Businessess Booming at the BDC
Kris Simmons, owner of Fire Eye Productions
February/March 2004
Fire Eye Productions
If you’ve been to any of the major events sponsored by the Chamber or the City of Chattanooga in the past year, you’ve seen the work of Fire Eye Productions—a fresh and flourishing, full-service video and multi-media production company.
The company began when Kris Simmons, owner of Fire Eye Productions, saw a need for high-quality video and multi-media production in Chattanooga.
“I realized many medium-sized businesses needed professional video services, but I didn’t want to pay the rates larger companies charge and didn’t want to work with smaller companies lacking in experience,” says Simmons.
And so Fire Eye Productions took to the cameras in 2000. At first the business operated out of Simmons’ home. Wanting to move closer to his downtown clients and other prospective customers, Simmons moved the company into the BDC in March 2002.
“The city, the county, and the Chamber are working so hard to get small businesses the resources they need through projects like the BDC,” he says. “Since we’ve been at the BDC, we’ve grown tremendously. It’s helped me focus more on my company without the worries of finding and funding a higher rent facility.”
With well-known clients like ABC Sports, First Tennessee, and General Mills, Fire Eye Productions is continuing to expand its reach as it grows under the umbrella of the BDC.
To learn more about Fire Eye Productions, visit www.fireeyeproductions.com or call (423) 757-9585.
Larry Morphew and Virginia Webb, partners, Art Image Studio
Art Image Studio
Take two well-versed photographers who delight in art and place them in a city filled with artists who need photographs of their work. You’re looking at a great combination—one Virginia Webb and partner Larry Morphew like to call Art Image Studio.
“We knew a lot of artists in Chattanooga who had trouble finding someone to photograph their work,” says Webb. “So my partner and I decided to pool our talents and open a business to meet that need.”
Webb and Morphew went through the BDC’s small business counseling process before starting their venture.
“We had a lot of questions about whether we should be a partnership or limited liability company,” recalls Webb. “The staff at the BDC spent a lot of time explaining the differences and guiding us in the right direction. It’s such a tremendous resource center. They’re so helpful and supportive.”
Within five months of launching Art Image Studio, the partners had to double their office space at the BDC to accommodate the workflow. Since its start, the business has expanded to provide a wealth of services for artists, including the production of jury slides and digital images for advertising, portfolios, written statements, resumes, and biographies.
Need photographs of your artwork?
Call the Art Image Studio at (423) 757-8644 for more information.