Pictured Above Mark Cox By Scott Robertson Eastman’s approach to the Coronavirus is to be overprepared but to respond proportionately to whatever arises, said Mark Cox, senior vice president, chief manufacturing, supply chain and engineering officer. Cox is heading up Eastman’s task force responding to Coronavirus concerns. Cox spoke with bjournal.com recently about the company’s response to the crisis in t ...

Executive Director Gene Cossey (center) reports on the proposed memorandum of understanding between the airport, Northeast State Community College and the Tennessee Board of Regents. PHOTOS BY SCOTT ROBERTSON Northeast State Community College and Tri-Cities Airport (TRI) are back in the workforce development business together. A project in which the college and airport will work together to create a space f ...

Cody Boring Cody Boring has been named executive director of the Rocky Mount Historical Association. The association’s Board of Trustees, which sets the direction for Rocky Mount State Historic Site, chose Boring after a national search. He oversees the scenic 37-acre site, its multiple historic structures, a museum and the popular Cotswold sheep, as well as a dedicated team of staff members and volunteers. ...

Beth Harwell (left), Brian Noland U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander, the senior senator from Tennessee, announced Tuesday that East Tennessee State University President Dr. Brian Noland will be nominated by President Donald Trump to serve on the Tennessee Valley Authority Board of Directors. President Trump said Tuesday morning he would nominate Noland and former Tennessee State House Speaker Beth Harwell, accor ...

Heath Guinn LaunchTN, the public-private partnership designed to assist entrepreneurs and start-up businesses in the Volunteer State is back in business in Northeast Tennessee. LaunchTN is partnering with Kingsport-based Sync.Space with the goal of creating an accelerator/incubator program in Northeast Tennessee. A confluence of events, including the election of a governor whose administration places an emp ...

Above: Richmond Fed President Tom Barkin. PHOTO BY KERI STEGALL Most people know the Federal Reserve Bank only as the “up-a-quarter-point, down-a quarter-point” institution. But, armed with a broader mandate and a serious question, Richmond Fed President and CEO Tom Barkin visited Abingdon, Va., Aug. 5 to hear from business, not-for-profit, and government leaders about the regional economy. “Our mandate inc ...

The Virginia Business College Board has named Dr. Gene Couch, Jr as its President. Couch has more than 35 years of higher education experience - as a faculty member, program director, division chair, program developer, chief academic officer, senior administrator for academic and student services, as an executive vice president and most recently as the president of Virginia Highlands Community College. Couc ...

Technology expert Scott Koslosky used the keynote address at the Southwest Virginia Economic Forum at the University of Virginia – Wise to encourage attendees to move toward earlier adoption of technologies in an effort to bring economic growth to the region. “Humans and technology are integrating in a way we’ve never seen.” Koslosky said. “It will completely change the economy.” New connections have the ab ...

Representatives from Ballad Health, Speedway Children's Charities and Niswonger Children's Hospital announced a new regional initiative called STRONG Kids last Wednesday in Bristol. From left, BMS vice-president Julie Bennett, Speedway Children's Charities director Claudia Byrd, Balla Health vice-president Paula Masters and Niswonger Children's Hospital CEO Lisa Carter. PHOTO BY DAVE ONGIE By Dave Ongie, Ne ...

Alicia Summers Photo by Scott Robertson by Scott Robertson Economic developers in Washington County, Tenn., are hoping to lure a German company that manufactures fans, motors and other components for the heating and air conditioning units in the automotive and other sectors. The county is competing with one other location in Tennessee and one site in Texas for the business, according to Alicia Summers of th ...