KNOXVILLE - Pellissippi State Community College has joined community colleges across the country this week in signing a formal pledge to increase its focus on entrepreneurship and its economic impact on the community.

(L-R) Terrance Carter, Knoxville Area Urban League; Jim Biggs, Knoxville Entrepreneur Center; Anthony Wise, Pellissippi State; Cliff Claudill, Greater Score of Knoxville; Bruce Hayes, TSBDC; and Doug Minter, Knoxville Chamber, celebrate signing the entrepreneurship pledge. Photo courtesy of PS.

The National Association of Community College Entrepreneurship spearheaded the nationwide pledge. NACCE is an organization of educators, entrepreneurs and business development professionals focused on promoting entrepreneurship through community colleges.

Among other things, Pellissippi State pledges to create internal and external teams dedicated to entrepreneurship and to increase entrepreneurs' engagement with the college.

Pellissippi State supports entrepreneurship, in part, through the efforts of the Tennessee Small Business Development Center, an affiliation of the college. They collaborate to offer training opportunities and workforce development in Blount, Claiborne, Cocke, Jefferson, Knox, Sevier and Union counties.

"Our college has always been entrepreneurial in spirit, in our support for the growth of the local economy and workforce, and also in our work with students," said L. Anthony Wise, Jr., president of Pellissippi State. "Our partnership with NACCE reaffirms that commitment to develop the people, the businesses and the resources of our region."

In 2017, Pellissippi State's TSBDC served 364 clients, helped 33 new businesses start up, created 111 new jobs and retained 233 jobs. The firms that TSBDC aided went on to create more than $47.8 million in new capital investment into the local economy.

For more information about Pellissippi State, visit www.pstcc.edu or call 865-694-6400.