Business Bits: Project: PopUp comes to end, chamber launches outreach blitz
Project: PopUp coming to an end, but four business stay on Chestnut Street
Project: PopUp, River City Company's retail incubator program, will end in February, but leaders hope to conduct another in the future.
Along with partners Berry & Hunt and Chambliss, Bahner & Stophel, River City Company launched this program in the spring of 2012, aiming to bring five budding business owners to the Chestnut Street strip to test their concept for six months of free rent in hopes they would sign a long-term lease at the end of the program.
With the official grand opening in September 2012, the 800 block of Chestnut Street has seen a retail resurgence from the five tenants: Tasty Daylight Donuts, O.C. Buckels & Co., Sewn to the Sky, Iron Labs and Go Bagel.
Four out of five businesses are staying on Chestnut Street, and the program has produced approximately 30 jobs/internships, according to a news release.
Along with $95,000 in rent assistance, business owners received façade grants, $20,000 in creative marketing for the program duration and $25,000 of general support, as well as 15 hours per business in professional development classes led by successful local entrepreneurs and businesses.
“As a participant in Project: PopUp, we are delighted to have a downtown location, which would not be possible at this time without the assistance from the program,” Tony McInnis, owner of Tasty Daylight Donuts, said in a prepared statement.
Chattanooga Chamber launches outreach blitz, makes door-to-door visits to businesses
Dozens of Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce representatives will canvas the greater Chattanooga area Feb. 21 in an effort to create new connections and spur discussions about resources that the chamber offers.
They will do this through a one-day outreach campaign that starts at an 8 a.m. breakfast meeting at The Car Barn.
Activities will conclude with a networking gathering from 5 to 7 p.m. at Mocha Restaurant & Lounge, where event organizers will award prizes to participants based on the day’s results.
“As our members continue to demonstrate, companies that maintain high levels of engagement in a local network of peers enjoy access to more customers and increased visibility, as well as opportunities to cut costs through partnerships with other businesses interested in cross-marketing and trading products and services,” Sandra Brewer, vice president of member-investor services for the chamber, said in a prepared statement. “These relationships help keep our economy healthy and our business environment thriving—factors which directly influence the chamber’s efforts to encourage investment and job creation in our area.”
To learn more about the chamber's outreach blitz, contact Sandra Brewer at 423-763-4346 or sbrewer@chattanoogachamber.com.
Millennium Medical & Weight Loss Center expands
Millennium Medical & Weight Loss Center has moved to a new, larger facility that has workout and exam space.
The new facility will allow Dr. Scott Mitchell and his team to offer on-site fitness services with a focus on nutrition, exercise and patient education.
Todd and Chelsea Reeves will offer personal training. Thirty-minute sessions are $35, and discounts are available to people who purchase multiple sessions in a month, according to a news release. A one-hour session is $60.
Mitchell offers a weight loss approach that emphasizes overall health, and the goal is to reduce health conditions caused by excessive weight.
