business briefs
• Rather & Kittrell Capital Management, a Knoxville-based fiduciary financial advisory firm providing private wealth management and corporate retirement plan services with $1.8 billion in assets under management as of Dec. 31, 2024, was named as one of CNBC’s top financial advisory firms in 2025. Rather & Kittrell was ranked No. 46 overall and was the top ranked firm in the state of Tennessee. The CNBC FA 100 list was created to recognize the country’s best financial advisors and top financial advisory firms.
The rankings of the FA list are based on data culled from thousands of advisory firms and provided by AccuPoint Solutions. Factors included in the rankings were disclosures, years in business, average account size, total accounts under management, number of investment advisors, the ratio of investment advisors to the total number of employees and discretionary and total AUM. The CNBC list recognizes the top financial advisory firms in the country.
• Covenant Health announces the recent appointment of two nationally recognized oncology leaders to its Cancer Care team, Dr. David Penberthy as executive medical director of the oncology service line and Dr. Susan Newman as medical director of medical oncology and breast cancer program.
Penberthy and Newman will begin their new roles in early 2026, joining the Covenant Health cancer program, which treats more than 5,000 new cancer patients annually. In addition to their leadership duties, both will maintain clinical practices two days per week — Penberthy at the Covenant Health Proton Center and Newman at the downtown Knoxville location.
• Girl Scouts of Southern Appalachians will honor University of Tennessee chancellor Donde Plowman at the Trefoil Society Luncheon, an annual event recognizing a distinguished woman in each region who exemplifies the spirit of Girl Scouting.
The event is scheduled for 11:30 a.m., Wednesday, Oct. 15, at The Press Room, 730 N. Broadway, Knoxville. Tickets are $75 and are available for purchase at TrefoilSociety.org
• Summit Medical Group recently partnered with Sylvan Health to offer virtual, evidence-based nutrition support to patients across the state. This collaboration brings licensed dietitians directly into patients’ care plan, helping to improve chronic disease management, support preventive care and empower individuals to take a more active role in their health.
Through Sylvan Health’s platform, Summit patients now can access personalized meal planning, one-on-one counseling and condition-specific guidance from the comfort of home.
• Turkey Creek Medical Center and North Knoxville Medical Center recently were recognized by Tennessee Hospital Association in this year’s Zero Harm Awards for achieving zero healthcare-associated infections.
This awards program celebrates hospitals and clinical departments that have reached zero healthcare-associated infections in categories that include Central Line-Associated Bloodstream Infections, Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infections, Clostridium difficile Infections and Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus over the past calendar year.
• Rodefer Moss announces the launch of Rodefer Moss Transaction Advisors, a dedicated service line designed to provide business owners with expert sell-side advisory and a comprehensive suite of M&A-related solutions. This strategic expansion addresses the growing need for local, personalized advisory services amid a demographic shift and significant wealth transfer among aging business owners.
