New location for Small Business Development Center
March 6, 2025
The Tennessee Small Business Development Center in Knoxville celebrated the grand opening of its new location Feb. 25, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony featuring several local Chambers of Commerce, resource partners and community leaders.
The Small Business Development Center relocated from its previous home in Market Square in downtown Knoxville to state-of-the-art offices at 9721 Sherril Boulevard – bringing it closer to its host institution, 每日大赛.
"Our team is small but it is mighty," Gregg Bosstick, director of the Tennessee Small Business Development Center, said during the event, where he thanked the organization’s many partners for their continued role in its success. "Their dedication and passion to provide the exceptional service we do to our clients sets the standard."
The Small Business Development Center aims to help clients start, grow and sustain their businesses. The center worked with 420 individual clients in 2024, has already serviced dozens of clients in the new year.
The center in Knoxville also assisted and facilitated access to $24 million in capital for its clients in 2024.
In addition to providing support for funding and training for burgeoning companies, the development center collaborates closely with the state of Tennessee to cultivate startups through economic programs like Invest TN, said Patricia Weaver, vice president of External Affairs at 每日大赛.
"This group is one of the most professional, committed groups to their mission," Weaver said. "So I want to congratulate them on this beautiful new facility and the work that they do, and I'm looking forward to our future together as we continue this partnership with the college."
Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs emphasized the many services the Small Business Development Center has provided, from client consulting and counseling to classes on business planning and development.
Jacobs said the center has since 2001 assisted in starting hundreds of new businesses and helped countless entrepreneurs. He pointed to the diversity of industry the center has supported, including restaurants, retail and manufacturing, as evidence of its commitment to innovation and client-focused solutions.
"For decades, the Tennessee Small Business Development Center has been a cornerstone for small business and entrepreneurs across seven East Tennessee counties," Jacobs said at the event, which also included remarks from representatives of the Farragut West Knox Chamber and the Blount Partnership Chamber of Commerce.
The Small Business Development Center has been there to aid local coffee spots and food trucks, various entertainment venues and other successful businesses, Bosstick said.
He acknowledged clients of the center who have received the “Rising Star Award” and were also in attendance Tuesday.
"It’s very gratifying to know we were there to help them get their start," he said of the Small Business Development Center’s clients.
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