Adams Keegan, a national managed HR, payroll and benefits provider, has expanded its presence in Nashville by opening a new office near Vanderbilt University at 210 25th Avenue North. The company also has hired Jeff Young as business development manager.

The move to expand its office space and team was tied to Nashville’s dynamic growth and business-friendly community, as well an opportunity to capitalize on the momentum the company has gained from having a physical presence in the area since 2017, the company states.

Its focus remains on removing administrative and HR burdens from businesses across the U.S. and the belief that companies are looking for a unique, service-oriented solution.

The Memphis-based company also has offices in Atlanta and Dallas and is considering similar markets with exceptional patterns of growth for new openings and continued expansion.

NMAAM gets $1M from Regions, Curb

The National Museum of African American Music has received a joint gift of $1 million from the Regions Foundation and the Mike Curb Foundation, a major step forward for the trailblazing and interactive new museum, slated to open in downtown Nashville later this year.

Each organization is contributing $500,000 toward the museum’s construction, which will feature displays in tribute to America’s most dynamic and transformative African-American artists and movements.

The donations helped the museum get to 75 percent of its nearly $50 million fundraising goal before opening in early 2020. The grand foyer of the Museum will be named in honor of the Regions Foundation.

NMAAM is under construction downtown in the Fifth + Broadway development. After the exterior shell is completed this summer, NMAAM will move in and begin exhibit installation and design for the interior of museum, which will have entrances along Broadway as well as Fifth Avenue near the historic Ryman Auditorium.

The museum will be home to traveling exhibits and five permanent galleries featuring 25 interactive displays that chronicle the history of African-American music from the 1800s to the present day. More than 1,400 artifacts have already been collected to be showcased in the space.

Rio Grande Fence to aid Old School Farm

Rio Grande Fence Co. of Nashville will donate and install 830 total linear feet of chain link fence at Old School Farm in Bells Bend as the company’s annual Good Friday project.

Old School Farm was founded in 2013 on the belief that creating a sustainable farm can also produce sustainable jobs while giving back to the community at large.

The new fence will provide perimeter security to Old School Farm’s 1.7-acre micro farm that produces quality farm-to-table food while providing employment to individuals of all abilities.

“Our annual selection process somehow involves a nudge from above, if you will. Following a meeting of my church’s and Old School Farm’s clergy leadership, I received an email from my Reverend,” says Derek Smith, chief operating officer, Rio Grande Fence Co. of Nashville.

“He detailed Old School Farm’s need for new fencing to protect their crops and further their service to greater Nashville,” Smith says. “Their produce is available at St. George’s Farmers Market. They are sustainably employing folks with developmental disabilities. We could, and should, meet their need, I believed.”

Lonely Planet acquires ArrivalGuides

Franklin-based Lonely Planet has acquired ArrivalGuides, the world’s largest distributor of destination content based in Gothenburg, Sweden.

ArrivalGuides works as a hub for destination content, functioning as an all-in-one travel ecosystem that meets all the content, marketing and booking needs of B2B clients. Clients such as AAA Travel, VISA, Hilton, Eurowings, Rentalcars.com and many more use ArrivalGuides digital products to integrate travel content to existing platforms.

With 625 destination guides, more than 56,000 points of interests in multiple languages and more than 500 officially supplied destination videos, ArrivalGuides has secured its position as the leading destination content provider in the B2B space.

Nashville has No. 8 bottlenecks for trucks

The American Transportation Research Institute has released its annual list of the most congested bottlenecks for trucks in America, and four Tennessee interchanges made the top 100.

Tennessee bottlenecks that made the list:

No. 8 Nashville: I-24/I-40 at I-440 (East)

No. 34 Nashville: I-40 at I-65 (East)

No. 51 Chattanooga: I-24 at Hwy 27

No. 82 Nashville: I-65 at I-24

“ATRI’s research shows us where the worst pain points are – but they are far from the only ones,’’ says Chris Spear, ATA president and CEO.

“This report should be a wake-up call for elected leaders at all levels of government that we must act quickly to address our increasingly congested highway system.

“Without meaningful investment in our nation’s infrastructure, carriers will continue to endure billions of dollars in congestion-related costs – which results in a self-inflicted drag on our economy.”

The 2019 Top Truck Bottleneck List assesses the level of truck-oriented congestion at 300 locations on the national highway system.

“The trucking industry is a vital part of Tennessee’s economy, delivering the goods we need in our everyday lives including food, fuel and clothing,” says Tennessee Trucking Association President and CEO Dave Huneryager.

“But congestion impacts our industry’s ability to meet the demands of Tennessee’s citizens. ATRI’s bottleneck analysis provides a roadmap for infrastructure investment to address the most critical chokepoints and improve mobility for cars and trucks.”

Midstate communities get development funds

Tennessee’s Department of Economic and Community Development has announced a new round of site development grant funding.

The grants are part of the larger Rural Economic Opportunity Act supported by the Tennessee General Assembly for the last three years, and they are intended to help rural communities overcome barriers to achieve Select Tennessee site certification and prepare them to receive economic development projects that will create jobs in their communities.

Communities in Middle Tennessee that will receive grants are:

Grundy County: Pelham Industrial Park, $500,000 for grading of 9 acres and extension of access road, water line and sewer line

Macon County: Lafayette/Macon County Industrial Park Site, $27,000 for development of a master plan

Stewart County: Stewart-Houston Industrial Park, $35,155 to conduct archeological survey, prepare topography and grading plan, and perform rail feasibility study

Lewisburg Industrial Development Board: I-65 Commerce Park, $378,000 to purchase of 27 acres

City of Columbia Industrial Development Board: Oakland Rail Site, $1 million to purchase 129 acres of land

Clarksville-Montgomery Co. Industrial Dev. Board: Clarksville Montgomery Co. Corporate Business Park North, $500,000 for grading of 42 acres

Confirmation completes SOC exams for 10th year

Confirmation, a Nashville-based online platform that quickly and securely verifies sensitive financial data, has successfully completed its recent System and Organization Control examinations.

This marks Confirmation’s 10th consecutive year of completing SOC examinations.

“Confirmation maintains a secure and reliable environment for every auditor, banker, lawyer, and creditor that uses our platform to confirm financial data,” says Brian Fox, president and founder of Confirmation. “Continued successful SOC examinations are a key part of our commitment to exceeding security-industry standards and giving our clients peace of mind.”

Virtual reality boosts Hamilton-Ryker’s training

Nashville-based Hamilton-Ryker is using TalentGro virtual reality in its training programs.

Virtual reality forklifts are being used to assess proficiency and provide training to both temporary employees and clients’ direct employees in Kentucky, Mississippi and Tennessee, but the units can be transported anywhere.

Hamilton-Ryker provides solutions to workforce challenges.

“We are one of the first staffing agencies in the Southeast region of the U.S. to launch this type of training solution,” says Kelly McCreight, CEO. “It’s one of our Total Workforce Solutions and is going to increase our ability to assess and train workers for any company that relies on forklifts to support their operations.”

VR Forklifts place trainees in a simulated work setting, which eliminates the safety risks and cost of training associated with using an actual forklift. Another benefit is increased retention, which Hamilton-Ryker has already experienced through a Mississippi client.

“Utilizing this technology enables us to assess candidates’ forklift driving skill level which allows us to determine if they can pass our clients’ driving tests,’’ says Shari Franey, Hamilton-Ryker’s chief operating officer, who launched the TalentGro program. “Through the training feature, others were able to gain or improve their skills, allowing them to pass our clients’ tests and get the job. This has resulted in an overall increase of 40 percent in successful placement of forklift drivers.”

Censis Tech, partner offers new services

Censis Technologies, a Franklin-based company in the surgical asset management industry, has unveiled Lean Consulting services in partnership with Operational Performance Solutions, Inc., a leading provider of process improvement services.

The new service line is an extension of the CensiServe portfolio and will offer hospitals expert consulting on the sterile processing department operational efficiency. The ultimate goal of Lean is continuous improvement through a relentless focus on eliminating waste, and Lean Consulting engagements led by OPS have resulted in sustainable improvements that reduced traveling staff costs by more than $30,000 per month.

Inova Payroll purchases One Source payroll

Nashville-based Inova Payroll, Inc., a privately-held payroll and human resources company, has acquired One Source Payroll.

Based in Irving, Texas, One Source provides payroll, time and labor, human resources and ACA compliance to more than 300 employers throughout the U.S.

The One Source Payroll office is the first Texas office for Inova, which has six offices in Georgia, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee. In 2017, Inova recapitalized and merged with Atlanta-based Payroll Strategies.