Aaron

Benjamin C. Aaron has joined Neal & Harwell, PLC, as an associate.

Aaron previously worked as an attorney with his father, Doug Aaron, in Manchester. He served as a clerk at The Garza Law Firm in Knoxville, and was a student attorney at the University of Tennessee Legal Clinic while in law school.

Aaron is a 2015 graduate of the University of Tennessee College of Law, where he graduated first in his class. He also earned a degree business administration at UT.

Baker Donelson adds to Intellectual Property Group

Baker Donelson has hired Nicholas Valenti to the firm’s Nashville office.

Valenti joins as an associate in Baker Donelson’s Intellectual Property Group and focuses his practice in the areas of patents and patent litigation. A graduate of the Georgetown University Law School, he received his undergraduate degree in nuclear engineering and engineering physics from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He has legal experience in Bangkok, Thailand and Shanghai, China.

Diversified Trust names 3 senior vice presidents

Orton

Diversified Trust, a wealth management firm with more than $5 billion in client assets, has announced the promotion of Stephanie Orton, Mary Raymond and Doug Turner to senior vice president

Orton focuses on client support and account administration, while also being integrally involved in the development and execution of operational initiatives for the Nashville office. She previously served as an associate financial planner and operations specialist for a fee-only financial planning and investment management firm. Orton attended the University of Kentucky and earned a degree in accounting from Brescia University.

Raymond

Raymond focuses on portfolio management and client service for institutions, individuals and retirement plans. Her responsibilities include providing detailed performance reporting, sharing economic updates, and making allocation recommendations to her clients. She serves as a member of the firm’s portfolio management and investment operations teams. Previously she worked as a financial representative with Northwestern Mutual. Raymond earned a degree in business administration from Belmont University and an MBA from Kaplan University.

Turner

Turner has recently been appointed the head of operations for the firm with responsibility for the implementation of client-focused solutions by the firm’s corporate operations and technology teams. Prior to this role, Turner managed our operations functions responsible for client statements and reporting, as well as the administration of alternative investments. Turner holds a degree in business with a concentration in finance from the University of Oregon.

In addition, Diversified Trust also announced the promotion of Andrew Brooks to senior associate. He has a degree in liberal arts university studies from Middle Tennessee State University.

Akers joins Hall Capital private equity, auto boards

Akers

Hall Capital, a family-owned private investment company based in Oklahoma City with a growing Middle Tennessee presence, has added Nashville’s T. Clark Akers as a member of the boards overseeing Hall Capital’s private equity and automotive ventures.

Akers will act as an advisor to Hall Capital Partners, the private equity affiliate of Hall Capital that has $250 million in capital under management. Akers will also join the oversight of Hall Capital’s automotive affiliate, The Fred Jones Companies. Akers joins other notable Nashville figures in Hall Capital’s board structure, including real estate veteran Patrick Emery and healthcare entrepreneur William “Billy” Webb.

Akers is a managing director in the SBIC Funds Placement Group at FBR & Co., which provides investment banking, merger and acquisition advisory, institutional brokerage and research services. Previously he worked in various capacities in the telecommunications sector, including serving as senior vice president of external affairs for TeleCorp PCS, Inc.

He is a 1979 graduate of Vanderbilt University.

Pendleton Square fills leadership positions

Davis

Steve Davis has been named chief trust officer and Jennifer Lineberger has been named director of financial operations for Nashville-based Pendleton Square Trust Company.

Davis brings more than 40 years of experience in trust, legal and financial services, having begun his career in First American National Bank’s legal, commercial real estate and trust departments, rising to executive vice president. He moved to Third National Bank, later SunTrust, as director of trust real estate and senior vice president/team leader of the bank’s personal trust department.

Lineberger

In 2005, Davis joined Truxton Trust as senior trust officer and served as independent trustee of Tennessee’s first chartered private trust company, The Family Private Trust, LLC. He left Truxton to become president of The Family Private Trust. A graduate of Colgate University, he earned his law degree at Nashville School of Law.

Lineberger operated her own consulting firm and was chief financial officer to a number of closely-held and family-owned businesses in Middle Tennessee. Prior to that, she was CFO of Emergency Services Network, PLLC, a large multi-location physician practice group

Lineberger earned master of accountancy from Belmont University and a degree in business administration from David Lipscomb University. She has been licensed as a CPA in Tennessee for 16 years.

McGruder joins Pinnacle as financial advisor

McGruber

Jeff McGruder has joined Pinnacle Financial Partners as a senior vice president and financial advisor at the firm’s Brentwood office.

McGruder is a 14-year banking veteran who was most recently a business service officer for Branch Bank & Trust (BB&T) in Franklin. Previously, he spent nine years with Regions Bank, where roles included serving as a business banking sales manager for southern Middle Tennessee, commercial underwriter and relationship manager.

McGruder earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Tennessee and his MBA from Trevecca Nazarene University.

He serves on the boards of Kipp Academy headquartered in East Nashville and the advisory board for the C.E. McGruder Family Resource Center in North Nashville.

Messer Construction promotes 6 in Nashville

Messer Construction Co. has promoted Alison Baden, Ike Graddy, Eric Guffey, Jeff Klosterman, Conrad Schneider and Courtney Smith to various roles in the Nashville region.

Baden, formerly a senior project accountant, will serve as regional accounting coordinator. She has been with Messer since 2004 and holds a degree in business administration from the University of Charleston and a degree in accounting from Franklin University.

Graddy, formerly a project manager, will serve as senior project manager. He joined Messer in 2007 and graduated from the University of Kentucky with a degree in civil engineering. Graddy is LEED AP certified and works with the Nashville LEAN committee and Messer Young Professional (YP) group.

Guffey, formerly a project manager, will serve as senior project manager in his new role. Guffey graduated from the University of Tennessee with a degree in civil engineering and joined the Messer team in 2009.

Klosterman, formerly a superintendent in the Nashville region, will now serve as a senior superintendent. Klosterman joined Messer in 2007 and his project experience includes MTSU’s Lyon Housing renovations and work on the Midtown Hills Police Precinct.

Schneider, formerly a project manager, will now serve as senior project manager. Conrad joined Messer in 2009 and holds a bachelor’s degree in building construction management and an associate’s degree in mechanical design from Purdue University.

MP&F Public Relations promotes designers

Mock

MP&F Public Relations has promoted Ashley Mock and Megan Willoughby from graphic designers to senior graphic designers.

Willoughby

Mock, a native of Germantown, Ohio, joined McNeely Pigott & Fox in 2012. Before joining MP&F, she worked at McGuffin Creative Group in Chicago, Illinois. She is a graduate of the University of Evansville.

Willoughby is a native of Madison, Alabama. She is a graduate of the Ringling College of Art and Design in Sarasota, Florida.