Congratulations to the 2016 Impact Award recipients! These businesses and individuals are deserving of recognition for their impact on the Knoxville community and their support of young professionals in the region. Meet all our outstanding finalists here.
Most Impactful Businesses
The Impact Awards honors companies in three categories based on size, impact, philosophy, community involvement and overall leadership of young professionals. The award was given to one small business (under 50 employees), one large business (more than 50 employees), and one nonprofit organization.
Most Impactful Large Business
At TeamHealth, our purpose is to perfect physicians’ ability to practice medicine, every day, in everything we do. Our philosophy is as simple as our goal is singular: we believe better experiences for physicians lead to better outcomes—for patients, partners and physicians alike.
Most Impactful Small Business
Axle Logistics is a non-asset based, third-party logistics (3PL) company with a focus on providing safe, reliable, advanced transportation services – Truckload, LTL, Intermodal, and Warehousing – to a wide variety of customers throughout the continental U.S., Canada and Mexico. Axle Logistics was built with the overall vision of bringing a sense of comfort and convenience to an industry often filled with inefficiencies by providing specialized customer service and a unique overall philosophy and approach to logistics management.
Most Impactful Nonprofit
Knoxville Fellows mission is to Increase God-principled leadership in Knoxville by equipping and developing the next generation of servant leaders to seek the pace of our city.
Outstanding Young Professionals
An Outstanding Young Professional is defined as a young professional (age 23-40) working and/or living in the Knoxville area who has contributed to making their community a better place. He or she gives back to the community and has achieved a certain level of accomplishment in his/her professional field. This young professional exemplifies leadership, vision, and inspires those around him/her to leave a lasting impact.
Amie Cohorst is a Senior Financial Counselor at 21st Mortgage Corporation. She has used her strong passion for community service as a tool to instill a culture of service within her company. She was successful in planning a company-wide half-day of service at 21st, which included service projects at 9 different non-profit organizations. In addition to her efforts in the workplace, Amie serves on the Knox County PTA Clothing Center board, is a member of the University of Tennessee Young Alumni Council, and has been involved with the United Way of Greater Knoxville on several committees. She is passionate about leadership development and exploring the outdoors with her husband, Ronald.
Becca Habegger is an award-winning reporter with WBIR-TV Channel 10 News. She volunteers with Big Brothers Big Sisters of East Tennessee, is on the board of the East Tennessee Society of Professional Journalists and appeared this year in the Front Page Follies—the annual news parody musical and fundraiser for local journalism student scholarships. Becca and her beau Frank enjoy hiking, Knoxville’s booming craft beer scene and the arts.
Nicole Hight is a Georgia native who moved to Knoxville in 2001. She graduated from the University of Tennessee in 2005 with a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Electronic Media with a Minor in Theatre. She is a Program Scheduling Coordinator for HGTV at Scripps Networks Interactive. She loves volunteering and currently serves on boards for The Salvation Army, Friends of Literacy, University Of Tennessee and Women In Cable Telecommunications.
Mike Leventhal serves as Executive Director for the Tennessee Men's Health Network, an affiliate of the national Men's Health Network headquartered in Washington, D.C. Through this role he volunteers on a number of different public health boards, councils, and committees that are committed to creating a healthier Tennessee. Additionally, Mike was selected to serve as the Council Chair for the Alliance for Young Nonprofit Professionals for 2016. Mike has one child (Shelby) and enjoys a range of outdoor activities, live music, and supporting University of Tennessee athletics.
Denetria Moore is the Founder and Executive Director of Girl Talk, Inc. She is currently in the class of 2017 of Leadership Knoxville. She enjoys spending time with her family. She is passionate about empowering and helping girls to reach their full potential in life.
2016 Mentor of the Year
Alvin Nance is deeply rooted in the Knoxville community, having worked for several
local and regional groups to help better the lives of his fellow citizens. He currently acts as Chief Executive Officer for LHP Capital, and was previously the Executive
Director and CEO of Knoxville’s Community Development Corporation, a public housing and redevelopment authority for the City of Knoxville. Alvin has spent decades dedicated
to putting roofs over Knoxvillian heads and providing services to citizens that provide a hand-up so they can thrive. Alvin is involved all across the city, sitting on several nonprofit boards, city/county councils and other community leadership roles. He earned a Bachelor’s degree from Maryville College and has continued to mentor young professionals throughout his career, setting a strong example as a passionate, kind, and inspiring leader.