Nashville moving from Music City to the next Tech Hub: Conversation with NTC CEO Brian Moyer
When Brian Moyer became the CEO of the Greater Nashville Tech Council (NTC) in 2016 , he had two goals he wanted to accomplish with his team.
- Define what technology meant by taking a much broader view of just IT / infrastructure and include software, hardware, graphic design, manufacturing etc.
- Defining the one metric for everyone to agree on with the growth of tech in the area, and that is the size of the tech workforce.
He has been striving from day on to make Nashville a tech hub and not just a city known for music and healthcare. He opened Tech Hill Commons, a 95K Square Foot building that is used and seen by the tech community as their home base. Two years later, Moyer and the Board decided on their BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goal) of doubling the tech workforce in Nashville by 2025. They are well on their way to this goal with companies like Oracle, Amazon, Facebook, and Iron Galaxy Gaming Studios coming to town. Nashville is becoming the intersection of tech and the creative communities. CBRE report states that Nashville has the fastest growing tech workforce in the country over the past five years.
Along with working to double the tech workforce, the NTC knew that they must also work within the area chambers of commerce and school boards to help facilitate growth. They needed to work with traditional education, non-traditional education, and recruiting if they were to grow a workforce that is a tech talent pipeline to be in place when the jobs arrive.
In school systems to mentor students into the tech world and STEM through their Traveling Tech Days. Students are introduced to companies all over Middle Tennessee that work in tech in some way or another.
The NTC also created a Tech Coach program for people just out of high school, college, coding boot camp, etc.. that are wanting to move to a new tech career with help in resume review, mock interviews, webinars, and more.
NTC is now in transition again with Moyer’s retirement, Elise Cambournac has been announced as the new CEO to take the helm. Exciting times are ahead in Nashville.
Nxt Level is a member of the NTC. If you are in need of help in resume prep and your job search, or your company has any hiring or recruitment needs, please do not hesitate to contact us.
