Country music artists Eric Church and Morgan Wallen, along with a group of experienced brand builders, announced the acquisition and relaunch of Field & Stream, the preeminent outdoor lifestyle brand with origins back to 1871.

The group, led by Church and Wallen, purchased the retail side of the trademark from DICK’S Sporting Goods, as well as the media platform from Recurrent in a move that not only unifies the legacy brand under the same ownership for the first time in its 150-year history, but also leads to the resurrection of the print magazine through a membership community.

Church and Wallen are vested in the brand as avid outdoorsmen, conservationists and storytellers. The new ownership will take a hands-on approach to preserving the authenticity of Field & Stream, solidifying its authority in the outdoor space, and ensuring it stays true to its roots.

Key aspects of the relaunch include the Field & Stream 1871 Club, a refreshed digital platform, a limited-edition apparel collection inspired by Church and Wallen, and the announcement of an outdoor music festival coproduced by Southern Entertainment coming this fall.

The new Field & Stream brand will be led by Doug McNamee, former president of media and lifestyle brand Magnolia. Colin Kearns, who has served as editor-in-chief for Field & Stream since 2016, will remain in his position alongside his editorial team.

Turnberry to develop local St. Regis properties

Turnberry, one of the premiere real estate developers in the U.S. and a leading owner and operator of luxury destinations, announced that it will develop and operate The St. Regis Nashville and The Residences at The St. Regis Nashville.

Located at 805 Demonbreun Street in Nashville, the new luxury offering is being designed by award-winning architect Morris Adjmi. It will feature interiors by the distinguished design boutique Meyer Davis, whose principals hail from Nashville, and internationally established Smallwood, Reynolds, Stewart, Stewart will serve as the architect of record.

The 740,000 sq. ft. building will have 39 floors, offering 177 hotel guest rooms and 111 residences. The development will have a fine dining restaurant, a lobby bar, a three-meal restaurant, a full-service spa and two amenity decks – one for hotel guests and one for residents.

The project is currently anticipated to break ground in 2025. The location is adjacent to the JW Marriott Nashville which is also developed, owned and operated by Turnberry.

Turnberry has had a presence in Nashville since 1999 with the Hilton Downtown and Union Station Hotel. In 2018, Turnberry delivered Nashville’s first luxury hotel with the JW Marriott. The property is a 5-Star, Marriott International “Hotel of the Year” award winner.

Study: Exosuits increase productivity, well-being

A new industry report found that wearing an exoskeleton can increase productivity by 8%. HeroWear, a manufacturer specializing in soft, textile-based exoskeletons called exosuits, partnered with an international grocery retailer to collect the research and presented its findings in a new case study now available online.

In addition to the productivity increases, additional key findings include:

• Workers reported a 30% reduction in work-related lower back discomfort

• Workers said the effort required to do their job was reduced by 39% while wearing the exosuit

• 81% of workers expressed willingness to continue using the exosuits after the study was complete

“Our case study demonstrates that HeroWear exosuit technology not only reduces injury risk, but also drives productivity,” says Mark Harris, CEO and co-founder of HeroWear. “We are enthusiastic that our commitment to improving workers’ quality of life can also provide tangible financial benefits to the companies they work for.”

The study was conducted over a nine-week span with 40 employees, each fitted and trained on the HeroWear Apex 2 exosuit. Productivity was measured by cases picked per hour and tracked over one month. Nearly all employees who completed the study experienced an increase in productivity compared to their baseline and most reported feeling less fatigued.

To download the case study, discover additional research regarding exosuits, or experiment with the ROI calculator.

State, SBA expand HUBZone program

Gov. Bill Lee and U.S. Small Business Administration Regional Administrator Allen Thomas announced that 23 counties and census tracts have been added to the list of areas where small businesses are eligible to participate in SBA’s Historically Underutilized Business Zone (HUBZone) program.

The program targets job creation in areas with higher poverty rates, low median household income, and rural areas designated by the governor’s office and the Department of Economic and Community Development.

Eligible companies in these areas can now apply for HUBZone certification, which helps them compete with larger firms for federal government contracts. The increased capacity helps the firms become more competitive in the private market over time, strengthening local economies.

In 2022, $184,345,174 in contracts were awarded to the 98 certified HUBZone companies participating in the program in Tennessee. Strategic spending through programs like this and State initiatives that prioritize rural Tennessee have helped reduce the number of economically distressed counties in Tennessee from 19 to eight since 2018.

The selected rural counties and census tracts were evaluated on factors including distressed or at-risk county status; disaster-impacted areas; existing certified HUBZone businesses; overlap with an existing Opportunity Zone; proximity to new and expanding private, state and federal projects; and locations in or near a certified TN Main Street, Certified Industrial Site, Small Business Development Center, Regional Entrepreneur Center, cowork location, higher education institution or multimodal travel area.

The current HUBZone Map and eligibility details, along with additional information on small business loans and other business development resources are available at www.sba.gov/federal-contracting/contracting-assistance-programs/hubzone-program.

Area orthopedist develops Sportcane

Sportcane has officially launched as a newly imagined walking aid that provides everyday walking assistance and accelerates surgery and injury recovery. Designed with the highest level of durability and craftsmanship by a team of leading engineers and orthopedic surgeons, Sportcane has updated the mainstream cane for the very first time with a unique 22° curve strategically positioned toward the bottom of the walking aid.

Sportcane was created by Dr. Charles R. Kaelin, a renowned Mt. Juliet-based orthopedic surgeon with more than 40 years of experience specializing in sports medicine and orthopedic surgery.

After recognizing the social stigma associated with canes during his own surgery recovery experience, Dr. Kaelin worked with a team of leading engineers and other orthopedic surgeons to design a cane that is not only beneficial for all ages and needs, but update the common cane altogether to make it more appealing and stronger.

Sportcane’s tip design, angled to accentuate the transfer force through the 22° curve toward the bottom of the cane, supports the body by absorbing high-loading forces at impact, restoring the normal knee flexion angle.

The design enables the use of the muscles in the arms, shoulders and chest to help improve movement and mobility in the lower body all of which is beneficial for recovering from both short-term and long-term conditions, as well as aiding in everyday walking assistance. Sportcane also supports rehabilitation, helping people return to their normal daily activities sooner.

To purchase a Sportcane and learn more, visit www.sportcane.com.

92 counties end ’23 with unemployment down

Nearly every county in Tennessee ended 2023 with lower unemployment, according to new data from the Department of Labor and Workforce Development (TDLWD). Ninety-two of the state’s 95 counties posted rates in December that came in lower than their November statistics.

Wayne County’s rate was unchanged between November and December at 3.5%. Unemployment did increase in two counties during the month. Hardeman County saw its rate grow from 4.3% to 4.6%, while unemployment in Fayette County increased from 3.6% to 3.8%.

Every county in the state recorded unemployment rates below 5% in December.

Moore County continued to have the lowest unemployment in the state with a rate of 2.1%, down from 2.4% in November. Williamson County had the second-lowest rate for the month, down from 2.6% to 2.3%.

Bledsoe County had the highest rate of unemployment in December. The county’s new rate of 4.8% is a 0.2% decrease from its November rate of 5%. While Lauderdale County had the second-highest rate for the month at 4.7%, it was down 0.5 of a percentage point from the previous month.

Data released by TDLWD Jan. 18 showed no movement in the statewide unemployment rate between November and December. The state’s seasonally adjusted rate held steady at 3.5%. Throughout 2023, unemployment in Tennessee remained low and ranged from 3.1% to 3.5%.

Nationally, the jobless number also remained unchanged in December at 3.7%, 0.2% higher than Tennessee’s rate for the month.

Safe Store program offers free cable gun lock

Through its new Safe Store Tennessee program, the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security is offering free cable gun locks to any Tennessean available on request at Driver Services Centers and Tennessee Highway Patrol district headquarters.

The 15-inch cable lock from the TDOSHS can secure most shotguns, rifles, pistols and revolvers. The cable lock works by running through the barrel or action of the firearm preventing it from being fired. The rubber coating on the cable helps to protect the firearm. The cable lock has a secure keyed deadbolt locking mechanism with a 4-pin cylinder.

For added security, the TDOSHS recommends gun owners use the free cable gun lock in combination with other safe storage measures. A firearm with an engaged cable lock should be stored in a locked gun case, safe or lock box. Ammunition should be stored in a separate locked container. Keys to the cable lock should be stored separately from the firearm in a hard-to-access secure location.

Learn more about the Safe Store Tennessee program and where Tennesseans can request a free cable lock at SafeStoreTN.com.