Krystal unveils archive items at UTC

Krystal Chief Operating Officer Gary Clough (left) and Dean of UTC College of Business, Dr. Robert Dooley, right, commemorate the opening of the display with a ribbon cutting.
Krystal Chief Operating Officer Gary Clough (left) and Dean of UTC College of Business, Dr. Robert Dooley, right, commemorate the opening of the display with a ribbon cutting.

Officials from The Krystal Co. met with University of Tennessee at Chattanooga business school leaders this week to unveil a new Krystal display in Fletcher Hall and hand over two $1,000 scholarships to UTC business students AJ Davis and Heidi Foster.

Krystal leaders also handed over archive documents to the UTC library for future perusal by students.

The new Fletcher Hall glass display cases contain 80 years of Krystal memorabilia, including old uniforms, fried chicken buckets and coffee tins. The display contains part of a larger collection that will be unveiled later this year.

The Fletcher Hall display is located alongside the College of Business' Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame.

"It's not a museum. It's really an archived collection of Krystal history," said Robert Dooley, dean of the college of business.

The display cases are accompanied by placards telling the story of Krystal, with its beginning as a Chattanooga company. The Krystal Co. was based in Chattanooga until 2013, when the company moved its headquarters to Atlanta after a group of investors bought the company for around $175 million.

Items in the Fletcher Hall display cases are available for public viewing and will be switched out with other items from the larger archive in the library from time to time.

Dooley said the College of Business started talking a few years ago about entrepreneurship scholarships, and Krystal responded with interest.

"That was kind of the genesis of this," said Dooley.

According to Krystal, the scholarships are intended to help students in the business school with an entrepreneurial spirit. Both Davis and Foster are entrepreneurship majors and involved in the UTC Collegiate Entrepreneurs' Organization.

The Krystal Co. started as a small, street corner restaurant in downtown Chattanooga in 1932. The restaurant was started by Rody Davenport and J. Glenn Sherrill, and claimed fame for its small, slider burgers and marketing campaigns.

Krystal leaders touted the company's relationship with Chattanooga and UTC this week.

"From sharing some of our iconic history in Fletcher Hall to the opportunity to honor future business leaders with The Krystal Company Endowed Scholarship, we're pleased that we have the opportunity to work with UTC in this capacity," said Gary Clough, COO at The Krystal Co.

The Krystal Co. first announced the scholarship program in 2013, and this years' recipients are the first in the history of the scholarship program.

"I consider it a true blessing," said Davis. "Krystal has a rich heritage here in the Chattanooga community. It's a true honor."

Davis entered a business pitch competition back in the fall, which was part of the application process. He proposed a credit card-esque coupon and promotional card program, sold by homeless Chattanoogans to help them develop an income and be taught life and work skills in the process.

Foster said she found out via email about her award on Monday.

"It was actually quite a surprise to me," she said.

Foster said it's a compliment coming from a company formed on entrepreneurial spirit.

"It takes a lot of determination, I would say, to go forward with whatever dreams you have," she said. "It was nice to see that there are people out there who admire that quality."

Future candidates for the scholarship are encouraged to submit applications for the 2015-2016 academic year before the Feb. 2 deadline. Candidates must be UTC students enrolled in the College of Business.

Dooley said between the Krystal archive and scholarship program, the school aims to provide students opportunities to "learn about the history of entrepreneurship in Chattanooga."

"If you've been in Fletcher Hall, the [third] floor is dedicated to the entrepreneurial spirit of Chattanooga," he said. "We thought it would be a nice addition to that hall to have another iconic brand as opposed to just focusing on an individual."

Contact staff writer Alex Green at agreen@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6480.

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