News

LAUNCH and TVFCU team up to support entrepreneurs through food truck events

July 19, 2022

LAUNCH Chattanooga, a nonprofit supporting underserved entrepreneurs, and Tennessee Valley Federal Credit Union (TVFCU) are working together to support Chattanooga’s small business community while also hosting fun lunchtime events.

Food truck owners from LAUNCH’s Kitchen Incubator of Chattanooga (KIC), a startup facility meant to support new caterers, bakers, distributors and food truck owners through affordable space and access to quality equipment, are serving lunch at the KIC in the Eastgate area and various TVFCU branches over the next several months. At these events, anyone can come out to purchase and enjoy a variety of great meals, desserts and other specialty products from local startups.

“LAUNCH exists to connect underrepresented entrepreneurs with affordable resources and training, support the local small business community and create exciting, fulfilling jobs for Chattanoogans,” said Hal Bowling, executive director of LAUNCH. “As we assist those in the food service industry through the KIC, we’re thankful for TVFCU’s support in helping our talented chefs connect with the public.”

The next monthly “Food Truck Friday” events at the KIC, located at 5704 Marline Road, will take place on August 5 and September 2 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The KIC is currently home to 20 culinary entrepreneurs who will serve barbecue, Cajun seafood, kombucha, wings, Chicago-style hot dogs, gourmet chocolates and a variety of other beverages, meals and snacks. A full list of participating vendors can be found at https://www.kitchenincchatt.org/members.

TVFCU is extending Food Truck Friday by hosting food trucks at credit union branches across the community. These events are open to the public, and each runs from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The schedule is as follows:

Date	Food Truck	Menu	TVFCU Branch	Address
July 22	Goureet Eatery	Po’ boys, salmon bites, philly cheesesteak	Southside	125 W 20th St., Chattanooga, TN 37408
July 22	Mac’s Sub & Fries	Philly cheesesteaks, subs, loaded fries	Hixson	5150 Austin Rd., Hixson, TN, 37343
August 19	Windy City Eatz	Italian beef, hot dogs, other Chicago classics	Ooltewah	6020 Relocation Way, Ooltewah, TN 37363
August 19	Soul Que	Barbecue, ribs, smoked wings, side dishes	Hamilton Place	7442 Commons Blvd., Chattanoogan, TN 37421
September 23	Nola Girls	Seafood, gumbo, jambalaya	Fort Oglethorpe	200 Alamar St., Fort Oglethorpe, GA 30742
September 23	Wings Top Tots	Chicken wings, tater tots, burgers	Highway 58	4974 TN-58, Chattanooga, TN 37416

 

“This is a unique opportunity to support local businesses while also offering our members a fun experience and a great meal,” said Marcus Cade-Johnson, TVFCU business lender and LAUNCH board member.

TVFCU’s new sponsorship with LAUNCH is one of many ways the credit union is working to support local business in its 13-county service area. For example, offerings like Idea Leap Loans provide affordable, accessible and efficient loans for business owners while the annual Idea Leap Grant allows startups to apply for grants up to $50,000.

For more information about TVFCU, including checking and savings accounts, loan products and other financial services, please visit tvfcu.com.

For more information about LAUNCH and the KIC, please visit launchchattanooga.org or kitchenincchatt.org.   

 

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About LAUNCH

Started in 2011, LAUNCH is a local non-profit entrepreneur support organization that has assisted with the start of nearly 500 new businesses. LAUNCH provides training, coaching and access to capital primarily to underrepresented entrepreneurs in Chattanooga, Tennessee. LAUNCH runs LAUNCH CHA in its work to support new entrepreneurs, LAUNCHing Bright Ideas in introducing entrepreneurship to students in area high schools, the Kitchen Incubator of Chattanooga as a shared kitchen space for food entrepreneurs and has provided training, coaching and national network affiliation to 20 partner organizations in other cities.  LAUNCH believes strongly in the ability of entrepreneurship to transform individuals and communities.  For more information, please visit LAUNCHcha.org.

 

About Tennessee Valley Federal Credit Union

Tennessee Valley Federal Credit Union (TVFCU), a not-for-profit financial cooperative, was established in 1936 when 57 Chattanooga TVA employees pooled $500 to create the member-owned credit union. Today, TVFCU serves more than 169,000 members who live, work, worship, volunteer or attend school throughout the 13-county service community. With more than $2.4 billion in assets and 22 branches throughout the area, TVFCU is the largest credit union in Southeast Tennessee. In 2021, Forbes named TVFCU Best-In-State Credit Union. For more information about TVFCU, please visit tvfcu.com.