In the past year, the city of Chattanooga has provided seven grants to small businesses in the city, totaling more than $27,000, through its "Growing Small Business" program.
Chattanooga Mayor Andy Berke talks with SensaCalm founder/CEO Donna Chambers, center, and seamstress Sharon Gregg Tuesday at the N. Chamberlain business.This week Mayor Andy Berke toured some of the businesses that received the funds ahead of his "State of the City" address next Wednesday when he will announce some new initiatives for small businesses, according to Kerry Hayes, deputy chief of staff for the mayor's office.
"The mayor will be announcing some new measures to provide even more support to growing neighborhood-based businesses on strategic corridors throughout the city," Hayes said.
On Tuesday, Berke met with four businesses - Applied Thermal Coatings in the North Shore, Office Furniture Warehouse in Boyce Station, SensaCalm in Glass Farms and Stove Works in the Highland Park neighborhood.
"We are just looking for what else we can do to support small businesses and neighborhood enterprises," Berke said. "They know what the future holds."
In the fabric and shipping warehouse, Chattanooga Mayor Andy Berke, center, tours SensaCalm with founder/CEO Donna Chambers, left, and Sarah Messimer, general manager, Tuesday in preparation of his announcement of business grants and initiatives.City officials first stopped at Applied Thermal Coatings, at 200 Compress St., in an old warehouse from the 1800s where the company recently expanded. ATC received $3,795 from the grant this year, which will help with overhead costs of supplies so they can hire seven more full-time positions, said Harley Grant, CEO of the company.
COO Jeff Henry said they generate about $25 million a year in sales and one of their greatest needs in the future will be finding well-trained engineers and welders. The company specializes in manufacturing forensics, analyzing machine and assembly line parts for defects and repairing defective machine parts and tools.
"Our next step is training the next generation," Henry said. "We want these people coming out with the broad knowledge they need."
Office Furniture Warehouse, which received $3,211 to help with the creation of nine full-time jobs, will most likely need to hire more people to help with their new asset mangagement software, said John "JJ" Jerman, the president and founder of the company that supplies new and used furniture to workspaces across the country.
Chattanooga Mayor Andy Berke, left, walks with Office Furniture Warehouse owner John Jerman while touring the East Chattanooga business Tuesday before announcing business grants and initiatives."What we love about Chattanooga is that it's two hours within about 14 million people," Jerman told the mayor.
SensaCalm was awarded $4,092 to help create 12 full-time positions. The business specializes in the production of weighted blankets and sensory products that are often used by autistic children.
City officials also toured Stove Works where Charlotte Caldwell is in the process of renovating the large space for multiple purposes. Caldwell has not yet received any incentives from the city.
"Something I frequently hear from people is, 'What are we doing to help small businesses?'" Berke said. "We want to make sure we are doing what we can to support big and small businesses."
Contact staff writer Allison Shirk at ashirk@timesfreepress.com or @Allison_Shirk.