Byline: Josh Flory

Oct. 9--A fledgling Chattanooga bank with some recognizable local names on the roster is entering the Knoxville market.

CapitalMark Bank & Trust has received regulatory approval to operate locally and should open within a few weeks at temporary space in the Bank of America Center, 550 W. Main Street.

CapitalMark opened in Chattanooga in March. Its Knoxville operation will be headed by Jim Vavalides, a graduate of Bearden High School and the University of Tennessee who returned to Knoxville from Chattanooga in 2006.

Vavalides said CapitalMark wants to develop its business by focusing largely on owner-operated companies as well as ...