Images Nashville, TN: 2010

2010 | IMAGESNASHVILLE.COM ®

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NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE

What’s s e Online Video of Frist Center for the Visual Arts

ENGAGED IN THE ARTS

Leading the Green Scene Sustainability efforts make strides, win awards

City tops national lists of cultural centers

FRESH AND FABULOUS Restaurants take Southern cuisine to a new level

SPONSORED BY THE NASHVILLE AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

Wow, that’s good …

No, that’s Goodlettsville, TN.

It’s the people who make this city a great place to raise a family and own a business. Goodlettsville is a community rich in Southern hospitality with easy access to shopping, restaurants and to downtown Nashville.

Now that’s Goodlettsville.

Goodlettsville, TN is a vibrant community known for its quiet neighborhoods and bustling business districts. With many community groups, places to worship and cultural activities, we offer something for the entire family.

We invite you to VISIT and SEE for yourself!

To learn more, call Tom Tucker – City of Goodlettsville (615) 598-6078 www.cityofgoodlettsville.org

2010 EDITION | VOLUME 8 ®

NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE

8 CO NTE NT S

NASHVILLE BUSINESS

F E AT U R E S

30 A Study in Resilience Nashville’s diverse economy and solid track record bode well for business.

8 LEADING THE GREEN SCENE Nashville’s sustainability efforts take root.

34 Biz Briefs 36 Chamber Report

12 WHAT’S A KID TO DO? Nashville offers plenty of activities – indoors and out – for the whole family.

16 FRESH AND FABULOUS Music City restaurants take Southern cuisine to a new level.

37 Economic Profile

D E PA R TM E NT S 6 Almanac: a colorful sampling of Nashville’s culture

24 Portfolio: people, places and events that define Nashville

20 NOW APPEARING LIVE Historic clubs and A-list performers energize Nashville’s music scene.

41 ENGAGED IN THE ARTS Nashville tops national lists of cultural centers.

38 40 42 44 48

Health & Wellness Sports & Recreation Education Image Gallery Community Profile: facts, stats and important numbers to know

All or part of this magazine is printed with soy ink on recycled paper containing 10% post-consumer waste.

ON THE COVER Nashville’s skyline Photo by Jeff Adkins

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EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT RAY LANGEN SR. V.P./CLIENT DEVELOPMENT JEFF HEEFNER SR. V.P./SALES CARLA H. THURMAN SR. V.P./OPERATIONS CASEY E. HESTER V.P./SALES HERB HARPER V.P./SALES TODD POTTER V.P./VISUAL CONTENT MARK FORESTER V.P./EDITORIAL DIRECTOR TEREE CARUTHERS V.P./CUSTOM PUBLISHING KIM NEWSOM MANAGING EDITOR/BUSINESS BILL McMEEKIN MANAGING EDITOR/COMMUNITY KIM MADLOM MANAGING EDITOR/TRAVEL SUSAN CHAPPELL PRODUCTION DIRECTOR NATASHA LORENS PHOTOGRAPHY DIRECTOR JEFFREY S. OTTO CONTROLLER CHRIS DUDLEY ACCOUNTING MORIAH DOMBY, DIANA GUZMAN, MARIA McFARLAND, LISA OWENS

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Go online to learn even more about: • Schools • Health care • Utilities • Parks • Taxes

LOCAL FLAVOR From the simple to the sublime, the delicious offerings here are guaranteed to satisfy every appetite.

Images Nashville is published annually by Journal Communications Inc. and is distributed through the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce and its member businesses.

For advertising information or to direct questions or comments about the magazine, contact Journal Communications Inc. at (615) 771-0080 or by e-mail at info@jnlcom.com.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT: Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce 211 Commerce St. #100 • Nashville, TN 37201 Phone: (615) 743-3000 • Fax: (615) 743-3002 www.nashvillechamber.com VISIT IMAGES NASHVILLE ONLINE AT IMAGESNASHVILLE.COM

ABOUT THIS MAGAZINE Images gives readers a taste of what makes Nashville tick – from business and education to sports, health care and the arts.

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Almanac

Fresh From the Farm Fre In tthe market for heirloom tomatoes, free-range eggs or just-picked strawberries? You’ll find locally grown goods and much more at the vibrant Nashville Farmers Market – a downtown Nashville tradition for two centuries.

The farmers market is in the midst of renovating its interior Market House, where specialty retailers and restaurants are located. Customers can expect an updated space complete with better lighting, a new floor plan, informational signage, new product offerings and a larger, central seating area. Future projects include upgraded la restrooms and a demonstration kitchen. res addition to a wealth of fresh produce, visitors can find plants In a trees, fresh-cut flowers and specialty items such as jams and and tre baked goods.

Build It and They Will Come Nashville’s interest in building a new downtown convention center continues. The Music City Center – a 1.2- million-squarefoot facility located in a six-block area bordered by Fifth and Eighth avenues south, Demonbreun Street and Korean Veterans Boulevard – will strengthen Nashville’s hospitality industry by attracting larger meetings and more visitors. Plans include a green roof, an abundance of natural light, flexible exhibit space and interactive streetscapes. A completion date is slated for early 2013. In November 2009, state and local officials announced plans to locate the world’s first medical trade center on the site of the existing Nashville Convention Center.

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Boosting Business The Nashville region has built a reputation as a hub of entrepreneurial activity and innovation. Now, early-stage entrepreneurs have a place to connect with the people, businesses and resources they need to succeed. In September 2009, the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce and the Nashville Technology Council launched the Nashville Entrepreneur Center (NEC), located initially at www.entrepreneurcenter.com.

Integral to the launch of the NEC is the “I Am Music City” branding campaign, created by students in Vanderbilt University’s Accelerator Summer Business Institute. The campaign’s micro-site, www.iammusiccity.com, features video interviews with local entrepreneurs and is used to share Nashville’s entrepreneurial successes with the outside world.

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Local Legends

Fast Facts

Country music is at the heart of Music City, and visitors flock to the wealth of attractions that mark its history. The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum is located downtown in a $37 million building, where visitors can experience a vast collection illustrating country music’s story through the years. The Grand Ole Opry takes the stage each week in the Grand Ole Opry House, offering a multimedia music production with some of today’s most talented artists. The Ryman Auditorium downtown is the original home of the Grand Ole Opry. The venerable building is still used for concerts, and it’s open for tours, allowing visitors to get their picture made on the legendary stage where it all started.

Q Many famous products are made in the Nashville area, including GooGoo Clusters, Martha White Flour and Gibson Guitars.

Q Nashville is home to more than 20 colleges.

Q The Nashville Public Library system has 20 branches throughout Davidson County.

What’s Online e Check out the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in our quick video. Visit imagesnashville.com.

Nashville At A Glance POPULATION (2007 ESTIMATE) Nashville/Davidson County: 619,626 Nashville MSA: 1,521,437

Nashville

LOCATION Nashville is on the Cumberland River in Middle Tennessee. It is the state’s capital city and a major hub for the music, tourism, publishing, finance, advanced manufacturing, distribution and logistics, health care and insurance industries.

BEGINNINGS James Robertson and a party of Wataugan American Indians founded Nashville in 1779. It was originally called Fort Nashborough, named after Revolutionary War hero Francis Nash.

FOR MORE INFORMATION Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce 211 Commerce St., Suite 100 Nashville, TN 37201 Phone: (615) 743-3000 Fax: (615) 743-3002 www.nashvillechamber.com

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Goodlettsville

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Q The 132-acre Centennial Park – home to many festivals, monuments and memorials – is anchored by a replica of the Parthenon that houses a city art museum.

Q Nashville’s horse lovers and high society come together every second Saturday in May for the annual Iroquois Steeplechase, which benefits the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt.

Nashville 40 40 100

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Brentwood

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Franklin

What’s Online e Take a virtual tour of Nashville, courtesy of our awardwinning photographers, at imagesnashville.com.

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Leading the

Green Scene

NASHVILLE WORKS TO BECOME REGION’S MOST SUSTAINABLE CITY

STORY BY CAROL COWAN PHOTOGRAPHY BY JEFF ADKINS

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n 2008, Mayor Karl Dean announced a goal to make Nashville the greenest city in the Southeast.

That charge spurred a host of efforts to ensure the city continues to have clean air, clean water, open spaces, public transportation infrastructure and green energy practices – all of which will maintain Nashville’s status as a highly livable city while improving its green scorecard.

To help devise a strategic action plan to keep Nashville moving in the right direction, the mayor established the Green Ribbon Committee on Environmental Sustainability. This dedicated group of volunteers has invested thousands of hours getting public input and mining that data

for a plan of action.

In one example, more than 1,800 Nashville residents participated in an online survey.

“The timing was right for this to take place. We were very impressed with the public response,” says Dr. Randy Lowry, co-chairman of the Green Ribbon Committee and president of Lipscomb University. “We presented the mayor with the results of our findings – more than 50 concrete suggestions from four different subcommittees – out of which will come a cohesive policy.

“We were also surprised by the many programs already going on in city departments,” Lowry adds.

For example, a city ordinance has established a voluntary procedure

The green roof at Westview Condominiums Right: The Commons Center on the campus of Vanderbilt University includes seven LEED-certified buildings.

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The 19-acre Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park is one of many popular parks that add to Nashvilleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s charm.

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STAFF PHOTO

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Left: Shelby Bottoms Greenway and Nature Park Right: The Gulch area of Nashville has received LEED certification.

for green building permits and green certificates of occupancy, recognizing sustainable design among area buildings.

And a number of downtown Nashville buildings are sprouting green roofs. Across the street from the Metro Courthouse, the Nashville Public Square project converted a ground-level parking lot to a subterranean garage topped by a 2.25-acre green roof that also captures rainwater and stores it in a tank to use for on-site landscape irrigation. The project won a Green Roof Award of Excellence in 2007 from the Green Roofs for Healthy Cities organization.

Another green project involves the once-blighted, now-revitalized area of downtown known as the Gulch – a hip shopping, dining, entertainment and residential district. This area became the first neighborhood in the South – and only the 13th worldwide – to receive LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) for Neighborhood Development certification from the United States Green Building Council.

Likewise, Vanderbilt University, with seven LEED-certified studenthousing structures, boasts one of the NASHVILLE

Nashville’s extensive parks and greenways rank among its major livability assets. highest concentrations of LEEDcertified buildings on any campus in the Southeast. The team that developed the buildings was led by Street Dixon Rick Architecture, which, incidentally, powers its Kenner Avenue offices with solar energy from 72 rooftop photovoltaic panels that have the potential to generate 12 kilowatt hours of green energy.

The Pinnacle at Symphony Place, located across from the Schermerhorn Symphony Center in Nashville’s SoBro District, is a commercial high-rise that has incorporated numerous green features. With an acre of green roof, EnergyStar-compliant roofing material, a water-harvesting system, recycling program and preferred parking for energy-efficient vehicles, the building is scheduled to obtain LEED Silver certification – the first downtown

building to do so, says James Trone of Nashville Commercial/Cushman & Wakefield Alliance, leasing agent for The Pinnacle at Symphony Place.

“We’re also connected to the Shelby Street Bridge that hooks into 20-plus miles of greenways for walkers and bikers,” he adds.

Nashville’s extensive parks and greenways rank among its major livability assets and foster recreation, air and water quality, alternative transportation, green space and overall community health, says Metro Parks Greenways Director Shain Dennison.

Shelby Bottoms Greenway and Nature Park, the Stones River Greenway, Richland Creek Greenway and the stunning new Cumberland River Pedestrian Bridge are among the trails that provide access to the city’s rivers, streams and natural areas.

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Kid NASHVILLE

A young visitor learns about planets in the “Solar System Survey” exhibit at the Adventure Science Center

To Do? NASHVILLE

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NASHVILLE OFFERS ATTRACTIONS GALORE FOR THE YOUNG – AND YOUNG AT HEART STORY BY JESSICA MOZO | PHOTOGRAPHY BY JEFF ADKINS

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veryone knows Nashville is an exciting city for adults, with cultural attractions, sporting events and a vibrant nightlife. But it’s also a family-friendly city where kids can find endless opportunities for adventure.

“Nashville is a friendly and affordable city with countless activities for both kids and adults,” says Deana Ivey, senior vice president of marketing for the Nashville Convention & Visitors Bureau. “Our attractions are always finding ways to entertain their younger audiences, and several offer family programs meant to engage and educate all ages. Whether you’re looking for indoor rainy-day activities or an outdoor adventure, Nashville has plenty to stimulate the mind, exercise the body and entertain the entire family.”

Parents appreciate the educational value of places like the Parthenon, the Hermitage, Cheekwood Botanical Gardens and the Frist Center for the Visual Arts – all of which combine education and fun.

“Kids love the excitement of places like Nashville Shores and the Nashville Zoo at Grassmere or checking out the quirky cars at Lane Motor Museum,” Ivey says.

The Nashville Zoo transports visitors to a jungle-like destination, with green tree canopies shading trails that wind through exhibits featuring mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles and fish.

“Nashville Zoo offers an exciting discovery of our natural world through beautiful animal exhibits, engaging educational shows, and safe, enjoyable events,” says Jim Bartoo, marketing and public relations director at the Nashville Zoo at Grassmere. “We recently added some new species to our collection. We have a herd of eight Damara zebra – all are female, and we believe all eight are pregnant with foals arriving in late summer or early fall 2009.”

A pair of giant anteaters also recently moved in to their new home at the zoo, and the zoo’s Jungle Gym playground was upgraded in early 2009 with new water features for kids to play in.

“Almost all our events and educational programs are designed for young children,” Bartoo says. “Nashville Zoo offers the largest Easter egg hunt in Nashville and the largest Halloween event for families. We also have several campouts 14

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in the summer that give families a chance to sleep over at the zoo.”

Nashville’s innovative Adventure Science Center is another popular destination that provides plenty of activity – rain or shine.

“The Adventure Science Center just added the new Sudekum Planetarium and Space Chase exhibit hall, which includes a simulated moon walk,” Ivey says.

The Sudekum Planetarium impresses audiences with a star projector that fills its dome with more than 6.5 million twinkling stars. Visitors can relax in gently sloping seats while taking in the beauty of a breathtakingly realistic night sky and a booming surround sound system.

Space Chase is Adventure Science Center’s new 15,000-square-foot addition that lets kids and adults discover the wonders of the universe. The first floor’s hands-on, interactive exhibits allow visitors to experience what it feels like to walk on the moon, attempt activities in zero gravity, and try to hit lighted targets by firing a special launcher.

Additional second-floor exhibits are slated to open with Phase II of the addition in fall 2009.

Another kid-friendly attraction in Nashville is the Frist Center for the Visual Arts, which offers free art classes one Saturday a month to children ages 5 to 10 through the free Kids Club.

Other popular family destinations include the Nashville Public Library and its many children’s programs; the Nashville Children’s Theatre, ranked by Time magazine as one of the top five children’s theaters in the country; Centennial Sportsplex, which offers ice skating, swimming and more; and a plethora of neighborhood parks, including the popular Fannie Mae Dees Park, also known as Dragon Park, near Hillsboro Village with its colorful sea serpent sculpture that kids – and adults – love to climb.

What’s Online e Get a glimpse inside Frist Center for the Visual Arts and the hands-on Martin ArtQuest Gallery. Visit imagesnashville.com.

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Clockwise from top: Nashville Public Library’s flagship branch in downtown Nashville; the popular meerkat exhibit at the Nashville Zoo at Grassmere; the gravity-defying “Moonwalker” exhibit at the Adventure Science Center

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Fresh Fabulous RESTAURANTS TAKE SOUTHERN CUISINE TO A NEW LEVEL

STORY BY JESSICA MOZO PHOTOGRAPHY BY JEFF ADKINS

W

hen most people think of Southern cooking, the traditional meat-and-three comes to mind.

And while Nashville does have its share of those enticing down-home establishments (fried chicken and biscuits, anyone?), the city is also home to a wealth of upscale eateries that cater to the most discriminating palates – with friendly service to boot.

Take The Standard at the Smith House on Rosa Parks Boulevard downtown, for example.

“The ambiance here is grand, with high ceilings, white tablecloths and crystal, but we’re not pretentious,” says Joshua Smith, owner of The Standard at the Smith House, which is located in the Smith family’s 1840s Italianatestyle home. “We’re Southern fine dining, and we’re known for hospitality.”

Open since 2006, The Standard is also known for its house specialty, bacon-wrapped bacon. The dish consists of house-cured Canadian-style bacon wrapped with Benton’s artisan bacon and served with speckled butter beans and sweet corn succotash.

Other tempting menu options include cream of asparagus soup Brick-roasted chicken, served over warm salad with baby beets, sweet potatoes, arugula, goat cheese, corn bread, spiced pecans and sorghum vinaigrette, is a favorite on the menu at Park Café.

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The Blood Orange Martini is a favorite at Miro District Food & Drink, located inside The Adelicia in Midtown.

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with buttermilk and crab, pan-fried red snapper with spring vegetables and bay shrimp, and grilled Atlantic swordfish with roasted red potatoes.

“A lot of the appeal of the restaurant is that the house is so authentic – every piece of furniture and picture has a story,” Smith says. “Union generals occupied the library during the Civil War, and we have the fireplace Andrew and Rachel Jackson were married in front of. A lot of people have some connection to the history of this house, and we’re the caretakers of it. We want to be the best restaurant in Nashville that represents Southern fine dining.”

They certainly aren’t lacking for competition. Another popular high-end eatery is Miro District Food & Drink, inspired by the flavors of France and the traditions of Tennessee. Miro District is tucked inside the new high-rise

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condo building, the Adelicia, in Nashville’s Acklen Park neighborhood known as Midtown.

“It’s an absolutely gorgeous restaurant, with lots of mirrors and chalkboards typical of a French brasserie,” says Hughes Brown, director of operations at Miro District Food & Drink. “We have three different dining rooms, a big grand bar, black-and-white tile floors and an open kitchen so you can see the guys in there cooking. It’s got a laid-back neighborhood feel.”

Miro District’s specialty is fresh seafood, flown in daily from Foley Fish Co. in Boston.

“A popular lunch item is grilled fish with salad or a grilled fish sandwich, and the type of fish changes every day, depending on what’s the freshest,” Brown says. “Our fish is always less than 36 hours out of the water.”

Miro District also has a raw bar with oysters on the half shell, clams, mussels and crab, and the restaurant offers a number of different steaks with pommes frites (French fries).

Daily specials might feature French seafood stew, braised rabbit or seared cod.

“Our boudin blanc is popular in the evening, and it’s a classic white sausage with potato puree and brown butter,” Brown says. “We also do a wonderful French onion soup.”

Park Café, just minutes from downtown in Sylvan Park, is one of Nashville’s most acclaimed restaurants. With a blend of simple Southern comfort and big-city flair, Park Café is an inviting bistro that offers creative dishes made with simple, fresh ingredients.

Dishes created by Chef Guillermo “Willy” Thomas include crispy maple leaf duck breast with roasted shiitake mushrooms, slivered carrot and zucchini, toasted vermicelli, wilted spinach and candied onion demi glace. And the vegetable rollatini features white truffle ricotta, forest mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes, spinach, tomato caper sauces, shaved parmesan and toasted pine nuts.

The Standard at the Smith House offers Southern fine dining in an elegant, 1840s Italianate-style home.

Left: Miro District Food & Drink in Midtown specializes in fresh seafood, flown in daily from Boston.

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Now Appearing

LIVE HISTORIC CLUBS AND A-LIST PERFORMERS ENERGIZE NASHVILLE’S MUSIC SCENE

STORY BY CAROL GORST | PHOTOGRAPHY BY JEFF ADKINS

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ool venues that showcase hot, live music across multiple genres – not just country – are easy to find in Music City.

Home to renowned listening rooms, honky-tonks, clubs and bars such as The Bluebird, Robert’s Western World, The Station Inn, Big Bang Nashville, and F. Scott’s Restaurant and Jazz Bar, Nashville’s world-class live music offerings span a wide range of styles in settings that are unique to the city.

Nashville Mayor Karl Dean, in partnership with the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce, recently

created the Nashville Music Business Council, made up of artists and industry executives who will spearhead economic development efforts that capitalize on Nashville’s identity as Music City. Part of this effort will include the addition of new live music venues.

“What’s interesting about the live music venues in Nashville is that, where in other cities they might be just another club, in Nashville – since the music industry is here and many bigname musicians have appeared on these stages – the clubs themselves have become famous,” says John Cowan,

Left: Legends Corner is one of many live-music venues lining the streets of downtown Nashville. Right: Roy Voght plays jazz at F. Scott’s in Green Hills.

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Cowboy boots line the walls at Robert’s Western World, a popular honky-tonk on Broadway in downtown Nashville.

vocalist, bassist and former lead singer for the influential, genre-bending group New Grass Revival. Cowan has performed at numerous Nashville venues throughout his 30-year career.

“For instance, the Station Inn,” he says referring to the funky, no-frills bluegrass music club located in the hip dining and entertainment district known as the Gulch. “It is the destination in Nashville for bluegrass and acoustic music.” Travelocity.com named the Station Inn an editor’s pick among its Tennessee travel recommendations.

“The Bluebird has become an iconic music room nationwide over the last 25 years,” Cowan continues. “It’s a place where beginning songwriters get their first chance to share their music with the general population, but it’s also a place where Nashville’s most wellknown songwriters go to hone their craft. It’s a songwriter’s mecca.”

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Bart Herbison, executive director of the Nashville Songwriters Association International, agrees. “Something happens within the walls of the Bluebird that simply doesn’t happen anywhere else. It’s magic,” he says.

The legendary Douglas Corner Café is another great place to hear songwriters and up-and-coming artists, says Heather Middleton, director of public relations for the Nashville Convention and Visitors Bureau. Douglas Corner also has hosted the likes of Jewel, Bon Jovi, Bonnie Raitt, Garth Brooks and many others.

The Exit/In – a rock club – is the most established non-country venue in the city, Middleton says. Stars that have graced the historic stage at the Exit/In include Jimmy Buffet, Linda Ronstadt, Steve Martin, Chick Corea, Doc Watson and Bill Monroe. Today, headliners range from platinum recording artist Gavin DeGraw to gypsy punk band Gogol Bordello.

F. Scott’s Restaurant and Jazz Bar in Green Hills serves contemporary upscale American cuisine along with world-class jazz from Nashville’s finest jazz musicians six nights a week.

For those who enjoy audience participation, the Big Bang piano bar offers a live show with dueling pianos, comedy and a rock ‘n’ roll sing-along.

If you want real blues, check out Bourbon Street Blues & Boogie Bar in historic Printers Alley downtown or B.B. King Blues Club & Grill in the District.

Additional live music venues featuring rock, indie and Americana styles include Mercy Lounge, Cannery Ballroom, 12th & Porter, The End, The Basement, The Rutledge and 3rd & Lindsley Bar and Grill.

Iconic venues that showcase traditional country music include Legends Corner, Robert’s Western World, Tootsies Orchid Lounge and the Wildhorse Saloon.

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What’s Online e Check out the bustling scene on Lower Broadway in our quick video. Visit imagesnashville.com.

The Big Bang piano bar downtown offers a live show with dueling pianos, comedy and a rock ‘n’ roll sing-along.

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What’s Online e Experience the CMA Music Festival and Nashville’s Fourth of July celebration in our quick videos. Visit imagesnashville.com.

BRIAN M C CORD

A Festival for Every Fan MUSIC CELEBRATIONS OF ALL TYPES ENERGIZE THE CITY THROUGHOUT THE YEAR

E

veryone knows Nashville is a country music hotspot, but the local music scene goes much deeper.

Music is the No. 2 industry that drives Nashville’s economy these days, second only to health care. And live music of all genres can be found most anywhere in the city, from the streets of Broadway to the stages of outdoor festivals.

Music festivals of all types energize Nashville throughout the year, particularly during the warmweather months from April through Labor Day. One of the first is the annual month-long Awesome April, which features multiple performances by

songwriters of country, gospel, bluegrass and more.

Nashville is widely regarded as the mecca of songwriting, and Tin Pan South is a weeklong songwriters’ festival produced by the Nashville Songwriters Association International. It honors the craft with approximately 80 live club shows in the downtown district, including more than 250 songwriters performing original works.

Other notable celebrations include the CMA Music Festival and the Rites of Spring (held at Vanderbilt University), while televised awards shows such as the CMT Music Awards and the GMA Dove Awards pay tribute each year to country

and contemporary Christian music.

In the mid-summer, fireworks light up the sky and thousands of spectators turn out for a Fourth of July Spectacular.

The event, held along the Cumberland River, celebrates the music of America with a free, live downtown outdoor concert featuring the Nashville Symphony Orchestra performing with some of music’s greatest stars.

Unofficially ending the summertime season is the annual Music City Jazz Blues & Heritage Festival. The two-day jam session over Labor Day weekend brings together local and national artists for a festival of jazz, blues, rhythm and blues, funk and reggae.

The Fourth of July Spectacular along the Cumberland River downtown includes a free, live outdoor concert.

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Portfolio

A Prestigious First for Vanderbilt F

ortune magazineâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s annual survey recently named Vanderbilt University one of the top 100 best companies to work for in the United States â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the first educational institution to ever be named to the prestigious list.

Vanderbilt Chancellor Nicholas S. Zeppos was thrilled with the news, which was published in Fortuneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s February 2009 issue. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Every day a small army of skilled Vanderbilt employees care for the sick, educate tomorrowâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s leaders, strive for scientific breakthroughs and keep this campus buzzing with activity,â&#x20AC;? Zeppos says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I am proud and humbled that my colleagues are content and happy to be here.â&#x20AC;?

The rankings are determined through an extensive survey process.

More than 81,000 employees from 353 companies responded to the survey nationwide, and a wealth of further information was submitted by management.

The survey was conducted by Fortune in conjunction with the Great Place to WorkÂŽ Institute, based in San Francisco.

Vanderbilt stood out for many reasons, including a 70 percent tuition subsidy that employees and their dependents get at any college in the country. Vanderbiltâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hospital offers a WOW (Work on Weekends) shift for nurses and other workers who want to be at home during the week.

Other benefits Vanderbilt University

employees receive include paid sabbaticals, onsite child care, an onsite fitness center, subsidized gym memberships, a compressed workweek and telecommuting opportunities.

In all, Vanderbilt employs 21,000 people. The most common salaried job is registered nurse, with an average salary of $74,948. The most common hourly job is clerical, at an average of $37,388 a year.

To be eligible for a ranking, companies must have more than 1,000 U.S. employees and be at least seven years old. The rankings are based on levels of credibility, respect, fairness, pride and camaraderie in the workforce.

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Vanderbilt University ranks among Fortune magazineâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s top 100 best companies to work for in the country.

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Downtown Living Reaches New Heights

H See a snapshot of downtown Nashville in our quick video. Visit imagesnashville.com.

JEFF ADKINS

What’s Online e

igh-rise living is reaching new heights in downtown Nashville – specifically in the Gulch area.

While Nashville has many beautiful and affordable urban housing choices, the Gulch is bustling with new energy these days thanks to a growing number of downtown living options. Hundreds of residents have chosen to live in sleek high-rise apartments or luxury condominiums in this neighborhood.

The Gulch was formerly a run-down, off-the-beaten-path section of town along 11th Avenue South and 12th Avenue South. Today, it is fast becoming an ultra-hip place to live and has also received LEED for Neighborhood Development certification.

One of the newest high-rises in the district is called ICON in the Gulch, with 420 condominium flats that are now for sale. The prices of the individual condos range from $139,900 to $1.9 million, and each flat provides amazing views of the city. The ICON’s 12th Avenue South location also places it near trendy restaurants and entertainment hotspots.

Another living destination in the Gulch is Terrazzo Condos – 109 exclusive condominiums that feature classic, contemporary design and architectural distinction. Terrazzo boasts at least one large terrace with each unit. Other amenities include soaring 11-foot ceilings, and expansive living rooms, kitchens and bedrooms featuring floor-to-ceiling glass.

Velocity is another high-rise condominium development project being developed in the Gulch, with oneand two-bedroom condos going from the $100,000s to the mid-$300,000s.

The condominiums include walk-in closets, balconies, 10-foot to 15-foot ceilings, outdoor cabanas, an on-site fitness studio and a scenic courtyard.

More people are moving into urban loft apartments, such as this one in the Rhea Building downtown.

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Portfolio

Hometown for Headquarters W

ith a nod to Nashville’s convenient location, vibrant business climate, educated workforce and great quality of life, many bigname companies have chosen to locate their headquarters in the metropolitan Nashville area.

In 2008, Nissan North America moved its North American headquarters from Gardena, Calif., to metro Nashville and built a $100 million facility to house more than 1,000 employees. A new, 180,000-square-foot regional Verizon Wireless headquarters building opened in 2008.

Olhausen Billiard Manufacturing Inc. moved to Music City from San Diego in 2006, and Mars Petcare US moved here from the Los Angeles area in 2007.

Nashville’s central location is a big draw. Eight states border Tennessee, and 23 states are within a 500-mile radius of Nashville. Three interstate highways – 24, 40 and 65 – intersect in

NASHVILLE

Nashville, and 11 airlines and their affiliates provide flights from Nashville International Airport. Seven domestic cargo airlines also offer service.

The city has become a key distribution center for several companies, and corporations such as Federated Department Stores, Wilson Sporting Goods, Gap and Aldi have chosen the Nashville area as a location from which to ship their products.

Nashville is home to Gibson Guitar, one of the world’s largest music instrument manufacturers. Gibson increased its general labor and manufacturing employee base by 200 in 2008 due to the success and demand for Gibson USA manufactured instruments.

Other top companies with major facilities in Nashville include Bridgestone Americas Holding, Caterpillar Financial Services, Dell Computer, Dollar General, DuPont, Gaylord Entertainment, Healthways, HCA, Louisiana Pacific, Rogers Group, Tractor Supply Co. and Whirlpool Corp.

The business media have picked up on the trend. Expansion Management magazine has recognized Nashville multiple times as the nation’s No. 1 hottest city for business relocations and expansions. In addition, CNN Money tabbed Nashville as one of America’s Smartest Cities, and Forbes magazine cited the city among the 10 Best Places for Business and Careers.

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Check our Web site for seasonal discounts, weekend specials and holiday specials. Rather than battling the elements in a massive parking lot, load and unload under a covered canopy with valet assistance available. Our secure lot is open 24/365 less than two miles from the terminal. Additional services include a full range of auto maintenance options and a full range of car wash/auto detail options.

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Portfolio

Putting the Wow in Bow Wow o bones about it – Nashville is a dog-friendly city.

The region is home to the Mars Petcare US headquarters, where staffers are encouraged to bring their dogs and cats to work each day. The company set up shop in metropolitan Nashville after parent company Mars Inc. acquired Doane Pet Care of Brentwood and merged it with Mars’ Los Angeles-based pet food division.

About 100 Mars employees relocated in 2007 to the new headquarters in Brentwood, about 10 miles south of Nashville. Employees get plenty of perks, including free dog and cat treats for pets that accompany them to work.

The city is also home to a number of spacious and well-groomed dog parks, including Centennial Dog Park, Shelby Dog Park and Warner Dog Park.

All of these dog-walking, dog-romping facilities are open every day from dawn to dusk, and admission is free.

In addition, a host of local businesses focus their work on the care of dogs, including Camp Bow Wow. This doggy day care and overnight camp provides a fun, safe and upscale environment for dogs to play and receive lots of love and attention while their humans are away.

Camp Bow Wow opens early each morning and offers day care for clients who wish to drop off their dogs in the morning and pick them up in the evening. Several overnight boarding options are available for the pets of folks who are heading out of town.

Camp Bow Wow has an especially good reputation in the dog care industry, and word continues to spread.

More than 200 franchises operate across the country.

– Stories by Kevin Litwin

JEFF ADKINS

N

Anna Wannemuehler and her basset hound, Videl, catch some rays on the public square outside the Metropolitan Courthouse in downtown Nashville.

What’s Online e See pets on the job in the Mars Petcare US headquarters building. Visit imagesnashville.com.

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Business

A Study in

Resilience

What’s Online e Take a tour of Jack’s Bar-B-Que in our quick video. Visit imagesnashville.com.

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NASHVILLE

Business

NASHVILLE’S DIVERSE ECONOMY AND SOLID TRACK RECORD BODE WELL FOR BUSINESS

STORY BY CAROL COWAN PHOTOGRAPHY BY JEFF ADKINS

T

he economic recession may have companies across the country singing the blues, but they’re playing a different tune in Music City.

According to a recent report

by Garrett Harper, research director for the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce, the city typically does not follow the national pattern when it comes to economic ups and downs.

Nashville historically tends to rebound from recessions earlier and stronger than other cities.

So far, the city’s performance in this recession seems to reflect its previous performance, says Ron Samuels, chairman of the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce and president and CEO of Avenue Bank.

“One thing that’s unique is that our percentage of self-employed people is well above the national average,” Samuels says. “That speaks to the creative community here and the entrepreneurial spirit.”

Other factors such as a stable real estate market, a diverse economy and a highly skilled and educated workforce also contribute to the city’s resilience.

“Our housing industry is stable,” Samuels explains. “We hadn’t really gone up, so we didn’t come down as far as other markets. Furthermore, we have

Nashville’s stable real estate market, diverse economy and educated workforce contribute to its resilience.

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Business

Nashville historically tends to rebound from recessions earlier and stronger than other cities. two industries that drive our economy – health care and education, which are acyclical. And we’re a very desirable city. Business people still have us on the short list for relocations.”

Meanwhile, the chamber continues to maximize opportunities for economic growth via its “Existing Business” strategy. Through Partnership 2010, a regional, public-private economic development initiative, the chamber is focusing on helping existing businesses grow and expand by connecting them with state and local resources such as training, tax-based incentives, lowinterest loans and energy credits, and small business services.

The expansion of Nashville-based Standard Candy Co., maker of GooGoo Clusters, which added 30,000 square feet and 250 employees to its operations in the spring of 2009, serves as an excellent example of the potential for growth among existing area businesses.

Jack’s Bar-B-Que is another Nashville company that is taking the recession in stride. Over the course of 20 years in business, owner Jack Cawthon has seen his share of ups and downs. Still, despite the current downturn, he recently sank $125,000 into new barbecue pits and refrigeration equipment for his two Jack’s Bar-B-Que restaurants.

“Business is good at both locations, so I decided to go ahead and spend the money. I’d rather invest in my own business than put money in Wall Street,” Cawthon says. “Local, lowerpriced restaurants are in style right now – including barbecue. We’re fortunate having the product and the pricing that we do.

“You can use hard times as an opportunity, or you can just cry the blues,” he continues. “We’re taking advantage of the opportunity, and it’s paying off.”

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Freshman Aaron McGarity studies on the campus of Belmont University.

A wealth of colleges contributes to the region’s highly educated workforce.

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Business

Biz Briefs BUSINESSES – BOTH LARGE AND SMALL – THAT HELP DEFINE NASHVILLE’S ECONOMIC CLIMATE

Scorecard BUSINESS AT A GLANCE

$27.7B Retail sales in MSA

$17,899 Retail sales per capita

38,790 Total number of establishments Sources: Tennessee Department of Revenue and U.S. Department of Commerce

MODERNASH FURNITURE SUPPLY LLC Biz: Furniture supply company Buzz: Founded in 2007 by Nick Ray and David Molnar, ModerNash specializes in shipping IKEA furniture and accessories at an affordable price from Atlanta to Nashville.

Services include personal shopping and home delivery of IKEA goods, along with product returns, installation and assembly. www.modernash.com 34

I M AG E S N A S H V I L L E . C O M

WOODLAND WINE MERCHANT Biz: Boutique wine merchant Buzz: Woodland Wine Merchant offers a unique selection of value-oriented wines, spirits and beers in an inviting space. Offerings include unique selections from around the world with a wide range of price points and informative notes accompany each wine in the store. It has been named “Best Wine Store” in local readers’ polls. www.woodlandwinemerchant.com NASHVILLE

COLLIERS TURLEY MARTIN TUCKER Biz: Commercial real estate service firm Buzz: Colliers Turley Martin Tucker recently consolidated its ownership structure with Cassidy & Pinkard Colliers, Colliers Pinkard and Colliers ABR, forming a holding company that is one of the nationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s largest commercial real estate service firms. www.ctmt.com

VAL KNUST LMT THERAPEUTIC MASSAGE Biz: Therapeutic massage Buzz: Swedish massage is the base from which Val Knust works, incorporating light to deep tissue, myofascial and neuromuscular techniques to release and ease tension and soreness due to repetitive use or stress. Knust practices at East End Body in Balance. www.eastendbodyinbalance.com

PRIDE PUBLISHING GROUP â&#x20AC;&#x201C; THE NASHVILLE PRIDE NEWSPAPER Biz: Weekly minority newspaper Buzz: The Nashville PRIDE is Middle Tennesseeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s largest African-American newspaper, operating under the umbrella of PRIDE Publishing Group.

It was co-founded by Drs. Larry Davis and Cynthia Hodge. www.pridepublishinggroup.net

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Business | Chamber Report

Real-World Connections CAREER COUNCILS HELP SCHOOLS AND BUSINESSES FIND COMMON GROUND

M

etro Nashville Public Schools are creating career academies in high schools, and the system has found a willing partner in area businesses.

The academies will act as laboratories of a sort, providing the basic required curriculum while teaching subjects in a way that applies to a particular skill or career.

To help make the classroom time even more relevant, the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce has created six career councils to work with teachers and students.

“The purpose is to create a regular conversation that doesn’t happen very often between industries and educators,” says Marc Hill, chief education officer for the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce. “For the industry side, it’s a chance for business people to share with educators what their workforce needs are, what skills they see lacking in employees, and how their industry is going to change over the next several years. It lets them provide advice on curriculum and class offerings.

“From the education side, it’s a chance for teachers to make contacts in the business world and tell business leaders what they need to help make the academy real for the students.”

The state has defined 16 specific focus areas in the realm of career and technical education. The chamber distilled those into six broader councils that match the academies being created by the school system. The councils focus on arts, media and communications; business marketing and information technology;

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members to take part was never an issue, Hill says.

“The Nashville business community gets it. They understand the importance of public education, and they’re willing to get involved,” he says. “They just needed to understand how best to plug themselves in.”

In addition to the councils, the Pencil Foundation – a nonprofit that brokers partnerships between schools and area businesses that began in 1982 – continues working with individual companies and volunteers so they can build closer relationships.

“We’ve had a very enthusiastic and positive reception,” Hill says.

“Everybody wants to get involved.”

– Joe Morris

JEFF ADKINS

Marc Hill, chief education officer for the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce, speaks during a meeting.

engineering, manufacturing and industrial technology; health; hospitality and tourism; and public services.

Each has between 30 and 40 members, Hill says, and the chamber is providing staff to support the councils.

“There has been a lot of planning behind the scenes since 2006,” Hill says.

“This is a huge initiative; you’re talking about redesigning just about all of Metro’s high schools – everything from curriculum to class schedules and how to train teachers, and then engaging business partners.”

The chamber offered information about job-growth projections by specific industries early on, along with other information to help schools create the academies. And getting chamber

NASHVILLE

Business | Economic Profile

NASHVILLE ECONOMIC OVERVIEW Nashville’s economy is uniquely diverse, which accounts for the area’s resilience in a fluctuating global environment. Continual job creation is the result of a variety of growing industries such as technology, retail, professional and business services, education, health care, leisure and hospitality, transportation and construction.

Nashville Metro Transit Authority 130 Nestor St. Nashville, TN 37210 (615) 862-5969 www.nashvillemta.org

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2.25%

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Local Sales Tax

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7% State Sales Tax

More facts, stats and community information, including relocation tools and links to resources.

9.25% Total Sales Tax

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for over 40 years

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Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce 211 Commerce St., Suite 100 Nashville, TN 37201 (615) 743-3000 www.nashvillechamber.com Tennessee Department of Economic & Community Development 312 Rosa Parks Ave. 11th Floor Nashville, TN 37243 (615) 741-1888 www.tennessee.gov/ecd

GOVERNMENT OFFICES

TRANSPORTATION

NASHVILLE

ECONOMIC RESOURCES

Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County, Tennessee (615) 862-5000 www.nashville.gov Resource for complete listing of government offices and services for Nashville and Davidson County

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TODD BENNETT

Health & Wellness

Several of Nashville’s hospitals are expanding to address the growing needs of high-risk pregnancies and births.

Investing in Infants NEW NEONATAL CENTERS HELP BABIES OVERCOME THE ODDS

K

im and George Meek waited almost two months before they could hold their newborn daughter, Mary, in their arms.

Mary weighed just 1 pound, 3 ounces and was given a 30 percent chance of survival when she was born at Nashville’s Baptist Hospital. She spent the first few months of her life in the hospital’s newly renovated $9.6 million Beaman Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

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Little Mary was able to go home when she was 148 days old, weighing a healthy 8 pounds, 5 ounces.

“We were there so long, it was actually a little sad to leave,” says Kim Meek. “The nurses and staff were like family.”

Baptist’s new neonatal unit, which was unveiled in February 2009, almost doubled the hospital’s space for medically fragile infants – from

27 to 52 beds. The extensive expansion is just one example of how Nashville’s largest hospitals are addressing the growing needs of high-risk pregnancies and births.

The Women’s Hospital at Centennial Medical Center completed the final phase of a $15.5 million expansion of its neonatal intensive care unit in March 2009, expanding from 40 to 60 beds and more than tripling its NASHVILLE

space to 22,000 square feet.

At Vanderbilt University, plans were announced in 2008 for a $203 million, 340,000-square-foot addition to the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital.

The massive expansion will include 36 neonatal beds when it’s completed in 2013. Vanderbilt is also the home of The Center for Advanced Maternal Fetal Care, a world-renowned multidisciplinary group of experts who can diagnose and treat extremely rare conditions and birth defects and perform intricate fetal surgeries.

“The need for NICU services have increased dramatically as preterm birth rates have increased,” says Jeanne Ettien, administrator for The Women’s Hospital. “We’ve invested in this area because the need is there.”

Ettien cites numbers from the National Center for Health Statistics that say the rate of premature births has risen about 36 percent nationally since the early 1980s.

Several factors are driving the demand for advanced neonatal

services. For one, technology makes it possible for babies who wouldn’t have lived 20 years ago to have a fighting chance at survival. Not only are women having babies later in life, but women with chronic conditions — such as diabetes or heart disease — often can carry a baby to term with proper care.

Also, infertility treatments have advanced radically in recent years, which means multiple and premature births are much more common.

And there’s yet another factor causing Nashville’s health-care providers to reach out to serve the area’s pregnant mothers and their babies.

Davidson County’s fertility rate rose from 60.2 percent in 1998 to 80.8 percent in

2007 — more than 10 percent above the state and national averages, according to the Tennessee State Department of Health.

Five years ago, the state estimated 80,424 babies would be born in Tennessee in 2007. But the actual number was higher – 86,661 babies – and 9,991 of them were born to Davidson County residents.

Hospital officials say they’re expanding services to include a 3 percent to 5 percent increase in births in coming years.

“Hospitals are challenged to rise to the occasion by constantly improving their facilities and medical care,” says Bernie Sherry, president and CEO of Baptist Hospital.

– Linda Bryant

A Hub for Health Care INDUSTRY PUMPS BILLIONS INTO REGION’S ECONOMY

N

ashville is widely known as Music City, but its burgeoning health-care industry is actually the region’s largest nongovernmental employer.

The city’s strong tradition of supporting private sector health-care ventures began more than 40 years ago with the creation of HCA Inc. in 1968. That company is now the world’s largest private hospital and clinic operator, and it’s widely given credit for fueling the growth of health-care-related companies in Nashville.

Nashville-based hospital management companies now own or operate 63 percent of the investor-owned hospitals in the country.

“The Nashville story is legend among health-care entrepreneurs,” says James Lewis, CEO and managing partner of Cumberland Consulting Group, a local firm that specializes in helping companies use health-care technology.

Lewis decided to move his company from Chicago, Ill., to Nashville in 2004. His decision was based entirely on the area’s history and reputation for being health-care friendly.

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“The appeal of Middle Tennessee was hard to resist,” Lewis says. “Our partners saw Nashville as the ideal corporate headquarters because the city embraces entrepreneurs and nurtures innovative, dynamic, fast-growing firms.”

In the four decades since HCA’s beginnings, Nashville has become home to more than 300 healthcare companies that account for $50 billion in annual revenue and more than 300,000 jobs globally, according to data from the Nashville Health Care Council, an affiliate of the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce that fosters the growth of the local healthcare community.

“No city has as much innovation and entrepreneurial energy in the health-care industry as Nashville,” says Caroline Young, president of the 175-member Nashville Health Care Council.

The city is also home to 250 professional service companies with expertise in health care, including accounting and financial services firms, law firms, and architecture and design firms.

– Linda Bryant

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Sports & Recreation

Athletically Inclined NASHVILLE OFFERS A VARIETY OF SPORTS YEAR-ROUND

P

lenty of hoopla surrounded the early 2009 announcement that the 2014 NCAA Women’s Final Four college basketball tournament would be coming to Nashville.

Another announcement: The December 2008 Music City Bowl college football game – which saw Vanderbilt defeat Boston College – pumped a robust $10 million into the local economy.

The Nashville Sports Council had plenty to do with both of these major headlines.

The NSC was founded in 1992 to bring tourism dollars into the city and heighten the awareness of Nashville as a sports destination.

During its 17-year history, the NSC has been instrumental in having Music City host 120 sports events that translated into a local economic impact of $350 million. The NSC also helped bring the National Football League’s Tennessee Titans and the National Hockey League’s Nashville Predators to the city.

“We bill ourselves as the quarterback of sports development in the Middle Tennessee region,” says Dave Herrell, vice president of development for the Nashville Sports Council. “Our nonprofit organization promotes Nashville nationally and internationally as a viable community to host sporting events. Attracting topnotch sports to individual cities is a competitive business. More than 300 organizations around the country are competing to secure major sporting events, so the Nashville Sports Council must work hard at what we do.”

While it’s a tough industry, Herrell says Nashville is an easy sports town to promote.

“Nashville is geographically positioned well, which makes it easy to travel to,” he says. “Plus it features fine hospitality and diverse entertainment options that make it an ideal sports-fan destination. The downtown area itself has a campus atmosphere. There are plenty of hotels, restaurants and honkytonks, and big-name sports facilities 40

I M AG E S N A S H V I L L E . C O M

like LP Field and the Sommet Center are within about a six-block radius of most hotel and entertainment spots. It’s a fun city, which is what most people say when they visit here.”

Other sporting attractions in town include the Nashville Sounds Class AAA minor-league baseball team, which plays its summertime games just south of downtown in Greer Stadium, and the annual 26.2-mile Country Music Marathon and Half-Marathon in April.

“For all the sporting events that Nashville offers, the city is still relatively new as a major sports town,” Herrell says. “It is still growing into that role. For example, the downtown district will open a new convention center in 2011, which will be able to host even more sporting events. The sports industry is really continuing to emerge as part of the overall lifestyle scene here in Nashville.”

– Kevin Litwin

The National Hockey League’s Nashville Predators play at the Sommet Center in downtown Nashville. The city is also home to the NFL’s Tennessee Titans.

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PHOTOS BY JEFF ADKINS

Arts & Culture

The Frist Center for the Visual Arts is a nonprofit art exhibition center with about 24,000 square feet of gallery space.

Engaged in the Arts NASHVILLE TOPS NATIONAL LISTS OF CULTURAL CENTERS

W

orld-renowned for its thriving music scene, Nashville has long been a mecca for musicians and music-lovers.

So it’s not surprising Nashville was named the country’s third best city for cultural amenities (behind New York City and San Francisco) in a bizjournals.com ranking and among AmericanStyle magazine’s 2008 Top 25 Arts Destinations reader poll.

While the city is best known for country and gospel music, Nashville offers plenty of other ways to experience the arts.

Local highlights in the visual arts include the Frist Center for the Visual Arts, Cheekwood Botanical Garden and Museum of Art, the Parthenon and a throng of independent art galleries around the city that showcase nearly every medium of art.

“There are paintings, photography, mixed media, sculpture, and the list goes on,” says Andrea Champion, communications director for the Nashville Downtown Partnership.

The first Saturday of every month from 6 to 9 p.m., between 15 and 20 independent downtown galleries open their doors to the public for the First Saturday Gallery Crawl, and spectators can be transported from gallery to gallery by two free shuttles provided by the Nashville Downtown Partnership.

“It’s a great way to see downtown Nashville for free, and NASHVILLE

it’s a perfect way to meet new people because the event is very conversational,” Champion says. “Most of the galleries serve wine and light appetizers, and they almost always run out of wine before the night is through. We usually have at least 500 people ride the shuttles, and about 1,500 people attend each Gallery Crawl.”

The Tennessee State Museum is another venue that celebrates the arts, often offering free admission to changing exhibits.

In the performing arts realm, the Tennessee Performing Arts Center downtown regularly hosts Broadway musicals, opera, ballet performances and concerts. The 2009-2010 Broadway at TPAC season is slated to include crowd-pleasers such as A Chorus Line, The Color Purple, 101 Dalmatians: The Musical, Wicked, Little House on the Prairie: The Musical and The Drowsy Chaperone.

Completed in 2006 and also located downtown, the magnificent Schermerhorn Symphony Center is home to the prestigious Nashville Symphony. Inspired by some of the world’s great concert halls built in Europe in the late 19th century, the Schermerhorn hosts more than 100 classical, pops and special concert events every year.

The Sommet Center on Broadway is another hot spot in the local arts scene. The huge 20,000-seat, all-purpose venue hosts concerts, family shows and sporting events, including the Nashville Predators professional ice hockey team.

– Jessica Mozo I M AG E S N A S H V I L L E . C O M

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Education

New Beginnings BOLD CHANGES GIVE STUDENTS MORE OPTIONS AND SUPPORT

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new focus on career-based learning in high schools has taken hold in Metro Nashville Public Schools, thanks to active input from city leaders and the business community.

That, coupled with a new school system director and a host of other changes, is casting a new, positive light on the area’s public schools.

The system’s 137 schools have an enrollment of more than 75,000. Under the direction of Dr. Jesse Register – who took the top post in January 2009 – school officials are taking a top-to-bottom look at how the schools operate.

Recognizing that students have different learning styles and academic needs, the school system is increasing the number of educational options for Nashville families. This includes new, innovative schools like the Big Picture High School, which features student internships in the community during the school day.

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Another model program new to Metro is Diploma Plus, which features a small high school setting for students who are older, but deficient in the number of credits they need to graduate. With 25 percent of MNPS students choosing to attend a school other than their zoned school, it’s clear Nashvillians embrace this kind of educational diversity.

The Metro Nashville system also is adding 50 new teachers from the Teach for America Program. And about $3 million in private donations has been made to a special education fund established by Nashville Mayor Karl Dean to improve Metro schools.

“Teach for America brings in some of the smartest, most idealistic graduates from our best universities to work with the kids who are most at risk, at the schools that need the most help,” Dean says. “They arrived in summer 2009 and went through their training at Lipscomb University, our partner, and then into the schools.”

NASHVILLE

Plenty of Options for Education NASHVILLE GETS HIGH MARKS FOR A WEALTH OF CHOICES

JEFF ADKINS

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Hume-Fogg Academic Magnet school in downtown Nashville ranks among the country’s top high schools.

Nashville’s participation in the program sends a strong message, Dean adds.

“Various reform organizations and educational reformers around the country can see that Nashville is a player,” he says. “This is a major statement that our city is willing to step up, to raise $3 million to pay for this from private donations, and that our schools are making the commitment to bring this to their program. It’s a win-win in every possible way.”

The system is making national headlines in other areas as well, with Martin Luther King Jr., Hume-Fogg and Hillsboro high schools making the Top 1,200 in America list of schools as rated by Newsweek magazine’s annual survey. The 2008 recognition is the third consecutive one for the three schools.

Other high schools in the system are embarking on a careeracademy style of learning over the next couple of years. The idea is to create smaller, themed “clusters,” or learning communities, within the high school setting.

– Joe Morris NASHVILLE

ith 14 four-year colleges and universities to its credit – as well as four community colleges and four vocational and technical schools – the Nashville area is a hub for higher education.

Founded in Nashville in 1873, Vanderbilt University consistently ranks among America’s top higherlearning institutions. The 2009 U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges list – a survey of 1‚400 accredited colleges and universities – ranks Vanderbilt 18th in the nation. Its 10 schools and total enrollment of more than 11‚000 make the university a driving economic force in the city.

Lipscomb University, which is affiliated with the Church of Christ denomination, offers more than 100 programs of study, including undergraduate degrees with a sustainability focus and Tennessee’s first “green” MBA. Well-known for its music and music business programs, Belmont University is the largest Christian university and second-largest private university in the state (behind Vanderbilt). It recently opened the $34 million, 100,000-squarefoot Gordon E. Inman College of Health Sciences and Nursing.

Home to Meharry Medical College‚ Tennessee State University and Fisk University‚ Nashville also boasts three of the most prestigious historically black colleges in the country.

Cumberland University in Lebanon is a private‚ liberal arts institution that offers five undergraduate divisions‚ four graduate programs‚ degree completion programs for working adults and non-credit continuing education.

With campuses conveniently located throughout Middle Tennessee, Nashville State Community College offers a wide range of associate’s degree programs, certificate programs and university transfer programs.

A host of other higher-education options exist in the Nashville area, from traditional academic degrees to credentials in fields such as cosmetology, massage therapy, auto mechanics, and art and design. Classes are available in a variety of settings, including satellite campuses and online.

– Carol Cowan

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Image Gallery

A decorative guitar at Legends Corner in downtown Nashville

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NASHVILLE

PHOTOGRAPHY BY JEFF ADKINS

A sculpture in front of the AT&T Building in downtown Nashville

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Image Gallery

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NASHVILLE

PHOTOGRAPHY BY JEFF ADKINS

Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Online e Visit imagesnashville.com to see more award-winning photography highlighting the places and people in Nashville.

Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park

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I M AG E S N A S H V I L L E . C O M

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Community Profile

NASHVILLE COMMUNITY OVERVIEW With a rich love for song and deep musical roots, Nashville is truly Music City. The capital of Tennessee, Nashville sits in the northcentral portion of the state along the Cumberland River.

EDUCATIONAL OVERVIEW

CLIMATE OVERVIEW Nashville’s climate is moderate, with seasonal variation rarely lapsing into extreme temperatures. Its humidity is also considered moderate for the Southeast.

Precipitation is heaviest in winter and early spring, and thunderstorms in Nashville are moderately frequent from March through September.

A wide spectrum of public and private K-12 educational opportunities provides families with many choices in the Nashville area. In addition to the various county public school systems in the MSA, there are three city school systems that serve students through grade six.

These are located in Lebanon, Murfreesboro and Franklin.

Nashville also has a long tradition of private education, providing choices that accommodate individual religious beliefs and different preferences for educational

methods and approaches.

The Nashville area’s 14 accredited four-year and postgraduate institutions are an integral part of the economic and cultural identity of the area. In addition, the area has four community colleges and four vocational and technical schools.

The availability of such varied higher education choices fosters an extremely well-educated base of residents.

REAL ESTATE

$166,600 Median Home Value

28 F January Low Temperature

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January High Temperature

65 F June Low Temperature

86 F June High Temperature

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Ascend Federal Credit Union www.ascendfcu.org

Executive Travel & Parking www.executivetravelandparking.com

Prudential Woodmont – Brian Taylor www.woodmontrealty.com

BBE Company Inc. www.bbesolutions.com

Fridrich & Clark Realty www.fridrichandclark.com

Tennessee Foreign Language Institute www.tfli.org

City of Goodlettsville www.cityofgoodlettsville.org

Gipson Mechanical Contractors www.gipsonmech.com

Worth Properties www.worthproperties.com

Country Inn & Suites – Nashville Airport www.countryinns.com/nashvilletn_airport

Hardaway Construction Company www.hardaway.net

Zeitlin & Company Realtors www.zeitlinrealtors.com

Drees Homes www.dreeshomes.com/nash

Loews Vanderbilt Hotel www.loewshotels.com

Embassy Suites Nashville www.nashvilleairport.embassysuites.com

Overbrook School www.overbrook.edu

I M AG E S N A S H V I L L E . C O M

NASHVILLE

Ad Index 1 A S C E N D FED E R A L C R E D IT U N I O N

25 GIPSON M EC H A N I C A L CO N T R AC TO R S

2 8 B B E CO M PA N Y I N C .

2 9 H A R DAWAY CO N S T R U C TI O N CO M PA N Y

C 2 C IT Y O F G O O D L E T TS V I L L E

C 3 LO E WS VA N D E R B I LT H OT E L

3 5 CO U NTRY I N N & S U ITE S – N A S H V I L L E A I R P O RT C4 DREES HOMES

2 OV E R B RO O K S C H O O L 5 P R U D EN T I A L WO O D M O N T – B R I A N TAY LO R

3 7 E M B A S SY S U IT E S N A S H V I L L E

27 T E N N E S S E E FO R EI G N L A N G UAG E I N S TIT U T E

2 8 E X EC U TI V E T R AV E L & PA R K I N G

2 8 WO RT H P RO P E RTI E S

3 7 FR I D R I C H & C L A R K R E A LT Y

2 6 ZEIT LI N & CO M PA N Y R E A LTO R S