Nashville, Tenn. (TN Tribune)–The Nashville Entrepreneur Center NEXT Awards is hosting its annual ceremony recognizing entrepreneurs who are transforming industries and strengthening the Middle Tennessee community on Monday, Oct 24.

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 across different industry categories, including: Healthcare; Music, Sports, and Entertainment; Products, Services, and Retail; Real Estate, Hospitality, and Construction; and Technology. Winners will be announced the night of the event.

This year’s NEXT Awards will additionally 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) as well as the 2022 Entrepreneur Hall of Fame inductees for their life-long contributions to Nashville’s business 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.

The Awards will honor and induct a brand-new class of business leaders into the 2022 Entrepreneur Hall of Fame.

This year’s class includes:

  • André Prince: Owner of the legendary Nashville hot chicken shack, Prince’s Hot Chicken, which her family founded and has been serving Nashville for nearly a century.
  • Amy Kurland: Founder of Nashville’s iconic Bluebird Café.
  • Mike Shmerling: Renowned Nashville public accountant and founder of over 10 businesses, and member of the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce’s Partnership 2010 initiative that ultimately created and launched the EC.
  • Steve Turner:  Founder of MarketStreet Equities Company, an investment firm with diversified holdings in real estate and wetlands mitigation environmental preservation that also spearheaded the development of The Gulch.