8/1/2008 - 9:00 AMIn Hospital System Management, Sound Decision Making Must Trump All Other ConsiderationsBy Scott Robertson In the wake of the departure of Dr. Richard Salluzzo as CEO of Wellmont Health System, the Wellmont board of directors is taking what we consider a laudable approach to filling the position. Instead of looking across the county line and making a Michael Corleonesque declaration, “I need a wartime consigliere,” they have chosen instead to examine their company in detail. In Mike Snow, they’ve hired an interim with experience in running multiple facility systems who can keep the operations running smoothly in the meantime. Now, before they decide who the right person is to move forward in the long term, they’re going to take a few weeks to decide where forward really is. What should be their strategies? How should they work to achieve their goals? Are their current goals in line with the realities of today’s healthcare marketplace? Before you can pick the right person for the job, you have to have a firm grasp on just what that job is. The Wellmont board is taking all the steps they need to in order to make the right decision when the time comes. We were intrigued when we spoke with new Wellmont chairman Roger Mowen that he was so eager to talk about working together with long-time competitor Mountain States Health Alliance. He’d just finished an interview with Rick Wagner of the Kingsport Times-News in which he reached out publicly to MSHA, a first step in the process. “Obviously I would reach out to my counterpart there directly,” Mowen told us in confirming that he had not yet made such a private call. Mountain States new board chair is Maureen A. MacIver, senior vice president and regional director for First Tennessee Bank’s Wealth Management Group. While we whole-heartedly support the idea of civil discourse between the two systems, we remain only cautiously optimistic about levels of cooperation beyond the perfunctory. In the Times News article, Ed Herbert, MSHA vice president (and, in the interest of full disclosure, a Business Journal editorial advisory board member —we also have a member of the Wellmont board executive committee on our advisory board), said that under Salluzzo, Wellmont placed stipulations on cooperation. Still, the idea that Rich Salluzzo’s departure will somehow initiate a panacea of goodwill between the rival systems is naïve at best. Unless you’re schizophrenic, it takes at least two parties to have a really good argument, and MSHA and Wellmont have had some knock-down, drag-outs. There’s plenty of bad blood between the two systems that has nothing to do with anything Salluzzo ever said or did. Co-operation between these competitors, or co-opetition, as it’s known in the current business vernacular, is not a new idea. But most of the barriers that have been in place for the last several years remain despite Salluzzo’s departure. Even discussing blame is pointless. The bottom line is that it will have to make business sense for both systems to enter into any sort of cooperative agreements. And existing corporate structures are designed with competition in mind, not cooperation. These systems, we must remind ourselves, are businesses. They are in the not-for-profit sector, but in these days of dwindling reimbursements and labor shortages, their business acumen must be sharper than many in the for-profit sector. That they compete with each other, even to the point of fierce rivalry, is a good thing. We’re not trying to discourage sensible peacemaking efforts. But at this point, we’re far more enthused to see the boards and management of both systems working hard to make sure their missions and strategies are clear and attainable — and working to meet their goals — than we are about co-opetition, which really will be a very small part of either company’s strategy. If, in the end, we have two well-run systems whose CEOs still don’t take monthly lunches together, that’s OK. 8/1/2008 - 9:00 AM5 Things You Need To Know About... Old Army Concrete DesignBy Scott Robertson When we first heard about Old Army Concrete Design and its proprietor, Chuck Anderson from his business coach, Curtis Allen, we were not initially enthused about the possibility of a business article. After all, Anderson is a building contractor who employs only one full time associate and therefore has little economic impact on the community. He has done precious little in the way of commercial construction. In short, he did not appear to differentiate himself from a crowd of people just like him: good, honest, hard-working folks who don’t necessarily make for interesting reading. Still, we are happy we agreed to meet Anderson and hear his story. It turns out there are things here we can all relate to. There are also things only a few of us can relate to. And there are things about which we can all feel hopeful.1) What Anderson does: Anderson and his team of part-time laborers use acrylic cement and epoxy floor coatings to give character to plain cement surfaces such as porches, walkways and garages. If you want your walkway to look like it’s made of brick without having to buy a brick walkway, well, Old Army does that. The idea is that concrete need not be bereft of color, pattern and texture. 2) No matter how tough your job is, Anderson has had tougher. Anderson has laid concrete as part of his active duty in Iraq. The name Old Army isn’t just a play on the Old Navy brand. The Army is where Anderson honed his trade. In addition to being an entrepreneur, Anderson is a company commander with the U.S. Army 702nd Engineer Co., in Gray, Tenn. “We are an earthmoving company,” Anderson says of the 702nd. “We’ve got dozers, graders, scrapers. Basically we build roads and paths.” In fact, when he was deployed in Kuwait and Iraq in 2005, his company poured nearly 4,000 cubic meters of contrete. “We had to build turn pads for the tanks,” he says, “Obviously if they tried to turn around in the sand it would be very bad.” 3) He’s not done over there. Anderson recently returned from 27 days of training with his unit in the American desert. They were told that they were training for a tour that will start in March 2009 in Iraq or Afghanistan. That means Anderson is on the hardest of hard deadlines. Everything about his business here must be ready to run without him by the day he ships out. Everything. Everyone in business knows about deadline pressure. Now imagine the deadline Anderson is facing. He has to build his business to a certain point, do everything he can to assure that it can be maintained at that level, and pray that he will be able to return home to run it again. 4) He’s looking for a few good men – and/or women. “When I was deployed in 2005, I started to have that American dream of wanting to start your own business,” says Anderson. “Right now I keep three or four people on each job site. But before I go, I need to find someone to do sales for me. Right now I do all the sales. Kevin McKee is my project manager and I feel very comfortable with him running project sites while I’m away.” Anderson is working to build the business to the point where it will sustain a steady workforce. From there, he’ll have to find a way to get the “back end” of the business managed. While McKee runs the projects, general management functions will still need to be fulfilled. 5) He is not alone. Anderson is just one of many servicemen and women who strive to maintain their businesses at home while they serve America overseas. It is easier today than it once was. “I know now that I’ll be going in March,” Anderson says. When I was deployed in 2003, I got a call on Tuesday night saying, ‘Report Thursday to Fort Collins, Kentucky.’” E-mail and video conferencing opportunities for soldiers stationed in the Middle East can make keeping up with the day-to-day affairs of stateside business easier as well. But none of that will matter if Anderson cannot win his race to build a sustainable business by the time he leaves. 8/1/2008 - 9:00 AMFYI - August 2008 A quick check of conventional wisdom on who’s going in what direction in the Tri-Cities business community.  The Motor Mile – The former Ride Revolution property on Johnson City’s Bristol Highway is finally changing hands. A memorandum of purchase and sale agreement dated June 23 lists the buyer as Carmax Auto Superstores. Bank of Tennessee – When Louis Gump joins your board of directors, it’s a very good thing. His reputation for sound business judgment preceeds him. Alt Fuels – Nu-Energie will surely try to make hay from Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen’s comments recently in Kingsport about the possibility of taking the state’s diesel fleet to bio-diesel. The problem is that the soybean crop in West Tennessee means the state will most likely look for its suppliers 400 miles away. Credit Solutions – This Florida-based company is opening offices in Kingsport and Johnson City and says it will employ 200 people locally. For the record, it is not the Texas-based Credit Solutions that is fighting a class action lawsuit and has had more than 1,000 complaints filed against it in the last three years.  General Shale – The company announced it would temporarily cease production at its Johnson City facility, laying off about 55 workers. The company sited economic conditions for the move. Or to put it more simply, you don’t make more bricks when you haven’t sold what you’ve already got. Cooper-Standard – More layoffs attributable directly to the economic decline. When Ford Motor Co., cut production of its F-series truck line, all the parts suppliers, including Cooper Standard, lost orders. Thirty full-time jobs at the Surgoinsville plant were cut. Allegiant Fort Lauderdale – Despite high traffic volumes in and out of Tri-Cities Regional Airport, Allegiant is pulling Fort Lauderdale flights, owing, according to TCRA to high fuel prices. Allegiant remains a carrier at TCRA, continuing flights to and from Orlando.Chamber Chatter: Sixteenth Annual South Holston Lake & River Cleanup Over the past 15 years, more than 14,000 community volunteers have participated in the cleanup and more than one million pounds of litter have been removed from the lake, river and surrounding area. Keep Bristol Beautiful is seeking volunteers on Saturday, August 9, for the Sixteenth Annual South Holston Lake & River Cleanup. South Holston Lake provides drinking water to 73,000 people and recreation such as boating, fishing and swimming for an average of 4,000,000 people each year. Volunteer registration begins at 8 a.m. Observation Knob will serve as headquarters for the lake cleanup with the Weir Dam serving as the headquarters for the river cleanup. Other registration sites include Highway 421 Ramp, Little Oak Ramp, Lake View Dock, Washington County Park Ramp, Avens Bridge Ramp, Old Alvarado Station and The Boardwalk in Bluff City. The cleanup celebration party will be held from 3:30 p.m., to 6 p.m. at the Observation Knob Pavilion. Each participant who collects three or more bags of litter will be given a wristband that can be turned in for a free t-shirt and admission to the celebration. For more information, please contact Genette Patton, Keep Bristol Beautiful director at 423.989.4850 or gpatton@bristolchamber.org. What’s on Your iPod? Top 10 Selling Business Audiobooks on iTunes 1. Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity (Abridged) by David Allen Narrated by David Allen Two hours, 47 minutes 2. The Magic of Thinking Big (Abridged) by David J. Schwartz, PhD Narrated by David J. Schwartz, PhD Four Hours, Eight minutes 3. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People & the 8th Habit (Special 3-Hour Abridgement) by Stephen R. Covey Narrated by Stephen R. Covey Two hours, 26 minutes 4. Today Matters: 12 Daily Practices to Guarantee Tomorrow’s Success (Abridged) by John C. Maxwell Narrated by John C. Maxwell Three hours, Seven minutes 5. Think and Grow Rich (Unabridged) by Napoleon Hill Narrated by Erik Synnestvedt Nine hours, 36 minutes 6. Who Moved My Cheese? An Amazing Way to Deal with Change in Your Work and Your Life (Unabridged) by Spencer Johnson Narrated by Tony Roberts One hour, 14 minutes 7. The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don’t Work and What to Do About It (Unabridged) by Michael E. Gerber Narrated by Michael E. Gerber Eight Hours, Six minutes 8. Executive Briefing: The Power of Persuasion by Dr. Robert Ciandi Narrated by Dr. Robert Ciandi 54 Minutes 9. The Success Principles: How to Get from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be (Abridged) by Jack Canfield with Janet Switzer Narrated by Jack Canfield Six hours, 29 minutes 10. Managing Oneself (Unabridged) by Peter F. Drucker Narrated by Peter F. Drucker 46 minutes 8/1/2008 - 9:00 AMKingsport Breaks Ground on Higher Education CenterBy Rachel A. Horton The most difficult problem facing the region’s largest employers today is the lack of a skilled workforce and the fact that much of the current workforce is approaching retirement. Eastman Chemical Company officials announced just last month the retirement of two executives and several resulting senior management appointments. The 2006 Greater Kingsport Area Chamber of Commerce business survey found 9,100 jobs are to be filled over the next 10 years — 1,680 will require a college degree or higher and another 2,300 will require an advanced degree.“Our last period of significant growth in business and industry in the Kingsport area was in the 60s and 70s and a lot of the employees that came on board back then now have 35 to 45 years of experience and they’re approaching retirement,” says Charlie Floyd, vice president and mill manager, Domtar, Kingsport. “We’re seeing a big turnover on our horizon that really has already begun that’s going to continue over the next five to 10 years.” Those were the concerns heard by former Kingsport Mayor Jeanette Blazier in 1999, when she hosted an economic summit to discuss with other government officials and educators the future of the workforce in Kingsport and Sullivan County. Blazier said at the July 7, 2008, groundbreaking for the Kingsport Center for Higher Education (KCHE), she “championed” Northeast State Technical Community College President Dr. William Locke and Keith Wilson, publisher, Kingsport Times-News to spearhead what is now called the Kingsport Academic Village. “We left that economic summit for Northeast State with two major goals — to try to get Educate & Grow [Northeast program for local students that pays for the first two years at the school] and to try to get a building downtown,” Locke says. Wilson and Locke, along with the Kingsport Board of Mayor & Aldermen (BMA) and surrounding government officials have kept the momentum going since Blazier left office and in a little more than a year from now, Kingsport will have more than 2,100 students attending classes downtown. “What we are trying to do is get the education level up in Kingsport and Sullivan County by making higher education so convenient and cost-effective that anyone could get an education,” says Kingsport Mayor Dennis Phillips. The village includes KCHE; the Regional Center for Health Professionals (RCHP), slated to open August 2008; the Regional Center for Advanced Manufacturing (RCAM), which will start construction August 21, 2008; and the Regional Center for Applied Technology (RCAT), which opened in 2002. Northeast State will manage KCHE and offer two years of college instruction. King College, the University of Tennessee, Carson-Newman and Lincoln Memorial University have committed to participate offering baccalaureate degrees in specific majors. KCHE is a $12.9 million project that could add up to $1.9 million to the local economy in the first year alone, according to an economic impact study by Dr. Jon Smith, director of ETSU’s Bureau of Business and Economic Research. The total economic impact in the third year of operation is estimated at $7 million to the local economy, supporting 67 jobs and $1.83 million in wages. RCHP will house Northeast State’s division of nursing and the health professions programs of cardiovascular technology, dental assisting, EMT-paramedic, medical laboratory technology and surgical technology. “The last time I looked we had over 300 healthcare-related jobs in the region within 35, 40 miles,” says Richard Venable, CEO, Networks – Sullivan County Partnership. “This will go toward that.” Phillips says the entire community has helped along with the BMA, especially small business owners in downtown Kingsport. “The unsung heroes in the whole thing are the people that have been inconvenienced during the construction process and the people that have been asked to relocate. We’ve had to relocate numerous businesses to make this successful. They could have really fought us and drug this out forever.” Venable says the catalyst was the involvement and encouragement from Phillips, City Manager John Campbell and the BMA, and most importantly, the need. “It wouldn’t have happened without the need. Sullivan County has hit a homerun with this one.” Locke says community colleges across the country are in position to provide training to the American workforce, but “There are very few that have stepped into the level that we have. You won’t see anywhere where you get a community building four buildings.” Northeast State will certainly gain recognition for their commitment to Kingsport’s Academic Village, a move Locke hopes to secure funding in the future. “In the long run, we hope that our enrollment will continue to grow and increase which will help us with our funding.” 8/1/2008 - 9:00 AMRCAM Groundbreaking UpcomingBy Rachel A. HortonNortheast State, Domtar, Eastman Chemical Company and state officials will break ground August 21, on the Regional Center for Applied Manufacturing or RCAM (pronounced R-Cam).Domtar and Northeast began work on advanced manufacturing training at the Domtar site about three years ago in what Charlie Floyd, vice president and mill manager, Domtar, calls ‘make-shift classrooms and laboratories.’ “Once Mayor Phillips challenged educators to sit down and talk about our vision going forward and the higher education center concept began to take hold, it became pretty obvious to us that the advanced manufacturing portion of that that was taking place here on our property really needed to be rolled into what was going on on the other side of the street,” says Floyd, vice president and mill manager, Domtar. “We brought the property forward and Eastman has a tremendous vested interest in this and they’ve gone a long way toward helping secure the funding that it’s going to take to construct this facility.” RCAM will be 31,000 square feet and will house training programs including welding, electro-mechanical, maintenance, electrical, computer sciences and a virtual training lab. “The initial component of the RCAM building is to train the incumbent workers,” says Dr. William Locke, president, Northeast State Technical Community College. “Those are people who are currently working in our major manufacturing plants who need retraining and skills upgrading. All the major manufacturers will be available to participate in that center. And all of them basically are going to need continual upgrading and training.” For employers like Floyd, it’s a win-win. “From a smaller employer’s perspective, it’s a daunting task for us to have to compete with someone like Eastman because they’re going to need so many employees,” he says. “What I think is really great about this is that we’re ready and we’re equipped to take someone with basically no skills but with a lot of desire and get them into a curriculum here that will get them ready to go to work at one of these places and that’s a great thing for us. That’s exactly what we need.” Paul Montgomery, vice-president of talent management, Eastman Chemical Company, Kingsport, says partnering with Domtar and Northeast for the RCAM has been a focus of Eastman’s for a long time. “When this came about, the partnership seemed to be what was right for us and the right thing to do.” Montgomery says he prefers the RCAM provide certain training including machine tool welding, metal fabrication, electro-mechanical technology and chemical process operations — an order that Locke says won’t be hard to fill. “The RCAM is a place where you can do specialized and customized training for any company who wants it. So if somebody comes in and says, ‘I need this in pipe fitting,’ or ‘I need this in welding,’ we can do that there. We can tailor-make programming for them,” Locke says. Kingsport Mayor Dennis Phillips says the RCAM is one that he’s very excited about because it “allows people to learn a skill such as welding. There is a great demand for welders in the 20-dollar-plus-per-hour range. In talking to some of our industry people, they’re saying if people are willing to travel, they could hire as many as 300 welders. And that’s the kind of skills that will be taught. It’s to train the shift workers, hourly workers for a trade. This could very well take people from minimum wage to 20-plus dollars an hour. That’s why it’s so exciting. A wage like that can really change your life and your way of living and you go from just existing to making a wage that you can provide some of the fringes for you and your family.” 8/1/2008 - 9:00 AMAlpha Natural Resources, Cleveland-Cliffs Plan Multi-Billion Dollar Merger But Will One Hedge Fund Manager Kill the Deal?By Matthew Worley Alpha Natural Resources is once again at the front of a movement in the coal industry. In a deal that brought global attention to bear on Southwest Virginia, Mike Quillen, Alpha chairman and CEO and his Cleveland-Cliffs counterpart, Joseph Carrabba on July 16, announced a merger of their respective companies. Analysts are saying the proposed deal could open the floodgates for a wave of mergers and acquisitions in the industry. The newly created company, should the deal go through, will be called Cliffs Natural Resources. Its corporate headquarters will be in Cleveland, but its coal operations will be headquartered in Abingdon.To some, it might appear that Alpha has always been a step ahead of the industry. When almost everyone wanted out of the coal business in 2002, Quillen brought Alpha in. As Quillen formed Alpha Natural Resources from properties formerly owned by Pittston Corporation, the coal industry was on the latter end of a 20-year downturn. Now, after six phenomenal years of growth, Quillen has seen his small company mature into an energy giant boasting 33 active underground mines, 24 active surface mines and 11 preparation plants located throughout four states. It’s little wonder then that Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. took notice of the Abingdon-based Alpha. An international mining company and a major supplier of metallurgical coal to the world market, Cleveland-Cliffs holds claim to the title of largest iron ore producer in North America. The company, headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, operates six iron ore mines in Michigan, Minnesota and Eastern Canada plus three coking coalmines in West Virginia and Alabama. As world steel demand grows with no end in sight, its no surprise that the continent’s largest iron ore producer would wish to expand its coking capabilities. Enter Alpha — the nation’s largest supplier of metallurgical coal, the key ingredient in the creation of coke.  The benefit for Alpha shareholders is obvious. Alpha’s stock price, as low as $24.11 six months ago, has grown steadily with world steel demand. A single share of Alpha, trading at $94.92 a day earlier, rose $10.01 on news of the announcement. Under terms of the joint agreement, for each Alpha share, stockholders would receive 0.95 Cleveland-Cliffs common shares and $22.23 in cash. “This transaction is financially compelling for Alpha’s stockholders, who will benefit from enhanced value alongside growth opportunities in the future,” Quillen says.Bringing on Alpha’s coal holdings and management team will be a boon to Cliffs, explains Carrabba, “Cliffs Natural Resources will be the largest producer of iron ore in North America, and the largest producer of met coal within the United States.” But metallurgical coal is not the only interest for Cleveland-Cliffs. Alpha boasts considerable holdings of high BTU, low sulfur steam coal — the type of coal best suited to generate electrical power. When asked for his thoughts regarding the acquisition of such large thermal coal deposits, Carrabba says he’s comfortable with the steam coal business. “We also see, to a certain point, of thermal coal playing into a good balance within our diversification strategy that takes some of our revenue outside the steel sector. I don’t think anybody wants to put all of their eggs in one basket,” says Carrabba of the met/thermal mix. “We anticipate having annual sales volumes in excess of 30 million tons of iron ore, 18 million tons of met coal and 17 million tons of thermal coal,” Carrabba says. “That being said, this merger is not only about getting bigger, it is, most importantly, about getting better.” Cleveland-Cliffs stockholders may not be so sure. Just as Alpha shares rose on news of the upcoming merger, Cleveland-Cliffs dropped $7.44 to $104.02. The stock price, which had more than doubled in the past year, fell again the following day to close at $97.25. It was then, in a surprising turn of events, that Cleveland-Cliffs’ largest shareholder came out publicly against the merger plan. Harbinger Capital Partners, 18 percent owner of Cleveland-Cliffs common stock, had purchased an additional 750,000 shares on the day of the merger announcement. Then, in a 13D SEC filing dated July 17, Harbinger made clear its disapproval with the joint merger plan. While Cleveland-Cliffs maintains its position, the deal could be doomed from the start. According to Ohio law, the Cleveland-based company must gain two-thirds shareholder approval to proceed with the merger — a difficult feat with so large an investor in resistance. Carrabba now faces the daunting tasks of bringing Harbinger ‘s billionaire manager Philip Falcone back into the fold or of convincing the owners of at least 80 percent of the other outstanding shares to buck Harbinger and back management’s play. Should the deal go through, the newly formed Cliffs Natural Resources would boast estimated combined pro forma revenue of 6.5 billion for 2008 and EBITDA of $1.9 billion for the year. The new company estimates its revenue would reach $10 billion in 2009, with EBITDA of $4.7 billion. It is a move that would make the former companies nearly impregnable against any takeover bid — a fate rumored for Cleveland-Cliffs as recently as this year. “I would like to emphasize this is really a win-win transaction,” says Carrabba of the merger plans. “By combining our companies’ complementary operations and management capabilities, we will be well-positioned to meet the world’s increasing demand for raw materials. Our shareholders will agree that this is a unique opportunity to create a unique company with an impressive collection of assets, and an even brighter future.” Despite the Harbinger controversy, Quillen remains convinced that a merger with Cleveland-Cliffs is the right fit for his Virginia-based company. “When it comes to safety practices and standards, environmental stewardship and managerial philosophy, we share nearly identical viewpoints.” “Having known Joe for many years, and also knowing the Cleveland-Cliffs team well, I’ve been genuinely impressed by the similarities in our respective organizations’ cultures and values,” says Quillen of the would-be partnership. “I believe this to be equally important to the economics, which, in this case, are extremely compelling.” Should the proposed merger find shareholder approval, Carrabba will serve as chairman and CEO of the combined company with Quillen serving as non-executive vice chairman. Cliffs Natural Resources will then be split into two operating divisions with current Alpha President Kevin Crutchfield serving as president of the company’s coal operations. Donald Gallagher, president of Cleveland-Cliffs North American Business Unit, will head the new iron ore division with CFO Laurie Brlas serving the combined company. At this point, many analysts believe the chances for the merger’s success may be slim. Unless Cleveland-Cliffs can convince its largest investor, the deal seems a non-starter. And with Harbinger’s reputation in past proxy fights, anything could happen. “I think we’re going to focus [on] where we are right now,” Carrabba says. “We have some work ahead of us.” 8/1/2008 - 9:00 AM2008 Health Care HeroesHeroism isn’t always front-page news. Sometimes a hero is simply a normal person who does the best they can in difficult circumstances. That’s the way it is in health care, more or less. Every day, people who need help turn to care providers when their circumstances are at their worst. Often, something that might be a small matter in other circumstances, like the five-minute telephone calls one of our honorees provides to shut-ins, can mean more to a patient than any so-called heroic act.Health Care Heroes alter and improve the quality of life for thousands of residents of this region. Health Care Heroes include everyone from the doctor who believes so much in an experimental new treatment that he is willing to perform it on his own mother — to the kind voice on the other end of the phone who will take all the time she needs to listen to every worry, every concern that a patient’s family has — to the cancer survivor who now treats cancer patients, drawing on her own experience to provide comfort and confidence to patients who might otherwise lose hope. The Business Journal, King Pharmaceuticals and Mountain States Health Alliance consider it our profound honor to recognize the 25 heroes you’ll meet on the following pages. As in years past, all have been nominated by their peers or patients. All are worthy of more praise than we can bestow here, yet they are only a representative sample of the thousands of health care heroes working everyday throughout the region. To all the heroes, we offer our sincere thanks. 2008 Health Care Heroes Innovation Award  Morgan Lorio, MDNeuro-Spine Solutions Dr. Lorio, an orthopedic surgeon at Neuro-Spine Solutions in Bristol, is the first physician in the United States to implant a device called the Stabilimax NZ Dynamic Spine Stabilization System across two spinal segments as part of a national research study. Lorio’s first patient was a 68-year-old retired nurse — Barbara Lorio, his mother. She had suffered excruciating pain that would start in her lower back and run through her legs. Lorio could have treated his mother with a traditional "spinal fusion" — a common surgical remedy for those with chronic back and leg pain — but Lorio said that even a good outcome after a spinal fusion can decrease a patient's mobility. He should know. He's had spinal fusion surgery himself. 2008 Health Care Heroes Distinguished Service Award  John Shaw, MDPhysician, Takoma Regional Hospital Over 40 years ago, Dr. John Shaw had a vision of providing medical care in a community that had a true need. His vision led him to Greeneville, Tenn. In his efforts to make medical care more accessible for his community, he recruited primary care physicians and specialists, all the while keeping his patients at the heart of everything he did. Dr. Michael Odell, a good friend and colleague of Shaw’s, joined him in Greeneville after much convincing. “Forty-one years ago, he was the main reason I came here. We haven’t looked back since,” he says. “He has a real love for medicine and a real empathy for his patients. He’s willing to do whatever he needs to do to help his patients. He gives his patients his best — 100 percent — even after 41 years.” 2008 Health Care Heroes Community Service Award Aid & Assist Executive Team  Aid & Assist at Home Inc., provides home health care for patients throughout Northeast Tennessee, Southwest Virginia and into Western North Carolina. Their service allows many patients to retain a level of independence that would otherwise be impossible. But the company understands that its mission of care goes beyond just serving its own patients’ needs. In 2007 alone, Aid & Assist handed out nine scholarships to students at area schools. Perhaps the most valued service offered is the Tender Loving Care program, again provided free of charge, under the auspices of which a five-minute daily phone call is placed to one who is isolated or shut in. The executive team includes president Diane Price, manager Holly Edwards and Derek Flack, Kelly Lloyd, Rita Overby, Cherain Patterson, Janie Peterson, Frank Price, Karen Pruitt, Mary Ragan, Penny Rinell, Carol Speaks, Laura White and Melissa Williams. 2008 Health Care Heroes Meritorious Service Award  Nelson Gwaltney, MDPresident, Highlands Physicians Inc. A 2000 Cup of Kindness Award honoree, Dr. Gwaltney has served as president of Highlands Physicians Inc. (HPI), a local independent practice association, since it's inception in 1993. Under Dr. Gwaltney's leadership, HPI has grown from 325 member physicians in 1993 to more than 800 members in 2007. Gwaltney is board-certified as a general surgeon with additional qualifications in vascular surgery and in critical care. He is a Fellow in the American College of Surgeons. He has served in many leadership roles for the healthcare community including director of MedFlightII; director of the infield medical center at Bristol Motor Speedway, director of the Center for Wound Care and Hyperbaric Medicine at Bristol Regional Medical Center, and clinical professor and director of the surgical residency program at the ETSU James H. Quillen School of Medicine. 2008 Health Care Heroes Support Service Award  Stacey O'QuinnCommunity & Government Affairs Manager, Mountain States Health Alliance Whenever the Commonwealth of Virginia or the United States Federal Government are considering taking action that might affect the quality of healthcare in the region, Stacey O’Quinn makes her voice heard. O’Quinn can often be found in Richmond or Washington, D.C., advocating for strong health care. When she’s not lobbying in the halls of power, O’Quinn is volunteering in Southwest Virginia. O’Quinn sits on the Tri-Cities board of Susan G. Komen for the Cure. She coordinates fundraisers for the Smyth County Free Clinic. She volunteers for the RAM medical clinic in Wise, Va., and she sits on the board for Health Wagon for the coalfield counties of Southwest Virginia.  Linda BargerBristol Regional Counseling Center Since she started in the field in 1979, to help coordinate the de-institutionalization of long-term patients, Linda Barger has impacted the lives of thousands of people. As an advanced practice registered nurse, Barger is licensed to prescribe medications and provides medication evaluations and follow-up in adult services for clients in all the eight counties served by Frontier Health in Northeast Tennessee. She diagnoses mental illness using DSM IV criteria and prescribes medications for people with serious and persistent mental illness. She has coordinated the Mandatory Outpatient Treatment Program for all Tennessee locations and implemented the Continuous Treatment Team in adult services. Linking clients to services and being able to prescribe medications that are effective offer them an opportunity to develop their own goals and to manage their own treatment.  David BowersDirector of Mental Health Housing & Support Centers Frontier Health David Bowers helps people secure what most of us take for granted — safe and affordable housing and a better quality of life. Hope and recovery would elude many people without Bowers’ help. If you are battling a mental illness and homelessness or are living in and out of shelters, most of your time is probably spent surviving. Bowers spends most of his time ensuring people are able to meet their basic housing needs so they can focus on achieving the highest level of independence possible. As director of Mental Health Housing & Peer Support Centers for Frontier Health, Bowers supervises six adult group homes housing 58 beds, and seven apartment complexes with 74 apartments throughout eight counties. He also administers the Rental Assistance Program, the Emergency Shelter Program and six Peer Support Centers.  Brenda Cooper, RNVice President of Clinical Services Lonesome Pine Hospital When Brenda Cooper makes a New Year’s resolution, she sticks to it. On January 3, 2006, Cooper, a registered nurse and vice president of clinical services at Lonesome Pine Hospital, put her resolve into action. She left Big Stone Gap for New Orleans to provide health care to people still reeling from Hurricane Katrina. She spent two weeks in St. Bernard’s Parish, one of the city’s hardest hit areas. “They were living in tents with no electricity, no water,” she says of the hurricane’s victims. “The houses had been stripped to their support beams and the smell was bad. It was just a terrible environment.” The time she spent in New Orleans inspired Cooper to continue helping others. Since then, she’s taken a mission trip to Uganda and has had a steady presence at Lonesome Pine.  Julia DavisBlood Donor Recruiter Marsh Regional Blood Center She is not a trauma surgeon or a pediatrician or a nurse, but it’s a safe bet that Julia Davis has saved lives through her more than four decades of working in health care. No hospital could serve its community without an adequate blood supply. Davis, a blood donor recruiter with Marsh Regional Blood Center, has made it her life’s mission to see that blood is always there when it is needed. Those who go to Marsh Regional’s collection center in Kingsport either know or quickly become aware of the magnitude of the role Davis plays in helping sustain the region’s blood supply. Two years ago, Marsh Regional held a ceremony to rename the facility the Julia Davis Collection Center. It is estimated that Davis has recruited some 250,000 units of blood over the past four decades.  Barbara Dobson, RNTakoma Regional Hospital Barbara Dobson began her nursing career at Greeneville Hospital (now Takoma Regional Hospital) in 1957. Dobson celebrated her fiftieth anniversary with the hospital last September. “I started at Greeneville Hospital straight out of nursing school,” she says. “I graduated on the tenth and started work on the seventeenth. I’ve been here ever since.” Dobson has spent most of that time in the medical surgical unit, where she has seen many changes take place at the hospital. Her superiors say she can handle any change, including the most recent change in her schedule from eight-hour shifts to 12-hour shifts. “The only thing she was worried about was that she wouldn’t be at the hospital every week day to keep up with how her patients were doing,” says Marnie Knight, director of the medical surgical unit.  Barbara DukePatient Care Provider Sycamore Shoals Hospital Barbara Duke started at Carter County Memorial Hospital as a nurses’ aid in the early 70s. Now named Sycamore Shoals Hospital in Elizabethton, she is celebrating 35 years of service. She has many rewards and accolades to her credit. Most recently, she was a recipient of the 2008 Mountain States Health Alliance Servant’s Heart award. Her attributes and good character are widely known. She is a role model for all her fellow nurses. Her fellow team members call her the ‘powder queen.’ She loves to puff with baby powder and her patients refer to them as ‘treatments.’ Duke has often been seen shopping for patients who need shampoo or coat hangers to hang their clothing. She’s even taken items from her home to make a patient feel more comfortable  Edna FergusonResident Care Coordinator NHC Healthcare There’s an old story about a general leading his troops through the desert. When locals offered him a canteen of water, he asked if there were enough for all his troops. When the locals said there was not, he handed the canteen back without taking a drop. The story is about leadership by example. Her co-workers have similar stories about Edna Ferguson, a coordinator who is not afraid to get deep in the trenches with her staff. She understands that the respect of one’s staff is earned. She also understands that compassionate care is something every patient deserves. Her background in hospice trained her to ensure that she can give patients what they need, when they need it.  John A. Green, MDChairman, Highlands Wellmont Health Network Dr. John Green has served as chairman of the Highlands Wellmont Health Network board since 1996. Under his leadership, hospital-physician alignment has improved, allowing the formation of a strong provider network committed to clinical integration. Clinical integration represents an important strategy to foster collaboration and, consequently, to improve the quality and efficiency of health care in our region. Green is board-certified in internal medicine with additional qualification in geriatric medicine. He has also served both as vice chief and chief of staff at Bristol Regional Medical Center. He is a clinical professor and program director for internal medicine at Bristol for the James H. Quillen School of Medicine at East Tennessee State University.  Scott B. HollenbeckDirector of Children and Youth Services Nolachuckey-Holston Area Mental Health Care Working in his twentieth year with Frontier Health, Scott Hollenbeck, director of Children and Youth Services at Nolachuckey-Holston Area Mental Health, is a first contact for families and individuals dealing with severe and persistent mental illness as they attempt to link into Frontier Health’s services throughout Northeast Tennessee. Hollenbeck currently manages a variety of children and youth programs for Frontier Health. Three of those are intensive in-home serves that reach across eight counties. He manages individual, family and group therapy and case management services for children and families in Greene, Hawkins and Hancock counties. He says his primary motivation is helping troubled children and their families who, without not-for-profit services, would have nowhere to go for help. “There is no better reward than to see harmony returned to a home that previously knew only chaos,” he says.  Eva HubbardOffice Coordinator Medical Center Hospice Eva Hubbard has been employed by Medical Center Hospice Services for five years, and for five years, the ‘sweet voice at the other end of the phone’ has taken care of thousands of patients. A nurse for 22 years, Hubbard felt the calling to become involved in Hospice after vigorously serving as a licensed nurse practitioner, float nurse and physician liaison. She is known for keeping the waters calm. Hubbard is the voice that reassures a patient that a Hospice caregiver is on the way to help. She schedules 1,000 nursing visits a week in and around the region. She interacts with all the nurses on the team in addition to managing the phones. She manages all activities within the Hospice. Known to do everything well, Hubbard is called the ‘heart and soul of the Hospice.’  Pierre Istfan, MDInterventional Cardiologist Cardiovascular Associates Dr. Istfan works as director of the cath lab at Bristol Regional Medical Center. He graduated from Marshall University School of Medicine in 1985, and completed his internship and residency in internal medicine at Marshall Affiliated Hospitals in 1988. Istfan then completed a cardiology medicine fellowship in 1990 and an interventional cardiology fellowship in 1991. He practiced cardiology in the region for more than six years prior to joining Cardiovascular Associates in 1997. He is board-certified in internal medicine, cardiovascular disease and interventional cardiology. Istfan has expertise in all aspects of general cardiology and has special interests in interventional cardiology. He is a Fellow of the American College of Cardiology and a member of the American Medical Association. Istfan practices in CVA’s Bristol office.  Patty JohnsonAdmissions Coordinator NHC Healthcare First impressions are very important in any relationship. They are especially important when you are making the difficult decision to place a loved one in nursing facility. Patty Johnson always appears to keep this foremost in her mind. She understands the emotions families are going through, so she goes above and beyond the call of duty with each admission. She listens to the concerns of family members, offers support, explains the process for Medicaid and other insurance, explains the state regulations and most of all she lets people express their emotions no matter how long it takes. She exhibits a gentle, caring personality that puts the families and residents at ease. And she has been doing it for more than 20 years.  Louise Mullins, LCSWSite Director Noluchackey-Holston Area Mental Health Services Louise Mullins completed her field experience in 1982, at Nolachuckey-Holston Area Mental Health Center in Greeneville, Tenn., and received a master’s degree in social work at the University of Tennessee School of Social Work. She joined Nolachuckey full time in September of that year and has been there ever since. Early in her career, Mullins spent countless hours traveling to Hawkins, Hancock and Greene counties to visit seniors where they congregated — senior centers, activity centers and low-income public housing areas — to help them overcome their belief that mental illness was a weakness and to provide education about mental illness and the options of treatment. Mullins is now site director for the Nolachuckey site. Although she still maintains a small caseload, she is responsible for the day-to-day operations, including maintaining Frontier Health and licensure standards, hiring and training staff and supervising interns.  Suzanne Rogers, MSN/FNPNurse Practitioner McLeod Cancer and Blood Center Rogers has empathy for her patients beyond what many in the healthcare field can have. She too is a cancer survivor. She combines her first-hand knowledge of both the disease and the healthcare system with a stirring dedication to the power of positive thinking. Not only is she very strong and confident in character, she carries herself with an aura of pleasant confidence that envelopes the patients she sees. There is, of course, a great deal of anxiety and many unknowns when people are faced with a cancer diagnosis. Her attitude is not only "I did it so can you!" but also one of general assurance that sets people at ease. She is an expert at giving patience to patients as they begin the long road of cancer recovery.  Cory Siffring, MDDirector of Trauma Services Holston Valley Medical Center As a trauma surgeon, the central mission for Dr. Cory Siffring has always remained the same — to treat patients with severe injuries and help them as well as humanly possible. What has changed is the mission location. Minnesota. Pennsylvania and New York. Holston Valley Medical Center in Kingsport. And even Afghanistan. Siffring, director of trauma services at Holston Valley, mended soldiers and Afghan natives who came to him with injuries that were sometimes the most severe a surgeon will see. He is a lieutenant colonel in the US Army Reserve Medical Corps and has twice served tours of duty in Afghanistan. From October 2004, to February 2005, he was deployed with the 933rd Forward Surgical Team to Asabadad. At Holston Valley, the cause of the injuries may be different, but his mission is still the same: Quick care, thorough care, skilled care.  Mike StephensonLicensed Practical Nurse Smyth County Community Hospital Mike Stephenson has been called a ‘perfect example’ of a nurse by the chief nursing office (CNO) at his medical facility. A team member at Smyth County Community Hospital since 1988, he joined the hospital as a nursing assistant. One of the many reasons Stephenson has been singled out time and again for his compassion, caring and thorough follow-through is that ‘you can’t find him on the unit.’ He is always with patients, their families or caregivers, either talking — or listening — and interacting with them to benefit patient care. A true model of what nursing care should be, Stephenson sets the standard of care at Smyth County Community Hospital. He says touching and healing the lives of patients is the most important job he has ever had.  Marcia Stone, RNNew Life Birthing Center Bristol Regional Medical Center When a mother loses a baby at Bristol Regional Medical Center, one of six bereavement counselors (who are all nurses) spring into action. In addition to caring for the family when they are in the hospital, a counselor calls the mother when she goes home to check on her progress. They also provide educational materials that can help promote healing. Marcia Stone, who is the president and founder of the bereavement committee in her department, goes above and beyond all of that. “Marcia is so committed,” says Martha Parker, associate vice president of clinical services at BRMC. In addition to being an expert nurse, Parker says, “she spends hours of her personal time contacting post-bereavement patients to see how they’re doing and offer help, and she makes special keepsakes for them.”  Art Van Zee, MDPhysician Lee Regional Medical Center Lee County residents who have been coming to Lee Regional Medical Center for years know they have a healer in Dr. Art Van Zee. You could say that he had a hand in healing the region as a whole. It’s been more than 30 years since a young Vanderbilt medical student named Art visited the then-underserved Lee County community of St. Charles, and decided to stay. But it hasn’t been long since Van Zee, a specialist in internal medicine, traveled to our nation’s capital to help stop the scourge of OxyContin abuse. Van Zee was invited to testify before the US Senate in 2002, in a hearing to look at the marketing practices of OxyContin’s manufacturer, Purdue Pharma. The drug was subsequently recalled and reformulated because of its addictive properties.  Diane L. Whitehead, PhDFairview Associates While Diane Whitehead, PhD, jokes that she has worked for nearly every mental health organization in East Tennessee, it’s the vision for recovery she garnered from her early experiences that led to what was then a unique perspective on mental health care, and is now part of her mission. The handful of organizations she served in 32 years include a state hospital in the throes of de-institutionalization, adolescent day treatment for unruly teens in state custody or at-risk of state custody, a full range of children and youth residential services from a group home to adoption services, inpatient psychiatric/alcohol and drug units, and outpatient mental health centers. Whitehead’s ability to position herself at the forefront of new movements in the field of mental health has led her to actively establish innovative programs including recovery models that were initiated in the mid-to-late 70s.  Mark Withrow, MDPhysician East Tennessee OB/GYN Associates Dr. Mark Withrow makes the most of the doctor-patient relationship through his outstanding clinical and interpersonal skills. His bedside manner, timely sense of humor, follow-up (making the 'difficult' phone calls himself), and his ability to communicate the difficult-to-understand in a simple meaningful way are among the reasons he is recognized in this space. Today, the most successful physicians are those who not only have knowledge and skills to improve the quality of life of the patients they serve, but even more important, the ability to empathize and communicate with their patients. Withrow is empathetic and possesses a very engaging, warm and disarming personality that conveys a message of partnership to all those with whom he interacts. 8/1/2008 - 9:00 AMCharacter Study - August 2008Jeff BedardCEO, Crown Laboratories Inc.  When Environmental Working Group, a third-party watchdog organization, listed the safest sunscreens among the thousands of products available, they didn’t end up with one of the giants like Coppertone, Neutrogena or Hawaiian Tropic atop the list. Instead, Blue Lizard, made by Crown Laboratories of Johnson City, Tenn., was No. 1. Jeff Bedard is CEO.1) Complete the following sentence: In my business, the first rule is, "Thou shalt not..." ...over-promise and under-deliver. In any business this is a killer but when you are dealing with a consumer, a doctor and government agencies this could kill your business. If our product does not do what we say it does the consumer is lost. If the product fails for the patient then we lose the doctor recommendation. If we fail to follow through with the FDA they lock our doors. If we can’t do it we don’t say it. 2) Whom do you most respect in the Tri-Cities business community and why? Being a relative newcomer to the area I have not had the opportunity to really get to know a large number of the business leaders in the community but I can tell you the qualities I admire most are integrity, drive, compassion, risk-takers — those that are not afraid to do the right thing even if the majority may think it is the wrong thing, humble — if you were born on second base don’t tell everyone you just hit a double. There are a number of members of our community in both the public and private sector that have these characteristics and that is why I feel so good about the future of our region and our ability to weather the hurricane our economy is about to throw at us. 3) What do you think people who like you have to say about you? That I don’t focus on the negative but always try to find the positive in any situation. That I have a lot of corny analogies I like to throw out to paint a picture. That I am very opinionated. That I really do care about making a difference. That I am unwilling to compromise. That quit is a word I do not use. 4) What do you think people who don't like you have to say about you? Probably everything people who like me say but instead of viewing these characteristics as positives they see the dark side of them. I hope the people I meet like me but at the end of the day be true to yourself and know you are not going to please everyone all of the time. Also be smart enough to know the difference between things you can control and things that can control you. I can’t control what someone is going to say about me but I sure hope whatever they say, they say it with conviction, good or bad. 5) For you professionally, what have been the best of times and the worst of times? The best time, December 1, 2000. That was the day I opened the doors of Crown Laboratories Inc. We had four employees, we were grossly under capitalized and everyone I knew thought I was crazy. That day, however, changed my life forever because I knew I was finally an entrepreneur. It was the greatest feeling of being scared to death I have ever experienced. The worst, every time I miss out on an opportunity because I misjudged someone. Unfortunately I have taken some people at their word a couple times when my gut was telling me different. In those cases it has cost me a job or an opportunity. Hopefully you learn from it and move on. 8/1/2008 - 9:00 AMOn the Move - August 2008EDUCATION.jpg) Pat Shull has joined the staff of Virginia Intermont College as vice president for administration and chief of staff. Shull’s duties include directing and coordinating the administrative and operational activities of the president’s office; serving as a liaison between Dr. Puglisi and members of the administration; assisting in formulating, administering and evaluating college policies; representing Puglisi to internal and external constituencies; and coordinating activities and communication with the Board of Trustees. Shull graduated from The Citadel, Charleston, S.C., and received his commission as a 2nd Lieutenant in the United States Army. He holds a master’s degree in public administration from The University of Tennessee in Knoxville. Prior to joining VI, he was a defense consultant for two major defense contractors. Dr. Virginia Foley has been named interim director of University School, the laboratory K-12 institution on the campus of East Tennessee State University (ETSU). Foley is an assistant professor in the department of educational leadership and policy analysis in the university’s Claudius G. Clemmer College of Education. Prior to joining ETSU, she was director of elementary teaching and learning for the Dalton, Ga., school system. She also served as executive director of student services for the system, and has experience as a middle school principal as well as a guidance counselor. After completing bachelor’s and master’s degrees at Tennessee Tech University in Cookeville, Foley earned her doctorate at the University of Alabama. A national search is currently being conducted for a permanent University School director. Dr. Fred J. Alsop III has been named by ETSU as the first director of the George L. Carter Railroad Museum. The museum, opened to the public last November, is devoted to the region’s historical ties to railroads and features active displays of model railroads. Alsop’s vision for the Carter museum includes traveling exhibits for community outreach, increased funding and facilities, special railroading events, a student model railroad club and a children’s room where children can play safely with age-appropriate model trains. A professor in the ETSU Department of Biological Sciences, Alsop served as chair of that department for eight years. Since his arrival at ETSU in 1972, Alsop has written more than 100 scientific papers and articles about ornithology. ETSU has named Dr. Ramona Milhorn Williams as the vice provost for enrollment services. Williams has served in the position as interim since January 2007. Among the duties of the vice provost’s position are supervising the directors of enrollment services areas, including admissions, financial aid, the registrar, transfer articulation, the scholarship office, undergraduate student advisement, technical systems for enrollment services and enrollment marketing. In addition, the vice provost chairs major university initiatives aimed at enhancing student retention and persistence to graduation. The position is responsible for development and coordination of the university’s student recruitment and marketing plans for enrollment services. Williams earned three degrees at ETSU: a bachelor’s degree in political science with secondary education certification, a master’s degree in counseling and guidance and a doctoral degree in education (EdD) through the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis. Williams has been employed at ETSU in various capacities for 23 years. ENGINEERING  E. Roberts Alley & Associates Inc. (ERAlley) officials recently announced the addition of Jaret R. Gaither PE as a senior civil engineer for the company’s Johnson City, Tenn. regional office. Gaither graduated from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in Terra Haute, In., with a bachelor’s degree in civil and environmental engineering. His involvement in the construction management field began with the construction of the William J. Clinton Presidential Center and Park. His experience includes civil design, construction management and construction engineering inspection. Gaither was previously employed by Anderson & Associates Inc. as a civil engineering project manager. Gaither is licensed professional engineer and holds level II certification by the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation in erosion prevention and sediment control. ERAlley officials also recently hired Mary Beth Hobgood EIT as a project civil engineer in the company’s Johnson City regional office. Hobgood recently graduated from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville with a master’s degree in civil engineering.  She also obtained a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering also from UT. Her experience includes construction engineering inspection and civil engineering design including stormwater, erosion and sediment control, water, sanitary sewers and site design. Hobgood previously worked for Anderson & Associates Inc. as a civil engineering project engineer. Hobgood is classified as an Engineer-in-Training (EIT) and holds level II certification by the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation in erosion prevention and sediment control. Gaither and Hobgood join ERAlley to assist both public and private sector clients with water, wastewater, stormwater and related civil engineering work; as well as new land development engineering, including both commercial and residential site development and construction.EXECUTIVE Eastman Chemical Company officials recently announced the retirement of two executives and several resulting senior management appointments. Richard A. Lorraine, announced he will step down as senior vice president and chief financial officer, effective Sept.1. Lorraine will remain with the company until the end of the year performing in various roles and special projects. Gregory O. Nelson also announced his retirement as executive vice president and polymers business group head, effective Aug. 1. Curtis E. Espeland will succeed Lorraine as senior vice president and chief financial officer, effective Sept. 1. Espeland is currently vice president, finance and chief accounting officer. Mark J. Costa will assume Nelson’s position and become executive vice president, responsible for the polymers business group, as well as marketing, effective Aug. 1. Costa is currently senior vice president, corporate strategy and marketing. Ronald C. Lindsay has been named senior vice president, corporate strategy and regional leadership, effective Aug. 1. In this role, Lindsay will be responsible for the company’s industrial gasification initiatives. Lindsay is currently senior vice president and chief technology officer. Norris P. Sneed has been appointed senior vice president and chief administrative officer, with responsibilities for human resources, communications and public affairs and information technology, effective Sept. 1. Sneed is currently senior vice president, human resources, communications and public affairs. Gregory W. Nelson will assume the position of senior vice president and chief technology officer. Nelson is currently vice president, corporate technology. Scott V. King will replace Espeland as chief accounting officer effective Sept. 1, in addition to continuing in his current position of vice president and controller. James P. Rogers. Theresa K. Lee continues as president, Eastman Chemical Company, and chemicals and fibers business group head; Twill continue as senior vice president, chief legal officer and corporate secretary. FINANCIAL Citizens Bank recently promoted Michelle Williams to branch manager of the Hampton office. Williams has been with Citizens since 1990 and previously worked as both a teller and customer service representative. She is a graduate of Happy Valley High School.  R. Ford Davis has joined TriSummit Bank as vice president of commercial real estate. TriSummit Chairman and CEO R. Lynn Shipley announced the appointment effective July 10. Davis brings to TriSummit Bank more than 12 years of experience in commercial real estate banking and residential construction lending. He most recently served for more than five years in that capacity for Regions Bank and its predecessor, AmSouth, in the Tri-Cities. He began his banking career with First Commonwealth Bank in Wise, Va., and then moved to First Tennessee Bank where he worked for four years, first in Memphis and then the Tri-Cities. Davis holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from University of Virginia’s College at Wise and a master of business administration with an emphasis in finance from ETSU. He has also completed the Southeastern School of Commercial Lending at Vanderbilt University’s Owen Graduate School of Management.HOSPITALITY  Victoria Henard is the new clubhouse manager at the Country Club of Bristol. A native of Bristol, Tenn., Henard has more than 25 years of experience in residential management and concierge services. In her new position at The Club, she will oversee Mulligan’s Grill restaurant, inventory stocking and the housekeeping and wait staffs at the clubhouse. A resident of New York City for 37 years, Henard began her professional career by acting in commercials, in addition to industrial and educational films. After gaining experience in filmmaking, she helped coordinate development of the Dag Hammarskjold Tower, a landmark residential tower located in Manhattan, where she remained for 20 years to manage the facility’s health club and lounge services. Henard later took the position of club concierge at the Ritz-Carlton, Sarasota in Sarasota, Fla., where she handled service requests for some of the facility’s most prestigious clients.IT  Bailey Computing Technologies Inc. (BCTI) is reaching its goal of expanding the number of employees by 20 percent in 2008. BCTI recently added Chris Bruni, solutions architect, to the team. Bruni will design IT solutions for clients and managing purchases to fulfill engineering projects. Bruni earned bachelor’s degrees in business economics and in computer science. He is a Microsoft certified professional and a certified CompTia A+ and Network + solutions engineer. He began working in the IT service industry more than 14 years ago when during his junior year of college, he joined an IBM service company. Later on, he started a computer sales and service business in Rome, N.Y., where he worked closely with residential and small-to-medium sized businesses.  BCTI recently hired a new sales manager, Mike Loughry. Loughry adds experience to the sales team arriving with more than 15 years experience in Technology Sales and Sales Management capabilities. Loughry graduated from the University of Akron, Ohio, with a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a marketing focus.
8/1/2008 - 9:00 AMAwards & Achievements - August 2008Governor Timothy M. Kaine recently announced appointments to boards and commissions. Jim Bowie of Bristol, president of J.D. Bowie Law Offices, was reappointed to the Commonwealth Transportation Board. The recently released 2008 edition of Chambers USA, a directory of America's leading lawyers for business, has ranked seven practice areas and 16 attorneys with Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz PC as among the leading practices and practitioners in Tennessee. In individual rankings, Steven H. Trent, head of the firm's labor and employment department and a shareholder in the Tri-Cities office, was ranked in Band 3, third tier, in the practice area of labor and employment.Governor Phil Bredesen announced recently that the state will provide Carter County with an enhancement grant in the amount of $225,920 for Phase II of the Roan Mountain Community Park improvement project. The funds will be used to build a pedestrian bridge over the Doe River to connect the upper and lower areas of the park. The addition of the bridge will also enable the existing park trail to become part of the Overmountain Victory Trail.  Ben C. Adams, chairman and chief executive officer of the law firm of Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz PC, has been included in Lawdragon's list of "100 Managing Partners You Need to Know," which highlights the top names in law firm management across the country. Lawdragon, a legal community and print publication that provides attorney rankings and legal news, contacted more than 50,000 legal professionals for their input on the most effective law firm leaders. The leaders included in the list were selected through a combination of submissions from firms and Lawdragon's editorial research. Chad W. Whitfield has been named a partner with Hunter, Smith and Davis LLP. He is a member of the firm’s corporate practice group and estate planning practice group. Whitfield has more than 12 years of experience in the areas of estate administration, estate planning, estate taxation, succession planning and charitable giving. He graduated from East Tennessee State University (ETSU) and received his JD from St. Thomas University School of Law in Miami, Fl. Northeast State Technical Community College recently named 15 recipients of the Eastman Chemical Company Annual Scholarship as the chemical manufacturer and college seek to advance the region’s skilled workforce. New scholarship recipients are Jeremy Bishop, Christopher Eaton, Steven Still, Kenneth Edens, Jonathan Henderson, Juan Lozano and Robert Waterman. Returning Northeast State students retaining their scholarships are Chad Arney, Joshua Fillers, Derek Hightower, Mike Leonard, Philip Martin, Joshua Rasnake, Brad Stufflestreet and Clifton Worley III. Governor Phil Bredesen has appointed 115 Tennesseans to serve on 51 state boards and commissions. Kathryn W. Wilhoit, Johnson City, was named to the Board of Examiners for Nursing Home Administrators. Gary W. Randles, Greeneville, was named to the Drycleaner Environmental Response Board. Fielding Rolston, Kingsport, was named to the State Board of Education. John D. Piver, Johnson City, was named to the Tennessee Council on Developmental Disabilities. Fitch Ratings has assigned Johnson City an initial AA- rating, helping the city reach a new level of credit-worthiness. The AA- rating, which is a “high” grade, reflects the city's sizeable reserve levels, moderate debt levels and the stability of several prominent local employers, according to Fitch. The city has about $172.6 million in outstanding bonds secured by a general obligation of the city. Fiscal 2007 ended with a $3.3 million general fund surplus, bringing the unreserved general fund balance to $19.2 million, or 27.7 percent of expenditures, transfers out and other uses. The Corporate Image recently received 10 awards from the Public Relations Society of America’s (PRSA) Tri-Cities Chapter Awards of Excellence ceremony. Held in late June at the Kingsport Grocery Company, the annual awards ceremony recognized communications work completed during 2007. The Bristol, Tenn.-based media and public relations firm received seven PRSA Awards of Excellence — the top honor given. The company garnered top recognition in the categories of feature writing, media relations, media kits, crisis communications, Web site production, videotape production and collaterals/brochures. Bank of Tennessee recently received a $100,000 grant from the Federal Home Loan Bank of Cincinnati, Ohio, for the American Dream Homeownership Challenge. The program was designed to complement President Bush’s Blueprint for the American Dream by increasing homeownership opportunities for minorities. Grant recipients must purchase homes in Washington, Sullivan, Hawkins, Carter or Unicoi counties. Assistance is available for minority first-time homebuyers with their down payment or closing costs.  Wes Rosenbalm, president and CEO of Bristol Virginia Utilities, received the American Public Power Association’s (APPA) James D. Donovan Individual Achievement Award at the association’s National Conference in New Orleans, La. Among only 97 people honored nationwide since 1959, he was one of four executives to be honored with the designation for 2008. The award recognizes those who have made significant individual contributions to the electric utility industry and to public power. One of the youngest public utility managers in the country, Rosenbalm was hired at BVU in 2001 to lead the utility as it began an initial 125-mile fiber-optic cable build-out, he went on to successfully spearhead BVU’s position as the first public utility in the country to provide triple-play services over a fiber-to-the-user (FTTU) network.
8/1/2008 - 9:00 AMMed Briefs - August 2008 Marc William Mayhew MD Joins CVAKINGSPORT, TENN. — Mayhew completed a fellowship in interventional cardiology in June 2008, and a fellowship in cardiovascular disease in June 2007, both from the University of Alabama in Birmingham. Mayhew served as resident in internal medicine from July 2001 through June 2004. He is certified in internal medicine, nuclear cardiology and cardiovascular disease. Mayhew worked at Trinity Hospital and St. Vincent’s Hospital in Birmingham, Al., prior to joining Cardiovascular Associates in July. He works in the Kingsport Heart Center office.  Lonesome Pine President Appointed to State Task ForceBIG STONE GAP, VA. — Robert Polahar, president of Lonesome Pine Hospital, has received an appointment to a Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association task force that will develop a set of principles and an association code of conduct to facilitate the VHHA’s public advocacy efforts. The president at Lonesome Pine since 2004, Polahar is a graduate of Salem College in West Virginia and the Medical College of Virginia at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, where he received a master’s degree in hospital administration. Old Dominion University School of Nursing Offers Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Program at Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center ABINGDON, VA. — Old Dominion University at the Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center recently announced a new online program, Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP). All courses are delivered via Internet. The DNP is a 36-credit post-MSN program to advance the clinical diagnostic and practice skills of advanced practice nurses including nurse practitioners, nurse midwives, clinical nurse specialists and nurse anesthetists.  Healthcare Consultant Launches New FirmKINGSPORT, TENN. — Healthcare management expert A. Walter "Wally" Hankwitz recently launched Highlands Health Management Inc. (HHM), a national management consultancy that provides management and business advisory services to healthcare providers. HHM offers strategic planning, business development support, certificate of need assistance, acquisition and merger advice and practice management guidance. Hankwitz has more than 35 years of experience as a consultant and senior management executive. Prior to founding HHM, he served for 10 years as executive director of Highlands Physicians Inc. Southwestern Virginia Technology Council to Host Medical Technology Summit ABINGDON, VA. — Leaders from the Southwestern Virginia Technology Council announced plans for the region’s first Medical Technology Summit, to be held on August 11 and 12, at the Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center in Abingdon. The Summit is designed to offer presentations, informational sessions and hands-on opportunities to experience the latest technologies available to health professionals seeking to deliver efficient, high-quality care to patients. Registration fee for the two-day event is $50 per person, including breakfast, lunch and snacks during the event. Continuing Education Units will be available to professionals in attendance. Register at swvtc.org or contact Esther Bolling at 276.679.7800 or ebolling@swvtc.info.  New Takoma Regional CFO Augments Leadership TeamGREENEVILLE, TENN. — Tom VandenHoven was recently named chief financial officer at Takoma Regional Hospital, bringing years of experience in sound fiscal management to Greene County’s community hospital. VandenHoven joins Takoma Regional from Porter and Avista Adventist hospitals in the Denver area, where he served as the controller and director of finance. VandenHoven joined Adventist Health System’s corporate offices in 1999. A licensed certified public accountant, VandenHoven received a bachelor’s degree in administration with a concentration in accounting from Walla Walla College in College Place, Wash. He earned a master’s degree in taxation from Golden Gate University in San Francisco.  Williams Elected Chairman of Holston Valley BoardKINGSPORT, TENN. — John Williams, a longtime business and civic leader in Kingsport, was recently elected chairman of the Holston Valley Medical Center board of directors. Williams, who is chief executive officer of The Regional Eye Center in Kingsport, will serve a two-year term as chairman of the board. Williams served last year as chairman of the Wellmont Foundation board of governors and has also served as chairman of the Economic Development Council, the Small Business Council and Fun Fest. Bristol Regional Board of Directors Adds New Members BRISTOL, TENN. — The Bristol Regional Medical Center board of directors recently added four new members to the volunteer board that provides community leadership for the hospital. Wayne Kennedy, former chief executive officer of Bristol Compressors and current chair of the board of directors at Virginia Intermont College, joined the board and was elected secretary/treasurer. Three other new members are Dr. Sue Prill, a board-certified oncologist with Blue Ridge Medical Specialists; Dr. Nelson Gwaltney, a board-certified general surgeon with Bristol Surgical Associates; and David Wagner, also a member of the Bristol Regional Medical Center Foundation. Holston Valley Imaging Center Receives Accreditation in Computed Tomography KINGSPORT, TENN. — Holston Valley Imaging Center has been awarded a three-year term of accreditation in computed tomography based on a recent survey that confirmed the facility met high practice standards set by the American College of Radiology. The ACR awards accreditation to imaging facilities after on-site evaluations are conducted by board-certified physicians and medical physicists who are experts in their field. Holston Valley Imaging Center is located in the Holston Valley Outpatient Center.  Douglas Earns Highest Certification from Professional Society for Healthcare Leaders KINGSPORT, TENN. — Blaine Douglas, president of Holston Valley Medical Center, has earned Fellow status in the American College of Healthcare Executives, the highest level of achievement in the leading professional society for healthcare leaders. Nearly 30,000 healthcare executives are members of ACHE, but only 7,500 have achieved fellow status. To become an ACHE fellow, Douglas had to pass a comprehensive examination, meet specific academic and experiential criteria, earn continuing education credits and demonstrate professional and community involvement. The organization requires fellows to undergo recertification every three years. Behringer Named Co-Chair of State Cancer Coalition JOHNSON CITY, TENN. — Bruce Behringer from ETSU’s Division of Health Sciences has been named co-chair of the Tennessee Comprehensive Cancer Control Coalition, an initiative focused on eliminating the burden of cancer by implementing a statewide plan driven by data, science, capacity and outcomes. Behringer is ETSU’s assistant vice president for rural and community health and community partnerships and has spent more than 15 years overseeing a number of rural health professions education programs.  Elizabethton Fitness Center Becomes Part of SSHELIZABETHTON, TENN. — Sycamore Shoals Hospital announced the purchase of Franklin Health and Fitness Center in Elizabethton, effective July 1. SSH was one of the original owners of Franklin Health and Fitness Center along with North American Corporation, Mapes, Citizens Bank, Carter County Bank and Summers-Taylor. The center has been serving Elizabethton and the surrounding area since its opening in January 1995. With this transaction, Sycamore Shoals Hospital purchased the ownership interest from the other owners. SSH CEO Dwayne Taylor said there are plans to make improvements to the center over time, as ongoing improvements are made to the hospital. 8/1/2008 - 9:00 AMNew Biz - August 2008Carter County, Tenn.Cyclone Wireless Services Corporation 159 Fitzsimmons Hill Elizabethton, TN 37643 Jonathan Brian Taylor LM Design Specialties Corp. 108 Greene Meadows Drive Elizabethton, TN 37643 Karin A. McCoy Wynn Wood Wildlife Rehab 150 Cecil Estep Road Elizabethton, TN 37643 Geraldine L. Wynn Greene County, Tenn. Cedarcreekalpaca.com LLC 3840 Cedar Creek Road Greeneville, TN 37743 National Registered Agents Inc. Fraker Farms LLC 524 Eades Lane Chuckey, TN 37641 Cynthia Broyles PCN LLC 168 Magnolia Drive Greeneville, TN 37743 Pramod Patel Ridgeline Technologies LLC 128 Whispering Ridge Road, Suite 101 Greeneville, TN 37743 Peter Orr Hawkins County, Tenn. RPC Services Inc. 172 Harris Hollow Road Rogersville, TN 37857 Robert Clyde Traxx Express Inc. 273 Highway 11E, Suite D Bulls Gap, TN 37711 Delbert Hawkins Smyth County, Va. The Tuscan of Abingdon Inc. 111 North Park Street Marion, VA 24354 John H. Graham Sullivan County, Tenn. A Super Party LLC 1225 North Eastman Road, Suite 120 Kingsport, TN 37664 Michael Cooper Allison Heights Development LLC 403 Rock Lane Piney Flats, TN 37686 Nancy Murphy CCS Land & Development Inc. 4981 Highway 421 Bristol, TN 37620 Garland E. Chafin II Cottages Construction LLC 1241 Volunteer Parkway Bristol, TN 37620 Hale, Lyle & Russell, A Professional Corporation Curves of Colonial Heights LLC 4307 Fort Henry Drive Kingsport, TN 37663 Laura Cox Eco-Populace LLC 222 East Center Street, Suite 203 Kingsport, TN 37660 National Registered Agents Inc. Faulk&Bacon Development LLC 416 Arrowhead Drive Kingsport, TN 37664 Chad M. Bacon IN2WIT LLC 205 Shoals Road Kingsport, NT 37663 IN2WIT LLC Min Dynasty Inc. 1375-6 Volunteer Parkway Bristol, TN 37620 Min Tan Yang PK & Company Inc. 2116 Lamont Street Kingsport, TN 37664 Penny Botts Ramey Properties LLC 110 Quail Run Bristol, TN 37620 Garron Kreg Ramey Statice Inc. 8 5th Street Bristol, TN 37620 R. Justin Peters Terry’s Electric Services LLC 209 Nelson Avenue Piney Flats, TN 37686 Terry Burleson The Cellboat Company LLC 2216 Pendragon Road Kingsport, TN 37660 Jennifer Schildt, Esq. Tazewell County, Va. Natural Gas NRG 5050 Inc. 1225 Banks Ridge Road Tazewell, VA 24651 Francine Britton Unicoi County, Tenn. East Tenn Wireless Inc. 126 Church of Christ Lane Erwin, TN 37650 Dustin Bennett Washington County, Tenn. A Combined Voice 1202 West Main Street Johnson City, TN 37604 C. John Fleenor Bone Yard II Inc. 202 Furnace Road Johnson City, TN 37601 Charles Silvers Boones Creek Animal Hospital LLC 1750 Old Gray Station Road Johnson City, TN 37615 Timothy Dalpiaz J.B. Thomas & Associates LLC 715 East Holston Avenue Johnson City, TN 37601 John B. Thomas Princess Diaries LLC 2011 North Roan Street Johnson City, TN 37601 Wan Hee Yoon Ray W. Mettetal Jr. MD Inc. 303 East 11th Avenue Johnson City, TN 37601 Ray W. Mettetal Jr. MD Inc. The Lillipop Shop Franchise Inc/ 125 East Main Street Jonesborough, TN 37659 Mark D. Edmonds Washington County, Va. Bristol Trainstation Inc. 502 Cumberland Street Bristol, VA 24201 Elizabeth Smith Jones All-N-One Inc. 15297 Monticello Drive Bristol, VA 24202 William S. Nerren AMP Enterprises Inc. 502 Cumberland Street Bristol, VA 24201 Elizabeth Smith Jones Bristol Trainstation Inc. 502 Cumberland Street Bristol, VA 24201 Elizabeth Smith Jones Bryte Tyme Inc. 185 East Valley Street Abingdon, VA 24212 Michael A. Bragg Cross Creek Condominium Owners’ Association 17085 Sedona Drive Abingdon, VA 24211 John Beverly Ely Investments Inc. 597 East Main Street Abingdon, VA 24210 Brian M. Ely J K Anderson Inc. 880 Hillman Highway NE Abingdon, VA 24210 James K. Anderson Pulaski Village Apartments Management Inc. 600 Cumberland Street Bristol, VA 24201 Peter Curcio Rushing Consulting Services Inc. 12011 Rich Valley Road Bristol, VA 24202 Larry Steven Rushing Sweetbriar Apartments Management Inc. 600 Cumberland Street Bristol, VA 24201 Peter Curcio TCL Inc. 1913 Lee Highway Bristol, VA 24201 Terry C. Frye Total Lawn Care Inc. 161 East Main Street Abingdon, VA 24210 Christopher E. Johnson Trimason of Richmond Inc. 825 Colonia Road Abingdon, VA 24210 Randall A. Eads Wise County, Va. Mountain Empire Hearing & Balance Inc. 104 Nottingham Avenue Wise, VA 24293 Jeffery L. Elkins Russell Creek Repair Inc. 5741 Cranes Nest Road Coeburn, VA 24230 Erik Kip Parsons bj 8/1/2008 - 9:00 AMAfter 5 - Accoutrements - August 2008After 5ETSU Jazz at the Culp Featuring Rita Coolidge August 29, 7:30 p.m. East Tennessee State University’s Dr. David Champouillion has brought some remarkable jazz performers to the region over the past several years. The Airmen of Note, Doc Severenson and Ed Shaughnessy dot the distinguished list. This month, the lovely and talented Rita Coolidge comes to the D.P. Culp University Center in Johnson City for a concert benefiting The Niswonger Children’s Hospital and the ETSU Topalian Jazz Scholars Endowment. Coolidge, originally from Lafayette, Tenn., is best known for her hits “One Fine Day,” “Higher and Higher” and “All Time High.” She has performed with Eric Clapton, Joe Cocker and Kris Kristofferson. An Evening with Lily Tomlin Barter Theatre November 8, 8 p.m.  We know the show isn’t this month, but tickets for Tomlin’s appearance celebrating the 75th Anniversary of the Official State Theatre of Virginia won’t last. “An Evening with Lily Tomlin” is a fundraising event to benefit Barter Theatre’s Annual Fund for Artistic Excellence. Tomlin, one of America’s foremost comediennes, continues to venture across an ever-widening range of media, starring in television, theater, motion pictures, animation and video. Throughout her extraordinary entertainment career, Tomlin has received numerous awards including six Emmy’s and two Tony’s, among others. Known for her roles as Ernestine, the telephone operator and the devilish six-year-old Edith Ann on Laugh-In, her play The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe, 9-5 with Dolly Parton and Jane Fonda, The Incredible Shrinking Woman, The Beverly Hillbillies 1993 movie, and more recently, I Heart Huckabee’s and The West Wing, Tomlin has had a thriving career for many, many years. Her show in November will feature Tomlin in some of her most famous roles. Tickets for this one-night-only show are available through the Barter Department of Development at 276.619.3303. AccoutrementsThe Ups and Downs of the New iPhone 3G  While Apple and AT&T officials are touting the new iPhone 3G just as they did the first iPhone, released a year ago, there are a few things to take into consideration before you drop the cash. Ups 1) iPhone 3G uses a technology protocol called HSDPA (High-Speed Downlink Packet Access) to download data fast over UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) networks. Email attachments and web pages load twice as fast on 3G networks as on 2G EDGE networks. 2) You don't need WiFi. Since 3G networks enable simultaneous data and voice, you can talk on the phone while surfing the web, checking email or using Maps. 3) The app store offers tons of relatively low-priced applications to make the 3G a much more business-friendly tool than the original iPhone. 4) iPhone 3G meets worldwide standards for cellular communications, so you can make calls and surf the web from practically anywhere on the planet. And if you’re in an area without a 3G network, iPhone connects you via GSM for calls and EDGE for data. 5) The “me” network allows synching of calendars, music, contacts and much more with PCs or Macs. Downs 1) If you have a lot of contacts, it may take a while to scroll through them on the new iPhone G3. While the interface is nice to look at, it can also take a while to find Wally Szerbiak in your Rolodex. 2) Battery life. Reports are mixed, but the new G3 has even less battery life than the original iPhone, which wasn’t great. 3) You can't type fast without a lot of practice, and entering passwords isn't so private. The last letter you typed shows up on the screen, so anyone with the ability to memorize quickly can theoretically steal your password. Also, unlike typing on a regular handset with raised buttons, all of the keys feel the same on this one. 4) If you get a lot of spam, prepare yourself. There is a clear need of a junk-mail filter. 5) If you already have AT&T service, transferring your services over to a new, upgraded phone probably won’t be that hard to do. But if you’re a new customer, you’ll have to sign on to a two-year contract with AT&T. Sources: forum.theiphoneblog.com, apple.com 8/1/2008 - 9:00 AMNi Hao Ya’ll! Notes From a Pre-Olympic Business Visit to ChinaBy David Hite As China seeks to be one of the largest capitalist economies in the world, this spring was an exciting time to go. For years I have heard complaints about how fast China is growing and how everything we buy is made in China or how many jobs go overseas to China, so I felt a need to see what actually is happening. Everyone knows that China exports a lot of stuff, but many folks in our area didn’t know that China actually imports hundreds of millions of dollars worth of chemicals, coal, computers, waste metal and machine parts from the Tri-Cities area. One of our speakers from the US Department of Commerce in China said that 10 years ago, 70 percent of US businesses that set up shop in China were not profitable. Now the figure has flipped and only 30 percent of US businesses are not successful. However, we learned that setting up a business in China is more complex and bureaucratic than it is in the US and there are certain businesses that do better than others such as high-tech medical devices. So, why is China’s economy growing while the US falters? Asia’s economic success rests on social foundations formed by a renewal of old traditions emphasizing hard work, family cohesion, passion for learning, high savings rates and disciplined and orderly societies. I have found that both Americans and Chinese find enormous differences in each other’s cultures, yet they both feel the impact of change from the other. One unique aspect that we recognize in the US is the focus on learning among Chinese students. We hear daily about the poor scores American schools have in areas such as math and sciences. I had the opportunity to spend a week on a large college campus in Shanghai and I learned that the students really enjoyed learning and doing group-learning activities. Parents constantly reinforce the fact that “perfectibility is within grasp of everyone.” Some basic Chinese:
It is critical that we start opening up doors to building a stronger understanding of China and its people and to the wonderfully rich partnerships we can establish with their dynamic younger population, which is shaping the future global economy. My experiences there opened my mind to how fortunate we are, how wealthy, how advanced and how many opportunities we have to really impact our community and our country. We shouldn’t see China as a “competitor” or “threatening to our economy” but rather as a global partner that we can begin trying to understand. Both sides should work to understand what each other needs and how we can mutually benefit from each other. David Hite is a web technologist for Eastman Chemical Co., based in Kingsport, Tenn. His visit to China was sponsored by the Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center. |
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