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Business

Expansion of services, Hardin rebrands to reflect growth

July 22, 2026 by Tammy Cheek

With Hardin Insurance Services’ expansion of services, it recently rebranded the company as Hardin Insurance and Financial Group.

“I’ve actually been in the insurance business since 1982, agent/owner Steve Hardin said. “We went through, obviously, a lot of different changes. I worked for a company for quite a few years and then in 2002, I started a property casualty agency, carrying car and business insurance and so forth.

“As time grew, we added the financial side to it, so we are rebranding,” he said. “As of July 1, we’re considered a totally independent broker. That’s the biggest thing that we’re rebranding.

“That gives us access to at least 30 different personal line companies, and it’s probably close to twice that many commercial lines,” Hardin said. “And then, I think we have somewhere close to 200 life insurance companies and retirement companies.

“So, we protect assets and grow wealth,” he said. “I call it personal retirement review.

“We sit down with people and not only help them with their car insurance; if they own a business, we help them with their business insurance, Worker’s Comp and all the things involved in that, we can do life insurance … and we help them plan for retirement and Social Security.

“I’ve hired some additional people and we expanded it to entire financial side,” Hardin said.

Golf Envy eyes early August

July 22, 2026 by Tammy Cheek

Golfers soon will have a unique indoor experience when Golf Envy opens its doors this summer at 12756 Kingston Pike in Renaissance | Farragut.

“Right now, we’re targeting the first week of August,” franchise owner Christian Miller of Knoxville said. “That will be for the grand opening. We might be doing a membership-only week first.”

Golf Envy is a premier indoor golf simulation experience in Suite 102, on the hill to the right, in Renaissance.

Jared Archer, clubhouse manager, will be the face of the business.

“He is the one who will be helping on a day-to-day operations, doing sales for memberships, doing tournaments and leagues,” Miller said of Archer.

“I’ve been trying to do my own thing for quite a while,” Miller said. “I love the game of golf. I love what it does for not only me to get out and have some time but also for my family and my kids.

And, “golf’s been a big thing, really since the pandemic hit,” he said.

Miller explained Golf Envy is a franchise based out of California that is membership-based, providing 24/7 access to it members. While looking for a venture in June 2025, he came across the business and saw it as an opportunity for him as a new venture.

“… Especially for Farragut being a golf-heavy community, being able to provide a service to people who can’t get out on the course as much because of the heat, because of the weather, they want to play during the winter or they just want to practice their game and would really prefer not to go out to the course to learn the game,” he said. “They can learn it on their own time.

business briefs

July 22, 2026 by

• Caleb Wanca and Amanda Cambron recently joined the firm of Rather & Kittrell. Wanca is coming on board as an associate advisor while Cambron serves as client service specialist.

Wanca joined RK in June 2026 after earning his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in finance from the University of Alabama, where he served as a graduate teaching assistant and tutor for various investing and economics courses. He attended Farragut High School and was active in marching band throughout high school and college.

Cambron joined Rather & Kittrell in 2026 and has more than 10 years of experience in the financial industry, with a focus on operations and client service. Passionate about helping others, she enjoys guiding clients toward a better understanding of their finances and the importance of planning for the future.

• Second Harvest Food Bank of East Tennessee recently announced it received a $32,000 grant from the Morgan Stanley Foundation to help expand efforts to reach children and families facing hunger across the East Tennessee region.

Support from this grant will go toward the School Pantry program, where Second Harvest partners with local schools to provide groceries through on-site school food distributions. Through the School Pantry program, students and their families can select food to bring home once a month, year-round, helping ensure consistent access to nutritious groceries.