Two insurance brokers move to the Fleetwood
Two new tenants, American Exchange and Russ Blakely & Associates, are moving into the renovated Fleetwood Building that opened earlier this year.
“The mixed-use space at The Fleetwood Building offers a prime spot in the Innovation District,” Andrew Hetzler, chief operating officer at American Exchange said in a statement. “We believe this location and space will help us attract and retain talented employees.”
American Exchange offers free health insurance and Medicare enrollment services. Russ Blakely & Associates offers comprehensive guidance to employers for benefits selection and employee coverage.
The Fleetwood Building, originally home to Fleetwood Coffee Company, is located at the corner of E. 11th and King streets. The building offers rental apartments and more than 15,000 square feet of commercial space.
There are 4,500 square feet of space still available for lease, including first floor availability with a variety of customization options.
“We are very pleased to have two more local companies in the building,” said Hodgen Mainda, vice president of Noon Development, which leases space inside the Fleetwood.
Aerotech job fair to hire for VW
Volkswagen staffing contractor Aerotek will hold a job fair Wednesday to hire logistics and production workers in connection with the assembly of the newly revealed Atlas sport utility vehicle.
The hiring event will be at the Tennessee Career Center from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Starting pay is $13 per hour with bonuses and pay increases every six months.
Interested candidates can apply on line at aerotektn.com.
Aerotek said earlier this week it has converted 1,500 workers to direct VW employment. The plant’s production employees are hired through Aerotek.
Warner Music adds 175 jobs in Nashville
Warner Music Group (WMG) will expand in Nashville over the next two years, bringing up to 175 more jobs to Davidson County.
WMG will bring positions in its U.S. finance team, which will now be located in Nashville. The company has recently leased offices downtown at Nashville City Center.
“As we all know, Nashville is not only home to the best artists and songwriters in the world, but it has a vibrant and growing economy,” said John Esposito, chairman and CEO of Warner Music Nashville. “The top talent in the world can be found here, our company already has a strong presence in the community, and the city and state have been tremendous at helping us establish our new location downtown. Nashville is the perfect home for Warner Music’s newly created division.”
After undergoing renovations, WMG’s new Nashville office will open in mid-2017. WMG’s longstanding presence on Music Row will remain at its current location.
Randy Boyd, commissioner of economic and community development for Tennessee, said the music industry supports more than 56,000 jobs in the Nashville area and has a $10 billion annual economic impact on the region.
Family sues Amazon over hoverboard fire
A family is suing Amazon for selling a hoverboard blamed for starting a fire that burned their $1 million home in Nashville.
The Fox family’s lawsuit says Amazon had information about the dangers of the product before the Jan. 9 fire.
The lawsuit, which was filed in Davidson County Circuit Court, targets 10 defendants, including Amazon and retailers on its website. The lawsuit says the listed seller of the hoverboard, “W-Deals,” is a sham business registered to a New York City apartment and hasn’t responded to lawyers. It claims the family was sold a counterfeit product from China.
The family is seeking $30 million in damages, plus possible additional financial penalties.
An Amazon representative said the company doesn’t comment on pending cases.
VW exec sees shift to electrics, job cuts
BERLIN – Volkswagen’s personnel chief has been quoted as telling a German newspaper that the transition to electric cars will ultimately cost a “five-digit number” of jobs at the company.
Karlheinz Blessing told the daily Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung that electric cars contain fewer components than cars with combustion engines “so in the long term we need fewer employees for production.”
Blessing stressed that there will be no layoffs but said the workforce will be reduced. The newspaper quoted him Friday as saying: “It is not about cutting a few hundred jobs Viewed over the years, it will be about a five-digit number worldwide.”
VW plans to ramp up its offerings of electric vehicles in the wake of a scandal over diesel cars rigged to cheat on emissions tests.
Despite talk of job cuts at some VW facilities, Volkwagen continues to expand its Chattanooga staff as it prepares production of a new sports utility vehicle next year.
BMW recalls vehicles over engine stalls
BMW is recalling more than 154,000 cars and SUVs in the U.S. and Canada to fix a wiring problem that can cause engines to stall.
The recall covers certain 5-Series and X5 models and some 6-Series and X6 vehicles from the 2007 to 2012 model years.
The company says in documents filed with U.S. safety regulators that wiring to fuel pumps inside the gas tank may not have been properly crimped. That can cause the wires to come loose and melt a connector, causing a gas leak. That can stop the fuel pump from working and make engines stall.
BMW says it doesn’t know of any crashes or injuries from the problem.
The company recalled vehicles in China, Japan and South Korea previously for the same wiring issue.
Dealers will replace the fuel pump module at no cost to owners. The recall is expected to begin Dec. 5.