Investing in Chattanooga: What It's Like to be a GIGTANK Mentor

When Steve moved to Chattanooga three years ago, he could hardly recognize the city he’d grown up in. Instead of smokestacks that filled Chattanooga with smog and earned it the nickname “the dirtiest city in America,” Steve found a thriving business atmosphere and a cultural hub.

“My wife and I were amazed at how much the city had changed since we left after high school,” Steve said. “The city has done an amazing job creating an infrastructure and a positive business environment.” 

That’s why Steve jumped at the opportunity to become a lead mentor for GIGTANK 2013, a summer-long incubator program for start-ups. Steve was asked to join the program because of his experience as senior vice president of sales at SIGNiX, a Chattanooga-based digital signature company, along with more than 25 years of sales and management experience at other companies.

“I’ve been so pleased to see technology companies like SIGNiX making Chattanooga home,” Steve said. “I’m passionate about investing in Chattanooga and helping to draw more talented young people to the city to create a thriving business environment.”

Steve has been impressed by the level of talent and expertise he’s seen in the group of seven start-ups.

“It’s a very collaborative effort across the board,” Steve said. “We’re each assigned to help out one team, but we’re pulled in different directions to help other groups that could benefit from our expertise.”

The experience of being a lead mentor with GIGTANK has already exceeded Steve’s expectations.

“I’m confident these teams have a chance to succeed, and even if they don’t, they’ll learn a great deal from this experience to move on to their next project,” Steve said. “I look forward to seeing what happens to each of these teams, and I hope I can continue to be a part of the program in the years to come.”