Gordon Inman

Veteran banker and businessman Gordon Inman will be named chairman of FirstBank Middle Tennessee. He also will join the board of directors.

Inman, who stepped down as chairman of the board for Fifth Third Bank Tennessee 10 months ago, will begin his role with FirstBank on Jan. 1.

Inman was a founding member and major shareholder of Franklin Financial Corporation, holding company of Franklin National Bank. When Franklin Financial was acquired by Fifth Third in 2004, Inman became chairman of Fifth Third’s Tennessee operations. He previously served on the Williamson County Bank board of directors and was a founder and director of the former First National Bank of Knoxville. In 2008, Inman was honored by the Tennessee Bankers Association as a Leader in Banking Excellence.

Billy, Tommy Lynch honored by Bellevue

The first brothers to lead different Metro Government departments at the same time are now the first brothers to share Bellevue Citizen of the Year awards. Billy and Tommy Lynch became the 39th and 40th recipients of the award presented by the Bellevue Chamber of Commerce.

Both Metro Public Works Director Billy and Metro Parks Director Tommy are longtime Bellevue residents with deep ties to community organizations and events.

The brothers said the award was doubly pleasing because their father, who passed away when Tommy was in high school, also worked in government and was involved in public service.

The Bellevue Chamber of Commerce established the Citizen of the Year award in 1979 to honor citizens who devote their time and talent to make the Bellevue community a vital and vibrant part of Davidson County.

Past winners include the late Judge Leon Ruben, Sen. Douglas Henry, attorney Cecil Branstetter, dinner theater owners Janie & John Chaffin, Metro Councilwoman Sheri Weiner and the late former sheriff Fate Thomas.

Avenue Bank adds two vice presidents

Harry Allen has been appointed as a vice president, commercial relationship manager for Avenue Bank. Allen most recently served as vice president of finance for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Middle Tennessee. He has a BBA and a MBA from Belmont University. Allen serves on the board of directors for Fifty Forward and is treasurer for the Belmont Alumni Association Board of Directors, as well as an active volunteer with Big Brothers Big Sisters.

Christopher Murrey has been named as a vice president, commercial relationship manager. He comes to Avenue Bank with 16 years of experience in the banking industry. Murrey was previously a commercial banker with BB&T. He is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a B.A. in English. He serves on the board of directors for the Leiper’s Fork Community Association.

Charlie Thompson has joined Avenue Bank as a mortgage loan originator. He has 15 years experience in the mortgage industry and a B.A. and a M.A. from Western Kentucky University. He currently serves on the board of directors for Servus CDC, which provides homebuyer education, credit counseling and down payment assistance programs for qualified buyers.

Brent Bowers is a new concierge banker at the Cummins Station branch. Previously he worked for Lost Highway Records, a division of Universal Music Group. He has a B.A. in music business from Belmont University and a B.S. in finance from Miami University of Ohio.

Robert McDonald is also a new concierge banker at Avenue Bank’s Cummins Station branch. He most recently served as a financial services representative at First Tennessee Bank. Mr. McDonald is a graduate of the University of Mississippi, where he received his B.A. in political science.

GNAR names 2012 officers, directors

Kendra Cooke has been elected president of the Greater Nashville Association of Realtors for 2012. Cooke, a Realtor with Bob Parks Realty, was sworn in recently, along with other GNAR officers. Her one-year term will begin Jan. 1.

Officers serving for 2012 with Cooke, a Realtor with Bob Parks Realty, include, Price Lechleiter (Fridrich & Clark), president-elect; Hagan Stone (Pilkerton), secretary/treasurer; Mark Deutschmann (Village), vice president; Cindy Stanton (Crye-Leike), vice president; and Alice Walker (The Wilson Group), immediate past president.

Cooke has been in the real estate industry since 1997 and has served the industry in a variety of ways. In addition to being a director of both the Tennessee Association of Realtors and Greater Nashville Association of Realtors, she will serve as a director of the National Association of Realtors in 2012. Cooke has chaired and/or served on the convention, special events, and arbitration committees at GNAR. She was Realtor of the Year in 2005 and was both Top Listing and Top Selling Agent in 2006. Her community involvement includes serving as a director of the Rutherford County Chamber of Commerce and is or has been active in a variety of organizations, including Habitat for Humanity, the American Heart Association, the Smyrna/La Vergne Food Bank, and many others.

Neal & Harwell places 4 on Best lawyers list

Aubrey B. Harwell, Jr. will be included in Best Lawyers for his work in bet-the-company litigation, commercial litigation and white-collar criminal defense. James R. Kelley will be listed for his work in bankruptcy and creditor-debtor rights law. Marc T. McNamee will be included for his bankruptcy and creditor-debtor rights law and litigation bankruptcy practice. James F. Sanders will be listed for his work white-collar criminal defense.

All four Neal & Harwell attorneys have been named to The Best Lawyers in America® for more than 20 years. Harwell has been included in Best Lawyers since its first publication in 1983.

DVL Public Relations hires art director

DVL Public Relations & Advertising recently hired Josh Wilkerson as interactive art director. Wilkerson joins DVL with experience in multiple media platforms, including interactive and print media. He previously worked as a graphic designer in the Belmont University Communications Department. Wilkerson will produce and develop websites for various clients.

Bellevue blogger takes top honors

Family Focus Blog founded by Scarlet Paolicchi, has been recognized as one of the top home businesses in the nation by StartupNation in its annual Home-Based 100 competition.

Paolicchi, a stay-at-home mom, has more than 28,000 on Twitter (@familyfocusblog). Her blog is focused on going green and fun family activities. She reports on family fun, eco tips, giveaways, products and causes.

Iroquois Capital expands team

Iroquois Capital Group, a Nashville-based merchant banking company that focuses on the health care and financial service industries, has expanded its management team with the addition of three senior professionals:

Ashley Holloway, vice president and controller, is responsible for accounting, human resources, and information technology. She was previously employed as the controller for Secure Air Charter, LLC and as an auditor for Frasier Dean & Howard, PLLC. She is a graduate of Samford University and holds an active CPA license in the state of Tennessee and a Series 28 securities license designation.

Matthew Jacques, vice president, is responsible for providing management services for the company’s REIT business. He was previously a member of the faculty at Montgomery Bell Academy. He graduated from Yale University and holds the Series 7 and Series 63 securities license designations.

Katie Koban, vice president, is responsible for compliance and regulatory matters. She was previously employed with Butler, Elkins & Associates, Stites & Harbison, and Bass, Berry and Sims in Nashville. She graduated from the University of Colorado and received her law degree from Nashville School of Law.

Bass, Berry & Sims one of ‘30 Best’

Bass, Berry & Sims PLC has been named to the 2012 BTI Client Service A-Team, which consists of 30 elite national and international law firms recognized for providing exceptional client service.

According to the survey of 240 in-house corporate counsel, which ranks more than 650 law firms across the country, Bass, Berry & Sims ranked in the top 30. The survey is fully independent and no law firm can buy, self-recommend, self-nominate or influence the outcome.

In-house counsel cited Bass, Berry & Sims for its responsiveness, commitment, value and anticipation of client needs. Survey respondents praised the firm’s understanding of their specific companies and long-term business objectives.

Ingram adds staff, expands firm’s reach

The Ingram Group, a 28-year-old public affairs firm based in Nashville, has issued a series of announcements signaling a substantial expansion of the firm’s state government relations and strategic consulting practices.

Kevin Botts recently joined the group as a government relations consultant and corporate strategist.

Rachel Albright joined the team earlier this year as a client consultant after as deputy press secretary for U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell.

This news follows the recent opening of a Washington, DC, office, The FIRST Group.