Blair MardBaxter to head Dominion Living
As construction progresses on Hixson’s newest faith-based assisted living and memory care community, Dominion Senior Living has appointed Chattanooga native Beth Baxter as executive director. Baxter will lead the assisted living and memory care community in all areas, including working within the community to develop partnerships and build bonds with the residents and family members.
Baxter has nearly 15 years of experience caring for senior needs at all levels. She attended Tennessee Temple University where she studied social work, and later went on to become a licensed nursing home administrator.
“Studying social work and immersing myself in senior health environments allowed me to develop connections with families, that I feel I have a God-given ability to do,” said Baxter.
Abba’s House, the church adjacent to the community that sold the land to Dominion Senior Living, and the senior-living community plan to work together to involve church members at the senior-living community.
FSG gives $10,000 to CGLA school
FSG Bank, a division of Atlantic Capital Bank, has donated $10,000 t0 Chattanooga Girls Leadership Academy (CGLA) to support its ongoing teacher training.
Dr. Elaine Swafford, executive director of the CGLA, said the donation is crucial to the continued success of the school.
“We are thrilled to partner with FSG Bank on this very important effort in making an educational impact in Chattanooga. The importance of ongoing teacher training is at the forefront of our strategy,” Dr. Swafford said.
Jeff Olingy, director of community outreach at FSG Bank, said the contribution is part of the bank’s commitment to help support local organizations “with a laser focus on one or more of our pillars of giving: education, job creation and affordable housing.
“We also look for opportunities to actively engage our employees as volunteers. CGLA offers us that opportunity,” he said.
Douglas joins Pinnacle as financial advisor
John M. Douglas has joined Pinnacle Financial Partners as a senior vice president and financial advisor for the firm’s client advisory group. He is based at Pinnacle’s downtown Chattanooga office at 801 Broad St.
Douglas has 10 years of financial services experience, most recently serving as a commercial banker at First Tennessee Bank. Prior roles included serving as a credit analyst and trust associate for First Tennessee and a corporate reorganization specialist at Reliance Trust Company in Atlanta.
“John’s well-rounded banking background will enable him to meet all of his clients’ needs while providing distinctive service and effective advice,” said Kenny Dyer, Pinnacle’s Chattanooga president.
Douglas earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration from Auburn University.
Eslinger earns MetLife platinum status
Chris Eslinger has recently earned MetLife’s Platinum Conference level of recognition, one of the company’s highest levels of sales achievement.
The honor is given annually to a select set of top MetLife financial services representatives across the country. Eslinger, LUTCF, is a Registered Broker with Strategic Financial Partners. He has 35 years of experience in the financial services sector and resides in Chattanooga with his family.
Walker joins Warren & Griffin
Warren & Griffin, P.C. welcomes their newest associate attorney, A.J. Walker, to the firm.
Walker earned his law degree in 2015 from the University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law. Walker received the Dean’s Distinguished Pro Bono Service Award in May 2015 for providing pro bono service to the Memphis community.
While in school, Walker spent a semester working with the Memphis City Attorney’s office and Memphis Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) office. Walker now works primarily with automobile accident, premises liability and worker’s compensation claims.
Waddell Mard joins Walldorf Commercial
Blair Waddell Mard has joined the Herman Walldorf Commercial Team as an affiliate broker after six years as a retail recruiter for the River City Co., downtown Chattanooga’s economic development engine. In her new role, Mard will capitalize on her retail recruitment experience providing sales, leasing and consulting services to buyers, sellers, landlords, tenants and developers.
While at River City Co., Mard cultivated relationships with area brokers, Realtors, land owners and potential retailers and helped fill nearly 100,000 square feet of space in downtown Chattanooga.
Mard joined River City Co. from CreateHere, where she played a part in the successful community visioning project, STAND, which gathered feedback from more than 26,000 area residents and made the resulting data available to the public to promote community-based action.
Mard is a founding board member of Rotaract and serves on the board of the Downtown Council for the Chattanooga Chamber of Commerce. She also serves with the Austin Hatcher Foundation, the Junior League of Chattanooga and the Chattanooga Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Mard has served as past-president of the Chattanooga Ballet and as a former board member of The Nightingale Network of the Women’s Foundation and the Junior League.
She is a graduate of Wofford College.
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