Tag: Knoxville

Nils Gaddis, D.O., Rejoins East Tennessee Medical Group

Posted by Lisa Hood Skinner – July 21, 2011

ALCOA, Tenn. – Nils Gaddis, D.O., will rejoin the internal medicine staff of East Tennessee Medical Group, 266 Joule St., Alcoa, Tenn, accepting new patients August 1.

Nils Gaddis, D.O.

Dr. Gaddis has been working as a hospitalist at Blount Memorial Hospital for ETMG for the last several years.  He received his doctor of osteopathic medicine degree from the Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine in Glendale, Arizona. He completed his internship and residency at the Indiana University Department of Internal Medicine, Indianapolis, Ind.  At this same time Dr. Gaddis also served as the on-call physician at the Indiana University’s emergency room. He received his undergraduate degree from Indiana Wesleyan University, Marion, Ind.  He has been employed by ETMG since 2003.

Dr. Gaddis is a member of the American Medical Association, the American Osteopathic Association and the American College of Physicians-American Society of Internal Medicine.

East Tennessee Medical Group is a 50-provider multi-specialty medical group in Alcoa, serving Blount County for over 15 years. For the third consecutive year, ETMG has been recognized as the #1 Healthcare facility in Blount County by The Daily Times Readers’ Choice Awards. For more information, call 984-ETMG or visit its website at www.etmg.net.

###

Neal W. Atchley, M.D., Re-joins East Tennessee Medical Group

Posted by Lisa Hood Skinner – July 7, 2011

ALCOA, Tenn. – Board-certified family practice physician, Neal W. Atchley, M.D., will rejoin the primary care physician staff of East Tennessee Medical Group, 266 Joule St., Alcoa, Tenn, accepting new patients August 1.

Neal W. Atchley, M.D.

Dr. Atchley earned his medical degree from the University of Tennessee College of Medicine in Memphis, Tenn. He completed his family practice internship and his residency at the University of Alabama-Birmingham in Huntsville, Ala.  He is a member of the American Association of Family Practice.

East Tennessee Medical Group is a 50-provider multi-specialty medical group in Alcoa, serving Blount County for over 15 years. For the third consecutive year, ETMG has been recognized as the #1 Healthcare facility in Blount County by The Daily Times Readers’ Choice Awards. For more information, call 984-ETMG or visit its website at www.etmg.net.

###

Media Contact:
Ron German
(865)984-ETMG
rgerman@etmg.net

East Tennessee Students win Alcoa Foundation Scholarships

Posted by Lisa Hood Skinner – June 1, 2011

KNOXVILLE, TENN.—Alcoa Tennessee Operations and the Alcoa Inc. Knoxville Office announced today that three high school seniors have been named Alcoa Foundation scholarship winners.

Carlos Garcia, son of Adrian and Raquel Garcia of Knoxville

Carlos Garcia, son of Adrian and Raquel Garcia of Knoxville, has been awarded a $6,000 scholarship from Alcoa Foundation. Garcia is a recent graduate of Farragut High School where he was a member of the National Honors Society and Mu Alpha Theta.  He was co-captain of the soccer team and was ranked fifth in his graduating class.  He plans to major in civil engineering at Texas A&M University beginning this fall.

Patrick Givens, son of Scott and Dodie Givens of Knoxville, has also been awarded a $6,000 scholarship from Alcoa Foundation. Givens graduated from Bearden High School where he was an AP Scholar.

Patrick Givens, son of Scott and Dodie Givens of Knoxville

A member of the National Honor Society and the Bearden High School Student Government, Givens was also a three year letterman on the Bearden golf team.  He will be attending Vanderbilt University, majoring in engineering.

In addition, Kimberley Owen, daughter of John and Linda Owen of Knoxville, has been awarded a $6,000 scholarship from Alcoa Foundation.  Owen graduated from Bearden High School where she was a National Merit Commended Scholar.  She was president of Mu Alpha Theta, as well as a member of Student Government Association, Key Club, French and National honor societies.  A first degree black belt, Owen will be attending Clemson University in the fall.  She plans to study chemical engineering.

Kimberley Owen, daughter of John and Linda Owen of Knoxville

These Alcoa Foundation scholarships are payable in four annual installments of $1,500 each.  These three students were awarded the scholarship based on academic achievement and potential, leadership ability, volunteerism/community service, and character, and were selected by a national panel of university professionals.

The award is part of Alcoa Foundation’s Sons and Daughters Scholarship Program which recognizes outstanding academic achievement by high school seniors.

During the 2011-2012 academic year, Alcoa Foundation will assist more than 180 students in the U.S. with their undergraduate college education.  These students represent 46 Alcoa locations in 18 states.

Since 1953, the Sons and Daughters Scholarship Program has recognized outstanding academic achievement by awarding more than $19 million in scholarships to more than 3,500 students.

Alcoa Foundation is one of the largest corporate foundations in the U.S., with assets of approximately $436 million.  Founded more than 50 years ago, Alcoa Foundation has invested more than $530 million since 1952. In 2010, Alcoa Foundation contributed nearly $20 million to nonprofit organizations throughout the world, focusing on promoting environmental stewardship, enabling economic and social sustainability, and preparing tomorrow’s leaders through education and learning.  The work of Alcoa Foundation is further enhanced by Alcoa’s thousands of employee volunteers, who in 2010 gave more than 720,000 service hours.  Through the company’s signature Month of Service (October) program, Alcoa employees share their energy, passion and purpose to make a difference in our communities. In 2010, a record 49 percent of Alcoans took part in nearly 1,000 Month of Service events across 24 countries, reaching 59,000 children, serving 17,000 meals, planting 16,000 trees and supporting 3,000 nonprofit organizations. For more information about Alcoa Foundation, please access http://www.alcoa.com/foundation

###

Contact:  Christy Newman
Alcoa Community Relations
865-977-3358 or 865-250-9155

Council of PR Firms Features Ackermann PR

Posted by Amelia Daniels – May 31, 2011

Knoxville, Tenn. – The Council of PR Firms is highlighting some of industry’s best work in the field of public relations, and Ackermann PR’s launch of The Titanic Museum Attraction in Pigeon Forge is featured.

The Council of PR Firms is comprised of more than 100 of America’s leading public relations firms.  They represent the premier global, mid-size, regional and specialty agencies across every discipline and practice area.  Ackermann PR has been a member of the council since 2001.

Ackermann PR’s case study, now featured on the Council’s website, profiles the firm’s work on behalf of The Titanic Museum Attraction.  Ackermann PR managed all aspects of public relations for the grand opening and launch.  “We were tasked with creating a message consistent with the museum’s philosophy of honoring and respecting those who were on board the Titanic by keeping their stories alive, while building buzz, excitement and enthusiasm to ultimately drive visitors to the attraction,” says Rick Laney, Ackermann PR Vice-President. 

The grand opening of the Titanic Museum Attraction was attended by 20,000 people. Local print and television coverage stretched from Asheville, NC to Baton Rouge, LA and included all major Tennessee, North Carolina, Georgia, Kentucky and South Carolina cities. Nationally, the grand opening was covered in USA Today, ABC News, Live with Regis and Kelly, and the Travel Channel.

In the year since the grand opening, television crews from all over the Southeast have visited the museum, along with national network morning shows, Channel Four (a national television network in the U.K.), Southern Living Magazine, National Geographic Television, Travel + Leisure Magazine, and two additional visits from the
Travel Channel.

For more of Ackermann PR’s case studies, visit the firm’s website, www.ackermannpr.com. 

### 

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

Cellular Sales and Knoxville Chamber Offer Droid Training Class

Posted by Shane Rhyne – May 12, 2011

Knoxville, Tenn. – Google-powered Android devices have quickly emerged as the public’s favorite choice for smartphones and tablets. According to numbers released this week at Google’s I/O Developer Conference, 100 million Android-powered mobile devices have been activated since the Droid’s debut two years ago.

Other data revealed at the conference indicates that 400,000 new Android-powered mobile devices are activated daily, up from 100,000 daily activations in December 2010. With more than 200,000 free and paid apps available in the Google Market, Droid users have completed 4.5 billion downloads of apps to personalize their mobile devices.

As business professionals convert from iPhone and Blackberry to Droids, Cellular Sales, the nation’s largest Verizon Wireless retailer, is partnering with the Knoxville Chamber to offer an Android training seminar for beginning and intermediate users. The class will explore business applications available for use on the Android operating system and offer helpful tips for using the devices for business needs.

The class will be held from 4 to 5 p.m., on Tuesday, May 17, at the North Cedar Bluff location of Cellular Sales. Advance registration through the Knoxville Chamber is required. Visit the Knoxville Chamber website or call the Chamber events line (865) 246-2622 for additional information.

Cellular Sales and the Knoxville Chamber are offering a Droid class on Tuesday, May 17, for beginning and intermediate users. Click here to visit the Knoxville Chamber website to reserve your place in the class.

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

###

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

Gift of Hope Luncheon Supports Area Boys and Girls Clubs

Posted by Shane Rhyne – May 11, 2011

Knoxville, TN - The Boys & Girls Clubs of the Tennessee Valley (BGCNTV) will host its annual Gift of Hope Fundraising Luncheon on Thursday, May 12 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Knoxville Convention Center. The Boys & Girls Clubs is excited to announce that University of Tennessee Women’s Basketball Head Coach Pat Summitt will serve as the Master of Ceremonies at this year’s event!

The Gift of Hope Award was created to honor Emmet P. “Buck” and Linda Vaughn for the many years of outstanding dedication, inspiration and hope they have provided to the members of Boys & Girls Clubs. Buck and Linda will honor Jim and Natalie Haslam this year with the Gift of Hope Award in appreciation of 46 years of exceptional support of capital campaigns, day-to-day operations and fundraising events of Boys & Girls Clubs of the Tennessee Valley.

The event is free to attend, but advance reservations are required. Attendees will have the opportunity to give pledges at the event. For more information, visit www.bgctnv.org.

Lisa Hurst, Executive Vice President of BGCTNV and De’Sheema Smith, Boys & Girls Club member, stopped by the WBIR-TV studio on Tuesday to talk about the event and fill the audience in on details about the event. Video of the interview is available on the WBIR website.

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

Ackermann PR Joins Social Slam 2011 Sponsorship Team

Posted by Shane Rhyne – February 23, 2011

Social Slam 2011, Knoxville, TN, April 13. A conference for digital media in business.Knoxville, Tenn. – Ackermann PR is proud to announce it has joined the sponsorship team for Social Slam 2011, a national digital media business conference to be hosted in Knoxville, Tennessee, on April 13, 2011.

The event promises to bring together some of the brightest minds in social media in North America to teach business leaders how to get serious about digital media marketing.

“We support Social Slam 2011 because of the experience represented by the event’s speakers and panelists,” said Cathy Ackermann, CEO and owner of Ackermann PR. “This is not a conference about hypothetical business practices. The participants will be discussing their actual work in the field and sharing their experiences in creating measurable and effective digital media business opportunities.”

The event, organized by Social Media Club Knoxville, is bringing a collection of some of the nation’s best-known experts in digital and mobile marketing to the Knoxville Convention Center for a one-day business-oriented conference.

“This event is a valuable opportunity for Knoxville-area business leaders,” said Shane Rhyne, Digital Business Strategies Manager for Ackermann PR. “The speakers and panelists represent a who’s who of experts in our industry. Having them all together for a single conference is gaining a lot of attention. Business leaders from across the nation are making travel plans to attend this event.”

The event will feature nationally-acclaimed keynote speakers, including:Guest speakers and panelists for Social Slam. Jay Baer, Christina "CK" Kerley, Trey Pennington, Brian Winter, Eric T. Epperson, Amy Howell, Billy Mitchell, Deborah Weinstein, Jeremy Victor, Mark Schaefer, Ryan T. Sauers, Glen Gilmore, Anne Deeter Gallaher

Additional panel discussions will feature nationally-recognized authorities on:

  • Social media’s reinvention of public relations
  • Building a business case for social media
  • Critical digital media mega-trends
  • Social media and business-to-business (B2B) marketing

Seating is limited for the event. Tickets are available from the event website at www.SocSlam.com for $49 through February 28. In March, the price will increase to $59, and in April, any remaining available tickets will cost $69.

For additional information about the event, the speakers and panelists, registration and materials, visit the Social Slam website at www.SocSlam.com.

About Social Media Club Knoxville

Social Media Club Knoxville is a networking organization for Knoxvillians currently using social media personally and professionally, and those seeking to learn. SMC Knoxville is a chapter of the international SMC headquartered in San Francisco, California. SMC is a non-profit organization designed to promote media literacy, support sharing among practitioners, encourage adoption of industry standards, and promote ethical practices through discussion and actions. For more information about SMC, visit www.socialmediaclub.org

Ackermann’s Rick Laney talks travel and tourism changes in the Smoky Mountain Region with WBIR (NBC) television

Posted by Rick Laney – January 19, 2011

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Ackermann PR ’s Rick Laney sat down to talk with WBIR (NBC) television about dramatic changes taking place in the tourism industry in and around the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.  In recent years, Ackermann identified some significant shifts taking place in the local travel and tourism industries and conducted a private study of visitors during 2007 and 2008 (with updated data for 2009 and 2010).

Two key figures came to light through the study:  The Smoky Mountain Region is drawing a huge number of first-time visitors every year (as high as 41 percent in some areas) and traditional tourism cycles that tied closely to the school year had disappeared and the Smoky Mountain Region is now a year-round destination.

Click on the image below to watch the entire report from WBIR television.

Click to watch complete WBIR segment

Titanic Museum Attraction sponsors romantic Valentine’s Day vacation giveaway

Posted by Rick Laney – January 18, 2011

Pigeon Forge, Tenn. – Romance and adventure were in the air when Titanic set sail on April 10, 1912.  Fourteen couples traveling on Titanic were on their honeymoon, including nine in first class.  There were also many young brides-to-be sailing to America to start a new life in a new country.  Titanic Museum Attraction’s Sweetheart Month – which takes place throughout February – pays tribute to romance and the lasting love of devoted couples everywhere.

Romance is alive and well at Titanic Museum Attraction.

In honor of the Titanic’s romantic history, Titanic Museum Attraction in Pigeon Forge is giving away a FREE Vow Renewal on the Titanic Museum’s Grand Staircase which includes a two-night stay at the Wilderness at the Smokies Resort in Sevierville, Tenn. and two tickets to the Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies in Gatlinburg, Tenn. The Vow Renewal ceremony will take place in elegant style on Titanic’s million-dollar Grand Staircase and will be presided over by the ship’s captain.

Titanic Museum Attraction is looking for couples who got married in a very unique way or have a unique story to tell about their wedding day.  Beginning now, anyone who thinks they have an amazing love story can go to Titanic Museum Attraction’s website at www.TitanicPigeonForge.com and fill out the entry form. Get your family involved as well. You can have your parents, grandparents, friends, etc. fill out contest entry forms about your wedding. Make sure that each entry includes the same “Bride and Groom” information.

On Valentine’s Day, one of the couples will be selected and awarded with the Vow Renewal package. You must fill out a contest entry form on the website to win. Winners will be notified after Valentine’s Day and the Vow Renewal must be scheduled and executed by Dec. 31, 2011.

It really is that simple!  Entries will only be accepted until Feb. 13, 2011, so hurry and beat the crowd! Contestants must be 18 years of age to enter.  The prize package does not include travel, airfare or other accommodations.

Although it has been open less than a year, the Titanic Museum attraction already is recognized as one of the Great Smoky Mountain area’s top attractions, and according to owner John Joslyn, the museum is just getting started.  Valentine’s Day will be celebrated all 28 days of February at the Titanic Museum Attraction in Pigeon Forge during the museum’s first annual “Sweetheart Month.”

The Titanic Museum Attraction in Pigeon Forge, Tenn. is open daily at 9 a.m.  Reservations are strongly suggested (many days sell out entirely). Or, passengers may purchase tickets online at www.titanicpigeonforge.com or by phone at 800-381-7670.

Cedar Bay Entertainment owns and operates Titanic Museum Attraction in Branson, Mo.and Pigeon Forge, Tenn.  A privately owned-and-operated entertainment and development company, Cedar Bay is headquartered in Branson, Mo., the site of its first Titanic Museum Attraction.  Since it’s April 2006 grand opening, Titanic Branson has welcomed nearly 3 million guests.

###

Disclaimer:

The contest will be open only to legal residents of the United States and the District of Columbia who are 18 years of age or older at the time of entry. The contest winner will be selected by a panel of Titanic Judges. The most unique wedding story, to be determined by the panel of Titanic Judges, will win. Winner will be notified by telephone and/or email.


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

New Name, New Start for Favorite Neighborhood Restaurant

Posted by Shane Rhyne – January 14, 2011

Carly Harrington of the Knoxville News Sentinel shares a story today of how a favorite neighborhood restaurant was saved and relaunched by local owners.

Find out more about the story behind the re-opening (and renaming) of the Sequoyah Grille on the KNS website.

The Sequoyah Grille Facebook page also offers information about the restaurant and its offerings.