Keith McConnell / Renovare Distillery 
Keith McConnell, founder of Renovare Distillery, wants to revive the tradition of grain-to-glass spirits. Renovare will feature the farmers who produce the company’s grains and connect each glass with the land and community behind it. The initial lineup will include whiskey, vodka, gin and flavored variations.
A life-long entrepreneur and whiskey enthusiast, Keith started his business ventures in college when he was growing and selling cantaloupes on his family’s farm. His career path has taken interesting turns, including being an airline pilot, an artist, and a logistics specialist. It was his passion for handcrafted spirits, the perfect blend of art and science, and a longtime dream that fueled him to start a distillery. A recent graduate of Co.Labs accelerator program, Keith is laying the groundwork to open Renovare Distillery and bring locally crafted spirits to Tennessee.
Ryan Davis / Reliance Human Capital Management 
I grew up in Louisville, Ky where most of my family still resides, but when I left for college I decided I wanted to experience the small town feel. I attended Union University in Jackson, TN and graduated with a degree in Economics and Marketing. While there, I got involved in Young Life, which would eventually lead me to Chattanooga, Tn.
Young Life of Chattanooga brought me on staff to serve as a Development Director so that I could help raise awareness along with funds for the non-profit. After leaving Young Life I went to work for an employee benefit brokerage where I learned the basics of the benefits world and also began to heavily research the latest trends in hr technology.
Jack Silberman, my business partner, and I founded Reliance HCM because we saw a void in the broker community for hr technology and a broker to become one single source vendor. Many tech companies have entered our space, but are truly more technology companies than advisers. We want to be both.
I am excited about the future of our company, both building a progressive culture in our industry and helping make our client’s businesses more efficient.
