2026 Chattanooga Company Milestones

50 Years

University Surgical Associates

Photos Courtesy of University Surgical Associates

 

University Surgical Associates (USA) was established for two reasons: “to deliver excellent surgical care to this community and to train the next generation of surgeons,” says CEO Dr. Katie Duffy.

Founded in 1976 by Dr. Phillip Burns and Dr. Joel Clements, the surgical practice quickly began recruiting colleagues to Chattanooga and expanded its services to include pediatric surgery, surgical oncology, and more, allowing patients to receive high-quality surgical care close to home.

Today, what began as a two-surgeon practice has evolved into one of the largest multi-specialty surgical groups in the Southeast, with convenient locations across the Chattanooga area and partnerships with local hospital systems. USA’s team now consists of more than 30 surgeons and other healthcare professionals and 200 employees providing services across 16 surgical specialties.

While USA has grown and evolved over the years, Dr. Duffy says, “We’ve never lost sight of what matters: putting patients first. USA remains committed to treating every life we touch like family, while creating an environment that ensures our physicians, staff, and surgical trainees feel encouraged and supported.”

Dedicated to remaining at the forefront of quality surgical care, USA has been instrumental in bringing several surgical firsts to Chatta-nooga, including the city’s first pediatric, trauma, colorectal, and pancreatic surgeons. The practice also helped perform one of the first kidney transplants, stereotactic breast biopsies, and endovascular surgeries in the region and has adopted innovative technologies over the years.

And, according to Dr. Duffy, the practice has no plans to stop there. “We’re constantly exploring opportunities to better serve patients through new systems, services, and strategic partnerships. In every new endeavor, we will continue to put patients first as we have for the past 50 years,” she shares.

To celebrate its anniversary, USA hosted a company-wide employee appreciation event in February and is inviting patients to share their stories throughout the year. “We couldn’t have accomplished 50 years of service without support from our team, the community, and our referral partners, so we’re celebrating those who have helped us get here,” says Dr. Duffy.

“Our vision is to continue providing quality care throughout the region for another 50 years and beyond, allowing patients to access exceptional, compassionate surgical care without having to leave their community,” she finishes.

60 Years

Chattanooga State Community College

Photos Courtesy of Chattanooga State Community College

 

When Chattanooga State Community College was founded in 1965, it made history as the very first two-year degree-granting, technical post-secondary institute in the state of Tennessee. Originally called Chattanooga State Technical Institute, the college’s purpose, as stated in its catalog, was “to educate persons whose interest and activities are directed primarily toward the engineering or other scientific technologies.”

A year after its founding, the college received 75 acres of land on what is now Amnicola Highway, located along the Tennessee River. Today, the location remains the site of its main campus, which has grown to encompass 150 acres.

While its early programs focused on engineering, Chattanooga State has continually adapted to meet the evolving needs of the local workforce. Since its start, the college has grown from approximately seven degrees to 132 degrees and certificates, plus 21 TCAT diploma and certificate programs.

These programs are built in direct partnership with local employers, spanning nursing, logistics, CDL training, and nuclear technologies in addition to flagship programs in healthcare, business, skilled trades, and its founding focus of engineering. Today, 35% of awarded degrees are in nursing and allied health, with growing apprenticeship programs providing on-site experience. Chattanooga State also strives to build pathways for local high school students as well as transfers to area institutions for continued education.

“Chattanooga State has endured because we stay focused on innovation, we listen to our community, and we respond to the workforce needs of our region while supporting our students,” says President Dr. Rebecca Ashford.

Driven by its purpose to “support and empower everyone in our community to learn without limits” and create pathways to family-sustaining wages, Chattanooga State has continuously seen measurable improvements in student outcomes. Recent successes have included a 7% increase in the number of first-time, full-time freshmen who graduate in three years, and increased overall success rates for students after introducing seven-week classes in 2021.

To date, Chattanooga State has awarded 60,000 credentials, a fitting number, as the college celebrated its 60th anniversary in 2025. The year was packed with celebratory events, including a birthday party for the campus, as well as a special anniversary logo.

Moving forward, Dr. Ashford says, “We are doubling down on career outcomes to improve the lives of our students, their families, the companies they work for, and our community.”

90 Years

Tennessee Valley Federal Credit Union

Photos Courtesy of Tennessee Valley Federal Credit Union

 

While Tennessee Valley Federal Credit Union (TVFCU) has changed in many ways over the past 90 years, its guiding principle of “people helping people” remains the same. The credit union was built upon this philosophy when it was chartered in 1936 as the Chattanooga TVA Employees Federal Credit Union by 57 Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) employees and their combined resources of $500.

While TVFCU’s membership was originally limited to salaried TVA employees and their families, it would later expand eligibility to include trade and hourly labor employees, and in 1983, began accepting Select Employee Groups (SEGs) beyond TVA. To reflect this growth, the company changed its name in 1994 to Tennessee Valley Federal Credit Union.

Today, what began as a small, volunteer-run credit union has grown to serve 174,000 members, with assets totaling more than $3 billion. TVFCU remains headquartered in Chattanooga, now at 535 Chestnut Street, and operates 29 branch locations across 17 counties in Tennessee and North Georgia.

“That growth didn’t happen overnight, and it didn’t happen by accident. It came from intentionally expanding our field of membership while staying committed to understanding the unique needs of each community we serve,” says CEO Todd Fortner.

Over the years, TVFCU has embraced new technology to make banking more accessible for members, from being among the first credit unions to offer online banking with a floppy disk in the ‘80s to introducing Interactive Teller Machines (ITMs) in 2015, enabling members to conduct transactions and receive live assistance outside of traditional banking hours.

“Beyond technology and growth, TVFCU’s most meaningful success lies in the lives it has impacted,” adds Fortner. “For generations of members, the credit union has been there for countless ‘firsts’: a first savings account, a first car loan, a first home, and a first business loan.”

TVFCU has many plans in store for its anniversary year, including a “Summer of Magic,” where each week one member could be surprised with $1,936 – a nod to TVFCU’s founding year. On its official birthday of June 5, 2026, TVFCU looks forward to marking the occasion at its branches, with a special 90th-anniversary TVFCU Riverfront Nights community celebration held the next day.

120 Years

Girls Preparatory School

Photos Courtesy of Girls Preparatory School

 

In 1906, three visionary educators would revolutionize educational options for girls in Chattanooga. It all began when Tommie Payne Duffy and Eula Lea Jarnagin, two Chattanooga High School teachers, petitioned the school board to allow girls to attend the high school for a fourth year to prepare for college. When the board denied their request, they decided to take matters into their own hands, and they recruited fellow teacher Grace McCallie to join them in creating a school for girls. The women hired a fourth teacher, Chloe Thompson, and spent the summer remodeling McCallie’s home on Oak Street. On September 12, 1906, Girls Preparatory School (GPS) officially opened for the school year.

The school quickly grew and continued to pioneer opportunities for girls in Chattanooga, including establishing the city’s first girls’ basketball league in 1909. Rising enrollment numbers required larger buildings, and in 1947, the cornerstone of the current GPS campus was laid at 205 Island Avenue. Today, GPS remains committed to girls’ education as the only independent school for girls in the region, with a mission of “inspiring each girl to lead a life of integrity and purpose by engaging her mind, cultivating her strengths, and nurturing her self-confidence and respect for others.”

“The vision of the founders was to provide girls the same educational opportunities available to their male peers so they could be successful in college and their careers. GPS was founded on the belief that girls deserve every opportunity to learn, lead, and thrive. That belief remains just as vital today,” says Megan D. Cover, head of school.

Over a century since its founding, GPS has educated generations of girls, all while balancing innovation with tradition. Students wear the same dress uniform established in 1924 and participate in time-honored school traditions such as May Day, Winterim, Ring Day, and Cat-Rat, where seniors welcome new sixth graders. At the same time, GPS continually adapts its educational approaches and extracurricular offerings in response to student interest and the latest research on how girls learn best, which Cover notes has been key to the school’s success.

Cover says that some exciting campus enhancements are in store for GPS’s 120th anniversary year, and that the school will continue its commitment to “honoring the past and focusing on the future.”

130 Years

The Incline Railway

Photos Courtesy of CARTA

 

The transformation of Lookout Mountain into a tourist destination in the late 19th century paved the way for one of Chattanooga’s most iconic attractions: the Incline Railway. While the first rail car made its way up the mountain in 1887, taking around an hour to reach the top, a second incline cut this travel time in half a decade later.

This new incline was thanks to John T. Crass, a railroad worker with a vision for a faster rail climbing straight up the mountain. Designed by Jo Conn Guild, Sr. and Lynn White, the Incline Railway opened in 1895, initially running on coal before transitioning to electric power in 1911.

In 1973, the Chattanooga Area Regional Transportation Authority (CARTA) took over operation of the Incline and oversaw improvements in the following years. The current St. Elmo station was built in 1985 and new rail cars were introduced in 1987 and again in 2020, adding modern amenities to the Incline while maintaining its historic charm.

Today, the Incline Railway remains a popular attraction, welcoming more than 200,000 riders each year on what is now a seven-minute trip up the mountain. With its steepest grade reaching 72.7 degrees and a 4,750-foot railway, the Incline takes the title of the steepest and longest funicular in North America.

“What makes the Incline truly special is that the experience itself has never changed. While Chattanooga’s skyline and the rail cars have evolved over time, the ride up Lookout Mountain still feels just as it did in 1895,” says CARTA CEO, Charles D. Frazier.

As an outdoor attraction, the Incline has also endured natural disasters. In December 2024, a wildfire swept across the mountain and damaged sections of the Incline’s historic track and specialized cable system. However, after seven months of careful restoration, the Incline is back to running up the mountain once more.

On November 16, 2025, the Incline Railway marked its 130th anniversary with $1.30 tickets and a lively celebration at the St. Elmo station. Now, looking to the future, Frazier says the Incline is aiming to be “more than just a ride,” with plans to reimagine it into a full destination experience.

“The Incline’s future is all about making each journey up the mountain truly memorable while continuing the legacy of ‘America’s Most Amazing Mile,’” he finishes.

140 Years

Fowler Brothers Co. Home & Patio

Photos Courtesy of Fowler Brothers Co. Home & Patio

 

Fowler Brothers Co. Home & Patio’s story begins in 1885 with door-to-door salesman James G. Sterchi. After a year of selling goods from a horse-drawn buggy, Sterchi and his brother opened a furniture store in Knoxville, marking the start of the family’s foray into the furniture business. In 1911, the company moved into Chattanooga when John O. Fowler, who had married into the Sterchi family, opened a store near the Tivoli Theatre. Fowler Brothers Company was incorporated in 1923 and quickly became a local household name.

“From there, the family just kept evolving,” says Carter Fowler, president and CEO. “Eventually, my father, Richard Fowler, Sr., took the reins and really changed the furniture game at the time. He saw how much people loved their outdoor spaces and launched The Patio Shop in the ‘80s. It then became a huge part of our identity; as a lot of people probably remember us as ‘The Furniture Shoppe and The Patio Shop.’ Today, as the fifth generation to lead this company, I’m proud to continue carrying that same legacy forward.”

Key to Fowler Brothers’ success has been its willingness to adapt. When the retail world shifted to suburban malls in the ‘60s, Fowler Brothers relocated to its current campus off I-24 and created a gallery-style showroom where customers could browse styled rooms instead of rows of furniture.

Now in the era of big-box furniture stores and online shopping, Fowler Brothers continues to evolve. In 2020, the company rebranded as Fowler Brothers Co. Home & Patio and has since renovated its showroom and launched a new website.

Last year, Fowler Brothers celebrated its 140th anniversary with family, friends, and lifelong Fowler Brothers shoppers, and that same year, it won the Apollo Award from the International Casual Furnishings Association, which Fowler describes as the “Oscar of the outdoor furniture world.” He adds, “To win that while celebrating our 140th anniversary felt like the perfect bridge between our history and our future.”

“At the end of the day, though, our biggest success is the fact that we’ve kept the business in the family for five generations. Seeing the children of customers we served 40 years ago walk through our doors to buy furniture for their first homes – that’s the win that keeps us going,” finishes Fowler.

150 Years

Notre Dame High School

Photos Courtesy of Notre Dame High School

 

While Notre Dame High School currently serves as a coeducational high school, it didn’t begin that way. The institution originally opened in 1876 as an all-girls finishing school called Notre Dame de Lourdes, established by the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia in Nashville. In the 150 years since, Notre Dame has evolved to meet the needs of each era, serving as an orphanage, a K-12 school, and today, a Catholic high school.

Notre Dame’s history has been one of continual growth. After its founding, enrollment began to soar, and in 1898, the school began educating both girls and boys. In 1954, the school grew yet again when it became inter-parochial, serving multiple parishes in the area.

After relocating several times due to these rising enrollment numbers, Notre Dame moved to its current location at 2701 Vermont Avenue in 1965. In the years since, the school has invested in its campus, including a major campus renovation in 2001 that added a new wing with a library and multimedia center, and the construction of the John Varallo Athletic Center and Classroom Annex in 2009.

“While the structure and programs have changed, the heart of the mission has remained constant. In every era, Notre Dame has existed to educate the whole person – intellectually, spiritually, and morally. Our purpose has always been to prepare young people not only for academic success, but for lives of faith, service, and integrity. In short, while the form of Notre Dame has adapted across generations, its mission has always been the same: to prepare scholars and saints,” says Head of School Eric Schexnaildre, class of ‘96.

At 150 years, Notre Dame is the oldest private high school in the Chattanooga area, with a longstanding legacy that Schexnaildre says has “endured because it was founded on faith and sustained by community.”

With the theme “Onward to Victory,” Notre Dame plans to celebrate its 150th jubilee all year long. The festivities began with a kick-off Mass featuring a blessing from Pope Leo XIV to commemorate the day the Sisters of St. Cecilia arrived in Chattanooga. “We will host events throughout the year, including a luncheon for all former teachers and staff in April, a special alumni weekend in July, and a family event in September,” adds Schexnaildre. “We are looking forward to sustaining our mission for the next 150 years!”