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Redding Record Searchlight recognizes Cloud Wise Academy as a path to Redding jobs
Chris Webber, Cloud Wise Graduate, works from home

The Redding Record Searchlight recently published a video showcasing people who found local jobs out of high school through paths that were somewhat out of the ordinary. They interviewed Alex Golden from the Shasta Union Fire Academy, and Cloud Wise Academy’s most famous graduate, Chris Webber.


Shasta Union Fire Academy

His junior and senior year of high school, Alex Golden attended the Shasta Union Fire Academy, which allowed him to become qualified for all state and federal firefighting jobs by the time he graduated. After graduating, he found a job with “I decided to go into the workforce before going to college because I discovered nothing made me happier than being a firefighter,” he says.


Alex Golden has been offered a job at a local firefighting station.


Cloud Wise Academy

Nathan Solis, the reporter from the Record Searchlight, also talked to Chris Webber, a graduate of several Cloud Wise Academy classes. “After I got out of the Navy,” Chris recalls, “the job market was horrible. I went into gunsmithing for a few months, but my injuries got so bad I had to quit doing that.”


Later on, he says “Joe from Cloud Wise Academy asked me to take the first Cloud Wise Academy class and offered to pay for the whole thing.”

This was in June of 2016. Approximately a year later, Chris now owns his own web design business.


“Because of my medical conditions,” he explains, “I wasn’t really interested in working for anyone. Especially because of time restraints, medical restraints. So I decided to start my own company and here I am.”

Watch the full interview with Alex Golden and Chris Webber.


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JOHNSON CITY & KINGSPORT – Cloud Wise Academy announced today a new local marketing and e-commence workshop, Amplify Our City, to teach local business owners how to best use the internet’s capabilities. The workshops will be taught in partnership with the Kingsport and Johnson City chambers of commerce. Amplify Our City is a three-step workshop to attract more customers online and in store. In this workshop, business owners will learn where to start and how to use online tools, free local marketing tactics, when to spend money and what savvy marketing peers are doing. Participants will learn how the internet favors local companies, how to market on a small budget, and how to avoid costly mistakes. “In today’s post-pandemic world, social media has become a key means of retail purchasing,” said Bob Cantler, President and CEO of the Johnson City Chamber of Commerce. “Learning tricks of the trade to maximize your business’ exposure will certainly enhance sales across the board.” “I don’t care what kind of business you have; one of the most important assets to your business is your web presence,” said Aundrea Salyer, senior business counselor for the Tennessee Small Business Development Center at ETSU Kingsport Affiliate Office. “That means making it easy for your customers to find you online and to shop online. I get asked all the time whether a business should invest in a web site or leverage existing social media platforms. I’m very interested to hear how Joe addresses this.” The two workshop sessions will be held in partnership with local chambers of commerce this month. You do not have to be member of the Chamber(s) to participate. Kingsport Chamber of Commerce: April 21 from 8-10:30 is an online webinar available to the public regardless of geographic location. Attendees must register in advance: https://clients.tsbdc.org/workshop.aspx?ekey=10420014 . Johnson City Chamber of Commerce: April 22 from 8-10:30 a.m., at the 602 Sevier St., Suite 101, in Johnson City. Attendees must register in advance: https://cca.johnsoncitytnchamber.com/EvtListing.aspx?dbid2=TNJC&evtid=105727&class=E The course is taught by Joe McKenna, founder of Cloud Wise Academy , which specializes in e-commerce training. “Many companies are surprised to discover that the internet favors local companies. In this workshop, you’ll learn how to put the internet to work for your company instead of against it,” said McKenna. By providing the workshop through the chambers of commerce, McKenna hopes this will broaden the education of citizens of Kingsport and Johnson City and help local businesses grow. For more information, email McKenna at joe@cloudwiseacademy.com or call 530-515-9851.
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JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. – (April 4, 2022) Grow your career or business by learning valuable search engine marketing skills. According to 99 Firms, 46% of all Google searches are linked to something local, so it is crucial to learn these valuable skills for yourself, your business and our community. This spring, Cloud Wise Academy, an East Tennessee State University Innovation Lab affiliate member, is hosting a "Local Search Engine Marketing" course aimed at local companies that want to rank better on Google and marketing professionals who want to learn valuable skills. "Students will learn the pros' skills and tools in search engine marketing," said Joe Mckenna, founder of Cloud Wise Academy. “Many companies are surprised to discover that the internet favors local companies. Around 93% of all web traffic is via search engines. Search engine marketing is the lifeblood of every company. We'll demystify it and teach you the valuable skill you need.” The workshop begins May 16 and runs through June 22, with classes on Monday and Wednesday nights from 6-8 p.m. In-person participants meet at the ETSU Innovation Lab, located at 2109 W. Market St. in Johnson City. The class may also be taken synchronously online. Registration fees are $350 per participant, and participants may use the code "early50" through May 1 to save $50. “This class will teach aspiring SEO professionals the ins and outs of local search engine optimization,” said Chauncy Haworth, course instructor. “With hands-on support, you will learn how to alter an existing website and properly create online profiles that will get search engines and local customers attention.” "We are pleased to have Cloud Wise Academy bring search engine marketing opportunities like this to the Appalachian Highlands," said Liz Bennett, assistant director of the Innovation Lab. "We've heard great feedback from previous students and are excited to see more classes like this offered in the area. We hope that students, community members and entrepreneurs will take advantage of these types of classes that help bring new business opportunities to this area." Learn more and register at www.cloudwiseacademy.com/seo-course . For more information about Cloud Wise Academy and future courses, visit cloudwiseacademy.com , or reach Mckenna at joe@cloudwiseacademy.com or at 530-515-9851. The ETSU Innovation Lab is a high-tech business incubator that assists aspiring entrepreneurs from concept through commercialization. For more information, visit etsu.edu/ilab or contact Dr. Audrey Depelteau, director of the Innovation Lab, at depelteau@etsu.edu .
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