Country star Brad Paisley, FedEx, MNPS director honored for Nashville philanthropy

The largest-ever financial donation to the University of Memphis. A grocery store filled with free food that prioritizes dignity for struggling families. And a design firm that pioneered the use of artificial intelligence technology with college students.

These are just a few of the contributions from Tennessee businesses and organizations honored at the annual 2024 CEO Roundtable Series and Awards hosted by Worthington Advisory.

Gov. Bill Lee awarded the winners and other business leaders Thursday morning at the governor's mansion.

Country music star Brad Paisley's grocery store: 'Groceries with dignity'

Country music superstar Brad Paisley was named the Tennessean of the Year in Music, while Metro Nashville Public Schools Director Adrienne Battle received the Changemaker award, among other awardees.

"The stuff that happens in the General Assembly as it relates to the governor's office is really, really important. But the corporate world fills in gaps that we could never fill in," said Lee, who is at the tail end of a contentious legislative session.

Paisley, who wore his characteristic straw cowboy hat for the event, said he's committed to expanding his food donation center.

He and his wife, Kimberly Williams-Paisley, founded The Store, a nonprofit free grocery store for qualifying families, in partnership with Belmont University. They are working to open a second store in the Nashville area.

"It's the idea of groceries with dignity," Paisley said. "We've all seen the situations where people are willing to go get a handout in a brown bag from the back of a truck. But this looks just like a grocery store. We have a play area for kids and a horse you can put a quarter in."

In Memphis, a $50 million donation

FedEx's $50 million contribution to the University of Memphis — the largest in the school's history — made the logistics firm a shoo-in for Tennessean of the Year in Business.

Funds will be used to modernize the FedEx Forum, the home of the Memphis Grizzlies. They will also support Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium.

"These upgrades are of paramount importance to the future of FedEx's headquarters city," said FedEx Airline and International President and CEO Richard Smith.

Barge Design Awards President and CEO Bob Higgins took home the Innovator of the Year award. The engineering and architectural firm pioneered the use of generative artificial-intelligence technology to improve productivity. The successful program was then used to create a free online course called "Generative AI for Leaders."

Battle, the director of Metro Nashville's public schools, received the Changemaker award for improving academic achievement at the district and increasing post-secondary opportunities.

BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee won the Tri-Star Award for Statewide Impact for addressing systematic disparities in the health care system with its Health Equity Report.

"We wanted to get a better picture of the health issues and barriers to care faced by our members," BCBS of Tennessee Chief Medical Officer Dr. Andrea Willis said. "So that we could more effectively partner with health care providers to adress those issues."

Nashville SC owner scores: 'Keep challenging yourself'

Nashville SC owner and businessman John Ingram was named CEO of the year. As chairman of Ingram Industries, he led the effort to bring the Major League Soccer stadium to town in 2022.

Ingram said the secret to his success has been hard work and a willingness to take risks.

"I just had the opportunity to keep challenging myself. Working my way through new challenges, survival and taking on new things (I wasn't) sure if (I) could do or could not do and achieving it," Ingram said. "There's a lot of truth to the saying: 'What doesn't kill you makes you stronger' and it gives you confidence."

Sandy Mazza can be reached via email at smazza@tennessean.com, by calling 615-726-5962, or on Twitter @SandyMazza.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Brad Paisley, FedEx, MNPS director give back to Nashville