Meet the100Knoxville Summer 2023 cohort
Media Contact:
Knoxville Entrepreneur Center
Catherine Porth, Director of Insights & Development
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April 13, 2023, KNOXVILLE, TN
Knoxville Entrepreneur Center announces 100Knoxville Summer 2023 cohort,
sponsored by Schaad Companies
The Knoxville Entrepreneur Center (KEC) is excited to announce the eighth cohort of 100Knoxville founders. Five founders have been matched with an all-star team of mentors for a 5-week sprint that will kick off April of 2023 to clarify strategy, make connections across the entrepreneurial community, improve operations, and, most importantly, increase sales. “The 100Knox program allowed me the opportunity to connect with and learn from veteran business mentors with whom I otherwise may have never crossed paths with. What I learned from them along with the insight I picked up from the other business owners was invaluable.” said Ryan McGrew, 100Knoxville alum and owner of RightWay Insurance.
Meet the founders and their mentors:
Ashley Burl - Checkmate Commercial Cleaning LLC , paired with mentor Damon Rawls
Ashley Burl started Checkmate Commercial Cleaning LLC with goals of providing the highest quality commercial cleaning service available by exceeding the expectations of their clients. Through continuous improvements to the company in quality, services, and productivity Checkmate Commercial Cleaning guarantees a “Game Changing Cleaning” every time.
Jonathan Clark - Baked Good Bakery/Art Official Intelligence, paired with mentor Rob Cochran
Jonathan Clark, also known as "Courageous" began his performance career at the age of 13 in Knoxville, TN acting and writing with The Carpetbag Theatre, Inc., immersed in the methodology behind story-based ensemble theatre, the Art of spoken word poetry, effective workshop facilitation, Art as Social Justice, and so much more. He is using that experience to launch two new businesses, Baked Good Bakery and Art Official Intelligence. Baked Good Bakery is a concept that came from Jonathan becoming a home baker with an insatiable curiosity for what it takes to make something "baked good." Throughout the pandemic he started perfecting his craft which eventually became a small business endeavor. He joins the 8th 100Knoxville cohort with this journey in mind alongside Art Official Intelligence. Art Official Intelligence aims to be a new approach to the work of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion by redefining these terms and shifting the narratives we seek to address; adjusting the lens and focusing instead on the areas of Dissimilarity, (True) Equity, and Interculturality.
John Jordan - Ahieros, paired with mentor Tommy Smith
John Jordan is the founder and president of Ahieros, a company whose mission is to provide information technology solutions today to make the best tomorrow. Ahieros’s goal is to aide organizations in providing solutions for business integration to represent the alignment of their people, processing, and technology. With an extensive background in computer science, John Jordan uses his experiences and his company to help others understand what technology can do for them.
Each company will also receive $5,000 towards growing their business thanks to our partner, Schaad Family Offices. "As a longstanding member of the Knoxville business community, it is important to us that we help create space for the next generation of local businesses. We are committed to empowering small business owners from diverse backgrounds to take their entrepreneurial pursuits to the next level. We have partnered with KEC and 100Knoxville because we want to see the diversity of our city represented in the local economy.” Said James Schaad, President of Schaad Companies.
To apply for the next cohort, or to support 100Knoxville, please visit 100Knoxville.com.
Assets:
100Knoxville high resolution logo
Knoxville Entrepreneur Center logo
Schaad Companies (cohort sponsor) logo
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About 100Knoxville
100Knoxville is a program dedicated to helping Black-owned businesses in Knoxville grow by $10,000,000 in 5 years through investment of time and talent, and access to social, political, and financial capital. Each cohort is facilitated by strategist & business consultant Kandis Troutman. Learn more at 100knoxville.com.
About Knoxville Entrepreneur Center
Knoxville Entrepreneur Center is a business accelerator located in downtown Knoxville, Tennessee, dedicated to changing lives through entrepreneurship.. Our mission is to create a thriving entrepreneurial community that is accessible, diverse, and sustainable to make Knoxville the most founder-friendly city in America. Learn more at www.knoxec.com.
About Schaad Companies
Schaad Companies is a leading provider of high-quality residential and commercial real estate in East Tennessee, consistent with the long-standing Schaad tradition of reliability, innovation, and excellence. Since 1910, the Schaad family has been developing and building residential real estate projects with an unwavering commitment to excellence while adapting to meet changing needs through continuous innovation. The Schaad family also has decades of experience in developing, building, managing, and investing in commercial real estate in East Tennessee. Client success is consistently achieved through extensive market knowledge, a robust land inventory, and expertise in site selection. A family business at heart, Schaad Companies values trust and integrity, consistency, and open-mindedness.
