business briefs
• Weichert, Realtors - Advantage Plus in Knoxville recently named J. Corbitt, Jenn Price and Dan Pastor as its top agents in the office for May: Corbitt earned the overall Top Agent Award while Price and Pastor were named the Top Selling Agent and Top Listing Agent, respectively.
• Edward Hitch Gilchrist Jr. recently joined Merit Construction Inc., a general contractor /construction management firm in Knoxville, as a project manager. Gilchrist comes to Merit from Choate Construction in Savannah, Georgia, where he worked as a project manager and assistant project manager from 2015 until recently, when he relocated to Knoxville.
• Tennova Healthcare, Kindred Healthcare and University of Tennessee Medical Center recently announced the opening of Knoxville Rehabilitation Hospital, which is located in the new Tennova Health Park at 1250 Tennova Medical Way. The new 57-bed hospital, with all private rooms, will focus on acute rehabilitation for patients suffering from stroke, traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, complex neurological disorders, orthopedic conditions, multiple trauma, amputation and other injuries or disorders.
• Tarah Durliat of Knoxville recently joined Merit Construction Inc. as a project administrative assistant. Durliat earned her Bachelor of Science degree in elementary education with honors at Tennessee Tech University in Cookeville in 2008. She also has an Associates of Science degree from Pellissippi State Community College, which she received in 2006. Durliat last worked as an operations assistant at Redline Contract Services under the umbrella of the Empire Corporation of Tennessee Inc.
• Matthew Mench recently was named Dean of University of Tennessee’s Tickle College of Engineering. Mench, holding the Condra Chair of Excellence and a professor of mechanical engineering in the Department of Mechanical, Aerospace and Biomedical Engineering, has served as interim dean since March.
• The late Dr. Catherine Braunstein recently received the Happy Booker Award from Knoxville Opera during its annual meeting. This award was made posthumously in recognition of the many years of service, dedication and love Dr. Braunstein demonstrated through her service to Knoxville Opera and Knoxville Opera Guild. At 81, she passed away April 2. The Opera Guild president annually presents this award to recognize a Guild member who has exhibited extraordinary service in furthering the Guild’s goals.
