Chattanooga small business center opens for workshops, resource navigation
Staff photo by Matt Hamilton / Councilwoman Marvene Noel and Chattanooga Mayor Tim Kelly cut the ribbon during the ribbon cutting ceremony for the Chattanooga Small Business Resource Center on Friday, March 20, 2026. Staff photo by Matt Hamilton / Councilwoman Marvene Noel and Chattanooga Mayor Tim Kelly cut the ribbon during the ribbon cutting ceremony for the Chattanooga Small Business Resource Center on Friday, March 20, 2026.
By Siena Duncan 5 min read
Chattanooga’s small businesses have a place to book rooms and attend workshops now that the city has officially opened a resource center on East M.L. King Boulevard.
City staff held a ribbon-cutting Friday morning at the building, now called the Small Business Resource Center. Chattanooga has been working for several years to open it after allocating $1.8 million in pandemic relief funds to its purchase and renovation, Mayor Tim Kelly said during the event.
The goal is to make it a one-stop shop for local businesses to navigate funding opportunities and tools available to them on all levels of government.
Kelly ran several businesses before becoming mayor, he said, and he understands the complex process of doing so. He wants the center to make that process more equitable for everyone who wants to start a business in the city, he said.
Staff photo by Matt Hamilton / Winston Brooks, director of economic development and entrepreneurship for the city of Chattanooga, speaks during the ribbon cutting ceremony for the Chattanooga Small Business Resource Center on Friday, March 20, 2026.Staff photo by Matt Hamilton / Visitors tour various rooms after the ribbon cutting ceremony for the Chattanooga Small Business Resource Center on Friday, March 20, 2026.Staff photo by Matt Hamilton / Visitors tour various rooms after the ribbon cutting ceremony for the Chattanooga Small Business Resource Center on Friday, March 20, 2026.Staff photo by Matt Hamilton / Visitors talk before the start of the ribbon cutting ceremony for the Chattanooga Small Business Resource Center on Friday, March 20, 2026.Staff photo by Matt Hamilton / Chattanooga Mayor Tim Kelly speaks during the ribbon cutting ceremony for the Chattanooga Small Business Resource Center on Friday, March 20, 2026.Staff photo by Matt Hamilton / Councilwoman Marvene Noel and Chattanooga Mayor Tim Kelly cut the ribbon during the ribbon cutting ceremony for the Chattanooga Small Business Resource Center on Friday, March 20, 2026.Staff photo by Matt Hamilton / Michael Vallante, the U.S. Small Business Administration’s regional advocate, speaks during the ribbon cutting ceremony for the Chattanooga Small Business Resource Center on Friday, March 20, 2026.Staff photo by Matt Hamilton / Councilwoman Marvene Noel and Chattanooga Mayor Tim Kelly prepare to cut the ribbon during the ribbon cutting ceremony for the Chattanooga Small Business Resource Center on Friday, March 20, 2026.Staff photo by Matt Hamilton / Chattanooga Mayor Tim Kelly speaks during the ribbon cutting ceremony for the Chattanooga Small Business Resource Center on Friday, March 20, 2026.Staff photo by Matt Hamilton / Councilwoman Marvene Noel speaks during the ribbon cutting ceremony for the Chattanooga Small Business Resource Center on Friday, March 20, 2026.
“I understand the late nights and the strategic pivots and the frustrations and the challenges of finding the right resources at the right time,” Kelly said. “Hopefully, this will be a place that will help you unclog those pipes and get the help you need when you need it.”
