Tennessee Business Roundtable

What Tennessee Business Roundtable does

Tennessee Business Roundtable is a statewide, nonpartisan nonprofit coalition founded in 1983 and headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee. The organization convenes senior executives and strategic leaders from 48+ of Tennessee's most-respected businesses and organizations across all three grand divisions of the state, organized around four policy priority areas: Education, Workforce, Competitiveness, and Health. Its primary function is to translate collective business concerns into actionable state policy, engaging directly with the Tennessee General Assembly, governors, and state agencies through events such as the annual Day on the Hill, quarterly convenings, the Annual Meeting, and the State of the State Reception.

The Roundtable operates an invitation-only, membership-funded model with revenue generated through annual member dues supplemented by event participation. Distribution and member acquisition occur through executive referrals, peer networking, and engagement at policy forums and legislative events. The organization is governed by a member-driven leadership structure with a President (Patrick Sheehy) and a rotating annual Chair; Dr. Nassar Nassar serves as 2026 Chair, succeeding 2025 Chair David Pickler, with prior chairs including Mike Harrell, Keith Norman, and Anthony Kimbrough. The organization does not develop or sell technology products or services; its assets are its member network, four-decade policy track record, and documented legislative successes including the Tennessee Investment in Student Achievement (TISA) school-funding reform and the Child Care Hosting Safe Harbor Act (SB1683).

Name

Tennessee Business Roundtable

Legal name

Tennessee Business Roundtable

Website

https://tbroundtable.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1983

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Tennessee Business Roundtable is a nonprofit, nonpartisan coalition founded in 1983 that convenes 48+ Tennessee business executives to shape state policy in education, workforce, competitiveness, and health through legislative advocacy and quarterly convenings.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Nashville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: The organization operates as a membership-funded coalition. Revenue is generated through annual membership dues from business leaders and organizations across Tennessee's three grand divisions. The membership structure enables participation in policy advocacy, legislative engagement, and collaborative business initiatives.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Tennessee Business Roundtable is a statewide, nonpartisan membership coalition that convenes Tennessee's senior business executives to shape public policy in four priority areas: Education, Workforce, Competitiveness, and Health. It provides policy advocacy, legislative engagement (including an annual Day on the Hill), quarterly convenings, workforce development initiatives, and member communications to translate collective business concerns into actionable Tennessee state policy. The organization operates on annual membership dues from business leaders across all three grand divisions of Tennessee.

Product overview

Tennessee Business Roundtable is a statewide, nonpartisan coalition of business leaders focused on shaping public policy, strengthening the workforce, and elevating Tennessee's economic future. The organization does not offer commercial technology products or services. Its activities center on policy advocacy, workforce development initiatives, education reform, health policy, and business competitiveness—organized around four policy priority areas: Education, Workforce, Competitiveness, and Health.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Roundtable Membership
• Day on the Hill Legislative Advocacy Event
• Quarterly Convenings and Annual Meeting

Quantifiable outcome

• Successfully advocated for passage of Tennessee Investment in Student Achievement (TISA) school funding reform
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Tennessee Secretary of State's OfficecoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 September 2023The Roundtable partnered with Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett's office for National Voter Registration Month. The partnership leverages member companies and the Secretary of State's Your Vote Matters program to encourage Tennessee residents to register to vote, providing nonpartisan civic engagement resources to employees and communities.
• SCORE (State Collaborative On Reforming Education)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRoundtable members actively participate in SCORE's Future Forward Summit and other education reform initiatives. SCORE is a nonprofit that works to improve Tennessee education, and the Roundtable serves as a presenting partner for summits that bring together business and education leaders to address workforce readiness.
• TN Business + Family ForumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition alliance including the Tennessee Business Roundtable working together on child care and workforce policy initiatives. The alliance signed a joint letter to the General Assembly supporting the Tennessee Child Care Hosting Safe Harbor Act (SB1683/HB1965).
• Tennesseans for Quality Early Education (TQEE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTQEE developed three legislative proposals to expand child care access, with the Tennessee Business Roundtable signing onto the coalition's advocacy efforts for the Child Care Hosting Safe Harbor Act and related workforce-support legislation.
• BlueCross BlueShield of TennesseeminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAs a Roundtable member company, BlueCross BlueShield participates in Roundtable policy initiatives and co-sponsored the voter registration partnership with the Secretary of State. The company also partnered with East Tennessee State University on the BlueSky Tennessee Institute workforce development program.
• Volkswagen Group of America Chattanooga OperationsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAs a Roundtable member company, Volkswagen co-sponsored the Your Vote Matters voter registration initiative alongside the Secretary of State's office and other member organizations.
• Greater Memphis ChambercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRoundtable member organization representing Memphis-area businesses. Chamber CEO Ted Townsend presented the Teacher Externship Program at the Future Forward Summit, showcasing workforce development innovations that bridge classroom learning with employer needs.
• East Tennessee State UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee to create the BlueSky Tennessee Institute, a two-year computing degree program with guaranteed employment at BlueCross BlueShield.
• Chattanooga Chamber of CommerceminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner organization involved in workforce development initiatives including the BlueSky Tennessee Institute and regional economic development programs serving Hamilton County and surrounding areas.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• U.S. Chamber of Commerce: The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is the largest national business federation advocating on federal policy affecting U.S. employers. It is comparable in member-funded business policy advocacy but operates at national scope rather than the Roundtable's Tennessee-only focus.
• National Association of Manufacturers: The National Association of Manufacturers is the largest U.S. manufacturing trade association, advocating on federal and state policy affecting manufacturers. It is comparable in CEO-driven policy advocacy model but operates at national scale and is industry-specific rather than cross-sector.
• Business Roundtable: The national Business Roundtable is an association of CEOs of major U.S. corporations that shapes federal policy on workforce, education, and competitiveness. It is the namesake national incumbent and is comparable because it operates a member-CEO-driven policy advocacy model at a much broader (federal) scope.

Others

• SCORE (State Collaborative On Reforming Education): SCORE is a Tennessee nonprofit that advocates for K-12 education reform and is an active Roundtable partner, co-hosting the Future Forward Summit. It is comparable as a state-level nonprofit policy advocate, but focuses solely on education rather than the Roundtable's four-pillar agenda.
• Tennesseans for Quality Early Education (TQEE): TQEE is a Tennessee nonprofit advocating for high-quality early childhood education and is a Roundtable partner on child care workforce legislation. It is comparable as a state-level nonprofit policy advocate and coalition ally, though focused specifically on early education rather than the full business-policy agenda.

Regional players

• Greater Memphis Chamber: The Greater Memphis Chamber represents Memphis-area businesses and engages on workforce and education policy. It is an active Roundtable partner and a comparable regional business association serving one of Tennessee's grand divisions rather than the full state.
• Knoxville Chamber: The Knoxville Chamber is the principal business association serving East Tennessee employers. It is comparable in mission and member base to the Roundtable but operates at a regional level, focusing on Knoxville-area economic development and policy engagement.
• Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce: The Chattanooga Area Chamber convenes Hamilton County employers on workforce and economic competitiveness issues and is a Roundtable partner organization. It is comparable as a regional business association with overlapping workforce-development focus, but operates within a single metro area rather than statewide.
• Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce: The Nashville Area Chamber is the principal business association serving Middle Tennessee employers and convenes executives on policy and workforce issues. It is comparable to the Tennessee Business Roundtable in mission and member base, but operates at a metro rather than statewide level and is based in the same city as the Roundtable's headquarters.

Direct peers

• Tennessee Chamber of Commerce: The Tennessee Chamber of Commerce is the statewide business association that, like the Tennessee Business Roundtable, advocates on behalf of Tennessee employers before the General Assembly and state agencies. It is the most directly comparable peer because it operates the same state-level, dues-funded business policy advocacy model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/tennessee-business-roundtable

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Tennessee Business Roundtable