Rural broadband service provider Sunset Digital Communications announced recently it will open a new branch office in Tazewell, Va., to house support teams for its Virginia customers in the Tazewell, Russell, Buchanan, Wythe and Bland county areas. The new project in Tazewell is expected to create at least 50 new jobs. The announcement was made by Sunset's Paul and Ryan Elswick at the Tazewell Town Office. ...

The Bristol chapter of Speedway Children’s Charities (SCC-Bristol) is geared up for the upcoming Food City 500 race weekend. SCC-Bristol will hold numerous fundraisers throughout race week to benefit thousands of children in the community. Some of SCC’s opportunities include Track Laps, the annual SCC dinner presented by Tele-Optics, Meade Tractor Cornhole Classic, Bristol Ultimate Experiences Online Auctio ...

New River Hardwoods, Inc. officials recently announced the lumber company will invest $3.8 million in its operations in Roan Mountain. New River plans to create around 25 manufacturing and production jobs in Carter County. The company will install new equipment and convert its Roan Mountain log yard into a lumber manufacturing facility. “I’d like to thank New River Hardwoods for investing in Roan Mountain a ...

Photo above: Wynne Tyree, CEO Smarty Pants By Scott Robertson Most people know great branding from merely good branding. And in our media-savvy culture, even kids can tell good branding from bad. The tough part – especially for a business owner trying to brand a product, service or company – is knowing how to create a great brand. For most of us, great branding is analogous to the late U.S. Supreme Court Ju ...

First in a two-part series by Don Fenley and Scott Robertson This is not your father’s economy. Well, actually, if your father is a Baby Boomer, it is. It is the economy his generation is about to dominate. And few places in America is that more true than Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia. In examining demographics and economics, it first must be stated that the population is growing worldwide. The ...

Photo above: Tim Stanley and Adam Newsome Photos by Gabriel Logan By Gabriel Logan Taking a look at Master Precision Machining (Master) today, it’s hard to recognize the 30-year-old tool and die operation that was slogging along in Kingsport’s Regional Park just a few months ago. “This place has been here since 1988” Tim Stanley, COO says. “We came in last year, bought it, closed in August and made a bunch ...

Photo above: Dr. Brian Ratliff speaks during the roundtable discussion at Food City corporate headquarters. By Scott Robertson Virginia Education Secretary Atif Qarni, a former civics teacher from Prince William County, made his first foray into Southwest Virginia in March, meeting with educators and business leaders. “We want to focus on literacy in general, but on financial literacy – a couple of years ag ...

Photo above: The 30-acre portion of Partnership Park II in Bristol slated for grading work is highlighted in this rendering, courtesy NETWORKS Sullivan Partnership. By Scott Robertson After hosting presentations from NETWORKS Sullivan Partnership and the Northeast Tennessee Regional Economic Partnership (NeTREP) , the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development announced in March it will awar ...

By Scott Robertson Mission Health, which operates six hospitals and health facilities in Western North Carolina and competes for medical professionals and patients with Northeast Tennessee-based Ballad Health, has signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) to merge with Nashville-based HCA. Ballad Chairman and CEO Alan Levine said the day after the announcement he does not anticipate significant changes in the competi ...

By Scott Robertson US News & World Report (USN&WR) ran an article recently about Johnson City, Tennessee. The thrust of the piece was that even though the city has high availability of quality health care, it does not crack the list of top 500 healthiest cities in the nation. The same statement could be made in general terms for the entire region. Health care is available, but the population is less ...