Camping World Holdings, Inc. has agreed to buy Cullum & Maxey Camping Center in Nashville.

Camping World is the nation’s largest network of RV-centric retail locations.

“For over 60 years, Cullum & Maxey Camping Center has earned its customer’s business by providing quality products and service backed with a highly-experienced team and reliable RV care,” says Marcus Lemonis, chairman of Camping World. “Attention to details and has made Cullum & Maxey a leader in the RV industry and we look forward to the entire team joining our network of RV SuperCenters.”

Camping World currently operates three Tennessee locations in Chattanooga, Knoxville and Nashville, with all locations specializing in service, RV sales and retail accessories.

“We are well-positioned to remain a leader in the RV industry as it continues to evolve,” says Brent Moody, chief operating officer of Camping World.

“The addition of Cullum & Maxey Camping Center will allow us to expand our footprint in the state of Tennessee while continuing to deliver a high standard of customer service and integrity in the industry.”

Acadia Healthcare opens new facility

Franklin-based Acadia Healthcare Company has opened Southstone Behavioral Health, a 64-bed residential treatment center in South Boston, Virginia.

“Southstone and Conway Behavioral Health, which opened in December 2017, are welcome additions to the Acadia Healthcare family,” says Brent Turner, president of Acadia.

“Each facility is uniquely qualified to deliver on our mission of creating behavioral health centers where people receive individualized and quality care that enables them to regain hope in a supportive, caring environment. They highlight Acadia’s ability to meet local community needs and drive organic growth through de novo facilities.

“The company expects to open three additional facilities in 2018, an 88-bed acute inpatient facility through our joint venture with Erlanger Health System in Chattanooga, an 80-bed acute inpatient facility in El Paso, Texas, and an 80-bed acute inpatient facility through our joint venture with Mount Carmel Health System in Columbus, Ohio.”

Clearwater launches new testing services

Clearwater Compliance, a Nashville-based healthcare cyber risk management solutions platform provider, is now offering technical testing services to help healthcare providers and their partners improve the effectiveness and efficacy of their controls.

The testing services will also help meet HIPAA Security Rule technical evaluation requirements at 45 CFR §164.308(a)(8).

Clearwater’s newest service and methodologies are based on guidance from the Office for Civil Rights and the National Institute for Standards and Technology and other industry standards for vulnerability scans, penetration tests, social engineering testing and web application testing.

The new service focuses on helping organizations identify and remediate critical vulnerabilities and meet compliance requirements.

Clearwater Compliance is introducing Technical Testing Services: cutting-edge tools, comprehensive manual testing, and real-world technology experience to help customers perform vulnerability assessments and technical testing.

“Every day, healthcare organizations are seeing more and more attempts at hacking into their systems,” says Bob Chaput, CEO of Clearwater Compliance. “One of our large, national healthcare customers recently told us that in the course of 24 hours, they had blocked more than 36 million unauthorized network access attempts, and it only takes one successful attempt to cause havoc.

“Technical Testing Services is a natural addition to our portfolio of SaaS-based software and professional services and adds an important product in our growing suite of cybersecurity services.”

Dallas real estate firm opens in Nashville

BBG, a national commercial real estate valuation, advisory and assessment firm based in Dallas, has opened a new office in Nashville, its sixth office in the Southeast.

The new location is 555 Marriott Drive, Regus Highland Ridge II Business Center. BBG’s Southeastern region includes offices in Mobile, Alabama, Atlanta, Charlotte and Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina, and Charleston, South Carolina.

Grant Griffin, senior managing director of the firm’s Atlanta office, will oversee the Nashville office’s operations.

“The Nashville metropolitan area represents a significant strategic location for our plans to expand our footprint in the Southeastern region as well as nationally,’’ says CEO Chris Roach. “As one of the fastest-growing commercial real estate markets in the United States, it made perfect sense for BBG to open an office in the Nashville market, providing clients with full-service solutions across all property types in this area.”

Griffin adds, “Nashville has grown exponentially in recent years, making it the top choice for a number of healthcare, leisure and hospitality, technology companies and other industries to call home.

“Our Nashville office is extremely fortunate to have some of the best professionals in the business serving clients in this area, and we are actively seeking more highly qualified appraisers to join our mission of playing a vital role in Nashville’s transformation to one of the country’s hottest markets.”

TN reconnect adds 10,000 students

More than 10,000 adults have applied for Tennessee Reconnect, the state’s program for adult learners to earn an associate degree or technical certificate tuition-free.

The application for Tennessee Reconnect opened on February 15 and 10,497 applications had been submitted as of April 10.

Tennessee Reconnect is Gov. Bill Haslam’s program that covers tuition and mandatory fees at a state community or technical college for eligible adults that do not yet have a college degree.

“The immense interest in Tennessee Reconnect demonstrates that Tennesseans understand the value of a postsecondary credential and that a quality education can help create better lives for them and their families,” Haslam says.

“Tennessee is leading the nation in making college accessible and affordable to anyone who wants to earn a degree. By investing in our workforce through education, we are creating a solid foundation for our state’s economic future.”

Among those who have applied for the scholarship, more than two-thirds have previously enrolled in college and just more than half of all applicants have attended college in the past five years. The average age of applicants is 34 years old and nearly 90 percent of those who applied plan to work while enrolled through Reconnect.

Cumberland to add oncology drugs

Nashville-based Cumberland Pharmaceuticals will expand its medical specialties to include oncology-related medications.

The company’s entry into the oncology specialty includes two initial supportive care medications: Ethyol (amifostine) injection and Totect (dexrazoxane hydrochloride) injection.

Cumberland entered into an exclusive U.S. license to distribute and market both Ethyol and Totect with the Clinigen Group plc, a British specialty pharmaceutical and services company following a Strategic Alliance established between the companies.

“Since the company’s founding, Cumberland has endeavored to deliver high quality medicines to improve patient care,” says AJ Kazimi, CEO. “Our strategy has been to focus on select medical specialties that we can support nationally and make a significant impact. Oncology is a particularly rewarding and valuable field, and we are delighted to be able to help patients as they undergo their cancer treatments.”

There were 1,688,780 new cases of cancer diagnosed in the U.S. in 2017, and advances in treatment have resulted in the average patient now living longer after initial diagnosis. “The overarching goal of supportive care is to help patients tolerate and continue their cancer treatments,” Kazimi says. “Our oncology medications enable us to target the side effects of patients’ cancer treatments and help address the psychological or social problems that might result from those complications. We’re grateful for the opportunity to contribute to the welfare of cancer patients and help improve their quality of life.”

New plan will help Tennessee’s babies

Tennessee is one of 19 states chosen for a new training and support program to improve the social, emotional, and mental health of babies, toddlers and young children.

A group led by the Association of Infant Mental Health in Tennessee will participate in a year-long series of sessions with ZERO TO THREE.

Goals include identifying strategies to increase education, funding, and access to assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of infants and young children in Tennessee.

“When we talk about infant and early childhood mental health, we’re looking at the social and emotional well-being of children from birth to age five,” says Marie Williams, TDMHSAS commissioner “At this crucial stage of life, when a child’s brain is developing so quickly, we have an amazing opportunity to have a lifelong impact.”

The lessons learned through the partnership will build upon work done through several initiatives including Building Strong Brains: Tennessee ACEs Initiative.

“At its heart, this is work that has a goal of growing healthy children, strong families, and thriving communities,” says Heather Taylor Griffith, TDMHSAS director for the Office of Children and Youth Mental Health. “Early mental health assessment and intervention are essential to ensuring optimal development so children can be successful in school and in life.”

Liberty Party Rental joins CE Rental

CE Rental, Inc. has announced the recapitalization of Nashville’s Liberty Party Rental.

Liberty offers rental products, including an extensive inventory of china, tables, chairs, tents, linens, dance floors, bars, catering equipment and more.

“The addition of Liberty Party Rental continues CE Rental’s growth throughout the Southeast,’’ says James Auerbach, senior vice president at CE Rental, based in Raleigh, North Carolina.

“By expanding into Tennessee, the CE network of affiliated locations will have the increased capacity to service all customers and partners in the region.”

Bruce and Julie Hurst, owners of Liberty Party Rental, will remain involved in the business.

“Our two companies share very similar philosophies and will continue to operate with the same commitment to clients and staff that we have always upheld. By joining CE Rental our team members’ opportunities for professional and personal development will also increase. We are excited about the dynamic growth that Liberty Party Rental will experience through this partnership,” according to a statement from the Hursts.