HCA Invest Nashville Event

HCA INVEST NASHVILLE EVENT

New program helps companies create local partnerships
Invest Nashville, an inaugural event developed through the collaborative efforts of the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce’s membership/marketing, business services and economic development programming, was held Oct. 14 at the Frist Center for the Visual Arts.

Invest Nashville is an innovative program aimed at fostering existing business and entrepreneurial growth throughout the Nashville region. Allan Closson, CEO of Turn Around Solutions and a member of the Chamber’s President’s Board of Advisors, created the concept to facilitate connections that open new business opportunities for companies on a local and regional basis.

HCA, the first presenting company, led the presentation to an audience of Chamber Board of Advisors members, Partnership 2010 investors and 2003 Music City Future 50 and Hall of Fame award winners.

HCA presenters included Jack O. Bovender, Jr., 2003-2004 Chamber chairman and CEO of HCA; Jim Fitzgerald, president and CEO of HealthTrust Purchasing Group (HPG); Scott Farrar, vice president of national agreements (HPG); Russ Harms, CFO Mid-America division (HCA); Marion Reynolds, director of division-based contracting and business diversity (HCA); Allen Wright, vice president non-clinical agreements (HPG); and Tom Gormley, vice president of design and construction (HCA).

HCA began as a small entrepreneurial company with only a handful of employees. Today the company employs 170,000 people nationwide and in two foreign countries. HCA had $18 billion in revenues in 2002.

Invest Nashville hopes to promote business growth by working with large corporations such as HCA to redirect funds being spent outside the Nashville area back to the local economy.

“We want to take companies that have larger businesses and see how they can do business with small companies,” Bovender said.

The Chamber plans to host an Invest Nashville program on a quarterly basis. For more information, contact Melinda Judd, assistant vice president, member relations, at 743-3101 or mjudd@nashvillechamber.com.