Stacy Cox, president of Knoxville-based architecture firm Studio Four Design, recently graduated from the highly selective Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses National Program designed and created to provide small business owners critical skills and networking to help grow their companies

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Dec. 8, 2017 – Stacy Cox, president and director of business development for Studio Four Design, a top Knoxville-based architecture and design firm, recently graduated from the prestigious and intensive Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses National Program.

Stacy Cox

Stacy Cox

Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses was developed to help entrepreneurs create jobs and economic opportunity by providing greater access to education, capital and business support services. With 33 sites across the United States and United Kingdom, 10,000 Small Businesses has served over 8,000 small business owners. The program has reached businesses from all 50 states, Puerto Rico, and Washington, D.C, and has resulted in immediate and sustained business growth for alumni of the program.

“I’ve gained a lot of insight and personal growth as a business leader from this program,” Cox said. “Learning alongside other business leaders from across the U.S. during the interactive sessions helped me to identify some pieces missing from our business tool box. It was a very intensive ten weeks of online and on-site learning, and the relationships I developed with other scholars and advisors have already proven to be invaluable to me as a business leader. My experience in this program will help our company continue to grow strategically and sharpen our skills which will ultimately result in our ability to better serve our clients and our community.”

Highlights of the program:

  • The program is offered at no cost to the business owner – every business owner selected receives a full scholarship, with tuition and travel costs funded by the Goldman Sachs Foundation. Half of the program is taught online and there are two, four-day in-person sessions at Babson College in Wellesley, Massachusetts.
  • Within six months of graduating, 69 percent of the graduates report increased revenues.
  • 48 percent of the participants added new jobs in the same six month time period after graduation.
  • The curriculum focuses on practical business skills, including negotiations, marketing, and employee management.
  • Business owners from a wide variety of industries attend and receive one-on-one business advising and learning alongside peer CEOs from across the United States.
  • Babson College, the leading university for entrepreneurship, delivers the curriculum and has documented the remarkable results of the program for its scholars.

“It was an amazing opportunity and I am blessed to have been chosen to participate in the 10KSB program,” Cox said. “Not only was this beneficial to me personally, I know this will provide positive results for Studio Four Design. Small businesses are the backbone of the U.S. economy, and it is my hope all of us in the small business community can help our local and national economies continue to prosper and create jobs into 2018 and beyond.”

About Studio Four Design Inc.
Since 2002, Studio Four Design has served as a premiere architectural and interior design firm to the Greater Knoxville Area. Their guiding principal is Design Matters, and their goal is to go beyond expectations to provide design solutions that positively impact their clients’ lives and organizations. Their team has worked on a variety of projects over the last decade that includes: churches, educational facilities, restaurants, retail buildings, athletic venues and much more. Studio Four Design takes pride in and is dedicated to all of the clients they serve. To find out more, call 865-523-5001 or visit http://studiofourdesign.com.