Celebrating 2023: Business | Cover Story

jack arnold

restaurateur, storyteller, patriarch

From Elliston Place Soda Shop and Sylvan Park Restaurant’s Lynn Chandler to the Sweat family and Hap Townes, many claim to be the founders of the meat-and-three, but it’s hard to say who actually shaped our city’s humble plate lunch. It was an employee of Chandler’s who did it. Bringing tradition into the culinary zeitgeist. Just as Cezanne created Neo-Impressionism, which eventually led to Cubism, Jack Arnold was Nashville’s Picasso of Southern cooking, taking his art to the next level and popularizing Southern cooking, and James He has won honors such as the Beard Foundation’s America’s Classical Award.

In this metaphor, Chandler is Cezanne, revolutionizing the genre by hiring Jack to run a restaurant on Eighth Avenue and eventually selling the place so Arnold can put his own stamp on it. Ta. Jack Arnold and his family elevated country cooking and hospitality to an art form at Arnold’s. Patrons ranged from day laborers to music royalty, all standing next to the steam table with red trays, waiting for a chance to speak. Jack was a natural storyteller and wasn’t afraid to raise the line to roast his beef to share a story or a naughty joke.

Like Picasso, Jacques had a period of bad temper, and for the last 10 years of his 85 years, he rarely worked in restaurants. But his presence will always be felt in the space, and no matter what happens in the future with the rest of the Arnold family and their business, Jack will always remain a part of it. —Chris Chamberlain

Richard Eskind

Financial advisor, healthcare industry pioneer, husband

Richard Eskind was born in Nashville in the early 20th century, and through his business and civic, political, and philanthropic efforts, was a force behind what Nashville became and what it is today in the early 21st century.

With a bachelor’s degree in economics and a master’s degree in business administration from Harvard University and experience in the consumer electronics business, Eskind turned his attention to the financial field and established Nashville as a city. He became recognized as one of the local leaders who contributed to the “Wall Street of the South” in the 1960s and 1970s.

During his long career as a stockbroker and financial advisor, Eskind served as vice president and resident manager of the Nashville branch of the investment firm AG Edwards and Sons. He was also at the forefront of Nashville’s healthcare industry as a co-founder of Hospital Affiliates International Inc. and the health maintenance organization HealthAmerica Corp.

However, it was his long marriage to political powerhouse Jane Eskind that earned him the nickname “Mr. Eskind.” Jane” and articles titled “Spouses Who Wear Ties.” Jane Eskind was the first woman to win a statewide election in Tennessee when she was elected to the Tennessee Public Service Commission (now the Tennessee Regulatory Authority) in 1980, and she later became the commission’s chair. I served. She also became the first woman to become chair of the Tennessee Democratic Party.

Philanthropist Richard Eskind is one of the founders of the Middle Tennessee Community Foundation, which was founded in 1991 in his daughter Ellen Lehman’s garage. The organization exceeds his $1.2 billion in donations to local nonprofits. Richard Eskind received his 2002 Human Relations Award sponsored by the National Conference on Community and Justice. —Kay West

Joel Gordon

Entrepreneurs in the healthcare industry

Joel Gordon was active in the Nashville healthcare industry, founding the hospital management company General Care Corporation (later acquired by HCA Healthcare) and the outpatient surgery company Surgical Care Affiliates (later acquired by HealthSouth).

In 2017, Mr. Gordon was inducted into the Tennessee Healthcare Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame honors this entrepreneur for being ahead of his time in investing in independent ambulatory surgery centers and physician ownership as his model for hospital business. He was also one of the ten founders of the Nashville Medical Council. Gordon also served as president of the Jewish Community Center that bears his name.

Active in a variety of civic activities, Gordon has been recognized by the United Way, the National Conference of Christians and Jews, the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee, and the Tennessee Center for the Performing Arts.

“Joel loved people and was a mentor to many,” his obituary said. “His door was always open. He found immense joy in the success of others.” Gordon was 94 years old. —William Williams

brian hall

Veteran Lower Broadway bartender

The bartenders and hospitality workers who support Nashville’s unparalleled nightlife are bonded by the long hours and daily hard work of keeping the city’s pubs, dives, and honky-tonks running. . The close-knit community was shaken by the death in November of scene veteran Brian Hall, 36, who most recently ran the tin-roofed bar.

“He built his way to being known as one of the best bartenders in Nashville, one of the most interactive, kind and fun bartenders,” says Ty Waldron, Hall’s friend and former roommate. “No matter what bar he was in, he drew a crowd.”

That was true until the end. A celebration of life was held in a tin-roofed hall, and one friend who attended said it was “filled with family, lifelong friends, and the many friends I’ve made since coming to Nashville.” A testament to how he treated people! ” —Cole Villena

juliana glasgow trotman

massage therapist, healer

There was little chance that a client would fall asleep on Juliana Trotman’s massage table. People sought out the strong arms and amazingly gentle hands of a Trinidad-born, licensed massage therapist to not soothe, but to soothe. Often, she was the last hope for those suffering from debilitating pain when other professionals were unsuccessful. Among her customers was respected veteran guitarist Richard Bennett. “He went to an orthopedic surgeon and other doctors to treat his arm, but nothing helped,” said Bennett’s wife, Christina, a Trotman follower. “He went to Juliana and she fixed him up.”

Other participants who made it to the small studio behind his West Mead home included Waylon Jennings, a Tennessee Titans player, a marathon runner and a tennis player. Christina Bennett said Trotman, who was also a champion bowler, had incredible instincts. In fact, as Trotman told author Matt Pull in his 2003 book, “Most of the time I go off-intuitive. When I run my hands over the muscles, I know what I’m supposed to do.” I can feel it.” —Kay West

steve horrell

President of Horrell, Gentleman, Philanthropist

Steve Horrell served as president and chief broker of the Horrell Company, working in some capacity from 1972 until his death in April. Horrell, a class gentleman and a major supporter of Belmont University, was 73 years old when he lost his battle with cancer.

Horrell strongly emphasized his local roots and love for the Nashville area. He graduated from Battle Ground Academy and attended what was then known as Belmont University. There, Horrell served as president of the student government. He graduated from Belmont University with his 1972 bachelor’s degree in business administration and history and immediately began working at the family company.

Mr. Horrell was the son of Henry Horrell, who founded Horrell Refrigerator in 1943. The company provided refrigeration equipment to local grocery stores, and in 1946 was joined by a sister business, Horrell Properties, Inc., which focused on food service. The company changed his business model in 1955 to include commercial real estate development, brokerage and management.

In 1972, Henry, Steve, and Fred (Steve’s brother) sold their refrigeration business to focus on commercial real estate operations, and the company began operations as Horrell Realty and Investments. In 2005, the company was renamed Horrell Company and Steve remained.

Mr. Horrell served for 30 years as president of the Belmont University Alumni Association, chair of the University Development Committee, and a member of the university’s Board of Trustees. He also volunteered at the Middle Tennessee Girl Scouts, Leadership in Nashville, Genesis Learning Center, Bell Meade Planning Commission, and the Downtown Rotary Club. —William Williams

doyle lippie

prominent banker and philanthropist

Doyle Ray Rippey was born in Mississippi and died in Mississippi. He also met and married his high school sweetheart Virginia Bond there, earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Delta State University, and became his father there.

But it was in Tennessee that Rippy began his distinguished career in banking. He attended a management training program at Union Planters Bank in Memphis and then joined Commerce Union Bank, where he rose to become chairman and CEO. Commerce Union brought Rippy and his family to Nashville, where he went from Nations Bank of Tennessee to Bank of America, then his first “retirement,” then back to banking at Regions Bank, and then… First led the institutions through a series of industry-defining mergers. Bank of Tennessee, and ultimately a retirement fund that stalled.

Throughout, he played a pivotal role in bringing the Tennessee Titans and Nashville Predators to Nashville, and his civic activities include overseeing a $10 million fundraising campaign for Alive Hospice; , the Boy Scouts of America, the Nashville Symphony Orchestra, and Tennessee Performing Arts. Vanderbilt University Center for the Arts and Children’s Hospital. —Kay West

brooks parker

PR executive, art patron

Brooks Parker, a Texas native and press secretary for Tennessee Governor Ray Blanton, died on May 4 at the age of 92. One of Mr. Parker’s most notable accomplishments was helping secure a United Nations visit to Nashville in 1976. 101 United Nations delegates attended Vanderbilt’s forum and a trip to Opryland.

Parker, a Korean War veteran, moved to Tennessee to study at the University of the South in Sewanee. He was appointed commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Employment Security in 1978 after he served in the Blanton administration. He also served as the first director of the Tennessee Performing Arts Center.

Parker’s wife, Ann Coleman Smith Parker, preceded him in death, and Parker is survived by four children, six grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren. —Laura Hutson Hunter