Czech record presser locating $13M facility in Nashville

Friday, April 22, 2022, Vol. 46, No. 16

Nashville Record Pressing, LLC is establishing operations in Nashville that will include its headquarters, manufacturing, distribution and back-office functions.

Nashville Record Pressing will invest $13.3 million and create 255 new jobs during the next five years at the company’s facility located at 520 Brick Church Park Drive, the company reports.

Nashville Record Pressing is a wholly owned subsidiary of Czech Republic-based GZ Media.

In addition to its U.S. headquarters, the Nashville facility will house the company’s manufacturing and distribution operations, which will be equipped with new, best-in-class equipment and infrastructure, positioning Nashville Record Pressing to be highly competitive and resilient, while also supporting the Nashville music community.

GZ Media employs nearly 2,000 people in the Czech Republic and 500 in North America and is the largest global manufacturer of vinyl records.

Asurion launches major appliance repair

Nashville-based tech care company Asurion has launched an appliance repair division providing repairs “as soon as next day.” Asurion Appliance Repair is providing in-home repairs of major appliance brands, including Samsung, GE, LG, Electrolux, Whirlpool and more.

Asurion Appliance Repair also has authorized service partnerships with major appliance brands that provides their repair experts with direct access to manufacturer parts. All Asurion appliance repairs are backed by a 60-day warranty on parts and labor.

Nashville-area customers can call to schedule or book an appointment online. Service visits include a $99 diagnostic fee, which is waived when Asurion Appliance Repair is hired to fix your appliance.

Information: appliance-repair.asurion.com.

Data analysis: Nashville property taxes up 27%

ATTOM, a leading curator of real estate data nationwide for land and property data, has released its 2021 property tax analysis for almost 87 million U.S. single family homes, including Nashville.

Among metro areas with a population of at least 1 million that had the largest increases in average property taxes last year, were Nashville (up 27%), Milwaukee (up 18.6%); Baltimore (up 12.3%); Grand Rapids (up 12.3%) and Louisville (up 11%).

The report shows that $328 billion in property taxes were levied on single-family homes in 2021, up just 1.6% from $323 billion in 2020. That was well down from the 5.4% increase seen from 2019 to 2020 and marked the second smallest rise over the past five years.

Meanwhile, the average tax on single-family homes in the U.S. in 2021 increased at the smallest pace in the five years, rising 1.8% from $3,719 in 2020 to $3,785 last year. The latest figures resulted in an effective tax rate of 0.9%, down from 1.1% in 2020.

TN announces 3-year transportation program

Tennessee Department of Transportation has set its annual three-year transportation program, featuring $3.6 billion-plus in infrastructure investments for 58 individual project phases in 34 counties across the state.

The program provides funding for 22 highway and bridge projects in economically distressed and at-risk counties and emphasizes the repair and replacement of bridges, with activities beginning on 34 structures in 17 counties. Nine of those bridges are on the state highway system, with the other 25 on local roads.

The comprehensive program also continues to build on the IMPROVE Act’s progress, which provides for infrastructure investments in all 95 counties. This year’s program budgets dollars for 92 of the 962 projects identified in the 2017 legislation. And through the General Fund allocation to the department, three programs supporting 22 additional projects are funded in the state budget.

Construction will begin in FY 2023 on several critical transportation projects across the state:

• Knox-Blount counties: Relocated Alcoa Highway (SR 115/US 129)

• Hamilton County: I-75 Interchange modification at Hamilton Place Mall

• Davidson County: Nolensville Pike from Old Hickory Boulevard to Mill Creek (SR 11/US 31A)

• Trousdale County: North of SR 10 to near Cedar Bluff Road Intersection (SR 141)

• Benton County: Camden bypass to Tennessee River (SR 1/US 70)

• Haywood County: SR 194 (Blue Oval City)

Proposals being accepted for urban tree projects

The Tennessee Department of Agriculture’s Division of Forestry is funding urban forestry tree planting projects to help cities and counties, schools and nonprofit organizations with conservation efforts.

The Tennessee Agricultural Enhancement Program (TAEP) Community Tree Planting Program applications are now open to help increase and enhance urban and community tree populations.

TAEP offers a cost-share program for tree planting on public property, rights of way and private nonprofit land with public access.

Funds cover half the cost of trees and shipping, contracted planting, mulch, irrigation devices, tree labels and signage. Grantees are required to use Tennessee-grown trees.

Grant funds can be used for planting on private property on a riparian area, which is a 35-foot transitional area between land that contains a mix of trees, shrubs, grasses and wildflowers and the edge of a river, stream or creek bank. Although riparian tree plantings are allowed on private property, grants are not available to individual landowners.

Proposals must be submitted electronically by to [email protected] by 3:30 p.m. CDT June 3. Information: www.tn.gov/agriculture/forests/urban.html

PYA acquires Nashville’s Crux Strategies

PYA, a certified public accounting and professional services firm, has purchased Nashville’s Crux Strategies.

Crux, a full-service business advisory and consulting firm, will join affiliate firms Realty Trust Group, PYA Waltman Capital and Intuitive MB.

The firm leverages business intelligence, issues management and data collection to inform business strategies for its clients nationwide. Crux works in corporate strategy, health care compliance, government relations, and more.

Crux founder, C. Timothy Gary, is an experienced attorney and business executive with expertise in health care and governmental relations. Gary will retain ownership with Matt King, senior vice president of government relations.

“Joining PYA will allow Crux an opportunity to expand our capabilities–using data and business intelligence tools to provide strategic insight to our clients,” Gary says. “We look forward to joining the PYA Enterprise and working together to help our clients succeed.”

Mitsubishi adds work-from-home policy

Franklin-based Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc. has announced a new work-from-home policy.

The work-from-home policy affords flexibility to employees whose jobs can be performed from home, with no required minimum number of days in the office, a benefit more common among cutting-edge technology companies than automotive brands.

This announcement comes as the company reports strong sales across the first quarter of 2022 and builds on its momentum as the fastest-growing, non-luxury brand in the industry.

InsurePay gets Series B funding, buys AcordPay

Nashville-based InsurePay, an Insuretech Property and Casualty billing and payments platform, announced it has secured additional Series B funding from Aquiline Technology Growth, Fintop Capital and others.

The investment funded the acquisition of AcordPay, an insurance payment hub that automates digital payment types and reconciles receivables, payables and commissions for agents, carriers, MGAs and insurance technology providers.

As part of the acquisition, the existing AcordPay and InsurePay teams will come together under the InsurePay brand with a united mission of delivering accurate, timely, data-driven insurance payments to the North American insurance market.

Financial details of the transaction were not disclosed.

The combined companies are making the move to be the end-to-end billing and payments solution for the insurance industry.

Pinnacle, local office earn Great Place status

Pinnacle Financial Partners has been placed at No. 28 among 100 Best Companies to Work For by Great Place to Work, and the local office in Nashville won its 10th consecutive No. 1 ranking.

Nashville’s office now enters the Hall of Fame and is retired from the listing which is published by Great Place to Work and FORTUNE magazine today.

Pinnacle Financial has been on the list every year since the first year it was eligible in 2017.

On the local level, Pinnacle also has earned workplace awards in nearly every major market it serves, including No. 1 rankings in Knoxville and Memphis as well as Nashville.

The 100 Best Companies to Work For rankings are based on analysis of survey responses from more than 4.5 million current U.S. employees. In that survey, 98% of Pinnacle’s employees said the firm is a great place to work.

Integrity Solutions named Business of Year

Nashville’s Integrity Solutions, a leader in sales performance, training and coaching, has received the 2022 Business of the Year Award at ISA-The Association of Learning Providers’ Annual Business Retreat.

The designation recognizes the company’s financial success, quality products and services, market position and positive workplace culture.

“We’ve been fortunate to receive a significant number of industry awards in recent years. But this one probably means the most because it comes directly from peers across our industry,” says Mike Esterday, CEO of Integrity Solutions. 2021 was the best year in our 53-year history.

“It’s a testament to the amazing work our team does every day on behalf of our clients around the world. We’re honored to be recognized by ISA for the work we do in sales training, sales coaching and customer service training.”

Integrity Solutions joins such previous recipients of the ISA Business of the Year Award as ExperiencePoint, Intrepid by VitalSource, Center for Creative Leadership, Power Speaking, Pivot Leadership, VitalSmarts, Crisis Prevention Institute and Acumen Learning.