Farragut Business Alliance showcases Shop Farragut growth and seeks town sponsorship for events

Candace Fiox, president of the Farragut Business Alliance and owner of Water and Wine, told the Town of Farragut Board of Mayor and Aldermen on April 24, 2025, that the alliance has completed a new Shop Farragut website covering 472 local businesses and requested renewed town sponsorship for a series of community events.

Fiox said the alliance’s online directory and marketing efforts have expanded reach and that the town has provided direct support for promotional activities. "The Shop Farragut website is now complete. We are very excited," she said. She added that "the town of Farragut has contributed over $18,000 since we started this campaign in gift cards and purchases for our giveaways to our community. We wouldn't have been able to do that without the town's support."

Why this matters: the alliance coordinates local promotions and events intended to drive customers to small businesses across Farragut. The sponsorship dollars under discussion fund advertising, event infrastructure (tents, portable restrooms, stages) and community giveaways that the alliance uses to attract attendees.

Fiox described the alliance’s programming and asked the board to consider specific sponsorship levels. She said the town previously sponsored the alliance at $70,000 per year, that the amount had been reduced to $55,000 in a later budget cycle, and that the alliance now operates with $35,000 of town support. She outlined event sponsorship requests the alliance plans to submit for the coming year, including $10,000 to support Dog Days, $10,000 for Harvestfest and a $5,000 sponsorship request for the Farragut Health & Wellness Expo. Fiox said the Shop Farragut sign program, a quarterly BizMixer networking series and a town-funded gift-card campaign are among the alliance’s uses of town funds.

Fiox also proposed reviving a ticketed Shop Farragut Food & Wine Festival, aiming for a May 2026 date. She said organizers would solicit venues, secure alcohol and food sponsors to offset restaurant costs and recommended partnering with local charity Shepherd of Hope to collect donations. "We could very easily make our events support a local food pantry," she said, offering the charity as a potential partner.

Board members had no substantive objections during the brief question period. A council member asked whether businesses had expressed interest in the proposed Taste/Food & Wine event; Fiox replied that alliance volunteers and the volunteer who manages the Shop Farragut sign program were already talking with local restaurants and vendors and that she expected recruitment would be possible if the board supported the concept.

The presentation was informational; the board did not take a formal vote on any of the sponsorship requests during the April 24 meeting. Fiox closed by thanking board members and offering to provide additional details if the board wants to move toward formal budget requests or agreements.