Photo above: Rick Gaumer, vice president for Business and Finance speaks at the Oct. 7 groundbreaking as President Jake Schrum looks on. By Scott Robertson Emory & Henry College broke ground Oct. 7 on a $12.5 million residence hall construction project to create 197 more beds for on-campus student living. Eight small residence halls, including six apartment-style halls, and a community center will be ad ...

Photo above: SVHA board members Dr. Dixie Tooke-Rawlins, Dr. Sue Cantrell and Dr. Donna Henry listen during the board’s Oct. 27 meeting.  Photos by Jeff Keeling   By Jeff Keeling We are well aware of the economic and healthcare challenges facing this region. The question for us, and more importantly the question for the Authority, is whether this merger is the only way to address the issues at the cost ...

Photo above: Jamie Whitacre, Keith Phillips, William Hayter and Gene Copenhaver accept the Agribusiness of the Year Award Oct. 17.   First Bank & Trust Company was recently awarded the Virginia Agribusiness Council’s 2016 Agribusiness of the Year Award. Council Chair Lynn Graves presented the award during the Council’s Annual Membership Meeting in Winchester. The recognition is presented annually t ...

Photo Above: Fran Lutz, Interim CEO, Opportunity Finance Network; Allison Clark, Associate Director, Program Related Investments, MacArthur Foundation; Ron Scott, President & CEO, ACFCU; Mike Rizer, Executive Vice President and Director, Community Relations at Wells Fargo Bank; Tony Berkley, Vice President, Strategy & Impact, Prudential Financial, Inc.   By Jeff Keeling Appalachian Community Fe ...

By Scott Robertson The tide of banking regulation that swept over America after the Great Recession of 2008 may finally have reached crest stage. You’ll forgive small community bankers, though, if they’re not celebrating. The floodwaters aren’t rising anymore, but the house is still under water. When TriSummit Bancorp and HomeTrust Bancshares announced their merger Sept. 21 in Kingsport, TriSummit CEO Lynn ...

By Jeff Keeling It took a self-effacing grandfather to convey the true import of a drama that’s been unfolding for more than two years now, the results of which could impact every person, community and business in the region for decades. By the time Dick Brownlee stepped to the podium inside a room at the Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center the evening of Oct. 27, that day’s chapter of the drama had ...

“You are 40 young men and women who are making a difference in your home and your workplace and in your community. You are 40 of the reasons we have a bright future as we look toward a tomorrow that is increasingly interconnected and globally competitive – and for the record, you are 40 people who would all make better presidential candidates than the two we have to choose from.” -  Dr. Bill Greer, Milligan ...

Coming March 2017! The Business Journal of Tri-Cities Tennessee/Virginia is excited for the opportunity to partner with the City of Kingsport to publish a commemorative edition celebrating Kingsport100, an historical look back at the businesses and people that have made Kingsport a great place to live, work and play for 100 years! The glossy, color, magazine style publication will highlight Kingsport histor ...

By Jeff Keeling Wellmont Health System and Mountain States Health Alliance’s bid to become a single, $1.9 billion hospital system passed a critical juncture last month. The Sept. 15 Tennessee Department of Health (TDH) decision to deem the systems’ application for a Certificate of Public Advantage (COPA) complete – granted seven months after the initial application was submitted – set the clock ticking towa ...

TriSummit CEO Lynn Shipley, left and HomeTrust Chairman and CEO Dana Stonestreet pose in Shipley’s office the day the acquisition was announced. Photo by Scott Robertson By Scott Robertson Last Wednesday afternoon, after issuing a press release announcing the planned purchase of TriSummit Bancorp, Inc. by HomeTrust Bancshares, Inc., HomeTrust CEO Dana Stonestreet and TriSummit CEO Lynn Shipley sat down toge ...