Chris Whaley is #MadeForKnoxville. 

As a child, Chris dreamed of sci-fi, space and the future. As an adult, he found himself heading HR at one of the world’s leading medical device companies and, now, as a team performance consultant for other businesses.  

Chris’s reality may seem to be a far cry from his childhood dreams, but he found that strengthening teams fulfilled him quite similarly to how his sci-fi hopes did–he helps people “escape” uncertainty and “expand” their own horizons.

Today, Chris uses his team consulting skills to help the diverse businesses of Knoxville in their quests for brighter futures. 

“It was a little scary to leave the comfort of a corporate role for that of an entrepreneur. Yet it is also liberating to know my future is in my own hands in setting my own course.”

In Their Own Words..

There I was, an HR executive at one of the world’s leading medical device companies. I joined the leadership team of a multi-billion dollar business in an escape room during a management team offsite. It was a lot of fun and we learned a little more about each other. However, we found we needed a better way to link that team-building exercise to our on-going performance as a team.

After years of practical experience with proven models and toolsets, I synthesized a repeatable process to develop high-performing teams – “Escape to Expand”. My consulting business helps teams escape uncertainty to expand their horizons!

It was a little scary to leave the comfort of a corporate role for that of an entrepreneur. Yet it is also liberating to know my future is in my own hands in setting my own course. I’ve found many other small business owners who have connected to share what has worked and what has not gone so well for them. It’s great to see everyone pulling for each other to succeed!

Interested in sharing your “Made for Knoxville” story? Submit here!