'A year of adapting and resilience': Businesses could see positive outlooks for upcoming year

The upcoming new year is bringing in many new developments for Johnson City – and positive outlooks for its businesses. Bob Cantler, chief executive officer and president of the Johnson City Chamber of Commerce, said businesses in Johnson City appear to have a "strong" foundation heading into the new year despite certain challenges faced throughout 2025. "There were a lot of changes in consumer confidence and a lot of changes in government regulations – the tariffs and some other things – that kind of gave everyone pause to make everyone go, 'Okay, let me make sure I'm doing the right thing with my business,'" Cantler said. "I think most of our organizations navigated that very well and are going into 2026 stronger." Cantler said the businesses' challenge with tariffs was what he considered the biggest problem faced in 2025, with many having to make adjustments to counteract the federal effects. "A lot of our manufacturers purchased materials early, so it took a while before the tariffs impacted them," he said. "They worked on their margins and they had to raise their prices a little bit after the material cost went up some." Despite the obstacles businesses faced, Cantler added there are a handful of different things some businesses are excited about going into 2026. He said manufacturer expansions, like BWXT, could bring more job opportunities. The momentum in new restaurant businesses, such as bringing in a Raising Canes or the recent opening of City Barbeque, show continued outside interest and growth of the food and beverage industry. A large part of Johnson City's growth in the new year, though, will be seen in the planned developments approved by the city. "We're starting to see a lot of new development that's ready to happen," Cantler said. "Publix going out in Boones Creek…Apartments and housing is growing. There'll be the development of Brush Creek that will announce in 2026. And then downtown, it'll be an interesting year to see what will happen with the John Sevier [building]." Cantler explained the completion of the West Walnut corridor was also a major success for 2025. With its finalization, he said there is a large opportunity for many different developments to occur within the next year. "It's just like a blank canvas of what can be implemented, built, developed all down the West Walnut corridor," Cantler said. "I think we'll see several announcements in the next year on that." The new year might also see the continued challenge of consumer confidence, Cantler said, which could change buying habits for customers. However, between the overlapping successes from 2025 to 2026 and the positive outlook for businesses in the new year, Johnson City's growing reputation could balance customer response. "We're still seeing a lot of activity that Johnson City's become a regional hub for retail and food and beverage," said Cantler. "A lot of people come here and shop and dine. All these new restaurants that are coming in – I think that's a symptom of, 'Hey, they see the growth, and they see the potential.'" Cantler added he's most eager to see three things occur in 2026 – seeing a new chair of the Chamber, continued recruiting and retention for the workforce and the next steps for planned developments. The biggest success from this year, though, has been businesses' perseverance. "It was a year of adapting and resilience," Cantler said.