Gobble heads public policy at Chattanooga Chamber
Chris Gobble has joined the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce as senior director of public policy. In his new role, Gobble will lead the Chamber’s government affairs efforts both locally and in Nashville.
“Chris will be an excellent liaison and champion for our members as we continue to be the voice of local business in the policy arena and a dynamic partner in the policy-making process,” said Christy Gillenwater, Chattanooga Chamber President and CEO.
Gobble previously served as the legislative and policy director for the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security. He spent the previous five years working with Gov. Bill Haslam’s office and the General Assembly.
Gobble will work directly with Hamilton County’s delegation and the governor’s office to advance Chattanooga’s status as a leader in education, entrepreneurship, talent strategies and economic development. He will also work to advance the Chamber’s legislative agenda.
“I look forward to using my experience to advance the business interests in the region I call home,” he said.
Gobble, originally from Bradley County, is a graduate of Lipscomb University.
Martin launches Heed PR firm
With a decade of marketing and public relations experience, PR leader David Martin is launching Heed Public Relations, an agency designed to help young and established businesses achieve sustained, measurable growth.
Martin previously worked with a broad spectrum of clients, including healthcare and financial entities, non-profit organizations, and venture-backed startups. While serving as communications director at Bellhops, Martin helped steer the organization’s multi-market national expansion. Most recently with Briteside, Martin managed the public relations efforts for a successful brand launches in the legal cannabis industry.
“This region is brimming with compelling people and businesses just waiting to have theirstories told the right way to the right audiences,” he said. “That’s what I’m most excited about.”
Martin was recognized as one of Chatter Magazine’s “20 Under 40” in 2017. He has served on various boards and committees, is a former adjunct history professor at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, and is a 2013 graduate of the Leadership Chattanooga program.
Min promoted to director of advanced analytics
Covenant Transport Services announces the promotion of Clara Min to director of advanced analytics.
Min joined the Covenant team four years ago, and had previously worked as a data architect at TVA. Prior to TVA, Clara was the CTO of Ligand Technology. She has a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from Louisiana State University.
In her new role, Min will develop and execute strategies to enhance Covenant Transport Service’s business intelligence and analytics initiatives.
Bryan Kelly honored as Top Advisor by Forbes Magazine
Bryan Kelly, a certified financial planner with Tandem Financial Partners, was named to the list of Best-in-State Wealth Advisors published by Forbes magazine.
According to Forbes, the rankings are based on data provided by more than 11,000 of the nation’s most productive advisors. Bryan was chosen based on assets under management, industry experience, regulatory and compliance record, revenue produced over a three-year period and community involvement. Kelly has more than 16 years of experience in the financial services industry.
“Bryan has an eagerness to surpass expectations for every client he works with,” said Will Clegg, manager at Henderson, Hutcherson, and McCullough, a leading Chattanooga area CPA firm.. “His dedication to service excellence is unparalleled.”
A graduate of Lee University, Kelly serves on several non-profit boards and committees: Sculpture Fields, Downtown Rotary Club, Chattanooga Symphony and Opera, Partnership for Families Children and Adults, ArtsBuild, UnFoundation and Chattanooga Theatre Centre.
H’Art Gallery names Kelly director
The H’Art Gallery Board of Directors has elected Mindy Kelly as its new executive director. Kelly will replace HArt Gallery Founder Ellen Heavilon, who will continue to be involved with the organization as mentor and advocate.
An Atlanta native, Kelly moved to her adopted hometown of Chattanooga in 2006. She is a self-taught artist who explores new ways of working with materials to create work in many layers of acrylic paint and mixed media using vintage books and magazines.
“I want people to find little gems hidden in my work that amuse or surprise them,” said Kelly.
Not only an artist, Kelly has 20 years of business background in the beauty industry as a small business owner. She sold her business in order to take on the leadership role at HArt, where she originally served as a board member and volunteer artist.
Located at 110 E. Main Street on Chattanooga’s burgeoning Southside, the extended mission of H’Art is to supply art materials and mentoring classes to our community partner organizations, expanding H’Art’s impact well beyond the walls of the gallery.
McDaniel joins Pinnacle as a mortgage advisor
Shannon McDaniel has joined Pinnacle Financial Partners as a senior vice president and mortgage advisor for the firm’s Broad Street office.
McDaniel, with 23 years of experience, most recently spent 10 years with Peoples Home Equity, where he was a branch manager. Previous roles included serving as a regional account executive for Wilmington Finance in Chattanooga, loan originator for Greathouse Mortgage in Knoxville and regional manager for Mortgage Investors Corporation in Memphis.
“Shannon is extremely dedicated to his clients and meeting all of their needs,” said Chris Avans, a mortgage manager with Pinnacle. “He is an excellent addition to our team.”
Bell joins Waterhouse PR
Marissa Bell, formerly a communications spokesman for Mayor Andy Berke, has joined Waterhouse Public Relations as an account executive focused on client needs, strategy and media relations.
In her seventh year as a communications professional, Bell brings a range of experience in digital media, broadcasting, public relations and government affairs.
“Marissa is a strong addition to our team, bringing with her a deep knowledge of public relations,” said Amanda Plecas, company vice president.
Before moving to Chattanooga, Bell worked for foodnetwork.com at its digital headquarters and former parent company, Scripps Networks, in Knoxville.
Bell graduated from the University of Tennessee, where she competed on the Division I women’s rowing team, including an appearance at a NCAA Championship. In Chattanooga, she serves as treasurer of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) Lookout Chapter and is currently pursuing her Accreditation in Public Relations (APR) through PRSA.
Reliance Partners names Seidl as vice president
Reliance Partners has added John Seidl as vice president of risk services.
As a former Wisconsin state motor carrier trooper and the federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) investigator with more than 20 years of experience in risk services, Seidl is well versed in the transportation insurance space. He has worked at the FMCSA, the Federal Aviation Administration, and most recently as an insurance producer and Department of Transportation consultant.
“We know John will play a key role in our continued success and growth,” said Chad Eichelberg, company president. “His hands-on experience in DOT compliance and fleet risk management are a perfect fit with our growing national client base of large fleets.”
Reliance was recently featured in Inc Magazine as a member of its 500 Fastest Growing Privately-Held Companies in 2017, Inc. Magazine’s 2017 ’50 Best Workplaces,’ and in Fortune as one of “America’s Best Workplaces.”
Mason selected as Habitat’s top finance officer
Habitat for Humanity of Greater Chattanooga Area, a faith based non-profit organization that help volunteers to build affordable homes for working families, has added Brant Mason as chief financial officer.
Mason is a certified public accountant with more than 25 years of experience in accounting and finance. Prior to joining Habitat for Humanity, Mason served in leadership roles at Beaulieu Group; Steward, Inc.; and Arthur Anderson & Company. In his new role, Mason will be responsible for the oversight of the organization’s financial, accounting, and human resources processes and record keeping.
“Brant is a seasoned financial leader with strong business acumen” said David Butler, president of Habitat for Humanity of Greater Chattanooga.
Mason earned his bachelor’s degree in business from Tennessee Technological University and his MBA from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.
Hines joins Crye-Leike Chattanooga
Brandy Hines is now affiliated with CryeLeike Real Estate Service’s Downtown Chattanooga branch office as a licensed Realtor. Hines will serve the residential real estate needs of buyers and sellers in and around Chattanooga and the Cleveland, Tennessee area.
Hines is a University of Tennessee graduate and a member of the National Association of Realtors. Prior to her career in real estate, Hines spent 10 years as a stay-at-home mother for her two children.
Southside Creative adds four new hires
Southside Creative, HHM CPAs’ affiliated marketing firm, has hired four new employees to provide expertise and support for the expansion of key client services. New hires include Sarah Halloran, marketing director, Gray Gill, content strategist and writer, Jessica Blankenship, project manager and designer and Sallie Tipton, marketing coordinator.
Halloran joins Southside Creative with experience as a full service marketing specialist for local and regional businesses in a variety of industries. Halloran is also an event director who has previously led the management and execution of events including the U.S. Olympic boxing pre-trials, local pro boxing events, Kids & Pros, and the Temecula Balloon and Wine Festival in Temecula, California. Previously, she worked as marketing director for Connect Marketing Chattanooga.
Gill specializes in brand-defining writing that is rooted in strategy, including headlines, tag lines, brand and product names, website copy, newsletters, and much more. Prior to joining Southside Creative, Gill worked for The Brandon Agency, where he honed his technical writing skills working with various B2B clients, and Trek Bicycle Corporation as the brand’s copywriter.
Blankenship will oversee day-to-day work as a project manager and also apply her design skills as a production designer for many ongoing Southside Creative client projects. For the past three years, Blankenship has worked at Crash Creative, most recently as director of marketing and customer success, where she identified unmet online needs, goals and opportunities for clients ranging from small local businesses to larger national brands.
Tipton joins Southside Creative as a marketing coordinator, lending a helping hand in a variety of areas for the agency’s portfolio of clients.
Woods head pediatrics at Children’s Hospital
Dr. Charles Woods, former chairman of the Department of Pediatrics with the University of Louisville College of Medicine, has been named chairman of the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Tennessee College of Medicine Chattanooga and Chief Medical Officer of the Children’s Hospital at Erlanger.
The announcement was made jointly by Dr. Bruce Shack, dean of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Medicine in Chattanooga and Kevin M. Spiegel, president of the Erlanger Health System. Children’s Hospital is the only pediatric specialty hospital in the region and one of six hospitals currently in the Erlanger Health System.
In his new position, Woods will oversee department faculty at Children’s Hospital, as well as all faculty appointments and educational activities. He will also help advance strategic planning of the new Children’s Hospital and its research activities.
Woods is a native of Alabama and graduated from Samford University. He attended medical school and completed his residency and fellowship training in pediatric infectious diseases at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas. He also has a Master’s degree in epidemiology from Wake Forest University. He has served as in numerous roles in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Louisville School of Medicine since 2006. Wood was elected by national peers as an officer in the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society where he contributed to numerous research, study groups and task forces related to this specialty.
Vision Hospitality names Pieniaszek to manage revenues
Vision Hospitality Group, Inc. has promoted Matthew Pieniaszek to regional director of revenue management. Pieniaszek oversees the revenue management for hotels primarily in the Atlanta region of Vision’s portfolio.
Pieniaszek began at Vision Hospital in 1997 as a front desk agent at the Homewood Suites Hamilton Place, where Vision Hospitality was established later that same year. After he graduated with his IT Networking Certification in 2000, Pieniaszek worked at various hotels in the Chattanooga area before returning to Vision as general manger for the Fairfield Inn & Suites Cleveland, Tenn. Three years later, he was named as corporate revenue manager before being named to his current job as a regional director of revenue management.
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