McClaren named to Life Care post

Jennie McClaren has been promoted to Life Care Centers of America’s senior vice president of human resources. She had previously been vice president of people development.

She will oversee the human resource function for the Cleveland, Tenn.-based company, including providing training and support for the corporate campuses and for facilities across the nation.

She leads a department that is a consolidation of the people development department, serving the corporate campuses in Cleveland, and the training and professional development department, which provided HR services to facilities. She will report directly to company President Beecher Hunter.

She is a graduate of Baylor University in Waco, Texas, and holds a master’s degree in adult education from the University of Central Oklahoma in Edmond, Okla.

She had joined Life Care from U.S. Xpress where she was vice president of human resources.

She and her two daughters, Jessica and Jamie, live in Ooltewah.

Life Care operates more than 220 nursing, subacute and Alzheimer’s centers in 28 states.

Max Bahner heads TBA task force

Max Bahner, a shareholder at the Chattanooga-based law firm of Chambliss, Bahner and Stophel P.C., has been named to serve as chairman of the task force on judicial conduct rules of the Tennessee Bar Association.

TBA President Gail Vaughn Ashworth named the 15-member group that will study Tennessee’s judicial ethics rules to consider if revisions are needed.

Mr. Bahner is a senior member of Chambliss, Bahner & Stophel’s litigation section and his practice is concentrated in complex litigation.

He is an AAA arbitrator and also a Rule 31 certified mediator. He was recently named chairman of the American Bar Association’s Senior Lawyers Division.

Signal Voice kicking off trade-in program

Following up on the auto industry’s Cash for Clunkers, a Chattanooga business has announced its launching of a similar program for those with antiquated data networks or phone systems.

Signal Voice and Data said it is offering up to $4,000 trade-in value on older equipment through the fourth quarter of this year.

“I see an enormous opportunity for businesses of almost any size to become much more efficient and competitive through the utilization of new technologies,” said company President Henry Franklin. “The technological advancements in our industry in the past few years are greater than the combined advancements that have been made in the previous 20 years.”

Signal said in a news release it is kicking off this incentive program with a technology luncheon at the Mountain City Club on Tuesday. For more information or to reserve your place at the luncheon, contact Signal Voice and Data at 756-4066.

Shaw joins Cleveland dental practice

Dr. Stephen Shaw is a new partner in a Cleveland, Tenn., dental practice known as WinnSmiles.

Drs. Bradley L. Winn and K. Luanne Winn are also part of the practice located at 148 Stuart Crossing NE.

Dr. Shaw is a native of West Tennessee and grew up in Memphis. He graduated from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and earned his DDS degree from the University of Tennessee College of Dentistry. He has been in private practice in North Georgia for the past six years.

He and his wife, Lori, and daughter, Lily, live in Ringgold, Ga.

Bryan joins Marion Environmental

James M. “Bubba” Bryan has relocated to Chattanooga from Baytown, Texas, and will serve as senior hazardous emergency response manager for Marion Environmental.

He will oversee the hazardous response teams for the company at all four office locations.

He has 18 years of experience in hazardous materials emergency response and industrial firefighting. He has a number of certificates and training in the hazardous materials emergency response field.

Patterson named executive director

Barbara Patterson has been named executive director of Morning Pointe of Chattanooga by Independent Healthcare Properties LLC. The property is at 7620 Shallowford Road and features a 63-unit assisted living community that also includes The Lantern, a Alzheimer’s memory care center.

“Ms. Patterson’s management skills, passion for senior care and industry expertise will help guide Morning Pointe of Chattanooga to a new level,” said Suzanne Foster, vice president of operations. “Under her direction, Morning Pointe of Chattanooga will continue to meet the rising number of seniors who need and desire assisted living and Alzheimer’s memory care. We are pleased she accepted the position of executive director.”

Ms. Patterson has more than 20 years of health care and management experience. She is relocating from Sarasota, Fla., where she was executive director for Bahia Oaks Lodge, an 87-unit assisted living community. She is a native of Canada and is a graduate of the University of Western Australia.

She and her husband, Bud, live in Chattanooga.

Sharon Hamrick receives credentials

Sharon Hamrick, a CPA at Joseph Decosimo and Co. PLLC, has received the certified fraud examiner credential from the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners.

Ms. Hamrick is part of a team of forensic accountants at the Decosimo regional accounting and business advisory firm that provides investigative and detection services to resolve allegations of fraud, a news release stated.

Ms. Hamrick has more than 20 years of experience providing business consultation services, tax preparation and financial statement preparation.

A graduate of Middle Tennessee State University, she became a CPA in 1982.

Janet Perfetti joins Divorce Solutions

Janet Ginsberg Perfetti has joined Step by Step Divorce, Solutions LLC as a Tennessee Supreme Court Rule 31-listed family mediator, specially trained in domestic violence, according to a news release.

Her background is in working with families on parenting issues and supporting couples to create a mutually acceptable agreement.

The release stated Ms. Perfetti “practices collaborative mediation, recognizing and respecting the role of working with attorneys in the mediating process.”

She is now scheduling family mediations at the office at 1401 North Williams St.

She has a M.Ed. in educational psychology from the University of Georgia and received training in family mediation and special circumstances of domestic violence from Private Dispute Resolution Services, LLC.

She serves as a volunteer facilitator for the Victim Offender Reconciliation Program of Hamilton County.

Riley completes special course

Vaughn Riley, who is with Graphic Impressions, has completed the CPrint General Management Training Course held in Charleston, W. Va.

“In-depth training is part of the commitment the company has made toward its customers,” said Tom Crouser, CPrint president. “One way they achieve success is by having the best trained staff. As printing becomes ever more technological, Graphic Impressions is positioning itself to be on the cutting edge, assuring customers of the most outstanding products and services around.”

Graphic Impressions is located at 2605 E. 30th St.

La-Z-Boy wins trade award

La-Z-Boy of Tennessee in Dayton, Tenn., has been named by Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen as a winner of the Governor’s Award for Trade Excellence. Others winning the award were Nucsafe Inc. of Oak Ridge and World Trade Consult LLC in Memphis.

“I’m extremely proud of these companies for their efforts over the past year, which is being recognized under the Governor’s Awards for Trade Excellence program we created two years ago,” said Gov. Bredesen. “These companies are proof of outstanding service, showcasing the benefits of exporting Tennessee goods, and demonstrate that Tennessee companies of any size are at the forefront in the global marketplace.”

La-Z-Boy of Tennessee opened the doors to its 1,202,000 square-foot Dayton facility in 1973 and makes recliners, sleep sofas, reclining sofas and stationary sofas onsite. It has more than 1,800 employees. Exports make up four percent of its sales.

Tours being offered at Hixson facility

Preview tours through this fall are being offered area residents by Morning Pointe of Hixson, an assisted living and Alzheimer’s memory care community being built at 5501 Old Hixson Pike. Morning Pointe of Hixson is on the new Greenbriar Cove of Hixson senior services campus.

Individuals wanting information on the tours may call 847-1370, it was stated.

“Morning Pointe of Hixson is going to change the way the North River area thinks about assisted living and senior care,” said Teresa Bryant, executive director. “I want everyone to see what we are about and how our residents’ wellness and lifestyle will be enhanced.”

Morning Pointe of Hixson offers 69 assisted living and Alzheimer’s apartments and is set to open in late fall.

Independent Healthcare Properties LLC is the developer and manager of the Morning Pointe assisted living and The Lantern Alzheimer’s care communities. Greg A. Vital and Franlin Farrow established IHP in 1996.

Glenveigh Medical receives award

Glenveigh Medical LLC, at 401 Chestnut St., has received the 2009 VWR International Biotechnology Entrepreneur of the Year award for the state of Tennessee, it has been announced.

The recognition was presented at the Tennessee Biotechnology Association annual meeting in Nashville.

A news release stated leadership in technology, a winning business model and early success weighed into the selection. Candidate companies must be new to Tennessee and are selected by VWR sales representatives.

VWR International is a global supplier of laboratory equipment and supplies. Max Tyrell is its regional manager.

Tim Phelan named to InfoSystems post

Tim Phelan has been named executive vice president of sales and marketing of InfoSystems.

He has 18 years of experience in building sales and marketing teams in the technology industry. His experience has been built with such companies as Microsoft, LBMC Technologies, OmniVue Business Solutions, Sales Systems and APM Technologies. He most recently was founder and president of Rise Systems.

InfoSystems is a Chattanooga-based provider of network integration solutions.

Gene Lee joins Pomerance Center

Dr. Gene K. Lee, an ophthalmologist, has joined Pomerance Eye Center P.C.

A news release stated Dr. Lee provides comprehensive family eye care, diagnosing and treating all eye disorders.

He is a graduate of Emory University and earned his M.D. degree from Emory University School of Medicine. He completed his internship at HealthONE Alliance/Presbyterian St. Luke’s Hospital in Denver, Colo. His residency was completed at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta.

Northwest Bank makes appointments

Northwest Georgia Bank has named Bobby Hudgens and Cheryl Martin to new posts.

Mr. Hudgens was appointed vice president-commercial lender and branch manager of the bank’s Hamilton Place branch.

He had been vice president-commercial lender at the Fort Oglethorpe branch since joining Northwest in February 2000. He has previous experience with American National, First Tennessee, AmSouth and Cornerstone Community banks.

He is a graduate of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.

He has coached girl’s fast-pitch softball with the Frost Falcons organization since 1998 and in 2006 was inducted into the Greater Area Chattanooga Sports Hall of Fame for fast-pitch softball.

He and his wife, Stephanie, live in East Ridge and have three grown daughters, Sheena, Christian and Lauren.

Ms. Martin was named assistant vice president-branch manager of the Ooltewah-Collegedale branch. She has been in banking since 1979 and has been with Northwest since 2005.