2023-24 Annual Report

This past year has been transformational and transitional for The Enterprise Center, as we experienced significant growth while staying true to the organization’s mission and goal — to unite people, organizations and technology to build an advanced and inclusive future for the communities we serve. 

The 2023-24 year was one of expansion —Tech Goes Home extended its reach across the state, as we partnered with a record number of organizations, grew our breadth of programming and launched a statewide push to double the number of learners we’ve reached since 2015 over just the next two years. 

Tech Goes Home also expanded in Hamilton County and the surrounding 10-county region in Southeast Tennessee thanks to funding through the State of Tennessee’s Department of Economic and Community Development, committing to reaching more than 3,000 local graduates. Even as our partnerships and footprint grow to meet the needs of disconnected Tennesseans across the state, Tech Goes Home Chattanooga remains the foundation and focus of our digital literacy efforts.

Through Innovative Workforce and Economy efforts, we continue to welcome guests to our city and showcase collaboration across the Innovation District, as well as invest in training for 21st century jobs and build networks bridging our community’s talent with dynamic employers. .

Demonstrating the organization’s commitment to placemaking and improved public health, home improvement projects are underway in Historic Orchard Knob through the TVA Connected Communities initiative, and work continues for expanding that programming in other Chattanooga neighborhoods through a $786K federal Housing and Urban Development award. 

And a connected community begins on Floor Five, where we hosted hundreds of organizations and tens of thousands of individuals this year — for everything from city visits to an international technology conference to Shakespeare rehearsals. And Chattamatters reached more residents than ever with crucial information about local government, community, and how to get involved. 

Our mission continues to thrive and grow through every branch of our work in connection — more connected communities; healthy, engaged residents; and collaboration and dynamic workforce. We’re proud of all our team and communities accomplished this past year, together, and we look forward to continuing the vital partnerships that make this work possible.

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More Connected Communities

Tech Goes Home: The Tech Goes Home team’s diligence and planning, with the support of the board, led to the application and granting of Tech Goes Home’s largest financial award from the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development. The $1.9M in awards will support additional classes for 3,300 participants in Southeast Tennessee to reach a cumulative 15,000 learners through 2025 — expanding both Tech Goes Home’s signature suite of programming and workforce development partnerships. 

Tech Goes Home continued to collaboratively grow the program across the state. A partnership with the Metropolitan Action Commission and the government of Nashville and Davidson County will support the joint TechTies serving more than 1,000 residents through Tech Goes Home Tennessee. 

Now four years strong, TGH’s partnership with the Southeast Tennessee Development District and Area Agency on Aging and Disability supported nearly 1,000 seniors across the region, centered here in Hamilton County.

Even as Tech Goes Home programs continue to grow in the Nashville and Knoxville metro areas, Southeastern Tennessee and the 10-county area, Chattanooga and Hamilton County remain the beating — and innovative — heart of our digital inclusion work. With new host sites every month alongside partnerships nearly a decade old, TGH local classes more than doubled year-over-year in FY 2024.

“At the time I decided to take this class I had made up my mind — computers and the internet were not going away. I was tired of asking others to do things for me where computers are concerned. Since taking the class, I have learned not to be afraid to try things. I am grateful to have been able to take this class with others that are learning and benefit from their questions. You don’t know what you don’t know. Not only was taking this class WELL worth my time, I would most certainly take more classes until I feel confident on my own.”

—63-year-old TGH learner

Tech Goes Home Early Childhood Education: Our partnership with Signal Centers’ Child Care Resource and Referral, and Tennessee DHS, connects early childhood educators with regional technology coaches across the state to build foundational tech skills to advance their careers.

This 15-hour coursework helps early childhood educators build confidence using technology and streamline some job processes to support their day-to-day work — vital skills as Tennessee continues to invest in, and our communities depend on, the availability of high quality early childhood education. Tech Goes Home ECE partnered with more than 260 organizations across the state to reach more than 500 learners this year.

“Now that I’ve taken the Tech Goes Home class, I can do payroll more efficiently and without hesitance. I learned how to use Canva to make certificates and our newsletter. Tech Goes Home takes away the intimidation of using a computer and makes me more confident in being able to create or use any documents online.” 

— TGH ECE Graduate

HCS EdConnect powered by EPB: What started as a program to keep students in school during the pandemic is now in its fifth year of transforming what it means to attend school in Hamilton County. In the home of the world’s fastest community-wide internet, HCS EdConnect powered by EBP helps more families than ever access broadband. 

HCS EdConnect is a nationally recognized public-private partnership providing high speed internet service at no charge to qualifying students and their families. HCS EdConnect serves nearly 28,000 Hamilton County residents, including more than 16,000 local students. 

“Hamilton County Schools believes that access to the internet is an essential part of our students’ ability to learn beyond the classroom and of their families’ ability to stay connected with us,” said Justin Robertson, Superintendent of Hamilton County Schools.  An evaluation in partnership with the Boston College Lynch School of Education and the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga highlighted some of the program’s early success, publishing findings from an analysis of the first three years of impact, on students and families alike. 

Students enrolled in EdConnect, for example, typically showed higher achievement growth than peers, enrolled households demonstrated consistent use of technology for academic and personal purposes, from accessing grades and communicating with schools and to scheduling medical appointments and seeking employment.

EdConnect continues to make financial difference for families, and one that allows them to reinvest in their students: “We have had a great experience with HCS EdConnect” a parent at Apison Elementary and East Hamilton Middle schools told us. “The extra money from not having to pay that bill allowed me to sign the kids up for extracurriculars like swim team and gymnastics that they weren’t able to be in before.”

Healthy, Engaged Residents 

TVA Connected Communities: Through the TVA Connected Community grant in Historic Orchard Knob, The Enterprise Center partnered with residents of historic Orchard Knob, along with organizations including TVA, Parkridge Hospital, EPB, Chattanooga Design Studio, and Habitat for Humanity to design and implement strategic interventions aimed at reducing the disproportionately poor health outcomes of residents of all ages in Historic Orchard Knob.

TEC sought to improve health and well-being by addressing the social determinants of health through improvement to physical infrastructures, social infrastructure and healthy living.

Residents of Historic Orchard Knob gained access to home improvement funding and digital literacy classes. The foundation of this work, however, was not in the grant implementation but in the relationship and trust building TEC team members established within the community. 

As part of the grant, Erika Roberts, a facilitator and poet, led a series of engaging poetry workshops designed to unite the diverse voices and experiences of the Historic Orchard Knob community. 

Across five interactive sessions, residents explored their creativity, shared personal stories, and collaborated to craft a collective poem that captures the essence of their community, even as it continues to undergo change. Central to the TVA partnership was exactly this idea: Making Orchard Knob healthier, safer and more connected without displacing or erasing what defines it.

Chattamatters: Chattamatters explains local government and tell the stories that connect Chattanoogans to the place we call home.

In order to have a healthy local democracy, our community needs access to civic information, and, in winter 2024, a partnership between The Enterprise Center’s Chattamatters, WTCI PBS, WUTC and La Paz Chattanooga launched Our Voices | Chattanooga with the aim of increasing civic engagement and understanding and addressing low youth voter turnout. 

This year, Chattamatters was able to greatly expand its reach, providing important (and, often, entertaining) information to the people of Chattanooga and Hamilton County. Chattamatters covered everything from zoning changes to school district policy in FY 2024, and increased its subscriber base roughly four-folds. Anyone can access Chattamatters for free, on the platforms they already use. In addition to our online presence, we appear on TV (EPB Channel 301) and radio (WUTC and Hits96). 

Collaboration and a Dynamic Workforce

Floor Five continues to be a dynamic space and extension of The Enterprise Center’s commitment to economic development in Chattanooga and Hamilton County. It’s a parallel of what works in Chattanooga — relationships and partnerships can grow when given space to thrive.

The Enterprise Center and Floor Five continued to serve as a front door to Chattanooga’s Innovation District, serving nearly 15,000 guests across more than 800 events. From hosting internship programs and conferences for programmers to Shakespeare rehearsals, Floor Five creates an accessible community space for innovation, networking and more.

The Enterprise Center serves as a gateway to sharing success stories from the Innovation District and our downtown. As host to more than 20 tours of the downtown area, TEC leaders invite guests to experience both the dynamic, foundational partnerships that support initiatives across the city and county and the natural beauty of the area.

Don Warren, Mayor of Tyler, Texas, shared that he was inspired by the tour led by The Enterprise Center.

Hamilton County Residents Gain Workforce-Ready Skills Through Tech Goes Home

While TEC is eager to demonstrate all Chattanooga has to offer, the organization worked hard to ensure what inspires our national visitors is accessible to all Chattanoogans. Workforce development for the ever-evolving innovation economy was another key area of growth.

Tech Goes Home Chattanooga was awarded funding across the 10-county region in Southeast Tennessee for more than 1,700 individuals in a specific workforce program. Through partnerships with Chattanooga State Community College, Cleveland State Community College, the City of Chattanooga, and Chattanooga 2.0, graduates will gain access to workforce-ready programs that incorporate Tech Goes Home programming as part of their training.

Networking & Neurodiversity: Networking and Neurodiversity, a workforce development initiative developed to connect neurodiverse job seekers with networking opportunities, hosted more than 320 attendees across four events on Floor Five at The Edney. 

TEC’s Networking & Neurodiversity Initiative aims to bridge the gap between neurodiverse job seekers and employers, fostering a more competitive and inclusive workforce ecosystem. The events provide a platform for meaningful conversations, idea exchange, and networking. These events are an opportunity to educate about and showcase employers’ commitment to diversity and inclusion while creating connections that can lead to successful employment relationships.

The planning committee for this program identified strategic growth objectives for reaching more participants, diversifying the program’s offerings including a 2025 summit for employers, and driving employer education and engagement moving forward.  

To view our most recent fiscal year audit in full, you can click here.