News
September 7, 2018
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – August 29, 2018 – Blühen Botanicals, a new hemp processing company, announced plans today to open a hemp processing facility by the end of 2018 in Knoxville, Tenn. The company’s founders aim to make Blühen Botanicals the largest hemp biomass processing and […]
August 28, 2018
From the August 2018 Issue of Knox.Biz We all love social media and the numerous digital tools at our disposal these days . . . except when we don’t! And one of those times can be when our business receives a very public negative review […]
August 20, 2018
From the August, 19 2018 Knoxville News-Sentinel Depending upon the particular marketplace that your company operates in, it is tempting to narrow your communications focus to only those customers and prospects that you already know you should be talking to. Most companies have a defined […]
July 23, 2018
We’re hearing a lot these days about the difficulties that businesses are having in recruiting sharp new employees. With the unemployment rate being relatively low, the competition for top talent has increased dramatically as of late. Therefore, it is more critical than ever for employers […]
July 13, 2018
Sevierville, Tenn. – SmartBank announced today plans to open a fourth Sevier County branch. The new branch will be located at 710 Dolly Parton Parkway, Sevierville, Tenn. According to Billy Carroll, SmartBank President and CEO, the existing building will be renovated to reflect the SmartBank […]
June 25, 2018
Reputation and trust are intrinsically intertwined in business. Companies cannot maintain their positive reputations if a strong bond of trust does not exist with their customers and constituents. It sometimes takes years to build that level of trust, but one “untrustworthy incident” can tear down […]
May 29, 2018
In case you missed Cathy’s contributed Knoxville News-Sentinel column from over Memorial Day weekend, you can read the full version below: There has been a lot said and written in the past few months about both the benefits and the “evils” of how much we […]
May 3, 2018
Knoxville, Tenn. – May 3, 2018 – Hoffmann Group USA announced today it has been named a 2018 Hermes Creative Platinum Award winner. The global tooling company earned its second platinum marketing award in a 6-month span for its work with marketing partner Ackermann Marketing […]
April 23, 2018
In case you missed it, here’s a look at Cathy’s most recent Knoxville News-Sentinel column from Sunday, April 22: What do customers want more than anything else from the people and the companies they choose to do business with? I believe they want to be […]
April 2, 2018
In case you missed it, here’s a look at Cathy’s most recent Knoxville News-Sentinel column from Sunday, April 1: Stop the Power Point presentations and voluminous slide decks. What better place to take a little nap than in still another tedious meeting where someone is […]
March 19, 2018
Extraordinary event demands unparalleled space to showcase huge Titanic ship built by a 10-year-old boy from Iceland with autism MEDIA ALERT: Meet Brynjar Karl Bigisson during media conference at 10 a.m. on Monday, April 16 at Titanic Museum Attraction – Pigeon Forge. This event will […]
March 7, 2018
We’re all really in sales in one way or another, right? Here’s Cathy’s take on what makes some people good at it – from the Sunday, March 4 News-Sentinel. I had an interesting conversation recently with a sharp young woman who was exploring a career […]
March 7, 2018
Chicago, Ill. – March 1, 2018 – Secant Healthcare Inc., a Chicago based global healthcare solutions company, announced the first glimpse of its unique Blockchain Data Integrity initiative. This thought-leading initiative is seeking to deliver a unique, targeted approach to data integrity and transformation in the […]
February 16, 2018
Guest Blog by Ashley Humphrey, Director of Marketing & Communications at Hoffmann Group USA When many think of the manufacturing industry, they envision a male-dominated, warehouse environment that many women wouldn’t want to explore. However, the current manufacturing landscape in the country is beginning to provide […]
January 26, 2018
Guest Blog by Caleb Fristoe, Program Manager for CodeTN at Great Schools Partnership The Push Chances are over the last three years, you’ve heard or read in passing about the urgent need for increased secondary STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) education in American schools. Or […]
January 18, 2018
Now that the dust has settled, we’ve all started correcting ourselves when we write ‘2017’ instead of ‘2018’ (oh wait, that didn’t actually happen since nobody writes). We’ve deleted all the emails we received over the holidays (if it’s important, you’ll find out soon enough) […]
January 17, 2018
Look out, 2018 – here we come! Lots of exciting business opportunities on the horizon, not the least of which are related to digital marketing. Here are some strategies to consider from Cathy’s column in Sunday’s Knoxville News Sentinel. While I love our warp-speed world and […]
December 19, 2017
Strategy is sometimes a matter of careful selection. It’s easy to become a “kid in a candy shop” (especially during the holidays, right?) relative to your business. Here are some tips from Cathy’s column in Sunday’s Knoxville News Sentinel, to help you not do that. […]
November 30, 2017
If you’re contemplating the pros and cons of rebranding your organization, it’s important to understand why and how on the front end. Below is Cathy’s column from the November 26 Knoxville News-Sentinel that includes a number of tips to consider if a rebrand may be in your […]
November 14, 2017
Salisbury, North Carolina – September 20, 2017 – Today the fast casual, beach-themed burrito restaurant Go Burrito announced the expansion of the franchise into a new market: Florida. The Salisbury, North Carolina-based brand will open four franchised stores throughout the coastal state during the next […]
November 10, 2017
Hoffmann Group USA named 2017 MarCom Platinum Award-Winner Global tooling company partners with Ackermann Marketing & PR to earn marketing award Knoxville, Tenn. – Hoffmann Group USA is pleased to announce that it was named a 2017 MarCom Platinum Award Winner for its work with […]
October 25, 2017
Do your customers and employees care about your company’s commitment to social causes and charitable organizations? You bet they do! Below is Cathy’s column from the October 22 Knoxville News-Sentinel that spells out some trends, patterns and a few suggestions. Corporate social responsibility is defined […]
October 23, 2017
Today we launch our new brand as Ackermann Marketing & PR. We’re a more diverse and strategically-focused agency now, and as we have evolved, it was time to change our name and look to better represent more of what we do. We’ve broadened our service offerings […]
September 6, 2017
As summer draws to a close and vacations become the stuff of family memories and photos of beautiful sunsets and beaches, it’s important to let those feelings of peace and escape hang on in the backs of our minds as we return to the pace […]
August 16, 2017
Just like all smart athletic teams have a playbook that guides their decisions and activities on the field or on the court, all smart businesses also have agreed-upon ways in which they express their brand culture, both internally and externally. Cathy reveals in her latest […]
June 29, 2017
One of the most interesting aspects of being involved in marketing and communications is its ever-changing landscape. What worked yesterday may not work today and most certainly won’t work tomorrow. Cathy explains the meaning of content marketing and its value in her most recent Knoxville News […]
June 1, 2017
Increasingly, people are trying to do more with less time. Urbanization, lean organizations and global competitiveness have all converged to force people and businesses into a frenzied pace to be more productive and time-sensitive than ever before, creating a growing group of time-pressed consumers who emphasize […]
May 23, 2017
SmartFinancial, Inc., parent company of SmartBank (“SmartFinancial”; NASDAQ: SMBK), and Capstone Bancshares, Inc., parent company of Capstone Bank (“Capstone”), jointly announced today the signing of a definitive merger agreement pursuant to which SmartFinancial will acquire Capstone. Upon the completion of the transaction, the combined company […]
March 30, 2017
“Repurposing” is a relatively new buzzword in the ever-changing world of marketing, although smart, forward-thinking organizations seeking ways to stretch their marketing and communications dollars have ascribed to this concept for a while. Cathy’s most recent article in the Knoxville News Sentinel gives an insightful look into […]
March 6, 2017
Here’s a look at a great feature from the Knoxville News Sentinel on Connor Concepts and their 25-year milestone! The full version of the story can be found online here: Mike Connor probably didn’t know it, but he had reached a crossroads back in the […]