For Immediate Release
Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce Partners with MTSU to Launch Quarterly Regional Business Confidence Index
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Mar. 23, 2026) — The Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce and Middle Tennessee State University’s Business and Economic Research Center (BERC) announced Friday a partnership to launch the region’s first Business Confidence Index — a quarterly index informed by a survey that will measure the confidence and sentiment of regional business leaders about the local economy.
This marks the first localized business sentiment barometer for Middle Tennessee, providing data comparable to national benchmarks such as the Conference Board’s CEO Confidence Index.
“This new index will give us real-time feedback on how employers are feeling about the local economy and allow us to identify the region’s most pressing needs,” said Stephanie Coleman, president & CEO of the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce. “These insights will help guide our work with business leaders, policymakers, and community partners to ensure Middle Tennessee continues to thrive.”
Launching in the first quarter of 2026, the survey will be distributed to more than 1,200 executive leaders such as CEOs, CFOs, and business owners across Middle Tennessee. Results will be publicly released quarterly and will help document local business confidence, track economic trends, and inform regional decision-making. Survey participants will receive early access to findings ahead of the public release.
“Our aim is to deliver practical information that business owners, planners, and public officials can immediately apply,” said Murat Arik, Ph.D., director of MTSU’s Business and Economic Research Center, housed in the Jennings A. Jones College of Business. “By equipping leaders with pertinent information, we can strengthen the region’s economic resilience and long-term competitiveness.”
The survey will be distributed from MTSU’s Business and Economic Research Center, and the results of the survey will be released in the second quarter of 2026. For more information on these organizations, please visit https://nashvillechamber.com/ and https://berc.mtsu.edu/.
Headshots available upon request.
###
Media Contacts
Jordan LaBelle
Manager of Communications
Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce
Phone: 615-743-3018 (office)
Email: jlabelle@nashvillechamber.com
Jimmy Hart
Senior Director, News and Media Relations
Middle Tennessee State University
Phone: 615-898-5131 (office), 615-962-3984 (cell)
Email: Jimmy.Hart@mtsu.edu
About the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce
The Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce is Middle Tennessee’s largest business federation, representing over 1,800 member companies. Belong, engage, lead, prosper embodies the Chamber’s focus on creating economic prosperity by facilitating community leadership. Established in 1990 as an economic development and community enhancement initiative of the Chamber, Partnership 2030 is a regional cooperative dedicated to making Middle Tennessee among the nation’s best places to live, work, and do business. Partnership 2030 is supported by a diverse group of public and private companies as well as governmental agencies from the organization’s 10-county service area. The work of the Chamber is supported by its members, Partnership 2030 investors, and sponsors; the Chamber’s Pivotal Partners (a partnership at the highest level for all Chamber programs and events) are Gresham Smith and Regions Bank. For more information, visit www.nashvillechamber.com.
About Middle Tennessee State University
Founded in 1911 as one of three state normal schools for teacher training, Middle Tennessee State University is one of the oldest and largest undergraduate universities in the state of Tennessee. With a fall enrollment averaging more than 20,000 students for the past five years, MTSU remains committed to providing individualized service in an exciting and nurturing atmosphere where student success is the top priority. MTSU features eight undergraduate colleges and the College of Graduate Studies, and more than 350 majors and concentrations combined. Offering a wide variety of nationally recognized programs at the baccalaureate, master’s and doctoral levels, MTSU takes pride in educating the best and the brightest students from Tennessee and around the world. For more information, visit http://mtsu.edu.