Woman-owned Corporate Quarters turns 30
It celebrated that milestone with a ribbon cutting, sponsored by Farragut West Knox Chamber of Commerce, at CQ’s office, 10912 Murdock Road, Tuesday, Oct. 29.
“We are so pleased to be here for Corporate Quarters’ 30th anniversary,” FWKCC president/CEO Julie Blaylock said.
A woman-owned company from its start, “I think it is such an amazing legacy to be a part of,” said Alofa Porter, CQ president, who started with the company in 2019 as its vice president of operations.
“And the women who owned it before me were just amazing, Godly, very generous women,” she added. “So, to be the new chapter of this women legacy is something I never imagined for myself.
Porter said the company’s industry is called “corporate housing industry.”
“It’s basically a home away from home,” she explained, adding it has inventory from Kingsport and Johnson City to West Knoxville, Powell and Oak Ridge. “It’s usually an apartment or a townhouse — it could be a single-family home — that we have rented. What we do is we go in and fully furnish it.
“We provide all the housewares, the linens, everything that someone would need to basically move into a place and have it move-in ready. We say all they need to do is bring their suitcase.
“They rent that from us with flexible lease terms, so normally people might need something fully furnished for like a 90-day period of time, just kind of an interim housing situation,” she said. “But, sometimes people rent from us long-term, for years at a time.”
Many times, corporations rent housing for their employees who are relocating to the area.
“We have contracts with several large employers in our area that do a lot of relocation to the East Tennessee area, and they might be relocating folks from the West Coast or from overseas,” Porter said.
“Some of the larger companies will offer their employees, as part of their relocation package, a per diem where they say, ‘We’re going to relocate you to East Tennessee and we’ll take care of up to 60 or 90 days housing,’” she added.
What they do “is reach out to us directly and see what we have available,” Porter said.
She said that way the employees can come to the area, get a better understanding of Knoxville and what part of town they want to live in.
“It’s a really good way to get acclimated first before they decide on their permanent home,” Porter added.
However, individuals also can use the company to find a temporary home.
“A good size portion of our business is individual reservations,” she said, adding those include clients vacationing or visiting family in the area.
“It’s more comfortable than a hotel,” Porter also said. “They have all the amenities the community has to offer … a lot more comfortable than being in an extended stay, air B&B or a hotel.”
Porter also said she is proud of the company’s generous giving-back philosophy as it holds food drives for local non-profits and other projects to serve the community.
“I’m really proud of the history we have as a local, women-owned company,” she said.
Sherry Williams, founder, started the business in October 1994 with just a couple of apartments and one major corporate client, Goody’s Family Clothing.
“Through the years, she was able to grow the company, and had great success during her 10 years as the owner,” Porter said.
Now, she said it averages from 25 to 150 apartments.
“The Williams family is very dear to me because (Sherry’s) daughter (Amy Williams Peeler) and I grew up together,” Porter said. “I spent many weekends in the Williams’ home. As a 14-year-old at the time, I knew about Corporate Quarters.”
Williams retired in 2008 and sold the company to Kim Taylor, who sold it to Porter in 2022.
The office is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, but “there always is a manager on call for guests,” Porter said.
Companies and individuals can reach out to CQ by visiting online at knoxcorporateapts.com, calling 865-675-3146 or e-mailing to alofa@corporatequarters.net
