Work to begin on Whitwell plant

Whitwell native Dwight Bryant will return to his hometown on Aug. 26 to start construction of a $2.5 million plant to produce highly efficient fire logs and barbecue briquettes.

Bryant's new venture, known as Prologue, will employ 30 workers and turn leaves and other woody bio-mass waste materials into biofuels.

The plant will be the first business to be constructed in Valley View Centre, Marion County's newest business and industrial park.

A groundbreaking ceremony is planned for 10 a.m., CDT Monday, Aug. 26, at the plant site on Valley View Highway with state officials attending.

Platinum adds Cleveland unit

Platinum Financial Funding, a 5-year-old mortgage lending agency with five offices in East Tennessee, is opening its first office in Bradley County at 3810 Keith St. NW in Cleveland, Tenn. Matt Hamilton, a Cleveland, native, and Brandon Born, a Ringgold, Ga., native, established the company in June 2008.

"Due to the explosive growth in the Bradley County area, we saw a real opportunity for mortgage lending," Born said. "Our central location on Keith Street is convenient and helps us to readily accommodate future and current homeowners in Bradley and surrounding counties."