Buchanan Realty Group CLICK HERE located in Hamilton Hills Shopping Center, 621 Old Hickory Blvd., sponsors Strictly Business, a weekly column that takes a look at a few of this week’s business highlights.
The Buchanan Realty Group – (731) 300-3071 – provides commercial real estate services throughout Tennessee. The group specializes in leasing, tenant representation, investment sales and acquisition – concentrating on retail, hospitality, c-store, medical, industrial and multi-family sectors.
West Tennessee Healthcare welcomes new CEO at Volunteer Hospital
Jackson, Tennessee – West Tennessee Healthcare is pleased to announce that William “Kevin” Decker has accepted the position of Chief Executive Officer at Volunteer Hospital in Martin, TN. As CEO at Volunteer Martin, Decker will be responsible for all operations and overall management of the Volunteer Hospital.
Decker has 30+ years of experience in health care. He began his leadership career as the Laboratory Director at White County Medical Center in Searcy, AR, and has since then held several other positions in other health care systems such as Assistant Chief Executive Officer, Chief Executive Officer, and Vice President of Operations.
Decker holds a bachelor’s degree in Medical Technology from Arkansas State University and a master’s degree in Operations Management from the University of Arkansas. He is also a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE).
“We are excited that Kevin has joined our West Tennessee Healthcare team, and we believe that his experience and leadership will help us continue Volunteer Hospital’s mission to improve the health and wellbeing of the community,” said Tina Prescott, Chief Operating Officer.
Jackson Energy Authority – Board of Directors approve resolutions during monthly meeting
Jackson Energy Authority considered several resolutions when its Board of Directors held their monthly meeting, Tuesday.
Some of the more impactful issues approved were:
- Relocation of a unit substation from Westwood to Christmasville which allows improved service for increasing residential load in the northeast area, reduces lengthy distribution lines and reduces exposure in the industrial areas south of Interstate 40. The Westwood substation load was transferred to the newer Hospital substation recently and this move improves the overall electricity delivery service.
- Purchase of new Internet Edge Switches for the Telecom division which will replace technology that has reached its end of life. The new equipment will provide additional support to JEA’s internet connectivity for home and business use as well as extend support through the vendor for a period of 5 years.
- JEA approved some adjustments to the final contract on the rehabilitation of the 119 East College Street building which will house its Human Resources and Information Technology areas. This project is very close to completion.
- The board also agreed to move forward with issuing taxable bonds for the Wastewater System to potentially save $800,000 to $1,000,000 over the life of the notes. Given current low rates, JEA determined that refinancing of prior tax-exempt bonds from 2012 into taxable bonds in today’s market presented a cost savings that was beneficial to rate payers. Certain parameters of this particular 2012 tax free bond issue do prohibit the issue of new tax-free bonds for the purpose of refinance prior to March 2022.
“Senior management also provided some follow up to information requested by the board in relation to the TVA contract, but no additional action was taken at this time,” said Monte Jones, chairman of the board,” JEA will continue to gather information related to its contract and plans to visit with TVA at a future board meeting.”
Business Spotlight – Caitlin Roach new marketing director at LIFELINE Blood Services
Caitlin Roach has been named the new marketing manager at LIFELINE Blood Services.
She takes over the duties of long-time coordinator Cherie Parker, who has announced she is retiring December 4.
Her responsibilities will include working with media across 20 counties and two regional areas to promote blood donations in order to meet the needs of 20 hospitals and 13 helicopter service locations in West Tennessee.
She will also take over all marketing tasks for LIFELINE.
“LIFELINE Blood Services plays a unique role in healthcare for our area,” Caitlin said, “For over 70 years, this team has worked to save lives by providing a resource that has no substitute—blood. I am honored to play a small part in the work of LIFELINE—an organization that saves, on average, 500 lives per week.”
A Jackson native, Caitlin graduated from South Side High School before obtaining her Bachelor of Arts in English and history and Master of Business Administration from Union University.
She serves as an adjunct professor at Union, teaching in both the McAfee School of Business and the School of Adult and Professional Studies.
She began her marketing career at Younger Associates in 2015, a local advertising agency and market research firm, working first as lead copywriter and then as an account manager.
She joined LIFELINE from The Jackson Symphony, where she had been employed as the Director of Marketing & Patron Development for the last two years.
Caitlin serves on the boards for the Leadership Jackson Alumni Association, West Tennessee Hearing and Speech Center, Madison County Imagination Library, and the Jackson Symphony League. She is a five-year member of the Jackson Service League and is also active with the American Heart Association.
JSCC – Occupational Therapy Assistant class earns 100% pass rate on national exam
Members of Jackson State Community College’s Occupational Therapy Assistant class of 2020 earned a 100 percent pass rate on their national credentialing examination, despite challenges and barriers created by COVID-19.
The exam is administered by the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy. It is taken after graduation and required for certification, licensure and employment. This is the second year in a row the program had a 100 percent pass rate.
As cases of the coronavirus in the United States increased in mid-March and the pandemic began to sweep across the country, students were pulled from their fieldwork experiences.
“They had to wait two months before they could resume their fieldwork, and some students had to complete their requirements at alternative health care locations,” said Occupational Therapy Assistant Program Director Dr. Julie Bezold. “But they persevered through several virtual study groups and encouragement from their classmates, and today, each of them is a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant.”
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