By Logan Langlois
NASHVILLE, TN — The new Tennessee Titans Nissan Stadium has been a hotly debated topic among Nashvillians, with many critics including now-current Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell, saying the time, energy, and money being allocated could serve the city better in other ways. As debates continue, project leaders of the new Nissan Stadium said they are trying to keep Nashville’s Black community in sports by providing long-lasting employment opportunities. One entity at the forefront of this effort is Don Hardin Group, DHG, who has been charged with overseeing the architecture and construction of the stadium and has also been tasked with ensuring diversity on the project.
With the assistance of the Titans in establishing the framework of developing relationships, DHG President and CEO Don Hardin, Jr., said they would then implement a plan to ensure inclusion. According to the ‘One Community’ Program details posted to the Tennessee Titans website, this partnership includes the Titans assisting with efforts directly related to economic inclusion, disenfranchised business enterprises, and workforce development both in initial and ongoing plans related to the new Titans Stadium. DHG’s plan for inclusion is to be executed in three phases dedicated to setting the foundation and informing the decisions of the project, then implementing a diversity program, enforcing workforce development, and adapting led and organized by DHG, concluding with an internship program.
Additionally, according to the Titans website, they have committed to strengthening their relationship with Corner to Corner, a local nonprofit that offers creative resourceful programs to Nashvillians. They will do this by supporting the already established Corner to Corner Academy 10-week program that trains small business owners in how to plan, start, and grow their establishment.
Vice President and Executive Director, Tennessee Titans Foundation and Community Impact Johari Matthews, who has been charged with coordinating the community impact of the Titans on Nashvillians, said her networking has been in full swing for around the last three years by going into communities and talking directly to citizens. Matthews said since her work is in community engagement, she’s been speaking to community leaders and non-profits regarding projects they felt the Titans could contribute to.
“The Titans have been around for 25 years, and a big part of this new stadium was that it allowed us to … use the stadium as a catalyst as to how we can go deeper and wider into the community,” Matthews said.
Senior Vice President and Chief External and League Affairs Officer Adolpho A. Birch, III said he has been busy acting as a lead communicator between city representatives, political representatives, community leaders, and his colleagues working with the Titans. Birch said everyone has been working well to establish mutual goals, and right now his job boils down to making sure that everyone knows what’s always happening. Birch said that the goal of the project is to get the entire community involved inclusively, and his biggest public outreach objective has been communicating this to communities organically.
“If we are successful in doing what we’re trying to do … if we do it right, it will be something that you’ll be able to look at 20 years from now, 30 years from now, and see that impact continue,” Birch said.
Matthews said in the last year, programs being conducted in partnership with the Titans have begun to become operational and benefit the communities around them, and she’s seen public perception around the Titans shift positively. She said this positive shift has been a good indication of where the Titans are headed now, but also provides them with additional perspective as to where they want to go.
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