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FirstBank celebrates 10 years on Wall Street

September 30, 2026 by Staff reports

Ten years ago on Sept. 16, FirstBank, with 120 years as a hometown bank, officially went public on the New York Stock Exchange.

Then Monday, Sept. 14, Chris Holmes, president/CEO of the entire FirstBank company, which includes the Farragut market, rang the opening bell to mark that milestone.

“The company, with a 120-year history and 10-year public history here on the New York Stock Exchange, we’re just really honored to get to ring the opening bell this morning.

“Ringing the opening bell at the NYSE today is a testament to the dedication of our nearly 1,700 associates and the deep trust our clients place in us every day,” he said. “A decade ago, we promised our investors and clients that access to public capital markets would accelerate our growth without diluting our commitment to local decision-making and community-first banking.

“Achieving nearly five times asset growth while simultaneously earning J.D. Power’s No. 1 ranking for customer satisfaction proves that you can scale nationally while remaining deeply connected with the communities you serve.”

Dalen owl flies into state ‘Coolest Thing’ final four

September 30, 2026 by Tammy Cheek

Dalen Products, a West Knoxville manufacturer, has advanced to the final round of Tennessee Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s 2026 Coolest Thing Made in Tennessee.

Dalen Products, located at 700 Dalen Lane, off Gilbert Drive, is one of the top four finalists in the competition for its scare owl.

Others in the final four are INIFINITI QX65 from the Nissan Smyrna Vehicle Assembly Plant in Smyrna, a superconducting magnet from Crymagnetics Inc. in Oak Ridge and Tennemo Rice from Tennemo Rice Family Farm and Mill in Dyersburg.

“We’re incredibly proud,” Dalen president Bob Teska, CPA said. “Dalen is a 50-year-old Knoxville company that most people have probably never heard of, but there’s a pretty good chance they’ve seen our owl.

“To see this little product that has quietly represented Dalen for five decades make the Final Four is pretty special,” he said. “We’re definitely the underdog, but at this point, we might as well go win the thing.

Teska said the owl was introduced in 1984 and “has become our most iconic and recognizable product.

“Since then, we’ve sold more than 9.3 million of them,” he added. “If you’ve ever seen an owl sitting on someone’s roof, dock, garden or fence post, there’s a pretty good chance it was ours.”

Making the final four “means a lot to us, especially to our employees,” Teska said. “We’re a small company of about 40 people, and many of the people who make and ship that owl every day have been with Dalen for over 20 years.

business brief

September 30, 2026 by

• Simply Physio welcomes Dr. Khianna Ferguson, PT, DPT, as its newest member of the ST team. She is a graduate of Loma Linda University and specializes in vertigo, dizziness and balance disorders. She also has advanced training in treating TMJ/TMD pain.