Putting an entrepreneur in the express lane to success Miguel “Mike” Saavedra’s passion for cars comes from a childhood spent “wrenching” with his stepdad in the garage. Growing up in Los Angeles, Saavedra faced the misconception that as a Latino, he’d never rise above the station of laborer. “That was a problem for me,” says
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Powering a small business to help disabled veterans A lifelong cyclist, Mark Power built his first recumbent bike for his wife while stationed in Germany. The second was for himself so she wouldn’t feel self-conscious on their rides. This new hobby became a business and the veteran never looked back. “I had so much trouble
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Occupational & Speech Therapists Double Their Impact on the Community When Nat Udwin and Barb Talbert moved to Nashville four years ago, the occupational clinic they envisioned didn’t exist. “My parents were small business owners, my grandparents were small business owners,” says Udwin. “So I’ve always had the mindset that if it doesn’t exist, you
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Flexible funding fuels innovation for Oak Ridge manufacturer Jeff Bohanan always wanted to be an entrepreneur, and used his years of engineering experience at Y-12 to start a consulting business. From there, Bohanan moved into component manufacturing after winning a contract with Mercedes Benz – to the tune of a million parts within five years. “It
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Advancing a mission of stewardship by investing in energy efficiency The Crown College of the Bible is a private, nonprofit Christian college located in East Tennessee. Since opening its doors in 1991, the college has grown to an enrollment of more than 800 students in various fields of study through in their School of Ministry,
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Seasoned entrepreneur buys local dry cleaning shop with help of business acquisition loan Kevin Robertson is by definition an entrepreneur: he’s an electrical engineer who co-founded a firm, he’s a singer and drummer with his own label, and he has a Master’s in education from Belmont and has taught for many years. Throughout his career,
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Pathway Lending helps entrepreneur expand cabins and offer glamping in East Tennessee Retired international business consultant Ilaeka Villa left Paris, France for the foothills of the Smokies in Rhea County, Tennessee. Together with her father, “Papa Phil,” she opened Grandview Mountain Cottages with two cottages and their Farm Porch Store, and has enjoyed welcoming visitors for
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CDFI and bank partner and help manufacturer bring 165 jobs to rural Tennessee Entrepreneurs think big. They dream, plan, and execute strategies to build and sustain thriving businesses. Jeff VanHoose is one such entrepreneur. His business, VanHooseCo Precast Concrete, started small but scaled quickly following the 2008 Great Recession, as it added new divisions and
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Athens lunch hotspot finds new owners with help of business acquisition loan Delanie and Joe Domzalski had always dreamed of moving to east Tennessee, finding some land, and owning their own business. When they moved to Athens, not only did they buy their dream house from Vickie and Jim Carr, but they also bought the
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Rural manufacturer scores major savings and employee kudos with energy efficiency loan Manufacturers Industrial Group (MIG) is a full service contract manufacturer primarily producing automotive seat subassemblies, components and hardware. With more than one millions square feet of floor space across their facilities in Lexington, Chattanooga, and Athens, energy efficient lighting presented a tremendous opportunity
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