Pinnacle, Lipscomb Develop Learning Platform For Business Owners and Their Employees

“Pinnacle Pro” online tool fills training void for smaller companies

Pinnacle Financial Partners and Lipscomb University have partnered to develop Pinnacle Pro, an online platform that offers professional development to business owners and their employees.

The learning tool gives owners and their employees direct experience working on specific business issues in a guided process.

Based on more than 40 years of research into how adults best learn, instructors from Lipscomb’s College of Professional Studies developed “apps” focused on four key business areas—finance, HR, marketing and operations—specifically for Pinnacle Pro members.

“The most efficient way for owners to grow their business is to invest in their people and ensure they have the necessary skills to succeed,” said Terry Turner, Pinnacle’s president and CEO. “Business owners have told us that finding ways to grow professionally and train their team can be a challenge, so we partnered with Lipscomb to offer a top-notch, cost-effective solution.”

Business owners and employees who enroll in Pinnacle Pro also have access to apps that are focused on areas in which all leaders need to be proficient, such as problem solving, effective communications and organization/planning.

“Learning doesn’t stop at graduation. Employees constantly need to hone their skills for a changing workforce,” Lipscomb University President L. Randolph Lowry said. “The education that Pinnacle Pro offers isn’t just theoretical—it’s translated into practice so members have a set of improved skills that make a difference immediately.”

Experts from Lipscomb University serve as professional coaches to guide users through the process, make sure they stay on track and encourage them to meet their goals. The platform includes a community of mentors and other business owners who can answer questions and make suggestions.

Membership to Pinnacle Pro is $10 a month for each user, and a la carte pricing for apps allows business owners to pick and choose which ones they need. Some apps are free, while others are available at an introductory rate of $150 until Oct. 1, when they will cost $250.

For more information and to enroll, visit www.pnfp.com/pinnaclepro.

About Pinnacle

Pinnacle Financial Partners provides a full range of banking, investment, trust, mortgage and insurance products and services designed for businesses and their owners and individuals interested in a comprehensive relationship with their financial institution. The American Banker recognized Pinnacle as the third best bank to work for in the country in 2015.

The firm began operations in a single downtown Nashville location in October 2000 and has since grown to approximately $9.7 billion in assets at June 30, 2016. As the second-largest bank holding company headquartered in Tennessee, Pinnacle operates in the state’s four largest markets, Nashville, Memphis, Knoxville and Chattanooga, as well as several surrounding counties.

Additional information concerning Pinnacle, which is included in the NASDAQ Financial-100 Index, can be accessed at www.pnfp.com.

About Lipscomb’s College of Professional Studies

Lipscomb University’s College of Professional Studies offers the credentials of a traditional degree program, balanced with nontraditional delivery and coaching that helps students develop the skills to meet the workforce needs of today and tomorrow. It offers the university’s innovative competency-based education program which awards college credit based on prior learning as well as life and professional experiences through the college’s CORE (Customized, Outcome-based, Relevant Evaluation) Competency Assessment and Development Center. Students can earn up to 30 credits, following a rigorous behavioral assessment, saving them thousands of dollars in tuition money.

Lipscomb’s program, a leader and innovator in this area among universities nationally, was the first to have its competency-based program accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and is one of only a few of its kind in the nation. The college also houses the university’s Adult Degree Program, which offers a variety of programs of study options.

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