Building Big Together: How BELL Scales & Serves Nashville’s Most Iconic Projects Through Joint Ventures

At BELL, we approach every project, big or small, with the same commitment to excellence, integrity and teamwork. Over the past 30 years, one strategy we have used to expand capacity is forming strategic joint ventures. JVs are not required for us to deliver major work, but when it’s the right fit for the client, project or community, they can add significant value.

What Makes a Joint Venture Work?

A joint venture (JV) is a formal partnership that allows two or more companies to pool resources, expertise and leadership on a project while still keeping their individual strengths intact. At BELL, our JV with Clark Construction stands as one of the most seamless and successful collaborations in Nashville’s history. It is grounded in shared values, deep mutual respect and cross-team coordination so BELL and Clark function as one on site.

One of my first projects was Music City Center: a major JV for BELL. At first, I had reservations about working on a large project where not everyone “bled the same colors.” I quickly realized that when cultures are aligned and everyone is working toward a common goal, a JV can be one of the most rewarding career experiences. That project shaped not only my perspective on JVs, but also who I am as a leader today.

Why We Leverage Joint Ventures

• Scale and complexity: JVs allow BELL to take on multifaceted developments such as Music City Center, the Grand Hyatt Nashville and the transformative Nashville Yards without compromising our core focus or high standards. At the same time, BELL has the proven capacity to deliver large-scale projects independently. Several of our current marquee projects are being built solely by our team, demonstrating that while JVs are powerful tools, they are not the only way we scale.

• Blended expertise: By combining regional insight with national capabilities, a JV team has stronger control over quality, schedule and outcome with the added benefit of two perspectives driving one solution.

• Stronger alignment: Construction is ultimately a people business, and selecting the right JV partner is critical. We are entrusting our people, and often our clients, to the leaders of that JV. For BELL, a partnership only works if it aligns with our culture, values and mission.

A history of notable projects
Our JV model consistently delivers results on the city’s most complex and high-profile projects.

• 2025: Nashville Yards exemplifies the JV’s precision and adaptability, handling logistics around live train tracks, innovative structural systems and built-in flexibility to unlock one of the most ambitious developments in the city’s history.
• 2020: The Grand Hyatt Nashville JV delivered 784,000 square feet of luxury hotel space including ballrooms, rooftop amenities and a spa on time in fall 2020.
• 2015: The JV team brought baseball back to the heart of downtown by delivering First Horizon Park, a 10,000-seat ballpark that anchors mixed-use development and enhances the city’s sports and entertainment district.
• 2013: For Music City Center, we delivered a 2.1 million square foot, LEED Silver certified convention center, surpassing the DBE goal by employing 30% of work through small, women and minority-owned businesses. The project was completed a full week ahead of schedule.
• 2008: As part of the award-winning SmartFIX40 initiative, the JV executed one of Tennessee’s most complex highway reconstructions, completing a two-year project in just 14 months while maintaining traffic flow through Knoxville.
• 1994: The JV delivered Nashville’s most recognizable skyscraper, the 33-story 333 Commerce Building (also known as the AT&T or “Batman” Building), which remains an enduring symbol of the city’s skyline and a landmark of modern high-rise construction in the Southeast.

JVs Are One Tool in Our Toolbox

Our strength always starts with our people, our deeply rooted local presence and our ability to align the project’s needs with the right delivery method, whether that is CMAR, design-build or a JV. In some cases, our team is the best solution; in others, a JV creates added benefit.When it is the right fit, our collaborative JV model enables us to elevate our performance and Nashville’s skyline.

Importantly, JVs aren’t reserved only for “mega projects.” The model can make sense for projects of many sizes. The key is fit: success comes from selecting the approach that best meets the client’s needs and ensures the right resources are in place.

Your project, our partnership

Our JV operates as “one team.” From matching email domains to integrated leadership structures, our teams communicate seamlessly. At Music City Center, more than 7,300 workers executed a landmark venue in lockstep. At Nashville Yards, we navigated nine tower cranes, 1.3 million man-hours and live traffic with ingenuity and precision.

The impact goes beyond buildings. We generate local jobs, engage proactively with neighbors to minimize disruptions and choose local subcontractors and trade partners whenever possible. Most importantly, we build spaces where Nashvillians live, work and connect.

Over the years, our JV projects, including work with Clark Construction, have shown how BELL can scale to meet the city’s most complex challenges while still maintaining the agility and care we bring to every job. From downtown landmarks to neighborhood anchors, our commitment remains the same: delivering spaces that serve Nashville well into the future. With the right collaboration, there’s no limit to what we can achieve together.

Our team is ready to discuss how we can unlock new possibilities for your project. Start the conversation with us now.

Eric Pyle is the president of BELL Construction.