A global company that says it wants to make Chattanooga its headquarters says it still has an option for 200 and 212 Market St., but it is looking at other properties as well.

Kronos Capital earlier was eying either a 12-story or six-story building at the corner of Aquarium Way (Second) and Market streets, where a candy store once operated at 200 Market and where the Market 212 Restaurant was long open at 212 Market.

Some residents in condos and townhomes on the hill behind the site raised concerns about the height of the building.

In a press release issued on Monday, Kronos Capital said it is a private equity firm "that will soon call downtown Chattanooga home for its headquarters. With several entities in its family of companies, in total, more than 350 individuals will be employed by the companies making an impact of over $2 million per year on Chattanooga's local economy."

CEO Nash Bowen said, "As a Chattanoogan, my greatest desire has been to headquarter these companies in the city I grew up in." He said that while the company has the 200 block of Market Street under contract, "the company is looking at additional properties to expand its local presence."

He stated, "Our company is bullish on Chattanooga - specifically downtown. Like so many, we've seen the success of the city's Northshore and Southside and share the excitement of what's to come at The Bend. For us, there's simply no place we'd rather open our doors than in the urban core of Chattanooga's Downtown. Our initial investment of roughly $128 million will plant seeds for the and our workforce will live, shop and worship in the area. We're excited about what the future holds because we want to play a role in it."

Leaders of the company said their success "comes from the alignment of a combination of investment benchmarks with goodwill and a mission to create value in companies that have a net-positive impact on the world."

Its portfolio of companies includes:

* Akashic Technologies is a Canadian-based clean energy company, holding 12 patents across the globe on its hydrocarbon recovery unit. Akashic's HRUs replace oil refineries' flares, recovering an estimated seven percent of wasted fuel while eliminating refinery emissions. Initial placement of the HRUs is geared towards U.S. refineries, Egypt's state-owned refineries, and other European and Middle Eastern locations.

Akashic Technologies is currently hosting equity investment negotiations with several of the world's largest investment banks, funds, and energy investment companies. The Akashic Technologies HRU is the answer to the global issues raised at the 29th Conference of the Parties (COP29), hosted in Baku, Azerbaijan: flaring needs to be eliminated by 2030 to assist in saving our environment. The Akashic HRUs eliminate flaring, provide the benefit of energy independence to nations in need, and provide its investors an unmatched return on investment.

* CHRGD is a point-of-sale integration software for franchises, designed to improve franchisee (usually small business owners) sales, while improving their franchisor's profit margins. CHRGD has onboarded US-based franchises and has executed a territory exclusive license agreement with a multi-family office in Queensland, Australia, providing for a large customer base in Australia, New Zealand, and the United States.

Scott Masters, managing director of Guardian Global Wealth (Multi-Family Office) and executive director of Guardian Carbon, stated, "CHRGD is going to revolutionize the way money changes hands between franchises, and we are thrilled to be part of the team."

Currently, CHRGD is nearing the end of negotiations on exclusive territory license agreements for Spain, France, Colombia, Mexico, Bahrain, and the UAE. CHRGD is an efficient software that provides a net benefit to small businesses and large corporations alike.

- Kronos Carbon was built out of a need to jumpstart the progression of the carbon credit industry. To date, the emerging carbon credit industry is riddled with inefficiencies, instability, and huge barriers to entry for average companies that are eligible to generate carbon credits by reducing their carbon footprint.

The lack of structure in the carbon credit market prolongs adoption of net-neutral directives by companies, thus prolonging climate change results that the world needs. Kronos Carbon is a regulatory-compliant, transparent, and profitable tokenization and sale platform for companies that develop, buy, and sell carbon credits.

Its strategic partnerships include Kronos Carbon Chairman Peter Knez, the former co-chief investment officer of BlackRock, affiliates of the World Economic Forum, and energy companies around the world. By facilitating a simple, transparent, and effective manner of revolutionizing the carbon credit trading market, Kronos Carbon promotes net-neutral changes on the part of the companies whose actions make a difference, while instilling quality and transparency standards in an emerging industry.

Mr. Knez noted, "The Kronos team saw a need in an industry that has so much opportunity and yet, is challenged by its own inefficiencies. Working together for mutually beneficial outcomes, Kronos Carbon is setting the bar in the carbon credit industry. It's an honor to play a leading role with this effort."

- Kosha Hibachi is a Japanese-themed hibachi food truck franchise. Created by Kronos Capital in late 2021, and franchised in June of 2023, the Kosha Hibachi franchise model provides its operators a low-entry-cost business model with simple operations and higher-than-average returns on investment. Its award-winning dishes create a loyal customer base while adding the flexibility of a food truck to its business plan, providing for a unique franchise strategy of combining a restaurant-like customer base; attendance at concerts, festivals, and other events; and catering fulfillment.

Kronos Capital is currently negotiating a seven state bulk investment to place 250 franchise locations throughout the Southeast United States, it was stated.

Bennett Maxwell, founder of Dirty Dough, said, "We love the food truck community and the difference a great offering can make at concerts and festivals. It was an easy decision to support this concept as it appeals to such a wide array of audiences with food offerings that are easy to obtain and prepare. This is an exciting addition to any portfolio, and we're excited about the success Kosha Hibachi's franchisees are experiencing."

- Bowen Global Enterprisesis a private fund focused on the acquisition and growth of rental and development properties throughout the United States and Belize. Notably, the effect of Bowen Global Enterprises in Corozal, Belize has led to the economic uplift of the surrounding villages, due to work provided, scholarships awarded, and extracurricular teams sponsored by Bowen Global Enterprises.