Nashville Entrepreneur Center’s 2022 Entrepreneurs’ Hall of Fame class features the creators of some of the city’s most iconic institutions. The organization announced the latest class in a news release Thursday.
This year’s class includes André Prince, owner of Prince’s Hot Chicken; Amy Kurland, founder of Green Hill’s iconic Bluebird Café; Mike Shmerling, longtime Nashville businessman; and Steve Turner, a pioneer of Nashville’s booming Gulch neighborhood.
The Next Awards recognize Middle Tennessee’s top entrepreneurs, startups and entrepreneurial-minded businesses. Previous hall of fame inductees include country music star Dolly Parton, Zycron Inc. founder Darrell Freeman, C3/Consulting founder Beth Chase and Vanguard Health Systems founder Charlie Martin.
“We are proud to honor these incredible individuals who helped shape our entrepreneurial city in so many different ways,” Jane Allen, CEO of the Entrepreneur Center, said in the release. “Each inductee exemplifies what it means to be a successful entrepreneur, a leader in the community, and a culture mover.”
Prince’s family founded the legendary Prince’s Hot Chicken almost a century ago, and she has been running the restaurant for more than 40 years. “Since taking the reins from her uncle in 1980, Prince has transformed one of Nashville's historic restaurants into a must-visit destination in Tennessee for all locals and tourists,” the release said. “Under her leadership, Prince's hot chicken is now a recipe craved worldwide.”
An Oklahoma native, Kurland founded the Bluebird Café in 1982 with the intention of opening a restaurant that occasionally played live music. Today, the concept is a Nashville icon and a worldwide destination for artists and songwriters. “In 2008, Amy transferred ownership of the Bluebird to the Nashville Songwriters Association International,” the release said. “She volunteers her time now to voter restoration, helping people with felony records get their voting rights back, and also serves on the board of 202 Friendship House, helping alcoholics find meaningful lasting sobriety.”
Nashville native Mike Shmerling is one of Music City’s most prominent serial entrepreneurs and investors — and one of the founders of the Entrepreneur Center. In his 45-year business career, Shmerling has co-founded eleven businesses, four of which were sold to publicly traded companies. Today, Shmerling is chairman of Clearbrook Holdings Corp., a private equity firm. “His impact in Nashville has extended far beyond his business ventures as Schmerling not only founded Abe’s Garden Community, a senior living nonprofit focused on brain health, wellness and purposeful living in honor of his father, but he has also served on 25 nonprofit boards over the last 40 years,” the release said.
Turner is the founder of Marketstreet Enterprises, the company credited for creating Nashville’s trendy Gulch neighborhood. His grandfather and father founded Goodlettsville-based retail chain Dollar General Corp. “Through Turner’s leadership in urban revitalization, MarketStreet Equities formed the Nashville Urban Venture partnership which spearheaded the development of The Gulch, one of Nashville’s most vibrant urban districts, known for its dining, entertainment, and shops,” the release said.
The honorees will be recognized at the Next Awards event on Oct. 24 at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center.
