Research expansion and a new SBA webinar series lead our Knoxville business roundup
(EDITOR’S NOTE: This is a roundup of business news from throughout the Knoxville region. If you have some business news that you would like to be included in Teknovation Weekend, please email us at klamb@pyapc.com.)
Amazon provides an update on Knox and Blount County facilities
New teknovation.biz Assistant Editor Shannon Smith reached out to Amazon for updates on its two facilities planned for Alcoa and Knoxville. The company responded to say its timeline for the facilities had changed but are still planned for opening. The Alcoa project is currently set to open in the third quarter of 2023. The Knoxville Delivery Station project is on a delayed opening and does not currently have a timeline.
Provectus Biopharmaceuticals expands research collaboration with UT Health Center
Earlier this week, Provectus Biopharmaceuticals announced it would be expanding its sponsored research program with the University of Tennessee Health Center in Memphis. Michio Kurosu, Professor in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the College of Pharmacy, is helping to investigate Provectus’ pharmaceutical grade rose bengal for the treatment of anti-fungal and anti-oral bacterial infections.
According to the news release, the Kurosu team plans to evaluate the in vitro activity of Provectus’ rose bengal against different fungal strains and to conduct susceptibility tests against fungal and bacterial mouth microbes.
Read the full news release here.
SBA announces webinar series for small businesses navigating current economic climate
The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is joining the Small Business Majority on a series of webinars called “The Bottom Line” to help small businesses address economic challenges.
“With Small Business Majority, we will be working to provide relevant educational webinars and better communicate to small businesses owners about the vital resources the SBA offers that can help them strengthen their balance sheets and leverage the opportunities and benefits in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, CHIPS and Science Act, and the Inflation Reduction Act which will lower health and energy costs, bolster our clean energy economy and supply chains, and shrink our federal deficit – all while strengthening success pathways to the American Dream for our entrepreneurs,” said SBA Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman.
The first webinar in the series, “How to Combat Inflation as a Small Business Owner,” is scheduled for September 6.
Learn more here.
tnAcheives seeking mentors to reverse negative enrollment trends for students
tnAchieves is seeking more than 300 mentors in the Knox County area to work with local students for 2023. The organization is aiming to work through challenges created by the pandemic and create opportunities for students to reverse negative enrollment trends. The program is statewide. To learn more here.
Business Changes and Openings
Topgolf held its grand opening in Farragut earlier this month. The two-story building features 72 golf bays, outdoor patios, a restaurant, and a private event space. It is the 79th location for the Dallas-based company worldwide and expands Topgolf’s presence in Tennessee. The location will create around 300 jobs.
Nashville-based coffee shop Frothy Monkey opened this week on Gay Street. The coffee shop first announced it would open a brick-and-mortar location in June 2021 after having a space in Marble City. In addition to its locations in Nashville and Knoxville, Frothy Monkey has locations in Franklin, Chattanooga, and Birmingham.
The Double S Wine Bar is moving around the corner to the 300 block of Magnolia Avenue. Owner Steve Sansone is hoping to have the new location open by the end of September, according to an article from Inside of Knoxville. It is set to be the first business to open in a building complex that formerly held the Free Service Tire Store. Read the full article here.
