News - Friday, May 6, 2022

It began with Nissan’s decision to bring a manufacturing plant to Tennessee in 1983.

Four decades later, Tennessee serves as the home of three major auto manufacturers – Nissan, GM and Volkswagen – with Ford on the way, and is the North American headquarters for Japan-based automotive giants Nissan, Mitsubishi and Bridgestone, all located in the Nashville area.

Here’s a good analogy about the nation’s ever-changing automotive conversion from cars with internal combustion engines to a fleet of battery-powered electric vehicles.

“A lot of people sound worried, but I like to compare it to leaving the horse and going to the internal combustion engine. So, now the motor is the horse, and we’re leaving it behind,” says Ferman Clark of Brentwood, a now-retired GM employee who worked at the Saturn plant in Spring Hill from 1990 through the mid-2000s.

When – not if – NASCAR and the NTT IndyCar Series enter the electric era of motorsports racing, will the traditional race command be replaced by “start your motors”?

Better yet, try to imagine NASCAR Hall of Famer Darrell Waltrip shouting, “boogity, boogity, boogity … let’s go green, boys,” to start a Cup race.

Erin Gomez didn’t know any lawyers when she decided to become one herself. She didn’t even think about becoming an attorney until after she’d graduated from college.

Gomez, 31, followed that path after becoming interested in immigration law. It was a short walk, though.

Two legal professionals with experience in a variety of service areas have joined Chambliss, Bahner & Stophel in Chattanooga.

Attorney Patrick Walsh and paralegal Kimberly Graves will support the firm’s clients in the areas of business, real estate, commercial lending, financial transactions, commercial contracts, financial institutions and financial services.

Newly hired Miller & Martin attorneys Jennie Brooks Corley, Russ Swafford and Evan Sharber are applying their experience to a range of matters at the law firm’s Chattanooga office.

Corley, a business and regulatory lawyer with 10 years of experience, has joined Miller & Martin’s corporate group as an associate.

Keller Williams Realtor Aubrey LaRue was shocked when she learned someone had nominated her to be an UnBought & UnBossed mentor.

Teens participating in the Girls Inc. program “SHE: She Can, She Will” select a nominee to mentor them based solely on the strength of their biographies and without knowing who they are.

It’s no secret we’re all feeling the pinch of inflation. No matter where you look, most of the items we purchase – gas, groceries, etc. – cost us much more than they did just a year ago. Inflation also is having a massive impact on housing costs.

With spring in full bloom, you might be ready to give your living space a refresh. Remodeling can modernize your home and add more value.

However, before you try DIY, you might want to consider finding and hiring a professional. A remodeler can provide a wealth of experience and professional integrity and solve any design challenges you might encounter.

Chattanooga development firm Rise Partners has reached an agreement with the city of Chattanooga to revitalize an obsolete Hixson industrial site that once employed more than 5,000 workers.

The project will address a shortage of industrial sites in the city, which has lost a number of projects due to lack of available space, says Chattanooga Mayor Tim Kelley.

Collier Construction and The Pop-Up Project have announced plans to reactivate the historic Standard Coosa Thatcher Mill, the vacant, 300,000-square-foot centerpiece of Collier’s landmark Mill Town development.

Beginning in September, The Pop-Up Project will utilize the Mill, located at 1800 South Watkins Street in the Oak Grove neighborhood, for a series of performances that will occupy every room, corner, closet and floor of the former textile factory.

The board of directors for Ronald McDonald House Charities of Greater Chattanooga has selected Michael Brown to serve as the nonprofit’s next president and CEO.

Brown’s background includes operations, financial stewardship and strategic development. He will follow Jane Kaylor, who plans to retire June 1 after 32 years with Ronald McDonald House.

Historic preservation nonprofit Cornerstones has changed its name to Preserve Chattanooga.

Established in 1975 as Landmarks Chattanooga, the organization became known as Cornerstones in 1994. After 28 years as Cornerstones, the nonprofit has rebranded itself to clarify its purpose and the community it serves.

Potential applicants who did not submit initial proposals for the $30 million available through Chattanooga’s portion of the American Rescue Plan may still apply for funding – although Chattanooga Mayor Tim Kelly says many projects will not receive it.

CHI Memorial is clear to build its planned hospital in Ringgold.

The Georgia Department of Community Health announced April 29 its approval of CHI Memorial’s Certificate of Need application to build a new hospital in Ringgold.

CHI Memorial acquired the license to operate the hospital in Fort Oglethorpe in December 2017. At that time, leadership promised to build a new building.

Life doesn’t always go as planned. For example, you might think you’ll retire at 65 or later, when you’ll be eligible for Medicare. But if you retire before then, how will you pay for your health care?

Without insurance, you risk incurring thousands of dollars of expenses if you are injured or become seriously ill. And if you must pay for these costs out of pocket, you might have to dip into your IRA, 401(k) or other retirement accounts earlier than you had planned – which could result in a less desirable retirement lifestyle than you had envisioned.

Your sibling asked you to cover their rent for a couple of months while they were between jobs. Or maybe you loaned a friend a few hundred bucks for a car repair they couldn’t afford.

You’d do anything to help those you love. And you did. But what should you do when they don’t pay you back? Consider these options.

Tennessee legislators love to bestow honors and find no shortage of excuses for doing so. Whether for retirements, deaths, significant anniversaries and birthdays, professional achievements, sporting accomplishments, pageant winners, Eagle Scouts – they hand out kudos like strings of beads flung at a Mardi Gras parade.