Lipscomb University’s College of Education has been awarded a $2.49 million grant from the Kern Family Foundation to develop an innovative leadership development program for principals focused on character, academic excellence and business acumen in the rising generation of leaders.

The Kern Family Foundation is an organization that invests in systemic change to enrich American lives through sustainable programs focused on forming good character, providing quality education, instilling an entrepreneurial mindset and rediscovering the value of work.

Lipscomb’s Reimagining Principal Preparation program is a unique approach to K-12 leadership training that will incorporate character education, leadership development, business acumen and conflict management among other key components in a collaboration led by Lipscomb’s College of Education with the institution’s nationally ranked College of Business and Institute for Conflict Management.

The initial focus of the program is to reach Tennessee schools and districts that do not have existing resources to develop internal leadership programs, with the long-term goal of expanding the model, as well. The five-year Kern Family Foundation grant awarded to Lipscomb will support the new Reimagining Principal Preparation program, including resources as the college develops the program and scholarships for attendees among other programmatic needs.

Truxton Corporation ranked 21st among U.S. banks

Truxton Corporation, a financial holding company and the parent of Truxton Trust Company, has been recognized by American Banker as one of the top 200 best performing banks in the nation.

Truxton Corporation has earned this recognition for seven consecutive years and is the only Nashville bank in the top 100.

American Banker’s annual ranking of publicly traded banks with less than $2 billion of assets is determined by return on average equity across three years. Truxton Corporation ranked 21 out of 601 institutions that fit the criteria, with a 3-year return on average equity of 13.48 percent.

Cambria to add upscale hotel at airport

Cambria Hotels is adding another luxury property in Nashville.

Choice Hotels International, Inc. and Athena Hospitality Group, LLC have begun construction on the brand’s second upscale hotel in the city.

The Cambria Hotel Nashville Airport, scheduled to open in 2020, joins the Cambria Hotel Nashville Downtown, which opened in 2018.

The 130-room hotel, located within Royal Park Owners Association at 44 Rachel Dr., offers convenient access to the Nashville International Airport as well as downtown Nashville.

The Cambria Hotel Nashville Airport will include 7,000 square feet of multifunction meeting space.

LFM Capital invests in ShopSabre

Nashville’s LFM Capital, a private equity firm focused on lower middle market manufacturing and industrial services businesses, has invested in a new portfolio company, ShopSabre.

The investment is the first from the firm’s second fund, which closed in October 2018 with $185 million of commitments.

ShopSabre is a leading designer and manufacturer of CNC routers and plasma tables that are used in a variety of high-precision machining operations to cut wood, steel, aluminum and other metals. ShopSabre offers its customers a compelling value proposition by providing industrial quality, high-precision CNC machines at a fraction of the cost of traditional industrial CNC machines. ShopSabre was founded in 2001 and is based in Lakeville, Minnesota.

Cannon Research adds clinical trial

Patients at Sarah Cannon Research Institute in Nashville and MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston are participating in a first-in-human, multicenter global trial with Shattuck Labs.

The company says patients are being treated in its Phase 1 dose escalation and expansion clinical trial of its molecule SL-279252 (PD1/OX40L), a bi-functional fusion protein.

The study is designed to evaluate the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamic and anti-tumor activity of SL-279252 in patients with advanced solid tumors or lymphomas. Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited currently holds an exclusive option to enter into a license to develop and commercialize SL-279252.

Wellview Health unveils new program

Nashville-based Wellview Health, a health care engagement company, has announced a full suite of proprietary specialized solutions to support some of the costliest U.S. health conditions.

Wellview Care Connect features health advisor-guided support across all areas of the health care continuum with 67% utilization by at-risk employees, according to Dr. Cole Barfield, Wellview’s chief medical officer and co-founder.

“We are able to engage 67% of participants who have a moderate to high health risk in our Care Connect solutions, maintaining a 99% customer satisfaction rating and impacting claims trend by more than a 20% differential,’’ Barfield says. “The impact of that level of engagement can disrupt the health care industry.”

Wellview Care Connect includes nine proprietary health solutions developed over the past four years and offered as a free employer-covered benefit to employees.

Topgolf sponsors international tournament

Nashville area golfers will be able to participate in the 19-city Topgolf Tour on July 21.

The Topgolf Tour is the first golf tournament series where men and women compete for the same prize and play the same format. Competing cities are in the U.S., the United Kingdom and Australia. The two-man championship team wins $50,000.

Topgolf Nashville is at 500 Cowan St., part of an entertainment complex that includes a high-tech driving range.

Regional tournaments are June 24 through Aug. 14. Each tournament is open to 68 teams of two players (male, female or mixed-gender teams), with spots filled on a first-come, first-served basis. Eligibility rules: topgolf.com/tour.

Players hit microchipped golf balls at targets with varying point values on the outfield. In round one of the regional tournaments, all teams will play three games. Using the cumulative scores from Round 1, the field will be cut to the top eight teams, which will move on to the second round of the tournament. The third and final round is a one-game, match-play shootout between the top two scoring teams from the second round.

The 2019 Topgolf Tour is supporting Bunkers in Baghdad, with $5 from every registration donated back to the organization to help provide new and used golf equipment to military personnel serving overseas.

Captain D’s teams with StarChain USA

Captain D’s, based in Nashville, has signed a new franchise development agreement with StarChain USA, a group of multiunit operators with decades of franchising experience.

As part of the agreement, StarChain USA will spearhead Captain D’s growth in the Southeast and develop 15 new restaurants throughout Arkansas and the Carolinas over the next several years. Additionally, the group will acquire four existing Captain D’s restaurants in the Greenville-Spartanburg, South Carolina, market and five in the Little Rock, Arkansas, region.

Captain D’s has more than 530 restaurants in 22 states.

NSM to distribute eye control wheelchair

National Seating & Mobility a Nashville-based provider of complex rehabilitation, mobility and accessibility solutions, has signed an agreement with Evergreen Circuits.

The pact allows NSM to nationally distribute the Independence Drive eye control wheelchair technology.

NSM Assistive Technology Professionals have been working in collaboration with Evergreen Circuits, conducting hands-on product trials and providing feedback to be considered for enhancements to better serve clients.

Evergreen Circuits was founded as a result of a challenge made by former NFL player and ALS patient, Steve Gleason.

AdhereHealth tech deployed by HMO

Technology from Brentwood-based AdhereHealth is now being used by Golden State Medicare Health Plan, an HMO that specializes in the care of seniors in California.

The technology uses advanced analytics to resolve medication adherence issues that affect patient outcomes and Medicare Advantage Star Ratings. AdhereHealth is a health care technology solutions company that focuses on medication adherence and currently supports nearly 10 million consumers across the nation.

AdhereHealth’s technology platform, Adhere, uses advanced analytics to identify members who need support in their medication adherence. Members experiencing medication adherence issues often are challenged by social determinants, such as poor health literacy and access to care.

$5.47 million grant supports healthy babies

Nashville Metro government has announced a $5.47 million, five-year federal Healthy Start grant to increase health outcomes for mothers and babies in Nashville communities experiencing maternal and child health disparities.

The Nashville Strong Babies Project will provide pre and postnatal care, case management and home-visiting services for around 700 women and families each year.

Women and babies living in the 37115, 37207, 37208, 37210, 37216, 37218 and 37221 ZIP codes will be eligible to receive services.

“The Nashville Strong Babies Project will fund care coordination services, innovative clinical and community programs in Nashville neighborhoods that experience the highest rates of infant mortality,” say Dr. Wendy Long, Director of the Metro Public Health Department.

Belmont plans garage with roof-top tennis

Belmont University is building a new garage on the south side of the campus.

The structure, which will offer 830 parking spaces and feature six NCAA Division I regulation tennis courts on the roof, will be located behind Belmont’s Troutt Theater and McAfee Concert Hall and across Compton Avenue from the planned Performing Arts Center. A surface parking lot is currently located on the site of the planned garage.

Belmont’s tennis teams have rented the courts at Centennial Sportsplex for practices and matches for the past several years. Sportsplex is also the current home of the Ohio Valley Conference Tennis Championships.