The Ryman Auditorium has been designated as an official Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Landmark by the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

In a dedication ceremony, Mark Fioravanti, president of Ryman Hospitality Properties, and Greg Harris, president and CEO of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, made the announcement at the Ryman, which is celebrating its 130th anniversary.

A historical marker was unveiled to celebrate the milestone. The Ryman joins 11 other rock & roll landmarks throughout the country including Austin City Limits and Whisky a Go Farahani, among others.

The Ryman and Rock Hall also used this opportunity to announce a multi-year partnership, which will include a new daytime tour exhibit at the Ryman scheduled to open later this year. The upcoming exhibit will feature the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Inductees who have graced the Ryman stage over the years

HCA gives $1.38M to Girl Scouts

Nashville’s HCA Healthcare, Inc. has announced that the HCA Healthcare Foundation will donate $1.38 million over the next three years to Girl Scouts of the USA to start work on creating a series of workshops aimed at addressing mental wellness among girls.

The curriculum is aimed at helping girls better understand mental wellness and provide them with skills to strengthen their resilience and support their peers.

“The HCA Healthcare Foundation has a long history of partnering with Girl Scouts in Middle Tennessee and other communities,” says Joanne Pulles, vice president of community engagement at HCA Healthcare and president of the HCA Healthcare Foundation. “We are honored to continue this partnership with Girl Scouts on a national scale to create a new research-based initiative to help all girls be more resilient and take action to strengthen their own mental health.”

The grant will support Girl Scouts’ Mental Health 101 workshops, comprised of Getting to Know Your Emotions for fourth through fifth graders, Finding Your Voice for sixth through eighth graders, and its Peer Support workshop for ninth through twelfth graders.

These workshops, which are under development now and launching the summer of 2023, will be created in collaboration with National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) subject matter experts.

Silicon Ranch to partner with Nextracker

Nashville-based Silicon Ranch, one of the nation’s largest independent power producers, and Nextracker have announced a master supply agreement to deliver 1.5 gigawatts of Nextracker’s solar tracker technology to Silicon Ranch projects through 2024, with options to expand as Silicon Ranch’s portfolio grows.

Nextracker is the leading provider of intelligent, integrated solar tracker and software solutions.

The MSA represents the latest milestone in the long-standing strategic relationship between two best-in-class solar businesses. The agreement includes a shared commitment by both companies to increase domestic supply and promote lower-carbon production processes. The emphasis on securing American-made product – using US steel supply – enables Silicon Ranch to support US manufacturing and job creation, improve the carbon footprint of its supply chain, and reduce volatility and logistics risks.

“Despite severe disruption to global supply chains and other pressures facing the solar industry, Silicon Ranch remains committed to maintaining our 100% track record for successful project delivery,” said Reagan Farr, Silicon Ranch Co-Founder and CEO. “This agreement with Nextracker not only helps us keep our promises to our customers, but also enables us to decarbonize our supply chain and support additional investments in American manufacturing.’’

Sentinel Capital sells Captain D’s

Sentinel Capital Partners, a private equity firm that invests in promising midmarket companies, has announced the sale of Captain D’s, headquartered in Nashville.

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

The Captain D’s system comprises 545 restaurants, including 253 franchised and 292 company–owned locations throughout the Southeast and Midwest.

“Captain D’s has a world class management team and culture that puts its guests and team members first,” Sentinel Partner Michael Fabian says. “Captain D’s is by far the leading brand in the seafood category. We were very fortunate to partner with Phil Greifeld and the rest of the Captain D’s team, and we wish them continued success.”

Phil Greifeld, Captain D’s CEO says, “I am enormously proud of what Captain D’s has accomplished during our partnership with Sentinel. We successfully navigated the pandemic, improved franchisee profitability, brought Captain D’s to several new states, and positioned the brand for continued growth. Sentinel was a great partner.”

Cedar Gate, Vanderbilt win Points of Light

Cedar Gate Technologies and Vanderbilt Health have been named as recipients of the KLAS Research Points of Light Award for improving the health and financial outcomes of expectant teachers and their babies on the Metro Nashville Public Schools health plan.

The Points of Light Award celebrates success stories – or points of light – from payers, providers and health care technology companies that work collaboratively to align care delivery with health plan sponsor initiatives to reduce inefficiencies and improve the patient experience.

“We are honored to be recognized for excellence with our partner Vanderbilt Health and their client, Metro Nashville Public Schools,” says Cedar Gate CEO, David B. Snow, Jr. “Our technology and services platform are purpose-built to support bundled payments, and every payment model our clients encounter as they assume financial risk in health care benefits and care management.

“We look forward to supporting Vanderbilt Health’s continuing success with Metro Nashville Public Schools and its expansion into additional specialties, employers and regions of the country.”

Before implementing Vanderbilt’s MyMaternityHealth bundle program, rising neonatal costs threatened employee health and the sustainability of benefits at MNPS. Vanderbilt Health’s Employer Solutions team built and designed a system leveraging Cedar Gate’s advanced value-based care platform.

Made In Network adds investment partners

Nashville-based Made In Network has formed a strategic partnership with investment groups MEP Capital and Cordillera Investment Partners.

Made In Network is a studio and media house, creating content and building audiences in partnership with creators, while also working deeply with consumer brands.

Over the next five years, Made In Network plans to invest over $50 million into its creator talent and brand studio including development of new original IP, product extensions, catalog licensing and business diversification.

The partnership brings substantial growth capital to the company, expanding its ability to bring the company’s full suite of creative, production, strategy, and commercial services to some of the world’s leading creators and advertisers across digital platforms.

Specifically, Made In Network will be investing in the expansion of its partners’ businesses through increased production support, new IP development, expansion into other mediums such as podcasts, and the creation of new product lines.

CereCore wins award for customer service

Nashville-based CereCore today is the winner of a Silver Stevie Award in the Achievement in customer satisfaction category in The 20th Annual American Business Awards.

The awards are the U.S.A.’s premier business awards program. All organizations operating in the U.S.A. are eligible to submit nominations – public and private, for-profit and nonprofit, large and small.

Since January 2020, the CereCore service desk has answered nearly 850,000 calls across all clients and almost 33,500 of those calls were patient-critical, priority calls. Annual surveys rank client satisfaction high – scoring higher than 95% on client satisfaction.

The most compelling results were the continuous improvement in clinician satisfaction achieved through a strong collaboration with Ardent Health Services. In 2020 CereCore began providing Ardent with both Level 1 and Level 1.5 help desk support and addressing support challenges fueled by growth and a pandemic.

Leap Partners expands, adds 3 companies

In the last 60 days, Leap Partners, a Nashville-based home services company, has acquired three companies: Conditioned Air Solutions and George Plumbing in northern Alabama and Scenic City Heating & AC in Chattanooga.

John Cerasuolo, CEO, and Patrick Ritter, CFO of Leap Partners, have extensive experience acquiring, running and growing home service businesses.

This experience provides owners immediate support and relief during and after the acquisition process.

ISI Elite Training plans Nashville location

ISI Elite Training, a boutique fitness concepts built on athletic-based training, is coming to Nashville.

The brand’s newest location is owned and operated by Austin Wyrick, Bo Dickerson and Chris Carpenter. This is the trio’s second ISI® Elite Training location with the first being Concord, NC and the first of several new locations planned for Tennessee.

To date, the rising brand reports 80 awarded franchises, signing six in January 2022 alone, and is now in 12 states.

Mather Group ranks No. 13 on Top 50 list

The Mather Group, LLC, a wealth management firm with offices in Knoxville and Nashville, has been ranked #13 among the Top 50 Wealth Managers by Growth in Assets according to RIA Channel.

Rankings were based on growth in assets on an absolute basis from March 31, 2021, to March 31, 2022. Only active registered investment adviser firms with no regulatory, criminal, or administrative violations on file per the SEC as of March 31, were eligible for consideration. Criteria for inclusion also required that firms provide wealth management services as their primary business.

TMG’s recent announcement of its partnership with The Vistria Group also reflects the firm’s commitment to continued growth. The strategic investment provided by this transaction supports TMG’s goals of enhancing its service offering, broadening its geographic presence and enriching the client experience.