When Ann Eslinger first joined EPB eight years ago she acknowledges she hardly knew what a kilowatt-hour was, let alone how businesses could be encouraged to reduce their energy usage.

Folks new to the Chattanooga area met and mingled at the Moxy Hotel downtown in March. The ChattaNewbies program that welcomes newcomers to the Chattanooga area is sponsored by the Chattanooga Chamber of Commerce.

Paul Weidlich, attorney, joins Miller & Martin's Chattanooga office as a member of its Intellectual Property Practice Group. With a focus on complex issues relating to intellectual property, Weidlich's practice includes patents and trademarks portfolio development, preparation, and prosecution; trade secrets, copyrights, licensing agreements; media, advertising and promotional law and intellectual property litigation.

Adam Kinsey is a Chattanooga real estate developer and entrepreneur, focusing on urban and mixed-used projects. In the last 20 years, he has been involved in over $300 million of development projects, including the redevelopment of the Chattanooga Choo Choo complex. These projects have helped transformed communities by putting an emphasis on living, working and playing in downtown settings.

* Locations: Mad Priest has two locations: a drive-thru and roastery in East Chattanooga at 3399 Wilcox Blvd., and their Southside Espresso Bar at 1900 Broad St.

Chattanooga Business Elite hosted the third annual Black Excellence Awards in February at the Chattanooga Trade and Convention Center. The event recognizes and celebrates minority professionals and their businesses that excel in customer service, community enrichment and have improved Hamilton County overall.

SVN | Second Story Real Estate Management launched in 2016, under the leadership of Tiffanie Robinson and a team of investors and real estate professionals.

Jason Provonsha, the CEO of Steam Logistics, leads one of the fastest growing companies in Chattanooga.

Lisa VanCleave Lay is now vice president of properties and corporate services for BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee. She provides support for the teams responsible for building operations and maintenance, physical security and safety, mail services, and warehouse services as well as all real estate, renovation and construction projects for the company.

The Southside Council of the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce met recently at Green Spaces on East Main Street. The group heard from Theresa Nix from Downside Up about how the organization creates a welcoming and inclusive environment for all families in the community.

Rhonda Adams Scott, the new president of CHI Memorial hospital, was born at the hospital and went to Avondale Elementary, Hardy Junior High School and Brained High School, where she first met her future husband. The two ran against each other to become senior class president in high school.

Growing up in Pikeville, Tennessee, Cara Roberson first learned about banking from her mom, who was a teller at First Bank of Rhea County in Dayton.

The Christian Men's Business Coalition recently met for lunch at the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce. The organization is a group of local business and professional men whose objective is to share the essentials of the Christian faith to better apply them to home and work.

In 1877, Joseph Lodge and his wife, Anna, made their home in South Pittsburg, Tennessee.

The Chattanooga Mortgage Bankers Association kicked off 2022 with a breakfast and goal-setting event at the Mill on Chattanooga's Southside. Carey Ann & My Mortgage Team led the event for the group, which supports local nonprofit and charitable organizations associated with homeownership.

Amy Jo Osborn is the first chief executive officer for The Austin Hatcher Foundation for Pediatric Cancer.

Pam Ladd, the CEO of the Partnership for Families, Children and Adults, will retire in August after seven years with the non-profit human services agency. During her career, she served as manager of custodial services at Tennessee Valley Authority and as assistant vice president of support services at Provident Life and Accident Insurance Co. She then founded and operated Custom Custodial Inc., a successful industrial cleaning service. She also is a retired real estate agent with the local firm Real Estate Partners, and served as Chattanooga City Council representative for District 3.

As the first chief learning officer for BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee, Damali Curry will help shape the education and development of employees from recruitment throughout their careers at the insurer - a job that will mean plenty of learning for her, as well.

The idea for the Chattanooga Football Club was born in 2008, when Thomas Clark, a former soccer player with the U.S. Air Force Academy and a Chattanooga transplant, tried out with an amateur soccer team in Birmingham, Alabama.

Kim Shumpert, chief executive officer of the Chattanooga Women's Leadership Institute since 2018, has worked in the public, private and nonprofit sectors over the past two decades in a variety of jobs from marketing a construction company to raising money for Bethel Bible Village.

Patrick Jones joins Franklin Wealth Management as a wealth plan analyst.

Members of Chattanooga Small Business Networking gathered at the Indigo Hotel to catch up and make connections. The group has grown to more than 30,000 members on its Facebook page and launched a networking platform at csbnconnect.com.

Julie Darling Donuts, opened in February 2010, was the dream of its owner, Kent Davis.