(Chattanooga, Tennessee, Sept. 30) — Bill Lupia was promoted to Director, Small Business and Entrepreneurship with the INCubator at the Hamilton County Business Development Center, and Austin Corcoran was promoted to Director, Talent Engagement, the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce announced today.
Lupia’s role includes cultivating a strong community of startups within the INCubator and building sustainable enterprises for Hamilton County. The Chattanooga Chamber manages the INCubator, located in the Hamilton County Business Development Center on Northshore in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
“When entrepreneurs engage with our INC., Bill Lupia is one of the first people they work with. As a leader in our startup community in Chattanooga, Bill believes strongly in the importance of advancing the aspirations of entrepreneurs, especially through the many educational and support services he and our partners deliver. Our INCubator provides an easy-to-understand start-up shop all in one place,” said Christy Gillenwater, President and CEO, Chattanooga Chamber of Commerce.
“We’re confident in Bill’s experience and talent to help start-ups with big ideas and solid business plans grow in the third largest INCubator in the country. Bill, along with our team, offers years of experience to lift up entrepreneurs so they can keep innovating,” she said.
Lupia joined the Chattanooga Chamber in 2004. Since then, Lupia has worked with more than 400 INCubator program graduates and helped create over 8,000 jobs in Chattanooga and Hamilton County. A native Texan, Lupia is a former U.S. Air Force Sergeant with commendations for his Desert Shield and Desert Storm service. Lupia, an Eagle Scout, also serves as a leader and board member of the Boy Scouts of America Cherokee Area Council. He serves on the board the Tennessee Small Business Development Center, with offices in the INCubator.
For more information on the INC. or to find out about the cool companies there, check out the INCubator business directory and information at ChattanoogaChamber.com as well as community-wide resources and where to start at StartingBlockChattanooga.com.
Corcoran oversees Chattanooga Chamber strategies for developing and retaining talent. This includes directing projects with Leadership Chattanooga, Leadership Chattanooga Alumni Association (LCAA), Young Professionals of Chattanooga (YPC), Protégé Chattanooga and ChattaNewbies.
“As our Chattanooga Chamber of Commerce has grown our work in talent attraction, retention, and leadership development, Austin Corcoran has demonstrated dedication and ingenuity. Austin has a well-earned reputation for lifting up diverse voices and advocating for inclusion throughout our community. I’m confident in his ability to grow our programs and continue our intentional inclusion of diverse voices in leadership development. These are key goals within both the Chattanooga Climbs 5-year plan for economic and talent development and the Velocity 2040 community-wide visioning plan. We applaud his commitment,” Gillenwater said.
A native Texan, Corcoran holds a bachelor’s in business administration from Bryan College. He serves as Vice President of the Rotaract Club of Chattanooga and is a board member on the Chattanooga Technology Council. Corcoran was recently accepted into the Leadership Hamilton County Schools class of 2021-22 and actively engages his local art community through participation in the ArtsBuild’s Holmberg Arts Leadership Institute cohort.
For information on applying to the Leadership Chattanooga program managed by the Chattanooga Chamber Foundation, read here.
Click here for general information about Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce and Chattanooga Chamber Foundation programs and services.
