Chastain promoted at Regions Bank
Michelle Chastain has been named Regions Bank private banking sales manager for the Chattanooga and Cleveland markets.
"Mi-chelle has a proven record in private banking," Regions' Chattanooga president said. "She is an accomplished banker, well recognized for her talent and commitment to serving customers and the community."
Chastain brings over eight years of wealth management experience to her new role, spending a majority of that time in Regions' Chattanooga market as a private banking relationship manager. She holds her series 7 securities license and a master's in business administration from UTC.
Chastain has served on the board of directors for Partnership for Families, Children and Adults; as a mentor for Emily's Power for a Cure; stewardship and personnel elder for Northside Presbyterian Church and a member of the Northside Learning Center Parents Council. She is also a graduate of Leadership Chattanooga and the Holmberg Arts Leadership Institute.
Lawrence to head Girls Inc. chapter
Kimberly A. Lawrence, a certified public accountant who serves as a tax principal at Joseph Decosimo and Co., PLLC in Chattanooga, has been appointed chairwoman of Girls Inc. of Chattanooga.
Girls Inc. of Chattanooga is a nonprofit organization that inspires and equips all girls to be strong, smart and bold on their journey to self-discovery.
"I believe that female leadership is extremely important to our community and have seen firsthand the success that Girls Inc. has had in preparing girls to be leaders," Lawrence said. "Being an advocate for girls through my involvement with Girls Inc. is one of the ways that I can encourage girls on their path to being healthy, educated and independent."
Lawrence, a certified public accountant with more than 23 years experience in public accounting, was the second female to become a principal at Decosimo.
Leading the Chattanooga tax department, she is actively involved in the firm's tax compliance practice, which includes review of partnership, corporate, state, consolidated, and individual tax returns; tax planning and tax consultation.
Recently, Lawrence was appointed chairwoman of the Tennessee Society of Certified Public Accountants Women's Initiative Committee, which is an emerging committee founded to encourage female leadership across Tennessee's accounting sector.
Matens earns CCEP designation
The Society of Corporate Compliance and Ethics recently announced that Jack Matens has successfully completed the certified compliance and ethics professional exam and earned the CCEP designation.
He is director of human resource services with Chattanooga-based employee benefits broker Russ Blakely and Associates.
According to SCCE, certification denotes "knowledge of relevant regulations and expertise in compliance processes sufficient to assist corporate industries in understanding and addressing legal obligations and promoting organizational integrity through effective compliance programs."
Matens, who provides an array of HR services and leadership training to RBA clients and other organizations, is also a Myers-Briggs type index administrator and a registered mediator with the Tennessee Supreme Court. SCCE, headquartered in Minneapolis, is dedicated to enhancing the role of compliance professionals and advancing corporate governance, compliance and ethics.
Flintstone man wins $20,000 prize
Less than one week after one of the worst disasters in our area's history, Flintstone, Ga., resident Forrest Blakemore walked into the Mountain View Chevrolet dealership in downtown Chattanooga with a pre-construction sale flier in hand and got some good news.
"Mr. Blakemore, you just won $20,000!" Mountain View salesman Chris Standridge told him.
Blakemore is the grand prize winner of Mountain View Chevrolet's quarterly sales event. Centered around the dealership's future construction, the sale focuses on liquidating as much inventory as possible to prepare for the new facility. As an incentive to the residents of the area, every person who receives the flier and presents it in person is a winner, with prizes ranging from two dollars all the way up to the grand prize of a 2011 Chevrolet Cruze or $20,000.
Blakemore is the dealership's first grand prize winner.
Decosimo opens Huntsville office
Decosimo, a leading regional accounting and business advisory firm, will celebrate the opening of its office in Huntsville, Ala., Tuesday.
The 40-year-old firm opened its office in November in the First Commercial Bank building and appointed Ken Conner to be in charge of the firm's Huntsville development efforts.
"Decosimo's interest in Huntsville was first added to our firm's strategic plan in 2003, but it wasn't until we acquired new clients in 2008 that we began to fully appreciate the opportunity that Huntsville offered," Conner said. "We believe that there is a base of companies not only in Huntsville, but across North Alabama, who will benefit from a regional CPA firm with experience in multiple industries and issues."
More than 100 guests, including Chamber of Commerce representatives and elected officials, are expected for Tuesday's grand opening at the Huntsville facility.
Forehand earns photography degree
Jeannie Forehand of Contemporary Portraits on Signal Mountain has earned the master of photography degree from the Professional Photographers of America. She was recently awarded the degree at the PPA conference in San Antonio in recognition of her photographic competence and artistic vision, as demonstrated through photographic competition, advanced education and service to the profession. Forehand also holds the Certified Professional Photographer designation from PPA for technical expertise.
Faircloths win Century 21 award
Connie and Joey Faircloth have been awarded a top Century 21 award in recognition of their outstanding customer service based upon satisfaction surveys sent out to clients. The Faircloth Team won the 2010 Century 21 quality service award.