ANCHORED IN FARRAGUT SERVING THE COMMUNITY FOR 25 YEARS

CHAMBER LIFE“THE MISSION STATEMENT IS TO STRENGTHEN AND SUPPORT OUR COMMUNITY BY PROMOTING BUSINESS GROWTH, EDUCATION AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.”

Farragut West Knox Chamber of Commerce

Vol. 31, No. 2 A Publication of the Farragut West Knox Chamber of Commerce February 2017

Be it tropics or travel, adventure or animal prints,businesses are encouraged to show off their wild side atthe Chamber’s 30th Annual Silent & Live Auction withthe theme, “Born to be Wild!” Celebrating theChamber’s 30 years of helping navigate the business“jungle,” the 2017 event taking place on Friday, May 12(note: date change) will be a full and fun evening for allattending!

Beginning at 6 p.m. at Rothchild’s Catering &Conference Center the auction features both silent andlive auction events. The night kicks off quickly with asilent auction of over 125 items including dinners, retailitems, massages, wine baskets, entertainment passes

and much more. Auction committee members andChamber staff will be calling on member businessesabout item donation; businesses can also bring theiritems directly to the Chamber office.

During the silent auction, guests can also view andvote on the popular Tabletop packages, which are latersold during the live auction. Tabletop sponsors createand then build their minimum $300 value tabletop dis-play which is both a decorative centerpiece and attrac-tive auction item that ties into the theme. As in 2016,builders each get a 30” round high-top table and candrape or go sky-high with their creation. Past tabletopshave included cabin rentals, coveted golf packages, con-

cert/sport tickets, hot air balloon rides, trips and what-ever else our businesses think of! The table with themost guest votes wins the “Best Dressed Table” award;competition is fierce!

The live auction includes all tabletops and other itemsand will be presided over by Bear Stephenson ofStephenson Realty and Auction.

The annual auction is the Chamber’s largest fundrais-ing event of the year, helping fund the Chamber’sContinuing Education Scholarships. A charitable dona-tion is also taken from a portion of ticket sales; past

Anniversary Auction Takes Walk on the WILD Side!

Clockwise from top middle: “Do I hear $500??” Bear Stephenson takes the next bid. The 2016 Elliott’s Boots tabletop package was jam-packed including YetiCooler Items, Kavu bags, Ariat boots and Chaco sandals! The auction is a great evening for businesses and their guests! TDS Telecom enjoys the 2016 event.The auction isn’t just a fundraiser—it is also fun! Julie Blaylock-FWKCC (right) displays an opal necklace up for bid. The Bingham Group tabletop put their win-ning bidder on cloud 9—local wines paired with VIP passes to Tsali Notch Balloon Fiesta and a hot-air balloon ride!

Boyd to Headline First Breakfast Event!The Chamber is excited to announce the

speaker for the first Breakfast SpeakerSeries event taking place on Monday,March 6 at 7:30 a.m. will be Randy Boyd.The event will take place at Rothchild’sCatering and Conference Center.

Boyd is the founder and ExecutiveChairman of the Board for Radio SystemsCorporation, which was started in 1991.Radio Systems is headquartered inKnoxville with offices in seven countries,and produces over 4,600 pet productsunder brand names including InvisibleFence and PetSafe. Boyd has contributedsignificantly to the improvement of animalwelfare, creating seven public dog parks inKnoxville and earning Knoxville the dis-tinction of most pet-friendly community.In 2013, Boyd took a one year leave from

the company to serve Gov. Bill Haslam ashis Special Advisor on Higher Educationassisting in the devel-opment of the Driveto 55 and TennesseePromise initiatives.Tennessee Promisewill provide freetuition and fees forcommunity college to25,000 Tennesseeansper year, matchingeach with a trainedvolunteer mentor.

Sponsorships are now available atPresenting, Event and Community levelsand are a fabulous way to showcase your

See AUCTION on Page 4

See BREAKFAST on Page 4

The Farragut Business Alliance (FBA) isaccepting applications to fill the 30 spacesfor the 8th Annual Farragut Food & WineFestival. The event, previously held in thefall, is scheduled for this spring on May 5from 6:30 – 9:30 p.m., rain or shine, on thelawn at The Renaissance. The event is hosted by the FBA and Town ofFarragut and is presented by TDS Telecom.

The festival will again showcase “Best Bite” samples from Farragut eateriesand also provide the opportunity to pair those bites with wines, beers and ready-to-drink cocktails from Farragut distributors. Back by popular demand will bethe beer lounge and “VIB (Very Important Bites)” tent.

New for this year will be live entertainment featuring The Coveralls as well asonline ticketing at KnoxvilleTickets.com. Tickets will also be available for pur-chase at local businesses including CH Interiors & Gifts, Snootie Patootie andGoing Postal. To learn more contact info@farragutbusiness.com.

Food & Wine Festival“Springs” Forward

Boyd

2 • CHAMBER LIFE, February 2017

Networkings

Enjoying a lovely start to the day are, L – R: Cindy Fisher and Lynne Overtonof Comfort Inn and Suites Knoxville West and Julie Blaylock of FarragutWest Knox Chamber.

Catching up on Chamber events are L – R: Season Hebert of Calhoun’s,Tracy O’Connor of Hilton – Knoxville and Brenda Herron of Copper Cellar.

Staybridge Suites Knoxville West – November 17

Chris and Kimberly Tresize of Brainstorm International and Kathryn Eaton ofEaton and Hartung, PLLC sharing a fun, informative evening networking.

Knox Co. Commissioner John Schoonmaker (left) and Mike Arms ofTennessee Strategies (right) make their introduction to Landon Compton, GMof Publix Farragut.

CH Interiors & Gifts – December 1

Festive faces at this morning networking event! L- R: Arlene Weinstein ofArlene’s Fun Travel, Donna Bryan of The Real Estate Firm and BrendaHerron of Copper Cellar.

Chamber Board Member Steven Lipsey of Stone and Hinds, P.C., Lisa Woodyof The Farragut High School Education Foundation and Jason Moody of TheTennessee Smokies enjoy great food and conversation.

Farragut High School Education Foundation – December 15

Celebrating the Holiday Season with L – R: Dee Matchett of OsteoStrongWellness Center, Donna Rose and Connie Clower of Parker BusinessConsulting and Accounting.

Amy Chandler and Dale Skidmore of The Dale Skidmore Allstate Agencytake a quick break from shopping.

Hampton Inn & Suites Turkey Creek – January 12

CHAMBER LIFE, February 2017 • 3

Ribbon CuttingsSummitview of Farragut – November 30

Celebrating the Summitview of Farragut Ribbon-Cutting: L – R: Gary Palmer – Assistant Town ofFarragut Administrator, Ron Williams – Town of Farragut Alderman, Dee Henning, Marty Layman –CFO of Summitview of Farragut, Carolyn Lawrence, Ron Lawrence, Louise Povlin – Town of FarragutAlderman, Richard Lawrence – Administrator and Chief of Operations of Summitview of Farragut andBettye Sisco – Farragut West Knox Chamber of Commerce President (far right)

MemberBriefsThe Voice Tank – December 13

Congratulations to The Voice Tank! L – R: Arlene Weinstein – Arlene’s Fun Travel, Darren Ellis, ScottBrantley and Christi Wright – The Voice Tank, Guest, Stephen Krempasky – Farragut BusinessAlliance, 2nd Row L – R: Patty Walden and Janis Passons-Grover – Painting With A Twist, JudyRandazzo – Fish Window Cleaning, Julia Conattser – One Community Services, Back Row L – R:Laura Sayers – farragutpress, Marianne Morse – Mary Kay, Donna Rose – Parker BusinessConsulting and Accounting, David Smoak – Town of Farragut Administrator, John Schoonmaker –Knox County Commissioner 5th District, Mike Prescott – Smith and Hammaker and Farragut WestKnox Chamber Board Member, Matthew Strutner – Tennessee Smokies Baseball, Daryl Walker –AllGood Pest Solutions.

Painting with a Twist – January 3

A Picture Perfect New Location for Painting With A Twist! – Christi Wright – The Voice Tank, ArleneWeinstein – Arlene’s Fun Travel, Hailey Relford, Janis Passons-Grover and Patty Walden – PaintingWith a Twist, Karen Gray – H&R Block, Tina Hedger, Guest, Natasha Bohannan – TN Bank, RobertLott, Julie Blaylock – Farragut West Knox Chamber, Tracy O’Connor – Hilton-Knoxville, Guest, DonnaRose – Parker Business Consulting and Accounting, Guest, Louise Povlin and Ron Williams bothTown of Farragut Alderman, Brenda Herron – Copper Cellar and Farragut West Knox ChamberBoard Member, Diane Jones – Pinnacle Financial Partners and Farragut West Knox Chamber BoardMember, Michael Kilby – Michael Kilby and Yvonne Webb Mortgage Investors Group, Terri Lawson– His Security, Guest, Jenna Lawson of Prosperity Point and Guest.

Town of Farragut administrator David Smoak was rec-ognized as a Paul Harris Fellow during the Rotary Club ofFarragut’s Jan. 4 meeting at Fox Den Country Club.Congratulations!

The Chamber congratulates Alan Sloan on being namednew editor for farragutpress. Sloan has been a generalassignment reporter at farragutpress for 15 years.

Pinnacle Financial Partners has agreed to acquireBNC Bancorp of High Point, NC in an all-stock exchangevalued at approximately $1.9 billion. This will bringPinnacle’s first opportunity to venture outside ofTennessee. President/CEO Terry Turner said, “We’re excit-ed about the opportunity to expand into high-growth mar-kets in three new states.” Once the merger completes, thecombined firm will be one of the top 50 banks in the U.S.by assets.

EXIT Real Estate Professionals Network welcomesRebecca Rogers, Barbara Pierce and Francis De La Rochato the newly opened Knoxville office owned by RobynKresser. Kresser is “very excited to join the local businesscommunity to assist residents with their real estateneeds.” Find them at 165 West End Avenue or call 383-3948.

Abuelo’s: The Flavor of Mexico is offering a specialValentine’s Fajitas for Two featuring up to four flavors andup to four sides (plus Sopapillas) from Feb. 10 – 14. Visitthem at 11299 Parkside Drive for this and other greatmenu items!

Starting Feb. 3, from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., VolunteerIncome Tax Assistance (VITA) will complete and e-file IRStax returns for senior and lower-income tax payers at theTown of Farragut. No appointment is necessary and assis-tance is free! Bring wage/earnings statements (Form W-2and/or form 1099-MISC), interest, dividend, capital gains,pension, IRA and social security statements, lists of itemsfor deductions, support for other income/credits, copy oflast year’s tax return and social security cards for all per-sons on the return.

Need a local “getaway”? The Fairfield Inn & SuitesKnoxville West will offer a Romance Package with 1-nightstay, complimentary breakfast and parking, fresh-cut flow-ers, one dozen chocolate covered strawberries, two drinksand late check-out. Call 392-1122 to book!

Choices in Senior Care is seeking “RockstarCaregivers” in West Knoxville, Oak Ridge, Powell, LoudonCo. and Monroe Co. Flexible hours, above average pay andbenefits are available! Call their HR at 978-6168 with ques-tions or apply online at www.choicesinseniorcare.com.

Smoky Mountain Service Dogs (SMSD) has had a busyyear, welcoming Jim Goyert and Ben Testerman to theirBoard of Directors and currently having 14 dogs in train-ing! SMSD was also named the proud recipient of theChris Kyle Memorial Benefit event by the American ValorFoundation (the family foundation of the late Chris Kyle,subject of the film, “American Sniper”). Congratulations!

Regal Entertainment Group’s James Lamar has beenpromoted to vice president of film for the southern region.Congratulations!

Allison Lederer of Regions Bank was named to theKnoxville Business Journal’s “40 Under 40” class of 2016.

To focus on employee retention, King University offerseducation info sessions to any employer. Sessions caninclude a brief presentation on higher education, mannedinformation tables during lunch breaks or anything inbetween. King University will coordinate additional visitsfrom other East Tennessee College Alliance schools if yourpreference is a higher education or benefits fair. ContactSamantha Lane for information at 690-5803 or 789-0252.

Ambassador ofthe Month

January 2017

Ambassador Angela Bridges -Cumulus Media

Congratulations to this past January’s Ambassador of theMonth, Angela Bridges of Cumulus Media (NewsTalk 98.7 /

Sports Radio WNML 99.1). Do you want to learn more aboutthe power of radio advertising? Reach Angela at

Angela.Bridges@cumulus.com or 212-4655. Angela has beena huge source of help at Ribbon Cuttings, networkings and

other Chamber events.

First runner-up for January is Arlene Weinstein-Arlene’sFun Travel. Second Runner-up is Natasha Bohannon-

TNBANK. The Chamber appreciates their efforts and thesupport of all Ambassadors!

4 • CHAMBER LIFE, February 2017

Welcome to our new FarragutWest Knox Chamber Members!

Calendar of EventsPlease call the Chamber office at 675-7057 for information

February 9 Networking 5:00 – 6:30 p.m. Abuelo’s: The Flavor of Mexico,

Campbell Station Wine & Spirits and Milestones Event Center11909 Kingston Pike (Milestones Event Center)

February 16 Networking 5:00 – 6:30 p.m. Tusculum College Knoxville

1305 Centerpoint Blvd.

February 23 Networking 8:00 – 9:30 a.m. Salon Biyoshi

10412 Kingston Pike

March 2 Networking 8:00 – 9:30 a.m. Farragut Folklife Museum

11408 Municipal Center Drive

The Chamber welcomes these businesses who have joined us recently in the month of January:

NEWSPAPERSPILING UP?

We have a great solution thatwill benefit both you and theChamber. We have a recycle

bin available behind thefarragutpress offices.

All proceeds are donatedby the farragutpress to the

Farragut West KnoxChamber of Commerce Continuing Education

Grant Program

11863 Kingston PikeBehind the farragutpress Building

Welcome Back Renewing Members

The Farragut West Knox Chamber welcomes back these businesses who have renewed theirinvestment in the Chamber as of this past January. We are privileged to count them as FarragutWest Knox Chamber of Commerce members! We urge members to patronize one another when thegoods or services a member can provide are needed. It is also our hope that area residents recog-nize the commitment a business makes to its community when it becomes part of its local cham-ber of commerce and reward that commitment with their patronage.

AAA East TennesseeAnytime Fitness FarragutArlene’s Fun TravelBaskin RobbinsBB&T – Farragut BranchBradford Catered EventsBroadway Carpets, Inc.Business Machines Company

of East TennesseeButtermilk Sky Pie ShopCH Interiors & GiftsClaris NetworksClarity Pointe KnoxvilleComfort SuitesDex MediaDixie Lee Wines & Liquors, Inc.Edward Jones – Wendy SchoppExpress Employment ProfessionalsFoothills Bank & TrustFSGBank Campbell Station Road – Thank

you for your Enterprise Membership!His Security, LLCHoliday Inn Knoxville – Cedar Bluff

Home Federal Bank – Farragut – Thank youfor your Enterprise Membership!

The Insurance GroupJeremiah B. Webb, Attorney at LawKendall InvestigationsLalka Tax ServicesLawhorn CPA Group, Inc.Lincoln Memorial UniversityMarch of Dimes Birth Defects FoundationMary Kay Cosmetics – Marianne MorseNHC Place Assisted Living – Thank you for

your Enterprise Membership!Oasis Day SpaPanera Bread – Peters RoadPure Luxe Salon, Spa & MedspaPure Romance by CorinneRotary Club of FarragutSandler Training-Herzog & AssociatesSims Appraisal CompanyThe Tennessee Credit UnionUnique Construction ServicesWalmart at Turkey Creek

Farragut West KnoxChamber of Commerce

11826 Kingston Pike, Suite 110

Farragut, TN 37934

865-675-7057 865-671-2409 Fax

e-mail: info@farragutchamber.comwww.farragutchamber.com

This newsletter is published monthly by theFarragut West Knox Chamber of Commerce.

Quotes ‘n Notes

Bank of AmericaLee Vaughn10735 Kingston PikeKnoxville, TN 37934www.bankofamerica.com

Carriage Hill InsuranceAnde Russell840 Highway 321 N.Lenoir City, TN 37771www.carriagehillinsurance.com

Coldwell Banker Wallace & WallaceMary Parsons10815 Kingston PikeKnoxville, TN 37934 www.maryparsonsprofessionals.cbww.com

Don Delfis Pancake HouseIgnacio Martinez120 West End Ave.Farragut, TN 37934

Pipe Wrench Plumbing, Heating & Cooling

Deb Baker10641 Braden Dickey Ln, Suite 5Knoxville, TN 37932www.pipewrenchplumbing.com

R&B Tax & Accounting ServicesBruce Koopman12678 Bayview DriveKnoxville, TN 37922www.RB-Taxes.com

Sleep NumberEmily Jackson10901 Parkside Drive, Suite 104Knoxville, TN 37934www.sleepnumber.com

The Venue at Lenoir CityAllison Sousa7690 Creekwood Park Blvd.Lenoir City, TN 37772www.VenueLC.com

The small steps we take each daytoward the goals we set for ourselves orour business do add up. However, theirresults don’t always accumulate quicklyenough for us to stay motivated everyday.We fall prey to our own frustrations, impa-tience, distractions, feeling overwhelmed,or worse, becoming mired in our owndoubts and frozen from forward action.We’re tempted to veer off course. Webecome paralyzed and unsure that wecan, or should, keep moving toward thegoal.

Carrie Wilkerson, “The BarefootExecutive” says, “When you are paralyzedby EMOTION, it is important to get INMOTION." How do we do that?

1. Get out of your office or house for anerrand, appointment or a walk. Go to apark. Drop off those bags of donatedclothes to get them out of your car. Go buya simple or funny card for arelative/friend, write a quick note andmail it right then and there. Just GETOUT.

2. Spend a little time doing somethingto advance your business. (Not busyworklike filing or organizing your desk—unless that truly makes you happy andgives you a sense of accomplishment. Dosomething to ADVANCE your business)Make a phone call, send a note, answer 3emails, write a post, fill out an RFP. Justdo something, and be free to keep it brief.

3. Do something that feeds your spirit.When we've been stressed and over-whelmed, or gone through a period of ill-ness or trauma we sometimes starve ourspirit in an effort to maintain our dailyobligations. This will look different foreveryone, be it watching ONE episode of ashow that gets your creative juices flow-ing, writing in your journal, listening to agreat podcast, singing with the radio,yoga. praying with a friend. Simply makeit something that feeds you.

Repeat as often as necessary to liftyourself out of your funk, put a stop toyour procrastination and regain yourfocus.

“Measuring progress is often likewatching grass grow. While it’s difficult to detect movement on adaily basis, it’s simple to seegrowth over time.”

~Frank Sonnenberg

Who’s who…Who’s who…

When walking into Painting with aTwist the air of cre-ativity and beautifulfacility are not theonly aspects sure to

stun. The walls are lined with exquisitepaintings, all of which you can learn topaint yourself in only one and a half tothree hours. “The beauty of Painting witha Twist,” says owner, Patty Walden, “is thatwe can let anybody come paint whetherthey’ve painted or not or whether theythink they can paint or not because ourartists will walk them through the paint-ing step by step. Anybody can do it.” Theyoffer many different classes from chil-dren’s classes to couple’s paintings.

Walden started painting over six yearsago when her friend convinced her to go toa similar franchise in Nashville. On theway to the class Walden became extreme-ly nervous, “I thought, ‘What if it’s bad? Idon’t want anyone to see it.’ And then Ithought ‘hmm’ there’s a dumpster atKroger right by my son’s house – just incase.” She had a wonderful time; thepainting is now above her fireplace, “AndI’m so proud of it.” When she returned toKnoxville, Walden realized there was noplace like the franchise in Nashville so sheopened up a Painting with a Twist nearFarragut.

Walden chose the Painting with a Twistfranchise because she loved that the fran-chise creators were all about giving backto the community, something Walden trulybelieves in. Painting with a Twist holdsclasses at East Tennessee Children’sHospital to help raise patients’ spirits;they also organize and host Painting witha Purpose. During this event a percentageof the money made from classes goestoward different causes from a kidneytransplant for a seven-year-old to TheButterfly Fund.

Gift certificates to Painting with a Twistcan be bought online and gift cards can bepurchased in their store as well as inCostco. Come and paint with Paintingwith a Twist in their brand-new Farragutlocation at 11000 Kingston Pike. See theirEvent Calendar athttps://www.painting-withatwist.com/knoxville/calendar/.

Painting with a Twistby GabrielleGosnell

BUILD YOURCUSTOMER LIST IN 10 MINUTES

PER DAY

TSBDC

Creating content that answers questionsof your potential customers is the best thingyou can do for your company. Those potentialcustomers are on Google searching foranswers to their questions. You can providethose answers through your blog and getthem to your website.

Writing great content to post once perweek may seem daunting, but can you spare10 minutes per day to bring in new business?This is all about committing small amountsof time for big results.

First you must determine how long it takesyou to write a 600 word blog post. Let’s say 50minutes for our example here. Working back-wards that means you can write your weeklypost in 10 minutes per day for 5 days perweek.

You need a system in order to producequality content fast. Here are four tips youcan follow:

Close your Facebook tab and turn thephone on silent. Don’t allow any distractions.

Set a timer for 10 minutes so you willremain focused.

Before every article create an outline.Write out every section heading and subheading. This allows you to tackle a sectionat a time.

Don’t stop for editing. Edit after you arecompleted.

If you can apply these four tips, you’ll beable to make a big dent in your post duringthese few minutes each day. Remember, ifyou are not supplying answers to your poten-tial customers online, your competitors will!

recipients have included East TennesseeChildren’s Hospital, Junior Achievement ofEast TN, and Dream Connection. Ticketsare $60 each or $550 for a table of ten.Online reservation and payment will beavailable at www.farragutchamber.com.Guests will again enjoy two complimentarybottles of wine at their dining table.

Sponsorships are still available at all lev-els—Presenting, Event, and Community—and are a wildly wonderful way to highlight

your business! Sponsors are advertised inprint, weekly emails, web, social mediaand at events as soon as their commitmentis received and for at least one monthbeyond the auction. The Chamber thanksEvent Sponsors TDS Telecom, Rothchild’sCatering and the Town of Farragut;Community Sponsors NHC Place AssistedLiving and Pinnacle Financial Partners;and Media Sponsor Farragutpress.

For more on sponsorship, item dona-tions, or tickets, contact the chamberoffice at 675-7057 or email info@far-ragutchamber.com.

AuctionFrom page 1

membership. Tickets are available for $30for members, $40 non-members and $275for tables of 10. A portion of all tickets will

go to Boyd’s choice of charity. Tickets canbe reserved by calling 675-7057, emailinginfo@farragutchamber.com and will beonline soon at www.farragutchamber.com.Do not miss this fantastic and informativeevent!

BreakfastFrom page 1