Panelist Tod Fetherling

THE 3rd INVEST-TN Conference is in Nashville on Sept. 18, with C-level speakers from eight Tennessee public companies and a private held company that is raising capital.

The conference includes featured speaker Michael Santoli, senior columnist at Yahoo! Finance. During his earlier years with Dow Jones' Barron's, Santoli regularly wrote "Streetwise" and other closely watched columns, and was an award-winning Down Jones News Service reporter.

A panel discussion on "Critical Issues facing Tennessee Business" highlights the event's initial morning session.

That "Executive Roundtable" includes Pinnacle Financial Chairman Rob McCabe; FLO {thinkery} Partner Sloane Scott, entrepreneur, operator and consultant across several industries; and serial healthcare entrepreneur, investor and consultant Tod Fetherling, who is former co-founder and chairman of healthcare analytics startup Stratasan, former CEO of the Nashville Technology Council and former multi-sectoral interactive marketing expert for HCA, Fox Broadcasting and others. The Roundtable is to be moderated by Phillip Daves, director of the Global Leadership Scholars Program at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

Michael Santoli Yahoo! Finance

Executives of listed FedEx, Health Realty Trust, National Health Investors, Pinnacle Financial, Tractor Supply, Delek, Cornerstone Bancshares and Astec Industries are providing updates on their businesses and fielding questions.

arGentis Pharmaceuticals, a privately held Tennessee company that looks to raise capital or secure a strategic partner, will also present, affording attendees a close-up view of the Memphis life-sciences company. President and CEO Tom Davis will address the conference.

Also addressing a session: William D. Johnson, president and CEO of Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA).

Readers of VentureNashville and VentureTennessee have access to half-price registration. Simply use registration code VN0918INV, as explained on the sign-up page here (see item 4). No additional charges for breakfast and luncheon.

► Full program details are on the conference site, here.

Christine Skold Tractor Supply

Selected speakers also include National Health Investors President and CEO Justin Hutchens; and, Christine Skold, vice president for investor relations, Tractor Supply Company.

Bringing a multinational perspective: FedEx's Jeffrey Smith, director of investor relations.

NHI's Hutchens

Also presenting are Cornerstone Bancshares President and CEO Frank Hughes; Pinnacle Financial Chief Credit Officer Harvey White; and, Astec Industries' Chief Operating Officer Richard Dorris and Chief Financial Officer David Silvious.

Delek US Holdings Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Office Assi Ginzberg will address the conference, as will Healthcare Realty Trust Executive Vice President-Finance Doug Whitman.

Title sponsors for the event are Crowe Horwath LLC and PNC Bank. Organizing sponsors include the CFA Societies of Nashville, Memphis and East Tennessee; and, Financial Executives International (FEI).

BusinessWire is the event's Platinum Sponsor. Gold Sponsors include Creative Financial Staffing, Curran & Connors, Frost Brown Todd, Issuer Direct, Mary Beth West Communications, MergerID and Mergermarket.com (Mergermarket Group), O'Neill Arnold Photography and Optimum Print Solutions.

Previous editions of INVEST-TN were held in Nashville in 2010 and 2012. Conference Chairman Terry McWilliams is a Louisville-based investor-relations professional, and owner of Mozaic Investor Relations, which supports both IR and foreign-direct investment initiatives.

VentureNashville is a media sponsor for this event. Other Media Sponsors include The Wall Street Transcript and Wall Street Calendar. VNC