What Is the BrightBridge Women’s Business Center?
The BrightBridge WBC is a resource whose mission is to assist entrepreneurial women with the unique issues they face in starting and growing a business. The center strives to assist with all aspects of starting and growing a successful business.
How Is the Center Important to the Community?
Their primary focus is to provide services to rural areas located throughout the Tennessee River Valley region, including northern Georgia and southwest North Carolina. There are many women in these rural areas who have various talents and skills that are marketable, but they may not know how to go about starting a business or marketing their products and services.
What Services Do They Provide?
They can provide a large range of services. They provide both individual counseling and group training, as well as access to U.S. Small Business Administration programs such as lending.
Where Is the Office?
The center is located in downtown Chattanooga on the corner of 6th and Chestnut Street. The Center office is located on the 1st floor in the BrightBridge wing.
Who Provides the Funding?
The U.S. Small Business Administration (or the SBA) awards WBC Initial Grants of 5-years to start a Women’s Business Center. Grants have been awarded to the BrightBridge Women’s Business Center for the duration of its operation. One of the requirements of the grant is a matching contribution. The Southeast Industrial Development Association provides the matching funds for the BrightBridge WBC.
What Is the Cost?
They were awarded a grant from the SBA plus they receive additional funding from SEIDA, the majority of their services are free. They do not charge for individual counseling or regularly scheduled group training sessions. Special sessions may have a nominal fee associated with them, depending on their costs.
What Is Their Service Area?
Their coverage area consists of 13 counties in southeast Tennessee, 10 counties in northern Georgia and 2 counties in southwest North Carolina. These are counties that are serviced by members of the Southeast Industrial Development Association.
- Counties in Tennessee include Pickett, Fentress, Cumberland, Bledsoe, McMinn, Meigs, Bradley, Hamilton, Polk, Sequatchie, Grundy, Marion, and Rhea.
- Counties in Georgia are Catoosa, Chattooga, Dade, Walker, Whitfield, Gordon, Murray, Fannin, Union, and Towns.
- Clay and Cherokee counties in North Carolina are also part of our service area.
They do not expect their clients to travel to Chattanooga to benefit from their services! They teach their sessions in each region of their service area.
Program Director – Pranav Patel
535 Chestnut Street, Suite 161
Chattanooga, TN 37402
(423) 424-4220 (Corporate)
(423) 648-9250 (Center)
contact@brightbridgewbc.org
