S P R I N G 2 0 16
GETTING IT RIGHT CEO OF THE YEAR TERRY TURNER HAS PINNACLE FLYING HIGH BY FOCUSING FIRST ON ITS PEOPLE
A CEO’s Journey
From winging it to strategizing
Top Coaches
On culture, continuity
Lyft in Nashville
How they built a team
2016
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The Power of Collaboration
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You can spread your wings and still put down roots.
Nashville thrives on originality and imagination. Where people with small town roots accomplish big dreams. So here’s to the creative spirit. Here’s to dreaming big but never losing sight of where you came from. Here’s to the art of crafting a success story that takes you places you could only imagine…and then brings you back home.
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CONTENTS
INTRO
10
THREE QUESTIONS
Marcus Whitney really doesn’t like to work for others. Here’s how that shapes the way he leads Jumpstart Foundry
27
NO STANDING STILL
Terry Turner has built Pinnacle into a regional power on the back of a firm cultural foundation
38
IN CHARGE 2016
The seventh edition of the city’s definitive list of movers and shakers features plenty of new faces
ON THE COVER: PHOTO BY ERIC ENGLAND
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INTRO
CONTENTS
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33 The Power of Collaboration
07 YOU SHOULD KNOW
Three women entrepreneurs discuss teamwork, competition, loyalty
annah Pechan, H Social Enterprise Alliance – Nashville
36 2016 AllStar Board
08 tech @ work
The most capable corporate advisors who can help make businesses into world beaters
ResaleAI
12 THE JOURNEY
CLOSE
Dan Hogan, Medalogix
74 READING CORNER
14 DATA BANK
Two excerpts from local authors
Women’s long way to go
15 COMPANY & PEOPLE INDEX
80 THE BIG QUESTION
Jennifer Brandenburger of Lyft at the company’s new offices on Second Avenue Read more on page 16
Want women to lead? Lay the groundwork
features
16 A culture of engagement Lyft shuns conventional approaches as it establishes a Nashville presence
19 Essentials for a rewarding mentorship 20 ‘It’s easy to motivate when you all believe’
The Public Library Foundation’s Tari Hughes talks about how her small team raised $15 million in a year
Daniel Harkavy and Michaell Hyatt, co-writers of the book Living Forward: A Proven Plan to Stop Drifting and Get the Life You Want Read the excerpt on page 78
23 Consistent winning ways
Two of Nashville’s most successful coaches talk about longevity, sharing authority and mellowing out
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Marcus Whitney of Jumpstart Foundry answers our three questions Read more on page 10
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INTRO
EDITOR’S LETTER
editorial
A ROCK SOLID FOUNDATION
A Special Thanks to our Partners:
When we launched the redesigned Nashville Post magazine as a themed quarterly three years ago, the first issue was Leaders. The first story in that issue carried the headline ‘Culture comes first.’ It was very deliberate on our part; so many of the great success stories we have the privilege to write about are powered by cohesive teams whose members have bought into a clear set of goals and even clearer principles guiding their work toward those goals. So it’s fitting that Pinnacle Financial Partners’ Terry Turner should be our 2016 CEO of the Year. Pinnacle has since its launch staunchly stood for a nimble, clientfocused approach its larger competitors — and chief suppliers of talent — have too often lost sight of. Their loss is Pinnacle’s — and by extension, Nashville’s — gain. Culture also is a key driver in several other stories in this magazine. Whether it’s West Coast-based Lyft assembling a local workforce, entrepreneur Jackson Miller incorporating team-building elements into store management software or the enduring excellence of two of the city’s best sports coaches, culture still comes first. This Leaders issue is again home to our annual In Charge list of the region’s business, political and community you know and should know. As in past years, there was quite a bit of turnover from last year’s version due to the shifting sands of power and influence in our dynamic and evolving city. We expect it will be no different a year from now. Regular readers will notice that we’ve tweaked parts of this magazine’s design and flow as we head into our fourth year. In the front of the book, you’ll find short interviews with some of the many smart and engaging people making waves in our city. And we’re now closing the publication by zooming out a bit and asking important questions we hope stimulate debate and action in the community. We hope you enjoy this issue and, as always, we’re wide open to your recommendations and ideas on how we can continue to lead the conversation. Geert De Lombaerde, Editor gdelombaerde@nashvillepost.com
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Editor Geert De Lombaerde Managing Editor William Williams Contributing Writers David Boclair, Linda Bryant, Nancy Floyd, Adam Gold, Steven Hale, Holly Hoffman, Laura Hutson, Emily Kubis, J.R. Lind, Amanda Haggard, Holly McCall, Megan Seling, Stephen Trageser, Andrea Zelinski Copy editor Dana Kopp Franklin
art
Art Director Derek Potter STAFF Photographers Michael W. Bunch, Eric England
production
Production COORDINATOR Matt Bach Marketing art director Christie Passarello Graphic Designers Katy Barrett-Alley, Amy Gomoljak, Abbie Leali, Liz Loewenstein
publishing
PUBLISHER Jamie McPherson General Manager Mike Weir bUSINESS DEVELOPMENT CONSULTANT Jennifer Trsinar ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Maggie Bond, Rachel Dean, Michael Jezewski, Carla Mathis, Marisa McWilliams, Hilary Parsons, Ellen Skrmetti, Mike Smith, Stevan Steinhart, Keith Wright Sales Operations Manager Chelon Hill Hasty Account Managers Gary Minnis, Sarah Richmond, Annie Smith
marketing
MARKETING DIRECTOR Heather Cantrell EVENTS DIRECTOR Lynsie Shackelford PROMOTIONS MANAGER Wendy Walker Silverman
circulation
Subscription Manager Gary Minnis Circulation manager Casey Sanders
SouthComm Chief Executive Officer Chris Ferrell Chief Financial Officer Ed Tearman Chief Operating Officer Blair Johnson Executive Vice President Mark Bartel Vice President of Finance Carla Simon Vice President of Production Operations Curt Pordes Vice President of Content/ Communication Patrick Rains Creative Director Heather Pierce 210 12th Ave. S., Suite 100 Nashville, TN 37203 www.nashvillepost.com Nashville Post is published quarterly by SouthComm. Advertising deadline for the next issue is Wednesday, May 4th, 2016. For advertising and subscription information, call 615-244-7989. Copyright ©2016 SouthComm, LLC.
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PARTNER lETTER
“Culture” and “Employee Engagement” are among the most talked-about topics in corporate America today. I’m a strong believer that culture and engagement are great contributors to the productivity and success of a company. I’ve also learned that the path to that success is no accident—and it certainly doesn’t happen overnight. Leaders must lay the foundation, make the investment, and lead by example. There is not a one-size-fits-all solution, but there are three important components to consider: vision, values and execution. Vision: The leader’s vision for the company establishes the foundation for both culture and employee engagement. This is an aspirational description of what your organization would like to achieve. Values: Next, define the values that support the vision. What do you stand for? From among thousands of possible values, whittle down the list to those most important to you, your company, and realizing your vision. Attitude, authenticity, creativity and teamwork should remain at the forefront of a company’s values. Execution: These values then inform how you execute your business plan, always
imparting your key values in decision-making, business strategy and policies. They are the guideposts to ensure that you are staying on track and consistent with your vision. A company should execute its values by placing the right people in the right jobs, maintaining consistency in branding, and striving to provide clients with an uncommon level of personalized service. Leadership: Most importantly, leaders must be engaged and lead by example. They must be intentional and sincere in talking about the values and culture. And they must make the commitment to the financial investment that both culture and engagement require. In my experience, the return on investment is priceless. As announced in late January, Avenue Bank intends to merge with Pinnacle Financial Partners in a transaction expected to close late Q2 or early Q3. The merger announcement noted the two companies’ complementary cultures and similar strategies. As testament to both firms’ culture and engagement, both have been named in the top five “Best Banks to Work For” in the United States for the past two years.
Ron Samuels
Chairman & CEO, Avenue Bank
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PARTNER lETTER
Crosslin & Associates is proud to sponsor the 2016 Leadership edition of the Nashville Post. Congratulations to all of the business, political and civic leaders who have been recognized as Middle Tennessee’s finest. Leadership comes in many shapes and sizes – there is not a clear cut formula that will make you a successful leader. However, Inc. magazine recently outlined nine traits that define great leadership and I think they hold true. These admirable traits include awareness, decisiveness, empathy, accountability, confidence, optimism, honesty, focus, and most importantly, inspiration. Granted, it is difficult to embody all of these qualities at one time but that’s exactly what truly extraordinary leaders do. And fortunately for Nashville, this edition’s honorees epitomize extraordinary leadership. The men and women included in this list are visionaries, team builders, and good decision makers. They have character, passion, and ambition. They both inspire and empower those around them. Being a leader is not an easy job, but thankfully these individuals rise to the challenge and do it so well. Thank you for making Nashville a great place to work, live, and do business. As a member of this community for more than 28 years, Crosslin & Associates is proud to work alongside you and looks forward to continuing to build a bigger and better Nashville with you.
J. Dell Crosslin Managing Principal Crosslin & Associates, PLLC
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YOU SHOULD KNOW
OPEN
YOU SHOULD KNOW
Hannah Pechan
Social Enterprise Alliance – Nashville
The local chapter of the Social Enterprise Alliance took a big step forward last summer with the help of a $100,000 grant from The Frist Foundation and the subsequent hiring of Hannah Pechan to be its first director. Pechan started her career in international development and later spent time in retail, which led her earn an MBA degree in global social and sustainable enterprise from Colorado State University. She now oversees an organization housed at the Entrepreneur Center that provides its members mentoring and advisory services and puts on several events that expose enterprises’ products to the city’s residents. “I love our function of giving people a home for what they’re trying to do,” she says. “I want people to see they don’t have to choose between making money and making an impact.” So far, so good: The chapter’s membership is up 59 percent over the past six months, much of which Pechan freely credits to the groundwork done before she stepped in. The next landmark is The Good Makers Market and the Business for Good competition, which will take place this spring at the EC and feature talks and presentations as well as a public marketplace celebrating regional social enterprises. Looking further out, Pechan sees a massive opportunity in the potential confluence of the corporate and nonprofit worlds. The fledgling public benefit corporation model is a start. She’s willing to do a lot of the other heavy lifting needed to create opportunities.
ERIC ENGLAND
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Tech @ work
tech @ work
ResaleAI INDUSTRY Retail DEVELOPER Jackson Miller FOR Retail store owners AVAILABLE resaleai.com
No, the AI in ResaleAI doesn’t stand for artificial intelligence. The knowledge generated by the software toolset developed by local Plato’s Closet co-owner Jackson Miller is very real and the AI stands for automation and integration. At first glance, ResaleAI looks like a dashboard in that it shows some key indicators such as sales goals and the percentage of buyers who also are trading in some clothes. But it only takes a little bit of scrolling to see that the application also features an employee sign-in (linked to the franchisor’s scheduling software), inventory management tools and a checklist of other key processes that make stores like Plato’s Closet’s tick. ResaleAI has built on the work Miller did with Bizen, a more true dashboard, earlier this decade. But that product, he says, was really only good for tracking metrics. Key to how ResaleAI works, he says, is having in-store processes be observable in real time. Having the detailed checklist available for everyone to see creates a clearer understanding among employees of how the store works best and it produces on-the-spot coaching moments for store managers. For Miller, it’s about making the leap from the idea that what gets measured gets managed to the concept that an engaged team and strong culture eats strategy for breakfast. Since formally launching ResaleAI about six months ago, Miller has sold it to about 50 clients, who typically pay $99 per month. “When a target customer sees it, they almost always want it,” he says.
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Jackson Miller is the founder of ResaleAI and managing partner of L2M LLC, which operates three franchised Plato’s Closet stores in the Nashville area. He also is running for the District 7 seat on the Metropolitan Board of Public Education.
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THREE QUESTIONS
THREE QUESTIONS
Marcus Whitney Jumpstart Foundry
Speaking last summer as part of a WPLN Movers & Thinkers podcast, Jumpstart Foundry cofounder Marcus Whitney made it quite clear: “I really, really don’t want to work for anybody else … Really.” Here, he expounds on how that idea shapes his work at Jumpstart. How has your attitude about working for others influenced how you lead? Not wanting to work for others has been an instrumental part of the way that I lead at Jumpstart. My desire to work for myself does not mean that I have a strong desire to have others work for me. At Jumpstart, we all work together, but everyone is there because it is fulfilling to them. Certainly as president, I have authority but I use it to co-design (with Vic Gatto) the Jumpstart culture as one where personal and professional growth is paramount, and we believe that happens when people are empowered and autonomous. How does that inform the way Jumpstart functions day to day? Maybe the most telling trait is how we collaborate and communicate. We have an all-day off-site meeting every quarter
where we align deeply to our purpose and game plan for the quarter and year ahead. Every Monday, we have an all-hands meeting where everyone (there are less than 20 of us) gives an update on what they accomplished last week and what they are going to do in the coming week. And on Friday, I have a one-on-one meeting with each member of the team that is primarily a mentorship session. Other than those three interactions, team members work independently, or in small teams when it makes sense. We know that we are aligned because we communicate intimately and respectfully, but there is no micromanagement at Jumpstart. Do you like that trait — and look for it — in the entrepreneurs Jumpstart funds and develops? Yes. The concept of being someone’s boss and telling them what to do is stale and outmoded. And it’s not just millennials who believe that. We find that across all generations, the Jumpstart team values the emphasis on personal growth and mentorship over micromanagement. We want to invest in entrepreneurs who embody this same philosophy as often as possible because we believe it will lead to superior results.
ERIC ENGLAND
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LIVE YOUR EXTRAORDINARY
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OPEN
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THE JOURNEY
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THE JOURNEY
oPeN
and Affiliates THe JoURNeY
DAN HOGAN Medalogix
Dan Hogan has raised $7 million since launching five-year-old Medalogix, which analyzes home health clinical data with an eye to improving outcomes. Now based in Germantown, the company employs 25 people and has amassed a client base of 450 home health agencies around the country. Here, Hogan steps back to assess his growth as CEO and where he sees his industry headed. My concern as a leader in the beginning was about the messaging, about getting other home care operators to care about using this data. The health care reform bill had passed in March 2010, but nobody had figured out all the ways it would change things. I know there were better operators out there in the market and maybe that’s what got me thinking about these challenges earlier. I think I felt more exposed by these changes. Five years ago, I would never have guessed that I’d have done as much public speaking as I have. I’ve spoken to Belmont and Vanderbilt students several times as well as a handful of home health and health industry conferences, I’m a South by Southwest panelist this year and two years ago, I was able to talk about analytics and end-of-life care at TEDx Nashville. My role has become more visibility-oriented,
ERIC ENGLAND
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are pleased to announce the addition of three new members. focused on getting the word about this emerging technology. I wasn’t selling a product and saying, “Here’s why you should buy it.” I was showing people the concept of predictive modeling, how it works and why its important to the future of health care. Early on, we were figuring things out as we went along. Today, with 27 angels invested, a hedge fund partner and 24 employees and their families to which I’m responsible, there’s a different accountability at play. But I also don’t have to build the business myself now. I don’t have to write the five-year plan alone — even if I have the wonderful privilege of being able to veto it. I delegate almost everything to our core group. We have the same sense of where the market is going. Plus, I couldn’t pull off the charade that I have something of value to add to every conversation. They’d see right through me. I do take the lead on overall strategy and the prioritization of our efforts. For instance, we have limited data science resources, and yet we still have a need to devote more time to developing what we have. So I made the call to dedicate 80 percent of the team to refining our existing products and 20 percent to what’s next — such as the conversion to value-based purchasing. In five years, the market will all be using some form of predictive modeling. If I could write the script, we at Medalogix will be an integral part of driving the move to widespread datadriven decision-making in health care. We have a moral imperative to do that and we’re finally positioning ourselves for that. There’s so much data out there that could drive positive changes. We’re just in the home health sector currently,
‘I DON’t HAve tO wrIte tHe fIveyeAr plAN AlONe — eveN If I HAve tHe wONDerful prIvIleGe Of beING Able tO vetO It’ but there are hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, inpatient rehab facilities and other groups of providers that also have all this data. What if we could pool all that information, de-identify it and make it available at no charge? Currently, health data is hard to come by. Scrubbing and streamlining it to make it usable is even more difficult. As data collection is now, we only have access to a sliver of valuable data points in creating our models. Having a bank of de-identified, clean patient data — including data points that happen outside of the care facility like eating and exercise habits — at data scientists’ fingertips would allow us to understand so much more about what causes different health outcomes. With this rich information, we could predict outcomes and intervene at the right time to improve health like never before. This should be a government-funded effort, like The Genome Project was. I would still be at the helm of Medalogix because this feels like really important stuff. But I would find time to be involved in such an effort.
Michael Davis
Member, KraftCPAs PLLC
Jessica Scouten
Member, KraftCPAs Turnaround & Restructuring Group, PLLC
Samantha Boyd
Member, KraftCPAs Turnaround & Restructuring Group, PLLC
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OPEN
DATA BANK
DATA BANK
WOMEN’S LONG WAY TO GO
Four and a half years after being named CEO of Cracker Barrel, Sandy Cochran remains a club of one, the only woman to lead a Middle Tennessee public company. And the numbers don’t look good across the front offices of Nashville-area companies listed on the New York Stock Exchange or Nasdaq: Only 17 percent of the almost 270 top-level executives at more than 30 companies are women. That’s quite a bit lower than the (still-too-low) 25 percent representation among companies in the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index. Nonprofit group Catalyst, which advocates for greater inclusion of women in the workplace, in February released an updated study of women’s representation at the companies that make up the S&P 500. There are mechanisms in place to improve the local numbers. Cable Nashville has partnerships in place with the Tennessee chapter of Women Corporate Directors to help prepare women for board representation and with Lipscomb University’s Nelson & Sue Andrews Institute for Civic Leadership to develop and refine their executive qualifications. The Corporate Board Academy has graduated two cohorts with a total of 23 top-level professional women. Forty executives, small-business owners, entrepreneurs and nonprofit leaders have graduated from three Executive Leadership Academies sessions.
Women in S&P 500 Companies CEOS
4% BOARD SEATS
12%
19%
EXECUTIVE/SENIOR LEVEL
17%
25%
FIRST/MID-LEVEL
37% S&P 500 LABOR FORCE
45% S&P 500
NASHVILLE
Above average Four local companies can claim above-average representation both in the C-suite and the board room relative to the S&P 500.
Avenue Financial
Cracker Barrel
Dollar General
Franklin Financial
No Women But a greater number of area public companies have no women in top executive roles or in director seats.
Acadia | Clarcor | Delek US | First Acceptance | J. Alexander’s | Noranda Aluminum
For more on this topic, go to page 80 Sources: Catalyst. Pyramid: Women in S&P 500 Companies. New York: Catalyst, February 3, 2016, staff research
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INDEX
OPEN
COMPANY & PEOPLE INDEX
A-I
Franklin Financial 14
Mark Dixon 37
Rick Byrd 23
Genesco 29
Medalogix 13
Ron Samuels 30
Acadia Healthcare 14
Hannah Pechan 7
Mid-America Bancshares 31
Ryan Blanck 19
Avenue Financial Holdings 14, 28
InfoWorks 36
Mike Mularkey 25
Sandy Cochran 14
Mridu Parikh 33
Social Enterprise Alliance-Nashville 7
Belmont University 23
J-M
Cable Nashville 14
Jackson Miller 8
N-S
CapitalMark Bank & Trust 29, 31
J. Alexander’s 14
Nancy Falls 37, 74
T-Z
Cavalry Banking 29, 31
Jennifer Brandenburger 16-17
Nashville Entrepreneur Center 7, 17
Tari Hughes 21
Jim Armistead 36
Nashville Public Library Foundation 21
Tennessee Titans 25
Bankers Healthcare Group 31
Clarcor 14 Cracker Barrel Old Country Store 14
Julie May 33 Jumpstart Foundry 10
Dan Hogan 13
L2M LLC 8
Daniel Harkavy 78
National Association of Women Business Owners 33 Noranda Aluminum 14
Terry Turner 27-31 The Concinnity Company 37, 74 The Frist Foundation 7
Delek US Holdings 29
Lipscomb University’s Nelson & Sue Andrews Institute for Civic Leadership 14
Deviate LLC 19
Lyft 16-18
Pinnacle Financial Partners 28-31
Tony Heard 36
Dollar General 14
Magna Bank 29, 31
Plato’s Closet 8
USr Healthcare 37
First Acceptance 14
Maneet Chauhan 33
Regions Bank 36
Vanderbilt University 23
First Horizon National 29
Marcus Whitney 10
ResaleAI 8
Varallo Public Relations 37
Deb Varallo 37
Peterson Institute of International Economics 80
The Pinnacle at Symphony Place 29 Tim Corbin 23
Looking for the names on our In Charge List? Find them on starting on page 67
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FEATURES
LYFT
A culture of engagement Jennifer Brandenburger in the currently under-construction Lyft offices on Second Avenue
Lyft shuns conventional approaches as it establishes a Nashville presence by Holly McCall
Lyft’s temporary Nashville offices — located in what was once a masonry warehouse adjacent to B.B. King’s Blues Club on Second Avenue — look just fine to a visitor. They feature exposed brick walls and retro-design artwork asserting Lyft’s core values, including “Create Fearlessly,” “Uplift Others” and “Be Yourself.” But Lyft’s Jennifer Brandenburger, site lead, is eager for the day a few months out when the space is totally renovated, complete with open workspaces that encourage easy dialogue. Such design will better reflect the peer-to-peer ride sharing company’s culture of inclusion and engagement, a trait that led to the selection last September of Nashville as Lyft’s customer service operations hub. “Nashville really spoke to us,” says Brandenburger of the site selection process, which began last summer. “We support people being themselves. In other cities, we have
‘Bat-Lyfts’ and ‘Harry Potter Lyfts.’ And Nashville has so much creative energy.” The move was necessitated as Lyft, a privately held transportation network company launched in 2012 by ride-share pioneers Logan Greer and John Zimmer, has evolved and expanded to operate in almost 200 cities. (Lyft was an offshoot of Zimride, an earlier ride-share Greer and Zimmer founded in 2007 and that focused on longer trips, often between cities. The company as of January had raised more than $2 billion from investors.) Based in San Francisco, Lyft leaders try to challenge conventions in the pursuit of satisfying customers. As the company has grown over the last four years, Lyft bosses found they needed a hub that could service the East Coast more conveniently. Brandenburger cites Nashville’s 20-plus colleges and universities as great talent pools. Likewise, Middle Tennessee’s entrepreneurial energy, booming economy, culture of collaboration and early embrace of ride-share platforms were keys to the company’s site selection. “We saw this great partnership at all levels of government,” she says, noting a delegation comprised of members of city and state government, along with representatives of TVA’s economic development team, pitched Lyft on the move. The site selection was finalized in September. Five Lyft team members, including Brandenburger, picked ERIC ENGLAND
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LYFT
up and moved from the San Francisco headquarters to Nashville. The small group was challenged with hiring 100 new team members by the end of 2015. As it happened, Brandenburger and the team exceeded the goal, ramping up to 120 — a number expected to triple by the end of this year. She attributes the milestone to Nashville’s resources. “All the things we were told about Nashville and the reasons we picked it have played out as expected,” she says. “It’s been easy to find talent. We’ve got a great foundation on which to build and hire in a way in which to infuse the same culture we have in our San Francisco office.” That’s not to say hiring and onboarding so many people in such a short amount of time was easy. “It’s a heavy lift to get this many people started at once,” says Brandenburger, laughing at the pun. “We had to create a whole new hiring process.” In the original San Francisco office, hiring 120 people happened organically and took about a year. Here, there was no such luxury, and Brandenberger and her associates were spurred to get creative — and fast. First, they had to distinguish between the hiring process for Lyft drivers, already established and well known here, and the new corporate office team. Second, creativity met need. A rotating group of team leads from San Francisco initially conducted group interviews before moving on to one-on-ones. Off site group interviews at Pinewood Social, B.B. King’s
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and the Entrepreneur Center drew as many as 70 candidates each, and gave current Lyft employees a chance to mingle with hopefuls. “You get to see people in a different setting,” says Brandenburger, a lawyer with a background in public affairs before joining the Lyft team two years ago. “You want to see people who are able to engage and are curious about Lyft and the platform. In interviews, people can get nervous and you don’t see the true person.” Lyft has also utilized more traditional means of recruitment, including job postings online and leveraging the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce’s young professionals network. For more specialized roles, recruiters have been employed to seek those with the necessary experience. Brandenburger says that while some processes have been unique to Nashville, managers here are looking for the same traits common to team members in the San Francisco office. Lyft still has a start-up feel — in the San Francisco office, the founders sit cheek by jowl with customer experience team members — and those used to a structured, policy-based role might not thrive in Lyft’s groovy, entrepreneurial environment. “We want people who can live in the gray area,” says Brandenburger. “If there’s not a process, go make one. Nobody is going to hand you a guidebook. We need people who can problem solve without too much guidance.” “We don’t want people who are satisfied with the
FEATURES
‘We Want people Who can live in the gray area. if there’s not a process, go make one.’ Jennifer Brandenburger
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FEATURES
LYFT
status quo,” she adds. “We are constantly looking to improve our work with the end goal of doing the right thing for customers.” Admittedly, it’s not a good fit for everyone. It’s a flat structure, not the hierarchical one many workers are used to. “Some people are uncomfortable with that,” Brandenburger acknowledges. “We are inventing new ways of doing things every day. It’s not for everyone. Sometimes you are just like, ‘I want an answer.’” At the core, Lyft is about people “who are focused on delighting customers.” Lyft has always been very community-centric, with a comfortable, friendly vibe. An early company slogan was “Your friend with a car.” Drivers were encouraged to fist-bump their passengers, passengers were encouraged to ride in the front seat with the driver and driver’s cars were distinguished by a fuzzy electric pink mustached affixed to front grills. (As the business has matured, the slogan has changed to “A Ride Whenever You Need One” and the fuzzy mustache is now a smaller, subtler, glow-in-the-dark one that perches on the car’s dashboard.) The Lyft For Good program allows drivers, passengers or nonprofit organizations to request grant money in Lyft-serviced cities. And in the San Francisco office’s early days, Wednesday driver training sessions came with bagels. It’s a tradi-
tion than continues several years into the venture, with delivery of bagels to headquarters marking Hump Day. No doubt, team members in Nashville’s office will create their own traditions. “We’ve created this sense of community and sense of treating each other well in the Lyft ride between passenger and driver and are looking to mirror that between customers and employees,” says Brandenburger. “We focus on opportunities to go above and beyond and empower (our customer experience representatives) to do that. It’s a strategy that’s paid off. Tech writers and investors alike have lauded Lyft for its sense of community and transparency. Now that a core Nashville group is built, team leaders and managers are involved in the process, building their own teams and participating in the hiring process. The anchor team locally is largely made up of customer experience specialists, on hand to keep up with the company growth. More specialized roles provide support, including systems administrators and data analysts, who dissect customer feedback and the number of comments and inquiries Lyft gets. Team leads manage eight to 12 customer experience associates and focus on mentoring, supporting and coaching their team members. Micromanagement is a no-no. It is all geared toward one thing, says Brandenburger. “We are always trying to challenge convention in pursuit of doing the right thing for customers” she says.
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FEATURES
MENTOR
Five Essentials for a rewarding mentoring relationship by Ryan Blanck
The U.S. business community is experiencing a leadership crisis, one marked by an insufficient number of respect- and admiration-commanding individuals in positions of authority. But the challenge of addressing the issue is not insurmountable. As a performance coach and consultant, I help prepare executives for future uncertainties. One topic we regularly address is workplace and leadership transitioning, an essential issue given that one-third of the workforce is nearing retirement. In fact, a Korn Ferry study, titled “Real World Leadership,” found that while the need for innovative and strategic change is critical, only 17 percent of 7,500 senior leaders surveyed were fully confident their organizations had the right leadership capabilities in place to execute on strategic business priorities. With so much expected turnover and shaken confidence in leadership capabilities, it’s time for tomorrow’s leaders to start leading today. They can more effectively do so by finding a mentor. If you are a rising corporate star, your safest bet to securing a C-suite position — and enjoying that role with longevity and relevance — is to start the process now. Finding a seasoned business executive to serve as your mentor is a strong start. On this note, I’m often asked to mentor budding entrepreneurs, soon-to-be college graduates and rising leaders. It’s flattering and I’m happy to do so because I know the value of having an engaging mentor relationship. Upon reflecting on my most enjoyable mentoring relationships, I’ve identified five essentials that you, the aspiring high-level leader, must address.
Expectations
Identify your needs and communicate your expectations with your potential mentor upfront. Why do you want
her to mentor you? What skills and insight, specifically, does she offer? What professional and/or personal journey do you want her to help you navigate?
Duration
Most mentoring relationships stagnate because the two parties, early in the process, fail to identify the potential duration of the relationship. As one seeking a mentor, do you feel, say, a mere two phone calls will be sufficient? Three months? Six months? By failing to define the time span of the relationship, it could eventually fizzle, leaving both parties unfulfilled and — in some cases — jaded.
Frequency
Outline how often you would like to speak, for how long and in what way (e.g., Skype, phone or face-to-face). Be respectful and realistic of what likely is your mentor’s limited time. The mentor might decline your request if you expect to meet each week for an hour face-to-face. However, if you want to connect via Skype monthly for, perhaps, an hour, as long as you provide an agenda, the mentor may be more willing to make herself available.
Commitment
A major disconnect that sometimes arises in such relationships involves the mentor being far more focused than the mentee. The level of seriousness must be shared or a bad fit might result. You must wholeheartedly commit. There is a significant difference between being “interested” and “committed.” Potential mentors rarely have the time or bandwidth to devote to those who are not fully committed.
Benchmarks
Before you begin a mentoring relationship, the mentor will need to know what will dictate success and how you will measure the results. After all, “vision” is an essential element of leadership. Articulate your goals and tell your mentor how you will hold yourself accountable for your successes and/or failures. In short, the ideal mentoring relationship should be so valuable — for both parties — that you develop a lifelong friendship. Just remember this: You might be upset, frustrated, and/or disappointed — as might your mentor — if expectations are not met. Use these five principles to outline your expectations in order to cement a solid foundation for your relationship. From there, leadership will follow.
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Ryan Blanck is CEO and founder of Deviate LLC, a performance coaching firm headquartered in Brentwood. Deviate partners with Fortune 500 executives and recording artists to inspire, activate and sustain peak performance to help them win at the highest level. Learn more at offtrackonpurpose.com.
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‘It’s easy to motivate when you all believe’
The Public Library Foundation’s Tari Hughes talks about how her small team raised $15 million in a year In the decade since Tari Hughes was appointed president of the Nashville Public Library Foundation, the organization has raised $30 million in private funding for the library’s educational programs, facilities and collections. More than half of that fundraising was completed in the past year through a $15 million campaign — the largest effort of its kind for the library — spearheaded by Hughes. The NPLF team launched the Write the Next Chapter Campaign, a citywide fundraising initiative co-chaired by then-mayor Karl Dean and Nicole Kidman, in the summer of 2014. By last June, it had surpassed their goal, bringing in $15.2 million to allow the library to launch new literacy programs, revitalize its facilities, enhance collections, support visual arts exhibits and broaden the reach of ongoing programs such as Limitless Libraries and Studio NPL. Post contributor Nancy Floyd chatted with Hughes about the planning process and the challenges of raising private funds for a publicly funded entity. Walk us through the planning process for the $15 million campaign and how you organized a small team to tackle the project. As with any project of this magnitude, board support and participation is essential for its success. Once I got the board engaged in the concept, we embarked on a campaign planning study to determine at what level the community would support the library in a campaign. After reviewing the study’s results, the board endorsed the campaign and we began to ask key community leaders to serve on a Steering Committee. From there, we secured two lead gifts which affirmed that we were going in the right direction. It’s incredible what a small team of passionate volunteers can do, and as Margaret Mead once said, ‘Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.’
Over the course of the campaign, how did you keep your team motivated and focused while balancing the foundation’s day-to-day needs with its long-term goals? The short answer would be through benchmarks, milestones and regular meetings. We began telling the story throughout the context of our day-to-day activities and annual events such as the Literary Award Gala. By shifting our messaging a bit and sharing great impact stories throughout the campaign, we were able to unify our efforts and saw every action or task taken as something that could ultimately benefit the campaign. It’s easy to motivate a team when you all truly believe in the mission and its purpose. I’ve been told my passion and enthusiasm for the library’s story is a bit contagious, and I think this energy attracted equally passionate and goal-oriented volunteers to join the cause. We all seemed to share a similar sense of responsibility and continued to have a sense of urgency and excitement throughout the campaign. And I must say it was easy to stay focused on the end goal simply by imagining all the ways our community would benefit from our efforts. Is there a push-pull dynamic to leading and fundraising for the NPLF? On the one hand, you’re raising money for library and literacy programs, something with which few people could find fault. On the other, you’re an extension of an entity that already is getting a lot of public funding, which could deter some donors. How do you overcome such objections? You’ve hit the nail on the head with this question regarding the tension that comes with a true public-private partnership. The mission of the Library Foundation is to enhance the library beyond what the city is able to or should provide for our community. Without private gifts to the foundation, NPL wouldn’t be overflowing with teens in its state-of-theart Studio NPL space every afternoon. It wouldn’t be able to provide award-winning early literacy programming for more than 100,000 Nashville children and adults free of charge. We wouldn’t be hosting best-selling authors for talks or provide free Courtyard Concerts to bring the community together over a shared love of music. Because of the city’s investment in its public library system, we have an incredible base that private funding can enhance and take to the next level. We are able to take the library’s services and opportunities outside its walls to community members unable to visit a branch. I think when donors realize the incredible, unparalleled education institution the library has become thanks to private dollars and the number of lives that are positively impacted every year, there is no question over whether or not it’s a good investment.
Write the Next Chapter Campaign Where did the donations come from?
15.2M
$
Total funds raised
18.5% 13%
68.5%
Corporations or corporate foundations Foundations Individuals, family foundations or donor-advised funds
ERIC ENGLAND
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As the late John Seigenthaler once said, ‘When you invest in the Nashville Public Library, you’re investing in the literary life of your city, in your city’s legacy; you’re investing in the children, you’re investing in the future. What better investment is there?’ Then-Mayor Karl Dean and Nicole Kidman were honorary co-chairs of your campaign and its most public faces. Assuming the mayor was involved because of the city’s administration of the library system, how did you land on Kidman as the right choice for the campaign? Karl Dean is a fantastic supporter of Nashville Public Library and has been long before he was mayor — so his role as an honorary co-chair was a natural choice. Ms. Kidman is an avid reader who loves libraries and regularly takes her children to NPL story times and puppet shows. We were thrilled with her willingness to lend her name and passion to our initiative. She truly loves stories, believes in libraries and even told us that, ‘I became an actor because I read when I was a child.’ Ms. Kidman is a great example of what a person can accomplish with the right access to books, stories and opportunities provided by public libraries. You have led the NPLF for more than a decade. What has changed most over that time about how you lead the organization? How are you a better leader now than you were a year after you started? When I started at NPLF, my staff consisted of myself and a part-time assistant. Over the last 10 years, I’ve grown our staff and thus grown the amount raised for the library. I’m
more confident than I was 10 years ago and better able to share the library’s story and the power of this institution. I have also learned to let go and empower my team members instead of feeling the need to do everything myself. You’ve been involved on a national level with the Urban Libraries Council. How have your experiences there influenced your leadership of the NPLF? What are some of the best practices and ideas you’ve brought back from that group? One of the things I love most about being involved with ULC is spending time with peers who do fundraising for public libraries in other cities. It’s great to have a group to discuss specific experiences, issues and challenges with. Overall, this group continues to remind me of how libraries are taking a leading role in education across the country. In addition, we’ve brainstormed and brought back ideas on how to enhance the library for the future. Lastly, it reminds me of how important it is to have synergy between the Library and Foundation and how lucky we are in Nashville to have such a strong partnership. What’s the best piece of leadership advice you ever received? One of the best fundraisers I’ve ever met once told me to never eat lunch alone. I try to take every opportunity that I can to engage with fellow community members, share the library’s story and just get to know people. In my industry, relationships are everything, and — what better way to make a friend than over lunch?
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COACH
Consistent winning ways
Two of Nashville’s most successful coaches talk about longevity, sharing authority and mellowing out by David Boclair
It is one of the paradoxes of leadership: The best leaders direct their organizations so well that they ultimately can let go of the reins to some extent and allow those they have led to lead on their behalf. It is a more difficult dynamic to achieve in college athletics than in other industries because the workforce — the athletes, in this case — turns over so regularly. Competitors come and go annually and, for the most part, their tenure is no more than four years. Yet every college sport has elite programs — the ones that win conference championships, produce All-Americans and compete for national titles much more than most. Very often, those are the programs at which long-serving coaches are focusing more on building a culture than they are spending time on the mechanics of developing skills. Rick Byrd and Tim Corbin are two of those coaches. Each has a program that succeeds more often and on a grander scale than other comparable outfits. And each is concerned with every aspect of his program — and its respective reputation — but trusts that the consistency of his approach will help ensure continued success. Over the three decades he has led the Belmont UniJohn Russell/Vanderbilt Athletics
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versity men’s basketball program, Byrd has done things the same way long enough that the scope of his job has changed. His expectations of his players and staff members have become part of the fabric of the program. Players have assumed some of the responsibility for maintaining those standards; their coach is no longer the only one to make sure practices are conducted with the necessary intensity or that team members properly comport themselves — whether they are in uniform, in the classroom or anywhere else. A similar dynamic has developed with Corbin, Vanderbilt University’s baseball coach since 2003. During his team’s run to the College World Series final series last summer, Corbin routinely used the analogy that he was a parent who had turned over the steering wheel of the family car to his children and settled into the backseat. “When you trust a group of kids, it’s the greatest feeling a parent can have,” Corbin says. “They do things right. They take care of one another. They take care of people. They engage with other people. They do the small things well. And because of that, they see success. “A lot of the success they see is deserved and has nothing to do with baseball. But it comes full circle around to help them in baseball.” Byrd sees clear parallels between coaching and being a CEO. In so many ways, he says being consistent with expectations and setting a positive tone is key in both environments. “When you create an atmosphere where people like to work there and understand how things are done, then I think the CEO or coach actually has less to do because everybody understands how it’s done and they’re not teaching a whole lot of people too often,” Byrd says.
Tim Corbin, Vanderbilt Univerity head baseball coach
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“For players to lead, they have to have the right kind of approach to it — and it has to be the same in a workplace,” he says. “Among peers, you have to be careful about how you choose to lead because players don’t want to be coached by players. I don’t think that you can allow your players to be too aggressive with criticism in particular. I find that our players are way better than I am in terms of offering positive reinforcement to their teammates. Reading what I’ve read and observing what I’ve observed, coaches are trying to correct mistakes all the time. And I think, probably way too often, we’re not reinforcing good plays and good decisions that the team makes, at least in practice.” Under Byrd, Belmont basketball has grown from a program that competed in the NAIA to one that has made the NCAA Tournament seven times in the last 10 years and routinely has scared the tar out of (and occasionally beaten) some of college basketball’s most recognizable names. Vanderbilt baseball has evolved from an athletic afterthought on West End Avenue to an operation that has won a national championship, narrowly missed out on a second and routinely develops top professional prospects. Many of Corbin’s players are talented enough that they turn professional as soon a possible under NCAA rules, generally after three years. The Commodores’ success on a national level also has drawn interest from other college programs and even Major League organizations that have hired away his staff members. Byrd’s program, on the other hand, is the picture of consistency. The overwhelming majority of his players stay for the full four or five years. In the past 15 seasons, he has hired just two assistant coaches, which became necessary when a long-time aide had the opportunity to become a head coach and took another staff member with him. “I tell our guys that I want them to have fun playing basketball and I want them to win,” Byrd says. “I also want the same of the guys who work here on our staff. I want them to enjoy their job here at Belmont. I think if you can create that kind of atmosphere for your team, for your players and for the guys that work for you … I hope that explains some of the continuity of our program.” Byrd admits he has “calmed down” over the years. His halftime speeches are rarely as impassioned as they once were, and he’s not as quick to use aggression and volume to make a point to a player. Corbin expresses a similar sense about his own career and says he has learned to enjoy things more than he once did. That, he believes, has created a better experience for everyone else within the program. “When you get a little bit older, you seem to understand what you’ve done in the past and you certainly try to correct things that you’ve done to make the experience more enjoyable, because I do think that you can coach or teach yourself out of this game,” Corbin says. “I’m not going to tell you I’ve got any part of this figured out, but I think there are priorities that exist and my perspective was not always as clean as it needed to be. And so I think I’ve learned to enjoy it more than I did maybe 10 years ago.” That seems like good advice for many a CEO. Ben McKeOwn/BelMOnt University AtHletiCs
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COACH
De-emphasizing Details Mularkey finds focus with Titans
Mike Mularkey is convinced his attention to detail has allowed him to climb to the top of his profession three times. Two failed stints as an NFL head coach, though, spurred Mularkey to adopt a big-picture approach now that he is in charge of the Tennessee Titans. Though he still plans to pay attention to all the little things, he simply won’t require the same of everyone around him. “There’s a lot of things I learned that I wouldn’t do [again],” he says. With a career record of 18-39, Mularkey now believes less is more. He has distilled his focus to two major aspects of the job: making sure his team is as prepared as possible for each game; and making sure the players know he and his staff care about them and their success. It is an approach at which Mularkey arrived in 2013, when he took time off for reflection even though he concedes now he did not think he would get another head
coaching opportunity. Most famously, Mularkey was criticized during his one season with Jacksonville (2012) for his requirement that when players didn’t wear their helmets during practice those helmets needed to be placed together in a perfectly straight line. He conceded he issued other similar edicts that distracted him from his primary goal and strained his relationship with the players. The Jaguars went 2-14 that season. “It was nothing drastic but little things that really weren’t important and probably wasted some of my energy,” Mularkey says. “I should have been focused on other areas. I put a lot of pressure on myself to enact these things with these players and it wasn’t going to make a difference in the game.” Mularkey says he has no regrets about what he did with Jacksonville or with Buffalo (2004-05). He simply plans to do things differently this time. “I just like details,” he says. “I’m very detail-oriented. I like players to be that way. Some aren’t. Some have to be taught to be that way. When it comes down to it, that had nothing to do with what happened on a Sunday. “But it was important to me,” he adds. “Is it still? It is. But I’m not going to do that here.” > David Boclair
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‘there’s a lot of things i learneD that i woulDn’t Do [again].’ Mike Mularkey
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FEATURES
CEO OF THE YEAR
Terry turner
Pinnacle Financial
ERIC ENGLAND
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Congratulations Congratulations Congratulations to Jen Robinson to JentoRobinson Jen Robinson and Joycelyn and Joycelyn and Joycelyn Stevenson for Stevenson Stevenson for for their combined their their combined combined contributions contributions contributions to Littler’s to Littler’s to Littler’s Nashville Nashville Nashville office and officeoffice and and the community the community the community at large. at large. at large.
FEATURES
CEO OF THE YEAR
Congratulations to Jen Robinson and Joycelyn Stevenson for their combined contributions to Littler’s Nashville office and the community at large.
No staNdiNg still Terry Turner has built Pinnacle into a regional power on the back of a firm cultural foundation by GEERT DE LOmbAERDE
Jennifer Robinson Jennifer Jennifer Robinson Robinson Office Managing Shareholder Office Managing Office Shareholder Managing Shareholder
Joycelyn Stevenson Joycelyn Joycelyn Stevenson Stevenson Shareholder Shareholder Shareholder
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Terry Turner was in his element the evening of Jan. 19. Mingling with co-workers among the dozens of tables in the Omni Hotel’s ballroom, Turner and members of Jenniferteam Robinson his executive were handing out bonus checks to Shareholder someOffice 800 Managing people for a job well done in 2015. A job very well done: The checks totaled $15 million, a reward for a collective effort that had seen Pinnacle Financial Partners plant its flag in Memphis and Chattanooga in a big way, continue to expand in Nashville and Knoxville, and grow profits 35 percent. The checks being distributed also lifted to more than $200 million the incentive payments Pinnacle has made to its employees since opening its doors in the fall of 2000, giving the bank holding company a decent claim to being one of the biggest wealth generators in Middle Tennessee not linked in some way to a certain hospital company. And that was before Turner and his team put a bow on the planned $201 million purchase of Avenue FinanJoycelyn Stevenson cial Holdings, a deal that will make Avenue’s 145 employShareholder ees a lot of money when it closes this summer, and will push Pinnacle past the $10 billion in assets landmark. The Avenue transaction checks a lot of boxes: It brings in house a tough group of competitors — more and more, Pinnacle and Avenue’s elders found they were the last ones standing when it came to winning new business — while eliminating the risk of another
littler.com
regional player acquiring Avenue and adding $1 billion in local assets. But those defensive motives pale in comparison to Pinnacle’s opportunity to definitively position itself as Nashville’s bank of the early 21st century, the natural successor to the First American-Third National-Commerce Union trifecta of a generation ago and the quasi-default choice for business owners who want to bank local. At the heart of it all — as it is with so many business success stories — has been a rock-solid culture that prizes and rewards individual effort while also positioning Pinnacle as the eternal underdog, the spunky David from next door taking on the soulless Goliaths headquartered far away. It’s an attitude that dates back to 2000, when Pinnacle was preparing to open its doors for business. Turner recalls asking his small team at the time what they feared about the weeks and months ahead. One person answered that he worried about losing the camaraderie of the tight-knit group. Turner’s response: “The goal is to be bigger; there is no standing still.”
No going back
Few around Pinnacle can claim to have stood still for long since. The bank grew steadily in its early years, reaching $1 billion in a little more than four years by recruiting experienced bankers and wealth managers from large organizations and supporting them as they gradually migrated their clients to Pinnacle — a formula that still produces results a decade and a half later. Turner and Pinnacle’s other top brass were and still are heavily involved in recruiting: Every Monday, the leadership team sits down to run over the pipeline of potential additions, and Turner says they spend as miCHAEL w. buNCH
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CEO OF THE YEAR
much time on identifying talent as they do on business development. “My approach has long been: ‘Get this associate thing right and everything else will work itself out,’” he says. A key element to that approach has been a threeday orientation that Turner says hasn’t fundamentally changed since it was first organized for 34 people in 2000. Chapters have been added, but the core messages — take control of your individual destiny inside the larger organization and be excited about being a part of the game — have remained the same, helping new hires and employees added via an acquisition to quickly buy into an owner-driven culture. Those basic tenets are regularly reinforced through the organization, including by its top man. In addition to talking about bigger bottom lines, a rising share price and bonus checks, Turner says he’ll regularly ask in a meeting if anyone wants to return to the large super-regional banks they left for Pinnacle. The corollary to that rhetorical question: “OK, then do what you need to do to help the bank grow the top and bottom lines so that we can remain independent. Care about revenue and earnings, and you’ll be rewarded.” Pinnacle employees and other shareholders haven’t had a lot to worry about since the nation’s collective escape from the shadows of the Great Recession: The company’s stock has tripled during the past five years, outpacing the overall market by a factor of five and the banking sector by even more than that. At nearly $2 billion, the company’s market value now is larger than that of fellow locals Genesco (nearly $3 billion in annual sales to Pinnacle’s roughly $400 million), Delek US Holdings ($6 billion in revenues) and Surgery Partners ($900 million). By comparison: First Horizon National, the largest bank headquartered in Tennessee, finished 2015 with $26 billion in assets — three times Pinnacle’s — but has a market cap that’s just 50 percent larger.
Systems and compassion
Still, some major challenges lie ahead, not the least of which will be to retain all the Avenue talent set to come on board. Pinnacle is now much closer to being one of the big boys, itself a target for up-and-comers as the war for good local banking talent intensifies. The morning after the Pinnacle-Avenue combination was announced, recruiters and competitors were on the horn in numbers. And it didn’t take long for fellow local bankers to publicly use the pending merger as fodder to position themselves as more true to the local community banking. Turner is aware of the need to pay closer attention to retention over recruitment for a while. On the conference call discussing the Avenue purchase, he acknowledged that preserving Avenue’s highly regarded concierge banking culture while cutting 40 percent of its costs poses “the single largest risk” to making the deal work. “While [the cultures] really are based on same ideas, the execution of them is not identical. We’ll have to
FEATURES
SNAPSHOT AgE: 61 DEgREE: Industrial management from Georgia Tech FiRST job: Arthur Andersen in Atlanta FiRST bAnking job: Park National Bank in Knoxville PAST chAiRmAn oF: Nashville Sports Council, Brentwood Academy board of trustees, Salvation Army advisory board PinnAclE STock holDingS: $27.4 million as of Feb. 12 work through that,” he says. Still, you can’t fault him for sticking to his guns and being intent on preserving much of the culture that has driven Pinnacle from Day One. The medium might change in a company of more than 1,000 people versus a small team you can gather in a conference room, but Turner’s message has remained focused on a single thought: “How can I get people to buy into this?” That includes the people being brought on via the CapitalMark, Magna and Avenue deals. They will be as important as 10-year veterans in building Pinnacle well beyond $10 billion. “So many times, M&A has a feeling of winners and losers,” Turner says. “I just don’t think the world works that way anymore. You have to capture the hearts and minds. It can’t be like it was in the First American days: On the first day after the deal closes, you can’t slap up a sign and say, ‘Move over, I’m driving now.’” Case in point from the past: When Pinnacle paid more than $170 million for Murfreesboro-based Cavalry Banking in 2006, it adopted the target’s better technology systems rather than simply imposing its own. The Avenue deal will feature a similar give-and-take dynamic: Of the four offices to be closed because they overlap with others, one is Pinnacle’s in Green Hills. Similarly, Avenue’s home office in the Baggage Building adjacent to the Union Station Hotel won’t become an island of legacy Avenue employees. In addition to housing the company’s music business lending team, it will be home to other groups after some workers relocate to and from The Pinnacle at Symphony Place. “I think we’ve developed a reputation for being able to work with folks and figure out what the best way to blend it together and be pragmatic about getting that done,” Turner said on the Avenue call in late January. “I think that’s the way we’ll go with this. […] Between us and the Avenue leadership, nobody will get that done in a more systematic and compassionate way.”
We’re a top pick. As the largest regional professional business services company based in Tennessee, LBMC is recognized as a leader in every area of service. With more than 500 dedicated professionals in Nashville, Knoxville and Chattanooga, LBMC is committed to bringing a high caliber of expertise to each account. We have garnered numerous awards across industries and pride ourselves on expert business support with comprehensive services. With personal attention, professionalism and the utmost integrity, we serve our clients in beneficial ways that keep them coming back for more. Learn more about Tennessee’s largest audit, tax and advisory consultancy at LBMC.com
Nashville | 615.377.4600 Knoxville | 865.691.9000 Chattanooga | 423.756.6585
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FEATURES
CEO OF THE YEAR
‘For anyone else to buy avenue would be a disaster’ Speaking in late January to analysts and investors about Pinnacle’s plan to buy Avenue, Terry Turner started his remarks by saying, “I don’t think Nashville is a very well-kept secret anymore” before laying out the business and cultural case for the business combination. Here are some excerpts from his presentation. “Nashville is a vibrant high-growth market by virtually any measure. Of course, we and the founders of Avenue Bank recognized that opportunity a long time ago and developed remarkably similar responses to it. “First, we both have a deep-held belief that genuinely drives us: That Nashville needs and deserves a strong local bank. Ron Samuels, Avenue’s Chairman and CEO, and I are both old enough to remember when the Nashville Chamber of Commerce billed Nashville as a financial center. Back then, there were several large, locally owned banks that dominated the State of Tennessee and several local insurance companies, like the old Life & Casualty Insurance Co., with a meaningful national presence. First American, which was the last of those financially consequential firms, was sold in 1999. And so we formed Pinnacle in 2000. Avenue was formed just six years later and both of us have been aggressively in pursuit of serving this fabulous market.
“Second: What are the odds that a bank in Nashville, Tennessee, would build such an engaging workplace to be recognized by American Banker as one of the top five best banks to work for in the country? And after you think about that, what are the odds that the two banks from Nashville would be in the top five in the country? Both we and Avenue have received national recognition for our engaging workplaces. We both have staked our franchises on the idea that it all begins with the associate experience. Get it right and they will deliver an extraordinary and differentiated client experience. Get that right and shareholders will make a lot of money. For virtually any other acquirer with a less engaging work environment to acquire Avenue and its highly engaged associates would be a disaster. “Thirdly: As I just mentioned, market-share takers like Avenue and Pinnacle have to have a differentiated client experience. Clients just won’t leave their existing banking relationship without one. Greenwich Associates has recognized Pinnacle for building one of the best brands in the country for ease of doing business and trustworthiness. Their research has revealed that clients truly do find a distinctive level of service at Pinnacle. Avenue has been as creative and effective as any bank I know with their concierge banking, a truly distinctive touch and feel for clients and their branches. And so we will seek to take the best of both banks. “And both banks are fiercely competitive in terms of business development. In other words taking share. Both banks have exceptional records for organic growth in market-share movement. Both of us have been primarily aimed at taking share from the large regionals. But we’ve noticed over the last year or two that a number of the high-profile deals in Nashville have come down to just us and Avenue. It’s just another example of why we will be better together than apart.” miCHAEl w. bunCH
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CEO OF THE YEAR
FEATURES
SmartSpace congratulates the DECADE OF DEALS
2016
With the exception of the mid2008 purchase of insurance agency Beach & Gentry, Terry Turner and the Pinnacle team have aimed pretty high with their acquisitions. By the time their deal for Avenue Financial closes this summer, they will have spent almost $1.1 billion — $600 million of that in the past 12 months alone — to help build the second-largest bank based in Tennessee.
It took more than four years to get to that first $1 billion in assets, but the major milestones have come pretty regularly since except in the wake of the recession.
2005 Q1 ..................................................................................$1 billion 2006 Q3 ..................................................................................$2 billion 2007 Q4 ..................................................................................$3 billion 2008 Q2 ..................................................................................$4 billion 2009 Q2 ..................................................................................$5 billion 2014 Q4 ..................................................................................$6 billion 2015 Q3 ..................................................................................$7 billion
2006 Q1 Cavalry Banking $172M for $793M in assets
2015 Q3 ..................................................................................$8 billion 2016 Q3*................................................................................$10 billion
2007 Q4 Mid-America Bancshares $211M for $1.25B in assets
think outside the cube.
* Expected closing of Avenue Financial acquisition
2015 Q1 Bankers Healthcare Group $75M for 30% stake
POWERFUL PAPER Making those acquisitions easier to justify is the strength of Pinnacle’s currency. Since the Great Recession, the company’s stock price relative to its book value has more than doubled to a level few banks in the region can match.
2015 Q3 CapitalMark Bank & Trust $226M for $1.10B in assets
COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE
2008: 2.5
2012: 1.5
2009: 1.3
2013: 2.4
2016 Q1 Bankers Healthcare Group $114M for 19% stake
2010: 1.4
2014: 2.5
2016 Q3 (expected) Avenue Financial $201M for $1.16B in assets
2011: 1.4
2015: 2.9
2015 Q3 Magna Bank $84M for $588M in assets
STRONG REBOUND Though they haven’t been able to escape the market malaise of early 2016, Pinnacle shares did end last year worth more than $2 billion. Here’s where they’ve finished each year since shortly after the bank opened its doors in the fall of 2000.
In Charge leaders.
LANDMARK DATES
Investment Development Property Management Leasing Donelson Corporate Centre
60
Two Rivers Corporate Centre
$51.36
50
101 Winners Circle
40 30
103 Continental Place
20 10 ‘00
‘01
‘02
‘03
‘04
‘05
‘06
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smart-space.com 615-251-8900
Sources: Company filings, Google Finance, staff research
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anthony@smart-space.com
2/17/16 9:10 2/18/16 3:39 AM PM
Are you looking for a way to entertain clients, reward employees or just treat friends to a fun night out? Season seats at Ascend Amphitheater provide you with amenities such as: great seats to every show, VIP parking, VIP club access, and more! Th e 2 01 6 s e a s o n l i n e u p i n c l u d e s :
Bryan Adams • Alabama Shakes • Disturbed and Rob Zombie Jimmy Buffett & The Coral Reefer Band • Barenaked Ladies • Duran Duran Jim Weezer and Panic! At The Disco • Brand New & Modest Mouse Journey • Ray LaMontagne • Twenty One Pilots Heart, Joan Jett & The Blackhearts and Cheap Trick And more to announce soon! C a l l 61 5 - 93 2 - 673 3 o r e m a i l L a u re n Fa r re l l @ L i ve N at i o n .co m to d ay to p u rc h a s e yo u r s e a s o n s e at s ! www. L i ve N at i o n P re m i u m S e at s .co m
Live Nation with Ascend Amphitheater would like to congratulate Brian Traeger fo r b e i n g re co g n i ze d o n t h e N a s hv i l l e Po st 2 01 6 I n C h a rg e l i st .
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FEATURES
COLLABORATE
The Power of Collaboration
Three women entrepreneurs discuss teamwork, competition, loyalty by Linda Bryant
Nashville abounds with notable female entrepreneurs, and they are wasting no time in building iconic brands and placing Music City in the national spotlight. Three of these local women were showcased on Feb. 8 when the Nashville chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners hosted its “We Are Better Together” event. The NAWBO business roundtable featured celebrity chef Maneet Chauhan, star of The Food Network’s Chopped and owner of Chauhan Ale & Masala House; Julie May, founder and CEO of IT firm Bytes of Knowledge; and Mridu Parikh, a professional organizer who has parlayed her brand, Life is Organized, into a popular online TV show and coaching business that reaches an international clientele. At the event, the Post gathered the following highlights of business insight offered during the high-powered trio’s panel discussion.
On trusting your team
Chauhan: I have this need for constant control. I need to know everything that’s going on. The biggest learning experience I’ve had in Nashville has been to let go and trust
the team around me. We were based in New York but decided to come to Nashville and maintain a presence in both places. I was pregnant the day the restaurant opened, and my son decided to arrive three months early. Because of that event, we made the decision to make Nashville home. I had to let go of control and the restaurant opened without me because I was at Centennial Hospital. The opening of Chauhan was flawless.
On working with competitors
Mridu Parikh, Julie May and Maneet Chauhan at the National Association of Women Business Owners event “We Are Better Together”
May: There’s a risk associated with introducing another party to one’s client. You have to find trust and mutual respect in order for it to work. There’s a fear of sharing the job and a feeling of something being taken away. Why not be a part of a job, even a small one? It can set you up to be a larger part of a much bigger project later. The market is moving into niche players who are required to collaborate. You risk not being competitive if you don’t collaborate properly. And that requires trust and some important conversation about what the collaboration looks like financially. How do we deal with the financial side with the client? How do we deal with the financial side with each other? How do we interface with the client? And how do we share revenue to a degree so that we are able to help each other out?
On the magic of collaboration
Chauhan: Many collaborations start from the gut. You need to know you can work with the person and then you take the next step figuring out the logistics. It starts when the person approaches me. Then we brainstorm and come up with ideas that take it to the next level. There are strains in any
Justin Chesney
NASHVILLEPOST.COM
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FEATURES
NASHVILLE ATHENA AWAR DS PROGRAM
Celebrate Womenʼs History Month at the 26th annual
Nashville ATHENA Awards Program Thursday, March 31, 2016, 6pm The Parthenon at Centennial Park
COLLABORATE
relationship, and we feel that kind of pull with our business partners. Heated discussions are inevitable. But when the dust settles, you find who your true partners are. You’re never going to have an entirely smooth relationship with your partners. That’s what human nature is all about. You reach the stage where you understand each other’s perspective, appreciate how valuable it is and truly respect each other’s viewpoint. That’s an important stage in the relationship and critical to moving on to the next step. The success of Chauhan Ale & Masala House has opened a lot of doors. Once people see what you do, once they see your track record they start to reach out even more. I worked with Derrick Morse to create our beers. And before I knew it, he wanted to open a brewery. Hopefully, by the end of this year, we are going to open two other concepts in the space behind Chauhan. So you see there are many results of our collaboration efforts in Nashville. And the collaboration isn’t just with people. It’s also with the city.
On business intuition
Parikh: As I’ve grown my brand, listening to my intuition has been very important. My partnerships are with people who are helping me build my business, whether it’s a web platform or hiring an assistant. Things haven’t worked out when I’ve had the feeling that something wasn’t quite right or when I’ve tried to make a piece fit that just didn’t fit. When I really truly trust my instinct and my gut, I don’t necessary always score a financial win. But I’ve usually established positive connections that feel really good. It’s important to find people you trust and who share your passion. It’s not unusual for it to be someone that you consider a competitor. When you’re in the same industry, people often shy away from building relationships with one another. They think this “competitor” is going to try to take their business. These can end up being your best partnerships because you’re both working towards a common goal.
On having a spouse in the same industry
Single Reservations $50 Patrons Society Reservations $250 Reser vations available at www.N ashvilleCable.org
Chauhan: A business is like a child and it takes a village to raise a child. It takes a village to raise a business. My husband and I met when we did our bachelor’s degrees in India. The hospitality industry is a very tough industry. It requires a lot of mental and physical labor. Having somebody beside you that understands the industry, knows what you’re going through, and can support you through the entire questioning of the why and the how has been very valuable for me. I also have incredible partners whose collaboration I need to make and grow my business.
On essential traits of an entrepreneur A special thank you to our generous sponsors Saint Thomas Health Deloitte LLP Nashville Electric Service Advance Financial Kroger Skanska USA Delta Dental of Tennessee Regions Bank Hylant Neal & Harwell, PLC Vanderbilt University
Parikh: When I first started in business, my biggest criticism would have been that I was too vulnerable, too open. Now I find these qualities [some] of my most important assets. Women tend to collaborate and come together more than men. We have feelings; we express ourselves. There are times when we are put in a position professionally where these reactions come to the surface. The more I connect by being intentional, vulnerable and honest, the more I attract the type of people that I want to work with. I attract better clients. Resilience is also an essential quality. I used to say that raising kids was the hardest thing, but having this business has been the hardest thing I’ve ever done both emotionally and mentally. You need that resilience when everything seems to be going wrong. You need to be able to have faith in knowing that it is going to be OK. You’ve worked it out before, you’ll definitely get through it. Finally, it’s crucial to surround yourself with people who truly believe in you, who are positive and have that energy that can really lift you up. Chauhan: Spontaneity and “going with the flow” are important. I am the kind of person who always takes each and every opportunity that comes in front of me. Instead of just saying, “It’s not going to happen,” I like to explore it. When
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COLLABORATE
FEATURES
a partner approached me about opening a restaurant in Nashville, I thought to myself, “Why go to Nashville?” At the same time, I thought, “Fantastic!” I took the next flight to Nashville. I fell in love with the city and the people. I saw this booming city and found out tourism was reaching an all-time high. Not to mention the food scene here, which is very exciting. An attitude of success is critical. The only option that I have written for myself is success. If there is a failure, it’s not a failure but a learning experience. That’s all that there is. I don’t like to have the word “failure” in my vocabulary because it conditions my mind for failure. It’s all a mind game. My biggest goal, no matter what I’m doing, is to succeed. There’s absolutely no other option.
On creating a loyal crew
May: Over the last three or four years, I have really showed my heart more. I’ve been more transparent and made an effort to relate to people more. I have also been very intentional with the people I work with. I make it a point to know what’s going on in their lives outside of work. We’ll even sit down and talk about things together. I like to do an eye-to-eye scan with everybody every single day. You can read a lot into people’s faces when you stop and look them in the eye. You can really see who’s having a good day, who’s having a bad day or who had a good time last night. When you are building a relationship with somebody — staff and associates — it’s important they know you truly care. Getting to know people on this level has really aided and assisted in our ability to retain a great and very smart staff. One of the most important things that I have learned is that you hire for attitude and train for skills. The more technical the job is, the more skills you need have to have. But attitude, strengths and the motivation to adapt are the most important qualities to consider when hiring. Chauhan: We have to treat the people that work with us — and for us — as assets. We need to make sure we tell them they are assets. Every time I walk into the restaurant, I make it a point to give everyone a minute of my time — from my line cooks and chefs to my dishwashers. I know whose kid is in which class and I know whose kid is in the hospital. Those connections are very valuable. They create loyalty and you need loyalty in a restaurant business, where the skill level is not very high and you have to train for skills.
On evolving business models
Parikh: Every business goes through an evolution — where you start, where you are and where you’re going to end up. You can’t even necessarily see it. You think you have a vision and you end up going somewhere totally different. Prior to starting my online organizing business, I worked in-home as an organizer, physically going into people’s homes to organize their pantries, files, etc. I pivoted and went online to scale and to reach other people. It ended up being a big learning experience because of my naiveté and ignorance, I thought I already knew my audience. But my online customers were completely different. They have a different mindset and couldn’t be more opposite than my offline clients. The first year was a failure, what you’d call a “learning experience.” I didn’t understand why people weren’t buying, why they weren’t connecting with me. I was shifting the way that I delivered information but not shifting in a way that communicated to the new audience. I had to start from scratch again and ask basic questions. “Who wants to buy my services and products? How do I connect with these people? How do I find out about this audience?” I wasn’t necessarily just shifting the business. I was starting a new business.
On exceeding expectations
Chauhan: One thing that I saw growing up in India was that, as a woman, you grow up as somebody’s daughter, somebody’s wife and then somebody’s mother. I was very adamant that that wouldn’t happen to me. You are fortunate to be somebody’s daughter, wife and mother. But, I am Maneet and the one who defines me. It’s important for me and my kids to know that.
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FEATURES
BOARD
2016
All Star Board As done in previous issues of Leaders, we took some time to canvas the region for some of the brightest and most capable corporate advisors, people who can help make successfull businesses and skilled leaders into world beaters. This is our fourth All-Star Board — the previous members are listed to the right — and, as in past years, we weren’t lacking for terrific options. It’s clear this selection merely scratches the surface of the management and consulting talent that helps make Middle Tennessee businesses and nonprofits thrive. > Geert De Lombaerde
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Jim Armistead
Tony Heard
Regions Bank
InfoWorks
Count on Armistead to deliver the big picture, courtesy of years in banking in Middle Tennessee and beyond. After nearly four decades with Regions and its predecessors, he recently announced that he will step out of day-to-day work to become chairman of Regions’ Middle Tennessee market. Armistead has been regional credit executive since 2005, overseeing Regions’ credit operations in the wideranging Mid-America Region, which spans Middle and West Tennessee, Texas, North Louisiana, Arkansas, Missouri, Indiana, Kentucky, Illinois and Iowa. Going forward, he will consult Regions leaders on banking and community service matters. Armistead has been a longtime member of the board of the Nashville Sports Council and has in the past chaired its finance committee.
Heard is a partner at and oversees business development for Infoworks, a consulting and IT services firm that employs nearly 100. It’s a similar role to the one he held at NMG Advisers, a consultancy at which he was a principal for almost three years before joining InfoWorks in late 2008. In all, Heard has more than 25 years of experience in finance and management. Before being part of NMG, he was regional chairman of U.S. Bank for five years and spent 18 years at SunTrust Bank/Third National Bank. Heard is a veteran board member who has been vice chairman of the Saint Thomas Health board and chair of the hospital system’s strategic planning committee as well as, among other things, a director of United Way of Metropolitan Nashville, WPLN Public Radio, The Housing Fund and the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce.
NASHVILLEPOST.COM
2/17/16 3:31 PM
FEATURES
BOARD
Nancy Falls
The Concinnity Company
Mark Dixon
USr Healthcare
Past All-Star Boards
Deb Varallo
John Aron The Pasta Shoppe Jan Babiak Women Corporate Directors
Varallo Public Relations
Agenia Clark Girl Scouts of Middle Tennessee Marc Fortune Force Five Debbie Gordon S3 Asset Management Richard Herrington Franklin Synergy Bank Kevin Lavender Fifth Third Bank Mike Shmerling XMi
Looking for a self-funded entrepreneur who has built an efficient organization? Or a man whose first big client was an industry leader whom he saved $1.3 million during the first year of a pilot program? Either way, you’ll likely land at Dixon’s door. He has built staffing firm USr Healthcare into a company that has placed more than 84,000 people in jobs since 2004. That successful pilot program was with HCA’s Nashville arm and set the stage for steady growth in a health care sector that needs all the human capital help it can get. With a background in distribution, Dixon doesn’t focus on the glitz of job placement but instead hones his team’s systems. “Too often, our competitors focus on sizzle and hope they make a placement while we at USr focus on the steak,” he says on his firm’s website.
Any board looking to add community connections can do a lot worse than Varallo, whose more than three decades in public relations and communications has helped her build a massive network among Middle Tennessee’s business leaders, nonprofit executives and elected officials. Varallo is a regular speaker on networking and mentoring and through her work and volunteer experiences — she is a board member of Leadership Middle Tennessee and that group’s alumni board — also has become involved in the push for greater coordination among the region’s various counties and municipalities. She also is chair of The Davidson Group, an organization designed to bring together people of different ethnic, social and economic backgrounds, and serves on the boards of non-partisan political group WIN, The Women’s Fund, Charis Health Center and Girl Scouts of Middle Tennessee.
Don Williamson Compass Executives Tawn Albright Vanderbilt University Jim Lackey Complete Holdings Group Scott McWilliams OHL Julia Polk W Squared Lynn Simon Community Health Systems Dwayne Tucker Compass Executives
2015
Few Nashville-area executives can claim as complete a set of business skills as Falls, who for a long time focused on finance and risk management at, among other places, the former Fleet Bank, Magnetek and Vanderbilt, where she was associate provost for finance and administration. From there, she switched to consulting health care ventures and other businesses as a regional managing partner at Tatum and then Montgomery Morgan. Early last year, Falls bundled that strategy, leadership and governance know-how to launch The Concinnity Company, which helps companies transform the way their boards and leadership teams work together. Bonus: She may be open to new opportunities since she is not one of the Avenue Financial directors who will become members of the Pinnacle Financial board once the latter’s acquisition is completed in a few months.
NASHVILLEPOST.COM
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Steve Curnutte Tortola Advisors Jay Graves Strategic Solutions for Business Gavin Ivester Flo {thinkery} Betsy Jones The Countdown Group Scott Kozicki Brentwood Capital Advisors Sarah Meyerrose Civic Bank & Trust
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As has become an annual tradition, Nashville Post presents IN CHARGE, a compendium of Middle Tennessee’s top business, political and civic leaders. The 448 women and men on our list, the Post’s seventh, represent the best of the best — and always are “in charge.” 41 arts | 41 banking & FINANCE | 44 education | 46 Food BIZ | 48 government | 51 health care 53 legal | 55 Manufacturing | 56 marketing & PR | 56 media & PUBLISHING | 57 music | 59 nonprofits 60 real estate | 60 RETAIL | 63 sports | 64 technology | 65 tourism | 65 transportation | 67 index
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Thank You Warren Smith For guiding us through our biggest year yet
Warren Smith Managing Director Avison Young
We honor Warren D. Smith, III for being “in charge”, building our company, leading us through the changing of our name, joining Avison Young, opening a Memphis office, attracting top talent, and at all times acting on behalf of the entire team — making 2015 our best year yet. Thank you for proving that fostering a client-centric, collaborative culture results in the most intelligent solutions for our clients, and for us.
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ARTS/FINANCE
the arts Anne Brown — Owner, The Arts Company: Ex-Metro Arts commissioner and longtime leader of Nashville’s visual arts community. Her grassroots gallery work provided key spark in growth of Fifth Avenue of the Arts community. Libby Callaway — Creative Consultant: Fashion editor and journalist has contributed to Elle, The New York Times’ T magazine, Glamour, and the New York Post. This year launched The Callaway. Jen Cole — Executive Director, Metro Nashville Arts Commission: Key nexus for focusing energy of arts organizations, growing presence of public art and boosting creative community. Launched ambitious annual Artober program and the Nash-Up Seminars. René Copeland — Producing Artistic Director, Nashville Repertory Theatre: Joined the Rep in 2004 and helped steer group’s 2005 separation from TPAC. Facilitated name change from Tennessee Repertory Theatre in 2014, marking the organization’s 30th anniversary. Susan Edwards — Executive Director and CEO, Frist Center for the Visual Arts: Built museum into downtown anchor and destination for high-profile exhibitions. Holds Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Arts et Lettres from Consul General of France. Tim Henderson — Executive Director, Humanities Tennessee: Tapped in late 2012 to succeed longtime President Robert Cheatham. Prior director of operations and director of digital programs at group that organizes Southern Festival of Books. Denice Hicks — Artistic Director, Nashville Shakespeare Festival: Has worked for the Shakespeare Festival since 1990 as an actor, director and teaching artist, and has held position of Artistic Director since 2005. Former Ingram Fellowship award winner. John Hoomes — CEO and General Director, Nashville Opera: Became organization’s leader in 2012 after having served as artistic director since 1995. Has directed more than 150 productions in the U.S. and abroad. Martha Ingram — Chairman Emerita, Ingram Industries: Doyenne of Nashville philanthropy and steadfast supporter of arts. Key backer of Nashville Symphony officials’ long-term plans to convert vacant riverfront site into performance venue and continued supporter of the NSA. Jane MacLeod — President and CEO, Cheekwood: Since joining Cheekwood in 2010, has doubled annual attendance to 250,000 and doubled memberships to 12,000. Directed five-year strategic plan, bringing the 55-acre attraction into the national spotlight through garden enhancements, historic restoration of mansion and major art installations.
Kathleen O’Brien — President and CEO, Tennessee Performing Arts Center: Runs with $20 million endowment and annual budget an entity that consistently mixes big-name musicals and artists with educational outreach to thousands statewide. Brian Owens — Artistic Director, Nashville Film Festival: Took over in 2008 after launching and building Indianapolis International Film Festival. Event screens 200-plus films each year and draws more than 25,000 people. Tim Ozgener — President and CEO, OZ Arts: With father Cano has transformed the family’s cigar warehouse into a destination for cutting-edge contemporary art experiences with eclectic programming of performing and visual arts events. Stephanie Silverman — Executive Director, Belcourt Theatre: Has overseen theater’s growth since 2006, earning leadership roles in national art house and historic theater organizations. Worked with Development Director Brooke Bernard, Programming Director Toby Leonard and Education and Engagement Director Allison Inman to launch $4.5-million capital campaign for renovation of the 90-year-old cultural facility. Van Tucker — CEO, Nashville Fashion Alliance: Founded the NFA after more than 30 years in finance with a mission to build a sustainable and globally recognized fashion industry in Nashville. Alan Valentine — President and CEO, Nashville Symphony: Joined symphony in 1998 and has overseen major changes to programming at Schermerhorn Symphony Center. Steered eight-month recovery from $42 million of flood damage in 2010. Paul Vasterling — CEO and Artistic Director, Nashville Ballet: Took on top role at state’s largest professional ballet group in 2010 after directing productions since 1998. Celebrated company’s 30th year with opening of expanded and renovated facility following successful $5.5-million ELEVATE capital campaign. Lain York — Director, Zeitgeist Gallery: Painter and gallery director at Zeitgeist is known affectionately as the “Mayor of Art Town.” Has provided a venue for world-class art shows since 1994, overseeing a move to its current home in the creatively thriving Wedgewood-Houston district.
BANKING AND FINANCE
NFA’s Tucker fuels city’s fashion industry Van Tucker helms one of Nashville’s fastest growing, and oft-overlooked, industries — fashion. After spending nearly three decades in banking, Tucker founded the Nashville Fashion Alliance in 2015 and successfully raised more than $100,000 for the burgeoning company on Kickstarter. “Our ultimate objective is to create a fashion industry here that emulates the success of the music and health care industries in Nashville,” Tucker says of the NFA. Tucker’s pragmatic focus on the industry’s infrastructure goes a long way toward explaining how, under her leadership, Nashville’s fashion sector can flourish. With more than 200 members, the NFA has partnered with Catholic Charities of Tennessee and Omega Apparel Inc. to open a 20,000-square-foot factory in South Nashville. And in January, the NFA introduced the Fashion Industry Accelerator, a six-week immersion into the business fundamentals for fashion industry-related officials who want to grow and scale their businesses. > Nancy Floyd
Don Abel — President and CEO, Tennessee, Fifth Third Bank: Has since 2009 led regional player that now ranks seventh in local deposits. Built business on combination of retail growth — including via big Predators partnership — and commercial lending.
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Daily oversees i3 Verticals’ rapid growth Greg Daily founded what is now called i3 Verticals in 2012. The changes to the entity once known as Charge Payment have been significant during the relatively brief time span that has followed. For example, Daily has overseen the acquisition of Data Business Systems, RentShare, Trust One Payment Services, US Data Capture and Advanced Payment Solutions. Today, i3 Verticals’ offerings span payments processing, metrics-reporting tools, point-of-sale technologies, gift and loyalty programs, merchant financing and security support. Now serving as chief executive officer and board member with i3 Verticals, Daily was well prepared for his current role. He founded and served as chairman and chief executive officer of iPayment, Inc. and was a private investor. Gregory also served as president and co-founder of PMT Services, Inc., until selling in 1998 to NOVA Corp., at which he then served as vice chairman. While maintaining its presence in retail, i3 Verticals’ acquisitions and other growth efforts are concentrated on expanding into the education, government, health care, utilities and nonprofit/ fundraising sectors. Daily described those sectors to Venture Nashville Connections as populated by enterprises that “don’t go out of business. > William Williams
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Vic Alexander — Chief Manager, KraftCPAs: Leader since 1993 of accounting and advisory group. Firm has bolstered health care and IT groups as well as other divisions and been winner of numerous Accounting Today best-firm-to-work-for awards.
Ron DeBerry — Chairman and CEO, Commerce Union Bancshares: Industry veteran who worked at Bank of America from 1992 to 2005. Joined Springfield-based Commerce Union Bancshares in 2006. Company was listed on NASDAQ last July.
Sam Belk — EVP and Mid-South Division Manager, Wells Fargo: Joined Wells in 2005 and now oversees middle-market teams in Tennessee, Kentucky, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana. Has been in the banking business for 37 years.
Jeff Drummonds — Managing Partner, LBMC: Works with LBMC leaders of the audit, tax and advisory practices and chairs the firm’s management committee. Prior to his election as managing partner in 2015, served as leading partner of LBMC’s tax services practice.
Dennis Bottorff — Managing General Partner, Council Capital: One of Nashville’s senior statesmen of finance. Founded Council in 2000 and in 2009 helped launch TNInvestco fund. Member of Vanderbilt Board of Trust and chairman of CapStar Bank. Barney Byrd — President and CEO, Gen Cap America: Founded firm focused on smaller companies in 1985 and oversees strategic planning and investment policy. In 2014 sold several manufacturers and bus business but bought into engine/turbine engineering services sector. Crom Carmichael — Venture Capitalist, Carmichael & Carmichael: One of region’s most accomplished early-stage investors and advisors. Former local political commentator also is CEO of dietary supplements marketer Nashai Biotech and has helped build Capital Confirmation, ConsensusPoint and Smartvue. Sid Chambless — Executive Director, Nashville Capital Network: Key link between region’s angel investors and early-stage ventures. Sidecar and TNInvestco funds have backed edo Interactive and Shareable, among others. Kent Cleaver — President and COO, Avenue Bank: Led commercial operations at Union Planters and Regions before helping launch Avenue in 2007 with Ron Samuels. With Pinnacle Financial Partners to finalize later this year its $201.4 million acquisition of Avenue Financial Holdings, Cleaver will serve on the entity’s senior leadership team. Randall Clemmons — Chairman and CEO, Wilson Bank & Trust: Still king of the castle in banking east of Nashville. Has maintained big market share lead in home market while pushing into Rutherford. Dell Crosslin — Shareholder and Managing Principal, Crosslin & Associates: Moved accounting and consulting firm to Astoria building in Green Hills in 2013 and in 2014 beefed up entrepreneurial services and IT divisions. Company acquired fellow Nashville-based tax and accounting services company Hickman & Associates, CPAs, last March. Greg Daily — CEO, i3 Verticals: Builder of PMT Services and iPayment is again building a consolidator with backing from First Avenue Partners. In 2014 acquired three companies that doubled transaction volume to $4 billion. Acquired three more companies last year, yielding an annualized run rate for payment volume of approximately $7 billion. i3 Verticals was previously known as Charge Payment.
Townes Duncan — Managing Partner, Solidus: Ex-Massey Burch partner who has become one of the region’s most prolific early-stage investors. Solidus’ ecosystem now includes a TNInvestco fund, several Jumpstart ventures and Seed Hatchery. Richard Herrington — President, Franklin Financial Network: Quickly led bank founded in 2007 to consistent profitability and into position to buy MidSouth Bank in 2014. Early in 2015 filed for $50 million IPO with shares now traded via NASDAQ. Dan Hogan — COO, CapStar Bank: Former Fifth Third regional chairman who joined CapStar in late 2012 after consulting for several months. Adds big-bank know-how to management team with ambitions of regional growth and public listing of stock. Chris Holmes — President and CEO, FirstBank: Steady hand who has helped one of state’s biggest banks grow loans, lift margins and shrink book of bad loans. In 2014 recruited residential construction group and pushed into Huntsville market. A FirstBank branch opened on West End Avenue in Midtown early this year. Matt King — Managing Partner, FCA Ventures: Runs the later-stage venture capital arm of Clayton Associates with fellow managing partner John Burch. Started career in 1983 at Third National Bank. Gaylon Lawrence — Owner, F&M Bank and Tennessee Bank & Trust: Agreed to buy last year Clarksville-based F&M Bank, which has about $860 million in assets and produced $5.3 million in profits in 2014. An equity partner in Eakin Partners’ 1201 Demonbreun tower project nearing completion in The Gulch. Family’s banking history traces back to 1908. Wanda Lyle — Managing Director and GM of Business Solutions Center Nashville, UBS: Responsible for the Nashville expansion of the services supporting wealth management, investment bank and asset management businesses for UBS. Worked at Merrill Lynch from 1981 to 2010. Joe Maxwell — Managing Partner, Cultivation Capital: Oversees FinTech Growth Fund. A member of various boards, chairman and CEO of Shareholder InSite and chairman of Beacon Technologies.
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2/17/16 3:49 PM
Congratulations, Frank! There is only one you. Thanks for the magnificent difference you are making for our industr y, our firm, and most importantly, our clients.
Shouting from the rooftops!
Chuck Flood
Frank Bumstead
Mary Ann McCready
Jamie Cheek
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Carmen Romano
Julie Boos
Trey Dunaway
Betty Sanders
David Boyer
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Jen Conger
Jason Fridenstine
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We love you!
NEW YORK
SEATTLE
2/17/16 3:05 PM
IN CHARGE
FINANCE/ED
Lyle leads UBS effort to elevate local presence Wanda Lyle oversees the Nashville operations for global financial giant UBS. And those operations continue to become more robust and demanding. Lyle, UBS managing director and general manger of Business Solutions Center Nashville, is responsible for the local growth of the UBS services supporting wealth management, investment bank and asset management businesses for. The Swiss global financial services company — the U.S. headquarters for which is located in New York — has been for a few years targeting Music City for a major presence. That effort is progressing well, with UBS now the anchor tenant of the former First American National Bank building (now the UBS tower) located downtown. Relatedly, UBS confirmed last June it will invest more than $11 million to set up a back-office operation in Cool Springs that, combined with a wealth management office, could grow to 350 people in the next few years. UBS will take space at One Franklin Park, which was built by Spectrum Emery Properties. The Franklin office will complement the company’s aforementioned downtown Nashville operations hub, which was launched almost two years ago and is on track to grow to 1,000 people by 2018. > William Williams
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Rob McCabe — Chairman, Pinnacle Financial Partners: Cofounder of Nashville’s largest homegrown bank, which finished 2014 with $6 billion in assets. Pinnacle acquired Avenue Bank in late January.
Ward Wilson — Regional President, U.S. Bank: Has maintained regional deposit market share of about 3.5 percent for country’s No. 5 bank and relocated area HQ to AT&T Building. U.S. Bank has Midstate’s third-largest branch network with 52 locations.
Rob McNeilly — Chairman, President and CEO, SunTrust Bank: Oversees SunTrust’s various business units in Nashville area, including the company’s significant Music Row operations. Has steadily grown deposit market share in recent years.
Tom Wylly — Senior Partner, Brentwood Capital Advisors: Has been involved in more than $6 billion worth of deals, specializing in health care and information technology transactions. Key player in growth of Nashville Capital Network.
Bill Nigh — President and CEO, The Bank of Nashville; Regional CEO, Synovus Bank: Moved here in 2010 from Memphis and has steadily beefed up team, recruiting high-end mortgage pros in 2014. Oversaw in 2015 relocation of Synovus regional headquarters operations to Gulch Crossing.
Carol Yochem — President, Middle Tennessee Region, First Tennessee Bank: Took over from Doyle Rippee in 2014. Was previously wealth management exec in North Carolina, but began career in Memphis and spent eight years in Nashville.
Ron Samuels — Chairman and CEO, Avenue Bank: One of Nashville’s most tenured bankers who assembled group that launched Avenue in 2007. With Pinnacle Financial Partners to finalize later this year its $201.4 million acquisition of Avenue Financial Holdings, Samuels will serve as vice chairman of Pinnacle’s board of directors and on the entity’s senior leadership team. Jim Schmitz — Area Executive for Middle Tennessee, Regions Bank: Leads Nashville-area operations for No. 2-ranked deposit holder. Relocated regional HQ to One Nashville Place in mid-2013 and in 2014 recruited trust, wealth management and SBA veterans. Pat Shepherd — CEO, Avondale Partners: Runs West End-based national firm he co-founded in 2001. Firm named Bill Hagerty, former Tennessee commissioner of economic development under Gov. Bill Haslam, to its advisory board in December 2015. Forrest Shoaf — EVP of Private Equity, XMi Holdings: Ex-Cracker Barrel and Avondale Partners exec and regular legal/political player who was hired in 2014 to manage XMi’s private-equity and venture capital business, which includes investments in ProviderTrust and Stratasan. John Stein — Tennessee President, Bank of America: Oversees BofA’s network of retail branches as well as Merrill Lynch and U.S. Trust offices. Top health care exec in BofA system. Has led bank to area deposit market share leadership. Claire Tucker — President and CEO, CapStar Bank: Co-founded bank in 2007 and grew quickly with help from purchases of American Security and Farmington mortgage group. Eventually moving HQ to Gulch tower 1201 Demonbreun to prep for next growth phase. Terry Turner — President and CEO, Pinnacle Financial Partners: Co-founder of largest Nashville-based bank that is putting up great organic growth. Eyeing $10 billion asset mark by 2020. Company acquired Memphis based Magna Bank for $83 million in April 2015 and Avenue Financial Holdings of Nashville (for a reported $201.4 million) in late January.
education Dan Boone — President, Trevecca Nazarene University: Understated academician who has the Church of Nazarene-affiliated Trevecca undertaking some bold initiatives. In 2012, the school launched an online doctorate degree in education and a master’s degree for independent schools education. Shani Jackson Dowell — Executive Director, Teach for America Nashville: Leads the local chapter of the national organization that recruits recent college graduates to teach for two years in urban and rural public schools. Robert “Bob” Fisher — President, Belmont University: Has overseen within the past five years the completion of multiple major construction projects. With more than 7,000 students, BU is Tennessee’s second-largest private university (trailing only Vanderbilt). Beth Fortune — Vice Chancellor for Public Affairs, Vanderbilt University: Oversees VU’s communications, government and community initiatives and serves as university’s chief spokesperson. Arrived at VU in 2000 after serving as press secretary to former Gov. Don Sundquist. Sharon Gentry — Chair, Metro School Board: Leads as board prepares to hire next superintendent for MNPS’ 86,000-student district. Has served seven years on the board, having been elected chair in 2014. Records and program director at HCA. Glenda Baskin Glover — President, Tennessee State University: Gracious and straight-shooting TSU president leads an institution that has garnered in the past few years multiple federal grants for, among others, agriculture, engineering and science research. Dolores Gresham — Chairwoman, Senate Education Committee: A longtime powerbroker on Capitol Hill who led the charge to repeal Common Core education standards, expand charter school laws and install teacher evaluations.
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2/17/16 3:52 PM
LEADING THE CHARGE IN
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2/17/16 3:05 PM
IN CHARGE
ED/FOOD
Shannon Hunt — President & CEO, Nashville Public Education Foundation: Leads nonprofit centered on public education. Serves as one of 17 members of Mayor Megan Barry’s task force to find a new Metro Schools superintendent. Joseph “Jay” Kline — President, Watkins College of Art, Design & Film: Runs 300-student, four-year college offering baccalaureate degree programs in film, fine arts, graphic design, interior design and photography. Replaced Ellen Meyer, who served seven years.
Hunt helps ed foundation elevate schools Nashville Public Education Foundation President and CEO Shannon Hunt is focused on helping the nonprofit refine the quality of local education. Toward that end, Hunt is stepping into the spotlight this year as co-chair of a 17-member task force leading the effort to identify where and how to find the next director of Metro Nashville Public Schools. NPEF was founded in 2001 to function as a platform for public-private partnerships and has helped channel more than $25 million of private funding into improving Metro schools. A Nashville native, Hunt was an aide to former Mayor and Gov. Phil Bredesen — serving as the then-mayor’s press secretary and one of his chief political strategists throughout the 1990s. She followed Bredesen to the governor’s office as communications director and special assistant during his first year. Hunt came to NPEF in September 2013 after her time as partner at Washington, D.C., public affairs firm Chlopak Leonard Schechter & Associates. Her experience at NPEF so far has been one of “helping the nonprofit transform into an organization that approaches public education needs from more of cohesive, supportive role,” Hunt said. Hunt is also a public school parent and a graduate of MNPS schools. > Amanda Haggard
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L. Randolph “Randy” Lowry — President, Lipscomb University: Has spearheaded Lipscomb 2010, a $54 million plan involving construction, programs and degrees. International traveler who has improved LU diversity. Sidney McPhee — President, Middle Tennessee State University: Orchestrated the school’s intercollegiate athletics move from the Sun Belt Conference to Conference USA, keeping the Blue Raiders relevant amid conference realignment. Candace McQueen — Commissioner, Tennessee Department of Education: Former senior VP and dean at Lipscomb University College of Education, ranked among best in the nation for teacher training. A defender of Common Core. Will Pinkston — Metro Nashville Public Schools Board: Unabashed critic of the school system and self-described bombthrower. Has driven conversation regarding fiscal effect of charter schools, district accountability, English language learners and public engagement. Wendy Tucker — Member, State Board of Education: Appointed by Gov. Bill Haslam in 2014. Co-CEO of Project Renaissance, an education-focused nonprofit founded by her ex-boss, former Mayor Karl Dean, whom she served as education advisor. George Van Allen — President, Nashville State Community College: Has overseen the continued expansion of NSCC, including a move into Hickory Hollow Mall. New transfer pathways programs to four-year colleges have made NSCC a key player in local higher education. Jamie Woodson — President and CEO, State Collaborative on Reforming Education: Led state’s efforts to identify and support effective teaching, overhaul K-12 education funding formula, raise academic standards, improve low-performing schools and expand public charter schools in Tennessee. Nicholas S. “Nick” Zeppos — President, Vanderbilt University: Former faculty member, provost and vice chancellor who joined VU in 1987. Helped planning processes for The Martha Rivers Ingram Commons and College Halls at Kissam, the latest phase of the university’s living-learning residential college system.
FOOD BIZ Darek Bell — Founder, Corsair Distillery: Founded Nashville’s first microdistillery, producing award-winning liquors. In late 2015 opened new distillery in Wedgewood-Houston, which joins facilities in Marathon Village and Bowling Green. Also a principal at Bell & Associates. Bob Bernstein — Owner, Bongo World Enterprises: Twentythree years after founding Bongo Java coffeehouse on Belmont, now has multiple locations, including Fido and Fenwick’s 300. Will open this year cafes in Waverly-Belmont and North Nashville on Jefferson Street (is a partner in both developments). Nick Bishop Sr. and Nick Bishop Jr. — Co-owners, Hattie B’s: Father and son founded popular hot-chicken outpost in 2012 and are keeping it flying with new locations. Currently in Midtown and on Charlotte Avenue, Hattie B’s will open in 2016 in Germantown and Birmingham. Matt Bodnar — Partner, Fresh Hospitality and Fresh Capital: Part of dynamic group behind expansion of Jim ‘N Nick’s and Martin’s BBQ, among others. 2015 brought launch of Cochon Butcher, along with property acquisitions and development around town for future eateries. Sam Borgese — President and CEO, Logan’s Roadhouse: Former leader of Max Brenner dessert bar chain was hired in late 2014 to replace Mike Andres at struggling local chain. A year later outlined a plan to double Logan’s EBITDA by the end of 2017. Maneet Chauhan — Owner, Chauhan Ale & Masala House, Mantra Artisan Brewery: Nationally known chef rocked the North Gulch with her vibrant Chauhan Ale & Masala, then launched Franklin brewery in 2015. Plans two new Gulch restaurants this year. Will Cheek III —Member, Bone McAllester Norton: Leads the firm’s alcoholic beverage team and provides licensing and regulatory compliance advice to restaurants, hotels, bars and clubs. The go-to source for Tennessee liquor law. Authors Last Call, a blog covering Tennessee alcohol, restaurant and hospitality news. Sandy Cochran — President and CEO, Cracker Barrel Old Country Store: Former Books-A-Million CEO who last spring had company renew its poison pill plan. Board would later ask investors to extend the shareholder rights plan through the spring of 2018, saying activist investor Sardar Biglari “remains a threat.” John Dyke — Owner, Turnip Truck: Founded pioneering natural foods grocery Turnip Truck in East Nashville in 2001, then contributed to Gulch boom by opening a store there in 2010. Replaced old East Nashville store with vastly expanded flagship in late 2015.
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IN CHARGE
FOOD/GOVT
Rick Going — President of Nashville Division, Kroger: Threedecade company veteran leads area division re-created in 2013. Oversees local office of a major local employer that bought Harris Teeter in 2014 and continues to upgrade stores and convert some area ex-Teeter spaces to Krogers.
Celebrity chef Chauhan focuses spotlight on Music City Maneet Chauhan is arguably Nashville’s most famous chef, having made countless appearances as a judge on the Food Network’s Chopped, while dazzling diners in restaurants in Chicago and New York. In 2015, the Indian-born chef made her “Nashvillian” title official, relocating here full time. It’s great news for fans of her Chauhan Ale & Masala House in the North Gulch, where she deftly combines her classical chef training (she’s a Culinary Institute of America grad) with a bright palette of Indian-inspired flavors. And then there’s the beer — in 2015 Chauhan took her gastropub obsession to the next level, teaming with brewmaster Derrick Morse to open Mantra Artisan Ales in Franklin, where they operate a taproom and concoct creative brews. In 2016, she’ll open two more restaurant concepts (as yet unnamed) next to Chauhan Ale & Masala House, in the former Anthem space on 12th Avenue North, helping reignite nightlife in the North Gulch. > Dana Kopp Franklin
Benjamin Goldberg and Max Goldberg — Co-Owners, Strategic Hospitality (Patterson House, The Catbird Seat, Pinewood Social): After dazzling with Pinewood Social in 2013, the creatively hospitable brothers recently launched Le Sel in high-profile Adelicia space. Entrepreneurs with ideas to spare.
Terrell Raley — Proprietor, Butchertown Hall; principal partner, Holland House Bar and Refuge, The Pharmacy Burger Parlor: Raley made a strong mark in East Nashville with convivial cocktail spot Holland House and popular Pharmacy Burger. In 2015 helped stoke Germantown’s dining explosion with wood-fired gem Butchertown Hall.
Linus Hall — Owner, Yazoo Brewing Co.: Turned a small start-up into a booming craft brewery that sells to stores and restaurants in Tennessee, Mississippi and Alabama. Successfully rallied craft brewers to fix the state’s beer tax and allow sales of high-gravity beers outside of liquor stores.
Randy Rayburn — Owner, Midtown Cafe, Cabana: Closed venerable Sunset Grill in December 2014 to concentrate on Midtown and Cabana. Seasoned entrepreneur, civic leader and philanthropist whose causes include the Randy Rayburn School of Culinary Arts at Nashville State Community College.
Cordia Harrington — CEO, Tennessee Bun Co.: “The Bun Lady” runs company that ships products across U.S., Caribbean and South America. Named regional EY Co-Entrepreneur of the Year for 2015 with Acadia Healthcare’s Joey Jacobs.
Bailey Spaulding and Steve Wright — Co-Owners, Jackalope Brewing Co.: Spalding and college friend Robyn Virball (who left for California in 2015) helped boost Nashville’s craft beer scene by opening Jackalope in 2011. Beers initially sold only via restaurants and Jackalope taproom, but many now canned for retail sales.
Susannah Herring — Co-Founder, Avo: The first restaurant of its kind in Nashville, delivering upscale vegan, raw dishes, Avo is also one of the first tenants of ONEC1TY, the ambitious health-focused “urban community” being developed on Charlotte. Chris Hyndman — Owner, MStreet: Visionary restaurateur who, with Jim Caden, transformed McGavock Street (aka MStreet) in The Gulch with his stylish restaurants Virago, Whiskey Kitchen and Kayne Prime. Latest launches: Saint Añejo (Mexican cantina), The Rosewall (events space) and Moto (Italian enoteca). Margot McCormack — Chef-Owner, Margot & Marché: Her restaurants represent key players in East Nashville’s culinary explosion. Recent stint on the Nashville Farmers’ Market board helped expand her influence on the city’s food scene. Tom Morales — Owner, Acme, TomKats, The Southern, Saffire: Founder of TomKats (entertainment industry caterer) and managing partner in SoBro’s The Southern Steak & Oyster. With Alan Jackson and partners, opened popular Lower Broad restaurant/bar/music venue Acme Feed & Seed. Hazem Ouf — President and CEO, American Blue Ribbon Holdings: Has steadily improved operations in recent years at parent of O’Charley’s and others. Said in mid-2015 he wants to move ABRH toward $2 billion in annual sales revenues. Deb Paquette — Executive Chef, Etch: Veteran Nashville chef joined restaurateurs Doug Hogrefe and Paul Schramkowski to create Etch, an elegant anchor of the rising SoBro dining scene. Now the team has turned sights onto Green Hills, planning to open Etc there this year. Miranda Whitcomb Pontes — Owner, Dino’s: After leaving
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longtime project Burger Up, the restaurateur and 12South pioneer tapped into East Nashville energy by purchasing and gently updating legendary dive bar Dino’s. Plans to open restaurants in Germantown and SoBro in 2016.
Jimmy Spradley — CEO, Standard Functional Foods: Was 26 when family bought Standard Candy in 1982. Home of GooGoo Cluster now also makes nutritional snack bars, employs more than 500 people and runs downtown store and recently opened dessert bar. Kent Taylor — Co-Founder, Blackstone Brewing Co.: In addition to Midtown brewpub, North Nashville brewery output has topped 5 million bottles. Contract brews for St. Louis’ Schlafly and Louisville’s Falls City. Death of Blackstone co-founder Stephanie Weins in 2014 spurred release of special brew benefiting cancer research. Alan Thompson — CEO, Gigi’s Cupcakes: Originally aligned with Gigi’s in 2008 as landlord for founder Gina Butler’s first store. Was president of franchising before becoming CEO. Signed franchise deal for 100-plus South Korea units in late 2014. Tandy Wilson — Chef-Owner, City House: Nashville’s rise on the national culinary scene has mirrored that of City House, Wilson’s highly regarded restaurant, which opened in 2007. A perennial finalist for the James Beard Award, given to top U.S. chefs.
GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS Lamar Alexander — U.S. Senator: Tennessee’s senior senator and chairman of the Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions. Former governor, U.S. secretary of education and UT president.
NASHVILLEPOST.COM
2/17/16 5:03 PM
IN CHARGE
GOVT
Jane Alvis — Owner, Alvis Co.: Represents the Tennessee Municipal League. Has deep roots in legislative, media and political affairs, including stints as press aide to then-Gov. Lamar Alexander, partner at Ingram Group.
Jim Cooper — U.S. Congressman, 5th District of Tennessee: A veteran policy wonk who famously eschews earmarks. Serves on the House Armed Services Committee and the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.
Rogers Anderson — Williamson County Mayor: Elected CEO of Tennessee’s most economically vibrant county, which is also among the nation’s wealthiest and boasts, arguably, the state’s best public school system.
Jon Cooper — Director of Law, Metro Council: Director of the Metro Council office and special counsel to the council since 2008 after having served on the staff since 2001. Former touring musician and teacher before career change.
Ward Baker — Political Consultant: Executive director of the National Republican Senatorial Committee with roots in Tennessee politics working with Congresswomen Marsha Blackburn and Diane Black. Served major role on Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign.
Bob Corker — U.S. Senator: Elected to Senate in 2006 and has emerged as a leading voice on financial matters as a member of powerful Senate Banking Committee. Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
Megan Barry — Nashville Mayor: First woman elected mayor in Davidson County, and by a 10-point margin. Former two-term at-large Metro Council member. Pledged to lead on Metro schools’ superintendent search. Marsha Blackburn — U.S. Congresswoman, 7th District of Tennessee: Member of the House Budget Committee, vice chair of the Energy and Commerce Committee and chair of the Select Investigative Panel on Infant Lives. Conservative media darling and Obamacare critic. Charles Robert Bone — Member, Bone McAllester Norton: Ran Mayor Megan Barry’s transition team. An enduring political force behind the scenes and prominent attorney with concentration in commercial litigation, corporate transactions and entrepreneurial business law. Randy Boyd — Commissioner, Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development: Architect of the governor’s Drive to 55 plan and Tennessee Promise, a last dollar scholarship program. Chairman of pet product company Radio Systems Corp. Phil Bredesen — Former Governor: Health care entrepreneur turned public policy nerd turned health care reform author. While out of office, he is likely the lone influential Democrat on a statewide level.
Karl Dean — Former Nashville Mayor: Expected to be a future Democratic candidate for higher office. Now serves as chairman of Nashville nonprofit education group Project Renaissance. Affiliated with both Belmont University and Boston University. Sonnye Dixon — Pastor and Senior Servant, Hobson United Methodist Church: Social activist who is influential with elected leaders. Has served on the Metro Human Rights Commission and is a member of the NAACP. Bill Freeman — Chairman and Co-Founder, Freeman Webb Co.: Real estate mogul among the Democratic party’s biggest fundraisers and powerbrokers. Ex-mayoral candidate will serve on the Metro Nashville Airport Authority. Enoch Fuzz — Pastor, Corinthian Missionary Baptist Church: Pastor at North Nashville church since 1987. Has served as an NAACP officer, organized interracial and other cultural dialogues and advocates for affordable health care. Erica Gilmore — Metro Councilwoman At-Large: The top vote-getter in the August 2015 general election and the only at-large council member who served for the last eight years as a district representative. Chairs the Health, Hospitals and Social Services Committee.
David Briley — Vice Mayor, Metro Nashville: Bone McAllester Norton attorney and former Metro Councilman (and mayoral candidate in 2007) who envisions a more active role for the vice mayor.
Leslie Hafner — Senior Advisor to Gov. Bill Haslam: An experienced Capitol Hill pro previously running the ground game for Haslam’s legislative agenda. Was principal at HafnerAlexander Government Relations. Served former Gov. Don Sundquist’s administration.
Jim Brown — Executive Director, National Federation of Independent Business: Has positioned NFIB in Tennessee as a major voice for business on Capitol Hill. Led charge to phase out inheritance tax and helped reform workers compensation laws.
Ryan Haynes — Chairman of the Tennessee Republican Party: A plugged-in ally of Bill Haslam and Speaker Beth Harwell who won the chairmanship for the state’s dominant party at the age of 29. Formerly a Knoxville state representative.
Glen Casada – Republican Caucus Chairman — House of Representatives: Among top Republicans in the lower chamber. Influence has ebbed but now flows, seating him in cross section of establishment Republicans and Tea Party lawmakers.
Joe Hall — Owner, Hall Strategies: Founded boutique lobbying and strategic communications company in 2004 after a decade as a partner at The Ingram Group. Has deep roots at the intersection of media and politics.
Riebeling provides Metro continuity in new COO role For eight years, Rich Riebeling was one of the most influential and visible Metro officials, establishing his reputation while working as finance director and key aide to then-Mayor Karl Dean. Now, under Mayor Megan Barry and perhaps a bit less visible, he may be even more influential. In the relatively new Barry administration, Riebeling serves as the city’s first chief operating officer, a role that sees him overseeing all Metro departments and agencies. It’s another element on a résumé that includes, in addition to Metro finance director, commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development and aide to ex-Mayor Richard Fulton. Riebeling also represents one of the many strong links between the administrations of Barry and Dean, for whom he served as one of the architects and a primary spokesman for various major municipal projects. > Steven Hale
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Peter Heidenreich — Lobbyist, Hall Strategies: Served under four mayors during a 25-year Metro government career, much of it as public works director. As a lobbyist, is one of the most connected and respected representing interests before the Metro Council. John Harris — President, Tennessee Firearms Association: Nashville attorney best known for his fierce advocacy for firearms. Gained attention for promoting controversial “guns in parking lots” legislation and orchestrating State Rep. Debra Maggart’s 2012 defeat.
Baker disdains losing on way to winning Ward Baker doesn’t like losing. Good thing he rarely tastes defeat. Thorough and tenacious with a preternatural sense of campaigning (and, perhaps most importantly, for allocating funds in the right places), Baker quickly rose in the realm of Republican politics, serving as the liaison between the Republican National Committee and Mitt Romney and then ultimately being named political director of the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) for the 2014 cycle. There were 11 seats widely seen as competitive in 2014, and Republicans won nine of them, taking control of the Senate. Unlike with a number of past elections, there was nary a gaffe from Republican candidates, a success attributed in part to intense media training sessions with candidates. Shortly after the elections, Baker earned a promotion to executive director of the NRSC, where he leads the charge to maintain the GOP’s control of the upper chamber. Already, he has received headlines for laying out a strategy for candidates in the event Donald Trump earns the party’s presidential nomination. Polls show between five and 10 potentially competitive Senate seats in November. Don’t bet against Baker. > J.R. Lind
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Beth Harwell — Speaker, Tennessee House of Representatives: Former university professor and Tennessee Republican Party chair whose pragmatism has been tested in a legislature comprising some members focused on socially divisive topics. Bill Haslam — Governor, State of Tennessee: Former Knoxville mayor who ran on premise state government needs to be run more like a business. Easily coasted to re-election. Focus is often on education, economic development.
Talia Lomax-O’dneal — Finance Director, Metro Nashville: Previously served as deputy finance director under Rich Riebeling. The first woman and first African-American to hold the position. David McMahan — Principal, McMahan Winstead: Among top GOP lobbyists on Capitol Hill. Victorious representing liquor retailers in battle over wine in grocery stores. Fell out of favor with Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey over credit. Lonnell Matthews — Director of the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhoods: Former district councilman represented the Bordeaux area from 2007 to 2015. A rising figure in Metro politics in charge of giving Nashville residents a stronger voice. Ken Moore — Mayor, City of Franklin: Former orthopaedic surgeon sworn in as mayor of Franklin in January 2011, after thenMayor John Schroer resigned to serve as commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Transportation. A strong advocate for downtown Franklin development.
Tom Ingram — Founder, The Ingram Group: Political kingmaker. Former reporter and chief of staff for Sen. Lamar Alexander. Former advisor to Gov. Bill Haslam. Holds court in Tennessee and D.C.
Bobbie Patray — State President, Tennessee Eagle Forum: Leader of religious far right and head of the state affiliate of the organization Phyllis Schlafly founded. Prevailed in long-fought Yes on 1 campaign unraveling certain abortion protections.
Mike Jameson — Staff Attorney, Metro Council: New director of the Metro Council office and special counsel to the city’s legislative body. A former Metro Councilman who also did a brief stint as a General Sessions judge.
Lisa Quigley — Chief of Staff to Congressman Jim Cooper: Maintains a broad network of connections in Nashville and operated as unofficial advisor to the successful Megan Barry mayoral campaign.
Glenn Funk — District Attorney General, Davidson County: Metro’s top prosecutor after nearly 30 years as a defense attorney. Vowed to better distinguish a good kid in trouble from a bad person in the legal system.
Ron Ramsey — Lieutenant Governor, State of Tennessee: First GOP Senate speaker in Tennessee in 140 years. Bills self as “Tennessee’s conservative leader.” Partisan warrior who leaves policy to others.
Kim Kaegi — Republican Fundraiser: Arguably the state’s best fundraiser. Has helped finance campaigns for Republicans including Bill Haslam, Bob Corker and Fred Thompson. Also handled Karl Dean’s 2007 money organization and consulted on the mayor’s reelection finances.
Richard Riebeling — Finance Director, Metro Nashville: Mayor Karl Dean’s only finance director to date. Was key to approval for Music City Center. Has also served as commissioner of the state Department of Economic and Community Development.
Bill Ketron — State Senator: Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey’s go-to guy on legislative wedge issues. Former Rutherford County commissioner and GOP caucus chair in state Senate, leaning in on regional transportation issues. Matt Largen — President and CEO, Williamson County Chamber of Commerce: Former director of the Williamson County Office of Economic Development. While at OED, his pipeline for relocations included $300 million in potential investment and more than 8,000 new jobs. Howard Gentry Jr. — Criminal Court Clerk, Metro Nashville: Former vice mayor who is highly respected for his knowledge of how Metro government works.
Chip Saltsman — Political Strategist: Senior advisor to Mike Huckabee’s 2016 presidential campaign. Veteran of Tennessee politics, former chairman of the state Republican Party from 19992001, and once a longtime aide to U.S. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist. Charles Sargent — Chair of the House Finance, Ways and Means Committee: No-nonsense wrangler of the state’s $34 billion budget as it passes through the Tennessee House of Representatives. Closely aligned with Speaker Beth Harwell. Ralph Schulz — President, Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce: Leads coalition with diverse business interests in stated goal of “facilitating community leadership to create economic prosperity.” Key advocate of now-abandoned Amp bus rapid transit system.
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Herbert Slatery, III — Tennessee Attorney General: State’s first Republican AG since Reconstruction. Appointed by the state Supreme Court. Formerly the governor’s legal counsel and counted among his closest advisors. Childhood friends with the governor.
Dick Cowart — Shareholder, Baker Donelson Bearman Caldwell & Berkowitz: The firm’s health and public policy group leader is a regulatory authority who provides strategic business and regulatory counsel to health care companies.
James ‘Tex’ Thomas — Pastor, Jefferson Street Missionary Baptist Church: Community activist and respected pastor for more than 40 years in one of Nashville’s most active African-American churches. Unofficial meeting place for discussions on civil rights-related issues.
Duncan Dashiff — Managing Director and COO, MedCare Investment Funds: Epiphany Health Ventures co-founder in 2015 joined MedCare, which has $1 billion in assets. Has spent more than 17 years in investment banking totaling more than $11 billion in deals.
Justin P. Wilson — Comptroller of the Treasury: Tennessee’s 34th comptroller who previously served as partner in Nashville law firm Waller Lansden Dortch & Davis. A scion of one of the state’s most influential political families
Neil de Crescenzo — CEO, Change Healthcare: Rebranded the former revenue cycle management-centered Emdeon after the price transparency company it acquired in November 2014. Continues to diversify the company’s offerings toward consumer engagement through acquisitions.
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Buddy Bacon — Senior Vice President, CapStar Bank: Health care banking executive joined CapStar’s growing health care group in 2015. Previously led a number of health care companies, including MediTract, Meridian Surgical Partners and Xtensia. Jeff Balser — Vice Chancellor of Health Affairs, Vanderbilt University Medical Center: Leading the hospital’s split from Vanderbilt University and expects to reach an additional million lives by 2020 through joint ventures and strategic collaborations in the Vanderbilt Affiliated Health Network. Craig Becker — President, Tennessee Hospital Association: Longtime leader of state’s hospital association who has continued to advocate for Medicaid expansion and support the state’s small and rural hospitals. Mary Bufwack — CEO, Neighborhood Health: Head of Middle Tennessee nonprofit community health organization (formerly United Neighborhood Health Services) for more than 25 years. Has expanded affordable health services to 12 clinics in three counties. Bill Carpenter — Chairman and CEO, LifePoint Health: Former Waller lawyer has led hospital chain since 2006. Oversaw the former LifePoint Hospitals’ rebranding around an integrated care strategy and continues to acquire facilities nationally. Michael Cartwright — CEO and Chairman of the Board, AAC Holdings: Leads the nation’s first publicly traded addiction treatment company. Continues to grow the 11-center AAC portfolio in the fragmented behavioral health industry. Stephen Corbeil — President, TriStar Health System: Longtime HCA exec has grown the chain’s flagship health system into 15 facilities in the greater Nashville region. Continues to increase access through free-standing emergency rooms, with a fourth expected to open in 2017.
Jason Dinger — CEO, MissionPoint Health Partners: An early adopter of the Accountable Care Organization who is now leading the program into employer contracts. Has also extended contracts based around the Saint Thomas network with BlueCross BlueShield into 2020. Brandon Edwards — CEO, ReviveHealth: Health care communications firm founder has continued to add staff after acquiring a third office in 2014. Recently landed agency of record contract with Pamplona Capital Management, a $4 billion health care fund. Company to be sold to Weber Shandwick. Dan Elrod — Attorney, Butler Snow: Member of the firm’s health care regulatory and transactions group. Certificate-of-need expert who has been involved in more than 350 applications for Tennessee providers. Tom Doub — CEO, Centerstone Research Institute: Has held leadership roles at the mental health nonprofit’s research arm since 2008. Between the provider and research divisions, landed $30.7 million in 2015 grants, many used to improve behavioral care through technology. Bill Frist — Chairman, Cressey & Company: Former U.S. Senate majority leader who also cofounded Aspire Health and leads the Health Care Council’s Fellows program. Founded in 2015 Nashvillecentric population health nonprofit NashvilleHealth. Bobby Frist — Chairman, President and CEO, HealthStream: Co-founder of health care workforce development company. Launched a provider solutions arm in 2015 through the $88 million acquisition of HealthLine Systems and the 2012 purchase of SyMed Development. Vic Gatto and Marcus Whitney — Co-Founders, Jumpstart Foundry: Duo leading ex-incubator turned innovation fund that will this year invest in about 20 startups. Gatto is also a partner at Solidus, while Whitney was early exec at Emma before helping launch Moontoast, among other ventures.
Springer seeks ‘clinically integrated delivery system’ Karen Springer faced a major challenge when she was promoted to Saint Thomas Health’s top role in 2015. The entity’s ex-chief operating officer, Springer now leads the nonprofit hospital system toward becoming a “clinically integrated delivery system,” a priority for similar operations within the industry. For STH, modernizing and integrating means pushing care into the community through partnerships with neighborhood facilities, like clinics, urgent care centers and pharmacies. It also involves a connected electronic health record system that gives clinicians in and out of the Saint Thomas system a full and accurate view of patients. The mission-based health system, with Springer at the helm, is often a leader in adopting new health care models. But even the most innovative hospital is challenged by the current reimbursement landscape. To assist in integrating Saint Thomas Health’s nine hospital and community partners, Springer and the Ascension team have brought together a group of health care experts, including Bernie Sherry, Saint Thomas COO and former CEO of the system’s Midtown and West hospitals; Amber Sims, chief strategy officer; and Fahad Tahir, Saint Thomas Medical Partners CEO. > Emily Kubis
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Darin Gordon — Director, TennCare, Deputy Commissioner, Department of Finance and Administration: Oversees Tennessee’s Medicaid agency, which continues to see rising enrollment through health reform. Led TennCare team through unsuccessful Medicaid expansion hearings with legislators. David Guth — CEO, Centerstone: Cofounded the nonprofit behavioral health provider in 1997. With Centerstone Research Institute, landed $30.7 million in grant funding, expanding the organization’s footprint into four states.
Smith guides CHS through challenges As CEO of Community Health Systems, Wayne Smith recently led the Franklinbased hospital company through some major changes. The $7.6 billion acquisition of Health Management Associates in January 2014 set the tone for the next two years as the company integrated HMA’s hospitals, growing its portfolio to 198 facilities in 29 states. The company initially benefited from health reform as insured rates climbed, but challenges arose in mid2015 as the tough cost-cutting work of the integration occurred and the company was forced to invest in physician recruitment at HMA facilities. Things haven’t yet improved much since: Soft patient volumes — particularly at former HMA hospitals in Florida — helped cause a third-quarter profit warning and a surprise fourth-quarter loss of $74 million. And Smith’s plan to spin out 38 small hospitals and the Quorum Health Resources consulting business have been delayed by a shaky debt market. Investors, looking at a broadly weakening hospital sector, haven’t been very kind, pushing down CHS shares by 75 percent in six months. Smith and CFO Larry Cash say they will continue to focus on building hospital networks in larger markets while selling some facilities in smaller cities. But in a rebuilding year of sorts, most of the proceeds from those sales will help cut debt. > Emily Kubis
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Jay Hardcastle — Partner, Bradley Arant Boult Cummings: Experienced attorney focused on health care regulation, contact drafting and joint venture formation at the firm, which continues to add staff to its health care practice group. James Hildreth —President and CEO, Meharry Medical College: Appointed in March 2015 as the historic college’s 12th president. Previously served as a Meharry professor and founded its Center for HIV/ AIDS Health Disparities Research. Christopher Holden — President and CEO, AmSurg: CEO since 2007, headed AmSurg’s push into physician services through the $2.3 billion acquisition of Sheridan Healthcare, but failed with bid for Knoxville competitor TeamHealth in November. Angela Humphreys — Attorney, Bass, Berry & Sims: Chair of the firm’s Healthcare Practice Group has led health care transactions in excess of $14 billion. Practice includes operations, M&A and regulatory matters. Joey Jacobs — Chairman and CEO, Acadia Healthcare: Cofounder and former CEO of Psychiatric Solutions has led Acadia since 2011. Continues to lead expansion efforts domestically and in the U.K., with more acquisitions expected this year. Harry Jacobson — Co-founder, TriStar Technology Ventures: Former VUMC CEO has founded more than 10 companies. Works with multiple investment funds, including Epiphany Health Ventures, MedCare Investment Fund and Iroquois Capital Group. Serves on multiple boards including those of Ingram Industries and SpecialtyCare. David Jarrard — President and CEO, Jarrard Phillips Cate & Hancock: Founding partner of the well-connected health care communications firm, which continues to add staff to both the local and Chicago offices.
Kevin Lavender — Senior Vice President, Managing Director of Healthcare Finance, Fifth Third Bank: Former commissioner of the Department of Financial Institutions and co-founder of MediSphere Health Partners. Has led health care finance division since 2005. Charlie Martin — CEO and Chairman, Managing Director, Martin Ventures: Former Vanguard Health CEO returned in 2013 to the investment firm he founded. Was recently appointed to board of newest Martin portfolio company, Contessa Health. David Miller — COO, Community Health Systems: Joined company from Health Management Associates in 1997. Oversaw the integration of HMA after being promoted as the company’s first COO in 2014. Oversees CHS’ six operating divisions. Tom Miller — CEO, Quorum Health Corp.: Former Community Health Systems division president tapped for top role at the spinout company launching this year. Will lead 38 hospitals in 16 states that generated $2.1 billion in revenue last year. Frank Morgan —Managing Director, RBC Capital: Former managing director at Jeffries and Co. has led the Healthcare Services Equity Research division of RBC for seven years. Nashville-based authority on hospital industry and local operators. Jonathan Perlin — Chief Medical Officer, President of Clinical Services, HCA Holdings: Formerly the senior-most physician in the federal government as Department of Veteran Affairs CEO. Joined HCA in 2006 and oversees clinical operations, particularly care advancement through data analytics. Clay Phillips — Vice President of Network Innovation, BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee: Nashville-based executive oversees provider networks, Patient-Centered Medical Home programs, alternative payment arrangements and accountable care programs. Assists with implementation of state-led payment reform initiatives. C. Wright Pinson — Deputy Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs, Vanderbilt University Medical Center and CEO, Vanderbilt Health System: Clinical and operational leader who also serves as chief of staff at Vanderbilt University Hospital and develops partnerships with regional providers. Heather Rohan — CEO, TriStar Centennial Medical Center: Former nurse who worked her way up to the helm of HCA’s flagship Nashville facility. The 657-bed hospital continues to obtain patient safety and clinical advancement certifications.
R. Milton Johnson — Chairman and CEO, HCA Holdings: Worked his way from tax manager to president and CFO before landing top gig in 2014. Continues to expand HCA’s reach through things like urgent care and physician practice management. Donated $10 million in 2015 to alma mater Belmont University.
Dawn Rudolph — Chief Experience Officer, Saint Thomas Health: Previous president and CEO of Saint Thomas West Hospital took on system-wide role in 2014. Oversees patient satisfaction and policy implementation.
Larry Kloess — Chairman, Clayton Associates: Former TriStar president, Centennial Medical Center CEO and chairman of the Tennessee Hospital Association. Previously served as senior advisor to Clayton Associates and succeeded the firm’s co-founder as chairman in 2015.
Bill Rutherford — CFO, HCA Holdings: Former CFO of company’s Eastern group and outpatient service. Appointed as CEO Milton Johnson’s successor in 2013. Engineered a number of public offerings and loan renegotiations in 2015.
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Bernie Sherry — COO, Saint Thomas Health: Operations executive at the faith-based hospital system picked to succeed Karen Springer. Previously led the system’s two Nashville hospitals through their rebranding as Saint Thomas Midtown and West in 2013. Lynn Simon — President of Clinical Services and Chief Quality Officer, Community Health Systems: Former practicing neurologist and chief medical officer of Jewish Hospital and Saint Mary’s HealthCare in Louisville. Joined CHS in 2010 and took on clinical services role in 2014. Andy Smith — CEO, Brookdale Senior Living: Former health care group chair at Bass Berry & Sims took top role at Brookdale in 2013. Integrated rival Emeritus after acquisition closed in 2014 and successfully shut down activist investors’ plans to spin off the company’s real estate investment trust. Wayne Smith — CEO, Community Health Systems: Longtime hospital CEO who in 2015 announced a spinout of 38 CHS hospitals into a new public company based in Brentwood. Has also headed expansion efforts including telemedicine and a freestanding ER in Clarksville. Reported benefits from health reform but questions arise around debt issues and the Quorum spinout.
acquisition strategy, with deals expected to continue. David Vandewater — President and CEO, Ardent Health Services: Leader of the Southwest hospital chain since 2001. Company has grown to a 15 hospitals in three states and landed a new majority owner in 2015. Melissa Waddey — Senior Vice President, LifePoint Health: Former chief of staff and vice president of company’s strategic resource group. Appointed in 2015 to newly created position overseeing operations strategy and integration, including service line development and population health management. Paul Wallace — Managing Director, Heritage Healthcare Innovative Fund: Former Healthways sales exec with 15 years in venture capital and private equity investing. Joined local health care fund in 2011, which in 2015 landed $100 million in commitments from bigname health care companies. Donald Webb — CEO, Williamson Medical Center: WMC veteran since 1985 was appointed to top role in 2012. Continues to expand hospital’s access through expansions and affiliations with nearby providers, including Vanderbilt and Williamson Medical Group.
Karen Springer — CEO, Saint Thomas Health: Promoted from COO to system’s top role in 2015 after Mike Schatzlein moved to parent company Ascension. Experienced hospital operator responsible for executing Saint Thomas’ integrated care mission.
Joseph Webb — CEO, Nashville General Hospital: Former Methodist LeBonheur Healthcare exec and TSU alum is one year into lead role at the Metro-owned hospital. Medicaid expansion proponent has prioritized population health in North Nashville.
Robin Steaban — Chief Administrative Officer and Chief Nursing Officer, Vanderbilt University Hospital and Clinics: Veteran nurse and hospital leader oversees the Vanderbilt Heart and Vascular Institute. Was appointed to system-wide role in 2014 as part of a leadership structure reorganization.
W. Carl Whitmer — President and CEO, Iasis Healthcare: Previously served at PhyCor and KPMG before succeeding long-time Iasis leader David White in 2010. Continues to grow the provider business and managed care operations for Iasis, which is going public this year.
Anna-Gene O’Neal — President and CEO, Alive Hospice: Formerly the VP of quality and performance improvement at Cogent Healthcare. Picked to lead the Middle Tennessee nonprofit hospice provider in 2012.
Michael Wiechart — President and CEO, Capella Healthcare: Former CFO worked at LifePoint and HCA before joining Capella in 2009. Led system into academic affiliations and an acquisition by a real estate investment trust in 2015.
Chris Taylor — President, Parallon Business Solutions: Previously CFO of HCA’s TriStar division appointed in 2014 as president of business solutions company, which will move into HCA’s new North Gulch office building this year.
Karey Witty — CEO, Corizon Health: Tapped to succeed Woodrow Myers in late 2015. Former CFO at HealthSpring, NaviHealth and Corrections Medical Services, which merged with America Service Group to form Corizon in 2011. Has held a board position with the company since then.
Donato Tramuto — CEO and President, Healthways: Two-year company chairman chosen to replace embattled CEO Ben Leedle. Founded two nonprofits and Physicians Interactive, an online provider of medical content. Paula Torch — Senior Research Analyst, Avondale Partners: Former retail analyst at Barclays Capital joined boutique investment firm in 2012 and covers hospital operators across the country. Brent Turner — President, Acadia Healthcare: Joined Acadia in 2011 after serving at Psychiatric Solutions and as treasurer for Corrections Corp. of America. Key player in behavioral health company’s
LEGAL
De Crescenzo takes new path for Change Healthcare Neil de Crescenzo has seen great change. In 2015, Emdeon became Change Healthcare. With Neil de Crescenzo as CEO since late 2013, the revenue cycle management company had completed four acquisitions, expanded its portfolio and, most recently, rebranded to reflect the transformation of its offerings. The company formerly known as Emdeon bought Brentwood-based price transparency company Change Healthcare in November 2014, which marked its move away from back-end services and an entrance into the consumer engagement market. With the purchases of a health care tech company, a payment and communications venture, a cloud-based analytics platform and the launch of a payment processing platform, de Crescenzo said upon the rebranding that the company serves “virtually all constituencies in the health care system.” > Emily Kubis
Jane Allen — CEO, Counsel On Call: Filled a need with legal services company that works with corporations and law firms to lower costs and get results. Headquartered in Nashville, the firm has five other offices nationwide.
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Kathryn E. Barnett — Partner in Charge, Nashville, Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein: Partner at one of the country’s largest plantiffs-only firms. Areas of practice include consumer protection, personal injury and torts, and defective products. Julian Bibb — Member, Stites & Harbison: Banking, finance and real estate law expert known for land preservation efforts. Helped secure Battle of Franklin sites and assisted Land Trust for Tennessee in preserving open spaces.
Barnett oversees office growth for Morgan & Morgan Kathryn Barnett serves as managing partner of Morgan & Morgan’s downtown Nashville office, which has captured headlines for its recent growth. Barnett is overseeing the additions in the local office (the firm operates 27 offices in seven states) and the numbers are noteworthy. When the plaintifffocused firm added veteran local attorney Jason Gichner in December, the Nashville arm of the Florida-based firm had an employee roster of 18 people at press time. By contrast, it employed four at the end of 2014. With a J.D. degree from Vanderbilt School of Law, Barnett has represented various clients in class action, injury, product liability, wrongful death and insurance lawsuits. “We launched the Nashville office of Morgan & Morgan with an aggressive goal and plenty of financing to become the go-to firm for people and businesses who have been hurt or wronged,” Barnett said. “We have grown from one to 18 employees in just over a year, and expect to more than double in size. In fact, we have several openings that we needed filled yesterday. “What sets Morgan & Morgan apart from our competitors is our culture of hiring outstanding lawyers and staff, treating every client like family, and being hungry for trials when a defendant won’t take responsibility for its conduct,” she added. > William Williams
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Charles W. Bone — Founder & Chairman, Bone McAllester Norton: Represents clients on matters ranging from mergers and acquisitions, financial institutions and government relations. Robert E. Boston — Partner, Waller Lansden Dortch & Davis: One of the state’s top employment lawyers. Handles compensations and compliance disputes. Represents employers in complicated wrongful termination issues. Matthew Burnstein — Chairman, Waller Lansden Dortch & Davis: Named chairman of powerful firm in 2014. Shepherds companies ranging from health care giants to emerging tech firms through transactions. Scott Carey — Managing Shareholder, Baker Donelson Bearman Caldwell & Berkowitz: Top dog in Nashville office of prestigious Southeastern firm. Expert on transportation law and general counsel for Tennessee Republican Party. James H. Cheek III — Member, Bass Berry & Sims: Maestro of public company legal representation. Retained to probe New York Stock Exchange operations after SEC required it to hire a nonconflicted auditor. Chase Cole — Partner, Waller Lansden Dortch & Davis: Major player in legal community regarding corporate law and mergers and acquisitions. Served as lead outside counsel on the largest IPO ever conducted by a Nashville-based company, HCA. Dan Elrod — Member and Managing Partner, Nashville Office, Butler Snow: Represents more than 40 Tennessee health care institutions on regulatory issues and advocates for the interests of clients before the Tennessee General Assembly. Craig V. Gabbert Jr. — Shareholder, Harwell Howard Hyne Gabbert & Manner: Among the top bankruptcy practitioners in the Southeast. Involved in such major corporate cases as SouthEast Waffles, Nu-Kote Holdings (twice) and Regal Cinemas. Stacey Garrett — Founding Member, Chairperson, Board of Directors, Bone McAllester: Concentrates practice on higher education, corporate transactions, health care and government affairs. Represents several institutions of higher education. Alberto Gonzales, Dean, Belmont University School of Law: Former United States attorney general tapped by Belmont as first
leader of its law school. Serves on Governor’s Commission on Judicial Appointments. Chris Guthrie, Dean, Vanderbilt University School of Law: Has served as dean of Vanderbilt’s law school since 2009. Nationally recognized expert on behavioral law and economics, dispute resolution, negotiation and judicial decision making. Aubrey Harwell — Partner and Co-Founder, Neal & Harwell: Practice centers on commercial litigation, white-collar criminal defense and crisis management. Has represented Bridgestone/ Firestone and former San Francisco 49ers owner Eddie DeBartolo in various matters. William C. Koch Jr. — Dean, Nashville School of Law: Respected jurist who served on the Tennessee Court of Appeals and State Supreme Court. Has taught at NSL since 1997. Brad Lampley — Partner in Charge, Adams and Reese: Has particular experience in the areas of transportation, energy, health care and insurance. Serves on the University of Tennessee Board of Trustees. A former UT scholar-athlete. Ed Lanquist — Managing Shareholder, Patterson Intellectual Property Law: Focuses practice on patent and trademark litigation, intellectual property counseling and trademark prosecution. Has filed more than 1,200 trademark registration applications and about 150 patent applications. Tom Lawless — Attorney, Lawless & Associates: An Oak Hill city judge who sits on the Tennessee Registry for Election Finance Commission and on the Tennessee Board of Judicial Conduct. Bankruptcy and creditors’ rights specialist who has helped numerous area lenders digest foreclosures and other so-called special assets. David Lewis — Member, Miller & Martin: Former vice president and counsel at both HealthPoint and Chattanooga’s Erlanger Hospital. Has been an expert on health care law for more than a quarter century. Mark Manner — Managing Shareholder, Harwell Howard Hyne Gabbert & Manner: One of the few biotech legal experts in the city. Also handles complex M&As, securities and capital formation. Jerry Martin, Partner, Barrett, Johnston, Martin and Garrison: Former U.S. attorney focuses his practice on representing whistleblowers exposing fraud and abuse, as well as employment litigation and civil rights cases. Bob Mendes — Member, Waypoint Law: Past president of the Nashville Bar Association and one of the sharpest legal minds in the city. Practice is largely devoted to representing debtors, creditors, creditors’ committees, trustees and purchasers of assets in Chapter 11 bankruptcy cases.
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E. Marlee Mitchell — Partner, Waller Lansden Dortch & Davis: Expert in underwritten equity and debt public offerings, private placements, joint ventures and venture capital financings Makesha Montgomery — Member in Charge, Frost Brown Todd: Member of firm’s labor and employment law practice group. Represents management in the areas of employment discrimination and wrongful discharge, union negotiations and arbitration. William L. Norton — Partner, Bradley Arant Boult Cummings: Has represented just about every kind of client interest you can expect in bankruptcy cases. Represented creditors against Robert McLean, a $50 million Ponzi schemer. Larry Papel — Lead Partner, Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough: Regarded as a national leader in land-use and real estate law. Has made strong contributions as a board member of the Nashville Civic Design Center and Watkins College. Bob Patterson — Managing Partner, Bradley Arant Boult Cummings: Visionary who spearheaded the eyebrow-raising plan to move the then-Boult Cummings Conner & Berry from the central business district to Roundabout Plaza, sparking Midtown’s revival. William L. Penny — Burr & Forman: Former Stites & Harbison member moved to Burr in early January. One of Middle Tennessee’s experts on environmental law. Brant Phillips — Partner, Bass Berry & Sims: Focused on complex litigation and public policy. Is co-chair of the firm’s securities and shareholder litigation group and member of the executive committee. Tom Potter — Managing Partner, Burr & Forman: Corporate and securities law expert and former Mayor Richard Fulton aide who returned to Nashville in 2007. Made early-2015 splash by recruiting 10 attorneys from Stites’ local office. Gregg Ramos — Partner, North Pursell & Ramos: Emphasis is personal injury, employment law and workers’ compensation. Serves on a number of community boards. Past president of the Nashville Bar Association, Catholic Charities of Tennessee and Conexión Américas. David Raybin — Co-Founder, Hollins, Raybin and Weissman: Heads firm’s criminal defense section, which includes criminal trials, criminal appeals, parole hearings and civil rights litigation. David Rivera, U.S. Attorney, Middle District of Tennessee: After a decade as assistant U.S. attorney, was nominated for the top job in June and confirmed in December. Todd Rolapp — Managing Partner, Bass Berry & Sims: Became managing partner of one of the city’s most prestigious law firms in January 2013. Previously served as chair for the firm’s corporate and securities department.
Robert Sartin — Member, Frost Brown Todd: Former managing partner of Lexington, Kentucky-based firm who relocated to Nashville in 2011. Leads firm’s automotive industry team and serves on ninemember executive committee. Tom Sherrard — Founding Member, Sherrard & Roe: Practice includes mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance and corporate and securities law, but influence extends deep into Metro circles, as former chair of the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce. Byron Trauger — Partner, Trauger & Tuke: Attorney, close friend and adviser to former Gov. Phil Bredesen. Rhodes Scholar whose law practice is concentrated on health care, complex civil litigation, general business matters, government relations and regulatory agency work. Jack Waddey — Partner, Waller, Lansden Dortch & Davis: Former Waddey Patterson founder joined Waller in early January bringing four colleagues with him. Leigh Walton — Member, Bass Berry & Sims: Former co-chair of firm’s health care practice group and active in corporate and securities law matters. Work with public companies includes securities, M&As and corporate governance matters. Edward M. Yarbrough, Bone McAllester Norton: Former U.S. attorney widely credited for restoring the Middle Tennessee office to prominence. Leads Bone’s criminal defense and government investigations division.
mANUFACTURING Steve Blackwell — President, Triumph Aerostructures/Vought Aircraft Division: Leads a company that has, spanning 75 years, produced more than 10,000 wings and tail sections for multiple aircraft contractors. Has served in current position since 2011. Christopher Conway — Chairman, President and CEO, Clarcor: Oversees Franklin-based water and air filtration company with more than 5,200 employees. Company’s industrial air division paid $11 million in February for assets of a Chicago-area maker of filter bags, cartridges and air filters. Philippe Fauchet — Dean, Vanderbilt University School of Engineering: Veteran academician also serves as VU professor of engineering. An expert in silicon photonics. Holds numerous patents and founded a successful startup. Gary Garfield — President and CEO, Bridgestone Americas: Named CEO and president of the tire manufacturer in March 2010. Holds a juris doctorate degree. Company is having a skyscraper headquarters tower built. Serving on Chamber’s Moving Forward committee eyeing mass transit.
Omega founder forges fashionforward industry Dean Wegner is looking to help create a true fashion and clothing manufacturing industry in Nashville. Though his task will be challenging, don’t discount his chances of success. Wegner, the president and CEO of Tennessee-based Omega Apparel, enjoyed a strong 2015, highlighted by the hiring of Shelley Sarmiento as chief strategy officer and design director. In January, the company opened a design and production facility in South Nashville. The 22-year-old Omega, which also has a presence in Smithville, Tennessee, is best known for producing military clothing. Of note, Wegner served seven years in the U.S. military as a helicopter pilot and ranger, achieving the rank of captain. “The heart of our mission at Omega is creating jobs and building a great place to work,” Wegner said. “ The opening of our new design and production facility in Nashville will enable our goal of adding 1,000-plus jobs over the next five years.” Wegner calls the work of Omega Apparel “authentically American,” with the recent factory opening putting the company in a position “to deliver on our vision to be a catalyst and lead the rebuilding of the U.S. apparel industry.” Folks have taken notice. Van Tucker, CEO of the Nashville Fashion Alliance, called the new facility a “game changer for our regional fashion brands in Nashville.” > William Williams
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BOHAN starts new Day with female CEO November was a major month for BOHAN Advertising and for Shari Day. The veteran employee was promoted from president and chief operating officer to chief executive officer, becoming BOHAN’s first female leader since the company launched in 1990. Day, who replaced Kerry Graham, now teams with company chairman and founder David Bohan to oversee what is one of Nashville’s most influential marketing and advertising firms. In low-key fashion, Day downplays the symbolic move and the clout she now wields, instead choosing to focus on the team. “Like Nashville, BOHAN is on a roll,” she says. “Advertising Age honored us with its agency culture award, verifying that we’re a good and fun place to work. We had record revenue in 2015, and we continue to attract top talent. What’s better than having fun and being profitable?” Of note, Day retained her title of president. The COO role was not filled, as Day told the aforementioned Advertising Age that a “solid leadership team” in place will suffice. Day joined BOHAN in 2010 as senior vice president for operations and planning. Previously, she spent 19 years at Davis Newman Payne in Knoxville. She began her career in 1988 at Orlandobased First Team Marketing, focusing on broadcast production. > William Williams
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Henry Juszkiewicz — CEO, Gibson Guitar: Co-owner of iconic instrument maker. Weathered a tough 2012 when federal prosecutors brought a criminal case after Gibson acknowledged its importing of exotic woods violated environmental laws.
DeWitt C. Thompson V — President, Thompson Machinery: Helms successful regional Caterpillar dealer with operations in Tennessee and Mississippi. Company is a shareholder of Nashville Post parent company SouthComm Inc.
Christine Karbowiak — Chief Administrative Officer, Bridgestone Americas: Promoted to CAO in 2010 from EVP of community and corporate relations, adding environmental affairs, internal audit, safety and corporate security to her duties. Bridgestone’s first woman board member.
Tera Vazquez — Co-Founder and President, Guy Brown Products: In 2011, the Peruvian native became CEO of minority-owned Guy Brown after helping launch the company in 1999. A former president of the Tennessee Latin American Chamber of Commerce.
Ken Knight — Complex Manager, GM Spring Hill Manufacturing: Leads the 6.9-million-square-foot, 2,000-employee operation, which includes two engine production facilities, stamping and plastics component plants, and vehicle assembly of the Chevrolet Equinox. Plant to make Acadia SUV. John Martin — Senior VP of Manufacturing, Nissan North Americas: Irishman who held a similar role for Nissan in Europe. Was a supply chain VP in North America from 2007 to 2009. José Muñoz — Chairman, Nissan North America Inc.: Appointed to position in January 2014. Duties include manufacturing, engineering, design, sales and marketing, administration and finance. Joined Nissan in 2004 and was GM dealer development for Nissan Europe. Craig Philip — CEO, Ingram Barge Co.: A veteran of the marine, rail and intermodal industries. Has held adjunct faculty positions at Princeton and Vanderbilt. Arrived at Ingram in 1982, left in 1987 and rejoined in 1991. Ajita Rajendra — President and CEO, A.O. Smith Corp.: Named president and chief executive officer of A.O. Smith Corp. in early 2013, becoming the ninth CEO in the company’s history. Company has enjoyed quarterly gross profits of more than $170 million since.
Dean Wegner — President and CEO, Omega Apparel: Enjoyed a strong 2015, highlighted by the hiring of Shelley Sarmiento as the company’s chief strategy officer and design director and the preparation of the opening, in January, of a design and production facility in South Nashville. Uzi Yemin — President and CEO, Delek US Holdings: Former CFO of Israel-based Delek fuel unit. Took helm at U.S. arm and parent of Mapco in 2004. Oversaw company’s 2006 IPO and $70 million investment in Texas refinery expansion.
MARKETING AND PR Jeff Bradford — President and CEO, The Bradford Group: Has worked in the industry since 1985. Firm represents companies in technology, real estate, finance, law and health care. Among the youngest individuals inducted (1991) into Leadership Nashville. Firm made bold move to Fifth and Main in early 2014. Jeffrey Buntin Jr. — President and CEO, The Buntin Group: Leads Tennessee’s largest communications agency. Landed in 2015 and early this year Perkins Restaurant and Bakery, TVA, Trex Decking and Hoosier Lottery. Firm’s annualized billing is at $130 million.
Ryan Schemmel — Co-Founder, Fort Houston: Led the transformation of The Brick Factory in Cummins Station to Fort Houston’s current space in Wedgewood-Houston. Old-school masonry facility houses multiple maker spaces.
Shari Day — President and CEO, BOHAN: Promoted in November from president/chief operating officer to CEO, replacing Kerry Graham. Joined the firm in 2010 as senior VP for operations and planning.
Jim Shepherd — President, Carlex: Steers ship at massive automotive glass-making facility. Has extensive past experience in commercial and financial work involving profit and loss responsibility for businesses with sales between $200 and $500 million.
David Fox — Partner and Founding Partner/Senior Counsel, McNeely Pigott & Fox: Fox is a former reporter in Memphis and Nashville. His role has been elevated with the 2015 death of Mike Pigott. Known for his classy demeanor.
Chuck Smith — President, Swiftwick: Joined performance sock maker in September 2013 from Mattingly Sports as COO and took over as president from Mark Cleveland in late 2014. Tennessee Tech grad who started career at auto supplier Calsonic Kalsei.
Keel Hunt — President and Founder, The Strategy Group: Politics and media veteran who has consulted some of Tennessee’s largest institutions, including HCA, Pilot, Ingram Industries and BellSouth. Noted author and blogger.
Curtis Stevens — CEO, Louisiana-Pacific: Replaced the retired Rick Frost in May 2012. Served as company’s chief operating officer and executive vice president from December 2011 to May 2012. LP stock has stabilized since rough 2012.
Jeff Lipscomb — President and Co-Owner, GS&F: Oversees Cummins Station-based advertising agency that bills about $50 million annually. Firm now employs almost 70 people. GS&F developed the Preds’ successful Smashville campaign.
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Hannah Paramore — President, Paramore Digital: Quintessential early adopter of digital business. Started consulting businesses on Internet presence in 2002. Marketing firm relocated to the Central Business District from The Gulch in 2013. Rosemary Plorin — President, Lovell Communications: Coruns company with Chairman and CEO Paula Lovell. Joined firm that focuses on health care in 2000. Mark Montgomery — Founder, FLO {thinkery}: Co-founded and served as CEO of online music marketing company Echomusic, which IAC/Ticketmaster (now Ticketmaster Live Nation) acquired in 2007 for $25 million. Oversaw the retrofitting of SoBro building in which FLO now operates. Ronald Roberts — CEO, DVL Seigenthaler: Former CEO of DVL Public Relations & Advertising who co-leads 2014-created DVL Seigenthaler with president (and former Seigenthaler CEO) Beth Seigenthaler Courtney and Chairman John Van Mol (the former CEO of then-Dye Van Mol & Lawrence). Joined DVL in 1992, becoming president and chief operating officer in 2008. Deborah Varallo — President, Varallo Public Relations: Energetic marketing and PR expert who often wields a camera. Network links the region’s corporate, community and nonprofit arenas throughout the South. Clients include financial firms, real estate service companies and nonprofits. Rumored to rarely sleep.
MEDIA AND PUBLISHING Chuck Allen — EVP and COO, Athlon Sports Communications Inc.: Runs company known for its college and pro sports season preview annuals. Athlon Media Group acquired Parade Media Group (parent company of Parade magazine) in late 2014.
John Ingram — Chairman, Ingram Industries/Ingram Content Group: Named chairman of Ingram Industries in 2008. Vital Source Technologies, a unit of ICG, announced in 2014 a partnership with Plymouth University to establish U.K.’s largest e-textbook program (30,000 students). Demetria Kalodimos — Anchor, WSMV Channel 4: The longest continuous evening news anchor in WSMV history, having joined the station in 1984. Produces documentaries for her Genuine Human Productions housed in SoBro-based Filming Station. Rosetta Miller-Perry — Publisher, The Tennessee Tribune: Founded Perry & Perry & Associates in 1990 and, the following year, created The Tennessee Tribune, one of the most influential African-American publications in Tennessee (with weekly readership of more than 150,000). Sherod Robertson — Publisher and Owner, MusicRow magazine: Former CFO for Nashville Post parent company SouthComm Inc. Bought MusicRow in November 2010. Oversees all operations and develops strategic initiatives for MusicRow, RowFax, and MusicRow’s CountryBreakout radio chart. Mark Schoenwald — President and CEO, Thomas Nelson: Guided company through the 2012 sale to News Corp. subsidiary Harper Collins. Hands-on leader also serves as president of New Creative Enterprises, a supplier of gift, garden and home decor products. Phil Williams — Investigative Reporter, WTVF: Bulldog hard news man who boasts three duPont-Columbia University Awards and two George Foster Peabody Awards. Started what has become a storied broadcast journalism career as a newspaper reporter.
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T.B. Boyd III — President and CEO, R.H. Boyd Publishing: Heads family’s 115-year-old religious publishing company and chairs Citizens Savings Bank & Trust, the oldest continuously operating black-owned bank in America. Nashville Entrepreneur Center Hall of Fame member.
John Allen — President, New West Records: Former VP at BMG Chrysalis opened New West’s first Nashville office after being appointed president in late 2014. Roster includes Buddy Miller, Patty Griffin, Rodney Crowell, John Hiatt and The Whigs.
Yuri Cunza — Co-Founder and Editor, La Noticia: Influential voice for Nashville’s vibrant Latino community. Peru native whose Spanish-language newspaper features original content written by and for Hispanics. Teams with co-founder Loraine Segovia-Paz.
Dan Auerbach — Musician, Producer, Frontman of The Black Keys and The Arcs: Owns and operates Easy Eye Sound recording studio. Has produced albums by Cage the Elephant, Nikki Lane, Ray LaMontagne and Lana Del Rey. Business partner at Barista Parlor Golden Sound.
Chris Ferrell — CEO SouthComm Inc.: Former Metro councilman at-large who founded SouthComm, publisher of Nashville Post and Nashville Scene, and publications in Atlanta, Charlotte, Cincinnati, Kansas City, Tampa and Washington-D.C. Led company’s 2014 acquisition of Cygnus Business Media. Company focuses on niche, B2B and custom publications.
Scott Borchetta — President and CEO, Big Machine Records: Launched Big Machine (2005), sister label The Valory Music Co (2007) and Republic Nashville (2009). Roster includes Taylor Swift, Reba, Trisha Yearwood and Rascal Flatts.
Athlon’s Allen leads robust company change The late Jerry McCoin had a vision in the 1960s, one that would result in what likely was the nation’s first college football preseason preview annual. Charles W. Allen (folks call him “Chuck”) continues that vision — and with purpose. The president and CEO of Athlon Media Group/Parade, Allen oversees what is, arguably, one of the nation’s most underrated consumer and B2B media brands. During his publishing career, Allen led the launch and growth of two of the largest magazines in the U.S (AARP and, most recently, Parade) with brand value exceeding $1 billion. A former captain in the U.S. Army, he has also sat on the boards of Magazine Publishers of America and World Christian Broadcasting. In short, Allen is one of the most decorated members of the Nashville publishing industry. “AMG/Parade had a good 2015 transitioning several publications and the new business model and is poised to have a very good 2016,” Allen says. Last year brought transition of all company assets as AMG/Parade became what it bills itself as a “top 10 publishing media company” with distribution of 1.5 billion copies annually, 54 million unique website visitors and relationships with 1,748 newspaper partners across the United States. > William Williams
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Benny Brown — President/CEO, Broken Bow Records: Founded Broken Bow in 1999 and would later launch sister label Stoney Creek in 2009. Roster includes Jason Aldean, Dustin Lynch, Thompson Square, Parmalee and Kristy Lee Cook. Steve Buchanan — President, Opry Entertainment Group: Executive producer and co-creator of ABC’s Nashville. Has been with Opry Entertainment Group (which oversees WSM-AM and the Ryman Auditorium) for 30 years.
Spotify’s Marks spot on with underdogs Spotify heavy-hitter John Marks is a champion to many underdog artists on (and off) Music Row, a master of disruption regarding shaking up terrestrial radio’s stranglehold on commercial country music and a counter to many major players and old school gate-keepers. As ex-senior director of country programming at SiriusXM, Marks is one of the genre’s most influential tastemakers. In November, Marks left that post for a gig as head of global programming at Spotify, the first person to assume such a position at the ever-controversial fractions-of-pennies-on-the-play streaming service. While that move might not get him any grip-and-grins with the likes of Taylor Swift or Jason Aldean anytime soon, Marks has always been more of an advocate for the upstart, building his cred as both an indie-country tastemaker and big-box star-maker programming SiriusXM’s The Highway. “Marks has built a nimbler, national alternative to terrestrial country radio,” Billboard wrote of Marks when placing him at No. 16 on its 2015 Power Players list. “And his readiness to take chances on unsigned acts helped break Florida Georgia Line, Sam Hunt, Chase Rice and, in the last year or so, Old Dominion, Logan Mize and Clare Dunn.” Marks has assumed a similar role at Spotify, curating playlists and integrating the service’s programming with social media. > Adam Gold
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Frank Bumstead — Founding Partner, Flood, Bumstead, McCready & McCarthy: Over 40 years of experience as professional financial advisor. With FBMM since 2001. Current president of CMA Board of Directors. Active board member of several nonprofits. Dave Cobb, Producer: One of Nashville’s most in-demand producers. Has worked with Jason Isbell, Jamey Johnson, Lindi Ortega, Rival Sons and Sturgill Simpson. Named Producer of the Year by Americana Music Association in 2014. Runs record label imprint Low Country Sounds via Atlantic Records. Mike Curb — Founder and Chairman, Curb Records: California’s former lieutenant and acting governor. Songwriter, producer, and owner of independent record company since 1962, yielding more than 400 No. 1 records. Major Belmont University benefactor. Doyle Davis and Mike Grimes —Co-Owners, Grimey’s New & Preloved Music: Co-proprietors of nationally respected indie record store, which expanded in 2013 into an adjacent location with Grimey’s Too, a bookstore, cafe and music shop. Davis hosts WRLT’s Indie Underground Hour radio show, and Grimes runs live music venues The Basement Nashville and The Basement East. Virginia Davis — Founder, G Major Management: Formerly at Warner Nashville and NSAI. Launched management partnership BAD in 2010 with Irving Azoff and Scott Borchetta. Launched G Major in 2013 and roster includes Jewel, Thomas Rhett and Danielle Bradbery. Mike Dungan — Chairman and CEO, UMG Nashville: Former Capitol Records Nashville President/CEO. Appointed to position at UMG following 2012 merger with EMI. Ranked 50th on Billboard’s 2013 Power 100 list. John Esposito — President and CEO, Warner Music Nashville: Formerly at Def Jam, Polygram and WEA Corp. Runs Warner Music Nashville, encompassing Warner Bros. Nashville, Word Entertainment and the re-launched Atlantic Nashville label. Rod Essig — Vice President, Creative Artists Agency Nashville: Helped build CAA into one of the most formidable agencies in Music City. Moved into penthouse of downtown SunTrust building. Agent for Reba, REO Speedwagon and LeAnn Rimes.
CMT Radio and launch of CMT Edge. Georgia Radio Hall of Fame member and T.J. Martell Foundation Award recipient. Joe Galante — Entrepreneur in Residence, Nashville Entrepreneur Center: Music industry veteran and former Sony Music Nashville chairman. Advises entrepreneurs within the entertainment and digital media startup fields to keep Nashville competitive on both a local and global level. Randy Goodman — Chairman and CEO, Sony Music Nashville: Former vice president and general manager of the RCA Label Group, and senior vice president/marketing at RCA before that. Thirty years of experience in the industry. Co-chair of the Music City Music Council with former Nashville Mayor Karl Dean and a board member of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. Ali Harnell, SVP, AEG Live/The Messina Group: Oversees operations and booking for Southeast regional office in addition to managing national tours. Produces more than 150 shows annually. Actively involved in area nonprofits. Jed Hilly — Executive Director, Americana Music Association: Has overseen AMA since 2007. Grammy/Emmy winner as producer of Levon Helm: Ramble at the Ryman. Implemented music industry’s first B2B platform. Jeremy Holley —Co-Founder, FlyteVu: Left senior vice president post at Warner Music Nashville in October to co-found full-service music marketing agency FlyteVu with former CAA Music Brand Partnership agent Laura Hutfless. 2015 Billboard magazine choice for Power Player Top 40 Under 40 executives in the entertainment industry. Jay Joyce — Producer and Songwriter: Produced career-defining albums by Eric Church, Miranda Lambert, Cage the Elephant, Patty Griffin, Little Big Town, Thomas Rhett and others. Songwriting credits include tunes cut by Emmylou Harris, Keith Urban and Faith Hill. A 2015 winner of the ACM Honors Studio Recording Award. Ken Levitan — President and Founder, Vector Management: Co-partner of Vector and chair of the Nashville Convention and Visitors Corp. board. Launched upscale food and music festival Music City Eats in September 2013 with concert promoter C3 Presents and longtime clients Kings of Leon. Recently expanded into area restaurant scene with Adele’s and Bajo Sexto. David Macias — Co-Founder, Thirty Tigers: Grammy-winning producer and a music industry indie Swiss Army Knife who handles marketing, distribution and management for Jason Isbell, Lucinda Williams, Patty Griffin, Aaron Watson, Trampled by Turtles and others. John Marks — Global Senior Editor/Music Programmer, Country, Spotify: Assumed post in November after leaving SiriusXM Radio, where he was one of Music Row’s most influential tastemakers as senior director of country programming.
Leslie Fram — Senior VP of Music Strategy, Country Music Television: Oversees music integration on CMT, CMT.com and
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Michael Martin — Vice President, ASCAP: Oversees Nashville membership office operations and creative team, working closely alongside Vincent Candilora, EVP of licensing. ASCAP is a U.S. performing rights organization that is owned and run by its 560,000plus songwriter, composer and music publisher members. Heather McBee, Program Director, Project Music: Former Sony executive with 25 years of music business experience in marketing, sales and operations. In 2015, the Nashville Entrepreneur Center upgraded Project Music from a 14-week accelerator to a year-round program.
NONPROFITS Pete Bird — President and CEO, Frist Foundation: Has served as foundation head since 2002 but with the entity since 1983. Oversees more than $140 million in foundation assets. Agenia Clark — CEO, Girl Scouts of Middle Tennessee: Dynamic leader of an organization that serves approximately 14,000 girls and 7,100 volunteers in 39 Middle Tennessee counties.
Greg Oswald — Co-Head, William Morris Endeavor Entertainment Nashville: Teams with Rob Beckham to oversee an office that represents multiple high-profile country music stars including Luke Bryan, Eric Church, Blake Shelton, Miranda Lambert, Jason Aldean and Reba.
Glenn Cranfield — President and CEO, Nashville Rescue Mission: Oversees large-scale operation that includes staff, a 25-member board and hundreds of citizens. Mission facility property is being engulfed by SoBro redevelopment.
John Peets — Founder, Q Prime South: Manages from East Nashville office artists such as Eric Church, The Black Keys and Rhiannon Giddens.
Jaynee Day — President and CEO, Second Harvest Food Bank: Has led since 1988 an organization fighting hunger with a network of more than 450 nonprofits working within 46 counties.
LeAnn Phelan — Co-Leader, Sea Gayle Management: Industry veteran left ASCAP’s Nashville membership/creative team in May 2015 to join the management entity of 17-year-old publishing company Sea Gayle Music. Has worked at 19 Entertainment, Sony Nashville and Combustion Music.
Susan Huggins — Executive Director and CEO, CABLE: Started in 1987 Direct Link, a full-service direct mail firm and certified woman-owned business, overseeing Tennessee’s largest network of professionals committed to “connecting women and opportunity.”
Brian Philips — President, Country Music Television: Since 2001, has overseen management, creative direction and growth strategy for the network. Has doubled CMT’s subscriber base and expanded the network’s offerings. Brian Traeger — President of Live Nation’s Tennessee Business Unit: In charge of programming at Live Nation’s recently opened Ascend Amphitheater. Sarah Trahern — CEO, Country Music Association: Formerly SVP/GM of Great American Country, covered politics and public affairs at C-SPAN. Took lead role at CMA. Named one of Billboard’s 30 “Power Players” in 2010. Lester Turner — President, Tuned-In Broadcasting WRLT Lightning 100: Tuned-In Broadcasting is home to WRLT Lightning 100 and Live on the Green Music Festival. Proprietor of downtown restaurant and venue Acme, opened in 2013 with Tom Morales. Jack White — Musician and Owner, Third Man Records: Known for his work with The White Stripes, The Raconteurs and The Dead Weather. Named “Music City Ambassador” by Mayor Karl Dean in 2011. Landed a star on the Music City Walk of Fame in 2015. Sally Williams — GM, Ryman Auditorium/VP of Business and Partnership Development, Opry Entertainment Group: Has served on the Music City Council and the executive committee of Leadership Music. Promoted to VP of Opry Entertainment in May 2013.
Tari Hughes — President, Nashville Public Library Foundation: Has raised over $30 million of private funds for the Nashville Public Library since 2005. Spearheaded the Write the Next Chapter fundraising campaign with Karl Dean and Nicole Kidman, which exceeded its $15 million goal in 2015. Sharon Hurt — Executive Director, Jefferson Street United Merchants Partnership: Veteran JUMP leader who assists North Nashville by organizing festivals, coordinating streetscaping projects and raising community awareness. Serves as at-large member of Metro Council. Lewis Lavine — President, Center for Nonprofit Management: Serves on the boards of Nashville Metropolitan Transit Authority, Meharry Medical College and the Nashville Public Education Foundation. Oversaw the center’s move to the Trolley Barns in 2013. Will retire at year’s end. Ellen Lehman — Founder and President, The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee: Foundation has distributed $500 million to organizations and collected nearly $9 million in donations. In December 2014, the foundation gave $1.65 million in grants to 265 nonprofit organizations. Albert Menefee — President, Iroquois Steeplechase Race Committee: Has served on committee for 15-plus years as secretary and treasurer before appointment to president in 2008. Steeplechase, celebrating 75th anniversary in 2016, has raised over $10 million for Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital since 1981.
CMA scores hit with Trahern hire Sarah Trahern stepped into her role as CMA CEO in 2013, succeeding the trade association’s former chief Steve Moore. The impact was immediate. “I couldn’t think of a more perfect CEO for CMA at this time,” country industry legend Joe Galante told the Nashville Business Journal of Trahern in 2015. “She was so aware of what’s happening with media and new media, it wasn’t like she had to go bone up on a new subject.” A television industry vet with more than two decades of experience in Music City, Trahern previously served as SVP and GM at Scripps Network Interactive’s Great American Country (GAC). Capitalizing on that experience at CMA, she has helped boosted ratings for TV specials like the CMA Awards and Country’s Night to Rock, an annual ABC special filmed at the similarly wildly successful CMA Music Fest, which set attendance records in 2015. Such triumphs earned Trahern a No. 20 ranking on Billboard’s 2015 list of Music Row’s top 50 power players. Perhaps more noteworthy, under Trahern, the CMA has raised millions in its philanthropic efforts benefiting causes like music education. > Adam Gold
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Liz McLaurin — President and Executive Director, Land Trust for Tennessee: Replaced founding President Jeanie Nelson in October. Entity has helped protect more than 100,000 acres throughout the state. Sylvia Rapoport — President, Conservancy for The Parthenon and Centennial Park: Leader of support organization committed to preserving and restoring the park. Oversees Centennial Park Master Plan with Metro Parks, completing $6 million Phase 1 in 2015. Attracted international publicity for the Parthenon when Mick Jagger visited in June.
Menefee jockeys Steeplechase toward greatness Horse racing is in Albert Menefee’s blood. His namesake father was an awardwinning horse owner and trainer and a founding trustee of the Volunteer State Horsemen’s Foundation, which runs one of Nashville’s longest-running traditions, the Iroquois Steeplechase. Menefee himself has served on the VSHF board — known as the Race Committee — since the 1980s, handling both secretary and treasurer duties before taking over as president in 2008. Today, and thanks in part to Menefee’s efforts, the Iroquois Steeplechase is a premier steeplechasing event in the country, attracting 25,000 spectators to Percy Warner Park every May. Established in 1941, the event boasts a history that runs as deep as the horses run — and jump — with impressive animal athleticism. In 1981, the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt became the designated beneficiary of the event, and more than $10 million has been raised for the hospital as a result. In 2015, the day’s purses, awards and bonuses totaled $435,000, making it the richest race on the National Steeplechase Association’s spring circuit. To mark the upcoming 75th anniversary of the Iroquois Steeplechase, Menefee and the Race Committee are producing an additional fundraising event at Belle Meade Plantation the night before the race. > Nancy Floyd
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Rick Schwartz — President, Nashville Zoo: Tireless leader of exotic wildlife park for which the top annual attendance mark to date is 834,042 (2014). Overseeing multi-million dollar master plan, with entry village to open this year. Pat Shea — President and CEO, YWCA of Nashville and Middle Tennessee: Oversees more than 69 employees and eight programs/cost centers. In 2015, launched financial literacy conference for high school girls through partnership with Reese Witherspoon retail line Draper James. Derri Smith — Executive Director, End Slavery Tennessee: Founded ESTN in 2008 to confront modern slavery in Middle Tennessee and provide comprehensive aftercare for human trafficking survivors. In 2015, led partnership with BRANDED Collective to provide training and work experience for survivors. Renata Soto — Co-Founder and Executive Director, Conexión Américas: Former United Way stalwart co-founded Conexión to aid the city’s fast-growing Latino population. Costa Rican native serves on the Mayor’s Advisory Council on Immigrants and Refugees. Becca Stevens — Founder, Magdalene and Thistle Farms: An Episcopal priest, her nonprofit works with women recovering from prostitution, trafficking and addiction. Residents and graduates manufacture and sell all-natural beauty products in about 450 retail stores. Charles Strobel — Founding Director, Room in the Inn: An advocate of the poor and the homeless who is known as Father Strobel. Honored with the Kopio Award for his service to “God and the community” in 2013. Steve Turner — Chairman, James Stephen Turner Charitable Foundation: Credited for philanthropic efforts and the development of downtown Nashville. Supports entities such as the Nashville Symphony and Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.
REAL ESTATE Allen Arender — Director of Development, Holladay Properties: Has helped Indianapolis-based Holladay create a presence in the Nashville market. Working with Cushman & Wakefield’s Ronnie Wenzler on the redevelopment of the historic Geist property in North Capitol. Steve Armistead — Co-Partner, Armistead Arnold Pollard: Oversees Brentwood-based company that will serve as the commercial broker and is collaborative partner with Mainland on a mixed-use project underway on Division Street in The Gulch. Teamed with former partner Bill Barkley as Gulch visionaries in the late 1990s. Mark Bloom — Real Estate Investor: Wheels and deals with business partners Ronnie Scott (a fellow bond trader at UBS Securities) and Larry Paper (a local attorney) to buy and sell Nashville land. Doug Brandon — Regional Managing Principal, Cushman & Wakefield: Straight-shooting veteran of the CRE trade who oversees strategic and day-to-day operations of entity that merged with DTZ in 2015. Previously worked at Smith Barney. Jim Caden — Developer and Investor: Veteran land man who has led the evolution of M Street in The Gulch. Knowledge of Midtown and The Gulch is near unrivaled. Respected for his low-key approach. Co-developing Eighth South in Melrose with Bobby Kirby, Mark Tarver, Jim Kent Kirby and Dave Arnholt. Joe Cain — Director, Urban Development Department, Metro Development and Housing Agency: Straight-shooting leader of MDHA department focused on Nashville’s urban districts. MDHA broke ground on 10th and Jefferson project in late 2015. Wood Caldwell — Principal, Southeast Venture: Serves with Cam Sorenson in SEV’s development services division. Firm has teamed with H.G. Hill Realty to develop Hill Center Sylvan Heights and broke ground last year on mixed-use EastSide Heights. Mark Deutschmann — Founder, Village Real Estate Services: Started Village in 1996, focusing on older neighborhoods in Nashville’s inner interstate loop. Oversees Core Development, known for its Werthan Lofts. Company has two major projects underway in Wedgewood-Houston. Tim Downey — CEO, Southern Land: Leads company known for its Westhaven development in Franklin. Sold in 2014 its Elliston 23 for a then-record $287,000 per unit. Work on SLC’s mixed-use Green Hills tower resumed in 2015 after stalling. Ryan Doyle — GM, oneC1TY: Driving the train on oneC1TY, which is expected to be one of Nashville’s most distinctive mixed-use developments. Former board chair of the Nashville Civic Design Center.
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John Eakin — Chairman, Eakin Partners: Oversees with Barry Smith a company that has developed more than 3.6 million square feet of office product, including Roundabout Plaza and SunTrust Plaza. Will complete 1201 Demonbreun in The Gulch this year and then focus on West End corridor mid-rise near Vanderbilt campus. Pat Emery — President, Spectrum|Emery: Formed Spectrum|Emery in Cool Springs 2010. Developing Franklin Park, a 71-acre, multi-building development in Cool Springs, and hoping to undertake a mixed-use Fifth + Broadway project at site of the 1980s-era Nashville Convention Center. Teams with David Wells and Burgin Dossett. Gary Gaston — Design Director, Nashville Civic Design Center: Principal contributor to The Plan of Nashville who also serves as a lecturer with the University of Tennessee College of Architecture and Design. Studied urban design in Krakow, Poland. Tony Giarratana, Principal, Giarratana Nashville: Nashville’s “Skyscraper King” is working on Midtown midrise project and downtown skyscrapers SoBro and 505. A master of urban development and deal-making who also serves as Premier Parking coowner with Ryan Chapman. Jimmy Granbery — CEO, H.G. Hill Realty: Mastermind behind company that has transitioned from suburban development to urban infill, including projects in 12South, Hillsboro Village and Sylvan Heights. The company’s Green Hills development is a fixture. Chad Grout — Founder and Principal Broker, Urban Grout Commercial Real Estate: Oversees East Nashville-based boutique company focused largely on emerging urban districts no more than three miles from city’s epicenter. Whitfield Hamilton — Nashville Office Partner, Panatonni Development Co.: Teaming with brother Hayne on the development of a Music Row building for SESAC’s local offices. Former managing principal and partner of what was then Colliers Turley Martin Tucker’s Nashville office. Prepped to start Music Circle South office building. Michael Hayes — President and CEO, C.B. Ragland Co.: Ranks among city’s most vocal advocates of progressive urban development. Spearheaded the landing of Asurion to Ragland’s SoBro building. Teaming with Hines to develop mixed-use 222 in SoBro. Jeff Haynes — Founder, Boyle Nashville: Oversees firm with transactions exceeding $100 million in aggregate value and more than 1 million square feet office. Working with Northwestern Mutual to develop Capitol View in North Gulch. Ray Hensler — Principal, Hensler Development Group: Highenergy developer recently completed $80 million, 23-story Gulch luxury condo tower Twelve Twelve with Stiles Corp. His Adelicia in Midtown ranks among the city’s most attractive tall buildings. Scouting sites for next project.
Tom Hooper — Executive Vice President, JLL: Teams with Bo Tyler to oversee the Nashville office of the national power. Has been with JLL for more than three years after a strong career at Eakin Partners. Bill Hostettler — Principal Broker with HND Realty and Chief Manager with Craighead Development: Frank-talking yet affable industry veteran (more than 35 years in the business) who has mastered the art of developing reasonably priced condos and townhomes. Todd Jackovich — Principal, Stonehenge Real Estate Group: Has already finished or started in urban Nashville multiple multiunit residential projects. Planned Madison Mills Lofts project in Sylvan Park will be company’s largest. Michael Kenner — Owner, MiKeN Development: A major proponent of development on the city’s once-overwhelmingly working class west side. Has a strong understanding of affordable housing issues and developing with environmentally friendly methods. Stephen Kulinski — Managing Director, CBRE: Replaced the veteran Tom Frye about a year ago after a 30-plus-year career as an architect, most recently with Gresham Smith + Partners. Rob Lowe — Senior Managing Director and Principal, Cushman & Wakefield: Has participated in $433 million in investment sales and transacted more than $667 million of leases while representing tenants and more than 3 million square feet of Class A office space for landlords. Bert Mathews — President, The Mathews Company: Respected community leader oversees development, acquisitions, financing and institutional/investor relations of all real estate marketing activities for The Mathews Company. Also a partner with Nashville office of Colliers International. Steve Massey — Executive Vice President, CBRE: Joined company in 1985 and quickly established expertise as multi-family properties specialist in the investment field. Assumed an even greater role at CBRE after then-Managing Director Tom Frye stepped down. Dirk Melton, Development Director, MarketStreet Enterprises: Former Washington, D.C., CRE pro has emerged as the face of MarketStreet’s Gulch development efforts. Stayed busy in 2015 with the company’s completion of Gulch Crossing and start (with other entities) of Thompson Nashville Hotel project. Thomas McDaniel — Director of Office Properties, Boyle Nashville: Oversees Nashville-area office portfolio. Handles Boyle’s leasing, acquisition, development and tenant representation activities for office properties. Henry Menge, Managing Director and Principal Broker, XMi Commercial Real Estate: Leads a firm known for its Midtown and Medical District work. XMi most recently was involved in Corner Pub Midtown sale to Vanderbilt.
Progressive development is Kenner’s key Michael Kenner ranks among Nashville’s most progressive developers. Driven by a desire to see his hometown offer more green-friendly and pedestrian-oriented projects and places, Kenner focuses on boutique infill developments that consume minimal space and offer maximum “sense of community.” Kenner is the founder of Nashvillebased MiKeN Development, whose projects include Salemtown Cottages, The Phoenix on 51st and Container Corner. As to the latter, the mixed-use development will offer 19 apartment units and 2,000 square feet of retail — spaces to be created by the adaptive reuse of former shipping containers. Container Corner will sit at the southeast corner of the intersection of 60th Avenue North and Morrow Road in The Nations, an area not known for its “cutting-edge” architecture. “I feel it is my job to develop communities rather than simply build houses,” Kenner says. “Miken distinguishes itself by bringing a neighborhood-centric development approach to all of our projects. We engage the community through a grassroots dialogue around placemaking using tools like tactical urbanism and neighborhood charettes to form consensus around positive change.” Kenner continues to focus on West Nashville, as he has a townhouse/condominium project planned for Croleywood. > William Williams
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Giarratana stays busy — as to be expected Tony Giarratana was a busy man in 2015. And given his level of energy and enthusiasm, the affable developer of large-scale buildings likely reveled in that intensity. For the year, Giarratana LLC and its partners completed The Dallas (105 units) and Edge Midtown (146 units), both located in Midtown. In addition, the Nashville-based company and its co-developers started and/ or continued construction in 2015 of 1818 (142 units) in Midtown and skyscrapers The SoBro (313 units) in the downtown district bearing that name and 505 (550 units) in the Central Business District. Related to the two latter projects, Giarratana LLC is likely the first entity to ever simultaneously undertake the development in Nashville of two buildings each of 300 feet or more. At press time, Giarratana had placed bids on Rolling Mill Hill sites controlled by MDHA and on which future tall buildings are envisioned. “Thanks to [then-] Mayor Karl Dean’s bold leadership through the Great Recession, Nashville has experienced tremendous growth and prosperity,” Giarratana says. “My partners and I are excited about continued momentum under Mayor Megan Barry.” > William Williams
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Janet Miller — CEO and Market Leader, Colliers International, Nashville: Left the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce as the entity’s main economic development figure in July 2014 to join Colliers. Continues to be big Nashville booster involved with various groups.
James Weaver — Partner, Waller Lansden Dortch & Davis: Major player in urban development projects and fundraising for Democratic political candidates. Working with Indiana-based Buckingham Cos. to land approval for a Gulch high-rise.
Ashlyn Hines Meneguzzi — Co-Founder and Principal, Bristol Development Group: Started Bristol in the late 1990s with Sam Yeager and Dan Daniel. Company finished work on Tapestry Brentwood Town Center in 2015 and now focused on 12South and Cool Springs projects.
Jimmy Webb and Bill Freeman — Co-Founders, Freeman Webb Companies: Longtime friends and business partners who oversee a real estate powerhouse. Company boasts approximately 475 employees and manages more than 15,000 apartment units and 1 million square feet of commercial property in multiple states.
Brian Reames — Senior VP and Regional Manager, Highwoods Properties: Oversee company’s local office work on 30-story Bridgestone Tower in SoBro. Past Nashville chapter president of NAIOP. Floyd Shechter — President, SmartSpace: Leading the privatesector drive to see Metro institute a mandatory inclusionary zoning ordinance to create more affordable housing. Mike Shmerling — Chairman and CEO, XMi Holdings Inc.: Low-key entrepreneur oversees regional empire active in finance, real estate and other industries. Focused over the years on Midtown real estate. Barry Smith — Co-Founder and President, Eakin Partners: Partners with John Eakin to form potent and likeable one-two punch. Former executive vice president and principal of the now-defunct Grubb & Ellis/Centennial Inc. Warren Smith III — CEO, Avison Young: Former Cushman & Wakefield | Cornerstone CEO who now leads local office of Canadian-based power. Former partner and president of Mid-South Financial Corp. and ex-president and CEO of Q10 | Vista Mortgage Group. Stan Snipes — Senior Advisor, Sperry Van Ness Investec: Former XMi Commercial Real Estate president who helped upstart SVN, a national power, establish a stronger local presence starting in 2013. Teams with colleague David W. Creed in investment deals in Cincinnati and, locally, in The Gulch. Tim Stowell — Managing Member, Corporate Real Estate Advisors: Can see a lease or sale looming long before his peers. Can deftly assess the numbers of the business but is equally effective spotting trends. McClain Towery — President, Towery Development: Unassuming industry pro undertaking work in or near 12South, the North Gulch, Edgehill Village and SoBro. Jay Turner — Managing Director, MarketStreet Enterprises: Company has helped transform the once-desolate Gulch into arguably the city’s most vibrant mixed-use district. Teams with Joe Barker and Dirk Melton.
Ronnie Wenzler — Senior Vice President and Principal, DTZ: Known for his work with the Sawtooth Building, BowTruss Building and The Sheds on Charlotte projects. Now teaming with Holladay Properties’ Allen Arender to redevelop Geist site in North Capitol. Axson West — Principal, Southeast Venture: Joined SEV in 1988 and built a reputation as a site analyst and land transaction specialist, representing both buyers and sellers. Company broke ground in late 2015 on EastSide Heights and is poised for Gulch project. Aaron White — Principal and Co-Founder, Evergreen Real Estate: A co-founder of Core Development who later started Evergreen with Hunter Connelly. Company’s current projects include Woodstock at Chestnut Hill and Blair and Belmont townhome project. Tom White — Partner, Tune Entrekin & White: A go-to attorney on land-use matters. Helped achieve a compromise between Metro Planning Department and McDonald’s officials to yield tasteful development at Broadway and 12th Avenue. Flawlessly handled Terrazzo residents’ concerns about Buckingham Cos.’s proposed Gulch high-rise. Glenn Wilson — Founder and CEO, SouthStar: Teams with Glenn McGehee to lead Cool Springs company that paid $25 million for the 145-acre Pickering property, Williamson County’s thenlargest undeveloped tract along I-65. Sold latest piece of large Ovation site in November.
RETAIL Souheil Badran — President and CEO, edo Interactive: Last year took over at company that helps retailers offer deals to customers via bank cards. Former Digital River exec overseeing big push into Europe, among other projects. Lee Beaman — President, Beaman Automotive Group: Auto magnate owns five-dealership chain that includes a valuable Broadway property. A long-standing source of substantial political donations for Republican candidates and a major voice for AMP opponents.
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Bob Dennis — Chairman, President and CEO, Genesco: Fromer Hat World boss who succeeded Hal Pennington in 2008. Serves on Metro Nashville’s United Way Board of Directors and Vanderbilt University Owen School of Management Board of Visitors. Carrie and Matt Eddmenson — Owners, Imogene + Willie: Business partners, and married couple, who have played a major part in transforming 12South — and Nashville’s small business community — with the growth of their boutique denim business. Tasha Kennard — Executive Director, Nashville Farmers’ Market: Assumed role in January 2014. Previously worked in marketing for Second Harvest Food Bank and Krispy Kreme Doughnuts and in public relations at The Ingram Group. David Meadows — General Manager, CoolSprings Galleria: Has worked with Chattanooga-based CBL & Associates, which owns the Galleria, since 2006. In 2015, oversaw opening of new wing that includes American Girl and H&M. A $12.6 million renovation at Belk also was completed that year. Jad Murphy — General Manager, Opry Mills Mall: Oversees facility highlighted by 17 anchors and about 200 stores, many of them outlets of popular retailers. Owned by Simon Property Group, the mall spans 1.2 million square feet. Phillip Nappi — Co-founder and Designer, Peter Nappi: Launched luxury shoe line in 2011. Part of the Germantown revitalization and Nashville’s maker movement. Benefiting from increased demand for high-end and bespoke goods. Ann Patchett — Author, Co-Owner, Parnassus Books Nashville: New York Times bestselling author and co-owner, with Karen Hayes, of the literary landmark in Green Hills. Former recipient of Janet Heidinger Kafka Prize, the Orange Prize, the BookSense Book of the Year and the PEN/Faulkner Awards. Greg Sandfort — President and CEO, Tractor Supply: Took the helm as leader of the Brentwood-based company on Jan. 1, 2013, succeeding James Wright. Consistently grows sales and expanding into new regions. Kimberly Savona — General Manager, The Mall at Green Hills: Assumed the post in February 2013. Had spent the past 24 years with Michigan-based Taubman Centers, which purchased The Mall at Green Hills in 2011. Todd Vasos — CEO, Dollar General: Took over from Rick Dreiling afeter overseeing store operations, merchandising and supply chain. Joined the Goodlettsville-based retail operator in December 2008.
SPORTS Beth DeBauche — Commissioner, Ohio Valley Conference: One of the few female NCAA Division I conference leaders. Has expanded the OVC’s size and visibility. Was the local point person for the 2014 NCAA Women’s Final Four. Rick Byrd — Men’s Basketball Coach, Belmont: Started the current season sixth among active NCAA coaches with 711 career victories and has led Belmont to seven NCAA tournaments in past 10 seasons. Spent the past year as chair of NCAA Men’s Basketball Rules Committee. Tim Corbin — Baseball Coach, Vanderbilt: Led the Commodores to the 2014 College World Series national championship and a runnerup finish in 2015. Has developed two No. 1 overall picks in the MLB draft. Nearly three dozen of his former players were in professional baseball last summer. Will Bartholomew — CEO, D-I Sports: Former UT fullback and MBA grad runs world-class fitness and training company with 21 training locations and 28 sports-medicine facilities and continues to grow. Clients/partners include Peyton Manning and Tim Tebow. Tony Formosa Jr. — President/Fairgrounds Speedway Nashville: Has brought stability and renewed vitality to the once-endangered facility. By the time the 2015 season ended, plans already were being made for 2016, a sharp contrast to recent years when the future of the track seemed to be in constant jeopardy. Sean Henry — CEO Nashville Predators/Bridgestone Arena: Spent the past five years as one half of the franchise’s leadership duo with former CEO Jeff Cogen. Was promoted to the top spot in December and now serves as team’s solitary voice and visionary. Mark Howard — Co-Host, The Wake-Up Zone (WGFX-FM 104.5): Lead voice on the city’s highest-rated morning talk show. Hosts Predators’ post-game television show and Titans’ post-game radio show. No one in town is more responsible for framing the local pro sports scene discussion. Philip Hutcheson — Athletic Director, Lipscomb University: The last two years have been the most successful in the school’s Division I era with 10 conference championships (regular season and tournaments) and two Atlantic Sun Conference Academic Champions titles. Marcus Mariota — Quarterback, Tennessee Titans: Immediately became the focus of the franchise’s marketing efforts and was installed as the starting quarterback the moment he was drafted. Concern over his long-term health was a factor in decision to change coaches mid-season.
Market report: Kennard leads key civic space Tasha Kennard calls the Nashville Farmers’ Market “a melting pot of what makes the city and region distinctive and inviting.” The market’s executive director says visitors to the North Nashville facility, on any given day, can meet a local or regional farmer, be introduced to a new artisan maker, explore international cuisine and learn how to grow and prepare food, all while supporting small businesses in an easily accessible public space. Kennard has been ED since 2014, taking the helm when the civic facility was struggling in many ways. Since then, she and her team have instilled a sense of continuity and long-term health. In 2015, she implemented standards that enabled the market to recruit and retain more than 80 new merchants. “I firmly believe that our efforts to stabilize this treasured institution will result in a world-class destination connecting people to food, culture and the unique Nashville experience,” she says. Kennard says the team has “reimagined the space” by supporting more than 40 annual events — including small-format workshops, weddings and receptions and large-scale community festivals. In addition, the market has added, for example, Ohio-based treatery chain Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams and locally owned craft beer bar The Picnic Tap — which might not have fit the previous model. > William Williams
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Bo McKinnis — Sports Agent: Nashville-based baseball agent who negotiated David Price’s record-setting contract this offseason. Other notable local clients are pitchers R.A. Dickey and Sonny Gray. Price and Dickey are Cy Young Award winners, while Gray was a Cy Young finalist in 2015. Teresa Phillips — Athletics Director, Tennessee State University: Has led TSU’s athletics department since 2002. Helped return football games to campus on a limited basis and has overseen upgrades to facilities. Recent high-profile hire of women’s basketball coach Larry Joe Inman resulted in a conference championship in 2015.
McKinnis makes agent mark with deliberation Just like the game itself, baseball free agency does not operate with a clock. There is no rush to get deals done the moment the market opens. Things play out over a period of days or weeks. That’s why Nashville-based agent Bo McKinnis deployed a deliberate approach when he negotiated David Price’s landmark contract this offseason. The former Vanderbilt ace agreed to the largest free agent deal ever given to a pitcher and the largest annual salary in the history of the game, a seven-year $217 million pact with the Boston Red Sox. Negotiations concluded Dec. 1, 2015, more than three weeks after players whose contracts had expired were allowed to sign with other teams. The pace of that process was in stark contrast to the time considerations involving contracts with players in other major professional sports leagues, where the top free agents often are off the market within a matter of hours. “Yeah, it’s a completely different animal,” says McKinnis, the only agent Price has had during his eight-season professional career. “And it’s interesting how different teams take different approaches. Within the first few hours of free agency, I had some clubs call and express interest in David. But some of the teams that had the strongest interest, we didn’t even hear from them until a week into the process.” > David Boclair
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David Poile – President Hockey Operations/General Manager, Nashville Predators: Veteran executive, three-time NHL GM of the Year nominee has led personnel department since franchise was founded and helped team reach playoffs eight times. David Price — Pitcher, Boston Red Sox: Murfreesboro native and Vanderbilt graduate signed the largest contract in MLB history, in terms of total value ($217 million over seven years), in December. A five-time All-Star and the 2012 A.L. Cy Young Award winner. Scott Ramsey — President/CEO, Nashville Sports Council and Music City Bowl: Efforts to expand the city’s sports profile made Nashville the “primary site” for SEC men’s basketball tournament and have brought a variety of national events to the city. Served as Chairman of Football Bowl Association in 2007-08. Kevin Stallings — Men’s Basketball Coach, Vanderbilt: Twotime SEC Coach of the Year is one of five all-time with 500 wins at one SEC school. In 2012, guided VU to its first SEC tournament title in 61 years. Is the longest tenured active SEC men’s basketball coach. Amy Adams Strunk — Controlling Owner, Tennessee Titans: Asserted her authority within six months of taking franchise control by firing coach Ken Whisenhunt and conducting a comprehensive analysis of General Manager Ruston Webster’s performance. Has generally avoided the public eye, but a franchise official says there isn’t “anything said or written about the club that Amy is not dialed into.” Shannon Terry — Internet Entrepreneur: Lipscomb graduate repeated the success he had with Rivals.com, which he created and sold to Yahoo, when he sold 247Sports.com to CBSSports.com in December. His attention these days is on ComicBook.com. Companies he has founded/co-founded have generated more than $250 million in Internet revenues. Frank Ward — Owner and Partner, Nashville Sounds: Flexed his muscle in 2014 when switched the team’s Major League affiliation from Milwaukee to Oakland. The change coincided with the franchise’s move to First Tennessee Park. Sounds had minor league baseball’s largest attendance jump from 2014 to 2015. Trigg Wilkes — Owner/General Manager, Franklin Field House: Former Belmont basketball player moved from A-Game
Sportsplex and has made the venerable Franklin Field House a destination for basketball and volleyball tournaments, including indoor sand volleyball events. Operates a similar facility in Murfreesboro. David Williams — Vice Chancellor Athletics and University Affairs, Vanderbilt: Under his direction, VU has won national championships in baseball (2014) and women’s tennis (2015). Has overseen fundraising efforts for major facility upgrades, including construction of indoor football facility and upgrades to baseball stadium. Brad Willis — Program Director, 104.5 FN-The Zone/Titans radio: Runs station that is local home for the Tennessee Titans and University of Tennessee as well as three local programs that consistently rank among the country’s most influential sport talk shows.
TECH Tara Aaron — Partner, Aaron Sanders Law: Has more than 12 years of experience in intellectual property. Helps clients across multiple industries with licenses and disputes involving copyrights, trademarks, patents, domain names, software and trade secrets. Eliza Brock — Instructor, Nashville Software School: Software engineer with a focus on web applications and entrepreneurship. The school has graduated six cohorts with students from across the nation. Charlie Brock — President and CEO, Launch Tennessee: Heads public-private entrepreneurship venture that focuses on high-growth innovative companies and organizes annual 36|86 conference. Served as general partner of angel investment group Chattanooga Renaissance Fund. Beth Chase — President and CEO, C3 Consulting: Leads management consulting firm that does roughly half its business in the health care sector. Is also board chairman at the Entrepreneur Center, the front door for startups in Nashville. Tim Estes — CEO, Digital Reasoning: Building business in finance and health care to go with intelligence foundation. Company’s partners include Amazon Web Services and Accenture. Acquired Shareable in January. Landed HCA as an investor. Avery Fisher — Director, Product Management at Cognizant / Founder, Hack Nashville: VU adjunct professor stays busy with multiple undertakings. Hack Nashville bills itself as the Southeast’s largest ”hackathon” for software developers, engineers, and visual designers. Chris Hefley — CEO, LeanKit: Enjoyed a busy 2015, raising $16 million, acquiring Firefly Logic and having COO Jon Terry move to London (in which LeanKit has about 30 percent of its client accounts) to build business in Europe. Professional background includes work with Integration Management, IMI Health and HCA.
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Bryan Huddleston — President and CEO, Nashville Technology Council: Became NTC leader in October 2013 after eight years with Microsoft. Multiple ties to local tech community includes mentoring for Jumpstart Foundry and the Entrepreneur Center. Peter Marcum — Managing Partner, Dev Digital: Key member of web services company that boasts more than 850 clients, including some Fortune 500 organizations. Was part of an investor group that acquired CoreCommerce in February. Also involved with NASHIX. Marty Paslick — Senior VP and CIO, HCA: A 28-year veteran of HCA. Leads the company’s information technology and services department, which provide IT strategy and support for HCA and its 162 hospitals. Joelle Phillips — President, AT&T Tennessee: Oversees AT&T’s regulatory, legislative and community affairs activities throughout the state. Became president in August 2013 after serving as general attorney. Well-regarded corporate counsel who started with AT&T in 2001. Chris Sloan — Shareholder, Baker Donelson Bearman Caldwell & Berkowitz: Corporate and intellectual property lawyer specializing in new businesses. Has represented numerous early-stage, high-growth companies in funding, vendor and customer contracts, and mergers and acquisitions. Clint Smith — Founding Partner, Emma: Has successfully expanded the email marketing business to include offices in Nashville, New York, Portland and Australia with more than 160 employees. Emma was included in OUTSIDE’s Best Places to Work in 2014. Stephen Tallent — President and CTO, Mercury Intermedia: Leads company that provides mobile app design and development solutions for iOS and Android. Customers include Comcast, CNN, Showtime, USA Today and New York Times. John Wark — President, Nashville Software School: NSS serves as regional hub for supplying talent. Entity bills itself as placing nearly 90 percent of its graduates in full-time positions. Yiaway Yeh – Alphabet (Google Fiber) Expansion leader: Point man for Google Fiber’s Nashville expansion. Former co-chief of Metro’s Office of Innovation and ex-mayor of Palo Alto, California.
TOURISM Greg Adkins — President and CEO, Tennessee Hospitality and Tourism Association: Former Metro councilman and executive director of the Tennessee Public Transportation Association. Oversees Nashville-based entity that is state’s hospitality industry’s resource for information and education.
Pete Fisher — Vice President and GM, Grand Ole Opry: Oversees Grand Ole Opry House and Acuff Theatre. Executive producer of “America’s Grand Ole Opry Weekend,” a syndicated radio program heard weekly on 115 North American stations via Westwood One. Jan Freitag — Vice President of Global Development STR Global: Teams with STR Chairman and Co-Founder Randy Smith to lead what has become the international lodging industry’s leading data provider. The face of STR. Colin Reed — Chairman and CEO, Ryman Hospitality Properties: The leader of what had been, until 2012, Gaylord Entertainment Co. Ryman Hospitality, which has regularly invested in its downtown properties. Owns the Grand Ole Opry, Ryman Auditorium and radio station WSM. Steve Smith — Owner, Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge: Owner of the most legendary honky-tonk in Nashville and, as co-owner of Rippy’s and Honky Tonk Central, a strong voice for downtown merchants. Now developing 24-hour diner building in SoBro. Butch Spyridon — President, Nashville Convention & Visitors Bureau: Helped lead effort to see the Music City Center come to fruition. A straight shooter who is unafraid to speak frankly about Nashville’s tourism and convention industry. Charles Starks — President and CEO, Music City Center: Oversees a 225-person staff at massive SoBro-based convention facility. Named in January one of five directors for the Professional Convention Management Association. Kyle Young — Director, Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum: Has led since 1999 one of Nashville’s most popular tourist destinations, which saw in 2013 completion of a major addition and expansion integrated with the adjacent Omni hotel.
Transportation Distribution Logistics Steve Bland —CEO, Metropolitan Transit Authority: ExPittsburgh transit head who replaced Paul Ballard in 2014 and quickly earned praise for his willingness to cite MTA challenges. Unveiled last year electric buses for Music City Circuit. Now fully focused on strategic transit plan nMotion. Carl Haley Jr. — President and CEO, Grand Avenue: Exhealth care exec led the 2013 sale to Gray Line of Tennessee of Grand Avenue’s motor coach and mini bus division. Gray Line CRO and CEO of Grand Avenue’s livery business.
Broadway’s Smith does things his way Most Nashvillians have never met Steve Smith. But if they have visited Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge — and who hasn’t? — they have seen the man’s impact on tourism and placemaking. Smith, sole owner of Tootsie’s and coowner with Al Ross of other Lower Broadway and SoBro bars and restaurants, is undertaking two built-from-scratch projects: a combo steakhouse and live music venue on Broadway and a 24-hour diner on Third Avenue South. Of note, Smith is both a local legend and an enigma of sorts. Some folks note he can be a bit low-key, while simultaneously offering an disarmingly charming persona — an interesting combo that is part of his genius. They all recognize that Smith is as genuinely passionate about Nashville as a Chamber staffer and as entrepreneurial as the Ingram clan members. “In 2016, we expect to grow our downtown events, from the Nashville boat show sponsorship that brings 18,000 people to downtown to putting on Tootsie’s Birthday Bash that brought 15,000 people to Broadway,” he says. “We also expect to finish our current projects. Metro’s new administration has been helpful with them.” > William Williams
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Dave Huneryager — CEO, Tennessee Trucking Association: Unassuming leader of an independent nonprofit group founded in 1930 as the Tennessee Motor Truck Association. Does strong work despite lacking a large staff and wide-ranging resources. David Ingram — Chairman and President, Ingram Entertainment Holdings: Owns and operates (independent of his powerful family) the nation’s largest distributor of DVD software. Privately held IEH is a major distributor of audiobooks, video games and related products.
Bland maintains optimism about mass transit The CEO of the Metro Transit Authority and the Regional Transit Authority is required to do much work with modest resources. Nashville is not a mass transportation-type city, given its sprawling built form. Indeed, convincing more people to ride an MTA bus is a daunting task. But Bland, the ex-Pittsburgh transit head who replaced Paul Ballard in 2014, is determined to elevate the city’s transit status. He is doggedly focused on the strategic transit plan nMotion, for which MTA planners recently unveiled three scenarios. The one offering the highest level of service would be a regional, multi-modal system offering a combination of light rail, bus rapid transit (BRT), commuter rail, freeway BRT and urban streetcar. The estimated capital costs to build such a system would be $5.4 billion through 2040, with annual operating costs of $311.5 million — more than three times the $83 million budget for fiscal year 2016. The other two options, while less costly, will still be a tough sell. Bland knows many will scoff but he take a positive and practical approach. “2015 was a year when public discussion over mass transit moved from controversy over The Amp to a productive dialogue over how Middle Tennesseans will move around the region in the future,” Bland says. > William Williams
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Orrin Ingram — President and CEO, Ingram Industries: Leads holding company that includes barge business and publishing services company Ingram Content. Vanderbilt grad known for his work with university’s board of trust. Mark Macy — Assistant Director of Engineering, Metro Public Works Department: The face of the city’s infrastructure efforts. Overseeing plan to connect Division and Ash streets in SoBro and Mayor Megan Barry’s major sidewalk initiative.
BY THE NUMBERS
438 448 2016
2015
Largest Gain
Largest Drop
15 21
12 9
Sports
Transportation
vs.
2015
vs.
2016
2015
2016
Sectors with
most inclusions
56 50 48 47 Government and Politics
Rob Wigington — President and CEO, Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority: Oversees operation of Nashville International and John C. Tune airports. Continues to expand markets that BNA carriers serve. Airport in 2015 added multiple markets, including Alaska, the Caribbean and San Francisco, and, in January, Toronto.
vs.
Sectors with
Real Estate
Michael Skipper — Executive Director, Nashville Area Metropolitan Planning Organization: The numbers/details man behind region’s push to expand mass transit. Works with various government and private-sector leaders throughout Middle Tennessee.
Yearly Totals
In Charge typically has a turnover rate of about 20 percent each year, with the changes dictated, for example, by retirements, moves, positions changes and de-emphasis of roles. Of note, from year to year to year, the number of people on the list typically increases slightly. Not surprisingly, the 2016 number of 448 is up modestly compared to the 2015 figure of 438.
Health Care
John Schroer — Commissioner, Tennessee Department of Transportation: Ex-Franklin mayor became head of Tennessee’s highways, aviation, public transit, waterways and railroads in 2011. Has served the Metropolitan Planning Organization (committee member) and the Regional Transit Authority (treasurer).
Legal
fewest inclusions
19 16 14 11
Nonprofits
Technology
Retail
Marketing and PR
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INDEX
IN CHARGE
Aaron White...................................62
Bill Ketron.......................................50
Chip Saltsman.................................50
David Lewis.....................................54
Agenia Clark...................................59
Bill Nigh..........................................44
Chris Ferrell.....................................57
David Macias..................................58
Ajita Rajendra.................................56
Bill Rutherford.................................52
Chris Guthrie...................................54
David McMahan.............................50
Alan Thompson...............................48
Bo McKinnis....................................64
Chris Hefley.....................................64
David Meadows..............................63
Alan Valentine................................41
Bob Bernstein.................................46
Chris Holmes...................................42
David Miller....................................52
Albert Menefee......................... 59-60
Bobbie Patray..................................50
Chris Hyndman...............................48
David Poile......................................64
Alberto Gonzales.............................54
Bobby Frist......................................51
Chris Sloan......................................65
David Price......................................64
Ali Harnell.......................................58
Bob Corker................................ 49-50
Chris Taylor.....................................53
David Raybin...................................55
Allen Arender............................60, 62
Bob Dennis.....................................63
Christine Karbowiak........................56
David Rivera....................................55
Amy Adams Strunk.........................64
Bob Mendes...................................54
Christopher Conway.......................55
David Vandewater...........................53
Andy Smith.....................................53
Bob Patterson.................................55
Christopher Holden.........................52
David Williams................................64
Angela Humphreys.........................52
Brad Lampley..................................54
Chuck Allen.....................................57
Dawn Rudolph................................52
Ann Patchett...................................63
Brad Willis......................................64
Chuck Smith...................................56
Dean Wegner............................ 55-56
Anna-Gene O’Neal..........................53
Brandon Edwards...........................51
Claire Tucker...................................44
Deborah Varallo..............................57
Anne Brown....................................41
Brant Phillips...................................55
Clay Phillips.....................................52
Deb Paquette..................................48
Ashlyn Hines Meneguzzi.................62
Brent Turner....................................53
Clint Smith......................................65
Dell Crosslin....................................42
Aubrey Harwell...............................54
Brian Owens...................................41
Colin Reed......................................65
Demetria Kalodimos........................57
Avery Fisher....................................64
Brian Philips....................................59
Cordia Harrington...........................48
Denice Hicks...................................41
Axson West.....................................62
Brian Reames..................................62
Craig Becker....................................51
Dennis Bottorff................................42
Bailey Spaulding and Steve Wright....48
Brian Traeger..................................59
Craig Philip......................................56
Derri Smith......................................60
Barney Byrd....................................42
Bryan Huddleston...........................65
Craig V. Gabbert Jr..........................54
DeWitt C. Thompson V....................56
Barry Smith............................... 61-62
Buddy Bacon..................................51
Crom Carmichael............................42
Dick Cowart....................................51
Becca Stevens................................60
Butch Spyridon...............................65
Curtis Stevens.................................56
Dirk Melton............................... 61-62
Benjamin
Max
Byron Trauger..................................55
C. Wright Pinson.............................52
Dolores Gresham.............................44
Goldberg.........................................48
Candace McQueen.........................46
Dan Auerbach.................................57
Don Abel.........................................41
Benny Brown..................................58
Carl Haley Jr...................................65
Dan Boone......................................44
Donald Webb..................................53
Bernie Sherry............................51, 53
Carol Yochem..................................44
Dan Elrod..................................51, 54
Donato Tramuto..............................53
Bert Mathews.................................61
Carrie and Matt Eddmenson...........63
Dan Hogan......................................42
Doug Brandon.................................60
Beth Chase.....................................64
Chad Grout......................................61
Darek Bell.......................................46
Doyle Davis and Mike Grimes.........58
Beth DeBauche...............................63
Charles Robert Bone.......................49
Darin Gordon...................................51
Duncan Dashiff...............................51
Beth Fortune...................................44
Charles Sargent..............................50
Dave Cobb......................................58
Ed Lanquist.....................................54
Beth Harwell............................. 49-50
Charles Starks.................................65
Dave Huneryager............................66
Edward M. Yarbrough.....................55
Bill Carpenter..................................51
Charles Strobel...............................60
David Briley.....................................49
Eliza Brock.......................................64
Bill Freeman..............................49, 62
Charles W. Bone.............................54
David Fox........................................56
Ellen Lehman..................................59
Bill Frist..................................... 50-51
Charlie Brock...................................64
David Guth......................................52
E. Marlee Mitchell..........................55
Bill Haslam.....................44, 46, 49-50
Charlie Martin.................................52
David Ingram..................................66
Enoch Fuzz......................................49
Bill Hostettler..................................61
Chase Cole......................................54
David Jarrard..................................52
Erica Gilmore...................................49
Goldberg
and
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Bill Nigh CEO and President
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IN CHARGE
INDEX
Floyd Shechter ...............................62
Jane Alvis ......................................49
Forrest Shoaf..................................44
Jane MacLeod ...............................41
Frank Bumstead .............................58
Janet Miller ...................................62
Frank Morgan ................................52
Jan Freitag .....................................65
Frank Ward ....................................64
Jason Dinger..................................51
Gary Garfield ..................................55
Jay Hardcastle ...............................52
Gary Gaston ...................................61
Jay Joyce .......................................58
Gaylon Lawrence ...........................42
Jay Turner ......................................62
George Van Allen ...........................46
Jaynee Day ....................................59
Glen Casada...................................49
Jed Hilly .........................................58
Glenda Baskin Glover .....................44
Jeff Balser......................................51
Glenn Cranfield ..............................59
Jeff Bradford ..................................56
Glenn Funk.....................................50
Jeff Drummonds ............................42
Glenn Wilson .................................62
Jeff Haynes ....................................61
Greg Adkins ...................................65
Jeff Lipscomb ................................56
Greg Daily ......................................42
Jeffrey Buntin Jr ............................56
Greg Oswald ..................................59
Jen Cole .........................................41
Greg Sandfort.................................63
Jeremy Holley ................................58
Gregg Ramos .................................55
Jerry Martin ...................................54
Hannah Paramore ..........................57
Jim Brown......................................49
Harry Jacobson ..............................52
Jim Caden................................48, 60
Hazem Ouf .....................................48
Jim Cooper .............................. 49-50
Heather McBee..............................59
Jimmy Granbery.............................61
Heather Rohan...............................52
Jimmy Spradley .............................48
Henry Juszkiewicz..........................56
Jimmy Webb and Bill Freeman ......62
Henry Menge .................................61
Jim Schmitz ...................................44
Herbert Slatery III...........................51
Jim Shepherd ................................56
Howard Gentry Jr. ..........................50
Joe Cain .........................................60
Jack Waddey .................................55
Joe Galante ............................. 58-59
Jack White.....................................59
Joe Hall..........................................49
Jad Murphy ...................................63
Joe Maxwell ..................................42
James H. Cheek III .........................54
Joelle Phillips .................................65
James Hildreth ..............................52
Joey Jacobs .............................48, 52
James ‘Tex’ Thomas .......................51
John Allen .....................................57
James Weaver ...............................62
John Dyke ................................46, 63
Jamie Woodson .............................46
John Eakin ............................... 61-62
Jane Allen......................................53
John Esposito ................................58
Banking products are provided by Synovus Bank, Member FDIC. Divisions of Synovus Bank operate under multiple trade names across the Southeast.
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InCharg
INDEX
11:52 AM
IN CHARGE
John Harris ....................................50
Karey Witty ....................................53
Larry Kloess....................................52
Margot McCormack .......................48
John Hoomes.................................41
Karl Dean .......... 46, 49-50, 58-59, 62
Larry Papel .....................................55
Mark Bloom ...................................60
John Ingram ..................................57
Kathleen O’Brien ............................41
LeAnn Phelan.................................59
Mark Deutschmann .......................60
John Marks....................................58
Kathryn E. Barnett..........................54
Lee Beaman ...................................62
Mark Howard .................................63
John Martin ...................................56
Keel Hunt .......................................56
Leigh Walton .................................55
Mark Macy ....................................66
John Peets .....................................59
Ken Knight .....................................56
Leslie Fram .....................................58
Mark Manner.................................54
John Schroer ...........................50, 66
Ken Levitan ....................................58
Leslie Hafner ..................................49
Mark Montgomery .........................57
John Stein .....................................44
Ken Moore .....................................50
Lester Turner ..................................59
Mark Schoenwald ..........................57
John Wark .....................................65
Kent Cleaver...................................42
Lewis Lavine ..................................59
Marsha Blackburn .........................49
Jonathan Perlin..............................52
Kent Taylor .....................................48
Linus Hall .......................................48
Marty Paslick .................................65
Jon Cooper ....................................49
Kevin Lavender...............................52
Lisa Quigley....................................50
Mary Bufwack................................51
Jose Munoz ...................................56
Kevin Stallings ...............................64
Liz McLaurin ..................................60
Matt Bodnar ..................................46
Joseph “Jay” Kline .........................46
Kimberly Savona ............................63
Lonnell Matthews ..........................50
Matthew Burnstein........................54
Joseph Webb.................................53
Kim Kaegi .......................................50
Lynn Simon ....................................53
Matt King .......................................42
Julian Bibb.....................................54
Kyle Young .....................................65
Makesha Montgomery ..................55
Matt Largen ...................................50
Justin P. Wilson .............................51
Lain York ........................................41
Maneet Chauhan .....................46, 48
McClain Towery .............................62
Karen Springer .........................51, 53
Lamar Alexander ...................... 48-50
Marcus Mariota .............................63
Megan Barry ...........46, 49-50, 62, 66
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IN CHARGE
Nominate a Tennessee Health Care Leader Today! Nominations close March 18. Submit your nomination at TNhealthcarehall.com
InCharge_2016_2.indd NP_03-16.indd 72 72
INDEX
Melissa Waddey ............................53
Richard Herrington ........................42
Michael Cartwright ........................51
Richard Riebeling ...........................50
Michael Hayes ...............................61
Rick Byrd ........................................63
Michael Kenner .............................61
Rick Going ......................................48
Michael Martin ..............................59
Rick Schwartz ................................60
Michael Skipper .............................66
R. Milton Johnson .........................52
Michael Wiechart ..........................53
Robert E. Boston ............................54
Mike Curb ......................................58
Robert Sartin..................................55
Mike Dungan .................................58
Robin Steaban ...............................53
Mike Jameson ...............................50
Rob Lowe .......................................61
Mike Shmerling..............................62
Rob McCabe ..................................44
Miranda Whitcomb Pontes ............48
Rob McNeilly .................................44
Neil de Crescenzo ....................51, 53
Rob Wigington ...............................66
Nick Bishop Sr. and Nick Bishop Jr. ...46
Rod Essig .......................................58
Nick Zeppos ...................................46
Rogers Anderson ...........................49
Orrin Ingram...................................66
Ronald Roberts ..............................57
Pat Emery .......................................61
Ron DeBerry ...................................42
Pat Shea.........................................60
Ronnie Wenzler........................60, 62
Pat Shepherd .................................44
Ron Ramsey ...................................50
Paula Torch ....................................53
Ron Samuels ............................42, 44
Paul Vasterling ...............................41
Rosemary Plorin .............................57
Paul Wallace ..................................53
Rosetta Miller-Perry .......................57
Pete Bird ........................................59
Ryan Doyle .....................................60
Pete Fisher .....................................65
Ryan Haynes ..................................49
Peter Heidenreich ..........................50
Ryan Schemmel .............................56
Peter Marcum ................................65
Sally Williams ................................59
Phil Bredesen .....................46, 49, 55
Sam Belk ........................................42
Philip Hutcheson............................63
Sam Borgese..................................46
Philippe Fauchet ............................55
Sandy Cochran...............................46
Phillip Nappi ..................................63
Sarah Trahern ................................59
Phil Williams ..................................57
Scott Borchetta ........................ 57-58
Ralph Schulz ..................................50
Scott Carey ....................................54
Randall Clemmons .........................42
Scott Ramsey .................................64
Randy Boyd ....................................49
Sean Henry ....................................63
Randy Goodman ............................58
Shani Jackson Dowell ....................44
Randy Lowry ..................................46
Shannon Hunt ...............................46
Randy Rayburn ..............................48
Shannon Terry ................................64
Ray Hensler....................................61
Shari Day .......................................56
Renata Soto ...................................60
Sharon Gentry ................................44
RenĂŠ Copeland ..............................41
Sharon Hurt ...................................59
2/17/16 9:17 2/18/16 3:40 AM PM
INDEX
IN CHARGE
Sherod Robertson ..........................57
Todd Vasos .....................................63
Sid Chambless ...............................42
Tom Doub.......................................51
Sidney McPhee ..............................46
Tom Hooper....................................61
Sonnye Dixon .................................49 Souheil Badran ..............................62 Stacey Garrett ................................54
Tom Ingram ....................................50 Tom Lawless ..................................54
Stan Snipes....................................62
Tom Miller ......................................52
Stephanie Silverman ......................41
Tom Morales ............................48, 59
Stephen Corbeil .............................51
Tom Potter ......................................55
Stephen Kulinski ............................61
Tom Sherrard .................................55
Stephen Tallent ..............................65
Tom White .....................................62
Steve Armistead.............................60 Steve Blackwell ..............................55 Steve Bland....................................65
Tom Wylly ......................................44 Tony Formosa Jr .............................63
Steve Buchanan.............................58
Tony Giarratana ........................ 61-62
Steve Massey.................................61
Townes Duncan .............................42
Steve Smith....................................65
Trigg Wilkes ...................................64
Steve Turner ...................................60
Uzi Yemin .......................................56
Susan Edwards ..............................41
Van Tucker ...............................41, 55
Susan Huggins...............................59 Susannah Herring ..........................48 Sylvia Rapoport ..............................60
Vic Alexander .................................42 Virginia Davis .................................58
Talia Lomax-O’dneal .......................50
Wanda Lyle ..............................42, 44
Tandy Wilson .................................48
Ward Baker .............................. 49-50
Tara Aaron......................................64
Ward Wilson ..................................44
Tari Hughes ....................................59
Warren D. Smith III ........................62
Tasha Kennard ...............................63
Wayne Smith ........................... 52-53
T.B. Boyd III ....................................57 Tera Vazquez ..................................56 Teresa Phillips ................................64
W. Carl Whitmer ............................53 Wendy Tucker ................................46
Terrell Raley ...................................48
Whitfield Hamilton .........................61
Terry Turner ....................................44
Will Bartholomew ..........................63
Thomas McDaniel ..........................61
Will Cheek III..................................46
Tim Corbin......................................63
William C. Koch Jr..........................54
Tim Downey ...................................60
William L. Norton ...........................55
Tim Estes........................................64 Tim Henderson ...............................41 Tim Ozgener ...................................41
William L. Penny ............................55 Will Pinkston ..................................46
Tim Stowell ....................................62
Wood Caldwell...............................60
Todd Jackovich ..............................61
Yiaway Yeh.....................................65
Todd Rolapp ...................................55
Yuri Cunza ......................................57
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ger considered best practice; this approach can miss a wealth of talent. But being deliberate about adding directors with those touch-feely qualities is just as important as it ever was. There are several hard-to-measure but really important qualities you want to find around your boardroom table. Here are my top five: 1. Trust 2. Respect 3. Passion for corporate performance 4. Generous listening 5. Playing by the roles and rules
Trust and Respect
In a board setting, it is important to like your colleagues, if at all possible. Of course, as Peter Bregman points out about business associates in his book 18 Minutes: Find Your Focus, Master Distraction, and Get the Right Things Done: “You don’t have to like them, you just have to work with them.” But you must at least respect them, which is like saying that you have to like aspects of them. You have to respect and appreciate what they bring to the table. It is important to point this out, because I have talked about and seen lots of boards on which people didn’t necessarily like one another, but they did trust and respect one another. It is important to understand this and keep it in mind.
Passion for Corporate Performance
READING CORNER
The touchyfeely qualities of directors
Two excerpts from local author and consultant Nancy Falls’ Corporate Concinnity in the Boardroom: 10 Imperatives to Drive High Performing Companies In the old days, we could just get golf buddies, business pals and friends from the club to join our boards. We were already a team of sorts, so we just brought that quality to the work of our companies. I think that’s how my father got his first independent board position, even though he’d already been on the boards of two companies that he invested in before that and he ran a family business. In those days, calling on a buddy for board service increased the likelihood that you would add to your board someone you believed had other qualities — the touchyfeely ones — that are so important to building a great board group. However, just reaching out to your friends is no lon-
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You want board members who have a passion for corporate performance driven by good leadership and good governance. This is the desire to work in harmony, to build corporate concinnity. Recently, I found myself talking to a friend, justifying a decision to leave a large, national, well-respected advisory firm in order to focus my energies on governance in times of leadership or organizational transitions. “I guess,” I said, “I have a real passion for governance.” “What?” she exclaimed. “You have just disqualified yourself. Most companies are really just looking for a rubber stamp!” I laughed. Maybe I was overusing the passion phrase. And certainly, as a woman invading the domain of older, decidedly dispassionate males, I needed to avoid communicating the least smidgen of radicalism. So . . . passion? Dial it down, please! …Or should I? It certainly resonates with shareholder activists who are committed to stamping out rubberstamp boards.
Listening Generously
A good board consists of individuals who each bring something different to the table, something that they can contribute to the work the board must do for the organization — industry knowledge, financial acumen, legal perspective, marketing, the usual suspects. A good board is not a group of clones. The richness of different backgrounds is the solution — as well as the problem. After all, marketing people don’t think like human resources professionals. Lawyers don’t think like finance jocks. And entrepreneurs are successful because they don’t spend too much time thinking about any of those inside, functional areas. But in the process of becoming, say, a finance pro, one develops some pretty deep-seated biases.
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READING CORNER
Take our pet issue: risk. Less is more for most finance people, unless of course we are talking about significant returns, diversification and appropriate contingencies, if not hedges. So how do the ideas of the most creative marketing minds get thoroughly heard by the hardcore finance jocks? It requires listening with generosity. What is listening generously? It means listening with the intention of finding value in the speaker’s words. You want to like the ideas; you want to agree. Bregman says that you should listen, hoping to find someone to challenge your own ideas — especially when you think you are right. Listening generously is difficult because we come to the table with not only our own occupational biases about the right courses of action. We come with biases against and/or about those other disciplines. “Those risk-averse attorneys . . .” “Those sentimental human resources people . . .” “Those bean-counting CFOs . . .” Biases get in the way of listening generously because before they even speak, we: 1) think we know what they are going to say, and 2) already think they over-think about certain things. But if we work really hard at generous listening, it can make a difference.
Playing by the Roles and Rules
There are other things that help, such as getting to know your board — well. This allows each board member to play by the rules and execute his or her appropriate role. Board planning has come full circle, from the days of lavish entertaining (read Barbarians at the Gate lately?) to a few decades
of austerity, and back again. Hosting board retreats and meetings in a variety of locations is now in vogue again. This time around, however, it’s not so much about lavishing perks on your board as it might have been 30 years ago. Nowadays, it’s more about getting folks away from the workaday hustle and bustle so that they have an opportunity to get to know one another. When I was a young banker, my boss told me you could tell a lot about people by the way they golfed. Now that I am again a golfer, I believe that more than ever. Understandably, not everyone is a golfer, but everyone plays at something. And you can learn a lot about them by the way they play. Offsite meetings give boards the gift of time to really get to know one another. Once you know about a colleague’s family, you begin to understand that person significantly better. Once you appreciate that he or she is active in the sandwich generation stage of life, struggling with teenage angst and elderly dementia in the people they love most, you begin to have compassion. I had the opportunity to join a new board that was formed to direct a new organization. It was an interesting case study in how to make a board feel like a team, which can happen only when, in addition to the hard, technical skills, you also have these five touchy-feel qualities well instilled in the board as a whole. I would say that with the exception of a couple of people on the new board, the members were acquainted but did not know each other well, personally or professionally. I think we initially felt that it would be enough to come to the table
CLOSE
Nancy Falls is founder and CEO of The Concinnity Company, which works to help companies transform the way their boards and leadership teams work together. She has more than 30 years of experience in and around C-suite and boardrooms. theconcinnitycompany.com
continued on page 76
www.SoutheastVenture.com 615-833-8716
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with a real commitment to the mission of the organization. Not so. We needed to get to know one another much better in order to deepen our mutual trust and respect, to be able to listen generously, and then to fulfill our appropriate roles.
EXCERPT 2: Bench Your Inner Coach
You’ve probably heard the tale of the blind men and the elephant. The men gather around the elephant to touch it and describe what it is. One man touches the trunk and he feels a “hose,” while another touches the tail and he feels a “cord.” Still another is checking out a leg and a foot and announces, “It is a tree.” Which one was right? They all were; there was nothing incorrect in what they described. Each description was, however, incomplete. The point of the story is that you can’t see what you don’t know. Likewise, you don’t know what you can’t see.
Understanding Their Need and Your Role
Corporate leaders are hired for what they are able to see: for their creativity, their energy, their expertise and their temperament. But they all have blind spots, and your CEO is no different. All CEOs — all of them — need someone to help them see what they can’t see. It is a grave mistake to pretend they don’t. There are two types of unsound thinking among directors that handicap the CEO and the company. Many directors, given their age, do not have personal experience with professional coaches or individual executive advisors. As a result, they carry a prejudice against them. Some know them only in a narrow sense, so they might also have a bias against
them. Other directors believe in coaching and mentoring but think they can be a personal advisor to their CEOs. Not only does this fall short, it sets a horrible stage for conflict in governance. Board members are absolutely not the best personal advisors for their CEOs. It is imperative that you bench your inner coach. We all have one. We didn’t get to the boardroom for nothing. We are smart and successful and may have even mentored a number of senior leaders along the way. We may know how to, but we easily forget when and when not to. You and your CEO deserve better. Note that according to the same Forbes survey, nearly 100 percent of CEOs wish they had received coaching or leadership advice from outside of their companies. When a CEO says “outside of the company,” that includes you, board member. You are inside the company. Don’t forget that you are the CEO’s boss. I have had many venture capital and private equity clients who pride themselves on what a good job they do as advisors to their portfolio company CEOs. Many of these investors promote the quality of their partners, who are former CEOs, and their operating partners as their key differentiators, leading to capabilities that make the color of their capital different from that of their competitors’. I am not critical of using this intelligence as a resource for CEOs. I think it is impossible to have too much intelligence in today’s business world, as long as it is used soundly and given in moderation. To paraphrase my earlier chapter, you don’t have to tell them everything, or even anything, that you think of! But this kind of advice is not personal advice, nor counsel
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of the nature every CEO needs. Board directors can certainly be invaluable in helping CEOs think through business issues such as strategy, risk, growing the business, capital and capital markets management, and other matters that concern where a company is going and what it is facing. These are issues for the company, not the CEO. But if the CEO needs help on personal issues, the board member is too close to help. Depending on whether the matters he or she wants to focus on are soft-skill related or hard-skill related, either an executive coach or an individual executive advisor is needed. It is important to appreciate that the advice and counsel that boards can provide is no substitute for the professional advice your CEO needs. Neither is what I call “Big Brother/Big Sister Mentoring.” A lot of people I talk to tell me how many wonderful mentors they’ve had in their careers, how they have always made it a priority to reach out to more senior people for advice and counsel. I don’t doubt the virtue of this. I have benefitted from it myself. While Big Brother/Big Sister Mentoring can be quite valuable, it is not the same as retaining an executive coach or an individual executive advisor. While valuable from one standpoint, just like the advice and counsel from directors, these relations are not the same as being in a relationship with a professional.
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Why Individual Executive Advising and Coaching Work
Business seems to have come late to the individual executives advising and coaching party. Somehow we think our challenges are different. The most common reason I hear for not engaging a professional include the following: 1. Executive coaches and individual executive advisors are for failures. 2. We can or should do it ourselves. 3. We can’t afford it. 4. We don’t have time. 5. We can’t imagine how anyone can help. 6. We think that’s what all those board directors are for. These are terrible reasons for not hiring an individual executive advisor or coach! Still it would surprise me if you or someone you know on your board doesn’t harbor some of these notions. Let’s start with coaching and individual advising are for failures. Tell that to any elite athlete and hear them laugh. Tiger Woods is arguably the best golfer of all time. How many coaches do you think he has? Do you think he hires them because he thinks he’s a failure? No, he does it because he wants to stay at the top of his game. He knows something that many executives deny, which is that we all have problems, all of the time. But that doesn’t make us problem children; it doesn’t make us executives who are failing. Business got it wrong in the beginning. We thought of coaching as something for people who were non-performers, and that’s how we used it in the beginning. We waited until executives began to show signs of failure before we called in the coaches. That history is unfortunate, because it leads to fear of asking for advice, which everyone needs. The second notion — thinking we can or should do it ourselves — is all about ego and guilt. Think again about the blind man and the elephant. You can’t see the whole picture on your own. There is probably some reasonable period of time to try to go it alone in solving a particular problem. But this is not a formula for continuous improvement in the game of executive leadership. It is the height of arrogance to think we don’t need support. The guilt side of this bias can be diffused through the admission of the reality of time constraints. Leaders are firing on all cylinders and often slaying dragons in other areas, so they don’t have time to help. A professional spends all her time doing this, looking at root causes and effects, diagnosing problems, connecting dots. The diagnoses alone can be powerful. They can save millions in surprisingly short order. Getting help diagnosing problems sooner is something I’ve never seen not pay off; it always proves worthwhile.
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Dedicate one day
A snippet from Living Forward: A Proven Plan to Stop Drifting and Get the Life You Want by Michael Hyatt and Daniel Harkavy Imagine we’re standing along the edge of a lake next to an SUV. The hatch is up and a large open chest sits in the back of the vehicle. Go ahead, have a look. You can see that it’s stacked to the top with $100 bills. To save you the hassle of counting, we’ll just tell you — it’s $3 million. That much cash is heavy, of course, especially when you throw in the weight of the watertight chest. Now that we’ve secured the lid, we’ll need your help getting it into the boat. After thanking you for the assistance, we leave you at the edge and row out to the middle of the lake. It’s a ways out, but you can see everything perfectly. We
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grab the chest on either end, hoist it over the side, and — you can hardly believe your eyes — drop it into the murky water below! A few minutes later and we’re back on the shore. We leave the boat in your care, shake hands, hop into the SUV, and drive away. Now what are you going to do? Here’s a good guess: You’ll pull out your cell phone and try to find the nearest available dive shop, while you keep your eye exactly on the spot you saw us drop the money. It doesn’t matter what you have planned. All appointments are canceled, meetings postponed, calls forgotten. Expense reports? To-dos? Your inbox? Forget about it. Your schedule just changed. If you know the location of $3 million, you’ll drop everything to find it. If you take your eye off the spot, if you leave and come back, if you get distracted by whatever else is nearby, you may lose it. You may miss your shot. It’s the same with Life Planning. At this point in the book, we have shared everything you need to know to create your Life Plan. But the longer you delay in seizing the treasure, the more likely you’ll lose it. The time to act is now. If you’ve heard renowned business and life thought leader Jim Rohn’s “law of diminishing intent,” you know why this is important. The law of diminishing intent says that the longer you delay doing something, the less probability you have of actually doing it. You lose all the emotional energy. That’s why we encourage you to schedule a day within the next two weeks to create your Life Plan. This is not something you can do piecemeal. In this chapter, we explain why it’s vital that you put everything else in your life on hold and set aside a full day. We cover the right approach and preparation for this important day as well, but the main thing to remember is that this is the day that can change everything for you.
Why a Full Day Is Important
The course of history has often turned on a single day. On July 4, 1776, 56 delegates to the Continental Congress approved the Declaration of Independence and changed world history. On June 6, 1944, Allied forces invaded Normandy and began the military push that liberated Europe. On August 28, 1963, under the visionary leadership of Martin Luther King Jr., more than 250,000 Americans marched on Washington, DC, paving the way for the Civil Rights Act of 1964. One day can change everything. It’s true for nations and individuals. Think back on your own graduation, wedding, or promotion. Or maybe things less pleasant: a cancer diagnosis, the end of a marriage, or the death of a loved one. For better or worse, some days have more impact on the future than others. This is particularly true of the day you create your first Life Plan. Done well, this singular event will affect not only your life but possibly the lives of generations that follow. You will unleash a set of decisions and actions that will have a greater impact than you could possibly imagine.
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Despite the importance, some people balk at the thought of giving up an entire day for this exercise. They think, Who has time for that? Instead, they want to create their Life Plan incrementally, over a span of days or weeks. But after guiding thousands of people through this process, we can tell you this approach is ineffective. The best course is not a series of weekly appointments, or even two half days. It takes one full day to do it right. Solomon said, “A plan in the heart of a man is like deep water, but a man of understanding draws it out.” Like that chest in the lake, we have plans and desires deep in our hearts. But the sad truth is that most people fail to coax them out and live from the wealthy they afford. They get distracted, lose focus, and give up. Only the wise find the prize. We’ve mentioned already the profound words of the Hebrew poet: “Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” You don’t have an infinite supply of days to make a difference in the lives of your loved ones, family and friends, and in the world. The wise know that their days are numbered and act accordingly. As we mentioned earlier, a Life Plan needs pull power. It has to be done in such a way that impacts your heart, not just your head. Otherwise, you’ll just end up with a glorified to-do list. And who needs one more of those? Pull power requires that you get caught up in the full scope of the plan. You can’t do that piecemeal. If you write out your epi-
taph between two and three on a Friday afternoon but then don’t work on your Life Accounts till the following Thursday, you will have lost the emotional power of the previous exercise. No, something this significant deserves an immersive experience. Life is full of distractions. Life Planning requires unplugging from the other demands on our attentions. Thinking about your life — your whole life — is different than solving the next problem on your daily task list. There’s a certain amount of ramp-up time. It requires focused attention. You need a full day to get into the groove and really ponder where you have been and where you are going. This is not merely an intellectual exercise. If you try to knock it out in a few hours, rather than give it the time it requires, you’re short-circuiting the creative process. Life Planning is fundamentally about imagining a better future. It’s about breaking free of your limiting beliefs, tapping into your deeper desires, and standing in the realm of possibility. You need the time to work through each Life Account, see it in relationship to the whole, and imagine what can be. Bottom line: This is the biggest day of your year. If you’re going to assess every aspect of your life, it’s worthy of your full attention. Total focus means greater impact. We are asking you to make a decision. Will you commit to taking a full day, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., to work on your Life Plan? Yes or no?
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Michaell Hyatt is the former chairman and CEO of Thomas Nelson. These days, his blog at michaehyatt.com draws more than 500,000 unique visitors per month. Daniel Harkavy has been coaching business leaders for more than 25 years. Find him online buildingchampions.com.
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BIG QUESTION
THE BIG QUESTION
Want women to lead? Lay the groundwork What are you doing to ensure your company’s next suite of upper management will include your best female employees? When you count the numbers of female CEOs, COOs or CFOs in Nashville, the numbers aren’t good. Let’s be frank, they’re terrible and fall well short of various benchmarks that themselves tell a sorry tale. Fewer than one out of every five senior executives at Nashville-area public companies and only one in eight board members is a woman. That is simply not good enough. Not for any metropolitan area or other economic unit, but especially not one as booming, vibrant and supposedly progressive as Nashville. We were fully prepared to make the case as to why having women in top executive roles is important — both for the success of your companies and the success of your daughters. But a recent and very wide-ranging study by the Peterson Institute for International Economics of almost 22,000 firms in 91 countries lays out the numbers more clearly than any before it. Simply put: More diverse leadership teams “deliver better outcomes on average.” But paying attention to the top brass doesn’t tell the full story. Today’s women of corporate CEO age were
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among pioneers in the modern workplace; their climb has been a slow one and there’s a long way to go. At this point, a true 50/50 split is a big ask of a nation that still can’t pay equal wages to its entry-level male and female employees. (Have you taken a look lately at how your company fares on that front?) Perhaps a better spot to look is in the second and third rows. Take a look around your organization for your division presidents, your vice presidents, your team leaders and your up-and-comers. How many of them are women? How many of them could you see getting promoted to senior-executive roles in the next five to 10 years? And what are you doing to retain them and adequately prepare them for those roles? Some people talk about getting more women in leadership roles as if it’s a nearly impossible task. Companies already have a C-suite, they might say, and boards aren’t going to hire a CEO merely in the name of diversity. Fair enough, to a point. So let’s decide to make some changes that will have the greatest impact on our 20- and 30-something female employees — whether that involves revamping mentorship programs or installing flexible maternity policies that don’t penalize working women for temporarily leaving the workforce. Yes, those moves won’t deliver a quick payoff. Top-level leadership opportunities for today’s 28-year-old star performer won’t arrive for another decade or more. But if the right decisions aren’t made today, chances are good we’ll still be having this exact conversation 20 years from now, when that 48-year-old woman is still trying to break into the C-suite. The time to move was yesterday.
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Middle Tennessee’s diverse technology sector — ranging from health care to music to retail — has been a driving force in the region’s recent successes. We’ll take stock of this thriving ecosystem full of bright ideas and bright people. This issue also will feature our Most Powerful Women program.
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Leadership is the challenge to be something more than average. – Jim Rohn
Congratulations to the business leaders who make Nashville more than average.
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