Protein Snack Shop began as a hobby between husband-and-wife duo Sonny and Dana. Dana, then balancing her full-time job at Target, started making healthy, great-tasting treats at home in Smyrna Tennessee— driven by a personal commitment to wellness and feeling her best. After a year of side hustle success, she took a leap of faith and stepped away from her ...

Jennifer Horne founded Urban Campus & Core (UCC) with a vision to unlock the potential of underutilized land across Middle Tennessee. What began as a real estate consulting firm has since evolved into a mission-driven development practice focused on mixed-income communities. As UCC transitioned into a developer role, Pathway Lending provided working capital in 2022—key support in an industry where ...

While working for Project Return, a nonprofit helping formerly incarcerated individuals re-enter society, Leslie Crumpton saw an opportunity to turn her side hustle into something more. After one of the organization’s contracts ended due to the pandemic, Leslie was asked to take on the cleaning contract on her own. “I told them I wasn’t a real cleaning service” Leslie recalls, ...

For more than 47 years, Trinity Way Enrichment Center has been a cornerstone of childhood care and development in North Nashville. Katina Henderson now carries forward the legacy of this generational business, originally founded by her mother, that serves children aged six weeks to six years with a unique blend of professional childcare and faith-centered support. With a license to ...

Pathway Lending, a Nashville-based nonprofit Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) as designated by the U.S. Treasury Department, today announced that Jacque Collins has joined its office in Fort Campbell,  Jason Carr has joined its Nashville office and Kristen Munson will be part of Pathway’s Knoxville team. “Jacque, Jason and Kristen are ideal examples of the expertise and character we represent ...

In October 2024 we celebrated Pathway’s 25th anniversary in Nashville with our amazing community and partners! We are grateful for all who joined us to celebrate our impact in Middle Tennessee, as we look ahead to building even more sustainable communities over the next 25 years. Pathway also honored Mike Turney and Catfish Moving Co into our Entrepreneurship Hall of ...

In September 2024 we celebrated Pathway’s 25th anniversary in Chattanooga with our amazing community and partners! We are grateful for all who joined us to celebrate our impact in East Tennessee, as we look ahead to building even more sustainable communities over the next 25 years. Pathway also honored Sockwell, Jamel Containers, Crescent Sock Company, and Applied Thermal Coatings into ...

In August 2024 we celebrated Pathway’s 25th anniversary in Memphis, at the Ugly Art Co! We are grateful for all who joined us to celebrate our impact in West Tennessee, as we look ahead to building even more sustainable communities over the next 25 years. Pathway also honored LifeDoc Health into our Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame, for the lasting impact ...

Transitioning from military service to life as a small business owner is a mission unlike any other. It requires the same dedication, strategy, and courage that you’ve shown throughout your military career, and brings new challenges and opportunities as your business idea grows. For many veterans in Tennessee, the path to entrepreneurship begins with forming a Limited Liability Company (LLC). ...

The CDFI Extends Capital to Chattanooga’s Flatiron Heights for Historic C-PACER Deal Pathway Lending, Tennessee’s largest non-depository Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI), has partnered with Chattanooga’s Flatiron Heights on the first Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy (C-PACER) project in East Tennessee. Pathway Lending provided the capital required for energy efficiency improvements in the historic redevelopment of the building, which is ...