Financial overhaul places regulatory burden on community banks

With the House and Senate versions of a financial reform bill being combined to create the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act on June 25, community banks across the country see the resulting legislation as a mixed bag. But in order to make any certain judgments, bank officials will have to sift through the pending bill’s 5,000 or so pages of new regulations that touch community banks.

Sam Warren, president of Citizen’s Bank, believes the bill’s massive size precludes any certainty about its actual effects for some time. He does see some things in the bill that give him hope.

“I t... click here to read more

Annual Ovation Awards ‘proof positive’ of success

There’s nothing quite as nice as being able to deliver good news, and this edition of the Cumberland Business Journal is chock full of it. We have the distinct honor of recognizing dozens of Upper Cumberland businesses and individuals for a job well done over the past year with our annual Ovation Awards issue.

This is the third year we’ve brought these awards to you, and each year gets better and better with more nominations and compelling reasons why different awards should be given. Sometimes the tough part is in deciding who gets recognized, so we hope you’ll agree the winners in this edition are certainly deserving.

More than ever, this year’s a... click here to read more

Ovation Awards: Excellence in Business Leadership

Honoring business owners, managers, education facilities and other key leaders for their foresight, management skills, training and overall success.

Motlow State Community College, Mechatronics Certification Program

Warren County

Business leaders with the foresight necessary to promote long-term innovation and global competitiveness oftentimes take the most important steps outside of actual business and industry settings. Intended as a way of providing industries with a more technologically integrated and multidisciplinary work force, the mechatronics certification program at click here to read more

Ovation Awards: Spirit of Entrepreneurship

Honoring individuals who have made something from nothing, who have withstood the test of time and/or carved out a unique business model where none previously existed.

 

Zurich Homes

Cumberland County

As father-and-son business owners, Stan and Isaac Zuercher of Crossville’s Zurich Homes have built their reputation from the ground up on a foundation of providing qua... click here to read more

Ovation Awards: Excellence in Governmental Leadership

Honoring elected/appointed officials and their respective offices/entities for their overall commitment and service to promoting a strong business and economic environment in the Upper Cumberland region.

Donna Arrington, Four Lake Authority

Macon, Smith and Trousdale counties

Attracting industry to rural areas can be a challenge, but Donna Arrington and the Four Lake Authority have done their best to do so, even in the midst of an unsavory economic climate. Among the Authority’s most significant accomplishments is the PowerC... click here to read more

Ovation Awards: Excellence in Manufacturing

Honoring innovation, environmental stewardship, quality work environments, corporate philanthropy/citizenship, and consistent or extraordinary growth.

Norcom

White County

Norcom, the nation’s leading manufacturer of institutional and residential bathing systems, has bolstered White County’s economic development by providing the area with continued expansion and job growth. Along the way, the company has solidified its reputation for quality and innovation within the composite materials industry. Several factors contribute to Norcom’s success as a manufacturer and corporat... click here to read more

Ovation Awards: Best Individual/Corporate Citizen (Philanthropy)

Honoring leaders who have helped pave the way through their generosity, donations or other volunteer activities.  

 

Chuck Sparks, BB&T-Legge Insurance Agency

Putnam County

Chuck Sparks, agency manager at Cookeville’s BB&T-Legge Insurance Agency, has devoted countless hours and resources to various worthy causes in the area, and believes that he has a duty to give back to the community that has done so much for his business over the years.

“It’s important that, in addition to us doing business in Cookeville, that we support the community and work for good ... click here to read more

Ovation Awards: Excellence in Professional Services

Honoring professionals who serve the Upper Cumberland well, from accountants and lawyers to plumbers and doctors.

Larry Taylor, UBS

Putnam County

As the senior vice president of investments, Larry Taylor of Cookeville’s UBS knows that satisfying clients doesn’t always come easily, but he believes that a few key practices – building trust, listening carefully, maintaining an eye for innovation – enable him to reach his ultimate goal of providing clients peace of mind and confidence.

“That’s what they’re paying me to do, to do their worrying for them,... click here to read more

Ovation Awards: Favorite Restaurant

 Honoring Upper Cumberland-area restaurants for consistent service, food quality and/or unique dining experiences.

 

 

Timberloft

Smith County

How do you make a motorcycle gang stop in its tracks? Try what Timberloft has done and install a barbeque smoker right in front of your restaurant. Along with their Memphis-style barbeque and other top-notch menu items, Gordonsville’s favorite restaurant has been causing folks of all stripes to put on the brakes and stop in for a bite.

Chef and owner Kevin Jones has, along with his wife, built Timberloft into one of the area’s fav... click here to read more

Ovation Awards: Favorite Retail Establishment

Honoring the various retail outlets in the Upper Cumberland for customer service, varied or unique product selection, convenience and overall value to the community.

 

J.J. Jax

Putnam County

As a small retailer of home accessories, jewelry and clothing, Cookeville-based J.J. Jax strives to stand out from the crowd by offering quality goods and services with a personal touch. But according to owner Jenny Jackson Spurlock, J.J. Jax regularly goes beyond its role as a boutique shop by reaching out to its customers.

“We really strive to make sure everyone has a good shopping experience,” she said, “that yo... click here to read more

Ovation Awards: Exellence in Tourism Promotion

Honoring an effective or unique promotion of tourism related to economic development in a community or the Upper Cumberland region.  

 

Alliance for the Cumberlands

Regional

Formed in 2001 as a vehicle for ecological conservation in the region, the Alliance for the Cumberlands is a partnership of public and private organizations unified in their commitment to protect the Cumberland Mountains and Plateau Region of Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, West Virginia and Virginia, including eight Upper Cumberland counties. While originally formed to protect the area’... click here to read more

Education reform to better prepare Tennessee’s work force

The passage of two education reform bills in a special legislative session earlier this year, coupled with Tennessee’s acquisition of the federal Race to the Top Grant in March, have positioned the Upper Cumberland and the state at the forefront of nationwide educational reform efforts. Concurrently, the reform measures adopted by Gov. Phil Bredesen are designed to improve economic and work force development in the region and across the state.

Bredesen’s educational reform initiatives affect all of Tennessee’s public education system, from kindergarten through college. The Tennessee First to the Top Act, which calls for K-12 schools to evaluate teachers more frequently,... click here to read more

Noble and Tracy Cody – A family tradition of supplying quality

Many businesses across the Upper Cumberland have, in one way or other, depended on a single family for their supply of office necessities for over half a century. Whether from Noble Cody and his former business, Cody Office Supply, or from his son Tracy Cody at A-Z Office Resource, business owners continue to recognize quality products and services as synonymous with the Cody name.

This tradition of quality sprouted from humble beginnings. Noble began his office supply career by working as a traveling salesman, taking a truckload of typewriters, cash registers and other office supplies to businesses along his circuit across the Upper Cumberland. And ... click here to read more

U.C. tourism benefits from ‘down’ economy

With rising gas prices and a sluggish economy, will travelers be visiting the Upper Cumberland this summer? According to Ruth Dyal, president of the Upper Cumberland Tourism Association (UCTA), the answer is a resounding yes. The regional tourism industry is on the rise and, from what Dyal can tell, people still want to travel.

Several area tourism destinations reported record attendance in 2009, including Cumberland Caverns in Warren County and Granville’s Heritage Day in Jackson County. According to Dyal, such examples of growth likely signal the continued improvement in regional tourism dollars, and that all indications point toward another up year in 2010.

“I real... click here to read more

WCTE programming brings tourism to Upper Cumberland

Covering the Upper Cumberland and presenting its cultural assets to local, regional and national audiences has been the goal of WCTE-TV, the PBS affiliate station of the Upper Cumberland, from its conception in 1978. And through its high-quality broadcasts of two locally produced programs – Jammin’ at Hippie Jack’s and Bluegrass Underground – the level of exposure the station has provided the area is hard to overstate. Becky Magura, CEO of WCTE, believes that while the station’s programming does produce outside interest in regional culture, this curiosity often develops into much more.

“It does have a tremendous economic impact,&rdquo... click here to read more

Trails projects poised to spur U.C. tourism industry

Tourism in the Upper Cumberland may be set to receive an economic boost from the implementation of several trail and corridor initiatives across the region. In addition to awaiting state designation for cultural and natural wealth, the region is in the process of implementing several trail initiatives that are intended to organize and showcase the area’s many tourism destinations. These include the Cumberland Plateau Nature Trail, the state’s official designation for the region, and the Discover Tennessee Trails and Byways initiative.

Promoting area tourism on the state level, a resolution recently placed before the state senate would officially designate the Cumberland Plate... click here to read more

Long Branch Lakes - country living at its best

Tucked away on nearly 5,000 acres of magnificent tamed wilderness, Long Branch Lakes, a property development and tourism destination in Van Buren County, provides visitors with a chance to experience all that’s expressed by the community tagline: Lakes, Lariats and Wonderful Living! With on-site amenities that include a 200-acre equestrian center, extensive recreational facilities, and two private Bill Dance Signature Lakes, Long Branch Lakes provides visitors not only secluded country living, but also an unparalleled range of activities.

Founded in 2007 by three principals – Edmond Cash, Andy Cash and Rick Klewein – Long Branch Lakes offers visitors a bonus not usually... click here to read more

ARC Grants help facilitate tourism in Fentress, Pickett counties

The Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) recently awarded the Sergeant York Patriotic Foundation, in conjunction with the Friends of Cordell Hull Birthplace, a $40,000 grant, to be matched by $10,000 of local or in-kind funding, to execute an ambitious and much-needed project creating a tourism trail linking two Tennessee State Parks: Cordell Hull Birthplace and Museum in Byrdstown and the Sergeant York Historic Site near Jamestown.

Hull and York both hailed from the Tennessee hills, in Pickett and Fentress counties just south of the Kentucky border, an area little known to many native Tennesseans and unheard of to most visitors from other states or foreign countries except for its conn... click here to read more

Playhouse continues to add value to the plateau

Paul Crabtree had no idea when he temporarily moved his family of nine to the Plateau more than 45 years ago that he would live out his days there creating a legacy in rural community theater and contributing both entertainment and economic growth to the region.

By 1963, Crabtree had already amassed a significant résumé of Broadway and regional theater acting, directing and writing credits. He and wife Mary moved to Crossville when Paul was between jobs and deciding whether he wanted to return to New York to write for Broadway or go to Los Angeles and write for television.

While in Crossville, locals asked Crabtree if he would stage a production with area students. ... click here to read more