Tia Capps
The Company Lab has hired Tia Capps as the organization's first communications director. In this new role, Ms. Capps will be responsible for managing press relations, establishing community outreach programs, and promoting CO.LAB, CO.STARTERS, GIGTANK and the Gig City to local and national audiences, among a number of other duties.
As the former writer and communications coordinator for the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce, Ms. Capps brings a background in strategic communications to her new position, as well as a working knowledge of Chattanooga's economic and entrepreneurial assets. While at the Chattanooga Chamber, she served as the managing editor of Business Trend magazine, the script writer for Taking Care of Business – the organization's public affairs TV program – and a resource to both the local media and key Chamber constituencies. Ms. Capps also regularly collaborated with a team to publicize Chattanooga's business assets to audiences across the nation and globe.
“We are thrilled to have Tia on CO.LAB's team,” said Mike Bradshaw, executive director of CO.LAB. “The Chattanooga Chamber has been one of CO.LAB's biggest supporters since the beginning, and we see this transition as an opportunity to further strengthen ties within the communities we serve. Moving forward, Tia will play a leading role in continuing the development of our entrepreneurial ecosystem, working closely with our partners in the region.”
Over the last three years, Ms. Capps has provided communications support for a number of local initiatives. In 2012, the messaging she developed for the Chamber's international business diversity initiative earned her nomination and subsequent designation as an “Opportunity Leader” for Opportunity Nation, a bi-partisan coalition of opportunity advocates working to increase economic and social mobility across the U.S. She also has served on the GIGTANK Communications Committee, Entrepreneurial Alliance of Chattanooga, Chattanooga Area Manager of the Year Coordinating Committee, Southeast Tennessee STEM Hub Communications Committee and United Way of Greater Chattanooga Visioning Committee. She is currently a member of the 2013-2014 Protégé Chattanooga class.
Ms. Capps has a bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Georgia, where she majored in public relations and double-minored in English and Spanish.
The Company Lab exists to support the startup community in Chattanooga and the surrounding region through programs, events and services. Operating under the believe that entrepreneurial thinking is the foundation of our community's future, CO.LAB has devised a system to foster the startup spirit, which can be used as a model for entrepreneurial communities across the nation.
Visit http://colab.co to learn more.