Nashville Entrepreneur Center Announces Board of Directors
Today, the recently formed Nashville Entrepreneur Center (NEC) announced its chairman and board of directors. Clayton McWhorter of Clayton Associates, LLC will chair the organization.
“Nashville was built by entrepreneurs, and our city’s creative culture continues to appeal to individuals willing to innovate and take risks,” said McWhorter. “I’m looking forward to working with my fellow entrepreneurs to create an infrastructure that will fully unlock our city’s potential.”
The board of directors is comprised of entrepreneurs from a variety of industry sectors, including health care, information technology, digital media, logistics and manufacturing. The board also includes representatives from area universities, government, entrepreneurship organizations, service providers and funding organizations.
“The diversity of this board will help ensure the NEC’s success,” said Tod Fetherling, president of the Nashville Technology Council. “It speaks volumes that there is a communitywide effort to support this endeavor.”
“The region’s high level of entrepreneurship is one of our key economic strengths – and one of Nashville’s best-kept secrets,” said Ralph Schulz, president and CEO of the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce. “With the NEC board in place, we can work to complement and amplify the existing entrepreneurial efforts in the community, creating an even stronger environment in which entrepreneurs can grow and prosper.”
The creation of the Nashville Entrepreneur Center is a result of the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce’s Partnership 2010 Entrepreneurship Task Force, which was formed in late 2007 to identify opportunities to strengthen Middle Tennessee’s entrepreneurial community.
The 75-member task force met for nine months under the co-chairmanship of Robert A. Frist, Jr., chairman and chief executive officer of HealthStream, Inc. and Michael D. Shmerling, chairman of Choice Food Group, Inc. and XMi Holdings, Inc. The task force identified priority recommendations, including the creation of an entrepreneur resource center tailored for fundable, scalable, high-growth ventures.
“Support of the Nashville Entrepreneur Center across the city has been overwhelmingly positive,” said Shmerling. “It’s exciting to see the community come together to move our city forward.”
“A healthy regional economy begins with a strong entrepreneurial culture,” said Frist. “I believe the Nashville Entrepreneur Center will have a long-term, positive impact on Middle Tennessee.”
The Nashville Entrepreneur Center, launched in September 2009, is a standalone 501(c)(3) organization. The Chamber and the Nashville Technology Council have positioned the NEC for short- and long-term success. Funding for the initial operating budget is near completion and the board and chairman have been named. This month, the board will begin to screen executive director candidates, finalize strategic planning for 2010 and begin operations.
For information about becoming a founding member of the Nashville Entrepreneur Center, contact Joe Kustelski at joe@entrepreneurcenter.com or 615-772-6196. The deadline to join the Founders’ Council is Sunday, Jan. 31.
The Nashville Entrepreneur Center, located initially at www.entrepreneurcenter.com, was formed by the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce and the Nashville Technology Council to connect early-stage entrepreneurs with the people, businesses and resources they need to succeed, and celebrate deals and entrepreneurial progress in Middle Tennessee.
Board of Directors
Chairman
R. Clayton McWhorter, Clayton Associates, LLC
Board
Jim Bradford, Vanderbilt Owen Graduate School of Management
Michael Burcham, Vanderbilt Owen Graduate School of Management
R. Michael Cain, Lattimore Black Morgan & Cain, PC
Christopher Calton, Avondale Partners, LLC
Dr. Jeff Cornwall, Belmont University
Townes Duncan, Solidus Company
Darrell S. Freeman, Sr., Zycron, Inc.
Robert A. Frist, Jr., HealthStream, Inc.
Melvin N. Johnson, Tennessee State University
Jim Lackey, Passport Health Communications, Inc.
Robert A. McCabe, Jr., Pinnacle Financial Partners
Mark Montgomery, Serial Entrepreneur & Strategic Consultant
Christopher Rand, TriStar Technology Ventures
Ronald L. Samuels, Avenue Bank
Michael D. Shmerling, Choice Food Group, Inc. and XMi Holdings, Inc.
W. Lucas (Luke) Simons, Council ventures
Byron Smith, Mountain Group Capital
I.C. (Jack) Waddey, Jr., Waddey & Patterson, PC
Leigh Walton, Bass, Berry & Sims, PLC
Steve Wood, Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz, PC
Ex Officio
Eric Cromwell, Tennessee Technology Development Corporation
J. Tod Fetherling, Nashville Technology Council
Alexia Poe, Mayor’s Office of Economic and Community Development
Ralph J. Schulz, Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce
Caroline Young, Nashville Health Care Council
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