GRAND OPENING

A grand opening ceremony is set for 10 a.m. Wednesday to commemorate the opening of Tyler’s first public access Alternative Fuel, Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) refueling station. Jamal Moharer, president, First Alt Fuel Inc., will be joined by Smith County Judge Joel Baker and Texas Department of Transportation Commissioner Jeff Austin will be atthe First Alt Fuel Station, 425 N. Bois D’Arc Ave. to introduce CNG as a transportation fuel to the public for a price of $1.99/GGE (gallon of gas equivalent). The project was made possible through cooperation and collaboration with TxDOT, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, CenterPoint Energy, Tyler Economic Development Council, Smith County government and many other local businesses and individuals.

CHEF

The East Texas Chapter of the Texas Chefs Association selected Rick Neal as their 2014 Chef of the Year. The association is a chapter of the American Culinary Federation. Neal is the executive chef for the Challenge at Eagles Bluff Country Club. He was selected as Chef of the Year because he demonstrates the highest standard of culinary skills, advances the cuisine of America and gives back to the profession. Texas Chefs Association will present Neal with a plaque at the 2014 Texas Chefs Association Convention on July 19 in Waco.

RATING

Consumer Reports’ first ratings of hospitals for heart surgery revealed the Louis and Peaches Owen Heart Hospital at Trinity Mother Frances to be one of 15 hospitals in the country to earn a top score in both bypass and valve replacement from the Society of Thoracic Surgeons. The ratings, which look at heart bypass surgery and aortic valve replacement surgery, cover more than 400 hospitals nationwide. The heart surgery ratings come from the Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS). More than 1,000 U.S. hospitals report to the STS, but only about 400 of those facilities allowed the STS to share the data with Consumer Reports.

“We are incredibly proud to be recognized among this elite group of hospitals by the STS and Consumer Reports,” said John McGreevy, CEO of the Louis and Peaches Owen Heart Hospital and Mother Frances Hospital Tyler. “This is a very exclusive group of 15 of the finest medical institutions in the country, and the physicians, clinical staff and everyone at Trinity Mother Frances have continually dedicated an amazing amount of skill, energy and effort in order to earn this acknowledgement.” Visit ConsumerReports.org/hospitalratings.

LIST

Texas Spine & Joint Hospital earned a place on Becker’s Hospital Review’s 2014 list of “82 Physician-Owned Hospitals to Know.” The list recognizes performance among hospitals, which are wholly or partly owned by physicians. Inclusion is based on accolades received from respected reporting bodies and benchmarking firms, with only the top one-third of all physician-owned hospitals garnering recognition.

“We are grateful to be listed as a top physician-owned hospital by Becker’s Hospital Review. The physicians and staff of Texas Spine & Joint Hospital truly listen to the wants and needs of our customers in an effort to continually improve our care,” Texas Spine & Joint CEO Tony Wahl said.

Texas Spine & Joint is a privately owned hospital specializing in orthopedic and spine surgery, procedures, and tests. With a total medical staff of more than 196, TSJH employs 300 full- and part-time employees.

CONFERENCE

Randall Childress, who has been an Edward Jones financial advisor in Tyler for 24 years, attended the Edward Jones Managing Partner’s Conference in San Antonio, where he met former President George W. Bush. The annual event honors the Top 350 of the firm’s more than 13,000 financial advisors. Bush spoke at the event. The three-day meeting draws the most successful financial advisors for a discussion with Managing Partner Jim Weddle on issues facing the firm and the financial services industry. This is the 19th time Childress has been invited to the event.

OPENING

Raising Cane’s opened at 212 E. Loop 2811 in Longview Saturday, and held a celebration that included giveaways. Known for its one love — quality chicken finger meals — Raising Cane’s mission extends into the community with each grand opening. On June 29, General Manager Dayne Kelley and his crewmembers helped clean up and fix houses with Longview Habitat for Humanity. Through Saturday, customers of Raising Cane’s in Longview can participate in the company’s “Give Back Giveaway” tradition, in which one customer will win a $1,000 donation to his or her charity of choice, along with free Cane’s for a year. The Longview opening marks the 59th restaurant in Texas and the 188th systemwide. Hours of operation are 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 10 a.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday. Visit raisingcanes.com.   

INTERN

Advait Ghuge joined Core Insights as the inaugural summer intern.  Ghuge graduated from Duke University with a biology degree and emphasis in marketing. His responsibilities include supporting the training and strategic planning operations of the company. 

COMMITTEE

Larry Goddard, of Tyler, was selected to serve on the 20th AmeriCorps/10th OneStar Anniversary committee. The Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) is holding a national swearing-in of thousands of members and alumni, conducted by Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama and simultaneously live-streamed. Goddard retired from the Tyler ISD Foundation in July 2013. He was appointed by Gov. Rick Perry to the OneStar Foundation and the OneStar Service Commission (Texas). He serves as vice president of the Pounds Field Tyler Airport Advisory Committee and was named best communicator for Texas education and ETCOG Citizen of the Year. He is president of The Goddard Co., a consulting firm for educational entities in creating nonprofit foundations, motivational speaking to educators, and alumni association advisement all across Texas.

PROMOTIONS

Gollob Morgan Peddy, PC Certified Public Accountants announced Gregory Parker, Pamela Nash, Daniel Gamez and Clint Cooper were promoted to senior accountants.

Parker has been employed with GMP since 2012 and specializes in understanding the Affordable Care Act. He is graduate of The University of Texas at Tyler.

Ms. Nash, a UT Tyler graduate, has been employed with GMP since 2012. She focuses on understanding the operations and business environment of GMP clients, specializing in employee benefit plan audits and not-for-profit Audits.

Gamez began his career at GMP in 2012 after receiving his BBA and MBA from UT Tyler. He performs cost segregation studies on a variety of properties to help extract the maximum savings possible from commercial real estate.

Cooper began his career at GMP in 2011. He received in BBA and MBA from UT Tyler. Clint works in the area of tax with an emphasis on state and local taxation.

EVENT

The Americans with Disabilities Act: Legal Considerations; Best Practices for Ensuring Accessible Communities will be held from 8:30 a.m. to noon on July 25 at East Texas Center for Independent Living, 4713 Troup Highway. Attorney advocates with Disability Rights Texas and a city representative will provide information and experiences about Department of Justice initiatives, Project Civic Access and Barrier-Free Health Care. This is a free community education offering on best practices for meeting ADA standards, and preventing or resolving citizen complaints which can lead to legal issues and/or federal involvement. City and county officials, medical and HR professionals, law enforcement, first responders, persons with disabilities, and others will benefit from this information. Register via www.etcil.org or call 903-581-7542.

TRAINING

Dale Carnegie Training and the Tyler Area Chamber of Commerce is holding a workshop about increasing leadership effectiveness and team performance. Based on new groundbreaking research, they will show the three clusters of behaviors that impact engagement. Then, within each cluster, they will break down the individual actions that can be taken to develop enthusiastic, empowered, confident and inspired employees. Participants will learn how to increase productivity and reduce turnover by cultivating a workforce of engaged employees. Presidents, CEOs, HR directors and other senior team leaders should attend the event, set for 7:30 to 9:30 a.m. July 23 at 315 N. Broadway Ave. It is $10 and includes breakfast.