Month: March 2010

Maryville Company Changes Name and Launches Global Rebranding Program

Posted by Ryan Willis – March 30, 2010

Maryville, Tenn. – After two years of solid growth, expanding service offerings and a fast start for 2010, Maryville based Critical Mission Support Services (CMSS) is changing its name and initiating a global rebranding campaign.  The company will now operate under the name RELYANT. 

“Through a combination of hard work and enthusiastic customer acceptance, our company has achieved significant results in a relatively short period of time.  The name change to RELYANT is a direct reflection of our success and reflects the company not only as it is today, but our vision for the future,” said RELYANT CEO, Eric Barton.  “In the company’s vision statement we say ‘working with our company is a promise delivered.’  Our new name – RELYANT – accurately reflects that promise, communicates the type of organization we are, the confidence we have in our capabilities, and our customer dedication.” 

Founded in 2006, RELYANT is a global “turn-key” service provider dedicated to delivering world-class solutions to complex projects around the globe.  The company’s services include construction, life support, logistics/procurement, security and IT communications.  In addition to its Maryville headquarters, the company operates another U. S. office in San Antonio and offshore offices in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Uganda. 

RELYANT’S revenue growth over the past three years has increased from $7M in 2006 to a projected $80M in contract revenue for 2010. RELYANT’S service offerings have also expanded with the addition of relocatable building services for commercial companies in Afghanistan, spray foam insulation services for military bases in the states, expanded vehicle maintenance in Iraq and Afghanistan, a contract to provide staffing for forward operating bases and the teaming with new partners to develop rapid housing deployment capabilities.  

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For more information regarding RELYANT, visit gorelyant.com.
 

Media Contact:
Ryan Willis
(865) 584-0550
rwillis@ackermannpr.com

Cellular Sales Verizon Wireless Expanding in Kansas City Area

Posted by Erin Freeman – March 30, 2010

Cellular Sales Verizon Wireless store

Ottawa, Kan. – Cellular Sales, the nation’s largest retailer of Verizon Wireless, is expanding again in the Kansas City area.  The new Cellular Sales store opened at 1518 Main Street in Ottawa last week.

Cellular Sales is a 15-year old privately held company headquartered in Knoxville, Tenn.  The company currently operates throughout the United States.  By year end, Cellular Sales – which attributes its rapid growth to unparalleled customer service – will operate well over 300 locations throughout the country.  For the past two years, Inc. Magazine has named Cellular Sales one of the nation’s fastest growing privately held companies. This year, the company was in the Top 100 for retailers.

For more information about the new Cellular Sales Verizon Wireless store, call Beau Hammon at (816) 519-9156 or Jose Ordonez at (816) 206-0024.  Visit Cellular Sales’ web site at www.cellularsales.com

Media Contact
Rick Laney
(865) 584-0550
rlaney@ackermannpr.com

Wilderness at the Smokies brings year-round opportunities to conference, convention and meeting planners

Posted by Erin Freeman – March 30, 2010

Sevierville, Tenn. – Wilderness at the Smokies resort is changing the way conference, convention and meeting planners view and utilize the Great Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee.  Always popular as a spring, summer and fall destination, the area’s newest resort is drawing year-round events to its 700-acre Sevierville, Tenn. property.

Conveniently located next to the 200,000 square-foot Sevierville Event Center, Wilderness at the Smokies offers 234 mountain modern guest rooms and 472 multi-room suites in addition to condominiums at the Wyndham Resort on the Wilderness property.  Wilderness at the Smokies resort also boasts two outdoor waterparks, a nearly four-acre indoor waterpark and 36-holes of championship golf.

Wilderness at the Smokies Resort

With a 108,000 square-foot exhibit hall, a 19,000 square-foot ballroom, more than 1,600 parking spaces, ten covered loading bays, two nearby airports, and less than a full day’s drive for 75 percent of the U.S. population, the Sevierville Event Center at Wilderness at the Smokies resort is quickly becoming one of the region’s most popular conference, convention and meeting destinations.

Since opening less than two years ago, Wilderness at the Smokies resort has hosted meetings, conferences and conventions ranging from family reunions to major national events like the Phil Waldrep Ministries “Celebrate America” conference in October with keynote speaker former President George W. Bush which was attended by nearly 10,000 people.

“We work hard to make sure the meetings our guests host are fun and easy,” says Dottie Clabough, director of sales for Wilderness at the Smokies. “Our facility offers multiple meeting room options, six executive suites, and if you need more space, we have the Sevierville Events Center, which is connected to our Events Center Hotel.

“When your guests are done with a busy day in the board room, they, along with their families, will welcome the opportunity to kick back and relax in our fabulous waterparks, on Eagle’s Landing championship golf course, or at our restaurants,” says Clabough. “We even have a trolley service available to us that goes to many popular shows and attractions in nearby Pigeon Forge. It is perfect for spouse’s programs or evening activities.

President George W. Bush speaks at Wilderness at the Smokies

“When guests come to our property, they can park their cars and not worry about driving during their stay. Everything they could want or need is all right here.”

Wilderness at the Smokies resort opened in June 2008 with the Stone Hill Lodge and Salamander Springs outdoor waterpark adjacent to the Sevierville Event Center.  Six months later, River Lodge and the Wild WaterDome indoor waterpark were added.  In May 2009, Wilderness at the Smokies expanded again with the addition of Lake Wilderness, the resort’s second outdoor waterpark.  Lake Wilderness features Cataloochee Creek Adventure River, the Wilderness Rapids Wave Pool and poolside cabanas.

Wilderness at the Smokies, located minutes from Interstate 40 and situated in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains, is establishing a new standard for conferences, conventions and meetings in East Tennessee.  With two 18-hole golf courses, two outdoor waterparks, an indoor waterpark with a wave pool and surf rider, hot tubs, and countless waterslides and attractions, Wilderness at the Smokies has something for all age groups.  For more information about Wilderness at the Smokies, visit www.WildernessAtTheSmokies.com.

Media Contact
Rick Laney
(865) 584-0550
rlaney@ackermannpr.com

Skype Mobile Now Available to Verizon Wireless Retailer Cellular Sales Customers

Posted by Erin Freeman – March 25, 2010

Knoxville, Tenn. –  Beginning today, customers of Verizon Wireless retailer Cellular Sales are no longer confined to their PC when making Skype-to-Skype calls.  With Skype mobile™,  Verizon Wireless 3G smartphone users with data plans will be able to connect with friends, family, and business colleagues around the world.  This new service is available exclusively to Verizon Wireless customers.

Cellular Sales Verizon Wireless and Skype

“This is a tremendous partnership between Verizon Wireless and Skype,” said Dane Scism, founder and CEO of Cellular Sales.  “With Skype mobile on our phones, customers will be able to enjoy conversations with Skype contacts wherever they are at no extra cost.”

Skype mobile uses the Verizon Wireless voice network for the wireless connection of the Skype-to-Skype calls.  Skype mobile users can:

  • make and receive unlimited Skype-to-Skype voice calls to any Skype contact around the globe;
  • send and receive unlimited instant messages with other Skype users;
  • manage the Skype contact list directly from the mobile application; and
  • call international phone numbers at competitive Skype calling rates.

Skype mobile will be available initially on millions of best-selling Verizon Wireless 3G smartphones, including the BlackBerry® Storm™ 9530, Storm2™ 9550, Curve™ 8330, Curve™ 8530, 8830 World Edition, and Tour™ 9630 smartphones, as well as DROID by Motorola, DROID ERIS™ by HTC and Motorola DEVOUR™.

“This partnership between Verizon and Skype heralds more great things to come as 4G technology rolls out,” said Jay Witherspoon of Cellular Sales Verizon Wireless.  “Verizon is leveraging their network with Skype’s community to give Verizon users a better mobile experience.  These would-be rivals are now helping each other, to the benefit of the consumer.  It’s a great situation for everyone.”

Cellular Sales is a 16-year old privately held company headquartered in Knoxville, Tenn.  The company currently operates throughout the United States.  By year end, Cellular Sales – which attributes its rapid growth to unparalleled customer service – will open 50 new stores, bringing the company’s total number of locations to well over 300.  Last year, Inc. Magazine named Cellular Sales one of the nation’s fastest growing privately held companies.

For more information about Cellular Sales Verizon Wireless, or to find a store near you, visit the company’s web site at www.cellularsales.com.

Media Contact
Rick Laney
(865) 584-0550
rlaney@ackermannpr.com

Titanic Museum announces weekend-long celebration schedule including Neal McCoy and Liverpool Legends

Posted by Erin Freeman – March 22, 2010

Pigeon Forge, Tenn. – As part of its weekend-long Grand Opening festivities, the Titanic Museum Attraction in Pigeon Forge announced today that country music legend Neal McCoy and Beatles cover band Liverpool Legends (hand-picked and managed by George Harrison’s sister) will perform free concerts outside of the new museum at 2134 Parkway in Pigeon Forge.

As the Titanic Museum Attraction is committed to telling the stories of the great ship and her passengers, it also pays tribute to the heritage of Liverpool (home port to the Titanic and hometown to most of her crew) and East Tennessee with its Grand Opening Celebration performances.

No doubt about it, in the 20 years since he released his first single, Neal McCoy – the one-of-a-kind country singer and consummate live performer – has enjoyed every minute of his long, successful career. Even with 11 albums, over 25 charted singles and countless thousands of touring miles already under his big belt buckle, the Longview, Texas-based artist has no intention of slowing down.

Neal McCoy

In addition to his legendary music career, McCoy says his numerous USO tours have been life changing experiences for him.  His determination to leverage his celebrity status to benefit worthy causes goes way back. In 1995, McCoy and his wife, Melinda, established the East Texas Angel Network. Through fundraising activities, the organization has raised over five million dollars for medical treatments and related costs for children of East Texas with terminal or life-threatening diseases.

Members of Liverpool Legends have toured the world, playing in historic venues such as Carnegie Hall, The Cavern Club in Liverpool, recording at the famed Abbey Road Studios in London and performing with Denny Laine (co-founder of Wings with Paul McCartney), Pete Best (the original Beatles drummer) and the Boston Pops. They appeared on The Travel Channel’s “Beatlemania Britain” and headlined “International Beatles Week” in Liverpool where 100,000 Beatles fans jammed Victoria Street to hear them in concert.

Liverpool Legends received national attention as they re-created The Beatles 1966 concert at Busch Stadium in St. Louis in 2005 and now are the first and only Beatles Tribute band with a direct tie to the Beatles through their manager, Louise Harrison.  Harrison personally auditioned each of the singer/actors who make up the Liverpool Legends.

Liverpool Legends

Liverpool Legends perform songs spanning the entire career of The Beatles and through the solo careers of its members. With precise attention to every musical detail, along with costume changes, vintage instruments and special effects, Liverpool Legends will make you feel like you are watching the real thing. Together, these four lads will bring “A Complete Beatles Experience” to the Titanic Museum Attraction’s grand opening weekend.

Titanic Museum Attraction in Pigeon Forge is a half-scale, permanent, three-deck reproduction of the Titanic.  The museum houses 20 galleries to display hundreds of authentic, priceless Titanic artifacts that were either carried from the ship and into lifeboats by passengers and crew, or were found afloat soon after the sinking and quickly salvaged by rescue boats.

Inside the Titanic Museum, visitors find full-size reproductions (built to actual Titanic blueprints) of a First Class suite, First Class hallways, Third Class accommodations and – the museum’s centerpiece – a $1 million exact reproduction of the Titanic’s Grand Staircase.  The First Class suite will be a tribute to Isidor and Ida Straus, owners of Macy’s Department Stores, which  was also the cabin used in James Cameron’s blockbuster movie Titanic as Rose’s suite.

“We pay respect to Titanic by telling the story of the ship and her passengers,” said John Joslyn, owner of the new Titanic Museum Attraction.  “Visitors learn the individual stories of those onboard the ship as they are learning about the ship itself.  We have spent years researching these people – and their stories are absolutely amazing.”

The new $25 million dollar permanent Titanic Museum Attraction in Pigeon Forge, Tenn. will open on Thursday, April 8, 2010 at 10 a.m. with a star-studded Grand Opening hosted by Regis Philbin.  The event, which is free and open to the public, will be attended by descendants and family members of those onboard the Titanic and includes a christening of the ship.

The Liverpool Legends concert will begin at 8 p.m. Friday, April 9 and the Neal McCoy concert will begin at 8 p.m. on Saturday, April 10, 2010.  Both concerts are free and open to the public.  Tickets to the new Titanic Museum are now available online at www.TitanicPigeonForge.com.  (Note: All of the outdoor Grand Opening festivities are  free and open to the public, but admission to the Titanic Museum Attraction requires a ticket.)

Cedar Bay Entertainment is a privately owned entertainment and development company headquartered in Branson, Missouri, the original site of Cedar Bay’s first Titanic Museum Attraction.  Since its April 2006 grand opening, it has welcomed more than 2,000,000 guests.

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Media Contact
Rick Laney
(865) 584-0550
rlaney@ackermannpr.com

Cellular Sales Verizon Wireless Expanding in Jefferson City, Missouri

Posted by admin – March 22, 2010

Jefferson City, Missouri – Cellular Sales, the nation’s largest retailer of Verizon Wireless, is expanding again in the Kansas City market.  The new Cellular Sales store opened at 2015 Missouri Boulevard in Jefferson City last month.

Cellular Sales is a 15-year old privately held company headquartered in Knoxville, Tenn.  The company currently operates throughout the United States.  By year end, Cellular Sales – which attributes its rapid growth to unparalleled customer service – will operate more than 300 locations throughout the country.  For the past two years, Inc. Magazine has named Cellular Sales one of the nation’s fastest growing privately held companies. This year, the company was in the Top 100 for retailers.

For more information about the new Cellular Sales Verizon Wireless store, call Beau Hammon at (816) 519-9156 or Jose Ordonez at (816) 206-0024.  Visit Cellular Sales’ web site at www.cellularsales.com.

Media contact:
Rick Laney
Ackermann PR
(865) 584-0550
rlaney@ackermannpr.com

Cellular Sales Verizon Wireless Expanding in Columbia, South Carolina

Posted by admin – March 22, 2010

Columbia, S.C. – Cellular Sales, the nation’s largest retailer of Verizon Wireless, is expanding in Columbia, South Carolina.  The new Cellular Sales store opened at 331 Killian Road last month.

Cellular Sales is a 15-year old privately held company headquartered in Knoxville, Tenn.  The company currently operates throughout the United States.  By year end, Cellular Sales – which attributes its rapid growth to unparalleled customer service – will operate more than 300 locations throughout the country.  For the past two years, Inc. Magazine has named Cellular Sales one of the nation’s fastest growing privately held companies. This year, the company was in the Top 100 for retailers.

For more information about the new Cellular Sales Verizon Wireless store, call Ari Mendlovitz at (843) 696-5556 or Mike Baker at (910) 409-3222.  Visit Cellular Sales’ web site at www.cellularsales.com.

Media contact:
Rick Laney
Ackermann PR
(865) 584-0550
rlaney@ackermannpr.com

Cellular Sales Verizon Wireless Expanding Again in Knoxville

Posted by admin – March 22, 2010

Knoxville, Tenn. – Cellular Sales, the nation’s largest retailer of Verizon Wireless, is expanding again in its home town of Knoxville.  The new Cellular Sales store opened in Knoxville Center Mall last month.

Cellular Sales is a 15-year old privately held company headquartered in Knoxville, Tenn.  The company currently operates throughout the United States.  By year end, Cellular Sales – which attributes its rapid growth to unparalleled customer service – will operate more than 400 locations throughout the country.  For the past two years, Inc. Magazine has named Cellular Sales one of the nation’s fastest growing privately held companies. This year, the company was in the Top 100 for retailers.

For more information about the new Cellular Sales Verizon Wireless store, call Christian Tarman at (865) 599-8752 or Anthony Mills at (865) 805-4874.  Visit Cellular Sales’ web site at www.cellularsales.com.

Media contact:
Rick Laney
Ackermann PR
(865) 584-0550
rlaney@ackermannPR.com

Cellular Sales Verizon Wireless Expanding in Upstate New York

Posted by admin – March 22, 2010

Fayetteville, New York – Cellular Sales, the nation’s largest retailer of Verizon Wireless, is expanding again in upstate New York.  The new Cellular Sales store opened at 537 Towne Drive in Fayetteville last month.

Cellular Sales is a 15-year old privately held company headquartered in Knoxville, Tenn.  The company currently operates throughout the United States.  By year end, Cellular Sales – which attributes its rapid growth to unparalleled customer service – will operate more than 300 locations throughout the country.  For the past two years, Inc. Magazine has named Cellular Sales one of the nation’s fastest growing privately held companies. This year, the company was in the Top 100 for retailers.

For more information about the new Cellular Sales Verizon Wireless store, call Luke Fletcher at (704) 796-6939 or Tim Blackburn at (315) 729-4125.  Visit Cellular Sales’ web site at www.cellularsales.com.

Media contact:
Rick Laney
Ackermann PR
(865) 584-0550
rlaney@ackermannpr.com

Cellular Sales Verizon Wireless Expanding Rapidly in Early 2010

Posted by admin – March 22, 2010

Knoxville, Tenn. – Cellular Sales, the nation’s largest retailer of Verizon Wireless, is expanding.  Last month, the company opened five new stores in Missouri, New York, Tennessee and South Carolina.

Cellular Sales is a 15-year old privately held company headquartered in Knoxville, Tenn.  The company currently operates throughout the United States.  By year end, Cellular Sales – which attributes its rapid growth to unparalleled customer service – will operate more than 400 locations throughout the country.  For the past two years, Inc. Magazine has named Cellular Sales one of the nation’s fastest growing privately held companies. This year, the company was in the Top 100 for retailers.

For more information about the new Cellular Sales Verizon Wireless store, call (865) 588-3855 or visit Cellular Sales’ web site at www.cellularsales.com.

Media contact: 
Rick Laney
Ackermann PR
(865) 584-0550
rlaney@ackermannpr.com