Blount Partnership

What Blount Partnership does

Blount Partnership is a 501c6 non-profit economic development organization headquartered at 201 S. Washington St., Maryville, Tennessee, serving Blount County and the municipalities of Alcoa, Maryville, Townsend, Rockford, Friendsville, and Louisville. The organization operates as an integrated umbrella for four functional divisions: the Blount County Chamber of Commerce (membership, networking, business directory), Blount Industry / Economic Development Board (industrial recruitment, site selection, management of industrial parks), Smoky Mountain Tourism Development Authority (destination marketing under the 'Peaceful Side of the Smokies' brand), and the Blount Chamber Foundation (non-profit support arm), with Blount Area Jobs providing a workforce development and job-matching platform.

The Partnership's primary revenue is membership dues on a recurring subscription basis, supplemented by tourism authority funding, grants through partnerships with the Tennessee Valley Authority, the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development, and the Appalachian Regional Commission, plus events and sponsorships. It holds a Five-Star Accredited Chamber of Commerce designation from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and Accredited Economic Development Organization (AEDO) status from the International Economic Development Council. Under President and CEO Bryan Daniels (appointed 2010), the Partnership claims over 90 recruited companies, $4.5B+ in associated capital investment, and 18,000+ direct new jobs created. The organization employs 28 staff as of December 2025 and does not publicly disclose revenue.

Name

Blount Partnership

Legal name

Blount Partnership

Website

https://blountpartnership.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1920

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Blount Partnership is a 501c6 non-profit economic development organization in Maryville, Tennessee, integrating a five-star accredited Chamber of Commerce, an Economic Development Board, the Smoky Mountain Tourism Development Authority, and a workforce/job platform to serve Blount County businesses, manufacturers, tourism operators, and job seekers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Maryville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: The Blount Partnership operates as a 501c6 non-profit organization with membership dues as a primary revenue stream. The Chamber connects members with people and information needed to thrive and be successful. Members help provide opportunities for small business, corporate locations, manufacturing, technology commercialization, leisure travel, and corporate retreats.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Blount Partnership is a 501c6 non-profit organization operating as an integrated chamber of commerce and economic development body for Blount County, Tennessee. It delivers four core service lines: Blount Chamber membership with business directory and networking, Blount Tourism promotion of the "Peaceful Side of the Smokies," Blount Industry economic development and corporate recruitment, and Blount Area Jobs workforce development. Members include small businesses, manufacturers, technology firms, and tourism operators across Blount County and its municipalities.

Product overview

Blount Partnership is a five-star accredited Chamber of Commerce (501c6 non-profit) that operates as a unified organization comprising four core divisions: the Blount County Chamber of Commerce, Blount County Economic Development Board (Blount Industry), Smoky Mountain Tourism Development Authority (Blount Tourism), and Blount Chamber Foundation. The organization provides economic development, tourism promotion, chamber membership services, and workforce development. The core portfolio includes Chamber services with business directory and networking, Tourism marketing under the 'Peaceful Side of the Smokies' brand, Economic Development with industrial recruitment and property sites, Blount Area Jobs workforce platform, and a weekly newsletter. The organization has 28-person staff serving Blount County and cities of Alcoa, Maryville, Townsend, Rockford, Friendsville, and Louisville.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Blount Chamber: Blount County Chamber of Commerce - connects businesses with people and information to thrive and be successful
• Blount Tourism
• Blount Industry
• Blount Area Jobs

Products and services

• Blount County Chamber of Commerce

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 90 new and expanding companies recruited with $4.5+ billion capital investment and 18,000+ direct new jobs during tenure of current leadership

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and flagship.

• Tennessee Department of Economic and Community DevelopmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBryan Daniels began his career with the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development based in Nashville. The Partnership works with this state agency for economic development activities, including reform of the Appalachian Regional Commission Grant Program and Industrial Training Service program. The Partnership collaborates with the department on state-level economic development initiatives.
• Tennessee Valley AuthoritycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Blount Partnership works with the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) to recruit new companies to the Blount County community. TVA is a key partner in economic development efforts for the region.
• East Tennessee Economic Development AgencymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBryan Daniels serves as Board Member for the East Tennessee Economic Development Agency since 2010. The Partnership collaborates with this regional agency on economic development initiatives across the 16-county East Tennessee region.
• U.S. Chamber of CommerceflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerBryan Daniels serves on the US Chamber's Committee of 100 which guides policies of the US Chamber of Commerce. The Blount Partnership holds five-star accreditation from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Bryan teaches economic development principles for the U.S. Chamber nationwide.
• International Economic Development CouncilflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerBryan Daniels serves as Chairman of the International Economic Development Council based in Washington D.C., representing 28 countries and all 50 US States. The Partnership holds AEDO (Accredited Economic Development Organization) status from IEDC. Bryan teaches chamber operations for the Tennessee Chamber of Commerce's non-profit management school.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Sevier County Economic Development Council: A direct peer East Tennessee economic-development organization also serving tourism and corporate recruitment in the Smokies region. Operates with a near-identical mandate (industrial recruitment, workforce, tourism coordination) targeting overlapping site-selection prospects.
• Knoxville Chamber: The primary Chamber of Commerce in Knoxville, the immediate metro anchor adjacent to Blount County. It operates with a closely comparable model (membership, advocacy, economic-development programming) and competes for corporate-recruitment and tourism mindshare in the same East Tennessee geography.
• Loudon County Chamber of Commerce: A neighboring East Tennessee Chamber providing similar membership, advocacy, and economic-development services. Operating as a comparable single-county chamber competing for member businesses and corporate site-selection interest in the greater Knoxville region.
• East Tennessee Economic Development Agency: A multi-county economic-development organization covering the 16-county East Tennessee region. Direct peer at the regional tier, coordinating site-selection and workforce efforts that overlap with Blount Partnership's industry-recruitment mandate.
• Roane Alliance: A public-private economic-development organization for Roane County, Tennessee with comparable goals around industry recruitment, workforce, and community development. Direct functional peer in East Tennessee site-selection competitiveness.
• Anderson County Chamber of Commerce: A nearby East Tennessee Chamber serving Oak Ridge and Clinton with membership, economic-development, and community programs. Operates the same model as Blount Partnership at the single-county level within the same metropolitan labor shed.

Regional players

• Pigeon Forge Department of Tourism: A neighboring Smoky Mountain tourism promotion agency in Sevier County that competes with Blount Tourism for visitors, group events, and overnight stays. Closest tourism-product peer within the same destination region.
• Gatlinburg Convention and Visitors Bureau: Tourism promotion counterpart for Sevier County within the Smokies region, focused on overnight stays and visitor attraction. While operating in a different county, it competes for the same leisure-travel marketing dollar within the Greater Smokies footprint.

Broad incumbents

• Tennessee Chamber of Commerce & Industry: The statewide Tennessee business association, where Bryan Daniels teaches and where statewide policy/form-of-government work converges. It is a broader incumbent operating at the state level rather than a single county, but shares the same chamber model and policy advocacy.
• International Economic Development Council (IEDC): The global professional association for economic developers; Blount Partnership's CEO currently chairs IEDC and the organization holds AEDO accreditation. A broader incumbent and industry-association peer rather than a direct chamber competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/blountchamber
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@blountpartnership
• Facebookfacebook.com/blountpartnership
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/blountpartnership
• Instagraminstagram.com/peacefulsmokies

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Blount Partnership