Barings, global investment managers, and Hines, an international real estate firm, have formed a joint venture partnership to acquire the Reed District site in Nashville for the future development of a 2.7 million-square foot multiphased mixed-use project.

Reed District – located between Broadway and Church Street, 16th Avenue N. to 15th Avenue N. – plans to turn a 12-acre gateway site in Midtown Nashville into a locally focused, mixed-use destination with music, art, food and entertainment-oriented uses.

The project will draw from the historic character of the approximately 100-year-old Coca-Cola building, converting it into a modern retail and creative office hub and developing high-rise office, apartment, hospitality, lifestyle and essential services, all within an infill setting located directly in the path of Nashville’s continuing urban renaissance.

Phase I of the Reed District will total in excess of 800,000 square feet with construction planned to commence in the second quarter of 2023 and will include the ground-up development of a 300-unit apartment building, 300,000-square-foot office building, 250-key hotel, the adaptive reuse of a vintage Coca-Cola bottling plant to include 100,000 square feet of creative office and destination lifestyle retail and an activated green space which will serve as the centerpiece for the entire project.

Reed District’s location at the convergence of Nashville’s business, health care, music, education and tourism positions it well to capture the demand of Nashville’s future innovative and lifestyle-driven space users.

Volunteers needed for free tax prep program

United Way is recruiting volunteers across Middle Tennessee to join the 2022 VITA Tax Justice Team to provide in-person and virtual free tax preparation for low- to moderate-income taxpayers as part of the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) free tax prep program.

Volunteers help individuals and families who earned $66,000 or less per household in 2021 by serving as greeters/intake specialists, tax preparers, quality reviewers and site coordinators. Many volunteers begin with no previous tax experience.

Tax prep begins in late January, and IRS-training begins in December. First-year volunteers start with a one-hour program orientation and register for training based on their desired role.

Each year, taxpayers rely on this important service to save on fees and access important credits such as the Earned Income Tax Credit or Child Tax Credit that lift millions out of poverty.

Volunteers save each family, on average, more than $300 in tax prep fees. For tax year 2020, Middle Tennessee VITA volunteers completed 6,700 returns, helping taxpayers save more than $2 million in tax preparation fees and bringing more than $9 million in federal refunds back to the community.

Visit volunteerforvita.org to get started.

Dowdle Construction named best for workers

Dowdle Construction Group has been named one of the 2021 Best Contractors to Work for in Construction by ForConstructionPros.com, the largest construction network in North America. Dowdle is the only company in Tennessee to make the list.

The recognition program, hosted by the staff of ForConstructionPros.com and its affiliated construction brands (Equipment Today, Asphalt Contractor, Concrete Contractor, and Pavement Maintenance & Reconstruction), honors the top construction companies that continue to provide a positive workplace environment, competitive compensation, training and opportunities for advancement.

To be considered, employers sponsor an in-depth survey for employees to provide feedback and rate their employer. Entry forms and surveys were handled by the Best Companies Group, which analyzed the data and created an insights report based on the results.

Clearbrook merges with Browning-Gordon

Clearbrook Realty, LLC, a Nashville-based commercial and residential property management firm, has merged with Browning-Gordon & Co, a longstanding residential property management firm.

The merger brings together two deeply rooted, Nashville-based companies with extensive experience in the dynamics and real estate growth opportunities of the city’s burgeoning marketplace.

Browning-Gordon & Co has been led for 35-plus years by its president, Beverly Browning. The full-service property management company specializes in the leasing and management of single-family residential properties throughout the Nashville metropolitan area.

Clearbrook Realty, LLC manages a portfolio of commercial, industrial, and residential real estate in Davidson County in excess of 1 million square feet. Uniting the two companies will enhance and expand the management, leasing, and maintenance capabilities offered to both companies’ clients, the companies state.

The combined company will operate as two divisions, both led by Ernest Johnson, president. The commercial division will continue to operate as Clearbrook Realty, and the residential division will do business as “Browning-Gordon, a Clearbrook company.”

Browning will join Clearbrook Realty as executive vice president of residential services. In addition, the entire team at Browning-Gordon & Co. will join Clearbrook Realty and will maintain their existing and some new responsibilities in the combined organization.

LP earns Home Deport top partner award

LP Building Solutions, a manufacturer of high-performance building products headquartered in Nashville, has been selected as The Home Depot’s 2021 Merchandising Partner of the Year in the Lumber category.

In 2021, communication was key to determining what products The Home Depot was going to drive, how to have adequate supply, and how to pull those products to the retail stores. When faced with this challenge, “LP was all in,” according to The Home Depot Merchandising VP of Lumber Mike Hibbison.

LP was selected out of several hundred lumber department suppliers due to the company’s continued success in delivering premium products manufactured with builders in mind. Since pioneering production of oriented strand board in North America over 40 years ago, LP has been innovating new solutions to fit the changing needs of the building industry.

Integrity Solutions on virtual training list

Nashville-based Integrity Solutions, a leader in sales performance, training and coaching, has been named to Selling Power’s 2021 list of the Top 20 Virtual Sales Training Companies.

“This designation is a testament to the work our team is doing to serve our clients and the unique needs salespeople have today,” says Mike Esterday, CEO of Integrity Solutions. “While we have been blending live virtual, in-person and digital training for many years, we’ve added a number of robust programs specifically designed for the unique challenges of selling virtually, as well as asynchronous reinforcement programs that keep concepts top of mind and deepen the learning. These new solutions have helped sales organizations shift their mindsets about what’s possible with virtual sales training solutions — and helped our clients meet and surpass their growth goals, even in the midst of a pandemic.”

Integrity Solutions’ virtual sales training programs are designed specifically with today’s salesperson in mind to maximize engagement, interaction and relevance and ensure greater retention. Some of the hallmarks of this training are shorter sessions, small group breakout rooms and frequent collaboration among learners.

FINN Partners adds Hawaii agency

Global independent marketing and communications firm, FINN Partners with offices in Nashville, has acquired Anthology Marketing Group, Inc., an 86-person Hawaii-based agency with travel and tourism expertise, and the largest integrated marketing and communications agency in the state.

Dennis Christianson, Founder and CEO of Anthology Marketing Group, will join FINN as a managing partner.

Anthology offers integrated marketing services spanning PR, advertising, digital marketing and development, and research.

Anthology also represents a diverse range of clients in the financial, health care, energy, transportation, retail, education, agriculture and sustainability sectors, including Hawaiian Telcom, Hawai’i Pacific Health, PACCAR and Kenworth Trucks.

LP’s third quarter sales increase 53%

Nashville-based Louisiana-Pacific Corporation has reported its financial results for the three-month period ending Sept. 30.

The key highlights for the third quarter included:

• Net sales increased by 53% to $1.2 billion

• Siding Solutions net sales increased by 19% to $310 million

• OSB net sales increased by $232 million to $600 million, $225 million of which was due to higher OSB prices

• Net income attributed to LP was $365 million ($3.87 per diluted share)

• Cash provided by operating activities was $511 million

LP also reported highlights for the first nine months of 2021, including:

• Net sales for the period increased by $1.6 billion (or 85%) over the prior year period to $3.6 billion

• Siding Solutions revenue increased by $222 million (or 34%) and OSB prices increased by $1.1 billion over the prior year period

• EWP revenue increased by $200 million (or 71%) over the prior year period, primarily due to increased pricing to offset increased input costs

Mployer receives $1.6M in new round of funding

Nashville’s Mployer Advisor, an independent platform for employers to research, review and evaluate insurance brokers, has secured an additional $1.6 million in funding from Martin Ventures and other well-known investors.

This is the second round of funding Martin Ventures has led in Mployer Advisor in the past 12 months. This new round of funding will enable Mployer Advisor to deploy new features on its platform, hire additional leadership roles and expand its insurance broker and carrier network.

“Mployer Advisor is changing the way employers purchase over $1 trillion in benefits each year,” says Devin Carty, CEO of Martin Ventures. “We are excited to partner with the leadership team and other investors to grow and scale Mployer Advisor nationally.”

Since its launch in early 2020, Mployer Advisor has transformed the employee benefits space by prioritizing transparency and empowering employers, top brokers and consultants.

During the past six months, Mployer Advisor has more than doubled its employee base and plans to continue hiring aggressively. Mployer Advisor recently opened a new office inside Cummins Station.