Knoxville, Tenn. – Several months since severely damaging wind and hail storms swept through East Tennessee, many homeowners are finally getting their homes – and in some cases, their lives – back to normal. 

However, for one segment of homeowners who are still awaiting full payments from their insurance companies, the process of being made whole continues to linger.

With East Tennessee home-damage claimants numbering in the tens of thousands following the storms, there may be thousands of homeowners who have not reached an appropriate settlement that they believe holds true to their original insurance company contract.

“In my experience, the majority of insurance claims are handled appropriately, but a significant number are not,” said Catastrophic Claims Consultants (CCC), LLC, President David R. Charles, a 32-year veteran of the insurance industry who has worked scores of major disasters in the U.S. since 1977, including the 1994 Northridge Earthquake in California, Hurricanes Andrew, Ike, and Katrina, and the 9/11 World Trade Center terrorist attack.

According to Charles, the company is seeing several areas of Greater Knoxville in particular where some homeowners feel they are not receiving proper insurance settlements.  For example, CCC’s staff often manages client situations where a homeowner only receives an insurance payment to repair part of their roof, when in fact the entire roof was damaged in a storm.

“For homeowners who don’t have a positive experience, they can be left with little recourse to restore their home to its pre-storm condition – which is generally the underlying promise of any homeowner insurance contract,” Charles said. 

Public insurance adjusters negotiate on behalf of homeowners and policyholders to make sure the insurance company fulfills its obligations.

“If we find that a homeowner has not received a fair settlement or if their insurance company is waffling on what they will pay, we aggressively pursue proper compensation – again, in keeping with the insurance contract,” Charles said.  “We also help our clients prepare and protect themselves in the event of future damage or catastrophe.”

According to Charles, there generally is low awareness about the role public adjusters can play to help homeowners negotiate an insurance settlement they are entitled to receive. In addition, the industry also has its share of bad actors. 

“In any local area that has experienced a disaster, we often hear of contractors – primarily roofers – reaching out to homeowners and offering to negotiate with the insurance company on their behalf,” Charles said.  “Not only is this practice unethical but it is also illegal in the state of Tennessee. Homeowners often do not know the illegal nature of this sales pitch when they are confronted with it by contractors and how it can put them at risk.”

Catastrophic Claims Consultants advises Knoxville area property owners to follow several key steps when considering how a public adjuster can help them:

1. Understand the role of a public insurance adjuster before engaging anyone to provide these services on your behalf. 

• Avoid individuals who offer these services when doing so poses any conflict of interest, such as providing the construction services based on their own assessment of damages and negotiations with the insurance company.
• Also, avoid any company that dives right into demanding more money from the insurance company without conducting its own objective assessment of the property damage and whether additional compensation from the insurance company is even merited. 

       2. Check for credentials, such as licensure in the state of Tennessee. 

       3. Beware of firms that demand up-front fees for services, regardless of the outcome they
            negotiate on your behalf with the insurance company.  Public adjusters work purely on a
            contingency basis, ensuring that the homeowner does not pay anything unless he or she
            receives some form of settlement.

       4. Maintain reasonable expectations.  The purpose of a public adjuster is not to turn a 
            previous $200,000 home prior to a disaster into a $300,000 home following a
           disaster.  The focus of both the homeowner and the adjuster should always be on
           restoring property to its pre-storm condition and making sure insurance companies
           follow through with that obligation.

“Professionalism and ethics are key,” Charles said.  “It is important for the public to be informed about how a public adjuster can assist them as well as the qualities of a credible service provider.”

Headquartered in Houston, Texas, Catastrophic Claims Consultants, LLC is a public insurance adjuster firm representing policyholders in the insurance claims process.  The firm’s team members have serviced thousands of insurance claims, from individual homeowner claims to $30 million commercial losses resulting from fire, smoke, wind, hail, water, mold, sinkholes, additional living expenses, freezes, vandalisms, falling objects, theft, collapse, lightning, other business interruptions and loss of rents.

Lumberjack Athletes Demonstrate Skills in Media Appearances in Six Markets

Pigeon Forge, Tenn. – Lumberjack Sports International’s Great Smoky Mountain Lumberjack Feud launched a road show in recent days, set to appear in six Southeastern and Midwestern cities.  The mobile demonstration of the Lumberjack Feud’s action-packed, family-friendly show features skills of its professional forest sport athletes.

Lumberjack Feud kicked off the road show on July 13 in Cincinnati, Ohio, with a crew of athletes performing several of the logging events that will be part of its dinner show when the Pigeon Forge, Tenn., attraction officially opens Aug. 26, 2011. 

Markets that Lumberjack Feud is scheduled to visit in addition to Cincinnati include Charlotte, NC, on July 20; Chattanooga, Tenn., on July 26; Atlanta, Ga., on July 27 and July 28; Lexington, Ky., on Aug.3; and Knoxville, Tenn., on Aug. 4.

“The cities we chose for the road show are top feeder markets for visitors to Pigeon Forge, which is a major gateway to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park,” said Lumberjack Sports International President Rob Scheer, who was the first man to win the IRONJACK World Championship and holds numerous world titles.

“Our team of athletes is very excited to take our show to these neighboring cities and generate excitement for Lumberjack Feud’s grand opening – now only weeks away,” Scheer said.

The $10 million, 34,000-square-foot Lumberjack Feud arena, located in the heart of Pigeon Forge, will offer up to three dinner shows every evening of the week, with performances by world-champion ESPN lumberjack athletes.  The attraction is sponsored by STIHL, the number-one selling brand of chain saw worldwide.

Based on actual historical events of the 1930s, the show features thrills and competition while telling the story of two feuding Smoky Mountain logging families competing for rights to log the last remaining timber tract before the Great Smoky Mountains National Park permanently shuts down the region’s timber industry.

The families depicted in the show will perform more than 10 different lumberjack sport events, featuring tree-climbing, axe-throwing, chopping, sawing and log-rolling.

Ticket prices (including military discounts), group information and show schedules for this family attraction can be located at http://www.lumberjackfeud.com/ or by calling toll-free, 855-244-3383.

Alcoa, Tenn. — West Fleet Service, a new division of Alcoa-based West Chevrolet, announced today the opening of its service center for any make or model of commercial medium to heavy-duty vehicles in operational fleets of businesses, government agencies or non-profit organizations.

Previously, no auto dealerships in Blount County offered large-scale commercial vehicle fleet parts and service for maintenance and repair, forcing many local companies to venture to Knoxville.

“We’ve identified this niche sector as a viable way to grow our overarching business while meeting a significant need in our marketplace,” said Charles West, president of parent company West Chevrolet. 

“With today’s regulatory requirements for diesel engines in new commercial vehicles driving sales prices up by $3,000 to $4,000, many fleet managers are holding on to their vehicles longer,” West said.  “Keeping older vehicles in service requires steady attention to maintenance and repair, and this facility is here to provide that.”

In addition to servicing Chevrolet and GMC vehicles, West anticipates at least 80 percent of trucks serviced at the facility will be non-GM branded, including Ford, Dodge, Volvo, Isuzu, Mitsubishi, UD/ Nissan Diesel, Mack, International and Sterling, to name some.

The facility will service most any vehicle under an 18-wheeler in size, such as dump trucks, delivery trucks, flatbeds, RVs, buses, forklifts and emergency service vehicles.

To assist companies with existing service agreements elsewhere, West Fleet Service will honor most service agreements for any leased fleet vehicles, such as Enterprise, GE Capital and ARI.

West Fleet Service recently began operating in former warehouse space on Northpark Boulevard in Alcoa, behind the West Chevrolet dealership’s Alcoa Highway / Airport Motor Mile location.

With nearly 19,000 square feet, the center includes four service bay areas, staffed by three experienced mechanics for now, with more mechanics to be added as the business grows.  Annual contributions by West Fleet Service to the local and state tax base are anticipated to be more than $100,000.

The facility operates with some of the latest truck repair equipment available.

“West Fleet Service is the first and only fleet service provider in the Greater Knoxville area with electric, above-ground, portable lifts – which means we operate our lifts with no hydraulic fluids, making the facility more environmentally friendly,” said Service Manager Doug Reynolds. “In addition, we always recycle engine oil.”

The new, portable electric lifts are made by Rotary and can lift up to 52,000 pounds, which is roughly the weight of a fire truck loaded with water.

West Chevrolet has offered fleet truck service on a limited basis for years, with two large in-house work bays within the dealership’s service department devoted to truck service, as well as a veteran full-time mechanic.  All commercial truck servicing will transition to the West Fleet Service building.

West Fleet Service will operate Mondays through Thursdays, 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Fridays 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Saturdays 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.   A grand opening event is set to take place Tuesday, March 29, from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.

About West Fleet Service
Launched in 2011 as a division of West Chevrolet, West Fleet Service (http://www.westfleetservice.com/) provides full maintenance and repair services for any make or model of commercial medium to heavy-duty vehicles in operational fleets for businesses, government agencies or non-profit organizations.

About West Chevrolet
Celebrating 80 years in business serving Blount County and East Tennessee, West Chevrolet (http://www.westchevrolet.com/) is a fourth-generation, family-owned franchise dealership in Alcoa, Tenn.

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Maryville, Tenn.—

“Rainscapes is delighted to unite with Duck Irrigation, which will allow us even more resources and professional expertise to help customers with any irrigation installation or servicing project,” said Rainscapes President Clint Allison. 

The only national Irrigation Association Certified Contractor in East Tennessee, Rainscapes offers diverse residential and commercial irrigation products and services, including system installations, seasonal irrigation maintenance and landscape lighting and design.

As water conservation is an integral part of the irrigation industry, Rainscapes’ Clint Allison is proud to be designated an Environmental Protection Agency WaterSense^® Partner. Rainscapes is the only irrigation company headquartered in East Tennessee that has a staff member with the WaterSense^® Partner designation. 

“Rainscapes differentiates itself from other irrigation providers with a focus on credentialed services and professionalism,” said Allison. “For example, when someone calls Rainscapes during business hours, a representative will not only answer the call, but also schedule appointments; we take great pride in honoring our scheduled appointment times.”

A Rain Bird select contractor, Rainscapes’ portfolio of work includes the University of Tennessee at Knoxville football practice field, baseball field, soccer field and aquatic center; Stokely Athletic Center; Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame; Ruby Tuesday’s Corporate Headquarters; Blackberry Farms; Tennessee National Entrance and Lee University.

East Tennessee native Clint Allison founded Rainscapes in 1996. He received his Bachelor’s degree in agricultural-ornamental horticulture and landscape design from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville.       

Several members of our team attended the February PRSA Volunteer Chapter meeting, where Gary McCormick, APR, Fellow PRSA – this year’s national PRSA chair / CEO and Knoxville-based Scripps communications exec – shared insights on the 2010 outlook shaping the public relations profession.

Among his recommendations on navigating social media relationship management, Gary urged the audience to consider developing “listening points,” not just talking points, in order to manage dialogue with diverse audiences who undoubtedly are calling the shots like never before.

To us, the idea of listening points draws upon an oldie but a goodie – the issues management playbook – whereby the PR team identifies and constantly monitors outside issues impacting, or potentially impacting, an organization’s world and that of its stakeholders. 

The process involves taking those issues and helping an organization stay one or more steps ahead, not just via messages, but via policies, procedures and behaviors that stakeholder groups view as the only legitimate evidence of where an organization really stands. 

Hence, the role of listening . . . after all, you can’t effectively advocate for an organization’s position if you’re deaf to the voices and points of view around you.  In equal measure, you can’t help guide an organization’s decision-making toward the best business decisions if management can’t (or won’t) hear, comprehend and hold some level of empathy for how stakeholder groups absorb the impact of those decisions.

Great case in point: the apparent lack of effective listening going on in much of the financial sector regarding executive compensation. 

Chapter President Susanne Dupes, APR, closed the meeting by announcing a $1,000 gift given to the UT College of Communication & Information’s public relations program in Gary’s honor, a gift in which our firm was proud to take part.  A terrific leader like Gary, who is keeping our profession’s best practices front-and-center, couldn’t be more deserving.

This is one of my favorite quotes from a brilliant comedy—the 1999 film “Office Space.” 

One way I avoid a “case of the Mondays” and achieve a greater work-life balance is to spend time volunteering in and around the Knoxville community.  Volunteering with great organizations like the Friends of the Smokies, Big Brothers Big Sisters and the Oak Ridge Playhouse  (just to name a few) not only fulfill me more than those I’m actually serving , but they also have allowed me to communicate with different groups in different types of settings. 

Spending time as a volunteer and being a good leader outside your company allows you to carry over those same qualities into your professional environment.  With the right mind-set and support system (thankfully, mine includes a wonderfully helpful, supportive and understanding husband), achieving a better work-life balance is possible. 

Of course, extracurricular activities outside the office should never be a substitute for professional development opportunities.  Employees always should have a thirst for knowledge and growth within their respective profession.

Simply put, happy employees are productive employees.  It’s certainly refreshing to work for an agency that encourages harmony between work and play, so that I can perform at my best.

For me, a better work-life balance produces greater productivity in the office, increased well-being at home and the opportunity to express myself through several creative outlets, so that when my alarm clock goes off on Monday mornings, this working mom doesn’t have a “case of the Mondays.”

Knoxville, Tenn. – “Southern charm and lots of it” — that’s how the editors at Traditional Home describe Knoxville’s Todd Richesin in the March 2010 issue now on newsstands, which features Richesin as one of the “20 Young Designers to Watch.”

“This is a huge honor in the interior design world,” said Richesin, owner of Knoxville-based Todd Richesin Interiors.

Associated with Traditional Home’s accolade is an online contest for “Favorite Young Traditional Designer,” where voters have the chance to win a custom room design makeover and $5,000 worth of Duralee fabric. 

Richesin is among 20 designers nationwide vying for the prestigious title.

“This contest has been an eye opener for me,” Richesin said. “The support I have gotten has been truly humbling.”  Richesin is currently in the lead but just by a few votes and hopes the generous people of East Tennessee will throw their support behind him.

Todd’s supporters can cast their vote every day between now and March 23. “Of course, voting more often significantly increases your chance to win the contest and the free room design,” Richesin adds. “We can do it and a southern boy can win, but we need to keep the votes coming.”

The winner will be revealed in the October 2010 “Designers on a Design” issue of Traditional Home. 

Also in recent months, Richesin was selected as one of House Beautiful’s “Next Wave of Top 20 Designers” in the December / January 2010 issue.

According to Richesin, along with such national recognition comes the stigma of being inaccessible and too expensive.

“That’s the biggest myth out there about me,” Richesin said. “Whether I’m renovating an entire home or simply rearranging furniture for a client, I’m always available for a consultation and flexible with how much or little to spend on a project.”                                                              

Yet Richesin has made such a good impression on Traditional Home, they are featuring his stunning Key West conch design home in their June 2010 issue. His experience spans a 20-year period, and he has built a sizeable portfolio of upscale client projects throughout East Tennessee and the United States.

“My goal when meeting with a client is to design a space that allows its owners’ personalities to shine,” Richesin said. “That’s why I’m proud to say I don’t have just ‘one look’ because I truly drill down to the heart of a home. Each project is distinct and unique to the owner.”

Frequent client Jennifer Talbott has worked with Richesin for more than 15 years, on everything from an intensive renovation of an older home to improvements on a new vacation home.

“Todd possesses a rare ability to adapt to unexpected issues that almost always arise when working on complicated projects on an older home, without compromising the integrity of the result,” Talbott said.  “My home looks like my home and is not duplicated on any other projects.”

Spreading design knowledge and providing the best service possible is Richesin’s top priority. 

“By learning how my clients live in their homes, I’m able to interpret their design dreams and make them a reality,” he said.

Originally from Sweetwater, Richesin manages a fully appointed studio located in West Knoxville at his French manor house, which for the past ten years has played host to a complete interior design service. It is here where clients will find one of the South’s most exclusive fabric and furniture resource libraries.

“It would be such an honor to bring home the title of ‘Favorite Young Traditional Designer’ to a community that I treasure dearly and invest much time in – both personally and professionally,” Richesin said.   

Click here to vote for Richesin.

About Todd Richesin Interiors, LLC
Based in Knoxville, Tenn., Todd Richesin Interiors, LLC, is a full-service interior design studio that utilizes custom furniture, antiques and luxury fabrics to express each client’s individual style.  The firm’s services include floor plan design; pre-construction analysis of floor plans and furniture layouts; flooring, plumbing, tile and lighting selection; selection of all interior finishes; cabinetry consultation and design; custom furniture, draperies, rugs and accessories; artwork selection and antiques. 

Richesin is also a business partner with Bobby Brown in Bobby Todd Antiques.  Founded in 1999 and located in the heart of downtown Sweetwater, Tenn. (near Interstate 75 between Knoxville and Chattanooga), Bobby Todd Antiques features unique furniture pieces, garden accessories and gifts as well as intangibles such as scent and sound to enhance the design of every home.

Recently, Richesin integrated social media tools to give back to community members interested in gaining interior design knowledge, along with offering helpful decorating tips and answering design-related questions.  Todd’s blog, “On the Fringe,” hosts a variety of colorful blog posts. Todd’s fan page on Facebook is also growing daily.

Having lunch last week with DoubleJay Creative’s Larsen Jay, I was reminded of what a world-class visual media firm Knoxville has in its own backyard . . . and yet another example where collaboration with an outside company can bring best-of-breed strengths to a client project.

DoubleJay Creative is one of a handful of specialty firms with which Mary Beth West Consulting has built collaborative relationships to strengthen the suite of services our larger team can bring to any client campaign or project. 

DoubleJay Creative is an award-winning, Emmy-nominated television and video production company with a passion for storytelling.  Through their work, they help companies connect with audiences intellectually and emotionally in ways that words alone cannot always achieve.

Larsen’s enthusiasm and passion for his company’s work has a contagious quality, particularly as he talked about one of DoubleJay Creative’s larger projects in the making, a feature film starring legendary actor Hal Holbrook in “That Evening Sun”. 

After successful runs in New York City, Los Angeles and Palm Springs, “That Evening Sun” launches a multi-city release on January 22, opening in Knoxville at the Regal Cinema’s Downtown West 8.

“That Evening Sun” was filmed entirely in East Tennessee, specifically in the Knoxville, Rockwood and Lenoir City areas. It is based on the short story “I Hate to See that Evening Sun Go Down” by acclaimed Tennessee author William Gay.  “That Evening Sun” has won top prizes at 11 film festivals. 

So hats off to Larsen and our friends at DoubleJay Creative – a firm that we predict everyone will continue hearing about in 2010 and beyond.

Richesin was selected as one of House Beautiful’s “Next Wave of Top 20 Designers” in the just-released December / January 2010 issue, hitting newsstands today, Nov. 24.

“I’m thrilled about the opportunity to share my work with House Beautiful readers and to represent my home state in such a prestigious publication,” said Todd Richesin, owner of Knoxville-based Todd Richesin Interiors.

Richesin grew up in Sweetwater, Tenn., and manages a fully appointed studio located in West Knoxville at his French manor house, which for the past ten years has played host to a complete interior design service. It is here where clients will find one of the South’s most exclusive fabric and furniture resource libraries.  

Todd also travels to furniture and accessory markets worldwide, as well as to many antique shows to keep up-to-date on design trends and new product introductions. 

“I truly focus on expressing each client’s unique individual style in my projects,” Richesin said. “Getting to know a client’s personality helps me to provide them with fresh ideas and one-of-a-kind designs.” 

Since early childhood, Todd has had a knack for interior design.  In fact, his first project happened by accident at the age of 7.  He selected an Oriental rug that is still in his parents’ home library today – even after the room has been redecorated three times.

Todd’s philosophy of design is simple — starting with personal collections or design elements that a client loves and building from there.

“More beautiful, more comfortable, more livable – that’s my motto,” Richesin said. “Design should be fun.  My goal is simply to take a client’s dream and make it a reality.”

No one in East Tennessee knows better about making their design dreams come true than Knoxville resident Melinda Story.  Melinda has worked with Richesin over the past 10 years on four different interior design projects, including a room-by-room design project for her main home in Knoxville; restoration and complete interior design of an 1840’s house in Key West, Fla.; design and furnishing of her mountain home in Highlands, NC; and a remodeling and interior design project for an historic loft in downtown Knoxville.

“We would not consider undertaking a project without the benefit of Todd’s consultation,” Story said.  “His vision, talent and creativity are gifts. You can see it in everything he does and everything he is.”

Doretta Sperduto, decorating director of House Beautiful, says Todd’s work speaks for itself.  “He is obviously talented and deserves to be featured in this article.”

Recently, Todd integrated social media tools to give back to supporters interested in gaining interior design knowledge, along with offering helpful decorating tips and answering design-related questions.  Todd’s blog, “On the Fringe,” hosts a variety of colorful blog posts.  Todd’s fan page on Facebook is also growing daily.

“Spreading design knowledge, along with providing the best customer service possible has always been my top priority,” Richesin said.  “I try my best to go above and beyond what a client wants to make them happy.”

About Todd Richesin Interiors, LLC
Based in Knoxville, Tenn., Todd Richesin Interiors, LLC , is a full-service interior design studio that utilizes custom furniture, antiques and luxury fabrics to express each client’s individual style.  The firm’s services include floor plan design; pre-construction analysis of floor plans and furniture layouts; flooring, plumbing, tile and lighting selection; selection of all interior finishes; cabinetry consultation and design; custom furniture, draperies, rugs and accessories; artwork selection and antiques. 

Richesin is also a business partner with Bobby Brown in Bobby Todd Antiques.  Founded in 1999 and located in the heart of downtown Sweetwater, Tenn. (near Interstate 75 between Knoxville and Chattanooga), Bobby Todd Antiques features unique furniture pieces, garden accessories and gifts as well as intangibles such as scent and sound to enhance the design of every home.