The Chattanooga Chamber of Commerce names high-tech outdoor experiences company Adventure Sports Innovation; direct to consumer bike company American Bicycle Group; local distillery Chattanooga Whiskey; freight news source FreightWaves; consultative manufacturer of high quality hemp extracts Landrace Bioscience and workforce retention platform WorkHound as finalists for the 2019 Spirit of Innovation Award.
The Spirit of Innovation Awards honor businesses that originated in the region and have potential to impact many people and inspire change either within one industry or across a broader spectrum.
A volunteer-led committee made up of community business and tech leaders selects finalists based on their applications. They also select the Spirit of Innovation Award recipient after site visits to each finalist business.
The Chattanooga Chamber of Commerce honors finalist companies and names an award recipient at the Spirit of Innovation Awards Wednesday, Oct. 23, at The Signal from 5:30-8 p.m. Registration is available here.
About Spirit of Innovation finalists:
When thinking about high-tech experiences, outdoor play and fun transportation may not be the first things to spring to mind. Until now. Adventure Sports Innovation’s mission is to pioneer new technology for outdoor experiences, enabling our community to explore and experience recent inventions and innovations in a fun and safe environment. This company is disrupting the existing adventure sports model through experts who provide exhibitions, demonstration rides and training sessions in a low-risk environment at an affordable price.
Traditionally, when shopping for a mountain or road bike, consumers go to a local bike shop and choose a bike that was ordered a year ago and has been sitting on the showroom floor waiting for a home. American Bicycle Group has a different philosophy. Whether you’re looking for a bike to climb mountains, complete a triathlon or to shred ounces, ABG has a bike for you. Ordering through ABG lets consumers customize tires, color and much more. The bike ships to consumers' doorsteps and only needs two tools to put together and maintain.
Chattanooga Whiskey challenged prohibition era laws to bring their distillery to Chattanooga. And did we mention they have the only Experimental Distillery in the country? Let’s raise a glass to Chattanooga Whiskey’s spirit of innovation.
The freight industry and the companies working in this space often rely on data that is months old while shipping decisions are made within 48 hours of the shipment. FreightWaves harnesses traditional journalistic information gathering to ensure the latest stories and data are shared with the freight community. FreightWaves also created SONAR, the first real-time market analytics platform designed to deliver data contributing to rate fluctuations.
In December 2018, U.S. Congress passed the Farm Bill which allows industrialized hemp to be cultivated, processed and sold. Processed hemp can be turned into cannabinoids or CBD and sold to consumers looking for a calming effect or decreased inflammation. CBD is non-intoxicating and naturally derived. Landrace Bioscience acted as a part of Tennessee’s provisional pilot licensing program for hemp processing before the Farm Bill passed. Landrace Bioscience has moved multiple CBD products into the patent protection space and is revamping the CBD supply chain through innovative processing solutions.
Workforce development is tricky, especially when considering workforce retention and engaging non-desk employees. WorkHound helps people love what they do by providing a platform for real-time, anonymous employee feedback collected via an easy to use platform.