McKee Foods has appointed Cheryl Hilling to vice president of quality, R&D, and Chris Hennen as corporate counsel in the company’s law department.
Hilling has been director of quality, R&D for four years. Previously she was manager of research and new technology and has been with the company since September 2009.
Prior to McKee Foods, Cheryl worked as a senior scientist in product development for Mars Inc. She and her husband owned and operated a retail bread bakery in Chattanooga for about seven years, and she also taught courses in food technology and natural sciences at Chattanooga State Technical College over a 10-year period.
Hilling earned a Bachelor of Science in biology from the University of Iowa and a Master of Science in food science from Ohio State University.
Hennen has practiced law with the Chattanooga law firm of Chambliss, Bahner & Stophel P.C., since 2010, working in the firm’s business section on a wide range of corporate legal matters. During his tenure with Chambliss, Hennen has worked closely with many departments at McKee Foods. He will continue to work with those various departments while assuming additional responsibilities as part of the Law Department team.
Hennen graduated cum laude with a bachelor’s degree from Boston College and then received his law degree from Emory University School of Law.
Bailey Gregory promoted at Autism Center
Upon successfully passing her board certification, the Chattanooga Autism Center (CAC) has promoted Bailey Gregory to a full-time Board Certified Behavior Analyst.
Bailey began her career at the CAC outpatient clinic as a behavior tech in June of 2017, after she graduated from the UTC psychology department.
The CAC’s outpatient clinic provides assessments, counseling, and Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy. Gregory practices in the ABA therapy clinic and treats children with an autism diagnosis and severe challenging behavior, such as aggression, self-harm, elopement, and other behaviors that pose a risk to self or others.
The Trust Company of Tennessee hires Allison Cross
The Trust Company of Tennessee has hired Allison Kidd Cross as a relationship manager in the firm’s Chattanooga office.
Cross graduated from the University of Georgia and earned a master’s degree in education from Georgia Southwestern State University. She has more than two decades of financial service experience at TSYS, BBVA, Regions and Atlantic Capital and is pursuing Certified Financial Planner designation.
Cross is a member of the Chattanooga Women’s Leadership Institute. She is a graduate of Leadership Barbour and previously served as a United Way pledge advocate. She is involved with the Downtown Chattanooga Kiwanis Club and serves as a member of St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church Vestry.
“Allison has a deep well of experience and is so active in the Chattanooga community,” said Sharon J. Pryse, founder and CEO of The Trust Company of Tennessee. “She will be a great ambassador for The Trust Company, developing new relationships in the Chattanooga area while supporting and exceeding expectations of current clients.”
Based in Knoxville, The Trust Company of Tennessee is a state-chartered bank with more than $3.5 billion under management. The company helps individuals, families, business owners and charities make better decisions with money through wealth management, corporate retirement and personal trust services.
Chattanooga Gas among top 20 Trusted Partners
The business customers of Chattanooga Gas have ranked the utility as being one of the most Trusted Business Partners in the utility industry for 2019, according to a Cogent Syndicated study by Escalent, formerly Market Strategies International. As one of the Top 20 business partners across the U. S., Chattanooga Gas continues to be an industry leader in business customer engagement and satisfaction.
The study from Escalent, a top human behavior and analytics firm, measures overall business customer engagement performance based on three core components – brand trust, product experience and service satisfaction. This is the first year that Chattanooga Gas has participated in this study, ranking second among all utilities and first in the south region.
Ronald McDonald House announces new hires
Ronald McDonald House Charities of Greater Chattanooga has hired Laurette DeLoach as the new executive assistant to the president and added Joyce Lloyd and Kimberly Smith as development officers.
DeLoach joined the team earlier this spring and has a special connection to Ronald McDonald House. When her son was younger, there family was able to use the House. After joining full-time she has already helped with several development projects, events and database support for the House.
Lloyd worked for many years as a flight attendant for Delta Airlines and has been a camp and after-school director, as well as her most recent role as a volunteer coordinator. She is also a member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals.
Smith joined the Ronald McDonald House in May. She handles annual giving and helps with database support. She is a Tennessee native and graduated from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Smith is also a member of Association of Fundraising Professionals, the East Brainerd Kiwanis and the Chattanooga Chamber.
Vance Bell, Piet Dossche honored in WFCA Hall of Fame
Vance Bell, chairman and chief executive officer of Shaw Industries, and Piet Dossche, president of USFloors and executive vice president of hard surfaces for Shaw, were both honored as 2019 inductees in the World Floor Covering Association’s Hall of Fame.The business executives are among 50th inductees into the Hall of Fame since it was established in 1992.
Bell will be inducted at the World Floor Covering Association’s 60th Anniversary celebration at Barnsley Resort, and Piet’s induction will take place during a ceremony at The International Surface Event (TISE) in Las Vegas during Surfaces 2020.
Business News is published each Sunday. Information about new hires, promotions and business awards should be sent to onthemove@timesfreepress.com.









