Now in its 10th year, the UTC College of Business Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame recently inducted Samuel H. Campbell Jr., Harriet Babcock Campbell Cooper and Victor “Pete” Serodino.
The Hall of Fame honors the entrepreneurial heritage of Chattanooga with both contemporary and pioneering local entrepreneurs. It serves as a lasting tribute to the inductees and as an inspiration to current students who may have aspirations toward owning their own business.
Wall photos and bios of those inducted into the Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame are located on the third floor of Fletcher Hall, outside the office of the dean of the College of Business Administration.
Chattanooga Bakery was founded in 1902. Its early owners were Campbell family members and other friends and relatives. While some members of the Campbell family were involved in operations with the company since its founding, Sam H. Campbell Jr. and his wife, Harriet Babcock Campbell, recapitalized and revitalized the company in 1939. Mr. Campbell was president of the company until his untimely death in 1950, and Mrs. Harriet Babcock Campbell Cooper was chairman of the board until she died in 1989. The Campbell family continues as owners and operators today.
Victor “Pete” Serodino has been active in all phases of the inland marine industry. Serodino Inc. designs, builds, operates and repairs towboats, river excursion boats (including the Southern Belle) and barges, handling over 2 million tons of cargo on the Tennessee River annually. The company was established in 1933 in Chattanooga. It has five subsidiaries that provide bulk terminal services, intermodal transfer of heavy cargo, design-build services, construction of steel forms for bridge construction, and steel galvanizing.
The College of Business thanks Clarence E. Harris and Bobbye F. Harris, who have supported the efforts of the College of Business at The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga to instill the entrepreneurial spirit in our students. They understood that our country’s founders possessed an entrepreneurial spirit and had the courage to set out on a new path to build a new nation and a new economy. In today’s business world, that boldness is even more vital. The Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame celebrates the entrepreneurial spirit that exists in the Chattanooga area.
Additionally, the College of Business would like to thank the following organizations for their generous support of the 2009 Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame: Bald Headed Bistro, Nelson Bowers, Brenda Lawson & Associates, Check Into Cash, Coker Tire Company, Jones Management Services, Joseph Decosimo & Company, Kenco Group, LF Investments, Republic Parking System, SunTrust Bank, Thunder Enterprises, and TSWII Management Company.