Seventh annual awards ceremony celebrates the journey of the entrepreneur
Belmont staff, faculty and students along with family and friends gathered at the Fisher Center for Performing Arts to celebrate the top 100 alumni founders selected for this year’s Belmont Entrepreneur Awards, Tuesday night.
This marks the seventh year for the Thomas F. Cone Sr. Center for Entrepreneurship to host an evening, honoring 100 outstanding alumni entrepreneurs. Alumni founders reconnected with peers, met new members and celebrated the challenges, triumphs and overall journey of the entrepreneurial experience.
The Top 100 are nominated by their friends, family, colleagues and fellow alumni. Executive Director of the Cone Center Elizabeth Gortmaker opened the awards ceremony, addressing the honored group.
“What your nominators described were founders who seek excellence with humility, who lead with gratitude and genuine care for others and who dream big — not just for themselves, but for their communities,” Gortmaker said. “In other words, entrepreneurs who are living out Belmont's SOUL. Tonight is their way of saying, ‘We see what you're building,’ and it's our way of saying, ‘So do we, and we couldn't be prouder.’”
Entrepreneurship by the numbers
Belmont alumni have built businesses in 135 cities and eight countries around the world.
This year's top 100 represents 42 different majors spanning 49 cities and together, their businesses employ nearly 5,000 people and generate revenues approaching half a billion dollars annually.
A Lesson from the Dean
The Belmont Entrepreneurs Awards highlight the tremendous work of alumni founders and reflect the growing impact of entrepreneurship across the University.
Dr. Randy V. Bradley, newly appointed dean of the Jack C. Massey College of Business, took the stage to recognize the Top 100 and share a message drawn from his own journey.
An entrepreneur and founder, Bradley co-founded Q-Leap Health, a health care technology company employing more than 50 people, and leads RV Bradley, LLC, a consulting firm serving clients in more than 20 countries.
“There are constraints, hurdles and obstacles that will continue to be placed in front of you,” he said. “You must scale each one of those individually — as well as your own personal limitations — before you can scale your enterprise.”
Bradley shared that he didn’t set out to become an entrepreneur. Instead, he focused on seeking excellence, solving problems and serving others. This mindset ultimately shaped his success and underscores a central truth for aspiring founders: entrepreneurship begins with purpose, not a title.
“I am often asked the question, ‘Is an entrepreneur made or is an entrepreneur born?’” He added. “An entrepreneur is made to know that he or she was born for the moment in which they live.”
Spotlight Videos
The event also debuted four new alumni spotlight videos, offering a deeper look at the founders and their remarkable businesses.
True Form Fitness
Kenzie Wesp | psychology ‘21
As the founder of True Form Fitness, Kenzie Wesp has centered her business on connection, designing spaces where people feel known, supported and part of something bigger than a workout.
From the founder: “The more we can remove fear and failure from our vocabulary, the more we will be able to step into something we want to do.”
Peach & Pine Interiors
Jeremy and Chandler Quarles | audio engineering technology ‘12, commercial voice ‘12
As the team behind Peach and Pine Interiors, Jeremy and Chandler Quarles bring thoughtful design to homes across Middle Tennessee and beyond — transforming spaces in ways that reflect the lives and stories of the families they serve.
From the founders: “It's interesting to look back and think about all the ways that our time at Belmont shaped [the skill of working together]. There is this sense of sort of determination on campus that we are all pursuing something unique, and we are all here to figure out what our dreams are and go after them.”
The Black Candle Company
Jessica Bobbitt Doaks | nursing ‘10
For Jessica Doaks, entrepreneurship is both an expression of identity and an act of resilience. The Black Candle Company blends product and experience — from curated home fragrances to Nashville’s first candle-making lounge, where guests gather to create, connect and feel at home.
From the founder: “If you have an idea and something that you truly may be passionate about, go ahead and start it. Don't allow slammed doors in your face to deter you.”
Proper Sake
Byron Stithem | music business ‘07
Bryce Stithem is crafting experiences that transport and connect. As the founder of Proper Sake and its hospitality concept, Rice Ice, he brings a deep appreciation for Japanese cuisine and fermentation to Nashville, creating offerings that are as thoughtful as they are immersive.
From the founder: “Being an entrepreneur means being able to compartmentalize your fear and more rational senses from time to time.”
Impact Awards
In addition to bringing together 100 of Belmont's top entrepreneurs for a night of celebration and networking, the Entrepreneur Awards acknowledged stand out alumni by presenting Impact Awards in three categories: Industry Impact, Peer Impact and Community Impact.
- Industry Impact Award
- Sarah Worley, BBA '13, MAcc '15
- Founder, Biscuit Love
- Peer Impact Award
- Shana Berkley, JD '14
- Executive Director, Corner to Corner
- Community Impact Award
- Anas Saba, international business and management '20
- Founder, Nashville Hidden Gems
Every business you've ever loved started as an idea in someone's head. Someone had to see it, believe in it and build it from nothing with no guarantee that it would work. That's what entrepreneurship is.
Explore. Inspire. Support.
There are numerous ways to support entrepreneurship at Belmont. Learn more today.