Wow! If anyone hasn't had a chance to cruise by Georgiana's piece, I encourage you to do so. The comments are very interesting. These people sound like real pieces of work. (link...)

Comments over there appear to be disabled. Do not disturb the Duncan Borg.

After reading several articles about HR Comp, its aliases, and Chris and Andrea Ball, it really begs the question: Did the Department of Insurance and Commerce do a thorough investigation and background check on these people before issuing HR Comp a provisional license? If not, then why? Can the Department of Insurance and Commerce be held responsible if it is discovered that this company has not operated in a lawful and ethical manner.
Suppose this company operates in full compliance with the law effective today, does that magically erase any indiscretions that may have occurred yesterday? 3 months ago? How about a year ago?
To quote Becky Duncan Massey in a recent article, "I feel like the more information people can have the better." Meanwhile, the Department of Insurance and Commerce may have some tough questions ahead of them, like "What did you know?" and "When did you know it?"

On 9/30/2011, Christopher Ball donated $1500 to American Staffing Association Staffing PAC and listed his employer as HR Comp . In Georgiana Vines column, Andrea Ball stated that "her husband is not part of the business." October 8, 2011, Christopher and Andrea Ball each donated to Mark Padgett's failed mayoral campaign .

Were we reading the same article? They gave false statements to the State. That in itself is tantamount to a crime. If the State wished to prosecute, the Balls have already given the strongest form evidence...admission of guilt.

"Nice folks"? All I could see in the article was $3.5 million tax lien, false statement, not of good moral character, and $10k fine. I guess their money spends just fine though.

Sounds to me their investment in getting a lobbyist like Tom Ingram was well spent. U.S. Rep. John J. Duncan Jr. just released a statement ((link...)) where he condemned Mark Rich's pardon of tax evasion on the basis that the pardon was granted because Rich made political contributions. The word he used was "despicable".

So spending of unpaid tax dollars on political campaign fundraisers is ok in the eyes of all involved?

Shame on everyone involved with this couple for ignoring all the signs. They are not paying their taxes but have the means to host a party and make contributions to political campaigns?

Despicable indeed.

It seems to me that the appropriate thing would have been to remove the gossipy posts and leave comments open. But Lail is doing the easier thin. He's done that a couple of times lately onmy column. Instead of taking time to look at individual comments, he's opted to shut down comments when monitoring the comments has gotten to be too labor intensive.

Kudos to GV for digging out this story.

I had a mental flick when receiving an invite to a big political event in Powell at the home of somebody I'd never heard of. Should have asked who these folks are.

But then, so should have JJD, BDM and Harry Brooks. -- s.

Apparently the Balls have a different take on the article. They actually posted it on their facebook page.

Here was their comments:
HR Comp Employee Leasing provides a valuable service to our clients and we work hard at being a responsible and engaged member of the business community. This year we worked with the National Association of Professional Employer Organizations (NAPEO) to pass modernization legislation in Tennessee to create more equitable oversight of the industry and to more clearly define the regulations. Members of our team spent many days in Nashville talking with lawmakers about our industry and how it helps Tennessee’s small businesses thrive and grow. Because of those efforts, we were invited by NAPEO to attend a signing ceremony with Governor Haslam.

Now those efforts and our continued success in the marketplace have apparently caused some of our competitors to engage the media in an attempt to disparage our reputation. We choose to win in the marketplace by offering a great product and superior service.

They were invited but I assume they missed the original article where the Govenor seemed embarrassed and stated that he nor none of his staffers know who invited them.

I've noticed that several stories of corrupt government in our local area are taken from the Tennessean. The contractor that went bankrupt on the UT sorority houses received an unlimited contractors licenses in 2009. Five years earlier he was licensed as a car salesman at Hay's Nissan.

What happened to investigative journalism in Knoxville?

Well said Joe328! The media should be embarrassed for not looking into this story. The Department of Insurance and Commerce should be taken to task for issuing this company a license in the first place, albeit provisional given its track record. The politicians accepting contributions and gifts (i.e. party) from these people should be made to explain themselves and their relationship. Does an honest businessperson with nothing to hide really need a Spin-doctor lobbyist to address "an old situation?" What is that old situation? Is anyone asking? WAKE UP INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISTS!

but recorded the commission workshop to watch tonight.

What part of $17.3 million surplus don't they understand?

If you don't pay your federal income taxes, yes it is very easy to win in the marketplace, it puts you in a position to offer services with pricing schedules which are unrealistic and not in keeping with the costs associated with such services.

The local gas station could sell gas at $2.30 a gallon and have people lined up to fill up the tank, but if they did not collect and remit the .70 something cents per gallon state and federal fuel taxes on that gallon of gasoline, eventually he'd be out of business or trying to hold a fund raiser for Jimmy Duncan to get the federal taxing authorities to work up a payment arrangement of some type.

Anytime people are "working on legislation to improve something" watch out, they are up to something and it is usually wallet driven.

Alan, speaking only for myself as someone among the some/many/most KV regulars who opposed that KCS budget, my opposition had nothing whatsoever to do with any thought that KCS already had all the money they needed.

It had everything to do with my concern for some line item allocations within that budget.

I didn't want to see some of those expenditures result in practices I didn't think should become entrenched in KCS.

Okay, I'll go out on a limb and tell you that I'm pretty darned sure folks like Stick, jcgrim, Min, and RNeal saw the same danger in allowing those practices to become entrenched--and they can correct me if I'm wrong.

Anyway, start another thread on the topic. It has nothing to do with this fundraiser hosted by the Balls.

(Cordial nod to Sandra.)

How about asking state Commerce and Insurance Commissioner Julie Mix McPeak how HR Comp was ever issued any sort business license, provisional or otherwise?

HR Comp was recently in the news when it was revealed that HR Comp had a $3.5 million federal tax lien, paid a $10,000 fine, and admitted to operating a business without a license. The initial business license was rejected when Andrea Ball submitted false statements to the TDIC. Ball was described in a state document as "not of good moral character." HR Comp is an employee leasing company entrusted to submit payroll taxes and pay worker's compensation insurance premiums for each of its employees on its clients' behalf.

This story came to light when Christopher and Andrea Ball posed in a photo with Governor Haslam as he signed into law a new statute governing the operation of staff leasing companies (link...)....

The Balls hosted a fundraiser at their home for Becky Duncan-Massey and Harry Brooks on July 14. The guest of honor was U.S. Representative Jimmy Duncan. (link...)....

On July 11, 2012 Jimmy Duncan referred to tax evaders "despicable" (link...)...

Readers criticized Jack Lail for closing discussions about Vines' article rather than removing specific posts. The topic was continued by R. Neal readers at KnoxViews (link...)...

How does a company with a fiduciary responsibility to submit payroll taxes for its clients amass a $3.5 million federal tax lien? And how, Ms. McPeak, on your watch, did TDIC ever grant HR Comp a provisional business license?

I'm posting discussion here in the event this very commentary is censored by KNS.

Another PEO like the one Ms. Ball owns was raided by the FBI yesterday. Interestingly enough, Ms. Ball claims to have help start this company that was raided and then was fired later. You have to wonder if this company is under further scrutiny by the state and other agencies.

Bumping this comment because someone needs to be investigating all of these companies in Knoxville.

KnoxNews finally did a little digging and the results are interesting.

Read more about Andrea Ball and HR Comp here:

(link...)

A couple major developments are happening in this ongoing saga.

If anyone in the media has been following the civil trials, you will find a lot of interesting names and interesting developments.

This has nothing to do with Massey or Brooks. At the time, they placed about as many firewalls in as little time as possible to distance themselves from this mess and should be commended for that.

At this time I am recommending that all media place this saga on a hyper alert media watch list.

More to come, this is fluid at this time.