Holly Ashley
Entrepreneur and digital media expert Gary Vaynerchuk chose Chattanooga as the newest location for his rapidly expanding digital media agency, VaynerMedia. With annual revenues north of $65 million and a continually expanding portfolio of clients with products in every category, VaynerMedia was excited to enter a new location that is “making waves as a tech hub in the Southeast,” as Vaynerchuk puts it. . Hello, Chattanooga!
Chattanooga walks the line between Entrepreneur 100 and Fortune 500, the Scenic City and Gig City, bearded dudes in oxfords and bearded dudes in white Vans. “We're really excited about what is going on in Chattanooga with the entrepreneurial scene and the encouragement and enthusiasm that the city has for technology, for startups and for entrepreneurs,” says VaynerMedia vice president Mickey Cloud, who heads up the Chattanooga office. It doesn’t hurt that people call Chattanooga the best town ever. No really, Outside Magazine said so. Twice.
VaynerMedia established its new office in the heart of Chattanooga’s newly formed Innovation District. Sure, Innovation is today’s ultimate buzzword, but there’s real substance to the name. The City of Chattanooga established the district in a public-private partnership with startups, foundations, investors and businesses that wanted to create a knowledge-dense area where ideas could thrive. It’s a 140-acre walkable, urban core full of coffee shops, micro-apartments, incubators and high-growth businesses. All within a 10-minute drive to full-on American suburbia.
Chattanooga is a city that has a ton of energy and a serious focus on hospitality. Pretty much the ideal environment for a company whose culture is a mix of hard work, kindness, fun – and a ton of personality. Yep, VaynerMedia fits right in here.
