New money and new jobs coming to Oak Ridge thanks to Protomet Corporation

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Apr 052013
 

Protomet Corporation announced it is more than doubling the size of its facilities, investing $6 million dollars in the local economy, buying new equipment and adding at least 30 new jobs at its Oak Ridge headquarters. Protomet plans to move into the expanded facility before year-end.

Protomet provides high precision production manufacturing for clients in a variety of markets including automotive, homeland security, medical and marine. Protomet partners with company resident engineers to (re)design parts for the manufacturing process that target the reduction of component cost  by 10 to 75 percent. Because of the markets it serves, some particularly hard hit by economic conditions over the past five years, Protomet’s growth is an indication that some of those markets are making a turnaround.

Here’s what WATE (ABC) News in Knoxville reported:

Westgate Smoky Mountain Resort and Spa takes expansion news and indoor waterpark information to Chattanooga

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Apr 012013
 

(L to R) Chris Brown of Westgate and Rick Laney tell Newschannel 9 (ABC) television’s Don Welch about the Westgate Resort expansion.

Westgate Smoky Mountain Resort and Spa was featured on both Newschannel 9 (ABC) television and WRCB (NBC) Television in Chattanooga recently. Both stations wanted their viewers to know about how the biggest resort in the Smokies is getting even bigger with its latest expansion – which is set to open this spring.

Millions of people drive past its entrance every summer, but never know it is there – and that is completely intentional. Nestled on a forested mountainside, Westgate Smoky Mountain Resort & Spa gives visitors the things they come to the mountains for; breathtaking panoramic mountain views, peace, quiet, relaxation, luxurious rooms, fine dining and every conceivable amenity for the whole family.

Already the largest resort in the entire Smoky Mountain Region, Westgate Smoky Mountain Resort and Spa is nearing completion on an additional four-story, multi-million dollar building with 72 new villas ranging in size from 300 square feet to 3,200 square feet five-bedroom villas. The expansion gives Westgate nearly 200 more available places to stay than its second-largest competitor. The resort is also home to the largest indoor waterpark in the Smokies.

Westgate Smoky Mountain Resort and Spa

While the Great Smoky Mountains have become the most visited national park in the nation with nearly 11 million annual visitors, guests often find that the surrounding resort towns are nothing like the actual park they came to see. At Westgate Smoky Mountain Resort & Spa, that serene mountain experience doesn’t end when you leave the park. All of the noise, traffic, neon signs and attractions fade in the distance as Westgate visitors turn onto its property and head up the mountainside. Just minutes from downtown Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, Westgate brings all of the majesty and serenity of the Smokies to its guests, who are literally staying in the mountains.

Even though Westgate Smoky Mountain Resort & Spa guests are just minutes away from all of the shows, attractions, restaurants, shopping and activities the Smoky Mountain Region has to offer, many find that the best way to experience the Smokies is to never leave the Westgate property. In addition to its world class spa, numerous restaurants and eateries, ice cream shop, unbelievable award-winning villas and outdoor pools and play areas, Westgate also has the largest indoor water park in all of East Tennessee, Wild Bear Falls.

Within a one-day drive of most of the Eastern United States, Westgate Smoky Mountain Resort offers a perfect weekend escape for your family in the heart of the Great Smoky Mountains. For more information, visit www.WGSmokyMountains.com or call (877) 819-4028.

Watch the WRCB (NBC) interview below.

Protomet Corporation expansion is good indicator for many hard hit companies and workers

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Mar 282013
 

A successful manufacturing, technology and engineering company based in Oak Ridge, Tenn. – Protomet Corporation – is expanding, and it’s a good sign for many East Tennessee companies and workers.

Protomet provides high precision production manufacturing for clients in a variety of markets including automotive, homeland security, medical and marine. Protomet partners with company resident engineers to (re)design parts for the manufacturing process that target the reduction of component cost  by 10 to 75 percent. Because of the markets it serves, some particularly hard hit by economic conditions over the past five years, Protomet’s growth is an indication that some of those markets are making a turnaround.

Jeff Bohanan announces Protomet expansion to local media.

“Five years ago, the marine and boating markets took a real hit,” said Jeff Bohanan, founder and president of Protomet. “Some boat manufacturers saw an 80 to 90 percent drop in sales. A large number of people lost their jobs after virtually every boat manufacturer cut back. That downturn was particularly tough on East Tennessee.

“We also work closely with the automotive industry which has struggled in recent years. The increased demand and growth we are experiencing at Protomet is a good sign for businesses in markets that have made it through the recession – things are picking up.”

This week, Protomet announced it is more than doubling the size of its facilities, investing $6 million dollars in the local economy, buying new equipment and adding at least 30 new jobs at its Oak Ridge headquarters. Protomet plans to move into the expanded facility before year-end.

Bohanan said, “East Tennessee has a long history of being an innovation center, and Protomet has a culture of innovation and LEAN manufacturing. We design innovation directly into our products and processes – and even package products in a way that better serves our customer’s needs. This has served to build strong strategic relationships.

“We have a strong relationship with East Tennessee, too. We’re committed to this community where our workers live and play. Our management team are long-time residents and we are excited to be adding to the local workforce, hiring and training more local talent. It’s an exciting time.”

Since 2005, Protomet has experienced a 500 percent increase in sales and now has its own proprietary line of products marketed under the PTMEdge Watersports brand that makes and markets boating mirrors and wakeboard tower components for boats of all kinds.

The 21,500 square foot addition to Protomet will begin by June of this year and is expected to be finished by Dec. 31. Hiring for the new positions will begin immediately. For more information, visit http://www.protomet.com.

Artist’s rendering of the new Protomet Corporation headquarters in Oak Ridge, Tennessee.

Westgate Smoky Mountain Resort and Spa expansion drawing attention in Tri-Cities and throughout the Southeast

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Feb 182013
 

Chris Brown of Westgate Smoky Mountain Resort & Spa tells WCYB anchor Tarah Taylor about the ongoing expansion at the largest resort in the Smokies.

Westgate Smoky Mountain Resort & Spa’s latest expansion has travelers across the nation excited. Already the largest resort in the entire Smoky Mountain Region, Westgate Smoky Mountain Resort & Spa is nearing completion on an additional four-story, multi-million dollar building with 72 new villas ranging in size from 300 square feet to 3,200 square feet five-bedroom villas. The expansion gives Westgate nearly 200 more available places to stay than its second-largest competitor. The resort is also home to the largest indoor waterpark in the Smokies, Wild Bear Falls.

This week, Chris Brown, regional manager for Smoky Mountain Resort & Spa, appeared on WCYB (NBC) Televison in Bristol, Virginia to tell viewers in the Tri-Cities area all about the resort’s world-class offerings. This report followed earlier features by WBIR (NBC) Television and WVLT (CBS) Television in Knoxville, Tenn. You can see the WBIR story here and the WVLT story here.

Even though Westgate Smoky Mountain Resort & Spa guests are just minutes away from all of the shows, attractions, restaurants, shopping and activities the Smoky Mountain Region has to offer, many find that the best way to experience the Smokies is to never leave the Westgate property. In addition to its world class spa, numerous restaurants and eateries, ice cream shop, unbelievable award-winning villas and outdoor pools and play areas, Westgate also has the largest indoor water park in all of East Tennessee, Wild Bear Falls.

Within a one-day drive of most of the Eastern United States, Westgate Smoky Mountain Resort offers a perfect weekend escape for your family in the heart of the Great Smoky Mountains. For more information, visit www.WGSmokyMountains.com or call (877) 819-4028. Discounts are available for Tennessee residents and those who book reservations in advance.

The biggest resort in the Smoky Mountains is also its best-kept secret – and Westgate Smoky Mountain Resort & Spa is expanding

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Jan 232013
 

Westgate Smoky Mountain Resort & Spa covers a mountainside in the Great Smoky Mountains between Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge

GATLINBURG, Tennessee  – Millions of people drive past its entrance every summer, but never know it is there – and that is completely intentional. Nestled on a forested mountainside, Westgate Smoky Mountain Resort & Spa gives visitors the things they come to the mountains for; breathtaking panoramic mountain views, peace, quiet, relaxation, luxurious rooms, fine dining and every conceivable amenity for the whole family.

Already the largest resort in the entire Smoky Mountain Region, Westgate Smoky Mountain Resort and Spa is nearing completion on an additional four-story, multi-million dollar building with 72 new villas ranging in size from 300 square feet to 3,200 square feet five-bedroom villas. The expansion gives Westgate nearly 200 more available places to stay than its second-largest competitor. The resort is also home to the largest indoor waterpark in the Smokies.

While the Great Smoky Mountains have become the most visited national park in the nation with nearly 11 million annual visitors, guests often find that the surrounding resort towns are nothing like the actual park they came to see. At Westgate Smoky Mountain Resort & Spa, that serene mountain experience doesn’t end when you leave the park. All of the noise, traffic, neon signs and attractions fade in the distance as Westgate visitors turn onto its property and head up the mountainside. Just minutes from downtown Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, Westgate brings all of the majesty and serenity of the Smokies to its guests, who are literally staying in the mountains.

A dining room in a Westgate Smoky Mountain Villa

Even though Westgate Smoky Mountain Resort & Spa guests are just minutes away from all of the shows, attractions, restaurants, shopping and activities the Smoky Mountain Region has to offer, many find that the best way to experience the Smokies is to never leave the Westgate property. In addition to its world class spa, numerous restaurants and eateries, ice cream shop, unbelievable award-winning villas and outdoor pools and play areas, Westgate also has the largest indoor water park in all of East Tennessee, Wild Bear Falls.

Wild Bear Falls is a mountain-themed family indoor water park featuring the area’s only state-of-the-art retractable roof that takes Mother Nature out of the equation so guests enjoy comfortable conditions year round. At more than 60,000 square feet, Wild Bear Falls is the largest indoor water park resort in the South and the fifth-largest in the country. More than 300,000 gallons of water flow through the resort’s waterpark.

Wild Bear Falls features Cades Cove Lazy River (the only indoor lazy river in East Tennessee), Clingman’s Dome, Laurel Falls, huge water slides, hot tubs, a mezzanine with a restaurant, retail shop and a large arcade. For families with young children, the park features Little Pigeon River, a zero entry pool and toddler play area, and Wild Bear Falls, the tree house play feature that dumps hundreds of gallons of water on Westgate Smoky Mountain Resort & Spa guests playing below.

The largest indoor waterpark in the entire Smoky Mountains has a retractable roof and a lazy river!

For the adults, Westgate’s Serenity Spa offers over 50 world-class spa services, including facials, manicures and pedicures, body wraps and massage treatments found nowhere else in the world. All Serenity Spa professionals are licensed and trained in the most current techniques to provide maximum benefits and results from your treatments. The adjacent 30,000 square foot fitness center is the largest in the region with all of the latest cardio equipment and free weights.

The Activities Program at Westgate Smoky Mountain Resort & Spa operates from morning until night every day at Westgate, and is designed for all ages. Sample daily resort activities include water aerobics, parent/tot swim lessons, hiking, bingo, scavenger hunts, ice cream socials, fishing trips, face painting, arts and crafts, live entertainment and much more. The complete Activities Program Schedule is posted throughout the resort daily.

Within a one-day drive of most of the Eastern United States, Westgate Smoky Mountain Resort offers a perfect weekend escape for your family in the heart of the Great Smoky Mountains. For more information, visit www.WGSmokyMountains.com or call (877) 819-4028.

Read what the media is saying about the Westgate Smoky Mountain Resort & Spa expansion at WVLT (CBS) News and WBIR (NBC) News.

Study shows that blacks are more loyal to media brands than whites

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Aug 072012
 

An interesting study was released this week by New Media Metrics (NMM) that shows blacks are more attached to their favorite media brands than whites. The study shows that African-Americans are not only more loyal to traditional broadcast and cable channels, but are also more attached to their favorite digital outlets.  Interesting info for anyone involved in marketing, media, advertising or public relations.

Adweek’s Christopher Heine writes:  African-American consumers are more emotionally attached to brands than whites, especially when it comes to media companies, according to a study from NewMediaMetrics (NMM). On average, according to the New York-based marketing firm’s report, blacks are 7 percentage points more attached to broadcast and cable channels while showing 5 percentage points more affinity toward digital properties.

NMM conducted an online survey of more than 2,500 black and white adults in April and May, asking them questions designed to demonstrate emotional attachment to brands. The research involved 368 brands, 66 television properties, 150 websites, 94 magazines and about 40 events ranging from March Madness to The Grammys to The NAACP Image Awards.

Twenty-four percent of blacks surveyed said they were highly attached to TV channels, while the same was true for 17 percent of whites surveyed. For digital properties, 18 percent of blacks stated they were likely to be extremely brand loyal versus 13 percent for whites.

NMM’s findings also involve data on individual brands, showing that Google and Apple products are popular across both segments.

Its study revealed the top five brands among blacks in this order: Lexus (64 percent); Google Search (62 percent); Mercedes-Benz (61 percent); Google (60 percent); iPod (59 percent); and iPhone (59 percent). Other brands that are more popular with African Americans than whites include General Motors, Slim Fast, Tide, Fidelity, Ragu, Walmart, Levi’s, Campbell’s and Lowe’s.

The report’s top five for white consumers were iPhone (59 percent); Disney Parks (58 percent); Google Search (55 percent); iPod (54 percent); and iPad (54 percent).

Read the entire Adweek article here.

New National Geographic Channel show “The Great American Manhunt” shoots episode at Wilderness resort

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Apr 232012
 

Is it possible to identify living individuals simply through clues on and inside their bodies? For forensic detectives and scientists, it’s the ultimate test of their skills. Each week on The Great American Manhunt, the new eight part one-hour series premiering Thursday nights at 9:00 pm (ET/PT) on the National Geographic Channel, those skills are challenged as never before. In each episode, a charismatic team of experts employs the very latest techniques and technology in forensic science – as well as a bit of intuition and some old fashioned clue busting abilities – to unravel the complex mystery put before them.

A portion of one of the new episodes was shot at Wilderness at the Smokies resort, where I had the pleasure of working with both the talented production crew and the brilliant forensic scientists who the show is based on.  We shot for an entire day at the resort, but I won’t give too much away here.  Just watch for it!

Rick Laney

Rick Laney and the National Geographic crew

The Great American Manhunt throws down the gauntlet to forensic anthropologist Dr. Natalie Shirley, forensic psychiatrist Dr. Dan Shapiro and veteran police officer Bill Erfurth. Together, they are tasked with identifying a mystery target with an exceptional life and accomplishments. With no access to national databases, the team is limited to using every forensic test available to interrogate the anatomy, the minds and the clothes to positively ID their target and work out their exceptional achievement. The mystery targets come in all shapes and sizes but they all have something in common – an occupation or event that has left a unique imprint on their body.

Rick Laney working with National Geographic crew

“This series is like a real-life CSI episode, with a great twist,” said Kathleen Cromley, the executive producer for National Geographic Channel. “In this instance, all of the clues lead to a living, breathing person – and the journey along the way is great fun.”

David McNab, Creative Director, Wide-Eyed Entertainment said: “We have been blown away by the brilliance of our sleuths in piecing together the clues and hunting the targets down. The team tests everything from blood to psychology – from MRI scans to the pollen on the target’s clothes. The science is jaw dropping and the investigation takes the team on a thrilling chase across the country.”

Watch the trailer for “The Great American Manhunt” on National Geographic Channel below, and check local listings for times the show will air in your town.

 

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