Featured Business
Bridgestone Americas
Bridgestone Americas is proud to call Nashville, Tenn., home. The global Bridgestone Group’s western hemisphere headquarters, including Bridgestone Americas Holding, Inc., Bridgestone Firestone North American Tire, LLC and Bridgestone Firestone Latin American Tire Operations, is located in Nashville.
The company employs about 4,900 people in Tennessee, including approximately 820 at the Nashville corporate office. These other Tennesseans can be found in Bridgestone Americas’ two tire plants in LaVergne and Morrison; a steel tire cord plant in Clarksville; a chassis supply partnership in Columbia; a distribution center in Lebanon; a Firestone Industrial Products Company, LLC (FSIP) facility in Dyersburg; and 66 company-owned retail locations.
The company has invested more than $1 billion in the state. As important, Bridgestone Americas is committed to being a good corporate citizen nationally, regionally and especially in the communities where its companies have manufacturing plants, sales facilities or offices — the places Bridgestone Americas and its teammates call home.
On a global scale, Bridgestone Americas adheres to the Bridgestone Way, the Bridgestone Group’s corporate philosophy to build not just better products, but better communities. This philosophy is put into action through The Bridgestone Firestone Trust Fund, Bridgestone Americas’ philanthropic arm.
Since 1952, The Bridgestone Firestone Trust Fund has supported charitable and philanthropic endeavors in three major categories: education, the welfare of children, and environment and conservation. In Tennessee, The Bridgestone Firestone Trust Fund donated more than $800,000 in 2006 to various organizations and charities across the state, including: American Red Cross; Tennessee 4-H Foundation; Ronald McDonald House, Nashville; LaVergne Primary School; Junior Achievement of Middle Tennessee; Kids of the Community, Warren County; Tennessee Performing Arts Center; The Nashville Opera; Tennessee State Museum; and many more. Bridgestone Americas is especially proud of its support of the Nashville Chamber Orchestra and the Thanksgiving Celebration concerts. These Trust Fund contributions complement the tireless volunteer work of Bridgestone Americas teammates and corporate donations of time, talent and resources.
One final note…The company’s commitment to the environment and conservation can be seen in every aspect of its operations. From the Bridgestone Firestone Centennial Wilderness, 10,000 acres of pristine wilderness donated to the state of Tennessee in 1998 and 2000 as part of the centennial celebration for the Firestone brand, to the Wildlife Habitats maintained by the company at a number of its tire plants (including the facility in Morrison) Bridgestone Americas’ dedication to being a good, green neighbor is a key component of its culture.
For more information, go to www.BridgestoneAmericas.com.
Katcher Vaughn & Bailey Public Relations, Inc
Katcher Vaughn & Bailey Public Relations, Inc. (KVBPR) www.kvbpr.com was founded in 1996, and the firm works with clients in consumer goods and services, health care, real estate development and other fields to position those companies strategically with the people who matter most. KVBPR develops and implements programs designed to align interests, build relationships and create success. The firm is a partner in WORLDCOM, a global consortium of independently owned public relations counseling firms.
Beaman Automotive Group
Beaman Automotive Group includes Beaman Pontiac GMC, Beaman Toyota, Beaman Lincoln Mercury in Nashville and Beaman Dodge in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
Founded in 1945 by Alvin Beaman, it remains locally owned by his son, Lee A. Beaman. The family and the dealerships are well known in the area for their customer oriented business philosophy, generosity to the community and being a good place to work. Beaman Automotive Group was named one of the Best Employers in Tennessee by TN Business Magazine for 2006 and 2007. The dealership is nationally recognized and has won every major award presented by the automobile manufacturers they represent. Lee Beaman was honored as the 2007 Ambassador of the Year for the Middle Tennessee Better Business Bureau and is Incoming Chairman of the Board of the Nashville Symphony.
First Tennessee Bank
First Tennessee is the only major bank headquartered in Tennessee and is known for customer satisfaction ratings that are tops in the industry, leadership in community involvement, and as one of the country’s Best Places to Work.
The company’s family-friendly policies and a commitment to employees as its most important resource have brought it national and statewide recognition from Working Mother magazine, Fortune magazine, AARP and others that have named the company an employer of choice.
First Tennessee is the leading bank in the state of Tennessee and has more than 40 financial centers in Middle Tennessee. First Tennessee’s parent company – First Horizon National Corp. – operates in more than 40 states, as well as in many foreign countries.
First Tennessee’s commitment to Middle Tennessee goes beyond savings accounts and loans to support education, the arts, economic development and health and wellness programs. Recognized as a leader in the community, First Tennessee provides more than $800,000 to over 150 non-profit organizations each year and sponsors many of the region’s prominent events and sports teams.
McQuiddy Printing
In 1903, J.C. McQuiddy ventured into the field of commercial printing, and McQuiddy Printing Company was born. In the decades that followed, McQuiddy Printing was passed from father to son to brother, each focusing on J.C.’s vision of success. The company is run today by David McQuiddy. David is the 4th generation of the McQuiddy family to lead the company. Born in 1959, David has been President since 1995 as his father, David McQuiddy Jr, gradually turned over the reigns as acting president. He is active in the Nashville Arts community, currently serving as co-chair of the Nashville Chamber Orchestra. David’s brother, Webb is Vice-President of Manufacturing and a supporter of the Nashville Children’s Theater. McQuiddy Printing believes all tasks should be pursued with the idea they must be accomplished in a superior fashion, realizing that good is an unacceptable substitute for the best and they seek, therefore, to be the best. This attitude has enabled them to create a loyal family atmosphere; many of their employees have been with the company 30, 40 and even 50 years. McQuiddy Printing strongly believes in giving back to the community. Since 2005, they have donated over $300,000 worth of printing services and cash donations to the Nashville community. Some of the arts organizations they have supported include: the Nashville Chamber Orchestra, the Tennessee Humanities Council, the Metro Nashville Chorus, the American Institute of Graphic Arts, the Nashville Children’s Theater, the Tennessee Repertory Theater, O’More College of Design, the Tennessee Art League, the Tennessee Performing Arts Center (TPAC), the Belcourt Theater, Leadership Music, the Nashville Film Festival, the Nashville Symphony Guild, the Nashville Ballet and the Nashville Zoo. The staff of McQuiddy believes that giving back to the community goes beyond just cash and printing donations. Members of the staff make it a policy to always donate supplies to those in need. The Metro school system takes donations of art supplies that are distributed throughout the school’s art programs. Of particular need, are the ends of the 900 pound printing paper rolls. Once these rolls become too small for the presses, they are typically recycled. McQuiddy has chosen to donate them which enable teachers, with limited budgets, to provide art experiences for students. Additionally, one staff member in particular makes regular trips to the Nashville Zoo to personally deliver these rolls which enables the arts activity center to provide creative opportunities to their visitors. Another way that McQuiddy gives back to the arts community in an immeasurable way is through their relationship with the NASI College of Art and Design. When students near the end of their art production studies, McQuiddy invites them to tour their facility and learn first hand about graphic design and production. These tours typically last up to two hours and this past month alone, they conducted five of them. There are so many benefits to these tours, but the effect they have on the students who participate is powerful. Twyla Lambert, the staff member who conducts the tours, says, “Many students begin the tours bored, but as the people in the plant interact with the students, they are clearly pumped to be teaching the next generation about what they do. You can actually see in the student’s faces, that they really get it and that they are excited about the whole process. Suddenly, the prospect of a career in graphic design comes alive.”
The Buntin Group
As the largest branding firm in Tennessee and one of the top 150 in the country, The Buntin Group is largely unusual as advertising agencies go. It is not merely an ad agency, but a company that is driven by its ability to become business-partners with its clients. While that partnership might include print, online and television ads, it is equally likely to include new packaging or product ideas, new site selection models, merchandise recommendations or any number of entrepreneurial ideas.
It is also an agency that, since its inception nearly 35 years ago, has shown an unwavering dedication to the arts on a local and national scale. With scores of talented artists on staff, the Buntin Group Art Show is an annual highlight for media, clients and friends of the agency. During this one-of-a-kind event, the agency becomes a museum of original artwork, which is then auctioned for the agency’s in-house charity, AdHope. The agency has also provided longstanding support through board of directors’ posts and pro-bono creative work for non-profit groups such as The Tennessee Repertory Theatre and the Tennessee Performing Arts Center. Finally, because we believe in supporting the community’s up-and-coming great creative minds, the agency has also been a sponsor of the Watkins College of Art & Design senior art show.
