Several Nashville business leaders have publicly allied themselves with Nashville Metro Council Member Courtney Johnston, the Republican challenger to Representative Andy Ogles (R-TN-05), since she announced her campaign in April.
Bobby Joslin (pictured above, left), owner of Joslin and Son Sign Company, which has provided signs to many Nashville businesses, welcomed Johnston at an annual fish fry event on Thursday by gifting her a prominent sign, The Nashville Banner reported. Prominent Nashville and Tennessee political figures attended the event, including former Governor Bill Haslam, former Nashville Mayor Bill Purcell, former Nashville Mayor Megan Barry, Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell, and several current and former candidates for office representing both parties.
Colin Reed and Sam Reed led the hosting of a fundraiser event for Johnston (pictured above, right) at Sam Reed’s high-end Nashville restaurant Sinema on May 15.
Colin Reed serves as a board chairman at Ryman Hospitality Properties and owns Gaylord Opryland Resort in Nashville and many other properties. His son Sam Reed founded Jigsaw, a lobbyist firm that played a role in helping the Nashville Metro government reach a deal to approve the new Tennessee Titans stadium, among other projects.
Many other names with deep pockets assisted in hosting the Sinema fundraiser, including John Ingram, Tony Giaratanna, Jimmy Granbery, and Aubrey Harwell.
Ingram, owner of the Nashville Soccer Club, is an heir to the billionaire Ingram family and is the chairman of Ingram Industries, which houses Ingram Content Group, Ingram Entertainment, and Ingram Barge Company. Ingram has donated primarily to Republicans in the past but has also donated to Democratic candidates, The Tennessean reported.
Giaratanna is a real estate developer and a recent recipient of a $230 million combined loan to fund construction for what is planned to be Tennessee’s tallest skyscraper, WKRN reported. Giaratanna co-hosted a fundraiser for O’Connell during his mayoral campaign in 2023, Axios reported at the time.
Granbery is the CEO of H.G. Hill Realty, a historic company that owns over 75 properties across Nashville, Clarksville, Franklin, Gallatin, Goodlettsville, and Hendersonville. The H.G. Hill Realty PAC contributed $1,000 to O’Connell’s mayoral campaign, The Tennessean reported.
Harwell is a founding member of Neal and Harwell, a Nashville law firm, and serves on the board of Ingram Industries. He also contributed to State Representative Bob Freeman’s (D-Nashville) 2024 campaign, according to public Online Campaign Finance records.
Johnston supports Trump and has touted conservative stances on abortion, the U.S. southern border, and funding law enforcement, she said on her campaign website. She went on to imply that Ogles is not a “real conservative leader.”
However, Johnston has previously said she agrees with her left-leaning Metro Council colleagues “more often than not” on fiscal policy and that she will not fight on abortion and LGBT issues, The Tennessee Star previously reported.
She is also connected to the “moderate” Best of Tennessee political group, partially organized by Democrat abortion advocate Chloe Akers. Johnston’s publicly listed campaign treasurer, Kim Kaegi, also helped organize the Best of Tennessee.
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Matthew Giffin is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Matthew on X/Twitter.
Photo “Bobby Joslin” by Bobby Joslin. Photo “Courtney Johnston” by Courtney Johnston.
