BizBuzz: Region Air out at Livingston Airport; new operator approved

LIVINGSTON – Region Air, the same fixed-based operator that once provided services at the Upper Cumberland Regional Airport in White County, has been released from its duties at the Livingston Municipal Airport.

The Livingston city council, according to the Overton County News, voted in early January to void Region Air’s contract, which had one year remaining on a five-year term. Airport Board Chairman Johnny Halfacre said Eric Walker, owner of Region Air, simply did not want to serve in that capacity anymore.

James Sells, who will be operating under Vertical Flight LLC, was given a one-year contract with a one-year option. Sells, a flight instructor, is expected to oversee fuel sales as well as airport hangar rentals.

J&s adds to its corporate team

COOKEVILLE – Several new faces have joined the J&S Construction family as the Cookeville firm prepares for a new year and various new contracts to be signed.

Ben DeBerry joined J&S in September to assist the project management team with subcontract agreements, purchase orders, submittals and drawing reviews. DeBerry was born and raised in Cookeville and graduated from Tennessee Tech University (TTU) with a B.S. in human ecology and

a concentration in housing and design. He completed an internship this past summer at KHS&S in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., one of the nation’s largest interior contractors.

Darlene Provance is the newest member of the J&S accounting department and also serves as the accounts receivable manager. Her duties include monthly invoicing and collections, job set-up, contract schedules, change orders and payroll processing. Provance has a B.S.

in business administration and has been a licensed CPA since 1997. Provance relocated to Tennessee with her husband, Jeff, in 2011. They recently celebrated 10 years of marriage in November and enjoy spending time with their son, Hunter (18) and daughter, Summer (16).

Justin Vann came to J&S Construction in September and is a pre-construction project manager. His duties include soliciting subcontractors to bid/estimate projects in the government sector, as well as maintaining relationships with all vendors. Originally from Huntsville, Ala., Vann graduated from TTU in May 2013 with a B.S. in mathematics and served as a four-year starter for the TTU Golden Eagle football team.

Matthew Whitaker joined the J&S group in August as an assistant pre-construction manager. He works with the company’s estimating team and focuses primarily on building project estimates by reviewing plans, calculating takeoff quantities and soliciting subcontractors. Born and raised in Cynthiana, Ky., Whitaker is a graduate of Murray State University. Prior to working at J&S Construction, he worked for a software company for six years in Lexington, Ky. Whitaker and his wife, Katherine, were married in 2012 and relocated to Tennessee following her job acceptance as a dentist at Hayes Family Dentistry.

Paula Whitson has been hired as the insurance and restoration team administrative coordinator with her primary focus being insurance claims and restoration projects. Whitson has more than 20 years’ customer service experience and will have close interaction with clients, field managers and insurance company representatives. Whitson and her husband, Mike, live in Sparta, and have two daughters, Sharon (33) and Shannon (31) and two granddaughters, Kylie (10) and Kadie Jo (8).

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