Business services, nec, nec, Services, nec, nec, Economic development agency, government
Holston Business Development Center
Located in the Allandale Community of Hawkins County and within the city limits of Kingsport is the Holston Business Development Center. This 13, 000 square foot facility is home to several local businesses. The main mission of the Holston Business Development Center is to provide rental space and counseling/educational services to the entrepreneurs of Hawkins County and the City of Kingport. Regular training classes are also offered at the Holston Business Development Center. They include everything from basic classes on starting a new business to writing your business plan, marketing, finance, cash flow and tax preparation. Many of our clients ( entrepreneurs ) find that our referral services help them connect with other small business professionals that speed the formation and eventual success of their business venture along. Many times we match-make between businesses for their mutual benefit. A quick history of the HBDC is based on the idea for a mixed-use small business incubator to serve the Greater Kingsport and Hawkins County, Tennessee area. This idea was conceived in 1999. Dr. William Locke, President of NSTCC and Ms. Susan Reid, Executive Director of the First Tennessee Development District, commissioned a feasibility study on a business incubator system in the Tri-Cities Tennessee region. The study confirmed a need. Executives representing BAE Systems, TVA, Great Kingsport Area Chamber of Commerce, Hawkins County Industrial Board, TSBDC, FTDC, NSTCC, American Electric Power, City of Kingsport, Tennessee, and Hawkins County, Tennessee formed a group whose goal was to establish a mixed-use small business incubator. The million dollar public/private project was completed in the summer of 2003 with the financial support of Hawkins County, City of Kingsport, BAE Systems, U.S. Economic Development Administration, Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development, and the U.S. Army Armament Retooling and Manufacturing Program. The official corporate name is Holston Business Group, incorporated on February 15, 2001 as a private not-for-profit Tennessee corporation. The staff at the HBDC are here to help with your business concerns. All issues can be addressed and help will be provided as a free service. HBDC can be reached at ( 423 ) 578-6235, email us info@hbdc.org or stop by our location at 2005 Venture Park in Kingsport.