‘Connecting Knox’ mobile app set to debut as a central source for all things Knoxville
The app is in the development stage, but the two founders are hopeful to unveil a beta version within the next few months.
Moving is hard. Getting connected to a new community is hard. And finding the best businesses in town can take months or even years. Two Knoxville newcomers, Justin Martinez and Patrick (Miley) Miley Jr. emphasized the struggle and experience with all three of these pain points.
About a month ago these two were on completely different paths – Martinez was managing investment properties in the Smoky Mountains, and Miley was constantly moving across the country as a travel nurse.
An Indeed listing brought them together. Martinez listed a job opportunity for an operations manager to help him manage and support his rental properties. However, two hours into his interview with Miley, the rental properties became a secondary topic, and community connectedness took center stage.
“I was looking for someone to do Admin, scheduling, and spreadsheet work,” Martinez said. “But, we ended up talking for two hours about our relocation to the area and the struggles we were experiencing with getting connected. It ultimately led to this idea of Connecting Knox.”
Martinez and Miley have spent the weeks since envisioning a central app that seamlessly combines the best businesses, services, and events in the Knoxville area.
“We have filled up whiteboards full of big ideas, and already have a business plan and a development team to make it happen,” Miley said.
The mobile app, which the two hope will be a staple for all community members in the Knoxville area, will contain three main sections.
The first is highlighting top-rated businesses in the Knoxville area.
“When people are new to an area, they cannot lean on recommendations for contractors, or service-based businesses. So, most people use Google, only to find many sponsored advertisements, angry Yelp reviews, and non-local businesses. Meanwhile, the high-quality local business is buried on the second or third page,” Martinez said.
“We want to use surveys, reviews over time, and word-of-mouth to identify the top five rated businesses in each category in Knoxville. This will help people avoid paralysis by analysis and get in touch with the highest quality businesses,” Miley said.
This means the app will show the top five rated roofers, plumbers, electricians, painters, etcetera.
The next portion of the app will be dedicated to food, drink, and play. Similar to the rating system for the service-line side, this section of the app will also list the top five businesses in each category.
For example, it would show the top-five rated local coffee houses, Italian restaurants, cocktail bars, or Mexican food places.
“Businesses would pay a monthly fee to be listed on the app. Once they’re on it, they can customize their pages and make the user experience unique to their business,” Martinez said.
The third side of the app is dedicated to events and connecting the community. It would showcase a calendar of events, helping people find activity groups, clubs, organizations, festivals, and other happenings in East Tennessee.
Both Martinez and Miley are united behind the mission of Connecting Knox. They believe it’s a natural fit for the community and a good resource for long-time locals and transplants alike.
“Being new to an area is hard. You must be so intentional to connect with people, make friends, and find community. Connecting Knox provides a platform to do that,” Martinez said.
Miley agreed, citing the epidemic of loneliness is only growing.
“People need other people, and that’s why what we’re doing is so important,” Miley said.
The app is in the development stage, but the two founders are hopeful to unveil a beta version soon.
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