Holston Business Development Center
Located in the Allandale Community of Hawkins County and within the city limits of Kingsport is the Holston Business Development Center. This 13,000 square foot facility is home to several local businesses.
The main mission of the Holston Business Development Center is to provide rental space and counseling/educational services to the entrepreneurs of Hawkins County and the City of Kingport. The Holston Business Development Center houses the TSBDC (Tennessee Small Business Development Center) satellite office
assigned to serve Hawkins, Hancock, Grainger, Hamblen & Sullivan Counties.
The purpose of the TSBDC is to strengthen Tennessee’s economic growth that is based in part on small business and the ability to get products to market. If you are a small business owner, entrepreneur or you are thinking about starting a new business, then the TSBDC is the place to go for free help and advice. The TSBDC is a network of professional business consultants with 12 centers and 2 satellite offices in 14 cities throughout the State of Tennessee. The TSBDC prides itself on providing expert business advice on all types of businesses whether you are a retailer, manufacturer, service provider, or a professional. Our main purpose is to “help you help yourself”. Over 79,000 businesses, just like yours, have received help from the TSBDC’s expert counselors in the following business areas: accounting, advertising, banking, employee relations, expansion, finance, international trade, management, marketing, operations, public relations, sales training, sources of capital (funding), location analysis, & tax preparation. These are just some of the services that are provided at the Holston Business Development Center through the TSBDC.
Many places that provide the level of consulting found at the TSBDC here in Allandale tend to be non-personal. We will assign a personal consultant to work with you one-on-one. Whether your questions are about finance, marketing, operations, management or just about any business situation, we can give you help.
Regular training classes are also offered at the Holston Business Development Center. They include everything from basic classes on starting a new business to writing your business plan, marketing, finance, cash flow, & tax preparation.
Many of our clients (entrepreneurs) find that our referral services help them connect with other small business professionals that speed the formation and eventual success of their business venture along. Many times we “match make” between businesses for their mutual benefit.
A quick history of the HBDC is based on the idea for a “mixed-use” small business incubator to serve the Greater Kingsport and Hawkins County Tennessee area. This idea was conceived in 1999. Dr. William Locke, President of NSTCC and Ms. Susan Reid, Executive Director of the First Tennessee Development District, commissioned a feasibility study on a business incubator system in the Tri-Cities Tennessee region. The study confirmed a need.
Executives representing BAE Systems, TVA, Great Kingsport Area Chamber of Commerce, Hawkins County Industrial Board, TSBDC, FTDC, NSTCC, American Electric Power, City of Kingsport, Tennessee, and Hawkins County, Tennessee formed a group whose goal was to establish a “mixed-use” small business incubator.
The million dollar public/private project was completed in the summer of 2003 with the financial support of Hawkins County, City of Kingsport, BAE Systems, U.S. Economic Development Administration, Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development, and the U.S. Army Armament Retooling and Manufacturing Program. The official corporate name is Holston Business Group, incorporated on February 15, 2001 as a private not-for-profit Tennessee corporation.
The staff at the HBDC are here to help with your business concerns. All issues can be addressed and help will be provided as a free service. Both the HBDC and the local TSBDC office can be reached at (423) 578-6235 or stop by our location at 2005 Venture Park in Kingsport.
