AP Business

The Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce has named Gainesville-based named Championship Communication its "Business of the Month" for July.

Blairsville-based United Community Bank, which has bank branches in Gainesville and elsewhere in northeast Georgia, has received the Georgia Exceptional Lender award from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Don Carter State Park will be the scene of a benefit triathlete event Saturday.

A detour in downtown Jefferson, which begins Wednesday, is expected to impact traffic for about three months, according to the Georgia Department of Transportation.

Two new University of North Georgia Scholarship programs, one for the Cumming campus and one for the Blue Ridge campus, have been announced.

Three northeast Georgia men have been reappointed to state boards by Gov. Nathan Deal.

Kim Waters of Gainesville has assumed the volunteer post of Rotary International district governor for 2016-17.

The City of Cornelia has been designated as an accredited Main Street America program for meeting rigorous performance standards set by the National Main Street Center.

Pinnacle Financial Corporation and Independence Bank of Georgia Friday announced plans to merge, with Pinnacle buying Independence for about $32.8 million. And, a Pinnacle official says the two offices of Independence Bank, one in Gainesville and one in Braselton, will remain open.

For the second consecutive year, Willis Investment Counsel has been recognized by The Financial Times of London as one of the United States’ top investment advisory firms.