The bad news is right now it’s just an idea. But it’s an idea UT Knoxville student Mariah Laux is ready to grow, and she’s already got her first round of funding. 

Rural Reimagined is on the ground in 65 of Tennessee’s rural counties and has helped 200 small businesses in the last year alone, always at no cost to them.

The organization will continue to draw on the existing body of programming, while also hoping to build in additional workshops and classes, like a program titled “E(xpert) Commerce” for those who want to expand their presence on sites like Shopify and eBay.

To learn more about the six companies, the public is invited to a late afternoon pitch event on July 13.

The HG&A Associates team will transition its audit, tax, and client accounting and advisory services clients to PYA.

The program will invest $200 million toward projects that spur economic activity in geographically diverse and persistently distressed communities across the country.

Here’s your weekly roundup of business news from throughout the Knoxville region.

Unlike the previously announced demonstration reactor, Hermes 2 will generate electricity.