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Small businesses in northeast Shelby County will have an opportunity to make energy-efficiency improvements to their facilities through a newly formed network of green solution providers and a green-oriented funding source. The Bartlett Area Chamber of Commerce kicked off its Team Green Zone initiative Thursday at a gathering of about 65 business owners at the

Pathway Lending to run program that could reduce a building’s total stress on grid by a quarter The Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development today announced a new $50 million energy efficiency loan program to help Tennessee businesses finance the purchase of energy-efficient technology, energy retrofits and renewable energy systems. “Our goal is to

In honor of the Fourth of July holiday, let’s consider what it takes for small business – the real backbone of the national economy – to be truly independent. Independence comes with access to capital. Small-business owners need capital to expand, to create jobs, to create new businesses. However, community banks – traditionally a primary

KINGSPORT — Lots of businesses struggled during the recession. Some scaled back their operations. Others called it quits and closed their doors. But a fortunate few in Tennessee got a little boost over the toughest days of the downturn — thanks to a 501c3 nonprofit organization called Pathway Lending. As Tennessee’s only statewide Community Development

When All In One Automotive & Transmission needed to expand, owner Gary Chitwood went the traditional bank route to secure a loan for property and construction of a new garage. Enter Pathway Lending, which provided the small business with needed financing for the project that resulted in the addition of three employees. “The credit markets

With the ongoing credit crunch, borrowing money is hard these days, especially for startups and small businesses. But there are options for entrepreneurs with the next big idea. One is the Tennessee Rural Opportunity Fund, a $10 million revolving loan fund that provides below-market-rate loans to small, disadvantaged and startup businesses in rural areas. The

Small businesses in rural Tennessee could get some needed cash to boost their business and save jobs from $2 million in stimulus money that’s coming to Southeast Community Capital Corp. in Nashville. Southeast will be funding 30 or 40 companies in any Tennessee county outside of Davidson, Shelby or Knox counties. The group is a

The Tennessee Rural Opportunity Fund, which provides growth capital to businesses in rural areas, has been honored for its economic development efforts. The first of its kind, the fund is a $10 million revolving loan. It is a partnership between the state, the Tennessee Bankers Association member banks and Southeast Community Capital Corp. The statewide

More than $5 million has been raised for Tennessee’s Rural Opportunity Fund. The fund is a public-private partnership between the State of Tennessee, the Tennessee Bankers Association (TBA) and Southeast Community Capital that will provide loans to rural businesses that do not have access to traditional financing. Sixteen community banks have committed money to the