Chattanooga, TN --- The fourth installment of the “CEO Speaker Series - The Talk of the Town” will be presented on Wednesday, October 8, from 8:30-11:00 a.m. Hosted by the Tennessee Small Business Development Center and The Company Lab, the CEO Series keynote speaker will be Greg Vital, co-founder, president and CEO of Independent Healthcare Properties, LLC, who will share his entrepreneurial knowledge and answer questions from attendees.

This Chattanooga-based senior care company founded in 1996 includes Morning Pointe assisted living and The Lantern at Morning Pointe Alzheimer’s memory care centers of excellence, serving five southern states and employing more than 1,200 people. The company also developed Greenbriar Cove retirement community in Collegedale and owns commercial real estate properties in the southeast. Mr. Vital is a 40-plus year resident of Hamilton County. A business administration graduate of Southern Adventist University, he has spent the last 36 years in marketing, healthcare real estate development and entrepreneurship. He formed Independent Healthcare Properties seventeen years ago after ten years with a national long-term senior services company. In addition to an active business career, Vital is strongly committed to community involvement. A board of trustee member for the National Parks Conservation Association, he also is involved with the Land Trust for Tennessee, University of Chattanooga Foundation and First Tennessee Bank. As a strong proponent of land conservation and historic preservation, Vital was honored by Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park in 2008 with the Drew Haskins Award. In recognition of his commitment to job creation and free enterprise, Vital was inducted into the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga College of Business Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame in 2013. Major sponsors for this event include Cohutta Banking Company, a division of Synovus’ Bank; Aqqolade, LLC; and HUTTON and Hutton Construction Company. The event will be held at the Chattanooga Convention and Trade Center, and begins with a complimentary continental breakfast. Dr. Jim Barrott, Chattanooga State vice president of technology and director, Tennessee College of Applied Technology will preside over the event. During this event, we also will be recognizing our "Small Business Person of the Year," John “JJ” Jerman, president and founder of Office Furniture Warehouse along with three "Rising Star" Recipient's: Denise Collins and Melanie Ferguson of Balance, Joe and Kathryn Winland from Heaven and Ale, and Chris Gonzalez of DecoPrint. This event is a cooperative effort between The Tennessee Small Business Development Center, The Company Lab, Chattanooga State Community College, Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce, and the Small Business Administration. Reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities will be made if requested two weeks in advance. Seating to this event is limited and on a first come, first serve basis. RSVP online at www.tsbdc.org/chscc (scroll and click “view upcoming training” select “managing a business” as the topic).