The public is invited to the grand opening celebration for the new Cumberland Business Incubator on Thursday, July 14 at Roane State Community College’s Cumberland County campus.
The ribbon-cutting ceremony begins at 1 p.m. Central. Tours of the facility and other activities will begin at 10 a.m. Central.
“The CBI is a great example of how local, state and federal resources can help small business grow and contribute to economic development in the community,” said Robert Safdie, director of the CBI. “Please join us as we celebrate the opening of a place where entrepreneurs can develop their ideas into strong businesses that create jobs.”
The $1.28 million Cumberland Business Incubator (CBI) will help promote economic growth in the region by supporting the growth of small businesses. According to the U.S. Commerce Department’s Economic Development Administration (EDA), the project is expected to create more than 120 jobs in the area. Construction began in July 2010.
“In one location and at an affordable cost, entrepreneurs can have office space, access to business services, assistance from expert advisors and encouragement to turn their dreams into viable businesses,” Safdie said. “Small businesses are the engine that drives the economy, and the CBI will play an important role in developing new small businesses for this community.”
The grand opening celebration will include free food (lunch), free music, tours, free business advisement from the SBDC and CBI’s business advisors, an art show by Cumberland Artists for Creative Expression, a poster presentation by students (grades 7-9) in the CBI’s Mind Your Own Business summer camp, free massages and much more.
The schedule of the day’s events can be found at HYPERLINK “https://www.cumberlandincubator.com” www.cumberlandincubator.com.
“We are going to have a lot of fun,” Safdie said. “This is a great day for the community, and we want everyone to come and join in the celebration.”
Scheduled speakers for the 1 p.m. ribbon-cutting ceremony include State Sen. Charlotte Burks, D-Monterey; State Rep. Cameron Sexton, R-Crossville; Cumberland County Mayor Kenneth Carey Jr.; Crossville Mayor J.H. Graham III; ECD Assistant Commissioner Will Alexander; Roane State President Dr. Gary Goff; and other dignitaries from across the State.
Financing for the CBI was supported with federal, state and local resources. The Cumberland County Commission and Crossville City Council each committed $250,000 for construction of the CBI. In addition, Roane State received an $880,000 grant from the EDA.
The Tennessee Board of Regents, which oversees the state’s public community colleges and the public universities outside the University of Tennessee system, made land available for constructing the building on Roane State’s Cumberland County campus. Roane State operates the CBI.
Partners in the project, in addition to Roane State and the county and city, include the Crossville-Cumberland County Chamber of Commerce, Tennessee Technological University, the Cumberland County School System, and the Tennessee Technology Center at Crossville.
The incubator is a 10,000-square-foot, energy efficient business facility with nine office areas and three bays suitable for light manufacturing operations. The building has a break room, a conference room, receptionist area, mail room, shipping and receiving area for large packages, security, Internet and phone services. The CBI can support up to 12 entrepreneurs at a time.
For more information about the grand opening or the CBI’s services, contact Robert Safdie, director of the CBI at (931) 456-4910 or [email protected].
The day’s activities
Where: Cumberland Business Incubator on Roane State’s Cumberland County campus, 2569 Cook Road, Crossville
• 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m.: Free tours of the CBI
• 10 a.m.- noon: Free professional business advisement sponsored by Small Business Development Centers and CBI’s business advisors
• 10:30 a.m.-4 p.m.: Cumberland Artists for Creative Expression (CACE) art show and exhibit of local artists
• 11 a.m.-noon: Poster presentation by Mind Your Own Business summer campers (students in grades 7-9)
• 11:30 a.m.-12:45 p.m.: Free BBQ lunch compliments of the City of Crossville. John Teeples will be smoking his famous BBQ. Food servers provided by Junior Achievement.
• 11:45 a.m.-12:45 p.m.: Free 10-minute massages sponsored by Caring Touch Therapeutic Massage and Nature’s Way Massage
• Noon-12:45 p.m.: Music and entertainment by Walter Tollett and the Trackside Band
• 1 p.m.-1:45 p.m.: Ribbon-cutting ceremony featuring state Sen. Charlotte Burks, state Rep. Cameron Sexton, Cumberland County Mayor Kenneth Carey Jr., Crossville Mayor J.H. Graham III, ECD Assistant Commissioner Will Alexander, Roane State President Dr. Gary Goff and other dignitaries from across the State.
