Backed by Amazon, the annual NEXT Awards returns to honor Middle Tennessee entrepreneurs for their impact on the city
Nashville, Tenn. (Aug 17, 2022) – The Nashville Entrepreneur Center’s NEXT Awards (EC) has today announced the finalists for the 2022 NEXT Awards, an annual ceremony that recognizes entrepreneurs who are transforming industries and strengthening the Middle Tennessee community and beyond. Presented by Amazon, the 2022 NEXT Awards will be hosted at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center on Monday, October 24. Attendees can purchase tickets–VIP or Balcony–and find more details here.
The program honors businesses across different industry categories, including: Healthcare; Music, Sports, and Entertainment; Products, Services, and Retail; Real Estate, Hospitality, and Construction; and Technology. There will be three winners in each category– startup companies with revenue up to $1 million, emerging companies with annual revenue between $1 to $3 million, and market mover companies with more than $3 million in annual revenue. Finalists for this year’s awards are:
Startups
Healthcare:
- CPRWrap, Inc. – Felicia Jackson
- Miter Health – Kishore Tummala & Manish Shah
- Winnow – Paul Vernich & Ray Guzman
Music, Sports, and Entertainment:
- Affinity Entertainment – Matthew Romero
- A to Z Sports – Austin Stanley & Zach Bingham
- Troops & Allies – Tiffany Long
Products, Services and Retail:
- Black Business Boom – Danielle McGee
- Small Town Startup – Lisa DiVirgilio Arnold
- Walker Brothers – Caroline Howard, Sam & Luke Walker
Real Estate, Hospitality and Construction:
- Collected – Jamie Pfeffer
- Mama Blanche – Charlotte Miller
- Urban Campus and Core, LLC – Jennifer Horne
Technology:
- Couture Technologies – Deanna Meador & Marcelino Cancio-Rodríguez
- Mployer Advisor – Brian Freeman
- Pivot Technology School – Joshua Mundy & Quawn Clark
Emerging Companies
Healthcare:
- Decode Health – Chase Spurlock & Julia Polk
- Nashville Collaborative Counseling Center – Amy Green
- Nashville Psych – Amy & Daniel Goldstein
Music, Sports, and Entertainment:
- Absolutely Ridiculous – Kyle Mauch
- EVA – Channing Moreland & Makenzie Stokel
- Grayscale Marketing – Tim Gray
Products, Services and Retail:
- Canvast Supply Co. – Devin Aracena & Christie Tarleton
- Continuum Planning Partners – Andy Faught & Abby Spaulding
- Thrive Tutoring – Katy Schmitt
Real Estate, Hospitality and Construction:
- Holladay Ventures – Evan Holladay
- Placemat – Ryan Reisdorf
- The Cauble Group – Tyler Cauble
Technology:
- Cloud Range – Debbie Gordon
- Earth Rides – Raven Hernandez
- Single Music – Tommy Stalknecht & Taylor O’Connor
Market Movers
Healthcare:
- Care Harmony – Gokul Mohan & Stephen Stewart
- Embold Health – Daniel Stein
- ObjectiveHealth – Colleen Hoke & Donald Lazas
Music, Sports, and Entertainment:
- Genni & Co. – Johnny Cloherty & Louis O’Reilly
- Orange Thread LIVE – Luke McElroy
- Soundstripe – Travis Terrell
Products, Services and Retail:
- Celero Commerce – Kevin Jones
- Rootine – Rachel Sanders & Daniel Wallerstorfer
- Studio Bank – Aaron Dorn & Harry Allen
Real Estate, Hospitality and Construction:
- Beckon Homes – Isabeau Miller & Shaun Balin
- Built Technologies, Inc – Chase Gilbert & Andrew Sohr
- Richland Building Partners – Chris Barnhizer
Technology:
- Alto Solutions, Inc – Eric Satz
- BluWave, LP – Sean Mooney
- XSOLIS – Joan Butters & Jim Sohr
NEXT Awards will also honor two innovative founders across all industries with the Emerging Entrepreneur of 2022 Award (less than $3M revenue) and Entrepreneur of 2022 Award (more than $3M revenue).
Emerging Entrepreneur of 2022 Award
- Amy Green: Nashville Collaborative Counseling Center
- Brian Bauer: Bauer Entertainment Marketing
- Devin Aracena: Canvast Supply Co.
Entrepreneur of 2022 Award
- Austin Dirks: GreenLight Medical
- Meg Epstein: CA South
- Trina Frierson: Mending Hearts
“Each entrepreneur’s work is inspiring and deserves to be recognized. I am so proud of our entrepreneurial community and our partners who help us do the work we do. We are excited to shine a light on so many in our community and look forward to celebrating and honoring each of them, said Jane Allen, CEO of the EC. “We are grateful to have Amazon’s support as presenting sponsor in what will be a memorable night for our team, fellow entrepreneurs, and the Nashville community. We encourage everyone to join in this special celebration.”
Additionally, the EC will welcome the 2022 Entrepreneur Hall of Fame inductees for their life-long contributions to Nashville’s entrepreneurial community. The evening is supported by its major sponsors Presenting Sponsor: Amazon; Sage: EY; Pathfinders: Dell Technologies, Electronic Arts, Evolution Event Solutions, Nashville Business Journal, Pinnacle Financial Partners. The co-chairs of this year’s event are Sherry and Mark Deutschmann.
To learn more about Nashville Entrepreneur Center and its programs, click here.
About Nashville Entrepreneur Center
The Nashville Entrepreneur Center (NEC) is a non-profit 501(c)(3) founded in 2010 by business leaders who wanted to support the next generation of entrepreneurs and to celebrate the spirit and tenacity of the entrepreneurial community. The NEC serves as Nashville’s center for entrepreneurship, supporting visionaries—from every background, in any industry, and at all phases—by connecting them to critical resources and championing their desire to change the world. Learn more about the NEC by following @entrecenter on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and at www.EC.co.
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