Please join us for the UTC Gary W. Rollins College of Business'

2022 Entrepreneurship Breakfast

featuring Jennifer Pharr Davis, founder of Blue Ridge Hiking Company, 2012 National Geographic Adventurer of the Year, and member of the President's Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition.

Thursday, November 10

8 to 9:30 a.m.

UTC University Center Tennessee Room

 

Enjoy a FREE breakfast and learn more about Jennifer's entrepreneurial adventures!

UTC students, faculty, staff, and Chattanooga business leaders are invited to join us.

This event is FREE of charge, but registration is required. Please use the Register Now button below.

*Note About Event Parking*

We recommend that all community members and other non-UTC attendees park in either the Visitor Parking Garage or Lot 7 on Mocs Alumni Dr.

For more information about on-campus visitor parking, click here.

Register Now! 

About Jennifer Pharr Davis

When she was 24 years old, Jennifer Pharr Davis founded Blue Ridge Hiking Company in Asheville, North Carolina with the mission of making the trails enjoyable and accessible. Since then, her outfitter and guide service has expanded to help over 14,000 clients experience the trails in and around Western North Carolina. Her business has grown to include a downtown shop, a bunkhouse on the Appalachian Trail, and a fleet of shuttle vehicles. 

With a background as a long distance hiker, Jennifer applied the resilience and problem solving she learned on the trail to navigate the unknowns of starting a small business. 14 years of entrepreneursip has been its own long trail, providing transformational lessons that Jennifer can carry with her in all aspects of life and share with audiences through her work as a speaker and writer. 

Jennifer's advice to any want-to-be or beginning entrepreneur is to not let age or inexperience stop them from starting a business. From there, she recommends setting a strong vision, communicating clearly, not carrying too much weight and realizing that getting lost and making mistakes is all a part of the journey.

In recognition of turning her passion into a successful small business, Jennifer was awarded the Woman Up Entrepreneur of the Year Award from the Asheville Chamber in 2019. Her accomplishments as a hiker and professional have also earned her recognition as a National Geographic Adventurer of the Year and a member of the President's Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition.