By Vivian Shipe
KNOXVILLE, TN— Alpha Xi Chapter of the Iota Phi Lambda Sorority named Knoxville businessman Mark Deathridge their 2024 Bronze Man of the Year at their 40th year celebration and scholarship fundraiser.
Deathridge, owner of East Tennessee Mechanical Contractors started the business with his late brother Don in 1978. Since that time the highly successful Black owned company has worked on many prestigious jobs; among them the Nissan Stadium, the Country Music Hall of Fame, and most recently the National Museum of African American Music in Nashville.
Founded in 1929 by Lola M. Parker, Iota Phi Lambda Sorority Inc., is the first African American Greek lettered business and professional sorority established by African American business women. There are over 85 chapters across the nation and in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
