New Leadership
Alexis Willis joins the Chattanooga Chamber of Commerce as Director of Small Business and Entrepreneurship.She’ll oversee the North Shore INCubator beginning Jan. 8.Most recently, Willis served as Director of Business Support for The Company Lab, also known as CO.LAB. She’s also an entrepreneur and founder of two brands: Natural Beautiful Me and The Red Lipstick Experiment.
Innovation flows through our region. With so many local resources to help you turn creative energy into a business, have you ever wondered if you could be an entrepreneur?
You can. Especially with a little help. The INCubator at the Hamilton County Business Development Center has resources.
Through a three-year incubation program, INCubator clients receive:
» Below market rent downtown in suites ranging from 90 to 1,500 square feet; light manufacturing suites range from 476 to 5,000 square feet.
» Meeting and work spaces
» Shared administrative services
» Tech help seminars hosted by CHATech
The INCubator at the Hamilton County Business Development Center.
Founders of INCubator client Bagsy, a high-end children's consignment business.» Guidance from certified professional business counselors at the on-site Tennessee Small Business Development Center
Even if you're not a client, you can still take advantage of the INCubator's meeting spaces for a small fee, attend various free business seminars, or rent work space whether you need to meet with a client for an hour or focus on your to-do list for a few days.
Sessions with business counselors and other resources are also available, often at no charge to you, and can get you where you need to be as an entrepreneur.
» For more information, contact Mallorie Bailey, Resource Coordinator, at mbailey@chattanoogachamber.com and visit ChattanoogaChamber.com/incubator.
Did you know?
Over the past 12 months, the INCubator has helped its 70 businesses generate more than $17 million in revenue and investments. Of that, $13 million represents new dollars brought into the Hamilton County economy. That kind of achievement, alongside a 93 percent success rate for the INCubator's 565 graduates, makes your entrepreneurial dreams feel within reach.
"Coulometrics was an INCubator tenant from 2012 until we graduated in June 2015," says Edward R. Buiel, Ph.D., Owner and Founder of Coulometrics. "Tenants at the INCubator get more than just great office or manufacturing space in a great location. They receive help with all the administrative hurdles of starting a small business. The INCubator was invaluable to us as we were starting our battery research and development business, allowing us to focus on growing our company."