CROSSVILLE – Community supporters joined family and friends of the graduates of the Cumberland Business Incubator’s (CBI) inaugural CO.STARTERS program to celebrate their work and hear them pitch their business ideas. The CO.STARTERS group met once a week for nine weeks as they validated their business concepts; the program helps both aspiring and seasoned entrepreneurs turn their business ideas into action.
Graduates of the program that participated in the pitch presentation were:
Marie Fey – Currently the manager of a local gym, Fey hopes to purchase the gym and expand the services offered. Her goal is to make the gym a family health and fitness center with nutritional education as well as personal training to help members reach their goals
Peter Bilodeau – After a career as a newspaper editor, Bilodeau developed a freelance writing and editing business a few years ago. Bilodeau attended the class to learn new marketing ideas and take his business to the next level.
Justin Sidwell – With seven years of experience as a residential and commercial electrician, Sidwell has formed Sid’s Electric. He differentiates himself from the others by being reliable, on time and not charging a premium for weekend work. He promises not to leave a mess behind and to be available during hunting season and handles everything from socket and switch issues to whole house or business wiring.
CO.STARTERS was launched out of The Company Lab, a Chattanooga-based organization that offers programs, mentorship and resources to entrepreneurs. This program takes lessons learned from working with thousands of local creative entrepreneurs and combines that knowledge with industry-changing startup methods drawn from the research and experience of forward-thinking entrepreneurs and startup thought leaders across the country.
The CBI is accepting applications for the next session of CO.STARTERS. For more information, call (931) 456-4910 or email cbi@roanestate.edu.
