By Judge Brian K. Addington

Kingsport, Tennessee is located in the Northeast end of the State. It is known as the “Model City” because a city planner and landscape architect designed the original layout of the town. Kingsport is the home to Eastman Chemical Company, which employs 15,000 people around the world and was once the largest private employer in the state, and Pal’s Sudden Service, a fast-food restaurant with 26 locations, which has twice won the Malcolm Baldridge Quality Award.

The Kingsport office is located at 1908 Bowater Drive, on the north side of Hwy 11W (Stone Drive). The easiest way to reach the office if coming from out of the area is to take Interstate 26 to exit 1. This is the Stone Drive Exit. Travel east 3.5 miles to Bowater Drive. Bowater Drive is on the left next to Tire Barn. Turn left onto Bowater and our office is located one block off Stone Drive on your right. We are at the north end of the building, which we share with Tennessee OSHA, also known as TOSHA. We have plenty of parking.

Our home away from home: The Kingsport, Tennessee office of the Division of Workers’ Compensation.

If traveling from the Knoxville area, please schedule at the minimum a two-hour travel time. This is a minimum. Please also note that the weather in Kingsport is often different than other areas of the State. We encourage you to call the office at 423-224-2057 during the winter months prior to traveling to the office for updates on the weather in the Kingsport area. If the Governor closes state offices, our office will be closed and court will not be held.

If you are traveling from points West, remember that Kingsport is in the Eastern time zone.

Tina Henley is our program coordinator; Martin Conway is a workers’ compensation specialist 4; Tommy Hulse, Jaime Weatherly and Traci Haynes are the mediating specialists; and Jamie Mullins and Liz Vandelinder are the administrative professionals who staff our office. We also have Rene Gallardo, an Uninsured Employers Fund investigator, in our office.

Specialist Conway and I approve settlements in the Kingsport office every day, subject to availability. Approvals time slots are 8:00 a.m. to 9:45 a.m. and from 1:00 p.m. to 1:45 p.m. in 15-minute intervals.

We have wireless Internet service in our office if you need to check your emails or look up information while you are here. We will be glad to point you in the right direction for food, shopping, or overnight accommodations if you need assistance. We look forward to seeing you soon.