If you're fortunate enough to land a professional position that includes membership at Chattanooga's Mountain City Club, you'll be joining an institution that is steeped in tradition and, at the same time, stepping smartly into the future.
"This is a meeting spot for leaders in this city -- a place of elegance," says Mark Schmissrauter, the club's president for the past three years. "A lot of major decisions about how this city would grow and develop have been made inside the walls of the Mountain City Club."
A major remodel six years ago yielded not only cosmetic improvements but a new business center, wireless internet and meeting rooms with video screens for private conferences. The club has three floors, with a gym and office space on the first floor.
"The middle floor is the most widely used," says Schmissrauter. "Very European, very elegant. There's a large bar with tables and several dining rooms -- the middle floor alone is about 10,000 square feet and is often used for wedding receptions. There's also a beautiful patio that looks out over Eighth and Chestnut, which gets a lot of use in the spring and fall."
And the upper floor has another 10,000 square feet of usable floor space, including private meeting and dining rooms, as well as a billiards room.
"We don't have mediocre anything," he says, adding that members have privileges at Manker Patten Tennis Center and the Lookout Mountain Club for golf.
"Our mission is the same as it was 134 years ago. We're looking for the type of person who wants to meet and network with successful businesspeople in Chattanooga -- investment bankers, real estate, logistics; established people with the maturity to come in and better themselves."
Photography by Matt Hamilton / Mountain City Club.