Download Full .PDF - Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce

BUSINESS 

TREND 

WINTEr 2012 

YEAR’S 

BEST CAR 

GREENEST 

PLANT 

WORLD’S 

Breaking the 

Bandwidth Barrier 

Churning the 

Idea Tank 

5 Aha! Moments 

Spark Local Growth 

How to 

Dangle the 

Digital Carrot

The UTC College of Business offers a fast-track 

Master of Business Administration Program 

for executives and potential executives. 

The execuTive MBA 

Now accepting applications for Fall 2012. 

For more information, please call (423) 425-4210 

or go to www.utc.edu/emba. 

Learn Today. Lead Tomorrow. 

The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga is an equal employment opportunity/affirmative action/ 

Title VI/Title IX/Section 504/ADA/ADEA institution.

WHAT MAKES A GLOBAL LEADER 

OUR UNSURPASSED WORLDWIDE SUPPORT 

HAVING THE BROADEST PRODUCT LINE 

OR OUR UNPRECEDENTED RANGE OF ICE TYPES 

MAYBE IT’S SIMPLY BECAUSE WE’VE BEEN HELPING 

PEOPLE BREAK THE ICE FOR 60 YEARS. 

Our global-leading ice products and services are very local. 

To see how easy it is to bring them to your location, call 

1 800 SCOTSMAN (726-8762) or visit www.scotsman-ice.com. 

REPRESENTED LOCALLY BY: 

Get a quote today: 

charles@icemakers.net 

(423) 622-0886

From the president 

still setting 

the pace at 125 

This year, the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce 

celebrates 125 years of driving local job creation. That makes 

us one of a small number of companies that have managed to 

remain relevant and vital over such a long life span. We plan to 

mark the occasion by raising the bar on our efforts to make the 

most of the present while preparing for the future. 

For starters, we’re unveiling the Chattanooga Chamber’s 

brand new logo (see the upper right corner of this page). You’ll also 

note that this issue of Trend sports a whole new design style that 

echoes the look of national business publications. 

But, we aren’t just making cosmetic changes. During 

2012, we’ll be joining partners across the region in launching 

a 40-year, Regional Growth Planning Process with the aim of 

enhancing the economic competitiveness of the whole region 

(see page 28). 

The Chattanooga Chamber is also partnering with a 

growing list of local and national organizations in support of 

“Gig City: Chattanooga,” an effort to accelerate the start of 

next-generation Internet ventures utilizing EPB’s fiber optic 

system, which is America’s first community-wide gig network 

(see page 18). 

On the membership side, we’re launching “Connect for 

Lunch,” a program that matches participating members with 

synergistic companies for a one-on-one lunch meeting. We will 

be sending you more information about this program soon. 

At the same time, the Chattanooga Chamber is providing 

continuing support for Hamilton County Schools as they 

work to enhance student preparation in science, technology, 

engineering and math through an effort to win state funding to 

start a regional STEM hub (see page 27). 

These are just a few examples of how your Chamber isn’t 

just “keeping up with the times.” Thanks to your engagement 

and support, we are helping set a pace for our local economy 

that few other communities can match. 

That’s quite an accomplishment for an organization that’s 

been in continuous operation since Grover Cleveland was 

president. 

CHAMBER MISSION 

The mission of the Chattanooga Area 

Chamber of Commerce is to champion 

our member businesses and implement a 

comprehensive strategy to promote 

regional economic growth. 

CHAMBER board of directors 

Tom Edd Wilson, President and CEO 

Michael St. Charles, Chair 

executive committee 

Diana Bullock, Chair-Elect 

Ron Harr, Immediate Past Chair 

Howard Levine, First Vice Chair 

Michael Mathis, Treasurer 

Sandra Brewer, Secretary 

Chip Baker 

Corky Coker 

Robin Derryberry 

David DeVaney 

Fred Exum 

Joe Johnson 

Darrell Moore 

Jeff Olingy 

Corinne Allen 

Ted Alling 

Tammy Babb 

Jackie Barry 

Dennis Blanton 

Marian Brewer 

Jim Brexler 

Christi Broom 

Roger Brown 

Larry Buie 

Jim Callihan 

Jim Catanzaro 

Brad Cobb 

Michael Costa 

Sue Culpepper 

Fred Decosimo 

Bob Farnsworth 

Frank Fischer 

Richard Foster 

David Hawke 

Lynda Childress Hawks 

Patsy Hazlewood 

Jim Hobson 

directors 

William Wilder 

Mike Sarvis 

Jim Sattler 

Ronelle Sellers 

Jim Steffner 

Roger Tuder 

Roy Vaughn 

Tom White 

Dave Whitfield 

Craig Holley 

Tim Kelly 

Jamie Kyle 

Michael Lebovitz 

Jim Levine 

MaryStewart Lewis 

Rusty McKee 

Rick McKenney 

Craig Miller 

Deb Moore 

Glenn Morris 

Mitch Patel 

Christian Patiño 

Lawrence Quinn 

Tiffanie Robinson 

Keith Sanford 

Kathy Schein 

Randall Taylor 

Lauren Templeton 

Greg Vital 

Michael Walden 

Tom Walsh 

Clay Watson 

PARTNERS 

Chattanooga Airport Authority 

Chattanooga Convention & Visitors Bureau 

Chattanooga Regional Manufacturers Association 

Chattanooga State 

City of Chattanooga 

Office of Congressman Chuck Fleischmann 

The Enterprise Center 

Hamilton County 

Hamilton County Department of Education 

River City Company 

Southeast Industrial Development Association 

Tennessee Valley Authority 

United Way of Chattanooga 

WTCI TV 45 (PBS) 

By Tom Edd Wilson, 

Chamber President and CEO 

Business Trend magazine is produced 

quarterly by CMC Publications. 

For advertising information, call 423.266.3440 

or e-mail gmullinix@sceniccitymags.com.

CONTENTS 

winter 2012 volume 11, number 1 

6-11 

12 

14 

14 

Business Digest 

LJT and Clarity expand, Amazon.com tops hiring 

projections, CBL acquires Northgate Mall, 

economic indicators and more. 

Work Smarter 

What Makes a Thriving Business 

Making the Most of EXPO Chattanooga 

How to Dangle the Digital Carrot 

16 

16 

18 

20 

22 

22 

24 

26 

27 

28 

30 

32 

Features 

Baker’s Success Just Icing on the Cookie 

Breaking the Bandwidth Barrier 

Parting Words from Trevor Hamilton 

Bumping Growth with BOOST 

Council Launches Internship Program 

New Resources Put Cultural Know-How on Map 

New Public Policy Agenda 

STEM Initiative Update 

Expert Team to Lead Regional Growth Process 

Churning the Idea Tank 

5 Aha! Moments Spark Growth 

18 

34 ON THE COVER – Chattanoogans Make Year’s Best Car in 

World’s Greenest Plant (Photo courtesy of Volkswagen Chattanooga) 

36 

37 

39 

40 

42 

Your Chamber 

Ambassadors Salute Civic Servants 

Chamber Connections Photo Album 

Council Meetings and Programs 

New Chamber Members 

Business Calendar 

EXECUTIVE EDITOR – J. Ed. Marston 

MANAGING EDITOR – Tia Capps 

DESIGN – Jessica Henon 

PHOTOGRAPHY – Jeremy Henderson and Matthew Kenwright 

30

6 


Business Trend Magazine 

BUSINESS DIGEST 

Existing Industry is 

Focus for New Chamber 

Employee 

LJT Announces Multi-Million Dollar Expansion 

Lock Joint Tube/Steel Warehouse of Tennessee (LJT), a subsidiary of Lerman 

Enterprises, recently announced its Chattanooga plant will undergo a $2 million 

expansion that will bring new jobs to the area, increase the company’s customer base and 

allow it to better meet the demands of the market it currently serves. The company plans 

to purchase 1.7 acres in Hamilton County’s Centre South Riverport Industrial Park to 

accommodate the addition of 50,000 square feet of manufacturing space. This expansion 

is expected to create six new jobs at the plant. The Chattanooga facility, which opened in 

2002 with six employees and 110,000 square feet of manufacturing space, now employs 

more than 200 and has increased the size of its building to 325,000 square feet. 

Chattanooga MSA * - Employment by Sector 

Sector Preliminary Oct 2011 % change 1-Yr. 

Mining, Logging & Construction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8,900 . . . . . . . . . . . .0.00% 

Manufacturing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27,700 . . . . . . . . . . . -2.12% 

Wholesale Trade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8,400 . . . . . . . . . . . .1.20% 

Retail Trade. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23,700 . . . . . . . . . . . -2.47% 

Transportation, Warehousing & Utilities . . . . . . . . . . . . 17,200 . . . . . . . . . . . .1.18% 

Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3,600 . . . . . . . . . . . .0.00% 

Financial Activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17,300 . . . . . . . . . . . -1.14% 

Professional & Business Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21,200 . . . . . . . . . . . -4.07% 

Educational & Health Services. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32,100 . . . . . . . . . . . .1.58% 

Leisure & Hospitality. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24,900 . . . . . . . . . . . .5.06% 

Other Services. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10,900 . . . . . . . . . . . -1.80% 

Government . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37,200 . . . . . . . . . . . .1.92% 

The Chattanooga Chamber has 

added a new position dedicated to 

expanding support to local companies. 

Effective Dec. 5, Lakmini (Lucky) 

Rouse joined the Chamber team as the 

organization’s first Business Development 

Specialist dedicated primarily to existing 

industry. In her new role, Rouse will 

provide support in the areas of existing 

business retention and expansion, existing 

business visitation, survey program 

management, volunteer coordination, 

B2B matchmaking, international business 

matchmaking and business recruitment. 

“The most recent CAN DO 

campaign calls for a strengthened 

commitment to existing business 

services,” says Steve Hiatt, director of 

existing business development for the 

Chamber. “Hiring Lucky Rouse as the 

Chamber’s new business development 

specialist is a demonstration of our 

commitment to growing local companies.” 

A graduate of Southern Adventist 

University, Rouse has a bachelor’s degree 

in Business Administration and has 

spent the last year-and-a-half working as a 

marketing analyst for a consumer product 

goods company in Atlanta. 

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Employment Statistics 

(*Metropolitan Statistical Area)

8 



Clarity Expands, Relocates Headquarters 

Clarity celebrated the relocation of its headquarters to Preservation Drive on Dec.2, 

a move marking the expansion of the company’s capabilities and its commitment to 

the Chattanooga market. Along with a new address, Clarity’s new headquarters feature 

a state-of-the-art acoustic lab and additional functionality for its marketing, sales and 

customer service efforts. The ADA-compliant facility also incorporates green technologies, 

such as solar panels that will save the company a projected 32 percent in utility costs per 

month and reduce C02 emissions by approximately 898 tons over 25 years. 

A division of Plantronics (NYSE: 

PLT), Clarity has been headquartered 

out of Chattanooga since 2000 and is 

widely recognized as the nation’s leading 

provider of amplified telephones. The 

company has set many industry firsts, 

including pioneering digital sound 

processing in 2005 and remote-access 

customer service in 2010. Clarity’s 

innovative products – such as amplified 

telephones, notification systems and 

assistive listening devices – aid millions 

of people with hearing loss, low vision, 

limited mobility and other health 

challenges. 

The Chamber’s 

Job Creation Pipeline 

Prospect Companies . . . . . . . . . . .27 

Potential New Jobs . . . . . . . . . 4,034 

Potential Investment . . . $847 million 

Job Creation Announcements August 2011 – November 2011 

Company Name product/Service project Type Investment New Jobs 

Craftworks Restaurant & Breweries . . . . . . . . .New company HQ . . . . . . . . . . . . Expansion . . . . . $11,000,000 . . . . . . . . 75 

*LJT/Steel Warehouse. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Steel processor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Expansion . . . . . $2,000,000 . . . . . . . . 6 

Mann + Hummel USA. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Mfr. air intake manifolds . . . . . . . . . . .New . . . . . . . $15,000,000 . . . . . . . 150 

Akzo Nobel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mfr. specialty chemicals/coatings. . . . . Expansion . . . . . $6,700,000 . . . . . . . . . 7 

TOTAL INVESTMENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $34,700,000 

TOTAL NEW JOBS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238 

The projects listed above represent commitments announced in the newspaper or reported to the Chattanooga Chamber. 

*Projects assisted by the Chattanooga Chamber.

10 



CBL & Associates 

Acquires Northgate 

Mall, Completes 

Hamilton Place 

Renovation 

Chattanooga Chamber Rolls Out New Logo 

Through a five-month process involving focus groups including volunteer leaders 

and members with communications experience, the Chattanooga Chamber is launching 

a brand new logo that reflects the organization’s focus on championing member 

businesses and celebrating its 125th anniversary. The new logo incorporates several 

features which make it more distinctive in marketing collaterals. The new arrow icon 

emphasizes the Chamber’s role in positively impacting the local economy and creating 

connections between member businesses. 

Chattanooga CAN DO Metrics, July 2007 to Present 

Item 

Progress to Date 

Increased employment by . ...................................................15,891 new jobs 

Directly assisted the creation of ...............................................6,281 new jobs 

--with average wages of. .....................................................$46,711 

Increased private capital investment by . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $1,707,783,000 

Supported the creation of new income in the amount of..........................$629,428,929 

In a transaction signifying a major 

vote of confidence in the Chattanooga 

market, CBL & Associates Properties 

Inc. purchased Northgate Mall for 

$11.5 million on Oct. 6. The local real 

estate investment trust says it plans 

to revitalize the 823,000 square foot 

shopping center with the addition of 

junior anchor stores and restaurants, 

as well as by potentially repurposing a 

nearby community center. According to 

CBL Senior VP of Asset Management 

Alan Lebovitz, the company plans to 

turn Northgate Mall into a destination 

that complements Hamilton Place Mall, 

which it also owns, and better serves the 

market north of the Tennessee River. 

Just one month after the Northgate 

Mall deal closed, CBL officials 

celebrated the completion of its multimillion 

dollar renovation of Hamilton 

Place Mall. This is the second large-scale 

enhancement CBL has given to its 

flagship retail destination since the mall 

opened in 1987. Shoppers will enjoy a 

remodeled food court with expanded 

seating, redesigned entrances and 

signage, new carpet, several fresh coats 

of paint and new flooring throughout 

its most highly-trafficked central areas. 

CBL marked the milestone with a 

ribbon cutting ceremony outside the 

mall’s main entrance Nov. 3, where 

dozens of the area’s top business leaders 

convened to express their support. 

One of the nation’s largest 

shopping center and mall companies, 

CBL is the current proprietor of 160 

properties.

Employment Stats 

uNEMPloyment Rate 

(Oct 2011 preliminary): 

Chattanooga City ...........8.7% 

Hamilton County ...........7.8% 

Chattanooga MSA ..........7.9% 

Tennessee ..................8.9% 

United States ...............8.5% 

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics 

Amazon.com Reaches 

Sales Tax Agreement, 

Distribution Centers 

Fully Operational 

In a culmination of months 

of negotiations, Gov. Bill Haslam 

announced an agreement with 

Amazon.com whereby the online retailer 

will collect sales tax from Tennessee 

customers beginning in 2014. In 

the same breath, Gov. Haslam also 

announced Amazon.com’s plans to add 

an extra 2,000 new jobs to its original 

commitment to create 1,500. Those 

additional positions will be split among 

facilities in Hamilton and Bradley 

counties and elsewhere in Tennessee. 

With hires reaching 4,500 by 

the end of 2011, Amazon.com’s two 

local distribution centers rounded 

out a successful facility start-up with 

1,000 more seasonal workers than 

originally projected. Since bringing 

the construction of its $139 million 

fulfillment centers to Hamilton and 

Bradley counties, Amazon.com has hired 

more than 3,000 seasonal workers in 

addition to approximately 1,500 fulltime 

Amazon employees.

12 

Work Smarter 


What makes a 

thriving business 

By Shelley Prevost, Access America Transport 

As a happiness researcher and 

resident Director of Happiness 

for Access America Transport, 

I am charged with building a thriving 

organization where employees are happy 

and healthy. Intuitively, I have known 

what is meant by “thriving organization,” 

but I was recently given the opportunity 

to operationalize the definition in 

concrete terms. Although my definition 

is still a work in progress, I’ve identified 

three principles thriving organizations 

seem to share. 

First, they have clearly defined 

values, and everything they do 

spirals around these values. 

A vision is a statement of what is 

possible, the picture of the future you 

want to create. It isn’t a strategic plan. It 

isn’t your goals or methodology. The 

thriving companies I study collectively 

know who they are, what they’re doing, 

and most importantly, why they’re 

doing it. If employees in a company 

don’t share this vision, or, in the case 

of many companies, even have this 

vision, then they will likely experience 

internal entropy. Further, thriving 

companies translate their vision 

statements into operating values. Then 

they inculcate those core values into 

policies, procedures, strategies and 

recruitment. These values touch every 

aspect of the organization in an authentic 

and animated way. 

A few weeks ago I visited Zappos, 

a company known for its high-energy, 

quirky and positive company culture. 

Every company should have a workforce 

like Zappos—engaged, happy, fun and 

flourishing. Zappos representatives shared 

their secret sauce to becoming inspiring 

and legendary in their industry. They 

have spent a great deal of time identifying 

their core values. Everything, and I mean 

everything, they do revolves around these 

values. During an initial interview, Zappos 

asks potential hires “On a scale of 1-10, 

how weird are you” This inquiry assesses 

the candidate’s “culture fit” with Value 

#3: Create Fun and a Little Weirdness. 

Second, these companies 

are fortunate to have humble, 

democratic and demanding 

leadership. I’ve had the opportunity 

to meet and work with some stellar 

executives. Thriving companies share 

a common principle in the type of 

leaders they enlist and in the way they 

are led. Jim Collins explores the idea 

of Level 5 Leadership in his seminal 

book Good to Great, and I have found 

his assessment to be true – with an 

addition. Great leaders are both humble 

and a bit ruthless, as Collins suggests, 

but the leaders I’m meeting along the 

way also ignite curiosity. They promote 

curiosity and subsequently innovation 

by getting out of the way of their team’s 

strengths. They position themselves at the 

helm of the moving ship, not to steer or 

enact change, but to set the vision and 

preempt disaster. Anything but laissezfaire, 

these leaders put exceptional people 

around them, judiciously mobilize moving 

parts, empower their people to dig deep 

creatively and inspirationally, and then 

they get out of the way! 

Finally, thriving organizations 

embrace PERMA. I’m cheating 

a bit here. This helpful mnemonic 

actually stands for five principles (and 

I would argue that all of them are 

necessary for a company to thrive). They 

are Positive Emotions, Engagement, 

Relationships, Meaningfulness and 

Achievement. PERMA is a concept 

originated by Martin Seligman, the father 

of Positive Psychology, and serves to 

push our rather myopic understanding 

of happiness into something a bit 

meatier. 

Happiness researchers delineate 

happiness into two categories: feeling good 

(pleasure à la sunsets and good wine) 

and meaning (purpose à la engagement 

and flow). The attributes of PERMA 

provide the empirical building blocks for 

happiness studies and can single-handedly 

change how an entire organization 

functions. 

If you want to ramp up genuine 

happiness in your organization, start 

here—with PERMA. It takes almost 

nothing to start your weekly team meeting 

with a couple “thank-yous” to your 

employees (positive emotion). Recognize 

their accomplishments, both professional 

and personal (achievement). Measure 

their strengths with any number of 

assessments available and then empower 

them to spend at least 70 percent of 

their time playing to those strengths 

(engagement). You get the picture. 

If your organization is thriving, we’d 

love to hear what you’re doing. Tell us 

what’s working. Share your ideas. 

Dr. Shelley 

Prevost works 

and consults 

with Access 

America 

Transport, 

a company 

affiliated 

with Lamp 

Post Group, 

where she serves as a cultural engineer and 

resident Director of Happiness. With 15 years 

of experience in the field of psychology, she 

provides a necessary counterbalance to the 

more logic-based business practices. At Lamp 

Post, she advises employees on establishing 

effective interpersonal relations in the 

workplace, communicating openly and directly, 

identifying guiding values and mediating 

conflict efficiently. Contact her at sprevost@ 

lamppostgroup.com

Work Smarter 

Business Trend Magazine 13

14 

Work smarter 


Making the Most of EXPO Chattanooga 

The region’s largest tradeshow of local business is swiftly approaching. 

How will your company stand out 

every year, thousands of businessminded 

locals flock to the 

Chattanooga Convention Center 

to take part in the region’s largest 

showcase of local products and services. 

Coordinated by the Chattanooga 

Area Chamber of Commerce, EXPO 

Chattanooga brings hundreds of local 

businesses together to network, show 

off their products and services and meet 

face-to-face with current and potential 

customers. 

“EXPO Chattanooga rallies the 

largest direct, local audiences many of our 

area businesses will make contact with 

all year,” says Stratton Tingle, account 

executive for the Chattanooga Chamber. 

“In addition to connecting with customers 

and potential business partners, EXPO 

Chattanooga participants will solidify 

their presence as active leaders in the 

greater business community.” 

Hey Chamber Members – got a smart 

phone Maximize your digital exposure 

at EXPO Chattanooga with the Truexpo 

app, offered free to you from Appademic 

Studios and the Chamber. Create an 

individualized EXPO agenda, browse 

detailed exhibitor information, view an 

interactive map and import exhibitor 

information into your personal contacts. 

Visit www.truexpo.com to start organizing. 

What: EXPO Chattanooga is the region’s largest exposition of local business. 

When: March 21 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. 

Where: Chattanooga Convention Center 

What’s in it for you: It’s an affordable way to promote your business. EXPO 

Chattanooga attracts thousands of potential customers to one place on one day. 

Show off your business: To purchase a booth, contact Stratton Tingle at 

stingle@chattanoogachamber.com. 

How to Dangle the Digital Carrot 

5 TIPS FOr PUMPING SOCIAL MEDIA AT EXPO CHATTANOOGA 

Flashy displays and decked out booths 

are a great way to turn heads at EXPO 

Chattanooga, but transforming passing 

attention into a lasting connection often 

requires more than isolated contact on 

the floor. Keep your business top-of-mind 

with social media savvy at the core of your 

EXPO strategy. Here are a few ways to 

make your efforts count. 

Campaign around the clock. 

Think of EXPO Chattanooga as the 

ultimate blitz marketing opportunity. 

You can generate excitement about 

your products and services before the 

EXPO with blog posts, e-newsletters, 

Facebook posts and Tweets. Build on 

that momentum both during and after 

the event with real-time updates, wrap-up 

posts and continuing outreach. 

Dangle digital carrots. Offering 

patrons incentives is a great way to boost 

booth traffic, especially when it involves 

social media. Consider offering a deal or 

reward to the first 100 visitors who stop 

by your booth and “like” your company’s 

Facebook page. 

Turn virtual relationships into 

the real thing. Remember that 

Facebook fans are current or potential 

customers. Ask them to stop by your 

booth for a quick meet and greet and 

share their ideas for making your business 

better. Offer rewards to those who do. 

comPiled By cASey KnoX 

Speak a thousand words, 

without all the words. Snap 

a few photos of your booth, and share 

them via Facebook and Twitter during the 

event. This is a quick and easy way to put 

a face on your business and tell a story at 

the same time. 

Find mobile allies. Use your 

mobile device to connect with other 

businesses at the event. You can expand 

your digital footprint by teaming up to 

follow one another on Twitter, “like” 

each other’s Facebook pages, discuss guest 

blog post opportunities, subscribe to one 

another’s YouTube channels and connect 

on LinkedIn.

Available Now! 

Chattanooga 

$24.95 

RESOURCE & RELOCATION GUIDE 2012 

Everything you need 

to know about the 

Chattanooga area... 

For executives, 

families and 

visitors alike 

Plus 

Business 2 Business 

listings of 


Area Chamber 

Members 

Available at local stores and the 

Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce 

Order copies for your clients by calling 

423-266-3440

16 Feature 


NOVELTY BAKER’S SUCCESS 

just icing on the cookie 

Customers with tastes as diverse as 

college football and impressionistic 

art are finding they share a similar 

palate for fandom in Legends of the Game 

Cookie Company’s emblematic treats. 

Available in vanilla sugar and 

chocolate brownie, the company’s 

signature line of cookies boast more than 

just a fabulous flavor. Each batch comes 

topped with a smooth layer of icing that 

bears a high resolution image of the 

customer’s choosing. 

Thanks to its growing number of 

licensing rights, Legends of the Game 

takes orders for tributes ranging from 

sports heroes like Hank Aaron to artistic 

icons such as Van Gogh’s Starry Night or 

even Chattanooga’s scenic mountains. In 

the past, the cookies have also featured 

SEC football teams, the UTC Mocs and 

the logos of various local businesses and 

social groups. 

Rather than 

employing the standard 

industry practice of 

melding image to frosting 

with edible paper, 

Legends of the Game 

uses an FDA-approved 

printer to scan food 

coloring directly onto the 

icing. This method not 

only reduces production 

time by allowing the 

company to apply images 

to multiple cookies at 

once, it also preserves 

flavor by eliminating the 

papery aftertaste sometimes caused by the 

traditional application. 

Wife and husband duo Ann 

Dickerson and Bill Zack founded Legends 

of the Game last May and have been 

operating out of the INCubator since 

Legends of the Game Co-Owner Ann Dickerson displays her 

company’s signature works of edible art. 

September. According to Dickerson, sales 

have increased each month since the 

business relocated. The company now 

bakes several thousand novelty cookies a 

month. 

“We’ve worked seven days a week 

since Labor Day, but we did take some 

time off for the holidays,” says Dickerson. 

“We’re energized by people’s excitement 

about the cookies, and then it doesn’t 

seem like work.” 

According to Dickerson, the strong 

support and camaraderie Legends of the 

Game has enjoyed from other tenants in 

the building has added to the company’s 

recent successes. 

“Once a month we all get together 

with a brown bag lunch and share ideas,” 

she says. “This has been extremely helpful 

because it allows us to learn from one 

another and brainstorm ways to improve 

our businesses.” 

Legends of the Game takes orders 

at a minimum of two dozen and sells 

each batch at $1.50 per cookie, plus tax. 

Customers must place requests at least 

three days in advance. The shelf life for 

each batch is two weeks. 

For more information about Legends 

of the Game Cookie Company, visit 

http://legendscookies.com.

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18 

Feature 


The Gig City: 

Chattanooga, TN 

Alcatel-Lucent Joins $300,000 Local 

Initiative to Break the Bandwidth Barrier 

In October the Chattanooga Area 

Chamber of Commerce’s Spirit of 

Innovation event served as forum 

for announcing, “The Gig City: 

Chattanooga,” a new initiative to 

accelerate the launch of businesses that 

will take full advantage of America’s 

first and only community-wide network 

capable of delivering up to 1 gigabit (1,000 

megabit) Internet speeds. 

According to J.Ed. Marston, who 

is leading the Chattanooga Chamber’s 

engagement in the effort, the Gig City 

brand will help community leaders 

position Chattanooga as an emerging 

technology hub. 

“Gig City is a simple way of saying 

that Chattanooga is minutes from the 

mountains and an instant from the whole 

world,” says Marston. “We are the only 

place in America where you can develop 

next generation Internet applications, test 

them with real-world users and actually 

launch businesses based on them. We’re 

giving forward-thinking entrepreneurs a 

2-3 year head start because their ventures 

will be up and running in Chattanooga 

long before other communities launch gig 

networks.” 

With that in mind, a number of 

local and national partners are working to 

recruit America’s brightest students and 

entrepreneurs to spend the summer in 

Chattanooga developing gig applications 

and launching new businesses with up 

to $300,000 in prizes and seed capital 

available to participants. 

Robert Vrij, Alcatel-Lucent’s 

president of the Americas, added an 

exclamation point to these plans when he 

announced that his company is investing 

$100,000 in the effort. 

“We’re proud to partner with 

Chattanooga as this extraordinary city 

establishes a groundbreaking model for 

demonstrating the direct linkage between 

investment in telecommunications 

infrastructure and economic growth.” 

Earn $1,000 by helping 

Chattanooga attract America’s 

brightest students and 

entrepreneurs to participate in the 

Gig Tank. Visit www.TheGigCity. 

com and tag the most tech savvy 

students and entrepreneurs you 

know. If you’re the first to tag a 

geek who is accepted and attends 

the Gig Tank, you win $1,000. 

A number of community leaders gathered at EPB in December to hear updates on the local Gig City initiative and submit their ideas for moving it 

forward.

Feature 

19 


Dubbed the Gig Tank (part think tank, part business accelerator), the two-track 

summer program began with a commitment from Lamp Post Group, a private venture 

incubator. “We decided to challenge students to develop next generation applications,” 

says Jack Studer of Lamp Post Group. “To really get their attention, we’re putting up a 

$50,000 prize for the winning application.” 

Building on that starting point, Lyndhurst Foundation committed funding for 

a parallel program designed to attract entrepreneurs and tapped The Company Lab 

to provide programmatic support. Additional investments by Alcatel-Lucent and the 

Chattanooga Renaissance Fund will provide selected entrepreneurs with $15,000 in 

seed capital at the beginning of the summer program as well as the opportunity to win a 

$100,000 Gig Prize for the best venture when the program culminates in August. 

According to Charlie Brock, who serves as executive entrepreneur of The Company 

Lab and a founding partner in the Chattanooga Renaissance Fund, the goal is to provide 

both students and entrepreneurs with everything they need, so they will give their full 

attention to developing new applications and launching groundbreaking businesses. 

“We’re making arrangements to house them and provide a full range of 

entrepreneurial support,” Brock says. “We’re also recruiting venture firms to participate 

in a pitch night at the end of the summer. That means the best new companies can 

launch with a first round of funding already in place.” 

The Kruesi Connection 

As a maker of highly efficient lighting systems, Global Green Lighting (GGL) seemed 

an unlikely candidate to demonstrate how high bandwidth applications can create jobs, 

but this year’s Kruesi Recipient is doing just that. 

According to Don Lepard, GGL’s president and CEO, the company saw an 

opportunity in the City of Chattanooga’s newly deployed Mesh Network – a superfast, 

wireless network built on EPB’s fiber optic system. 

“We realized we could combine our lighting systems with Internet-based controls,” 

Lepard said. “We installed a pilot in Coolidge Park. Now, city officials and police officers 

can control the lights from any Internet-connected computer. They can dim them to save 

power or turn them up to put a spotlight on public safety issues.” 

Lepard is currently negotiating with city officials, who plan to expand the use of 

GGL’s system across Chattanooga. Dan Johnson, chief of staff for Chattanooga City Mayor 

Ron Littlefield, estimates a savings of up to 50 percent on public lighting bills. According 

to Lepard, the contract with the city is the first step in expanding production to create 250 

local jobs as the company succeeds in marketing the solution across the country. 

GIG City partners 

Alcatel-Lucent 

Annenberg Innovation Lab - 

University of Southern California 

Chambliss, Bahner & Stophel, P.C. 

Chattanooga Area Chamber of 

Commerce 

Chattanooga Renaissance Fund 

Chattanooga State 

Chattanooga Technology Council 

Cisco 

City of Chattanooga 

The Company Lab 

CO.STARTERS 

Delegator 

The Enterprise Center 

EPB 

GENI 

Hamilton County 

IBM 

Lamp Post Group 

Lyndhurst Foundation 

Miller & Martin, PLLC 

National Science Foundation 

PV 

retickr 

River City Company 

Solidus Company, LP 

Startup Tennessee 

University of Tennessee at 


US Ignite

20 Feature 


Parting Words 

from Trevor Hamilton 

By J.Ed. Marston 

During the nine years that Trevor 

Hamilton led the Chattanooga Area 

Chamber of Commerce’s economic 

development team, he served as a lynch pin 

in winning major investments by Volkswagen, 

Alstom, T-Mobile, Amazon.com and nearly 

100 other companies for a total of $2.4 billion 

invested to create more than 12,000 new jobs. 

In mid-December, we sat down with 

Trevor for a final interview before his 

departure to take a job with the Cincinnati 

USA Regional Chamber. 

Trend: How did Chattanooga transform itself from an economic 

development non-entity into an international leader 

Trevor: We’ve benefited from a well-funded public-private partnership 

that has sustained a truly comprehensive job creation strategy including 

international recruitment. Thanks to Tom Edd Wilson’s leadership in 

building the first public-private campaign and following it up with two more 

successful campaigns, the job creation effort which started in 2002 is fully 

resourced through 2015. We’ve also been fortunate to have great public sector 

leadership. When Deputy Governor Claude Ramsey and Senator Bob Corker 

were serving as our mayors, they not only developed Enterprise South but 

also personally engaged as door openers and deal closers. Mayor Littlefield 

Trevor Hamilton 

(middle) celebrates 

the 2008 Volkswagen 

announcement with 

former VW U.S. CEO 

Stefan Jacoby (left) 

and former TN Gov. 

Phil Bredesen (right) at 

the Hunter Museum.

and Mayor Coppinger have continued that tradition, and 

we’ve also had great support from both Governor Bredesen 

and now Governor Haslam along with our state legislative 

delegation. 

other busy working 

professionals have earned 

600their MBA through 

UT’s weekend MBA program. 

Trend: Do you remember a turning point 

Trevor: During TVA’s megasite certification program 

in 2004, we had the opportunity to pitch Enterprise South 

to a mock site selection team from McCallum-Sweeney 

Consulting as if we were competing for a real project. We 

engaged about 20 people with various technical specialties 

from utilities, public works, workforce development and 

permitting agencies. Through that trial run and the actual 

projects that followed, we developed a team that included 

about 50 organizations united around the same strategies and 

goals. 

Trend: What was Chattanooga’s “ace in the hole” on these 

projects 

Trevor: The cornerstone of our success has been 

Chattanooga’s “can do” approach. Time and again, this team 

kept stepping up by working odd hours, fulfilling intense 

RFIs on incredibly tight deadlines and mobilizing at a 

moment’s notice when a prospect came to town. Even in the 

face of adversity, we learned how to be more competitive and 

kept honing our game to win projects. 

Trend: What do you foresee for Chattanooga going 

forward 

Trevor: Chattanooga is primed for continued success with 

a great team and a full pipeline of job creation prospects. 

The Gig City project and other efforts to accelerate 

entrepreneurial activity and existing business growth are 

showing great promise. I also think the Regional Growth 

Planning Process represents a tremendous opportunity to 

enhance the whole region’s economic competitiveness. 

Trend: Any parting words 

Trevor: Thanks to everyone I’ve had the honor to work 

with here. Chattanooga’s economic success story is built on 

excellent leadership and the dedication of literally hundreds 

of unsung heroes who go the extra mile to win job creation 

projects. In particular, I want to thank the Chattanooga 

Can Do investors, the Chamber Board of Directors and 

staff and especially Tom Edd Wilson. It has been a pleasure 

to work with such a great group of talented and dedicated 

professionals over the years. It pleases me most to know that 

thousands of people in the region have gained meaningful 

employment due to our efforts. 

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22 Feature 


Enterprise/Gateway Council bumps 

business growth 

with 

BOOST 

An all-star lineup of corporate executives will bring 

best practices to small businesses at the Enterprise/ 

Gateway Council’s third annual BOOST Summit, 

beginning in January 2012. 

The event, which started in 2010 as a one-day town hallstyle 

forum, has evolved into an extended seminar series that 

promotes business and industry growth by drawing strategic 

lines of communication between small and large businesses 

in the Enterprise/Gateway Council footprint. 

In addition to encouraging small business growth, the 

BOOST (Business Owners’ Opportunity for Success Today) 

Summit also aims to better engage larger corporations in the 

Council’s activities and to sustain the growth occurring in 

the Highway 58, Bonny Oaks and Amnicola Highway areas. 

The series will kick off in January with a panel 

discussion at Volkswagen Chattanooga featuring six 

prominent executives from the Enterprise/Gateway Council 

area who will answer questions related to business ideologies, 

product promotion and innovation, as well as tactics for 

building brand awareness, increasing sales and other topics 

of interest. 

COUNCIL PROGRAMS 

JANUARY 

Downtown 

Sens. Bo Watson and Andy Berke 

East Ridge 

Stratton Tingle, Chattanooga Chamber 

Enterprise Gateway 

BOOST Summit, Panel Discussion 

Hixson 

Kim White, River City Company 

International Business Council 

Featured Countries - Phillipines and Honduras 

North Hamilton County 

Rick Smith, Hamilton County Schools 

Ooltewah / Collegedale 

Dan Challener, Public Education Foundation 

Red Bank 

Monty Millard, Mayor of Red Bank 

FEBRUARY 

Downtown 

Learning from the Pros 

Date Topic Presenters 

Feb. 23 

March 22 

April 26 

May 24 

Health & 

Wellness 

Best Practices 

in Leadership 

Brand 

Awareness 

Human 

Resources 

Ryan Picarella, 

BCBST 

Joe Fuqua, 

Komatsu America 

Corp. 

Rick Hansard, 

Coca Cola 

Bottling Co. 

Brian Brodniak, 

McKee Foods 

Corporation 

June 28 Purchasing Jeff Loy, Erlanger 

July 26 Finance Joseph Dell, 

FSGBank 

Following the initial meeting, a representative from a large 

company will lead discussions on a topic related to small business 

growth at Hospice of Chattanooga each month from February 

through July. These monthly seminars, called “Learning from 

the Pros,” will feature executives from companies including 

Coca-Cola, McKee Foods, Komatsu, BlueCross BlueShield of 

Tennessee, Erlanger and FSGBank. These experts will provide 

a range of perspectives on subjects such as leadership strategies, 

brand awareness, employee health programs, human resources 

and finance. 

“The BOOST Summit and Learning from the Pros Seminar 

Series is an added value for Chamber members in that it helps 

small to medium-sized businesses increase their knowledge and 

success by learning best practices from larger companies,” says 

Mandy Senn, community outreach manager for the Chattanooga 

Area Chamber of Commerce. “I am extremely proud of the 

Enterprise/Gateway Council’s creativity and initiative in creating 

a seminar series that is both engaging and applicable to all 

member businesses.” 

For more information about the Enterprise/Gateway 

Council, contact Rebekah Manley at rmanley@gocrosstown.com.

Ooltewah/Collegedale Council launches 

InTernshIp 

prOGrAM 

The Ooltewah/Collegedale Council is offering one local college student the 

opportunity to rub shoulders with some of the city’s most prominent business 

leaders and develop high-level civic leadership skills as the Chattanooga Area 

Chamber of Commerce’s very first area Council intern. 

The position, originated and coordinated by the Ooltewah/Collegedale 

Council, is designed to support the goals and objectives outlined in the Council’s 

2011-2012 business plan while familiarizing the student with the Chattanooga 

Chamber’s vision, programming and role in the community. With a required 

commitment of 200 hours, the intern will be tasked with analyzing memberinvestor 

needs, developing surveys, establishing methods to increase memberinvestor 

engagement and providing event support among multiple other 

substantive assignments. 

“Our strategic goals this year are ambitious, and we plan to invest time and 

energy coaching a qualified business student to take the ball and run with some of 

these goals,” says Suzanne Burrell, president of the Ooltewah/Collegedale Council. 

“The student will earn real-world experience, serve on a working board of directors 

and earn college credit in the process.” 

To learn more about the Ooltewah/Collegedale Council internship program, 

contact Suzanne Burrell at 423.933.2106 or sburrell@hhmwealth.com. 

Learn how the Chamber can help your business. 

Call 423.763.4355.

24 Feature 


Chattanooga on 

Top of the world 

New resource puts cultural know-how 

on map for growing businesses 

Local companies with an eye on 

international growth will soon get a leg 

up on crossing the global threshold, 

thanks to a new year-long seminar series 

that explores ways cultural literacy can 

open doors and close deals. 

The program, called “Developing 

A Global Mindset,” is a series of 

six seminars the 


Area Chamber of 

Commerce will offer 

in 2012 in which 

local international 

business leaders will 

share their expertise 

with local companies. 

The seminars will 

cover a wide range of 

topics, including employing multicultural 

sensitivity at home and abroad, navigating 

cross-cultural business environments, 

selling to global markets and executing 

culturally-sensitive HR strategies. 

“The globalization of business has 

opened borders between countries and 

dramatically broadened the scope of 

“It’s natural to be most 

comfortable with the 

familiar, but be careful 

not to assume that 

your own culture is the 

norm for everybody.” 

trade,” says Gladys Pineda-Loher, business 

diversity coordinator for the Chattanooga 

Area Chamber of Commerce. “Even if 

your own firm is local, you may have 

U.S.-based clients with an international 

presence or foreign clients that operate 

satellite offices in North America.” 

This heightened level of contact 

between businesspeople 

of different cultural 

backgrounds, says 

Pineda-Loher, calls for 

businesses to redefine 

their relationshipbuilding 

strategies 

across the spectrum, 

from customer 

service and internal 

communications tactics 

to multi-market outreach. 

“We must keep in mind that while 

some professional standards may converge 

across cultures, there is no universal way 

to conduct business,” she says. “In some 

settings, actions as seemingly innocuous 

as putting your hands in your pockets 

or writing with a red pen could convey 

disrespect that, though unintended, 

could damage your relationship with the 

other party. That’s why it’s crucial to 

become critically-attuned to the cultural 

nuances of diverse customers and clients 

as you seek to build your business and its 

reputation.” 

The “Developing A Global Mindset” 

series will take place periodically 

throughout 2012 beginning in February. 

All seminars will take place from 8:30- 

10:30 a.m. in the Technology Conference 

Center at the Business Development 

Center, located at 100 Cherokee Blvd. 

Price of admission is $10 for Chamber 

members and $12 for non-members. 

Advance registration is required. Please 

contact Gladys Pineda-Loher at gpinedaloher@chattanoogachamber.com 

to RSVP. 

Developing A 

Global Mindset 

Feb. 1 Diversity in the 

Workplace 

April 4 Cross-Cultural 

Business Environments 

June 6 Cultural Differences 

in the Global Business 

Environment 

Aug. 1 Cultivating a Global 

Mindset 

Sept. 5 Selling to a Global 

Market 

Nov. 7 Cross-Cultural HR 

Strategies

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26 

Features – Column 


Chattanooga Chamber Establishes 

New Public Policy Agenda 

By Rob Bradham 

After months of work by the 

Chattanooga Area Chamber 

of Commerce’s Public Policy 

Committee, the organization’s Board of 

Directors approved the 2012 Public Policy 

Agenda in November, marking significant 

changes in the organization’s public policy 

program. For the first time in recent 

history, the Chattanooga Chamber now 

has a definitive document outlining its 

positions on a wide variety of public policy 

issues. 

The Public Policy Committee 

spent more than a year developing the 

document, placing a high degree of 

emphasis on member input regarding 

the issues it addresses. The most valuable 

feedback came through a member survey 

conducted in September 2011. 

Here are a few highlights from 2012 

Public Policy Agenda: 

Labor Unions The Chamber opposes 

any legislative or regulatory efforts which 

substantially change the process by which 

employees unionize or 

threatens Tennessee’s right 

to work law. 

Federal Infrastructure 

Investment The Chamber 

supports full funding 

for the completion of 

the renovation and 

construction of the 

Chickamauga Lock. 

Tort Reform The 

Chamber encourages 

Congress to pass legislation 

that would cap punitive 

damage awards and 

establish proportional 

liability for businesses. 

Federal Deficit and Debt Reduction 

With the aim of eliminating annual 

federal deficits and reducing the national 

debt, the Chamber supports efforts to cap 

federal spending at 20.6 percent of the 

U.S. GDP. 

K-16 Education The Chamber fully 

supports all reforms associated with Race 

to the Top and Complete College. In 

addition, the Chamber supports a meritbased 

system of evaluating and paying 

K-12 teachers and principals. 

Crime and Public Safety With the 

perception that Chattanooga is a safe 

city being key to economic development 

efforts, the Chamber urges city leaders 

to place a high priority and substantial 

police resources on reducing gang 

presence and violence in Chattanooga. 

State Economic Development Incentives 

The Chamber supports the continuation 

of current state economic development 

incentive programs and would oppose any 

efforts to curtail or eliminate any state 

economic development tools including 

financial, tax, and workforce development 

incentives and Tax Increment Financing 

(TIF) currently available to local economic 

development entities or localities. 

To view the full agenda, visit 

www.chattanoogachamber.com. 

Rob Bradham, 

VP of Public Policy

sTeM 

Initiative Update 

For the last few months, the 

Chattanooga Chamber has 

worked with the Hamilton County 

Department of Education, the Public 

Education Foundation, Chattanooga 

State, the University of Tennessee 

at Chattanooga and a variety of 

other partners to establish a Science, 

Technology, Engineering and Math 

(STEM) school in Southeast Tennessee. 

The idea to found a STEM school arose 

from a state Race to the Top grant created 

to fund the startup costs of establishing 

four such schools throughout the state. 

The grant was merely a catalyst that 

encouraged local business and education 

leaders to address the workforce needs 

of a growing number of companies in 

Chattanooga. Many existing businesses 

in Chattanooga – including EPB, TVA, 

UnUM and Chattem, as well as new 

companies such as Volkswagen, Wacker 

and Alstom – require STEM-qualified 

graduates to produce their products. 

Simply stated, focusing on STEM 

education makes sense for our region 

because many of our area businesses 

utterly depend on a STEM workforce 

for success. Importantly, the grant 

provides an incentive for our education 

community to focus on the very graduates 

our local economy needs to sustain the 

success we’ve experienced over the last 

three years. 

Our new focus on STEM education 

cannot be successful without the input 

of the business community. If we are to 

be successful in building a new STEM 

hub for Southeast Tennessee, we will 

need business leaders to help build 

curriculum, train teachers and provide 

worthwhile internship opportunities to 

local students. If you are interested in 

getting involved, please e-mail rbradham@ 

chattanoogachamber.com or visit www. 

setennesseestem.org.

28 Feature 


Expert Team Chosen to Facilitate 

regional growth 

The effort to launch a 40-year, strategic 

planning process for the tri-state 

region reached another milestone 

with the selection of a team of expert 

firms led by McBride Dale Clarion to 

serve as facilitators. 

The announcement was the 

culmination of a rigorous selection 

process including a public meeting on 

Nov. 17. More than 300 people attended 

presentations by the McBride Dale 

Clarion team and two other finalists. 

Meeting participants overwhelmingly 

chose McBride Dale Clarion, giving them 

the most “excellent” ratings for their 

presentation. 

The McBride Dale Clarion team also 

excelled in demonstrating capabilities in 

areas such as public engagement, scenariobased 

planning, data modeling, long-term 

financial planning and more. 

In addition to McBride Dale Clarion, 

the team consists of Clarion Associates, 

Fregonese Associates, Kimley-Horn and 

Associates, Brown Pearman Russell, BAE 

Urban Economics, Opticos Design, Ann 

Coulter, PlaceMatters, the Ochs Center 

for Metropolitan Studies and Neathawk 

Dubuque & Packett. 

For more information 

and to see a video about 

the Regional Growth 

Planning Process visit 

www.OurGrowthPlan.com. 

The goal of the Regional Growth 

Planning Process is to engage people from 

across the region in developing strategies 

to preserve what residents love about their 

home communities while making the 

most of economic momentum. 

Now that the McBride Dale Clarion 

team is set to facilitate the initiative, 

Q&A 

organizers are working with them to detail 

the specifics of how to engage people 

from across the region in giving feedback 

on issues ranging from education and 

healthcare to transportation. The 

stakeholder group is aiming to launch the 

effort during the first part of 2012. 

More than 300 community members gathered to provide feedback on consultant team presentations 

at a public meeting held Nov. 17 to kick off the Regional Growth Planning Process. 

How is the Regional Growth Planning Process funded 

All funding for the process is being invested by local governments, foundations and 

businesses. Federal grant requests have not been funded, and the stakeholder group has 

decided to complete the process using only local funds to ensure maximum local control 

of the process and its outcomes. 

Which counties are included in the planning footprint 

In Alabama: Dekalb and Jackson. In Georgia: Catoosa, Dade, Murray, Walker and 

Whitfield (anchored by City of Dalton). In Tennessee: Bledsoe, Bradley (anchored by 

City of Cleveland), Hamilton (anchored by City of Chattanooga), Marion, McMinn, 

Meigs, Polk, Rhea and Sequatchie.

Feature 

29 


planning process 

What’s the value of the process to the region’s people, 

businesses and leaders 

• A way to effectively manage the accelerated growth the region is already experiencing 

through unprecedented investments by a number of industries. 

• A process for strategizing how the region can be more prosperous and generate additional 

economic opportunities for current and future generations. 

• Greater predictability in public investments required to support continued business growth. 

• Improved collaboration among local governments that increases efficiency and minimizes 

costs to taxpayers.

30 Feature 


idea tank 

Churning the 

Business competition makes tech 

transfer a matter of perspective 

by Tia Capps 

As entrepreneurs everywhere scramble to identify the next big thing, one group of 

local innovators is finding answers in a few simple questions. 

In response to a call to turn tomorrow’s products into today’s profits, 16 of 

the region’s savviest thinkers gathered together in early October to scope out a collection 

of brand new technologies and ask each other, “Hey, wouldn’t it be cool if…” 

The occasion marked the initial brainstorming sessions for the region’s first 

competition challenging area entrepreneurs to identify viable business opportunities 

based on technologies developed by the Y-12 National Security Complex. Coordinated by 

“…a light bulb goes 

off in her head 

and suddenly she’s 

scribbling down a 

viable business plan.” 

Fiber Innovations President John Ozbek won the business plan competition for developing a niche 

market application for a nano-scale cleaning cloth. 

The Enterprise Center, the competition 

focused on 13 technologies ready to be 

licensed for commercial use. 

Culminating with a series of public 

presentations held Dec. 1 at the Double 

Tree Hotel downtown, the process sought 

to stimulate business ideas that could 

eventually transform industries, bring new 

life to the region’s tech sector and create 

high-paying jobs that could sustain the 

local economy for years to come. 

What emerged were six solid plans 

and a new model for accelerating the 

transfer of technology from the lab into 

the marketplace. 

Great Minds Think Different 

Chris Daly, director of technology 

development and transfer at The 

Enterprise Center, established the 

competition to expedite the process by 

which his organization identifies uses for 

the more than 100 Y-12 patents available 

in the Enterprise Center’s repository of 

technologies. 

“The mission of The Enterprise 

Center is to promote high tech 

economic development by connecting 

local businesses and entrepreneurs with 

technologies they can commercialize,” 

says Daly. “One of our organization’s 

biggest challenges is sorting through all 

the available options and determining 

which of those present the greatest 

opportunities.”

Feature 

31 


Photo courtesy of the Y-12 National Security Complex and The Enterprise Center 

Oftentimes, says Daly, the path to the 

right idea has multiple points of origin. 

“Typically, idea generation tends to 

be limited to the scope of the individual,” 

he says. “But when you throw several 

innovative people together who come 

from vastly different territories of 

expertise, they begin bouncing ideas off 

one another and seeing the technologies 

in entirely new ways.” 

To create that kind of atmosphere, 

Daly solicited the participation of a wide 

cross-section of industry specialists, which 

resulted in the formation of six teams 

with backgrounds ranging from education 

and science to psychology and sales. 

Through the brainstorming sessions, 

participants narrowed the options to 

six, jotted down their best ideas and 

assembled themselves into teams before 

they each set out to compete for $2,500 

cash, six months of free space in the 

INCubator at the Hamilton County 

Business Development Center and free 

services from a local accounting firm. 

Filling in the Gaps 

According to panel judge and 

INCubator Director Kathryn Foster, the 

brainstorming meetings coupled with 

20-minute Q&A sessions held during 

final presentations served 

as an ideal framework for 

generating high-impact 

ideas and solid business 

plans. 

“When you’re 

preparing to launch a 

business, it’s critical 

to get feedback from 

a variety of industry 

professionals who can 

apply expert perspectives 

to areas of the plan that 

might be weak or outside 

the originator’s scope of 

knowledge,” says Foster. 

“This is why we always 

tell new entrepreneurs at 

the INCubator to utilize advisory boards 

that can help them put potential liabilities 

The Y-12 National 

Security Complex is a 

Department of Energyaffiliated 

facility 

located in Oak Ridge, 

TN. In the course 

of its work for the 

DOE, Y-12 develops 

new technologies that 

may have commercial 

applications. 

or market opportunities into perspective 

in a non-threatening way. The outcome 

is a more objective, grounded business 

plan.” 

John Ozbek, a chemical engineer who 

won the competition for developing a 

niche market application 

for a nano-scale cleaning 

cloth, says the experience 

provided him with the 

strategic connections and 

input his team needed to 

move its idea through the 

conceptual phase. 

“Competitions 

like this go a long 

way in whetting the 

entrepreneurial appetite,” 

he says. “The real-time, 

real-person feedback we 

received through this 

competition provided us 

with the perspectives we 

needed to get the ball rolling and develop 

a realistic business plan.” 

continued on page 38

32 Feature 


5 Aha! moments 

Spark Local Growth 

2011 Kruesi Spirit of Innovation Award 

Singles Out Best Thinkers in Business 

President of Global Green Lighting and winner of the 2011 Kruesi Spirit of 

Innovation Award, Don Lepard wowed a crowd of more than 750 local business 

leaders at the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce’s Spirit of Innovation 

Luncheon Oct. 26, where he won recognition for developing Flexnet Lighting – the 

nation’s very first long range wireless lighting control system. 

Flexnet Lighting 

combines wireless 

metering technology 

with GGL lighting 

technology to establish 

a platform from which 

city operators can 

monitor a city’s entire 

network of lights 

from any Internetconnected 

terminal. 

This technology enables 

the city to identify 

and diagnose light 

outages within 15 

seconds, save energy by 

dimming bulbs after 

peak hours, improve 

security in unsafe areas 

by amplifying brightness 

and alert the public 

to potential danger by 

flashing emergency 

lights. Headquartered 

in Chattanooga, 

GGL plans to expand 

nationwide in 2012, 

starting with 80-100 

employees in the first 

year. 

Best of the 

Bright Ideas 

Honored alongside Lepard and the 

rest of the GGL team were four other 

finalists for the 2011 Kruesi Spirit of 

Innovation Award. 

Chattanooga 3D is a crowdsourced 

mapping and visualization 

platform that aids students, teachers, 

architects and designers in purposes 

ranging from studying the impact 

of an earthquake to planning future 

downtown development. 

KnobbyKnife, Inc. manufactures 

and distributes a heated knife that 

sharpens the knobbies on dirt bike 

tires. The 100-watt heating tool 

cuts rubber at capacities of up to 

500 degrees, restoring gripping 

performance and saving riders 

extensive time and money spent on 

tire exchange. 

LifeKraze is an online platform 

that facilitates active lifestyles 

and allows people to share their 

accomplishments through links, 

pictures and videos. Users are 

allotted 200 Kraze Points per day 

to reward their favorite posts, track 

rankings against friends and redeem 

discounts and products from brand 

partners like Reebok, Men’s Health 

and Rock/Creek. 

RMJ Tactical designs and handcrafts 

the lightweight Shrike Tactical 

Tomahawk, which allows U.S. 

Special Forces in Afghanistan and 

other locations across the globe to 

cleanly breach walls, windows and 

locked doors. In the past, Special 

Forces team members have used the 

Shrike Tactical Tomahawk to extricate 

themselves from buildings and 

burning vehicles during combat.

Feature 

33 


T H A N K S T O O U R S P O N S O R S 

Spirit of 

Innovation 2011 

L 

Platinum 

Gold 

Silver 

Chattem 

Cohutta Banking Company 

Henderson Hutcherson & McCullough 

Lattimore Black Morgan & Cain 

Northwest Georgia Bank 

SunTrust 

SupportSeven 

Tandus 

Tennessee Valley Federal Credit Union 

Terenine 

Media 

Brewer Media Group 

Chattanooga Times Free Press 

Cumulus Media Chattanooga 

CMC Publications 

Comcast 

Fairway Outdoors 

Partners for Christian Media/ J103 

The Pulse 

WDEF Radio 

WDSI Fox 61 

WRCB Channel 3 

WTCI 

WTVC News Channel 9

34 Feature 


Chattanoogans Make 

yeAr’s BesT CAr 

in World’s Greenest Plant 

Last year, no Chattanoogan had ever built a car. 

BIG WINS FOr VOLKSWAGEN CHATTANOOGA 

Then, German engineering met 

Chattanooga’s Workforce to produce the… 

Last year, no Chattanoogan 

had ever built a car. 

Then, German engineering 

met Chattanooga CAN DO.

Feature 

35 


A 

brand new plant. A totally new 

model. A workforce that had never 

built a car. How could such an 

unlikely combination produce such an 

incredible automobile 

After introducing the all-new 

Chattanooga-made Passat to the U.S. 

market in September, Volkswagen 

Chattanooga has enjoyed a string of 

head-turning successes that have critics 

and consumers across the globe abuzz 

with praise. In november, premier auto 

industry authority Motor Trend named 

the VW Passat the 2012 Car of the Year, 

one of the world’s highest automotive 

accolades. Just a few weeks later, the 

U.S. Green Building Council added 

to the excitement when it announced 

Volkswagen Chattanooga had earned the 

highest rating in Leadership in Energy 

and Environmental Design – making it 

the first manufacturing facility in the U.S. 

to earn LEED platinum status and the 

only auto factory in the world to have 

achieved the top designation. 

And now, people all over the world 

are asking, “What’s their secret” 

“The answer lies in the local people 

who work for Volkswagen Chattanooga,” 

says J.Ed. Marston, vice president of 

marketing and communications for 

the Chattanooga Area Chamber of 

Commerce. “The pride, preparation 

and will-to-work of these Chattanooga 

workers translated Volkswagen’s German 

engineering and worldwide automotive 

experience into a locally-made product 

worthy of this prestigious recognition. 

The CAn DO spirit that drove the 

workers to produce an award-winning car 

drove local construction crews to help 

build the world’s greenest auto plant in 

record time.” 

To become a LEED platinum facility, 

Volkswagen Chattanooga met a stringent 

set of measurements in energy efficiency, 

indoor environmental quality, materials 

selection and water savings. Among the 

features that contributed to Volkswagen 

Chattanooga’s platinum designation are 

exterior wall insulation that saves 720,000 

kilowatts per year, exterior LED lighting 

that reduces energy usage by up to 68 

percent, processes that reduce plant-wide 

water usage by 30 percent, construction 

processes that had a low impact on 

surrounding natural habitats and the 

preservation of 100 feet of on-property 

creeks and wetlands. 

In earning its Motor Trend Car of the 

Year designation, the Chattanooga-made 

Passat underwent a battery of tests to 

evaluate various elements of its quality 

and performance. Features cited in the 

Motor Trend designation include the 

vehicle’s superb engineering along with 

its excellent “chassis, steering, ride and 

handling.” 

Jonathan Browning, president and 

CEO of Volkswagen of America, and 

Frank Fischer, CEO and chairman of 

Volkswagen Chattanooga, accepted 

the Car of the Year award on behalf 

of the company at the 2011 LA Auto 

Show. In remarks to the press, Fischer 

acknowledged the skill of the local 

workforce in contributing to the vehicle’s 

success. 

“We are proud to manufacture 

the American car of the year in 

Chattanooga,” said Fischer. “With passion 

for detail and Tennessee craftsmanship, 

our team is working hard to keep the 

Passat driving on the road to success.”


36 Your Chamber The Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce’s 

Ambassador network presented a gift of $480 to 

the Tennessee National Guard during its annual 

philanthropy luncheon Dec. 13. All proceeds 

benefited the J9 program, which supports veterans by 

easing the transition into civilian life, operating more 

than 233 military youth leadership and adventure 

camps and providing financial counseling and suicide 

prevention services. 

Doug Varnell- September 2011 

Ambassadors salute civic servants 

Chamber Ambassadors of the Month 

by Matthew 

Kenwright 

Local caterer Doug Varnell has a mouthful of a résumé. Before becoming CEO of Apron Strings 

Catering, Varnell spent nearly 8 years in the U.S. Army, earned a business degree at the University of 

Tennessee and completed a 20-year stint as vice president of operations for a local transportation company. 

Eight years into his work at Apron Strings, Varnell is already cooking up new ways to contribute to his 

community. 

“Taking on leadership roles is important to me because I believe service is the essential building block 

for developing relationships with key players in the community,” he says. 

To connect with peers who are also passionate about the city, Varnell joined the Chattanooga 

Chamber’s Ambassador program in 2010. The catering CEO cites the Chamber’s many networking 

initiatives as one of the program’s biggest advantages, and says he enjoys sharing his enthusiasm with the 

organization’s newest members. 

Tamarah Daniel- October 2011 

As branch manager and staffing specialist for the ManpowerGroup, Tamarah Daniel plays a key role in 

connecting growing companies with the local workforce. 

Daniel says Ambassadorship has allowed her to diversify her networking contacts and become a more 

integral part of the Chattanooga community. In her opinion, the Chattanooga Chamber’s extensive local 

influence makes it one of the most effective organizations she has been involved with. 

“The Chattanooga Chamber is about more than just business,” she says. “It’s also about education, 

community and enhancing Chattanooga any way it can.” 

David Hamilton- November 2011 

Five-time Ambassador of the Month David Hamilton is upping the ante for the next Ambassador of the 

Year Award. 

A commercial sales consultant for Chattanooga Waste Services of Tennessee, Hamilton attributes his 

streak of success to his love for interacting with the public, connecting with customers and being part of the 

Chattanooga Chamber network. 

Hamilton says a personal quest to convince prospects to join the Ambassador program has led several 

recruits to join the network over the years. This strategy has allowed him to increase recognition for his 

company throughout the community and better meet his sales objectives. 

Hamilton also serves as vice president of membership and coordinates guest speakers for the 

Enterprise/Gateway Council in addition to attending East Brainerd Council meetings.


37 


ChambConnections 

er 

Rev. Ann G. Weeks, St. Paul’s Episcopal Church; Jerry Sterling, Sterling 

Business Solutions, LLC; Cathie Keegan, The Comdyn Group; and Mical 

Traynor, CWC: Business After Hours at CWC 

Reality Check at Brainerd High School 

John Quirk and Luis Gonzalez, Chattanooga Lookouts; and David 

Barlew, David Barlew Architects: Business After Hours at CWC 

Richard Floyd, TN State Rep.; Steve Hiatt and Tom Edd Wilson, 

Chattanooga Chamber; and Charles B. Lebovitz, CBL & Associates 

Properties; Ribbon Cutting at Hamilton Place Mall 

Gil Dake, Signs by Tomorrow; and Fred Friday, Junk King of 

Chattanooga: Business After Hours at the Creative Discovery Museum 

Katrina Keene, Chattanooga State; and Jeff Zierenberg, Wacker 

Polysilicon: College & Career Fair

38 



idea tank 

continued from page 31 

According to Daly, several of the 

competition’s participants have echoed 

Ozbek’s sentiments on the experience 

and say they hope to launch businesses 

from the ideas they generated through the 

process. 

“We look forward to continuing 

to support our participants in refining 

their ideas and carrying out the 

commercialization process,” says Daly. 

“Our primary plans moving ahead are 

to facilitate connections between those 

entrepreneurs and other potential 

partners, suppliers, manufacturers and 

sources of capital.” 

To learn more about the 

Y-12 National Security Complex 

business plan competition and other 

technologies available at The Enterprise 

Center, visit www.entreprisectr.org. 

What’s the BIG 

idea 

Among the ideas presented at the event 

were strategies for: 

• Manufacturing and selling marketready 

prototypes 

• Transforming an issues management 

software system into an energy use 

analysis tool 

• Repurposing body armor plates into 

materials used for bulletproof vests 

Competition participant Heather Adcox presents her team’s 

business plan for marketing the SSTARS software. 

The Technologies – 

The Ideas 

Compiled by Chris Daly, The Enterprise Center 

Access Rate Control: A low-cost, ready-to-install, fullymechanical 

system that controls the speed of entry through a fullheight 

gate or turnstile. 

The idea: Launch the product as a security system retrofitted 

for existing turnstile-like gates without requiring access to 

electricity. In the second stage, develop fitness and exercise 

equipment using the mechanical system to safely offer up and 

down resistance. 

Banshee: A non-lethal “sound grenade” that generates a high 

pitch sound reaching up to 144 decibels. 

The idea: Introduce the product into the personal-use 

market as a substitute for mace. In particular, advertise it as 

a means of warding off aggressive and potentially dangerous 

animals, such as bears or stray dogs. 

Tropex Blending System: A portable tool 

that works with gases, vapors, volatile liquids and 

moisture. This highly accurate and cost effective tool 

can be used for reading instruments in the field and for 

blending gases and vapors in the lab. 

The idea: Seek sales with all Department of 

Energy laboratories to market the technology to the 

pharmaceutical industry, which seeks safe methods 

of mixing sensitive compounds to ensure correct 

therapeutic effects. 

Safeguards and Security Tracking, Analysis 

and Reporting (SSTARS): A feature-rich software 

system used for issues management and enhanced tracking of 

trends related to safety and security. 

The idea: Use the technology to model city features and 

simulate energy usage and carbon emissions to improve city 

planning, building codes and energy efficiency with the ultimate 

goal of leveraging Chattanooga’s reputation as a model for 

sustainability by becoming the first large-scale, complex city 

simulation for the built environment. 

Fiber Innovations: A non-toxic, non-hazardous dry 

cleaning cloth that removes ultrafine particulates without leaving 

residue. 

The idea: Market the product to semi-conductor and 

pharmaceutical industries as a means of ensuring cost-effective, 

“ultra clean” manufacturing environments. 

CerMet: A method for bonding ceramic and metal materials 

together to create an anti-ballistic material. 

The idea: Manufacture body armor plates for inclusion in 

flak jacket and bulletproof vests. This material is lighter and more 

protective than the current technology and should therefore give 

soldiers a higher level of protection from hostile fire.

MONTHLY MEETINGS 

C O U N C I L S 

Brainerd/East Brainerd 

4th Tuesday, Noon 

Downtown 

1st Thursday, 7:30 a.m. 

East Ridge 

4th Wednesday, Noon 


4th Thursday, 8:30 a.m. * 

Hixson 

3rd Wednesday, Noon 

MidTown 

2nd Wednesday, Noon 

North Chattanooga 

1st Tuesday, Noon 

The Car Barn 

6721 Heritage 

Business Court 

Doubletree Hotel 

407 Chestnut St. 

East Ridge Community Ctr. 

1517 Tombras Ave. 

Hospice of Chattanooga 

4411 Oakwood Drive 

North River Civic Center 

1009 Executive Drive 

Out of the Blue 

3230 Brainerd Road 

Business Development Center 

100 Cherokee Blvd. 

COUNCIL PROGRAMS 

JANUARY 

Downtown 

Sens. Bo Watson and Andy Berke 

East Ridge 

Stratton Tingle, Chattanooga Chamber 


BOOST Summit, Panel Discussion 

Hixson 

Kim White, River City Company 


Featured Countries - Phillipines and Honduras 


Rick Smith, Hamilton County Schools 


Dan Challener, Public Education Foundation 

Red Bank 

Monty Millard, Mayor of Red Bank 


3rd Thursday, Noon. 

Ooltewah/Collegedale 

3rd Wednesday, 9:30 a.m. 

Red Bank 

3rd Tuesday, Noon ** 

Southside 

1st Thursday, Noon 

Business After Hours 

3rd Thursday, 5 p.m. 

AM Networking 

1st Wednesday, 8 a.m. 

Ambassadors 

2nd Tuesday, 11:30 a.m. 

Budweiser of Chattanooga 

200 Shearer St. 

Collegedale City Hall 

4910 Swinyar Drive 

Red Bank Community Ctr. 

Morrison Springs Road 

S. Chattanooga Rec. Center 

1151 W. 40th St. 

Hosted by a member business 

Hosted by a member business 

Niko’s 

1400 Cowart St. 

FEBRUARY 

Downtown 

John Schroer, TN Department of Transportation 

East Ridge 

East Ridge School Education Panel 


Ryan Picarella, BCBST 

Hixson 

Katie Reinsmidt and Alan Lebovitz, CBL 


Featured Countries - Kenya and Costa Rica 


Robert Bradham, Chattanooga Chamber 


Chris Matthews, Friends of Hamilton 

YPAC 

Last Friday, 11:30 a.m. 

International Council 

4th Thursday, 5:30 p.m. 

Chamber Board Room 

811 Broad St. 

INCubator 


MANDY SENN 

COMMUNITY OUTREACH MANAGER 

423.763.4368 

msenn@chattanoogachamber.com 

* Meeting at Volkswagen Chattanooga in January 

** Meeting at Red Bank Presbyterian Church in January 

4370 Dayton Blvd. 

Southside 

Southside Schools Education Panel 

MARCH 

East Ridge 

Police Department, City of East Ridge 


Joe Fuqua, Komatsu America Corp. 


Featured Countries - China and Uruguay

40 New Members Business Trend Magazine 

Chattanooga Area Chamber of commerce 

NEW MEMBERS 

A American Advantage 


Chattanooga, TN 37415 

(423) 870-3545 

www.aamericanadvantage.com 

A.H. Liles & Co. CPA 

2255 Center St., Ste. 107 


(423) 424-0400 

www.lilesco.com 

Allegiant Business Finance 

5761 Sunup Circle 

Ooltewah, TN 37363 

(423) 910-0277 

www.allegiant1.com 

American Republic Insurance 

Company 

6918 Shallowford Road, Ste. 300 


(423) 509-8210 

www.americanrepublic.com 

Bridge City Realty, LLC 

1301 Market St., Ste. 102 


(423) 648-6242 

www.bridgecityrealtyco.com 

Burks United Methodist 

Church 

6433 Hixson Pike 

Hixson, TN 37343 

(423) 842-4219 

www.burks.org 

Cadence Coffee Co. 

16 Patten Parkway 


(423) 521-7686 

Cambridge Park Apartments 

621 Memorial Drive 


(423) 877-1264 

Chattanooga Counseling & 

Mediation 

50 Frazier Ave., Ste. 300 


(423) 994-0034 

www.chattanoogacounselingand 

mediation.com 

Chattanooga Home 

Inspections, LLC 

8201 Briarstone Lane 


(423) 710-2962 

Chattanooga Market, Inc. 

P.O. Box 810 


(423) 648-2496 

www.chattanoogamarket.com 

Clean Harbors Environmental 

Services, Inc. 

3300 Cummings Road 


(423) 825-4105 

www.cleanharbors.com 

CloudNine Solutions 

108 Hilldale Drive, Ste. A 


(423) 629-6297 

www.c9sol.com 

Collins Containers 

1800 Main St. 


(423) 718-2543 

Computer Technology 

Solutions (CTS) 

633 Chestnut St., Ste. 1320 


(423) 599-7000 

www.askcts.com 

Creekside Closets LLC 



(423) 834-2625 

www.creeksideclosets.com 

Cris Angsten Interiors 

210 Edmondson St. 

Summerville, GA 30747 

(706) 409-0218 

www.crisangsteninteriors.com 

Cruise Planners / American 

Express Travel 

2401 N. Ocoee St. 

Cleveland, TN 37311 

(423) 476-6300 

www.simplecruisedeal.com 

CUBE 

6087 Oilskin Drive 


(423) 228-2866 

www.printcubes.com 

DAL Industries 

1225 Latta St. 


(423) 698-5577 

www.daltransport.com 

Edd Kirby’s Adventure Mazda 

400 W. ML King Blvd. 

Chattanogoa, TN 37402 

(800) 255-1821 

www.adventurecars.com 

FedEx Services 

1724 General George Patton Drive 

Brentwood, TN 37027 

(423) 645-2963 

www.fedex.com 

Hamilton Funeral Home & 

Cremation Services 



(423) 531-3975 

http://hamiltonfuneralandcremation.com 

Hampton Inn & Suites 

Chattanooga / Downtown 

400 Chestnut St. 


(423) 693-0500 

www.hampton-inn.com 

Heritage High School 

3960 Poplar Springs Road 

Ringgold, GA 30736 

(706) 937-6464 

www.catoosa.k12.ga.us/hhs 

Hixson Lions Club 

P.O. Box 202 


(423) 227-4445 

www.hixsontn.lionwap.org 

Holiday Inn - Hamilton Place 

2232 Center St. 


Icemakers, Inc. of 


6132 Airways Blvd. 


(423) 622-0886 

www.icemakers.net 

InXpress 

4749 Sussex Lane 


(423) 468-0444 

www.inxpress.com 

Jonathan Morgan, Licensed 

Professional Counselor 

P.O. Box 15284 


(423) 521-8020 

www.jonmorgancounseling.com 

Kuehne + Nagel, Inc. 

235 Southfield Parkway 

Forest Park, GA 30297 

(404) 675-2800 

www.kn-portal.com 

LAUNCH 

200 W. 38th St. 


(423) 266-1384 Ext. 26 

www.launchchattanooga.org

New Members 

41 


FROM SEPTEMBER 15, 2011 

THROUGH DECEMBER 8, 2011 

Legends of the Game Cookie 

Company 

100 Cherokee Blvd., Ste. 333 


(423) 598-1177 

www.legendscookies.com 

Mocha Restaurant & Music 

Lounge 



(423) 531-4154 

www.mochajazz.info 

Nováre Technologies 

P.O. Box 3838 


(423) 265-6000 

www.novaretechnologies.com 

Orlandi Laboratories 

7026 Discovery Drive 


(423) 855-4060 

Personnel Staffing 

5805 Lee Highway, Ste. 306 


(423) 266-8367 

www.personnelstaffing.com 

Play Dog Excellent 



(423) 870-7740 

www.pdxdogs.com 

Power Solutions, LLC 

1206 Pointe Centre Drive, Ste. 130 


(423) 648-7672 

PsychAssess 

3908 Tennessee Ave. 


(423) 752-5207 

www.susanhickman.net 

QR4 Technologies Inc. 



(423) 521-7954 

www.qr4.com 

Sabo Entertainment, LLC 

4119 Cummings Highway 


(423) 580-2730 

www.meomios.com 

Scenic City Storage 



(423) 648-7867 

www.sceniccitystorage.com 

SECOND|SITE 

P.O. Box 187 


(423) 486-8562 

www.secondsitellc.com 

Sentinel Pest Control 



(423) 595-8847 

Smallbox Entertainment 

Group 

P.O. Box 18684 

Huntsville, AL 35804 

(256) 457-0760 

www.smallboxentertainment.com 

Smoke Free Chattanooga 

c/o Hamilton County Health Dept. 

921 E. 3rd St., Ste. 402 


(423) 209-8285 

www.smokefreechattanooga.org 

Southern BBQ 



(423) 710-1774 

State Farm Insurance 

Agency- Larry G. Sharpe 

6550 Old Dayton Pike, Ste. 100 


(423) 843-3300 

The Beth Bistro 

200 W. 38th St. 


(423) 760-1495 

The Byrum Consulting 

Group, LLC 

17 Grayswood Hill Road 

Signal Mountain, TN 37377 

(423) 886-5587 

The E Group, Inc. 



(423) 531-2616 

www.egroupinc.net 

The Growth Coach 

6521 Forest Park Drive 

Signal Mountain, TN 37377-2817 

(423) 886-6095 

www.thegrowthcoach.com/rbrines 

The Simpson Organization 

736 Market St., Ste. 600 


(423) 752-8024 

Total Health Chiropractic - 

Brainerd 



(423) 892-9272 

www.chattanoogachiropractor.com 

Total Health Chiropractic - 

East Ridge 

1471 Mack Smith Road 

East Ridge, TN 37412 

(423) 485-8480 

www.chattanoogachiropractor.com 

Tres Amigos 

3536 Cummings Highway, Ste. 124 


(423) 521-7676 

Uptime 



(423) 320-2744 

www.uptimesys.com 

Verizon Wireless Gunbarrel 

2000 Gunbarrel Road 


(423) 894-3150 

www.verizonwireless.com 

Vet2Go Housecalls 

6436 Forest Meade Drive 


(423) 400-0356 

Wack 



(423) 227-4946 

Wellington Place - Hixson 



(423) 877-8771 

www.brookdaleliving.com 

Woople 

100 Tremont St. 


(800) 823-7698 

www.woople.com

42 Calendar 


CALENDAR OF EVENTS 

January 2012 

TH/19 Business After Hours Chattanooga Auto 

Auction. 2120 Stein Drive. 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. 

FR/20 Who Wants to Be a Millionaire Hamilton 

County High School. 9050 Career Lane. 8:15 a.m. to 

9:05 a.m. To volunteer for this Chattanooga Chamber 

career readiness program, call 423.763.4321. 

TH/26 CEG/INCubator Luncheon INCubator. 

100 Cherokee Blvd. 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Speakers: Todd 

Solomon and Mark Przybysz, Decosimo. Topic: “2011 Tax 

Update.” This seminar is offered free to CEG/INCubator 

tenants and costs $10 for others. To RSVP, please contact 

Tabitha Erickson at 423.752.4301 or terickson@ 

chattanoogachamber.com. 

FRI/27 YPAC Professional Development Luncheon 

Chamber Board Room. 811 Broad St. 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. 

Networking begins at 11:30 a.m.; the program commences 

at noon. For more information, please e-mail luncheons@ 

ypchattanooga.org. 

TU/31 Who Wants to Be a Millionaire Ooltewah 

High School. 6123 Mountain View Road. 10 a.m. to 

2:15 p.m. To volunteer for this Chattanooga Chamber 

career readiness program, call 423.763.4321. 

February 2012 

WE/01 AM Networking Hutchinson & Walls, PC. 

401 Chestnut St. 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. 

WE/01 Developing A Global Mindset: “Diversity 

in the Workplace” Location TBD. 8:30 a.m. 

to 10:30 a.m. For more information, please 

contact Gladys Pineda-Loher at gpineda-loher@ 

chattanoogachamber.com. 

TU/07 Get Plugged In Chamber Board Room. 

811 Broad St. 8 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. 

TH/09 YPAC After Hours Location TBD. 6 p.m. to 

9 p.m. For more information, please visit 

www.ypchattanooga.org. 

TU/14 Ambassadors Luncheon Niko’s Southside 

Grill. 1200 Cowart St. 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. 

TH/16 Business After-Hours Chattanooga Billiards 

Club. 725 Cherry St. 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. 

FR/17 Reality Check Central High School. 

5728 Highway 58. 7:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. To volunteer 

for this Chattanooga Chamber career readiness 

program, call 423.763.4321. 

WE/22 Career Crunch TN National Guard Armory. 

1801 S. Holtzclaw Ave. 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. To volunteer 

for this Chattanooga Chamber career readiness 

program, call 423.763.4321. 


100 Cherokee Blvd. 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Speaker 

and topic TBD. This seminar is offered free to CEG/ 

INCubator tenants and costs $10 for others. To RSVP, 

please contact Tabitha Erickson at 423.752.4301 or 

terickson@chattanoogachamber.com. 

FR/24 YPAC Professional Development Luncheon 

Chamber Board Room. 811 Broad St. 11:30 a.m. to 

1 p.m. Networking begins at 11:30 a.m.; the program 

commences at noon. For more information, please 

e-mail luncheons@ypchattanooga.org. 

March 2012 

TU/06 Get Plugged In Chamber Board Room. 

811 Broad St. 8 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. 

WE/07 AM Networking Cohutta Banking Company 

and co-sponsored by AT&T. 800 Market St. 8 a.m. to 

9 a.m. 

TH/08 YPAC After Hours Location TBD. 6 p.m. to 

9 p.m. For more information, please visit 

www.ypchattanooga.org. 

TU/13 Ambassadors Luncheon Niko’s Southside 

Grill. 1200 Cowart St. 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. 

RSVP required. 

WE/21 2012 Small Business Awards and 

EXPO Chattanooga Chattanooga Convention 

Center. 1150 Carter St. 8:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. 

and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. respectively. Business 

After Hours immediately follows from 4 p.m. 

to 6 p.m. See page 14 for more information. 


100 Cherokee Blvd. 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Speaker 

and topic TBD. This seminar is offered free to CEG/ 

INCubator tenants and costs $10 for others. To RSVP, 

please contact Tabitha Erickson at 423.752.4301 or 

terickson@chattanoogachamber.com. 

FR/30 YPAC Professional Development Luncheon 

Chamber Board Room. 811 Broad St. 11:30 a.m. to 

1 p.m. Networking begins at 11:30 a.m.; the program 

commences at noon. For more information, please 

e-mail luncheons@ypchattanooga.org. 

Tennessee Small 

Business Development 

Center Seminars 


Pre-registration for all seminars is required. 

Call 423.756.8668 for more information or to register. 

www.tsbdc.org 

An Hour with My Attorney 

Covers legal topics such as leases, contracts, 

powers of attorney, corporate meetings and more. 

Jan. 12, 25 

Feb. 8, 22 

March 14, 28 

Basic and Intermediate QuickBooks Workshop 

Explores how to use QuickBooks to set up your business 

finances. 

Jan. 17 

Feb. 14 

March 13 

Government Contracting Workshop 

PTA 101 and PTA 102 covers basic and advanced details 

of government contracting. 

Feb. 14 

March 16 

Small Business Orientation 

Covers basic business planning including 

financial projection, legal entity and information 

about licenses and taxes. 

Jan. 5, 12, 19, 26 

Feb. 2, 9, 16, 23 

March 1, 8, 15, 22 

April 5 

TSBDC Featured Events 

January 

TU/10 Setting Goals For Your Business 

TU/10 Starting Your Child Day Care Business (Part 1) – 

Orientation 

WE/11 Starting Your Child Day Care Business (Part 2) – 

Business Planning 

TU/24 90 Minute Guide to Cloud Computing: 

Reducing I.T. Costs and Risk 

February 

TU/07 Getting Ready to Get the Loan 

WE/15 Get Your Name Out There- 

Learn How to Effectively Market Your Business 

March 

WE/07 Social Marketing Strategies 

WE/07 Small Business Success Stories 

TU/13 Growing Your Business – New Customers

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