Access Garage Door & More Is Going From Chattanooga's Best to a National Brand: The Franchise Growing From Its Hometown Roots

After more than 21 years in Chattanooga, Access Garage Door & More is taking expertise developed locally to communities across the country

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn., Oct. 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Many Chattanooga residents know Access Garage Door & More as the local company whose trucks have served area homes and businesses for more than two decades. What they may not realize is that the company their community helped build and support has quietly grown into a national franchise brand—without leaving Chattanooga behind.

That hometown connection was reinforced this month when Access Garage Door & More of Chattanooga was named Best Of The Best for Garage Door Sales and Services for the second consecutive year, earning the honor every year the category has existed.

Members of the Access team attended the annual Best Of The Best Chattanooga event presented by the Chattanooga Times Free Press on Thursday, September 17. Fittingly, attendees were encouraged to dress in black, white and "read"—a nod to the Times Free Press and a natural match for Access, whose traditional brand colors are red, black and white.

The company's recognition can be viewed through the official Best of Chattanooga awards.

But behind the local award is a larger Chattanooga business story.

Built in Chattanooga, Growing Across the Country

Access began more than 21 years ago in a small apartment near Chickamauga Dam. Today, Access Garage Door & More is approaching 30 locations across the United States, while its original Chattanooga operation remains the company's flagship location and National Headquarters.

The Chattanooga operation employs approximately 20 local team members, typically serves more than 80 homes and businesses each week, and maintains a 4.9-star average across more than 2,200 customer reviews.

Its customer base extends throughout the greater Chattanooga and North Georgia markets, including Hixson, Soddy-Daisy, Signal Mountain and Lookout Mountain, Tennessee, as well as Ringgold and Dalton, Georgia.

For Founder and CEO Jesse Cox, the company's national growth makes recognition from its hometown particularly meaningful.

"There's something special about watching something that started right here in Chattanooga grow into a national brand while still being recognized by the community that made it possible in the first place," Cox said. "Chattanooga didn't just give Access a place to start. People here trusted us, referred us, challenged us to get better and ultimately helped shape the company we've become."

Chattanooga Expertise With a National Reach

One part of the Access story many local customers may not realize is the role the Chattanooga team plays within the company's national franchise system.

Through the company's Access Rise Up Trade Program, technicians receive extensive technical and safety training, and many Chattanooga team members have earned industry certification through the Institute of Door Dealer Education & Accreditation (IDEA).

As the original operation and National Headquarters, Chattanooga also serves as a training and technical resource for the franchise system. Experienced Chattanooga technicians and leaders help train and support Access franchises across the nation, sharing knowledge and standards that help independently owned Access businesses develop the next generation of garage door experts in their local markets.

That means the technician arriving at a Chattanooga-area home or business may be one of the same professionals entrusted with helping train and support Access franchises across the country.

"I don't think most people realize the depth of expertise they may have standing in their garage," Cox said. "Some of the people we send into homes and businesses here aren't just trained to our standards—they help teach those standards to Access franchises across the nation."

The national franchise network also exposes the Chattanooga headquarters team to technical questions, products and field experiences from markets across the country—knowledge that can be incorporated back into local training and service.

More Than Garage Doors

Access provides residential and commercial garage door sales, installation, service and repair, along with garage door opener sales, installation and service.

The company has built long-standing relationships with manufacturers throughout the garage door industry. Manufacturers strongly represented by Access in the Chattanooga market include Clopay Garage Doors, Amarr Garage Doors, Genie Opener Systems and LiftMaster Opener Systems.

Combined with ongoing technical training and more than two decades of industry experience, that broad product knowledge enables Access technicians to service and repair virtually every major brand of garage door and garage door opener system, regardless of who originally installed it.

The company's evolution from Access Garage Doors to Access Garage Door & More reflects its expansion beyond traditional garage door products and services to include overhead storage systems and motorized rolling screens, shades and vinyl enclosures.

An Award That Came From Home

While Access continues to grow nationally, Cox said the community-driven nature of Best of Chattanooga is what makes the award especially significant.

"There are plenty of awards in business that can be earned by meeting certain qualifications or simply purchased. Best of Chattanooga isn't one of them," Cox said. "It takes people throughout Chattanooga and our surrounding communities—people already pulled in a million directions—to care enough about a local company and its team to take a minute out of their day and vote."

Those voters, Cox noted, extend beyond the company's existing customers.

"Some may have been Access customers for years. Others may know us through a neighbor, friend, family member, local business or simply our reputation in the community. Collectively, they stepped up and said Access deserves to be recognized as Chattanooga's best. This award belongs to our team, but the recognition came from the community."

For a company now building a national footprint, Cox said that hometown support remains part of its foundation.

"I hope Chattanooga can look at Access and feel some ownership and pride in what is happening here," Cox said. "This community gave a 23-year-old kid with a dream of becoming an entrepreneur and a small local company an opportunity more than 21 years ago. Today, what we've learned and built right here in Chattanooga is helping Access franchises build businesses and serve customers in communities across the country. No matter how far the brand grows, Chattanooga will always be home."

When You Need the Best, CALL ACCESS!

About Access Garage Door & More

Access Garage Door & More is a Chattanooga-born residential and commercial overhead products company and national franchise brand headquartered in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Founded more than 21 years ago, its original Chattanooga operation remains the company's flagship location and National Headquarters.

Access provides residential and commercial garage door sales, installation, service and repair; garage door opener sales and service; overhead storage systems; and motorized rolling screens, shades and vinyl enclosures.

National Consumer Services:
Access Garage Door & More — CallAccessNow.com 

Chattanooga & North Georgia Consumer Services:
Access Garage Door & More — https://www.accessdoorcompany.com/chattanooga-tn/ 

Franchise Opportunities:
Access Garage Door & More — https://bestgaragedoorfranchise.com/ 

Access Best of Chattanooga:
Chattanooga Times Free Press — https://winners.bestofchatt.com/2026/business/access-garage-doors-more 

Contact:
Shannon Pecca - [email protected]

SOURCE Access Garage Door & More