The Nashville market ranks high among destinations for commercial real estate investment, says a new study by CRE investment management firm Cadre.

Cadre’s lists of Most Valuable Places to Invest identifies high-growth markets across specific asset classes – multifamily, office and industrial – based on the firm’s high-tech/high-touch approach that pairs advanced data forecasts with experienced industry insight. Cadre’s nuanced market identification is another way the firm is advancing innovation in CRE.

The U.S. private real estate market has grown to approximately $20.7 trillion in size, according to recent data from Nareit. As fundraising has spiked and property prices have appreciated in recent years, private real estate has drawn interest as an alternative investment strategy.

Savvy investors will likely seek opportunities in markets with high-growth potential. Cadre’s MVPs place Charlotte, Raleigh and Nashville among the top growing cities in each asset class – multifamily, industrial, and office.

More information and analysis on Cadre’s approach to market selection is included in Cadre’s MVP Report, at cadre.com/mvp.

To determine the MVP markets, Cadre evaluates thousands of U.S.-based investment opportunities every year. Cadre references historical returns, forecasts growth two years into the future, and determines the potential for liquidity in each market. Incorporating the experience of Cadre’s Investments team, three lists of markets with high growth potential across each property type (multifamily, office, industrial) are produced.

Unemployment below 5% in every TN county

Every county in Tennessee recorded unemployment rates below 5% in September, according to the latest data from the Department of Labor and Workforce Development. September also marked the second consecutive month that rates decreased in each of the state’s 95 counties.

Williamson County continued to have the lowest rate in the state at 2.1%, which was down 0.2 of a percentage point from August’s rate of 2.3%.

Cheatham and Wilson counties each had a rate of 2.3%, while the rates for Sevier, Rutherford, Sumner, Knox, and Moore counties all came in at 2.4%.

Perry County had the highest unemployment rate in September at 4.9%. But, that still marked a 0.7 of a percentage point decrease when compared to its rate for August.

Bledsoe County’s rate of 4.8% was the second-highest and represented a decrease of 0.5 of a percentage point from the previous month. Lake County had the next highest rate at 4.7%, which was 0.6 of a percentage point lower than its August rate.

September’s statewide seasonally adjusted unemployment rate held steady at 3.4% for the second consecutive month.

Coolray announces expansion to Nashville

Coolray, a provider of home maintenance and repair services in the Southeast, is expanding into Nashville, bringing 56 years of experience in air conditioning, heating, plumbing, electrical and water solutions to homeowners across Middle Tennessee.

Coolray plans to bring 150 new jobs to Nashville in the first two years of operations here. The company has more than 650 team members across its locations in Georgia and Alabama and serves 200,000 customers annually.

Coolray is Better Business Bureau Accredited and has been honored multiple times for its quality service including winning the Carrier Presidents Award for nine consecutive years, as well as being named a Nextdoor “Neighborhood Favorite.”

The company also received an Angi Super Service Award; a Consumers’ Choice Award and was named an “Elite Service” by HomeAdvisor.

Chartwell nabs area land for hotel projects

Chartwell Hospitality announced it has purchased land in Brentwood and Lebanon, to bring new hotels to these suburbs of Nashville.

Chartwell Hospitality will transform the land in Brentwood into a TownePlace Suites by Marriott and will build a Home2 Suites by Hilton in Lebanon. Chartwell Hospitality has partnered with Rockbridge on both hotel projects. Chartwell Hospitality will develop and manage both properties.

Chartwell Hospitality will concurrently break ground in Lebanon for the 120-room Home2 Suites in the spring of 2023. Home2 Suites features an extended-stay hotel concept with complimentary hot breakfast, laundry and fitness areas, free Wi-Fi, multiple outdoor spaces, 24-hour business centers, expansive community spaces and pet-friendly environments.

Music educator up for Grammy honor

Marisa Frank of Nashville’s Explore! Community School has been named one of 25 semifinalists from 18 states for the Music Educator Award, presented by the Recording Academy and Grammy Museum.

More than 1,205 initial nominations were submitted from 47 states. Nominations for the 2024 Music Educator Award are now open at grammymusicteacher.com.

The Music Educator Award recognizes current educators who have made a significant and lasting contribution to the music education field and demonstrate a commitment to the broader cause of maintaining music education in the schools. The recipient will be recognized during Grammy Week 2023.

The award is open to U.S. music teachers, and anyone can nominate a teacher – students, parents, friends, colleagues, community members, school deans, and administrators.

Each year, one recipient is selected from 10 finalists and recognized for their remarkable impact on students’ lives. They will receive a $10,000 honorarium and matching grant for their school’s music program. The nine additional finalists will receive a $1,000 honorarium and matching grants. The remaining 15 semifinalists will receive a $500 honorarium with matching school grants.

The finalists will be announced in December. Information: grammymusicteacher.com.

Humana, Monogram enhance in-home care

Kidney care provider Monogram Health and leading health and well-being company Humana Inc. have announced a new value-based care agreement for most Humana Medicare Advantage HMO and PPO plan members in four states who live with chronic kidney disease.

Value-based care focuses on the collaboration and coordination of all aspects of a patient’s care, and this agreement is designed to help improve quality of life for the members who have chronic kidney disease in Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana.

The members can now access Monogram’s specialized resources, which include in-home primary and specialty care visits, medication management, dialysis and transplant coordination, palliative care and social services.

Metro offers online tool for after-school programs

Nashville Mayor John Cooper announced the official launch of Nashville’s first Metro Out-of-School Time Program Locator, a new online tool that connects Nashville parents with after school programs in their area.

Nearly 60 locations across Metro Nashville are part of the database and will serve nearly 74,000 students each year.

This new tool will live on Nashville.gov, as well as on the websites of partner organizations Metro Nashville Public Schools, Nashville After Zone Alliance, and United Way of Greater Nashville.

In April, the Mayor’s office encouraged nonprofits and community organizations to participate in the out-of-school program locator initiative.

“Metro Nashville Public Schools is grateful to partner with the Mayor’s Office, NAZA and United Way to bring a new resource to Nashville parents,” said Makeda Watson, MNPS Extended Learning Coordinator. “The Out-of-School Program Locator fills an important need to streamline the process for parents, and we hope to lead to more kids participating in extended-learning opportunities both through MNPS and our outside partners.”

Landmark Recovery expands Franklin HQ

Landmark Recovery officials, along with officials from the state’s Department of Economic and Community Development, announced the company will expand in Franklin, creating 1,300 new jobs at the company’s headquarters on Cool Springs Boulevard.

As part of the project, Landmark will invest $7.5 million in Williamson County, approximately one year after relocating its corporate headquarters from Arizona to Tennessee.

The expansion will allow Landmark to better serve the growing number of treatment facilities the company owns and operates across the U.S., including Landmark’s newly opened treatment center in Knoxville.

Clark debuts small-biz training program

Clark Construction Group has expanded its Strategic Partnership Program to the Nashville area. Originally launched in 2006, the eight-month program delivers executive MBA-style classes to small and diverse businesses, including minority-, women-, and veteran-owned firms in the construction industry. Twenty-two Nashville-area business owners and leaders make up the 2022 class.

Clark kicked off the inaugural Nashville program with a full-day orientation for participants Oct. 20, led by Leonard Greenhalgh, director of programs for minority- and women-owned businesses at Dartmouth College’s Tuck School of Business.

The program’s curriculum combines classes taught by Clark professionals and local industry experts with interactive team projects and specialty workshops.

Throughout the course, participants will focus on a range of business and construction industry topics, including financial statements and accounting, insurance and bonding, estimating, purchasing and project management, as well as softer business competencies such as presentation skills and leadership techniques.

The SPP participants graduate following a capstone project and presentation to industry leaders.

“Small and diverse businesses are the lifeblood of our communities. They bring invaluable perspectives and skills that make our projects and our industry stronger,” said Tim Lamson, Clark’s vice president in charge of the company’s operations in Nashville. “We are excited to deepen our investment in the growth of the region’s small business community and develop new professional relationships through our Strategic Partnership Program.”

Interested firms can learn more about the Strategic Partnership Program or apply for a future class by visiting www.clarkconstruction.com/spp.