GivingMatters.com, an initiative of The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee, is partnering with GivingTuesday (Nov. 29), a global generosity movement created in 2012 and sparking a year-round global movement that inspires hundreds of millions of people to give, collaborate and celebrate generosity.

GivingMatters.com Manager Nicole Rose is excited to bring this first-ever partnership to fruition.

“In 2021, we noticed nonprofits independently using the peer-to-peer fundraising tool in GivingMatters.com to fundraise for their organizations for GivingTuesday, and we love seeing nonprofits initiating this call to act independently,” Rose says.

GivingTuesday is a movement meant to inspire people and organizations to generously give with either their time or resources and serve their communities. It comprises a broad coalition of partners across 80 different countries so that anyone may participate. Visit www.givingtuesday.org to learn more.

Organizations wishing to participate in the GivingTuesday opportunity must have an up-to-date and complete GivingMatters.com profile and create at least one peer-to-peer fundraiser on their organization’s behalf.

Organizations with expiration dates of Aug. 31 or earlier will need to make all required updates to receive donations for the big day through the site.

To update a profile, log in as a nonprofit on GivingMatters.com and make all required updates.

Oct. unemployment numbers at 3.5%

Tennessee continues to experience low unemployment despite a slight uptick in October’s monthly rate, the Department of Labor and Workforce Development reports.

The seasonally adjusted number for the month increased by just 0.1% to 3.5%. The state has had unemployment rates at or below 3.5% since January 2022.

In a year-to-year comparison, the statewide unemployment rate is down 0.2% from 3.7% to 3.5%.

Tennessee employers continue to create new jobs. In October, businesses reported 5,800 new nonfarm jobs across the state. The largest increases came in the accommodation and food services sector, the construction sector and the professional, scientific and technical services sector.

Between October 2021 and October 2022, Tennessee employers added 123,200 jobs in every corner of the state. The leisure and hospitality sector accounted for the largest number of new jobs during the year. The trade, transportation and utilities sector, followed by the education and health services sector, had the next largest increase of new jobs.

Across the nation, the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate grew by 0.2% in October to 3.7%. Compared to October 2021, the national rate is down 0.9 of a percentage point.

Tuck-Hinton Architecture rebrands as Anecdote

Nashville-based architecture and design firm Tuck-Hinton has rebranded under the name Anecdote Architectural Experiences. The new branding underscores the firm’s ability to outlast any one set of partners and its future as a collective, united by an ambition to elevate all creative ideas and voices, the company states.

Leading the lineup of architects and designers into Anecdote’s next chapter are partners Mary Roskilly, AIA, Chuck Miller, AIA, and Josh Hughes, AIA.

Anecdote’s portfolio, developed over nearly 40-years, has shaped the skylines of the southeast with projects such as the Music City Center, Country Music Hall of Fame, Adventure Science Center, Jack Daniels Barrel House, and numerous projects at Lipscomb University. Upcoming work includes the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee office, St. Michael Academy - a new K-8 school, Franklin Road Academy Upper School & Campus Center Quad, North Edgehill Commons and a new project from Nelson’s Green Brier Distillery making its debut in Nashville in 2023.

Metro launches portal for boards, commissions

Nashville Mayor John Cooper announced a new initiative to make it easier for Nashvillians to express interest to serve on Metro boards and commissions, and for the first time ever will compile and reuse demographic data from those groups online.

Metro has launched an online portal that creates a streamlined and centrally located questionnaire process for Davidson County residents. The portal is part of a new internal data system designed to allow Metro Government to better manage the 70+ active Boards & Commissions on which more than 680 residents actively serve the community. The new portal will be housed on the current Metro Nashville website at Nashville.gov.

The launch of the portal follows a recent report published by the Metro Clerk’s Office detailing selected demographics of those serving on the city’s Boards and Commissions as of Oct. 1.

Key takeaways from this report reveal a tripling of Hispanic representation (to nearly 5%) and an increase of African American representation by 16% (to more than 28%) in from 2021 to 2022, the only period for which this information is available.

With the launch of the portal, comprehensive data collection – including member demographics – will be centrally collected, allowing real-time monitoring of board and commission diversity for the first time in Nashville history.

Pinnacle Bank No. 6 on ‘Best Bank to Work For’

Pinnacle Financial Partners is one of the nation’s Best Banks to Work For, having earned the No. 6 spot overall on the annual list compiled by American Banker magazine and Best Companies Group. This ranking is up three spots from No. 9 in 2021.

Among the top 10, Pinnacle is the only bank with more than $11 billion in assets, and the closest competitor has one-third the number of associates. This is Pinnacle’s 10th year to appear on the list, having been ranked ever since the program started in 2013.

Belmont Entrepreneurship program ranks best in state

Belmont’s Entrepreneurship program has ranked No 1 in Tennessee, No.5 in the South and 26th overall, in recently released rankings by The Princeton Review for Entrepreneur magazine. Belmont has ranked in this list’s top 30 the last five years and yielded 105 alumni-started companies in the same period.

Offering 33 entrepreneurship courses, Belmont supports entrepreneurial-minded students by providing mentorship, real-world experience and innovative programming to ensure the entrepreneurial success of students.

TN court: Juvenile life sentencing unconstitutional

Tennessee’s Supreme Court ruled Friday that a state law mandating life sentences for juvenile homicide offenders is unconstitutional, saying it amounts to “cruel and unusual punishment” and violates the Eighth Amendment.

In a sweeping 21-page opinion, the justices declared Tennessee a “clear outlier” as the only U.S. state to require that juvenile homicide offenders serve more than 50 years in prison before they can be considered for parole. In most other states, they are eligible for release in less than 35 years.

“In short, Tennessee is out of step with the rest of the country in the severity of sentences imposed on juvenile homicide offenders,” Supreme Court Justice Sharon Lee wrote in the 3-2 majority opinion. “Automatically imposing a fifty-one-year-minimum life sentence on a juvenile offender without regard to the juvenile’s age and attendant circumstances can, for some juveniles, offend contemporary standards of decency.”

Tennessee has long been criticized for its unusually harsh prison terms for juveniles. More than 100 people have been sentenced to serve 60 years after being convicted when they were children.

Under Friday’s ruling, judges may now adjust sentences for young people convicted of first-degree murder. The court also encouraged state lawmakers to consider legislation that would allow for more “discretionary, individualized sentencing.”

Chicago restaurants announce TN locations

Iconic Chicago restaurant brands Buona and The Original Rainbow Cone have announced the first Buona/Rainbow Cone dual-concept locations outside of Chicago.

Led by experienced entrepreneurs and real estate developers Jesse Alvarez, Chicago native now residing in the Nashville metro area and Tony Vendramin, the new Buona /Rainbow Cone locations will bring the classic Chicago flavors to the Nolensville, Franklin, Spring Hill and Smyrna communities in 2023.

The fast casual restaurants will include a double lane drive-thru, spacious dining room and a mobile ordering pick up zone. Alvarez and Vendramin are the first dual-concept partners of the Buona/Rainbow Cone franchise program launched earlier this year.

Both Alvarez and Vendramin have a long history as successful entrepreneurs. Alvarez owned the popular Chicago-area restaurant Buffalo Wings and Rings for six years before selling it to pursue franchise development, while Vendramin is an Indiana native accomplished in business and real estate development.

A longtime fan of Buona while living in Chicago, Alvarez learned about the Buona/Rainbow Cone franchise program and asked Vendramin to join forces to bring the family-owned brands to Nashville.

The two have been friends and business partners for more than 20 years and share the same spirit and values as Buona/Rainbow Cone families.