Key Collaborators

Steve Turner CEO of Butler's Run,Owner of MarketStreet Enterprises & Nashville Urban Venture

Steve Turner is the CEO Butler's Run. He also owns MarketStreet Enterprises and Nashville Urban Venture. Mr. Turner has invested in the Gulch area of Nashville for many years and he is credited with spearheading hte renovation of the Gulch.

Mr. Turner is also the Chairperson of the Country Music Foundation and he was instrumental in guiding the recent expansion of the Country Music Hall of Fame. Mr. Turner serves on several non-profit boards of directors in the Nashville area and he and his wife, Judy Turner, are well known throughout Nashville for their philanthropy and contributions to arts.

Collaboration was the key to success

Mayor Karl Dean, Mayor of Metropolitan Government Nashville of Davidson County

Karl Dean is the sixth mayor of the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County. He was elected on Sept. 11, 2007 and was re-elected on Aug. 4, 2011. Mayor Dean’s priorities are improving schools, making neighborhoods safer and bringing more and better jobs to Nashville. He also works to sustain and improve Nashville's high quality of life through numerous initiatives that promote health, sustainability and volunteerism.

Mayor Dean’s approach to economic development has been anchored by investing and building upon what the city already does well. With an international brand as Music City and tourism leading as the city’s No. 2 private employer, Mayor Dean was a strong advocate for the development of Music City Center, a new downtown convention center in Nashville. Located just steps from the Ryman Auditorium and the world-renowned honkytonks on Lower Broadway, the Music City Center will attract hundreds of thousands of new visitors to Nashville.

Retrieved from: nashville.gov/Mayors-Office/Mayors-Biography

Kyle Young Director of The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum

Young graduated from Kenyon College with a Bachelor of Arts in English in 1975. He is a member of the Country Music Association, the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, the Association of Independent Music and the National Association of Recording Merchandisers.

Retrieved from: cmt.com/news/country-music

Ralph Schulz President & CEO of Nashville Chamber of Commerce

With more than 30 years’ experience in non-profit management, marketing and fundraising, Ralph Schulz was named leader of the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce in November 2006. The Nashville Chamber, a non-profit, member-based organization founded in 1847, is Middle Tennessee’s largest business federation and a leading driver of economic and community development.

A passionate public servant with a history of community leadership around education and tourism issues, Schulz is a founding board member of Alliance for Public Education. He also served on the Metro School Funding Task Force in 2005 and Nashville Youth Leadership Advisory Board in 2004. In 2003, Schulz chaired Nashville Mayor Bill Purcell’s Working Group on Tourism. He later served as board chairman of the Nashville Convention and Visitors Bureau (2005-2006) and has been an integral part of the leadership of the Music City Center Coalition, responsible for building broadbased community support for the development of a new downtown convention center.

Retrieved from: iremnashville.org

Marty Dickens Chairman of Nashville Convention Center Authority

Serving as Chairman as the Nashville Convention Center Authority, Marty Dickens was an original member of the Music City Center Committee. After 38 years at AT&T, Inc. identified as President of AT&T in Nashville, Mr. Dickens has been an integral part of the Nashville community. His community dedication is evident through his tenure of Chair and board member throughout the community. Most notably, Mr. Dickens has served as Chairman and member of the Board of Trustees of Belmont University, Chairman of the Nashville Convention and Visitors Bureau, Chairman of the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce, Meharry Medical College Board of Trustees and Saint Thomas Health Services Foundation, the YMCA, Boy Scouts, Vanderbilt's Blair School of Music, Adventure Science Center, and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.

Portions retrieved from http://forum.belmont.edu/news/2007/08/10/trustees-chair-marty-dickens-honored-as-nashvillian-of-the-year-retires-from-att/

Seab Tuck Tuck-Hinton Architects

Seab A. Tuck, FAIA has extensive experience in every aspect of the design of exemplary projects. His passion for excellence is shared with his business partner, Kem Hinton. In 1984, they formed Tuck-Hinton Architects to explore the allusive possibilities of symbolism in design. This symbolism is not arbitrary but contextual and has influenced the design of their projects from private residences to schools, from college buildings to civic structures, and from museums to commemorative parks. The resulting work of the firm has been recognized with over 150 awards and has been featured in numerous publications.

Seab received his Bachelor of Architecture from Auburn University in 1975. Included in his education was a semester of study in Europe. He has remained active in Auburn’s College of Architecture, serving on its Advisory Council and its Dean’s Executive Committee. For his civic and design leadership, Seab received Lipscomb University’s Avalon Award for Creativity. In 1998, he was inducted into the prestigious College of Fellows of the American Institute of Architects.

Retrieved from: tuck-hinton.com/studio/team

Butch Spyridon President of Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp

Butch Spyridon has served as president and CEO of the Nashville Convention & Visitors Corporation (NCVC) since 1991. Under his leadership, Nashville’s hospitality industry has evolved from an industry largely based on theme park and summer leisure travel, to a year-round destination for convention, business and leisure visitors. Hospitality’s evolution has made it the city’s second largest industry and elevated annual revenues to $4 billion.Spyridon’s achievements have garnered numerous awards and accolades including Nashville Sales Executive of the Year Award, the President’s Award from Meeting Professionals International, and the Stephen Foster Award from Nashville Songwriters Association International and the Community Leader Award from the Tennessee MPI Chapter.A native of Pascagoula, Mississippi, Spyridon graduated fromVanderbilt University with a B.A. in Business Administration. After serving as manager of Travel and Conventions Department at the Mobile Chamber of Commerce, and as Executive Director of the Baton Rouge Area Convention & Visitors Bureau, Spyridon returned toNashville where he has served as CEO for the last 20 years.

Retireved from: tntourismcommittee.com/committee-members-bio

Dan Piotrowski General Manager of Omni Nashville Hotel

Piotrowski joins the Omni Nashville Hotel from the Omni Fort Worth Hotel, where he has served as general manager since 2010. Prior to that, he served as general manager for the Omni Berkshire Place in New York City from 2008-2010. Piotrowski originally joined Omni Hotels & Resorts as director of operations at the Omni Los Angeles in 2005. He was quickly promoted to general manager and earned the brand’s General Manager of the Year award in 2006. Also in 2006, Dan was selected by his peers to attend the General Manager’s program at Cornell University. Piotrowski graduated from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas with a Bachelor of Science degree in Hotel Administration.

Retrieved from: omnihotels.com/AboutOmniHotels