Chattanooga Mayor Andy BerkePaying small businesses to add new employees is one way to help those companies grow and potentially expand to medium- or large-sized firms, Chattanooga Mayor Andy Berke said Thursday.
“Any study will tell you it’s fantastic to bring in large companies … but in the long run we have to grow our own,” he said in unveiling a new effort aimed at providing an incentive for small businesses to expand.
Berke said if companies add five or more full-time employees, the business will receive a $500 per worker credit.
“We needed to figure out some way to incent people who are coming here to expand here and grow here,” the mayor said as he rolled out the Grow Small Businesses initiative at a Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce roundtable meeting with more than a dozen company owners.
Berke said businesses must have 100 employees or less to quality for the program, that’s to start July 1.