Chattanooga has seventh most minority-owned businesses in the US, report finds

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — “It’s been awesome. This city’s amazing,” said Chanda Chambers, co-owner of Chambers Welding and Fabrication.

According to a report from finance website Smartest Dollar, Chattanooga has the seventh most minority-owned businesses in the US.

Some local business owners point to Chattanooga’s non-profit support systems as major reason why Chattanooga is a great place to work.

“My experience as a business owner has honestly been great, because I was able to tap into support systems like launch, the incubator, here, which is the building that we’re shooting in, where my suite is, where my commercial kitchen is, and I’ve also been able to utilize Collab and the Urban League,” said Ella Livingston, Owner of Cocoa Asante.

Others point to a welcoming culture.

“We’re very inviting here. We’re very supportive,” said Chambers.

Minority business enterprises are responsible for more than half of the new businesses created in the United States in the last decade. Those businesses are responsible for 4.7 million jobs.

Despite Chattanooga’s advantages, local minority business owners say they have faced challenges.

“There’s not much support when it comes to, when you’re like in the middle stage, where you’re not a start-up; you’ve been operating; you have generated some revenue, and you’re trying to grow, but you’re not a tech, a tech company,” said Livingston.

Despite the challenges some face, some local business owners emphasize the importance of representation.

“It’s the fact that you have representation showing that someone like them can do it,” said Chambers.

According to Smartest Dollar, minorities make up 22.1 percent of Chattanooga’s population.

11.4 percent of Chattanooga businesses are minority-owned.