In introducing a new department this month, we decided to hone in on some data that is certain to be in the sights of at least three other entities – the finalists for alignment in Wellmont Health System’s strategic options process. Wellmont leaders have said recently they hope to announce a decision about an alignment by sometime late this year. The system provides quarterly and annual financial informatio ...

Agriculture's role in economy bigger than many realize Story and photos by Jeff Keeling I love to watch stuff grow. When things are going good, there's just nothing like it. I couldn't see myself doing anything else other than what I'm doing.           Wesley Squibb I love what I do. I love working the land. Nothing makes me happier than to climb on a tractor for 12 or 14 hours a day.          Jeff Aiken As ...

City provides letter after breaking several scheduled interviews By Scott Robertson and Tammy Childress Note: Shortly after this story went to press, Bristol ,Va. officials sent the Business Journal a letter from Cabela's Steven Krajewski, Cabela's real estate director, dated Nov. 10. The letter states that Cabela's plans to build an 82,003-square-foot store in Bristol. That is smaller than the size repeate ...

Growing array of outside voices weighs in By Jeff Keeling “We’re talking about things in this region that we never thought possible. We’re having these conversations because there was the disruption of Wellmont saying, ‘we really need to ask difficult questions.’ I applaud Wellmont’s board for the conversation that has begun because they had the wherewithal to say ‘we have to do something differently.’”     ...

By Scott Robertson Kick-off is less than a year away for ETSU football, a program rebooting after an 11-year hiatus. The Buccaneers are schedule to play Kennesaw State Sept. 3, 2015 on Steve Spurrier Field at Kermit Tipton Stadium on the campus of Science Hill High School. Tipton Stadium will serve as the temporary home of the Bucs until a new on-campus stadium can be built. Current plans call for the Bucs ...

Health Information Exchange Growth Continues By Scott Robertson What we’re being asked to do by the government and everybody else, quite frankly, is prove that we’re providing quality. If they’re going to pay us a dollar they want to know if they got a dollar’s worth of quality out of this.                                                                                                                        ...

Five years in, Internet marketer well past startup status By Jeff Keeling “Bargain hunters. The people who like to grab stuff off the impulsive section in the checkout line. Those are the customers that shop with us.” Vantha Chhoun, Jammin Butter co-owner  “We still maintain a little bit of goofiness. Every website you go to is, ‘here’s this, buy this, ok.’ We would go insane if we had to act like that all ...

The Virginia question -- Could a Wellmont-MSHA merger happen with no COPA law? By Jeff Keeling “The two large systems in Southwest Virginia that are providing most of our care are Bristol and Johnson City-based. So it’s a big deal for us what happens here.”       Dr. Bill Hazel – Virginia Secretary of Health and Human Resources Dr. Bill Hazel had some familiarity with the greater Tri-Cities before accepting ...

"Hole in the wall gang" continues press for Wellmont-Mountain States merger talks By Jeff Keeling An Aug. 13 email from the Kingsport Chamber of Commerce titled “A Message from Our Mayor: Community Forum Concerning the Future of Local Hospitals” marked the beginning of a high-profile effort to influence Wellmont’s merger strategy. Since that day, and particularly following an Aug. 18 community forum in King ...

By Scott Robertson We are told the end of what Dennis Vonderfecht once referred to as the Friday night football mentality of economic development is growing near. But we have been told this before. We remember when private sector leaders came together to form a regional alliance for economic development to end the petty battles between Northeast Tennessee’s county economic developers. But we remember how ma ...