying on his vision while making the company her own. Through determination and a passion for connecting people with work, she has transformed LaborExchange into a growing and impactful business.
Minority-Owned Business Excellence
Qore Performance was the recipient of the Pinnacle Business Award in the Minority-Owned Business Excellence category. The company, founded by Justin Li, specializes in creating innovative cooling solutions that help professionals in law enforcement, military, and industrial safety combat extreme heat while enhancing performance, safety, efficiency, and work capacity.
The company, which serves clients like Dutch Bros and Chik Fil A, recently cut the ribbon on a new headquarters in the heart of the Bearden Business community, after relocating from Loudoun County, Virginia.
“It’s a solution that combines my experience in law enforcement with my passion for technology and innovation. By addressing heat stress proactively, we’re giving our customers an edge in the field, during a time where macroeconomic and geopolitical forces need our workforces to be more efficient and productive than ever before,” Li said.
Impact Award
Knoxville Utilities Board (KUB) was the recipient of the Pinnacle Business Award in the Impact category. With over 1,200 employees dedicated to ensuring reliable service in electricity, water, sewer, and gas, KUB’s mission is simple yet vital: make sure everything works when you need it the most.
The Impact Award is presented each year to a non-charitable business that displays a commitment to making East Tennessee a better place to live through the development and support of a community project or program.
“The true reward for us is seeing the impact we can make on people’s lives,” Gabe Bolas, CEO of KUB, shared. “We’re fully invested every day, and our team is dedicated to providing reliable service while giving back to the community in meaningful ways.”
Innovator Award
RegScale was the recipient of the Pinnacle Business Award in the Innovator category. RegScale is disrupting the governance, risk, and compliance (GRC) space with cutting-edge technology and continuous controls monitoring solutions.
Founded by veterans of the national security sector, RegScale was established to modernize outdated GRC systems, which were designed for a static world and are ill-suited for today’s fast-paced, cloud-driven economy.
Travis Howerton, the CEO of RegScale accepted the award, and said “We’re not just building a business. We’re solving complex problems for some of the world’s most security-conscious organizations.”
He also said RegScale is an example of highly-technical companies thriving from an East Tennessee base.
“There’s nothing they do in Silicon Valley that we can’t do in Hardin Valley,” he said.
Young Entrepreneur Award
Pierce LaMacchia as the recipient of the Pinnacle Business Award in the Young Entrepreneur category. LaMacchia is the Co-Founder of K Brew. K Brew has four locations across Knoxville serving coffee and espresso drinks alongside handmade bagels, not including the locations on the University of Tennessee, Knoxville campus.
LaMacchia opened his first K Brew location in 2013, settling on a 450-square-foot space on North Broadway in Knoxville. Since then, he’s opened locations in the Embassy Suites downtown, off Ebenezer Road in West Knoxville and on Kingston Pike near West Town Mall.
“Our vision is to create and enable human connection,” LaMacchia explained. “Whether it’s connecting a barista to a guest who walks in or providing a space for two people to truly connect with each other, that’s what it’s all about.”
James A. Haslam, II Leadership Award
Tim Williams was the recipient of the Pinnacle Business Award in the James A. Haslam, II Leadership Award category. Williams is the President and CEO of 21st Mortgage. He began his career at Clayton Homes in 1976. He was the acting President of Vanderbilt Mortgage & Finance by 1982, and he founded 21st Mortgage in 1995.
“I am honored to receive this award from Knoxville Chamber,” said Williams. “I accept this award on behalf of the more than 1,100 team members at 21st Mortgage. I may be the person recognized, but our team is the reason. This recognition is earned by our team of people who strive every day to provide outstanding service to our customers, our suppliers, and to one another.”
Under Williams’ leadership, 21st Mortgage has experienced remarkable growth, employing over 1,000 people and doubling its mortgage portfolio in the past five years. His aggressive approach to conservative lending has set the company apart in the competitive mortgage industry.
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