The INCubator at Chattanooga’s Hamilton County Business Development Center has launched INC Connect, a new makerspace initiative created in partnership with Proof Programs to support early-stage manufacturing and product startups.
Designed for entrepreneurs in the ideation and prototyping phases, INC Connect offers affordable workspace, light production capacity, mentorship and training inside the INCubator’s 127,000-square-foot, mixed-use facility. The program provides coworking space, peer accountability and a supportive community for founders who need room to safely test and build products but don’t require full-scale industrial setups.
“INC Connect is our response to the need we’ve seen from early-stage founders who have nowhere to begin – no garage, no extra room, no safe space to test and build,” says Marcherie Savage, director of entrepreneurial development at the INCubator. “It fills a long-standing gap in our pipeline.”
Proof Programs will offer in-person and virtual mentorship, monthly progress reports and at least four specialized workshops each year covering compliance, branding, funding and go-to-market strategies.
“The heart of this partnership is about meeting early-stage founders where they are,” says Kaleena Goldsworthy, chief operating officer of Proof. “Access to space, structure and guidance is critical to their success.”
Hamilton County Mayor Weston Wamp praised the initiative as a driver of innovation and local economic growth, calling small businesses “the backbone of our economy.”
INC Connect participants will also have opportunities to move into private INCubator units as their businesses grow.
Applications are open to product-based and light manufacturing entrepreneurs in the ideation stage or first two years of business development.
Apply: www.INCubator.com
TPL receives $250K for schoolyard project
Trust for Public Land has received $250,000 in bond funds from Hamilton County Government to help transform Hardy Elementary School’s campus in East Chattanooga into a community schoolyard. The funding was approved by the Hamilton County Commission at its July 16 meeting.
The Hardy Elementary project is part of TPL’s nationwide initiative to redesign school playgrounds into public parks accessible to neighborhoods outside of school hours. The effort supports TPL’s broader goal of ensuring everyone in America lives within a 10-minute walk of a park.
The county’s investment will be supplemented by a $50,000 USDA Forest Service Urban and Community Forestry grant, supporting tree planting, log seating and an outdoor classroom built from repurposed wood. Local nonprofit green|spaces will assist through its Understory program.
Hamilton County Mayor Weston Wamp praised the project, calling Hardy’s campus “ideally positioned to serve the surrounding community 365 days a year.”
The Hardy project follows TPL’s first local site at East Side Elementary, where construction began in August 2024. Hamilton County Schools recently named TPL its Future Ready Partner in recognition of its schoolyard transformation work.
Since 1972, TPL has protected more than 4 million acres nationwide and created over 5,500 parks, trails and schoolyards. In Tennessee, the nonprofit has protected over 21,000 acres and connected nearly 30,000 people to a park within a 10-minute walk.
Information: tpl.org
Hamilton County grants boost local parks
Hamilton County has awarded major grants to Lakesite, Lookout Mountain and Soddy-Daisy as part of its new Leaning Into Communities program, an initiative launched by County Mayor Weston Wamp to help small cities and towns revitalize parks, green spaces and gathering areas.
The matching grants, each offering up to $250,000, are part of the program’s first round of funding approved by the Hamilton County Commission.
In Lakesite, the grant will help renovate the 60-year-old pool house at Lakesite Park. The upgrades will include fully ADA-compliant restrooms, changing rooms, a small concession area and secure storage. The project follows last year’s pool renovation, which added an ADA lift, updated plumbing, a new deck, shade structures and a slide.
“This is the kind of thoughtful, community-driven investment the program was created to support,” says District 3 Commissioner Ken Smith. Lakesite Mayor David Howell called the funding “something that families in Lakesite will enjoy for generations.”
In Lookout Mountain, the grant will fund upgrades to the Town Common area, Navarre Pavilion and surrounding public spaces, including trail repairs, playground resurfacing, restroom updates and new lighting and landscaping.
“This is a great example of how Hamilton County can support meaningful projects that bring communities together,” says District 11 Commissioner Joe Graham. Mayor Walker Jones said the improvements would address long-deferred maintenance and make key gathering spaces more welcoming.
Soddy-Daisy will use its grant to enhance Holly Park, focusing on boating and tournament fishing improvements. Plans include adding an L-shaped dock, widening the boat ramp, installing a fish weigh-in stand and adding shaded seating, picnic areas and ADA-friendly restrooms.
“This program is a win for Soddy-Daisy,” says District 1 Commissioner Gene-o Shipley. Mayor Jim Coleman said the upgrades would create “a better place to enjoy the park and waterway” and support the city’s tourism goals.
BrightBridge merges with two lenders
BrightBridge Capital, a Chattanooga-based community development financial institution, has merged with Area Wide Development Corporation (AWDC) in Alcoa and Tennessee Business Development Corporation (TBDC) in Paris, Tennessee.
The mergers strengthen BrightBridge’s role as a key partner for bankers seeking Small Business Administration (SBA) 504 financing for their small business clients statewide.
The SBA 504 Loan program, administered through approved Certified Development Companies (CDCs) like BrightBridge, provides funding to help businesses purchase commercial real estate, machinery, equipment or upgrade fixed assets.
With the addition of AWDC and TBDC staff, BrightBridge gains expanded operational capacity and local expertise to assist commercial lenders across Tennessee.
The merger process involved collaboration among board leaders and staff from all three organizations to ensure a smooth transition.
Chief Operating Officer Garry Petty called the merger “an exciting chapter” in BrightBridge’s history, noting that new team members will continue serving clients from their home offices in Alcoa and Paris.
Founded in 1981, BrightBridge is a nonprofit focused on creating jobs and delivering economic opportunities in underserved communities.
Morning Pointe opens new memory care
A new chapter in memory care has arrived in East Hamilton with the grand opening of The Lantern at Morning Pointe Alzheimer’s Center of Excellence.
The Lantern offers specialized care for individuals with Alzheimer’s and dementia, featuring two levels of memory care: The Lamplight, designed for active residents with early-stage memory loss, and The Lantern wing, a quiet, intimate space for those in more advanced stages.
Families have already begun moving loved ones into the new 60-apartment facility.
The expansion brings 60 new health care jobs and is expected to generate over $25 million annually in local economic impact. Meanwhile, Morning Pointe’s adjacent assisted living facility has been renovated to add new Signature Studio apartments and gathering spaces.
Both facilities offer 24-hour licensed care, personal assistance, pharmacy services, physical and occupational therapy. Memory care services at The Lantern include nationally recognized approaches like the Best Friends Approach and Teepa Snow’s Positive Approach to Care.