Thursday was a changing of the guard, and the exiting BAC members helped welcome and transition the new members.

BAC members serve in an advisory and partnership capacity to promote regular and open communication between City government and businesses. The council gives advice and feedback to the Office of Business Support; brings issues and concerns related to doing business in Knoxville to the attention of the City administration; proposes responses and solutions to address these concerns; and serves as a sounding board for City initiatives and proposals affecting business.

“In their advisory roles, these are the go-to people we’ll be asking how issues affect local small businesses,” said Patricia Robledo, the City’s Business Liaison. “Our new and outgoing Business Advisory Council members really become ambassadors. They’ll refer people needing information or assistance with City processes to the Office of Business Support. They also become resources in the community.”

The new BAC members will serve two-year terms through July 2017, and they meet every other month. The next meetings are scheduled for Oct. 15 and Dec.17.

Members of the new Business Advisory Council, from left: Justin Sterling, Conversion Properties, 520 W. Summit Hill Drive; Terry Henley, Terry Henley Insurance Agencies, 1312 Morrell Road; Christi Branscom, Deputy to the Mayor; Mike Stevens, Mike Stevens Homes, 9447 Clingmans Dome Drive; Nathan Robinette, The Casual Pint Franchising Inc., 234 Brookview Centre Way; Patricia Robledo, the City's Business Liaison; Rob Glass, Computer System Plus, 605 Sevier Ave.; Jorge Sanabria, ExpoQuip, 6636 Central Avenue Pike; Helen Morton, University Liquor, 1919 Cumberland Ave.; Zak Weisfeld, Lusid Media, 520 W. Summit Hill Drive; Dale Mackey, Dale's Fried Pies & The Central Collective, 923 N. Central St.; and Dominique Oakley Lacey, StressTheSeams and Wayward Art, 3001 Knoxville Center Drive. (Not pictured: John Davis, Marathon Gas Stop N Go Market, 2110 Brooks Road, and Tammy Kaousias, Kaousias Law PLLC, 507 S. Gay St.)




















Members rotating off of the Business Advisory Council, from left: ​Tom Catani, US Cellular; Bill Garibay, ES&H; Adrienne Anderson, Anderson Busby Law; David Andrews, Andrews Electric; Adam Palmer, Saw Works Brewing Company; Christi Branscom, Deputy to the Mayor; Patricia Robledo, the City's Business Liaison; Joe Petre, Conversion Properties; Whitney Peter, The Sharp Companies and Volunteer Drywall; Damon Rawls, Jani King; Neal Green, All Occasion Catering; Joe Ledford, engineer; Margaret Butler, architect.






















New and exiting members of the Business Advisory Council share ideas Thursday.



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