BAXTER – Putnam 1st Mercantile Bank has opened a new branch in Baxter.
The Cookeville outfit expanded into the former Citizens Bank building in the western Putnam County town, at 322 Main St., Baxter. Sue Neal will serve as community president. The new branch opened Sept. 23.
Putnam 1st Mercantile has two locations in Cookeville, its main office at 200 W. Jackson St. and in the Village Center at 860 E. 10th St.
Foutch Industries adds to workforce
SMITHVILLE – Foutch Industries, a locally owned custom coating business based in Smithville, recently announced plans to add 40 new positions at its Moog Boulevard facility.
The company is hiring assembly line and warehouse workers, truck drivers, maintenance, quality personnel and managers. Jobs are available for first, second and third shift.
Once additional staffing is in place, Foutch will employ roughly 170 in DeKalb. Foutch has a 277,000 square foot painting and warehousing facility, a 155,000 square foot multi-coating facility and a full-service metal works and fabrication shop.
New president named at Botanico Inc.
MCMINNVILLE – Jonathon F. Flanders has been named president of Botanico Inc., a Tennessee corporation established in 1983 by Bob Flanders and Dabney Turley.
The announcement was made by CEO and board chairman Bob Flanders. Botanico is a nursery operating on 562 acres and is a recognized leader in the green industry. Botanico ships its Tennessee-grown plants throughout the eastern and mid-western United States, Canada and China.
“Jon has been our general manager since 2006, and our chief operating officer for the past four years,” Bob Flanders said in a release. “Jon played a critical role in guiding the corporation through ‘The Great Recession’ of 2008-12. He has led the company into the age of digital marketing. Jon is also leading the company’s transition from a primarily field-grown operation to a primarily container-grown nursery. Jon’s experience and proven leadership makes him the person to lead the company into our fourth decade, one poised for growth and transition.
Added Jon Flanders, “I look forward to working with our talented and hard-working team as well as cultivating the next generation of green industry professionals.”
Jon is a 1997 graduate of the University of Tennessee. In 2003, he earned a master of science degree from the Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT) in Dayton, Ohio; and in 2011, he earned a master of military operational art and science degree from Air Command and Staff College in Montgomery, Ala. He is a lieutenant colonel in the United States Air Force Reserves where he currently serves as commander of the 25th Aerial Port Squadron at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery.
Jon and his wife Stacey have one daughter Chloe, and two sons, Cole and Will.
Cumberland River Cruises return to Granville as part of Fall Celebration
GRANVILLE – The town of Granville and the tourism group Rivertowns of the Historic Cumberland will sponsor fall cruises Oct. 3-5 on the Cumberland River.
The cruises are through Cumberland River Cruise and will include interesting facts and stories of river. Cruises on Friday, Oct. 3, and Saturday, Oct. 5, will go through the Cordell Hull dam lock. This four-hour cruise will be from Carthage to Granville on Oct. 3 and Granville to Carthage Oct. 5.
In conjunction with Granville’s annual Fall Celebration, the Cumberland River-narrated cruises will be offered at 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. Oct. 3 and 10 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 1:15 p.m., 2:45 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. Oct. 4 from Granville Veterans Park. Jazz on the Cumberland concerts will also begin at 11:30 a.m. at the park until 5 p.m. Oct. 4, featuring the Jackson County High School band, The Big Band Sound, The Blues Brokers and Sonic Fusion Military Band.
For more information and/or cruise reservations, call (615) 451-4001. Granville’s Fall Celebration Oct. 4 will also feature the grand opening of the Granville Scarecrow Festival, which is a month long event; the Ralph Maddux motorcycle show; Granville Quilt Festival; the grand opening of “If These Walls Could Talk” at Sutton Homestead; stitching, music and molasses at Pioneer Village featuring old time craftsmen; and 1860s living history reenactments; arts festival; children’s rides; historic building tours; food; craft booths and more.
For more information, visit granvilletn.com.
Averitt recognized by Chevron for service and performance
COOKEVILLE – For the third straight year, Averitt Express has been named a Carrier Recognition Award- winner by Chevron Lubricants. Chevron recognized Averitt for the full-service transportation provider’s dedication to customer service.
The Carrier Recognition Awards are issued to Chevron’s carrier partners that help elevate the perception of Chevron and its lubricant brands through a combination of safety, service and performance. Averitt was highlighted for its service, achieving “on-time” ratings of 90 percent or better for pickup and delivery of goods, with strong survey results from the locations it served.
“Exceeding our customers’ expectations is our team’s goal every day,” said Gary Sasser, Averitt’s president and CEO. “We’re proud of our associates and their commitment to service excellence, and we’re honored to be recognized by great customers like Chevron for these efforts.”
The Chevron Lubricants 2013 Carrier Recognition Award is one of several honors Averitt has received this year, garnering Walmart’s 2013 Regional LTL Carrier of the Year title and a 2013 Alliance Award from World Trade 100/SMC3.
Cookeville Medical Clinic adds new testing for diabetes care
COOKEVILLE — Cookeville Medical Clinic PLLC and its affiliated entities have added two new diagnostic tests for patients to help enhance prevention and decrease progression of diseases associated with diabetes and other ailments.
Diabetes is on the rise with almost 10 percent of the population being diagnosed. It’s the leading cause of peripheral neuropathy, which is a result of nerve damage that often causes weakness, numbness and pain, usually in the hands and feet, but may also occur in other areas of the body. The American Diabetes Association recommends assessment of sudomotor function of small nerve fibers in the current panel of diagnostic tests for the detection of peripheral neuropathy. A quick two-minute non-invasive test, the sudopath provides useful information to aid the health care provider in prevention, diagnosis and treatment of autonomic nervous system dysfunction. Early identification of these complications, which are often asymptomatic in as much as of 50 percent of diabetic patients, has the potential to reduce or delay disease progression with timely preventative treatment.
In addition to the sudopath, Cookeville Medical Clinic is also offering the vestibular autorotation test (VAT), balance testing as part of basic primary care services to monitor and screen for vestibular dysfunction that causes dizziness and increase chances of falling. One out of three seniors fall, and falls are the leading cause of accidental death, injury and hospital trauma admissions according to the Centers of Disease Control (CDC). The VAT assessment helps diagnose and treat vestibular deficits to reduce the burden of fall-related injuries and deaths.
“These wonderful tools and technology available for our patients provide us with the ability to utilize the most comprehensive level of care and develop prevention and treatment plans through evidence-based medicine,” said Dr. Pushpendra K. Jain, CEO and medical director. “Our role as primary care providers is not just to keep you healthy but to make sure you stay healthy. Thus, enhancing and expanding our services allows for the ability to focus on prevention and screening to protect the health and well being of our patients.”
Cookeville Medical Center and its affiliated entities provide primary and urgent care medicine paired with ambulatory services. Ancillary services include on-site prescription filling, laboratory, digital CT and X-ray, EKG, echo, ultrasounds, bone density, bladder scan, aorta scans, online access through a secure patient portal, and more.
For more information, call (931) 528-8899 or visit www.cookevillemed.com.