CEOs Against Cancer
This year’s meeting focused on tops ranging from improved employee productivity, healthy corporate culture and the organization of health care cost. Across the country and in Nashville, the CEOs Against Cancer forum discuss topics ranging from smoke free workplaces, education and programs to help employees quit smoking, quality education on adopting healthier lifestyles with better nutrition and physical activity and initiating discussion amongst employees and their families on early detection and regular screenings
This year’s keynote speaker at the meeting on May 7th was Warner Baxter, president and CEO of Ameren Missouri whose company is the largest energy provider in the state of Missouri, serving more than 1.2 million electric and gas customers and whose annual revenue is in excess of $3 billion. Also in attendance were Dr. Otis Brawley, Chief Medical Officer of the American Cancer Society and co-chairs of the Tennessee Chapter Damon Hininger, President and CEO of CCA, Dr. Joe DiPietro, President of The University of Tennessee and Steve Reynolds, President and CEO of Baptist Memorial Healthcare Corporation.
“Corporate executives aren’t just important or key or major in the fight against cancer,” said Dr. John Seffin, CEO of the American Cancer Society, “they are essential.”
For more information on The American Cancer Society or CEOs Against Cancer, or to make a donation, please click here.
What Our Clients Are Saying
Safety Procedures Enhanced After Tragedy
Various news outlets have kept the nation up-to-date on the horrific tragedy involving a limousine fire in California over the weekend. For those that have not seen the headlines, five people died while traveling by limo to a bachelorette party; included in the dead was the bride-to-be.
In many circumstances, tragedies such as the one on the West Coast could be avoided. Two years ago, Mayor Karl Dean signed in to law a host of measures that ensure those travelling via hired transportation vehicles will be hosted by companies that must adhere to strict safety standards.
Amongst other initiatives, those addendums to the Metropolitan Code of Law include permit stickers that must be in the front windshield, permits that must be renewed annually and background checks as well as drug and alcohol tests for all Chauffeurs.
Our first thought when hearing this weekend’s news was to double check the safety standards and procedures and ensure all of the policies- both community and company wide- are being followed systematically. Grand Avenue instills pre- and post trip safety checks, administers procedural paperwork in case of breakdown to ensure both the client and driver safety and checklists for each staff member to have on hand in case of emergency. All vehicles are equipped with First Aid kits and fire extinguishers and vehicles are submitted for regular safety tests throughout the year.
In addition, per VP of Operations Rebecca Kauffman, Grand Avenue has disabled the use of child safety locks in every one of our vehicles, effective immediately. Included in this just distributed memo is also a directive to note the location of fire extinguishers on pre-trip checklists; Grand Avenue has also ordered extra extinguishers to have on hand.
In addition to our Chauffeurs, Grand Avenue has an elite Fleet Team that oversees all aspects of the vehicles to ensure they run well and are clean for our clients. This group of staffers also creates reports in order to track preventative maintenance. All members of the Chauffeur and Fleet Team, as well as members of Management, are required to attend regular safety training.
Grand Avenue also recognizes and trains our staff using the National Limousine Association's (NLA) guidelines for recognizing and reporting suspicious activity in and out of the vehicle; this is especically important for our Chauffeurs since they are in a prime position to notice this kind of behavior and seek help.
There are employees monitoring vehicle activity 24 hours a day, seven days a week to ensure all vehicles are cleaned and up to code. Should an emergency happen, we feel confident we will have the resources and processes in place to make sure everyone is safe.
Ms. Kauffman gave a short interview to New Channel 5 to give some insight to the public on both company and public initiatives. Click here to view that article.
Grand Gives Back: Second Harvest Mobile Food Pantry
This morning (May 3rd, 2013) CEO Carl Haley, VP of Sales Jon Pirtle, VP of Finance Terrie Lane and Director of Marketing Samantha Spector headed out to a mobile home park to work with Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee at a Mobile Pantry that Grand Avenue sponsored. As volunteers gathered, each remarked to each other at how fortunate we were for sunshine a it is supposed to rain throughout the weekend. People from all walks of life pitched in to bag, carry, unload and sort over 20,000 pounds of food that went to nearly 300 families from the area.
Quick Statistics:
- 1 in 4 children in Middle Tennessee do not know where their next meal will come from
- 1 in 6 Americans are effected by hunger
- The Mobile Pantry is modeled after the first food bank that was established in Phoenix in the mid-70s
- Mobile Pantries of Middle TN service 46 counties
- Through programs like Mobile Pantry, Second Harvest and their affiliates can feed 1 million more people per week
- More than one-third of households report having to choose between buying food and other basic necessities such as rent, utilities and medical care
Mobile Pantry Program began in August 2003 to supplement the work of other food pantries and shelters that worked to feed the under privileged residents in the area. The Pantry almost works as a grocery store. Volunteers arrive about two hours before the pantry “opens” in order to sort, bag, open and set up over 20,000 pounds of food. Participants show up at a planned time and utilize shopping carts as they walk down the “aisle,” collecting perishable and non-perishable food along the way. Food is handed out depending on how many people reside in the home with the person that has come to “shop.” Each participant is then helped to their car or home by a volunteer.
The Mobile Pantry Program accounts for one-third of all food that is distributed throughout the year by Second Harvest. The Grand Avenue sponsored pantry was the first of its’ kind in this particular area and both volunteers and participants were enthusiastic as the morning came to a close.
Sometimes it is amazing to see what a smile, a friendly wave and a moment of your day can help another person out.
Grand Gives Back: The T.J. Martell Foundation
Tonight is Nashville’s Best Cellars Dinner at The Bridge Building in Downtown Nashville. The sold out dinner and after party will benefit the T.J. Martell Foundation. Founded in 1975 by former A&R Director for CBS Records (now Sony Music Entertainment) Tony Martell, the foundation benefits research for leukemia, cancer and AIDS research.
Named for Tony’s departed son T.J., the foundation raises nearly $4 million a year. Per their website, the foundation’s advisory board review application from research laboratories every fall in order to determine which studies will receive monetary funding. All grants are rewarded based on scientific merit; the board specifically looks for those on the cutting edge of research who strive to utilize the most innovative work to support experimental research that might not otherwise receive funding.
Tonight’s event will feature a four course dinner by world class chefs that will be paired with top vintage wines. Each table will feature two key components: world class wine and a celebrity host. This year- the 14th time this annual event has been hosted in Nashville- will welcome Dustin Lynch, Jake Owen, Gary Allen, Sheryl Crow, Amy Grant, Eric Church, Jonathon Cain (of Journey) and Jimmy Stafford (of Train).
Grand Avenue will be providing free safe rides in our Lexus and Mercedes Sedans for attendees to the After Party from 10pm-1am. We are honored to be a part of an evening so important to furhering research into these diseases.
For more information about this evening's Best Cellars Dinner please click here OR make a donation to the TJ Martell Foundation.
Nashville Welcomes Johnny Cash Museum
Emotions ran high on Thursday morning as The Johnny Cash Museum welcomed Joanne and Tommy Cash, Johnny’s brother and sister, to walk through the museum for the first time.
“No death here,” said Bill Miller, founder of the museum, “Johnny is still alive and with us.”
Joined by family and friends, the love for The Man In Black was palpable throughout the building, both from the family to their departed brother and from the fans to their departed hero.
It’s been a long time coming, to say the least. The museum is the passion project of Miller, a renowned archivist, biographer, friend and fan of Cash. Miller, who holds one of the largest private Johnny Cash collections on record, first met Cash at age 12, when he snuck backstage at a concert. Security threw him out before finally realizing the futility of continuously escorting him off the premises and granting him a backstage pass for life. Call it determination, or chutzpah or just plain stubborn but what began as adolescent resolve would begin a 30 year journey, culminating in today’s grand opening.
As Miller led the exclusive crowd through the museum yesterday morning, he recounted the many moments of doubt he had as he pressed forward. Failure to secure spacing, deals that were left unfinished, building violations; there were times it seemed that his vision would not be realized.
Miller and his team persevered and the outcome and the outcome exceeded expectations so much, Joanne Cash could hardly contain herself upon walking through the entranceway.
“The memories are just so real,” she was overheard murmuring as she looked at photos of her and her siblings from their childhood in Dyess, AK.
Memorabilia from all aspects of Johnny’s life abound. Report cards and photos from early life, Grammy’s and accolades and costumes and clippings from his career and, of course, extremely personal items from he and June’s storied love affair. The couple’s marriage license, furniture, handwritten notes and a valentine (see photo) are all showcased within the museum. In addition, a wall constructed entirely from Cash’s house (which burnt down in 2006) serves as background for the couple’s china hutch and the jumpsuit Cash is wearing in the infamous “flipping the bird” photo is also on display.
Grand Avenue is proud to sponsor the Johnny Cash Museum, which officially has opened it’s doors today. It is located at 119 3rd Ave S, Nashville. More information can be found at: https://www.facebook.com/johnnycashmuseum.
Green Is Our Favorite Color
We know what you’re thinking: how does a transportation service go green? Let’s take a look.
Before even breaking ground on our offices, Carl Haley, GA’s CEO and President, laid out plans for a greener, more environmentally friendly facility. GA worked with Hawkins development to implement a myriad of initiatives, resulting in a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold Certification.
"This project is an excellent example of how a building once damaged by a devastating flood can be renovated and revitalized, said Tommy Brown of Hawkins Development Co., "[and] become a model of environmental responsibility and energy efficiency."
Grand Avenue committed to a 26% reduction in energy use within the office facility, which opened in February 2012. The building boasts a light-reflective roof, motion-sensor lights, skylights for more natural light visibility as well as a state-of-the-art, high efficiency HVAC System. It is worth mentioning that Grand Avenue recycles paper products and our vehicles’ used motor oil is also recycled to heat our on-site maintenance building.
In addition, the building is equipped with sensors that automatically switch off lights when a room is empty and all restrooms have low flow fixtures installed to reduce water consumption. The results speak for themselves: these initiatives resulted in a 30% reduction in water consumption, 30% reduction in energy consumption and our recycling efforts helped to divert 50% of waste that originally headed straight to the landfill.
All of the furnishings within the offices are locally sourced and incorporate used and remanufactured furniture from Office Furniture + Related Services, a Nashville based company, located Downtown.
This weekend, Nashville will host various Earth Day celebrations around town, including the annual event in Centennial Park on Saturday April 20th. For more information on events in town, visit our friends over at NowPlayingNashville.com or Nashville.com.
To read more about Grand Avenue’s Green Initiatives click here (courtesy of the Nashville Post, Feb. 2nd, 2012).
There are a million ways to do your part to make Nashville the “Greenest” city in the Southeast.
Want to know more? Check out http://www.nashvitality.org/
03/04/2013
Nashville Limousine Service
Airport Limousine Service
Corporate Travel
Limousine Industry
Carl Haley on Lipscomb’s “Conversations with the Dean”
Grand Avenue’s founder and owner Carl Haley was a guest on Lipscomb University College of Business’s ongoing web series, “Conversations with the Dean.” Carl enjoyed speaking with Dean Turney Stevens about his vision for Grand Avenue and the experiences that have shaped the excellence embodied by the company.
You can read a brief here or watch the full interview below.
Driving the Commodore Nation
For years, Grand Avenue has proudly sponsored Vanderbilt athletics. Better still, Grand Avenue counts itself a driving citizen of the Commodore Nation.
Our job is to get fans to and from the games safely and without headaches. Of course, the major perk of that is we get to be in the trenches with the entire Commodore Nation every quarter, period and inning of every game. Win or lose.
Carl Haley and Jon Pirtle of Grand Avenue had the pleasure yesterday evening of taking the court with Vice Chancellor David Williams II before the game against Tennessee. Things might not have gone Vandy’s way, but – like Grand Avenue – we have no doubt that the Commodores will keep driving.
Nashville's Economy is Booming!
Nashville has taken another jump on 'On Numbers' monthly ranking of economic vitality across the country
http://www.bizjournals.com/nashville/blog/2013/01/nashville-jumps-to-no-14-in-monthly.html
