By Karen Randolph Many of the conditions the housing market in the Tri-Cities experienced in 2019 will not change much in 2020, but there are new opportunities and some challenges. New and existing home sales should increase, but do not be surprised if growth rates take a breather from the current pace. Buyers can expect an increase in the number of new homes coming on the market, and the inventory of exist ...

Ballad Health Executive Chairman and CEO Alan Levine Wednesday announced to employees the retirement of the man responsible for insuring internal compliance with the Certificate of Public Advantage under which Ballad operates. Gary Miller, former general counsel for Wellmont Health System will be succeeded in that role by Karen Guske beginning Jan. 13. The full text of Levine’s letter to employees follows: ...

The chief of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI), Richard Sneed, announced Jan. 7 that his organization has reached an agreement to develop and operate a proposed Washington County, Va., casino. The casino is planned to be part of the Pinnacle Virginia, a 350-acre development that will include an outdoor concert venue, recreational facilities and a hotel featuring an indoor waterpark. Pinnacle devel ...

Above: Tennessee Governor Bill Lee at the Elizabethton TCAT. Photo by Scott Robertson Tennessee Governor Bill Lee made his first visit to the Tennessee College of Applied Technology (TCAT) Elizabethton Jan. 3 to announce a $1 million Governor’s Investment in Vocational Education (GIVE) grant to fund “Northeast STEM to Work” training. The Northeast Tennessee STEM to Work initiative is designed to bring STEM- ...

By Scott Robertson Ballad Health announced Monday a sweeping set of discounts aimed at improving the ability of lower to middle income patients’ to afford healthcare costs, even if they are uninsured or have high insurance deductibles. Ballad issued a press release saying it will increase the discount for its services to uninsured patients from 77 percent to 85 percent. For those patients who are insured, b ...

Featuring: • Leclerc plans to triple its production volume • Ballad to implement new charity/discount plan • ActionVFX is blowing up • The 25th KOSBE Awards and more Download January 2020 Business Journal ...

By Dave Ongie and Scott Robertson Like most Americans, Rep. Phil Roe took some time out recently to gather with his family during the holiday season. With the end of his sixth term in the United States House of Representatives looming on the horizon, Roe said he had a conversation with his family that has become somewhat of a tradition during his six terms in Congress. This time around, Roe witnessed someth ...

Delegate Terry Kilgore, Big Stone Gap Town Manager Steve Lawson, InvestSWVa Project Lead Will Payne and Duane Miller, Executive Director of the LENOWISCO Planning District Commission show the plans for a co-working space in the basement of the former Mutual Pharmacy building. The Virginia Tobacco Region Revitalization Commission Thursday highlighted a Southwest Economic Development program grant award of $2 ...

Olan Jones Eastman Credit Union announced Sunday its board of directors has voted to return to members the largest extraordinary dividend in its history, $14 million. That brings the total extraordinary dividend returned since 1998 to more than $132 million, according to Olan Jones, CEO and president. “I appreciate the board of directors for their continued support of the Extraordinary Dividend. The fact th ...

It’s been a busy week at the Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center in Abingdon. Not only did the center break ground on a $2.6 million expansion of its facility, it also announced it would host a new master’s degree program for Radford University. The expansion, funded by the Virginia General Assembly, will include expansion of the existing testing center, as well as new classrooms and meeting space, a ...