Note: This release was sent from Sandler Training, a Knoxville Chamber member company.

For the seventh consecutive year, Sandler Training, (formerly Sandler Sales Institute) has been ranked No. 1 Training Program category by Entrepreneur’s 29th Annual Franchise 500 Issue for 2008.

Sandler Training is the leading provider of sales and management training and consulting programs for the past 40 years and has approximately 225 licensed franchises in the U.S. and internationally.

Competing companies are judged on the financial strength and stability, growth rate, and size of the system as well as number of years a company has been in business and the length of time it’s been franchising.

The largest Sandler Training center in East Tennessee is owned and operated by Steve Herzog of Herzog & Associates, Inc. Herzog has over 25 years of business sales and management experience and has been providing a full range of sales and management training programs, in Knoxville and surrounding areas for the past 12 years.

Herzog’s firm has helped thousands of professionals and companies learn more effective non-traditional sales and management strategies for their businesses by offering powerful and unique methods in his training.

More recently, Herzog has been recognized in the top ten percent of Sandler’s 225 franchises world wide. To learn more visit firstinsales.com.

The Knoxville business community has again been recognized by Forbes magazine in its 10th annual Best Places for Business and Careers list.

Knoxville comes in 10th, a drop in ranking from previous years, but still in an elite group of cities with a pro-business and pro-career environment.

Knoxville Chamber President and CEO Mike Edwards told the Knoxville News Sentinel, "Corporate America continues to look at indicators such as Forbes' rankings and they continue to see Knoxville listed. … These rankings drive interest in Knoxville and people give us a look that they may not have given us years ago."

Raleigh, NC; Boise, ID and Fort Collins, CO top the list. Nearby Atlanta, GA and Lexington, KY are also in the top 10. Nashville is ranked 15th.

Some of the indicators used to develop the rankings are number of colleges, cost of doing business, cost of living, crime rate, culture and leisure, educational attainment, income growth, job growth and net migration.

See the complete Forbes list of best cities to do business

Read the Knoxville News Sentinel story on the Forbes rankings..

This information comes from Fontana Village Resort, a Knoxville Chamber member business.

Fontana Village Resort is hosting a variety of family-friendly activities for Easter weekend, beginning on Friday and extending through Sunday.

On Friday, Fontana will host a flying disc festival, followed by a campfire and marshmallow roast. There will also be an arts and crafts opportunity.

On Saturday, there is a scheduled five-mile hike on the Appalachian Trail, which will go from Fontana Dam to Walker Gap. Easter egg coloring and a scavengar hunt are also scheduled for Saturday.

On Easter Sunday, there will be a buffet dinner.

For more information, please contact Fontana Village Resort at 800-849-2258 or go to fontanavillage.com.

EarthFest, an annual East Tennessee event to promote environmental awareness and reducing environmental footprints, is requesting donations for a silent auction.

The festival and auction will be held on April 26 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Pellissippi State Community College.

You can read the letter from EarthFest's auction coordinator, Will Ward, here.

Ward writes, "Participating businesses will be recognized on the EarthFest Web site, as well as in the auction tent, when you decide to donate. In addition, we would be happy to place any of your business cards and/or brochures beside your donations for attendees to pick-up as they browse."

For more information, visit www.knox-earthfest.org.

Note: This release was sent from ORAU, a Knoxville Chamber member.

As Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) reaches petascale computing on the order of 1,000 trillion calculations per second over the coming year, Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU) is positioning its university partners to take full advantage of these ultrascale computing resources for scientific discovery.

During the recent annual meeting of its Council of Sponsoring Institutions, ORAU announced that it would partner with ORNL to provide funding for a competitive, high-performance computing grants program for faculty and student teams.* The grants for each team would be $75,000 for three years ($25,000 for the first year with options to renew for two additional years at a combined total of $75,000), with two grants awarded per year.

In turn, ORNL would provide university researchers with access to its computing facilities and staff, and potentially some additional discretionary resources, in order to galvanize a partnership for successful and mutually beneficial scientific research to be performed.

The program presents an opportunity to create some institutional strategic alignment with ORNL in the scientific areas that require computational support.

“ORAU makes investments in faculty and student programs, and we align these investments with the science agenda at ORNL,” said ORAU President Ron Townsend. “Over the past several years, ORNL and Thomas Zacharia have built an impressive computational capability here at Oak Ridge, and it is our goal to provide opportunities for faculty and staff to become more intimately engaged in that resource.”

Thomas Zacharia, who is associate laboratory director for ORNL’s Computing and Computational Sciences Directorate, noted that having joint collaborations with universities in computing is absolutely critical for advances in science.

“We all become stronger if we can bring the best of what the lab has to offer coupled with the best of what the university community has to offer,” said Zacharia. “And, we have a tremendous partner in ORAU that engages graduate, undergraduate, postdoctoral students and faculty in scientific discovery through advanced computing.”
By the end of 2008, ORNL will deploy the Cray XT5 supercomputer, which is a 1 petaflops leadership-class system for science. And by 2018, the lab expects to have an exaflops system in place, which would be a thousand times faster than the petaflops Cray system. This kind of exponential growth of supercomputing allows the U.S. to sustain a competitive edge and superiority in science and technology. ORNL’s supercomputing capabilities will make scientific discovery possible for university faculty and students in the areas of superconductivity, computational biology, climate, combustion, astrophysics, and fusion, to name a few.

Note: This release was sent from the University of Tennessee, a Knoxville Chamber member.

With help from the University of Tennessee's Center for Industrial Services and students from the UT Knoxville College of Engineering, a Tennessee tool manufacturer can help its clients make products faster.

Accu-Router Inc., of Morrison, employs 25 people and makes high-speed, computer numerical control (CNC) routers that cut everything from plywood to composite materials. Accu-Router's clients use these routers to mass-produce parts for products such as upholstered furniture, boats and airplanes.

As with any manufacturing process, time is money, and efficiency is top priority. The faster and more accurate the routers can cut, the more products can be produced.

A unique feature of Accu-Router's machines is a high-speed spindle that rotates a cutter at speeds up to 24,000 rpm. The cutter can move through a 1.5-inch-thick wood stack at about 2 feet per second. In doing so, the cutter generates a lot of wood chips and dust, about 18 cubic inches of sawdust per second. Accu-Router wants to continuously remove this debris from the router to ensure a cleaner work environment, to eliminate the risk of frictional heat and flammability of the wood chips, and to improve cutting efficiency.

"The quicker we can get the dust out, the faster we can cut," said Accu-Router President Todd Herzog.

When Accu-Router realized the need for a redesign of some equipment components, Mechanical Design Supervisor Bradley Graves and Director of Engineering John O'Connor turned to UT Center for Industrial Services (CIS) for help.

Bill Wiley and Norma Wilcox of CIS worked with Spivey Douglas and Bill Hamel, head of Department of Mechanical, Aerospace and Biomedical Engineering in UT's College of Engineering (COE), to clarify Accu-Route's needs and to determine available resources. Their analysis and search led to COE's Don Dareing, professor of mechanical engineering.

After visiting Accu-Router, Dareing assigned nine senior engineering students to analyze the router's dust chip collection, router enclosure and tabletop vacuum, and to propose design improvements for each component. Students studying the router enclosure were Steven Bain, Jack Holder, Joakim Werme and Jeremy Whitley. The dust chip collection team consisted of Frank Lord, Josh Mink and Shaan Mohammed, while Jason Coggins and Rahul Patel studied the efficiency of the tabletop vacuum.

Instead of creating a hypothetical, textbook problem for the seniors' capstone design projects, Dareing gave the students Accu-Router's actual problems that needed a time-saving, production-boosting solution.

"It's important that our seniors have exposure to real engineering problems and learn how to apply the analytical skills they've learned in the classroom before entering the professional environment. The situations posed by Accu-Router give our students the opportunity to develop engineering solutions to real industrial problems," Dareing said.

During the Fall 2007 semester, the student teams examined the current Accu-Router equipment and studied factors such as air velocities, ventilation and static charges. They found answers to questions such as "Which air flow and design will vacuum and remove the most wood waste?" and "Which materials are most durable for the enclosure and can withstand the force of flying wood blocks?" With a new design strategy, wood chips could be removed from the cutter area at an air velocity near 650 mph.

Halfway through the semester, the students presented viable design options to Accu-Router. The company was thrilled with the quality of the concepts.

"We have worked with senior project teams from other universities, as well as with summer mechanical engineering interns, and rarely have we seen the first wave of feedback as insightful as what we received from your teams," said O'Connor. "I don't recall any of the projects we have done in the past where the students covered the entire project, from understanding the initial problem to be solved through how it would be manufactured and implemented, while considering cost and maintainability."

In December, the students met again with Accu-Router, which accepted the students' design proposals and agreed to move forward with building prototypes of the redesigned equipment components. Some sheet metal fabrication will be completed at UT, and Accu-Router will pay for all costs associated with building the prototypes.

"It's a tremendous benefit for these students to see their design become reality and to work with a manufacturer," Dareing said. "When students get this kind of hands-on experience, they are better prepared for their careers in practical engineering."

"Our seniors are eager to make the transition from a classroom setting to the real engineering environment. Perhaps the biggest improvement in engineering education nationwide is the senior capstone design project requirement. The objective is to prepare seniors to make a quick transition into industry after graduation. Real projects from industry are ideal for this purpose," Dareing said.

"In our program at Tennessee, students create designs during the fall semester, and prototypes are fabricated and tested during the spring semester. In the end, student teams deliver an engineering report and a working prototype. The project concludes with formal presentations to the sponsor. Our engineering students graduate with the confidence that they know how to solve problems."

CIS has taken the resources of UT and other Tennessee Board of Regents schools to Tennessee manufacturers and businesses since 1963.

"While we tend to use engineering resources, we have requests for other types of expertise. This is an opportunity for faculty and students to apply their research to real-life problems," Wiley said.

Wiley is program manager of the Manufacturing Research and Development Institute (MRDI), a partnership between UT CIS and the COE. Through MRDI, faculty, students and advanced research centers help manufacturers tackle a variety of complex engineering problems, giving MRDI clients access to affordable university expertise.

While UT CIS does not compete with private industry on such projects, similar research activities typically cost thousands of dollars. In 2007, UT CIS partially funded and completed 50 projects with faculty and students. The economic impact of these projects from January-September 2007 exceeded $48 million, according to reports from Tennessee manufacturers.

UT CIS is an agency of the statewide UT Institute for Public Service.

"The Accu-Router project is a good example of applying university expertise to benefit Tennessee manufacturers. With research and student and faculty input, Accu-Router will improve its product design and effectively help customers cut wood faster and deliver consumer products in less time," said Mary Jinks, IPS associate vice president.

Note: This release was sent from LBMC, a member of the Knoxville Chamber.

Lattimore Black Morgan & Cain, PC (LBMC), one of the Southeast’s largest accounting and business consulting firms, has added Rhonda E. Chancey and Jacob E. Hutchison, in its Knoxville office.

Rhonda E. Chancey will be a manager in the state and local tax division of LBMC. Rhonda has prior experience in public accounting, including Big 4. She was employed with Goody’s Family Clothing prior to joining LBMC. Rhonda has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, and is a Certified Public Accountant, licensed in Tennessee.

Jacob E. Hutchison will be a staff accountant in the tax division of LBMC. Jacob, previously employed with Cattails at Meadowview, is a recent graduate or ETSU with a bachelor’s degree in accounting. He enjoys mountain biking, snowboarding and golf.

For more information on LBMC, visit its Web site at lbmc.com.

Local Famous Dave's Barbeque owners Mike and Tamara Lister and Doug and Laurel Renegar have won the company's first Community Involvement Award for their support of the Knoxville community.

Famous Dave's is a Knoxville Chamber member business.

"Having the change to help others ... that's what being 'Famous' is all about," said the Renegars.

Some of their philanthropic pursuits include working with the Make-a-Wish Foundation and a Memorial Day letter writing campaign.

Power Systems, a Knoxville Chamber member business, is holding total training seminars on March 15, 2008.

Here are the courses offered:

Strength Without Boundaries: Break away from tradition! Discover innovative alternative strength training ideas.

Speed Training – Explosive First Step: Learn how to design and implement a first-step program for any athlete, group, or team!

Agility Development & Group Training: Discover the four major principles of agility development and learn how to train agility for all positions throughout sports.

Balance – Training on the Edge: Don’t be afraid to live on the edge! Learn fun, creative methods for balance training.

Plyo Power for One & All: Develop explosive power for everyone! Learn to incorporate “plyos” into your programs.

Visit totaltrainingseminars.com for times, more information, and to register.

Note: This release is from the University of Tennessee.

UT President John Petersen today announced the promotion of Mary Jinks to vice president of public service for the University of Tennessee.

"In recent years, Mary has worked alongside us to strategically define the university's public service role and to chart a course for increased success in outreach initiatives. Her knowledge and experience in the field of public service will be invaluable as we advance this priority for the university," Petersen said. "We are pleased to recognize her leadership."

Jinks has been with the university for nearly 25 years, with more than 20 years at the statewide UT Institute for Public Service (IPS). Her history at UT includes a master's degree in public administration and an educational doctorate.

Jinks has served as associate vice president of IPS for the past year, and in her new role she will continue to lead and manage the institute.

Hank Dye, UT vice president for public and government relations whose office oversees IPS, said, "IPS has a tradition of excellent service and has made a difference to the state of Tennessee. Mary's leadership over the years has set IPS on a well-planned course to deliver results to businesses, local government officials and state agencies."

In fiscal year 2007, IPS helped businesses and government entities realize $868 million in economic impact through increased revenues, reduced expenses or jobs created. That success led the university's efforts to provide $1 billion in outreach activities by 2010.

Through its four agencies and leadership development programs, IPS answered more than 26,000 requests for assistance from government, law enforcement and business officials last year. More than 19,000 people took advantage of IPS training in 2007, logging more than 140,000 hours of training.

"Public service has been my life's work," Jinks said. "IPS has been tremendously successful in taking UT's expertise to the people of Tennessee. Our work with local government and industry leaders has been rewarding, and the opportunity to elevate these efforts for the university is one I graciously accept."

IPS collaborates with all campuses, institutes and divisions of the UT system, enabling the university to provide public service across the state. IPS has offices statewide in 10 cities (Johnson City, Knoxville, Oak Ridge, Chattanooga, Cookeville, Columbia, Nashville, Jackson, Martin and Memphis) and consultants assigned to every municipality and county in Tennessee.