The Music City Walk of Fame will induct legendary “tropical troubadour” Jimmy Buffett; iconic gospel quartet The Fairfield Four; visionary hospitality leader Colin Reed of Ryman Hospitality Properties; and beloved Grand Ole Opry announcer and host Bill Cody, the Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp announced.

The induction ceremony will take place Wednesday, Oct. 30, 1 p.m., at Music City Walk of Fame Park. Members of the public are invited to view the ceremony.

Reed and Cody are being honored in tribute to the Grand Ole Opry celebrating its 100th anniversary next year. Jimmy Buffett died on Sept. 1, 2023, after a four-year battle with Merkel cell skin cancer and will be inducted posthumously.

The ceremony will mark the 105th, 106th, 107th and 108th stars on the Music City Walk of Fame. Inductees are recognized for their significant work of preserving the musical heritage of Nashville and for contributing to the world through song.

The Music City Walk of Fame was created in 2006 on Nashville’s Music Mile, a roughly one-mile stretch that connects downtown to Music Row. Permanent sidewalk medallions with the names of inductees are displayed in a star design.

Pinnacle jumps to No. 3 on ‘Great Place’ list

Pinnacle Financial Partners has once again been named among the nation’s Best Large Workplaces in Financial Services and Insurance by FORTUNE magazine and Great Place to Work, climbing to the No. 3 spot for 2024.

That’s up from No. 7 in 2023 and places the firm on a top 10 list of much larger national and international brands. It marks the eighth consecutive year Pinnacle has earned this recognition, reinforcing its reputation as a destination for top-tier talent in the banking industry.

The rankings are based on anonymous employee feedback from more than 194,000 people in financial services and insurance industries.

The survey evaluates workplace culture, trust in leadership, respect among colleagues and fairness in decision-making. Pinnacle’s focus on these principles and the firm’s own values ensure that associates feel empowered, motivated and invested in the firm’s success.

Tennessee gas prices fall another 8 cents to $2.74

Tennessee gas prices have declined for the fourth consecutive week, falling 8 cents last week. The Tennessee Gas Price average is now $2.74, which is 31 cents less expensive than one month ago and 70 cents less than one year ago.

“Falling oil prices and gasoline demand continue to push pump prices lower across the state. We’re now seeing the cheapest pump prices since January,” says Megan Cooper, spokeswoman, AAA - The Auto Club Group. “It’s likely that the momentum at the pump will continue this week, which means more savings for Tennessee drivers.”

The national average for a gallon of gas is $3.20, 23 cents less than a month ago and 67 cents less than a year ago.

The most expensive markets in Tennessee are Memphis ($2.82), Knoxville ($2.81) and Jackson ($2.80), while the least-expensive are Chattanooga ($2.57), Cleveland ($2.62) and Clarksville ($2.67).

Mills Insurance sells to Boyle Insurance

Memphis-based Boyle Insurance Agency has acquired Mills Insurance Agency, an independent agency in Nashville with a mixed client base of small to mid-size businesses.

Former owner Chris Mills has now joined the Brentwood office of Boyle Insurance Agency. Mills and his daughter, Caroline, are now working with Jeff Pucket, vice president of Boyle Insurance Agency. He opened Boyle’s Brentwood office in 2012.

Mills has resided in Nashville since 1989 and started his insurance career as an underwriter for Auto-Owners Insurance in 1991. He was named Insurance Agent of the Year in 2016 by the Professional Insurance Agents of Tennessee.

Bridgestone, Penske extend INDYCAR pact

Bridgestone Americas and Penske Entertainment announced a long-term extension to Firestone’s role as the exclusive tire supplier of all INDYCAR-sanctioned racing.

The agreement will keep Firestone as the sole tire supplier for all NTT INDYCAR SERIES races, the INDY NXT by Firestone developmental series and the annual Indianapolis 500.

Firestone is currently in its 25th consecutive season as the exclusive tire supplier for the series. The extension reinforces Bridgestone’s ongoing commitment to driving innovation through motor sports. The Firestone brand continues its rich history in open-wheel racing, dating back more than a century.

“At Bridgestone, motor sports are our passion – always have been and always will be. This is particularly true for our Firestone brand, which has been part of world-class racing since winning the first Indy 500 in 1911,” says Paolo Ferrari, executive chairman and CEO, Bridgestone Americas.

“We believe motor sports are the ultimate challenge for premium performance and a proving ground for advancing in our goals toward sustainable innovation. Our relationship with the NTT IndyCar Series has been a critical part of these efforts, and we are proud to keep driving forward together.”

The long-term extension includes Firestone’s role as presenting sponsor and sole tire supplier of the top-tier development series, INDY NXT by Firestone. The brand signed as presenting sponsor of INDY NXT in 2023 to help the sport develop the next generation of racing talent and engage new audiences. The agreement also renews Firestone’s status as official partner and tire supplier of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the largest spectator sporting facility on the planet.

ServeScape brings marketplace to Nashville

ServeScape, the Atlanta-based farm-to-landscape online marketplace, has announced its expansion into the Nashville and Charlotte, North Carolina, markets this month.

With a focus on locally grown plants, ServeScape homeowners, homeowner associations, builders, industry professionals have access to high-quality plants and expert design services, delivered directly to their doorsteps.

Since its launch in 2020, ServeScape has delivered thousands of plants to customers across the Southeast. Now, residents in Nashville and Charlotte can now take advantage of ServeScape’s easy-to-use platform, which connects them with top local plant growers and landscape experts. From sourcing the right trees and shrubs to providing horticultural guidance, ServeScape is dedicated to helping people create beautiful, resilient landscapes.

ServeScape’s unique offering includes its Plant Nerd AI tool, which provides customers with personalized recommendations for optimal planting times, soil needs, and ideal plant pairings tailored to their specific location. This cutting-edge feature ensures that customers can make informed decisions to nurture their landscapes for years to come and is completely free to use.

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Redfin: Housing costs down even as prices rise

Falling mortgage rates have pushed the median U.S. housing payment down near its lowest level since January, but pending home sales have yet to improve, according to Redfin.

Many would-be buyers are hoping rates fall further, and others are waiting for clarity around the new NAR rules.

The median U.S. monthly housing payment was $2,558 during the four weeks ending Sept. 8, nearly down to where it was at the start of the year and down 1.3% from a year earlier.

That’s a small drop, but it’s the second-biggest decline since May 2020, when the housing market was stumbling before the pandemic-driven boom (the biggest decline since then was two weeks ago, when payments declined 1.6%).

Housing payments are falling because mortgage rates are falling. Weekly average mortgage rates and daily average rates have both dropped to their lowest level in over a year in anticipation of the Federal Reserve cutting interest rates.

Housing payments would be falling further if not for stubbornly high home prices: The median U.S. home-sale price is $388,085, up 3.7% year over year and just a few thousand dollars shy of July’s all-time high.

Home prices remain elevated despite slow sales partly due to limited inventory. The total number of homes for sale is down nearly 30% from pre-pandemic levels. The 16.7% increase from a year ago is the smallest increase in five months.

VUMC joins pandemic prevention effort

Vanderbilt University Medical Center has joined a national effort to develop and stockpile new vaccines and antibody therapies against a host of viral threats to prevent another pandemic.

Pending the availability of funds, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease of the National Institutes of Health expects to commit approximately $100 million a year to the program, called ReVAMPP, for Research and Development of Vaccines and Monoclonal Antibodies for Pandemic Preparedness, the NIH announced on Sept. 13.

Developed in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, which killed millions worldwide and cost the United States economy trillions of dollars, ReVAMPP will support a coordinating center and seven research centers, including VUMC, with a focus on nine virus groups that pose the greatest risk to human health.

VUMC’s three-year, $13 million per year grant will enable researchers at the Vanderbilt Vaccine Center (VVC) to accelerate their investigations of bunyaviruses, which include life-threatening respiratory and hemorrhagic fever viruses and picornaviruses, notably enterovirus D68.

They also will contribute to ReVAMPP projects led by the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston and Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis targeting other viral threats, including mosquito-transmitted Eastern equine encephalitis, which shut down parks and beaches on the East Coast this summer.

EverPeak Insurance launches in Tennessee

EverPeak Insurance, a leading solution for workers’ compensation insurance, announced its official launch in the state of Tennessee. EverPeak specializes in serving small businesses and those in hard-to-place industries that often face challenges in securing timely and accessible workers’ compensation coverage, a trend that has been increasingly prevalent across the United States.

EverPeak is built for small to medium-sized businesses and welcomes established and new ventures.

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