Bradley partner Lipshie named to Who’s Who list

Friday, July 19, 2019, Vol. 43, No. 29

Samuel D. Lipshie, a partner in Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP’s Nashville office, has again been named by Who’s Who Legal as among the world’s leading sports and entertainment law practitioners. He is listed in the Who’s Who Legal: Sports & Entertainment 2019 directory.

As the leader of Bradley’s Media and Entertainment Practice Group and a member of the firm’s Litigation and Intellectual Property practice groups, Lipshie practices in the areas of entertainment, music, intellectual property, and commercial litigation and dispute resolution. He has handled high-profile copyright, royalty (publishers, producers and talent), sports, entertainment, media and intellectual property litigation, as well as a multitude of cases involving trade secrets, trademarks, covenants not to compete, interference with contractual relations, and other business and commercial issues.

Only lawyers who receive the highest number of recommendations as determined through independent research for Who’s Who are listed in the publication. The Who’s Who Legal guides are intended to serve as reference sources for companies seeking to corroborate the reputations of lawyers recommended by another party.

WSMV names Watt station manager

WSMV-TV has named Steve Watt director of sales and station manager, effective July 29. He will be responsible for overseeing all revenue operations at WSMV, including both on-air and digital. Watt returns to Nashville from KSHB in Kansas City, Missouri.

Watt served as vice president and general manager at WKRN in Nashville, beginning there as local sales manager in 2004. Watt led the WKRN team through major change including three mergers and acquisitions. He set a strategic vision which earned growth in both revenue and audience. He also held sales management positions at KWQC and WHBF in the Quad Cities.

Watt earned a degree in journalism from Iowa State University.

Meredith Corporation, which owns WSMV, includes 17 television stations reaching 11 percent of U.S. households. Meredith’s portfolio is concentrated in large, fast-growing markets, with seven stations in the nation’s Top 25 and 13 in Top 50 markets.

Russell to oversee new First Tennessee trust office

First Tennessee Bank is expanding its trust division with the opening of a new office in Nashville that will be overseen by Stephen Russell, a senior vice president and head of trust and estate administration for the Middle Tennessee Region.

Russell previously was vice president and senior trust officer in First Tennessee’s Knoxville office. He joined the bank in 2015 and has been in the wealth management industry since 2010, serving as an estate planning adviser, financial planner and attorney.

He earned his J.D. and MBA from the University of Memphis and is a certified financial planner, certified trust and financial adviser and certified retirement counselor.

First Tennessee Bank reports its trust division is the largest among all banks headquartered in Tennessee with assets under administration totaling $22 billion.

First Farmers adds Commercial team lead

First Farmers and Merchants Bank – a community bank serving 22 locations in seven counties throughout Middle Tennessee – has added veteran banker Elizabeth “Liz” Miller as a commercial banking team lead.

Miller was most recently a senior relationship manager for CapStar Bank. She brings more than 25 years of experience in management, business development, training, marketing and financial analysis to First Farmers.

Her career has included roles with Capital Bank, US Bank, SunTrust Bank and Bank of America. In addition to her banking experience, she worked for Baker Donelson as the law firm’s director of business development.

Miller joins fellow commercial banking team leads Stephen Hughes and Rory Mallard under the direction of Bill Nigh, regional president and head of commercial banking. Nigh, a longtime Synovus executive with more than 40 years of banking experience, joined First Farmers in April 2019.

Miller is a graduate of Bellarmine University.

Choate Construction opens Nashville office

General contractor Choate Construction Company has opened an office in Nashville, its sixth. Choate, one of the largest commercial contractors in the Southeast, provides general contracting and construction management services in a range of diverse market sectors.

Construction veteran Matt Relick, division manager, will lead the Nashville office. Current and recent Nashville work includes restaurant Superica, retailer Crate & Barrel and the LKQ corporation headquarters. Choate’s experience in Tennessee began 20 years ago with a Georgia Pacific distribution center, later followed by notable projects such as The Icon in the Gulch mixed-use, Rhythm at Music Row boutique condos, and a host of other senior living, automotive and corporate projects.

Millard Choate, founder and executive chairman of the 30-year-old company, was born and raised in Nashville, having attended Father Ryan High School and Vanderbilt University.

Southeast Venture adds 3 to design team

Nashville-based commercial real estate brokerage and development firm Southeast Venture has added Eric Lowe, Nicole Robertson and Andrianna Thompson to its design team.

Lowe graduated from the University of Kentucky with bachelor’s and master’s degrees in architecture. Before joining Southeast Venture, Lowe worked at Revman Sign and Print Center, where he designed and produced graphic projects including business cards and banners.

He also spent three years as an I.T. Assistant at the University of Kentucky College of Design, where he serviced and repaired computers, printers and 3D printers and maintained and trained on various softwares.

Robertson holds a degree in interior design from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. While in school, she worked as a student designer at the university’s Community Design Assistance Center, where she collaborated with a team of interior designers and landscape designers on various projects throughout the town of Mendota, Virginia. She is also a member of the Interior Designers for Education and Sustainability.

Thompson joins Southeast Venture after earning a degree in interior architecture from the University of Tennessee. She recently interned with Donna Gilliam Interiors, where she assisted in designing the National Museum of African American Music set to open in Nashville in 2020. Previously, she interned with Studio Z, Inc., during which she selected material samples, made furniture schedules and met with clients, among other responsibilities.

Southeast Venture’s design team handles the architecture, interior design and master planning of various developments including health care, retail, urban and historic redevelopment and educational projects.

Eng takes leadership post at Vanderbilt-Ingram

Cathy Eng, M.D., a national and international leader in gastrointestinal medical oncology, is joining Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center.

Eng, professor of gastrointestinal medical oncology at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, was recruited to Vanderbilt University Medical Center to assume the role of co-leader of the VICC Gastrointestinal Cancer Research Program.

She will also oversee a large expansion in the clinical and research activities of the medical oncology gastrointestinal cancer disease group at Vanderbilt, as well as developing programs for adolescent and young adult oncology services.

Wilson Auto Dealer gets industry honor

Winstead Paine (W.P.) Bone III, owner of Wilson County Chevy Buick GMC and Wilson County Hyundai, has been named the 2019 recipient of the Andrew Jackson Award by the Tennessee Automotive Association.

The award is the highest honor a member of the Association can receive. Nominations are based on a dealer’s citizenship, community service and contributions to the automotive industry. Winners are chosen by their peers.

Bone, a lifelong Wilson County resident, began working in the automotive business by cleaning cars at age 13. His father and an uncle started Wilson County Motors in 1927; in 1969, he was offered a partnership interest when one of his father’s partners retired.

Before taking ownership of Wilson County Motors, he started his business career as president of the Lebanon Wilson County Chamber of Commerce. He has remained an active supporter of the Chamber, serving on multiple committees and receiving multiple awards. He has served on the board of trust of Cumberland University for decades and is currently the chairman.