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"There is so much growth occurring in the area," Sterling said. "I’m excited about the opportunity to help people in the community realize their dream of owning a home."

With more than 20 years of banking and finance experience, Sterling is a great addition to the Curtis Mortgage staff. She started her career in banking with Blount National Bank and has been involved with training, IT, operations and mortgage origination.

"I feel fortunate to be able to focus my energies in this market," Sterling said. "It is a great area to get to know people and
work closely with them."

Bill Curtis, CEO of Curtis Mortgage believes Sterling will be a great addition to the Curtis Mortgage staff. "Leigh brings a lot of energy and enthusiasm for the market to Curtis Mortgage," Curtis said. "We are fortunate to have someone with her background, experience and expertise."

Active in the local community, Sterling is involved with Relay for Life and Habitat for Humanity. She also serves on the boards for the Maryville High and Maryville Intermediate music boosters.

She and her husband Mark have three boys. Sterling’s parents are from Townsend.

Sterling’s office is located at 7971 E. Lamar Alexander Parkway in Townsend. The office is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Thursday and from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Friday. Her direct office number is 980-2976.

Although her primary office is in Townsend, Sterling can see customers at any BankEast location in Blount County.

Food City brings back Kay’s ice cream
Food City will include an all-time regional favorite, Kay’s ice cream, in their line of grocery items.

"We have always prided ourselves in selecting the best products possible for our customers," says Steven C. Smith, Food City President and CEO. "Like our company, Kay’s ice cream was also a local family-owned operation and we’re excited to bring back such a popular line of top quality products".

Kay’s ice cream was originally based in Knoxville, and is best known for being one of the first to market a wide variety of flavors. In a world dominated by chocolate, vanilla and strawberry, the company made combinations like butter pecan a household name.

Area Food City locations will be exclusive Kay’s ice cream outlets. Back by popular demand, a number of childhood favorites will be offered, along with several new flavor combinations. The line will also include no-sugar added and frozen yogurt products.

"My family is looking forward to seeing Kay’s ice cream back on the shelves at Food City," said founding family member, Jim Alexander. "Having sampled several flavors from the new Kay’s line, I think Food City customers will agree they have done a great job in bringing back a highly favored top quality product".

To launch the campaign, Food City will distribute a variety of coupons and encourage customers to try the new line with special promotional pricing. Look for great tasting Kay’s ice cream in the freezer section of your local Food City today.

StaffingSolutions branch wins President’s Club award
The StaffingSolutions branch office in Maryville earned the President’s Club Award at their national meeting in Dallas, Texas.
This award can only be achieved by the top 15 percent of branches within EmployBridge, the holding company for StaffingSolutions, and is earned on the basis of operational excellence measured by client satisfaction.

When ranked nationally against other branch locations, the Maryville branch demonstrated achievements in performance and was recognized for their role in contributing to the success of their division and the company. They were also
recognized for providing exemplary service to clients. Office managers are Candy Cooke, operations manager and Virginia
Hardwick, account manager.

For more information, visit the company’s Web sites at www.staffingsolutions.com or www.employbridge.net.

Taylor earns Million Dollar Round Table membership
Craig Taylor of Maryville has once again earned membership in the prestigious Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT). Taylor is an agent with First Tennessee Insurance Services, specializing in business and estate insurance planning. He is a member of the First Tennessee Wealth Management team in Maryville, and assists clients with estate planning, business
continuation, wealth transfer, and long-term care insurance planning.

Achieving membership in MDRT is a distinguishing career milestone, attained by those who demonstrate exceptional product knowledge, strict ethical conduct and outstanding client service. The Round Table’s membership represents the top life insurance and financial service professionals worldwide. Membership in MDRT is recognized internationally as the standard of sales excellence in the life insurance and financial services business.

Kim Clark promoted to property manager
Kim Clark was recently promoted to property manager by Knoxville’s Community Development Corporation (KCDC).
In his new position, Clark is responsible for planning and supervising the daily management and maintenance of the buildings and grounds of The Vista at Summit Hill, a KCDC premier property.

Prior to his promotion, Clark was inspection coordinator for KCDC where he has been employed for 24 years.

Clark currently lives in Maryville with his wife, Teresa. They have two children, Christopher and Samantha.

Jeff Davis named director of Tennessee Technology Center
In a special called meeting on May 18, the Tennessee Board of Regents unanimously approved Jeff Davis as the next director of the Tennessee Technology Center at Knoxville. Davis recently served as interim director of the TTC Knoxville and was assistant director since 1986. He spent his entire career with the TTC Knoxville and began working there in 1974 while attending West High School. Davis worked his way through the University of Tennessee, receiving his bachelors in industrial arts education in 1980. In 2006, Davis received his masters in instructional leadership from Tennessee Tech University.

Blount County is in the service delivery area of the center and many Blount County citizens attend classes at the center. Fred Forster, President of the Blount County Chamber, served on the search committee for this position.

"We had a highly qualified group of candidates for the director position at the TTC at Knoxville, and the decision was not an easy one. However, based on the outstanding job Jeff Davis has done as interim director and on his many years of service at the institution, he was clearly the best choice to lead the Knoxville TTC to its full potential," said James King, TBR Vice
Chancellor for Technology Centers.