MADISONVILLE, Tenn. - A Monroe County computer software design and development company is Tennessee's small business of the year.
Mike and Cathy Hamilton were guests at the Monroe County Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday to accept the award for MCH Corp. from Walter Perry, district director for the U.S. Small Business Administration in Tennessee.
"Michael's company typifies what we at the SBA want to have happen in all counties of Tennessee; growing the economy and creating jobs," Perry said. "How we do that is providing counseling for those who want to start a business or expand a business."
Hamilton had worked for a San Jose, Calif., software company before a visit to Monroe County with his wife. He said that, as an avid fisherman, he was attracted to the outdoors here and the business-friendly atmosphere. The Hamiltons moved to Sweetwater, Tenn., and founded MCH Corp. in 1999 with a contract for services at nearby Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
Over 21 months, the company grew from two to 12 employees.
"We have some strong prospects," Hamilton said. "It looks like we will hire 26 by the end of the year. Probably 15 to 18 will be our employees and the rest will be private contractors."
They also have a second office in Albuquerque, N.M., with three employees and two contractors to support Air Force services, he said.
Hamilton said he moved to Tennessee "for more personal reasons, because of its natural beauty and the people. We wanted to live in a place not concreted over. Not hearing the crickets at night bothered me," he said.
The Hamiltons plan to be in their new office here, now under construction, late this year.
They had turned to the Tennessee Small Business Development Center at Cleveland State Community College for advice as a start-up business and to become a government contractor.
Their business has created jobs and is expected to create more to service contracts with commercial and government agencies, including the departments of Energy and Homeland Security, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the Air Force and Marine Corps,
Monroe County is in the five-county service area for the small business development office in Cleveland, on the Cleveland State campus. Brenda Sheehy, office director, noted the service is free to entrepreneurs.
The Hamiltons also turned to their local bank, Peoples Bank of East Tennessee in Sweetwater, for financial backing.
Since October 1, 2010, the start of the federal budget year, four SBA-backed loans have been issued in Monroe County, totaling more than $3 million. In the previous federal fiscal year, there were none.
"So the arrows are pointed in the right direction," Perry said.
Contact Randall Higgins at rhiggins@timesfreepress.com or 423-314-1029.