Month: April 2011

Cellular Sales, the nation’s largest Verizon retailer, opens four new stores since April 15

Posted by admin – April 29, 2011

Knoxville, Tenn. – Cellular Sales, the nation’s largest Verizon premium wireless retailer, has opened four new stores nationwide since April 15. The new stores opened in Glassboro, N.J., Clemmons, N.C., North Hampton, N.H. and Sandersville, Ga.

Currently, Cellular Sales has nearly 400 stores across the United States. Sales consultants for the company earn an average of more than $51,000 per year.

Cellular Sales is an 18-year-old privately held company founded and headquartered in Knoxville, Tenn.  For the past three years, Inc. Magazine has named Cellular Sales one of the nation’s fastest growing retail companies in the country.

For more information about the new Cellular Sales stores, visit www.CellularSales.com. For more information on joining the company, visit www.JoinCellularSales.com.

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Media Contact:
Sarah Malak
(865) 584-0550
smalak@ackermannpr.com

Invisible Fence’s Project Breathe makes Yahoo! News

Posted by admin – April 27, 2011

Knoxville, Tenn. - On Wednesday, April 20, Invisible Fence® Brand of Colorado donated a total of 48 pet oxygen mask kits to the Denver, Colorado fire department – and the donation event made Yahoo! News.

Yahoo! News Story

To celebrate last week’s donation, the department hosted an event at 10 a.m. at Fire Station 5, located at 999 South Clermont in Glendale, Colorado. 

This donation was just a small part of Invisible Fence® Brand’s Project Breathe, which was established with the goal of equipping every fire station in America and Canada with pet oxygen masks. These masks allow firefighters to give oxygen to pets who are suffering from smoke inhalation when they are rescued from fires.

In April, Invisible Fence® Brand will celebrate Project Breathe Month by donating more than 1,300 masks to more than 20 fire departments in Houston, Denver, Columbus, Miami and Las Vegas, just to name a few.

By the end of the month, Invisible Fence® Brand will have donated a total of more than 10,000 pet oxygen masks to fire stations all over the U.S. and Canada throughout the life of the program. A reported 50+ pets have been saved by the donated masks so far, including two pets saved on April 1 in Willoughby, Ohio.

The company has set up a website, www.invisiblefence.com/O2, where people or companies can support the effort.

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Invisible Fence® Brand pet containment and avoidance systems are produced by Radio Systems Corporation and have a 98.5% success rating, according to Invisible Fence Brand. For more information, visit www.invisiblefence.com. 

Media Contact:
Mike Cohen
(865) 584-0550
mcohen@ackermannpr.com

Wilderness at the Smokies Resort names Steve Cruz General Manager

Posted by Erin Freeman – April 26, 2011

Steve Cruz

Sevierville, Tenn. – Wilderness at the Smokies resort has named Steve Cruz General Manager of the popular 700-acre indoor/outdoor waterpark resort in Sevierville, Tenn.  Cruz, who previously served as Director of Sales and Marketing for Wilderness, brings more than 15 years experience in the East Tennessee tourism industry to his new role.

Cruz’s professional experience includes working with Dixie Stampede in Pigeon Forge, Tenn. and Wild Adventures Theme Park in Valdosta, Georgia.

Cruz said, “Wilderness at the Smokies has changed the tourism landscape in this area.  It’s exciting to be part of such a special place that so many families look forward to visiting.  We plan to build on and grow the unbelievable success Wilderness at the Smokies has experienced in its first three years of operation.”

Wilderness owner Pete Helland said Cruz has the perfect background and knowledge to firmly establish Wilderness at the Smokies as the Smoky Mountain region’s premier resort attraction.

Wilderness at the Smokies resort opened in 2009 and is the Southeast’s largest indoor/outdoor waterpark resort.  With two outdoor waterparks and a 6-acre indoor waterpark, Wilderness also has six restaurants, a deli, gift shops, convenience stores, mini-golf, and a 36-hole championship golf course.  Wilderness is connected to a 100,000 square-foot conference and event center capable of hosting events for 10,000 people.

Wilderness at the Smokies, located minutes from Interstate 40 and situated in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains, is one of the area’s only year-round vacation destinations.  For more information about Wilderness at the Smokies, call toll-free 877-325-9453 or visit www.WildernessAtTheSmokies.com.

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

Clayton Hits the Jackpot in Vegas

Posted by Ryan Willis – April 25, 2011

Knoxville, Tenn. – Millions of people travel to Las Vegas each year in hopes of hitting a hot streak and winning big.  Recently, Clayton Building Solutions did just that.  The company received not one, but three prestigious Awards of Distinction at the Modular Building Institute’s (MBI) “World of Modular” annual meeting in Las Vegas. 

“This is quite an honor for our company, and we are thrilled to receive such high praise,” said Kevin Clayton, CEO of Clayton Homes.  “Our industry is producing a number of truly amazing structures, and for us to be selected from the number of outstanding entries this year is a great accomplishment.”

Clayton Building Solutions is the commercial building arm of Clayton Homes and engages in a myriad of projects throughout the U.S. including military, multi-family, student housing, and light commercial construction. 

This is not the first time Clayton has been honored by the MBI, having received a total of seven Awards of Distinction between 2001 and 2011. 

Clayton received this year’s Judges’ Choice Award for its Fort Sam Houston project.  This premier award is given each year to the highest scoring entry.  Additionally, the company received first place in the Education category for the Fort Sam Houston project, while their Fort Hood project in Texas received honorable mention in the Institutional category.

“The entries in the MBI contest represent the best our industry has to offer each year,” said Doug Henriquez, Director of Clayton Building Solutions. “Modular construction is becoming widely recognized as the better way to build.”

According to Henriquez, modular construction offers several advantages over more traditional methods.  Projects are completed in less time and modular construction is typically more efficient, safer, “greener,” and offers higher energy efficiency and quality because components are constructed in a controlled environment.

The MBI Awards of Distinction is the commercial modular industry’s premier awards program, offering competition for MBI members, including building manufacturers, dealers, and product and service providers. Entries are temporary, permanent, and renovated modular buildings as well as industry marketing pieces.

Each entry is reviewed by an impartial panel of industry and non-industry volunteers including construction and code experts, architects and engineers, and marketing professionals. Building entries are judged on architectural excellence, technical innovation, cost effectiveness, energy efficiency, and calendar days to complete. Marketing pieces are judged on stated objectives, creativity, methodology, and results.

Other team members involved in these projects included Hensel Phelps, Jacobs-Carter-Burgess and the Warrior Group.

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About Clayton Homes:  A Berkshire-Hathaway Company, Clayton Homes is a national, vertically integrated housing company. Through its family of brands, Clayton Homes builds, sells, finances, leases, and insures a full spectrum of affordable housing and is the nation’s number one retailer of modular and manufactured homes.

Media Contact:
Mike Cohen
(865) 584-0550
mcohen@ackermannpr.com

Boys & Girls Clubs of America and the Walmart Foundation recognize national library week with the launch of 100 reading rooms

Posted by admin – April 21, 2011

Knoxville, Tenn. – In recognition of National Library Week (April 10-16) and Support Teen Literature Day (April 14), Boys & Girls Clubs of America announces the expansion of its reading initiative that promotes both educational and leisure reading for tweens and teens through a $1.15 million grant from the Walmart Foundation. The Bright Spot for Reading initiative will be added to 100 Boys & Girls Clubs across the U.S. to create a dedicated reading center for members.

According to the 2009 Reading Report Card, only 33 percent of fourth graders are reading proficiently and 17 percent of low-income fourth-grade students are reading well. By the eighth grade, the reading proficiency rate drops to 32 percent for all students and 16 percent for low-income eighth-grade students.

The Walmart Foundation previously funded BGCA with $1.4 million for Bright Spot for Reading initiatives at 100 Clubs in the U.S. Since that time, it’s estimated that more than 6,000 young people are actively reading in Bright Spots and 40 percent of Clubs have seen an increase in teen participation. The new $1.15 million grant will expand the Walmart Foundation’s Bright Spot for Reading initiative to include an additional 100 Bright Spots at Clubs across the U.S.

Boys & Girls Clubs of the Tennessee Valley’s “Bright Spot” is located in the Moses Teen Center at 220 Carrick Street in the Mechanicsville neighborhood.  The reading area funded by the Wal-Mart Bright Spot for Reading initiative provides a comfortable and aesthetically appealing place for members of Moses Teen Center to relax and read.  Located in the tech lab of the center, the area is defined by shelving, couches, tables, lamps, area rugs, and full size lounging pillows as well as wall décor.

Moses Teen Center established reading/discussion groups within their existing “SMART Girls” and “Passport to Manhood” clubs with 10-12 members regularly participating.  Thanks to the Wal-Mart Foundation’s Bright Spot initiative, other Club members have gained interest in reading with sixty (60) members taking the initial survey required to take part in the project.

According to John D. Lee, President & CEO of the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Tennessee Valley, “It is our hope that this newly gained interest in reading will spread throughout Moses Teen Center and the entire Boys & Girls Clubs of the Tennessee Valley organization.” The first group reading of the project consisted of Club members reading and discussing “The Color Purple,” followed by a field trip the Tennessee Theatre for the play “The Color Purple” touring America.

“The Walmart Foundation’s Bright Spot for Reading initiative is essential in motivating our youth to read and preparing them for academic success,” continued Lee, “We are grateful to the Walmart Foundation for the opportunity to create an environment that will encourage and allow our youth to enjoy and develop a lifelong love of reading.”

Beginning February 1, 2011, the Bright Spot Reading Centers will feature books targeting young people ages 11 to 15; including programs to encourage Boys & Girls Club of the Tennessee Valley members to read more and develop a positive attitude toward reading.  The centers will offer activities in drama, art and technology; field trips and service learning projects to integrate reading opportunities into every area of the Club.

“At Walmart, we believe education is critical to the lives and success of our nation’s youth,” said Margaret McKenna, president of the Walmart Foundation. “We’re proud to provide the opportunity for more teens to use the Bright Spot reading rooms to grow, learn and excel at school, at home and at Clubs across America.”

In addition to the Club’s new Bright Spot Reading Center, Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s teen website www.myclubmylife.com will continue to serve as a resource for the Club to promote the reading initiative; highlight age-appropriate books and book reviews; and encourage tweens and teens to read more and share their reading experiences with others.  Boys & Girls Clubs of the Tennessee Valley will also strengthen existing and develop new relationships with local libraries to enhance its programs and services.

Located at 220 Carrick Street, Moses Teen Center provides program opportunities for over 500 boys and girls each year. The Club is open Monday-Friday, 3 to 8 p.m. during the school year, and 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. during summer and school holidays. Children interested in joining the Club, learning more about The Walmart Foundation Bright Spot for Reading Initiative or other youth programs may contact Shauna McKinney at Moses Teen Center, (865) 232-1210.

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About Boys & Girls Clubs of America
For more than 100 years, Boys & Girls Clubs of America (www.bgca.org) has changed and saved lives, enabling young people to achieve great futures as productive, caring, responsible citizens. Today, some 4,000 Boys & Girls Clubs serve some 4 million children and teens through Club membership and community outreach. Clubs are located in neighborhoods throughout the country and on U.S. military installations worldwide, providing a wide variety of youth development programs conducted by trained, professional staff. Key programs emphasize academic success, good character and citizenship, and healthy lifestyles. In a Harris Survey of alumni, 57 percent said the Club saved their lives. National headquarters are located in Atlanta.

About Philanthropy at Walmart
Walmart and the Walmart Foundation are proud to support the charitable causes that are important to customers and associates in their own neighborhoods. The Walmart Foundation funds initiatives focused on education, workforce development, economic opportunity, environmental sustainability, and health and wellness. From Feb. 1, 2009 through Jan. 31, 2010, Walmart and the Walmart Foundation gave more than $512 million in cash and in-kind gifts globally, $467 million of which was donated in the U.S. To learn more, visit www.walmartfoundation.org.

About National Library Week
First sponsored in 1958, National Library Week is a national observance sponsored by the American Library Association (ALA) and libraries across the country each April. It is a time to celebrate the contributions of our nation’s libraries and librarians and to promote library use and support. All types of libraries – school, public, academic and special – participate.

Media Contact:
Sarah Malak
(865) 584-0550
smalak@ackermannpr.com

Cellular Sales, the nation’s largest Verizon retailer, opens eight new stores since April 1

Posted by admin – April 21, 2011

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Cellular Sales, the nation’s largest Verizon premium wireless retailer, has opened eight new stores nationwide since April 1. The new stores opened in Tampa, Fla., Margate, Fla., Parkville, Md., Chattanooga, Tenn., Concord, N.C., Charlotte, N.C., Mandeville, La. and Marrero, La.

Currently, Cellular Sales has nearly 400 stores across the United States. Sales consultants for the company earn an average of more than $51,000 per year.

Cellular Sales is an 18-year-old privately held company founded and headquartered in Knoxville, Tenn.  For the past three years, Inc. Magazine has named Cellular Sales one of the nation’s fastest growing retail companies in the country.

For more information about the new Cellular Sales stores, visit www.CellularSales.com. For more information on joining the company, visit www.JoinCellularSales.com.

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Media Contact:
Sarah Malak
(865) 584-0550
smalak@ackermannpr.com

Boys & Girls Clubs members, volunteers featured in Knoxville News Sentinel

Posted by admin – April 20, 2011

On Sunday, April 17, the Knoxville News Sentinel published a story about the food distribution that took place at the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Tennessee Valley headquarters on Saturday, April 16.

Boys & Girls Clubs members and other community volunteers handed food out to families who stopped by and registered.

The event was part of Boys & Girls Clubs’ focus on promoting volunteer work as part of helping members become productive citizens.

Read the full story here!

Remembering the RMS Titanic 99 years later

Posted by Erin Freeman – April 15, 2011

Pigeon Forge, Tenn. — John Joslyn, co-owner of the Titanic Museum Attraction in Pigeon Forge,  has been to the RMS Titanic on the ocean floor and organized the $6 million expedition to the ship that brought the world its first televised video of the famous luxury liner in her final resting place two and a half miles beneath the surface of the Atlantic Ocean.

Today marks a significant milestone for the RMS Titanic and the Titanic Museum Attraction.  It has been exactly 99 years since the lookout in the crow’s nest shouted, “Iceberg right ahead!”  For the next twelve months leading up to April 15, 2012, when it will have been a century since the Titanic was lost, Titanic Museum will have many special events and ways to honor, respect and pay homage to those 2,208 passengers and crew members onboard RMS Titanic.

As the whole world remembers the world’s most famous luxury liner, we will continue to open the door to the past and let our “passengers” experience what it was like to walk the hallways, parlors, cabins and Grand Staircase of the Titanic – surrounded by more than 400 artifacts from the ship and its passengers.

Below is an amazing photo from one of John Joslyn’s dives to the bottom of the Atlantic where the world’s most famous luxury liner still rests today.

The RMS Titanic as seen by Titanic Museum Attraction co-owner John Joslyn.

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

More than 20 fire departments receive donation to help save pets from fire

Posted by admin – April 14, 2011

(KNOXVILLE, Tenn.) - When tragedy strikes and a home fire occurs, lives are turned upside down. Homes and personal belongings can be destroyed, people may be injured, and in some cases, even lose their lives.

Saving a human life is always the first priority when a fire occurs, but pets can also be saved if firefighters have the right equipment: pet oxygen masks.

Invisible Fence® Brand knows this can happen and is stepping up to save the lives of cherished family members – pets. That’s why during the month of April, more than 1,300 pet oxygen masks will be donated to more than 20 fire departments in the U.S. to celebrate Project Breathe month.

Project Breathe was established with the goal of equipping every fire station in America and Canada with pet oxygen masks. These masks allow firefighters to give oxygen to pets who are suffering from smoke inhalation when they are rescued from fires. The masks often save pets’ lives.

Invisible Fence® Brand has been quietly equipping fire stations all over the U.S. and Canada with pet oxygen masks for years. By the end of April, the number of pet oxygen masks donated through Project Breathe will total more than 10,000. A reported 50+ pets have been saved by the donated masks so far, including two pets saved on April 1 in Willoughby, Ohio.

“We’re making these donations simply to save pets,” said Randy Boyd, Invisible Fence President and CEO. “To lose a pet in midst of a house fire would be devastating. Pets are valued family members, so we want families to know that their pet can be cared for if needed.”

“In many cases, pets can be saved if firefighters have the right equipment,” said Boyd. “Project Breathe makes it possible for pets to stay alive after suffering smoke inhalation.”

The cities which will receive donations in April are now joining the ranks of cities like Chicago, Cleveland and Memphis, who have all received donated pet oxygen masks from Project Breathe.

In October 2010, firefighters in Cleveland saved a Pomeranian and her four puppies who suffered from smoke inhalation after a house fire. The pet oxygen masks used on the dogs were donated by Invisible Fence of Northeast Ohio in April 2008. “That was a good thing that company did,” said the owner of the home. “And I’m thankful for what the firemen did.”

Although the number of pets that die in fires in not an official statistic kept by the U.S. Fire Administration, industry web sites and sources have cited an estimated 40,000 to 150,000 pets die in fires each year, most succumbing to smoke inhalation. In most states, emergency responders are unequipped to deal with the crisis. The loss is terrible for the family, heart wrenching for firefighters.

“These pet oxygen masks truly are blessings not just for residents, but for firefighters as well,” said Fire Chief Bertral Washington of Clark County, Nev. Fire Department, which received a donation on April 13. “We want nothing more than to save every living creature in a burning home. People are obviously our number one priority, but we will are thrilled to have the tools to save pets as well.”

“We’ve seen residents run back into burning homes to save a pet. It’s understandable, but extremely dangerous. These masks will give people comfort in knowing that we can save their pets if they are suffering from smoke inhalation,” said Chief Washington.

The company has set up a website, www.invisiblefence.com/O2, where people or companies can support the effort.

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Invisible Fence® Brand pet containment and avoidance systems are produced by Radio Systems Corporation and have a 98.5% success rating, according to Invisible Fence Brand. For more information, visit www.invisiblefence.com.

Media Contact:
Mike Cohen
(865) 584-0550
mcohen@ackermannpr.com

Wilderness at the Smokies resort dives into spring 2011 with record-breaking attendance numbers

Posted by Erin Freeman – April 12, 2011

Sevierville, Tenn. – After record-breaking March attendance, Wilderness at the Smokies resort, the Southeast’s largest indoor/outdoor waterpark resort, is diving head-first into April 2011 with its Spring Grand Opening of all outdoor activities and attractions.

One of the three amazing waterparks at Wilderness at the Smokies resort

During April, Wilderness at the Smokies attendance figures rose more than 30 percent over the same time period last year.  The resort attributes a steadily growing spring break crowd and additional rooms that are now available at the resort for the growth.  Wilderness at the Smokies resort offers guests more than 1,500 rooms in a variety of configurations to choose from during their stay.

“As we continue to grow, word is getting out about Wilderness at the Smokies resort,” said Pete Helland, owner of Wilderness at the Smokies.  “Not only is Wilderness at the Smokies unique to the Smokies, it’s unique to the entire Southeast United States – and people are seeing what a great, affordable, family vacation we provide.  I expect that we will continue to see growth and more record-breaking months moving forward.”

April also ushered in the opening of Wilderness at the Smokies’ many outdoor activities – including both Salamander Springs and Cataloochee Creek outdoor waterparks.  Featuring wave pools, waterslides, an adventure river and countless play areas for people of all ages, the outdoor waterparks are always a resort favorite with guests.  The resort’s mini-golf course, cabanas, and outdoor dining facilities also opened this month (all outdoor activities operate weather permitting).

Wilderness at the Smokies resort opened in 2009 and is the Southeast’s largest indoor/outdoor waterpark resort.  With two outdoor waterparks and a 6-acre indoor waterpark, Wilderness also has six restaurants, a deli, gift shops, convenience stores, mini-golf, and a 36-hole championship golf course.  Wilderness is connected to a 100,000 square-foot conference and event center capable of hosting events for 10,000 people.

Wilderness at the Smokies, located minutes from Interstate 40 and situated in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains, is one of the area’s only year-round vacation destinations.  For more information about Wilderness at the Smokies, call toll-free 877-325-9453 or visit www.WildernessAtTheSmokies.com.

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