As a crowd of over 2,500 listened attentively on Saturday evening (May 30), Scott M. Niswonger, general chairman of the Tusculum College 2000 Campaign, announced the naming of the new sports arena at Tusculum College as the Alpine Arena.

The announcement came just moments after Robert E. Knott, president of Tusculum College, had acknowledged the recent $1 million gift made on behalf of Alpine Industries by its co-owners William M. Converse and Michael Jackson. "Alpine Industries has the distinction of being the first corporation to be recognized as a Benefactor of the College [giving $1 million or more] and the seventh Benefactor overall in the 204-year history of the College," said Knott. "We are grateful for the magnificent support shown by Alpine for our programs. Not only is the financial commitment a great blessing to the College, but it is a wonderful example of citizenship as well."

Niswonger, who is co-founder, chairman, and CEO of Landair Services, Inc., then told the crowd of Alpine distributors at the company's first national sales conference, "I am pleased to announce that at its recent meeting the Board of Trustees unanimously and enthusiastically voted to name this beautiful arena in recognition of the partnership of Alpine Industries with Tusculum College. In a real sense, this gift by Alpine is a vote of confidence in all of you in this room, for the commitment was made, I am sure, with the confidence that you will continue to do an effective job in presenting Alpine products to the world."

Alpine Industries, Inc. is a privately-held corporation that manufactures and markets air and water purification units. Originally headquartered in Minnesota, last year Alpine began moving its corporate headquarters as well as part of its manufacturing facilities to Greeneville. To date, Alpine has added 600 new jobs in Greene County and has plans to add 400 more new jobs to its manufacturing force in the coming months. The sales force is made up of thousands of independent distributors nationwide.

The announcement of the naming of the Alpine Arena came at the culmination of two days of activities that were part of Alpine's sales conference. Following the announcement, representatives from the company were awarded prizes and were treated to a speech by noted Football Hall-of-Famer Fran Tarkenton.

The Tusculum College 2000 Campaign is a $20 million comprehensive capital campaign that is providing funds for a variety of campus needs from renovations to the library and residence halls to new construction.

The new construction is comprised of the Niswonger Commons, to be completed in two phases. Phase I is a $6.4 million Sports Center, including Alpine Arena, which seats 2,000 for sporting events and 2,800 for college and community events such as the Alpine gathering. Also included in the Sports Center is a fitness center equipped with state-of-the-art Trotter and Cybex equipment; a fully-equipped athletic training facility; and locker rooms, classrooms, and the campus health center. Phase II of the project includes a two-story addition in front of Pioneer Gymnasium, which will include a campus living room, fitness center, bookstore, campus radio and television station, the telecommunications center for the College, and student services and student government offices. Pioneer Gym will be renovated for recreational purposes and improvements will be made to the swimming pool. Simerly Union will receive substantial renovation and improvement. The resulting facility will house seven new classrooms and greatly improved student services and activities areas.

See also Alpine Industries’ $1 Million Gift Boosts Tusculum’s Capital Campaign

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