Trace DevannyChaTech announces executive director
ChaTech’s (Chattanooga Technology Council) board of directors announced that Carla Askonas has been named executive director.
Before joining ChaTech, Askonas worked in a variety of leadership and community outreach roles across many of Chattanooga’s public institutions, such as Hamilton County, the City of Chattanooga, United Way, the Trust for Public Land and Chattanooga State.
The appointment comes nearly two months after ChaTech’s current executive director, Ronna-Renee Jackson, announced her departure.
“I’ve been very fortunate to lead such an important and vital organization for the last four years,” said Jackson, who is stepping down to pursue other interests. “We’ve grown tremendously and accomplished a lot during that time, and there is still work to be done. I’m grateful to be leaving ChaTech in such capable hands.”
According to ChaTech Board Chairman Jennifer Weaver, Askonas’ appointment ensures strong leadership at a critical time for the organization.
“We are fortunate to have someone with Carla’s expertise and accomplishments to build on the momentum created by Ronna-Renee over the past couple of years,” Weaver said.
Askonas expressed her appreciation to the ChaTech board of directors and membership.
“It’s an honor to be a part of the ChaTech mission,” she said. “Chattanooga is a forward-thinking city, and I can think of no group that embodies that future-oriented mindset better than ChaTech. I am committed to increasing this organization’s standing within the community and ensuring that we continue to connect, invest, promote and grow the technology industry throughout the region.”
Walldorf & Co. is safety certified
Herman Walldorf & Co. is the first Chattanooga real estate office to earn the Safety Certified Office designation, which establishes safety protocols for its Realtors to follow.
Walldorf & Co. Secretary-Treasurer Nathan Walldorf said he started thinking about the female Realtors in his own company after Arkansas Realtor Nancy Carter was abducted and killed in 2015. “I’d never want that to happen to any of our Realtors.”
The Safety Certified Office program gives Realtors safety tips that they can pass on to their clients. It also makes sure that Realtors get information about the people they meet before meeting them.
“The public needs to get used to the fact that Realtors are going to ask them for their ID before showing them homes,” Walldorf said.
Realtors will have an office buddy system, so that someone knows where they are and who they are with when they are showing homes.
There are also safety apps and tools available to Realtors that help police locate them in case of danger.
As a Safety Certified Office, Walldorf & Co. will have its doors open to Realtors from other companies to meet clients for the first time at their office when needed.
United recognizes Armstong Relocation
Armstrong Relocation, an agent of United Van Lines, has been honored for exceptional professional achievement. The recognition was conferred as part of the van line’s annual awards program.
It received the following awards.
– President’s Club Award at the $3 million level, honoring agents who have generated at least $1 million in sales during the past year.
– Performance Excellence Award, recognizing agents who have a relentless focus on customers’ needs and expectations.
– Customer Choice Award, presented to agents achieving exceptional service scores on the basis of post-move surveys completed by customers.
LongHorn partner awarded top honor
Leeann Pulliam, managing partner of the LongHorn Steakhouse in Cleveland, Tenn., has been presented with the company’s annual People Developer Award. She is one of just six managing partners selected this year from the more than 480 LongHorn Steakhouse restaurants in North America.
The award recognizes partners who have consistently demonstrated a passion for helping LongHorn managers and team members grow within the company, while serving as a mentor. In addition, honorees are recognized for embodying LongHorn’s core values, such as treating everyone with dignity and respect, setting clear expectations, as well as being committed to training and developing team members.
“Leeann is an excellent leader and is truly deserving of the People Developer Award,” said Paul Livrieri, executive vice president for LongHorn Steakhouse. “She demonstrates a strong commitment to mentoring her team and leads by example. Leeann takes pride in teaching and developing her team members into future LongHorn leaders.”
TractManager names Devanny CEO
TractManager, a leading provider of health care strategic sourcing and compliance application suites, has named Trace Devanny as chief executive officer.
In this role, Devanny will advance the growth of the knowledge-based system solutions TractManager supplies to more than 3,000 hospital and provider clients.
Devanny is charged with enhancing TractManager’s customer experience across multiple channels, including the creation of regional and national client programs, establishing an executive client council to advise him on strategic product advancement and technology investments, and expanding the company’s strategic sourcing application suite across its client base.
“With its broad and deep industry intelligence, TractManager is uniquely positioned to give hospitals a competitive advantage by leveraging their spending power and reducing the considerable financial risks associated with non-compliant contracting practices,” said Donald A. Deieso, chairman of the board of directors.
Devanny joins TractManager from his position as president of Nuance Communications’ Healthcare Business, a leading, global provider of voice and language solutions for businesses and consumers.
His executive leadership experience spans more than 30 years of transitioning mid-size companies into multi-billion dollar, global health care corporations.
During his three years as chairman and CEO of TriZetto Corporation, Devanny expanded revenue growth by more than 20 percent. In his 14-year tenure with Cerner Corporation, Devanny served as president for 11 years, driving both domestic and global growth. Devanny started his career at IBM and advanced quickly to hold multiple executive positions in its health care business.
He holds a bachelor’s degree from Sewanee-University of the South.
TractManager’s health care-specific strategic sourcing application suite serves the purchasing and contract management needs of two out of three U.S. hospitals. Serving the health care industry for more than 30 years, TractManager is a leader in strategic sourcing and enterprise contract lifecycle management.
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