The Chattanoogan hotel, a AAA Four Diamond-rated upscale property, has been honored with two of the highest awards given in the meetings industry. The hotel was awarded the prestigious 2009 Best of the South Award from Meetings Media as well as the 2009 Pinnacle Award from Successful Meetings. There are only three hotels in Tennessee [...]
November 16, 2009
Innovation Valley Website Named Best in Tennessee
Innovation Valley Inc, a regional economic development campaign in the Knoxville-Oak Ridge area, was recognized by Governor Phil Bredesen and the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development for having the best economic development website in the state. The announcement was made on September 14 at the 56th Annual Governor’s Conference on Economic and Community [...]
November 16, 2009
New Christmas Wonderland location spreads cheer to local businesses
Christmas is right around the corner so Shadrack Watersports and RV’s Christmas Wonderland are spreading a lot of holiday cheer. It’s the largest show of its kind in the country, a drive-through experience featuring hundreds of thousands of led lights synchronized and dancing to classic Christmas tunes. “We decided to expand this year because Knoxville [...]
November 16, 2009
Commercial development, albeit on a smaller scale, continues in South Buncombe
The days of rapid-fire commercial construction in the area have passed, but it’s not as if developers have just shut down operations completely. Some building continues in Asheville and Buncombe, although not the type of massive commercial projects that marked the late 1990s and early part of this decade. Speculative building — where developers erect [...]
November 16, 2009
Spruce Pine one of Western North Carolina towns reaping tourism gains from Blue Ridge Parkway
The owners of the Orchard at Altapass took North Carolina to court when the state proposed acquiring 200 acres of the apple orchard to create the Blue Ridge Parkway in the 1930s. The owners at the time ran a wholesale apple business and did not see the benefit of having the scenic road come through [...]
November 16, 2009
Western North Carolina builders seek local advantage
Some area architects and contractors are trying to get residents and public officials to apply the “buy local” mantra to more than produce. A group of about 40 building professionals from four Western North Carolina counties have formed a group to encourage the use of area firms for commercial construction in the area. Some say [...]
