Invest: Nashville 2024 Leadership Summit highlights regional growth, workforce needs
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Writer: Mirella Franzese
June 2024 — While Nashville and Middle Tennessee’s story of economic growth is still being written, regional leaders shared some important footnotes at the Invest: Nashville 2023-2024 Launch Conference.
The wider business community gathered on Tuesday morning at Bridgestone Arena, with more than 250 industry executives, elected officials, and rising stars in the professional world attending for key networking opportunities and actionable panel discussions.
In her opening remarks at the event, Capital Analytics’ President & CEO Abby Lindenberg provided an overview of the current economic climate of the Middle Tennessee region — highlighting the continued growth over the past year and challenges facing the region. “Our interviewees this year cite quality of life, a reasonable cost of living, and the continued relocation of people and businesses to the area as reasons for optimism. As mentioned in the lead interview that opens this year’s report, Nashville’s ‘resilience is a deliberate outcome of designing an economy that maintains a significant degree of equilibrium,’” said Lindenberg.
The city’s history and robust industries from music and banking to higher education and healthcare were focal points of the event. The leadership summit was kicked off by a keynote speech from Nashville Predators President & CEO Michelle Kennedy, who spoke about the city’s history and trajectory over the years. “We sit in the epicenter of one of the most exciting vibrant cities in America,” said Kennedy.
The first panel, “Tailor Made: The trends and technologies driving innovation in banking and finance and why they matter for both businesses and individuals” served as an overall assessment around the financial market in Middle Tennessee and featured distinguished panelists, including Paul Allen, president of Wealth Strategies Partners, Bradford Vieira, EVP and regional CEO of ServisFirst Bank Nashville, and Johnny Moore, regional president of Truist. The panel was moderated by Joyce Heames, dean of Jennings A. Jones College of Business at Middle Tennessee State University. Throughout the panel, themes such as artificial intelligence and its impact on financial services were covered. “We look at technology and innovation as an opportunity for us to improve our client experience. Commercial banking is a service-first industry,” said Vieira.
“We have gone from needing to grow more to needing to grow better”
The second panel, ‘Prosperity Pathway: Development opportunities across Middle Tennessee and the strategies needed to ensure sustainable, equitable growth’ was moderated by David Plummer, principal of Centric Architecture. The panel examined workforce growth in the construction industry as well as the overall heightened focus on people in designing and building the places where we gather to live, work, and play. The panelists included John Vardaman, advanced technology core market co-leader for DPR Construction, Suzannah Gills, business manager of Turner Construction, and Elizabeth Goodwin, senior managing director and Tennessee market leader for CBRE.
During the discussion, Vardaman noted, “We’re all competing for the same labor pool, which is causing a huge shift in our workforce. We have gone from needing to grow more to needing to grow better. Half of our labor force are construction management personnel, and the other half are hourly craft workers. We are focused on educating our people as a way to manage the pain of development.”
The final panel, ‘Future Ready: How promoting a symbiotic healthcare-education relationship positions the Middle Tennessee economy to meet emerging trends,’ was presented by George Crawford, attorney at Butler Snow, and moderated by Melanie Thomas, chief information officer for Nashville General Hospital. The panelists included Greg Jones, president of Belmont University, David Lewis, CEO of The Surgical Clinic, and Frank Stevenson, dean of students and associate vice president for Tennessee State University. Stevenson is also the chairman of the Metro Hospital Authority Board.
“We are redefining careers in the medical sector at Tennessee State University. Every hospital needs a chief financial officer and chief operating officer, in addition to doctors and nurses. We are seeing a generational shift where students now want careers in health delivery services, as well as in traditional healthcare,” said Stevenson.
Closing remarks were delivered by Shain Collins, Capital Analytics’ senior executive director, who highlighted the important roles that leaders in the region play to catapult Nashville into its next iteration of growth while maintaining the same characteristics that make it an authentic American city.
To read the brand new Invest: Nashville 2023-2024 report, click here. (Subscription required.)
To watch the Invest: Nashville 2023-2024 Launch Conference panel discussions, please subscribe and stay tuned to our YouTube Channel as those videos are released in the coming week.
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About Capital Analytics & Invest: Nashville 2023-2024
Capital Analytics is an integrated media platform that produces in-depth business intelligence through its annual print and digital economic reviews, high-impact conferences and events and top-level interviews via its video platform, Invest:Insights.
The Invest: Nashville 2023-2024 report provides an in-depth look at what makes the region’s economy tick and the challenges that remain from the perspective of over 200 local leaders and elected officials.
Invest: Nashville looks at Middle Tennessee’s key industries, including healthcare, financial services, real estate, technology, tourism and infrastructure, that drive the local economy. The area has enjoyed continuous growth and economic expansion in recent years, fuelled by business friendly policies and a number of business relocations and expansions during and after the pandemic. Based on this solid foundation, the region is poised to continue its robust growth in the years to come.
For more information, contact:
Ryan Gandolfo
Senior Editor
786-843-8500
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