After a two-year hiatus, the Signal Mountain Business Association is returning with a new board.
The organization's next meeting is a celebration of Signal Mountain businesses open 30 for years or more. Being held at Signal Mountain Golf and Country Club, the meeting is set for Thursday, Feb. 27 at 8 a.m.
"We want to celebrate those businesses that forged the path for the businesses up there today," said Gretchen Richards, MBA president and the association's founder in 2004.
The association is open to businesses both on and off the mountain, said Richards, an employee of First Volunteer Bank in downtown Chattanooga and a longtime resident of Signal Mountain.
Signal Mountain businesses celebrating 30-plus years
* The Bread Basket* Cutting Corners Framing* Mountain City Realtors* Nudo’s Family Hair & Skin Care* Pruett’s Signal Mountain Market* Signal Mountain Pharmacy* Signal Mountain Pizza Place* Signal Mountain Travel* Webbco Graphics
The goal of the MBA is to provide members with networking opportunities and exposure through digital marketing and print advertising. Giving back to the community is also a big part of the organization, she said.
Every quarter, the MBA will host two breakfast meetings and an evening cocktail party, all of which will be held the fourth Thursday of the month at Signal Mountain Golf and Country Club.
Sixty people attended the revitalized association's first meeting in January, Richards said.
The cost to join is $175, all of which goes toward promoting member businesses, she said.
The MBA became inactive at the end of 2017 when former president Patrick Holland stepped down due to time constraints associated with running a second business and no one stepped up to take his place.
The Red Bank Council of the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce changed its name to the Red Bank-Signal Mountain Council in June 2018 in an effort to be more inclusive of mountain businesses, which were already a part of the council's footprint.
That council currently has five to 10 member businesses from Signal Mountain, according to Ross Katayama, community outreach coordinator for the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce.
Signal Mountain Golf and Country Club is at 809 James Blvd. To learn more about the Mountain Business Association, call Richards at 596-9344, email mbachattanooga@gmail.com or visit tinyurl.com/MountainBusinessAssociation.
Email Emily Crisman at ecrisman@timesfreepress.com.