Tennessee Voices, Episode 303: David Frazier, Hardaway Construction and Brigada de Oro
Nashville SC has taken Music City by storm and the community boasts the largest soccer stadium of its kind in the nation, Geodis Park..
Fans come in all walks of life and backgrounds. When David Frazier, a construction executive, engaged a tile setter on the conversation of soccer, the employee's enthusiasm was so infectious that Frazier decided he wanted to support that passion.
Frazier, owner and CEO of Hardaway Construction, backed the team's first Latin American booster group called Brigada de Oro (translated to the Golden Brigade).
On this episode of the Tennessee Voices video podcast, Frazier and I talked about soccer, but we also talked about Nashville's growth, affordable housing and the ambitious plans for development on the East Bank.
The construction business has been tough with a combination of inflation, supply chain delays and the worker shortages. However, even during the shutdowns of the COVID-19 pandemic, construction workers were considered essential workers.
Frazier is a Navy veteran and pilot who left Nashville in the 1990s and served in Jacksonville, Florida, Italy and South America before returning home.
He also said the mental health and wellness of his employees is of paramount importance to him.
Hear more Tennessee Voices: Get the weekly opinion newsletter for insightful and thought provoking columns.
Sign up for Latino Tennessee Voices newsletter: Read compelling stories for and with the Latino community in Tennessee.
Sign up for Black Tennessee Voices newsletter: Read compelling columns by Black writers from across Tennessee.
Your state. Your stories. Support more reporting like this.
A subscription gives you unlimited access to stories across Tennessee that make a difference in your life and the lives of those around you. Click here to become a subscriber.
About Tennessee Voices
The Tennessee Voices videocast is a 20-minute program, which started in March 2020 and invites leaders, thinkers and innovators who have written guest columns for a USA TODAY Network Tennessee publication to share their insights and wisdom with me and our viewers.
Please email your ideas for future guests to me at dplazas@tennessean.com. Thank you for watching.
Finally, our journalists are working hard during this pandemic to bring you accurate, verified and solid information. Please consider subscribing and supporting local journalism.
Watch past episodes: Tennessee Voices videocast
David Plazas is the director of opinion and engagement for the USA TODAY Network Tennessee and an editorial board member of The Tennessean. Tweet to him at @davidplazas.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Tennessee Voices: Soccer fandom and construction with David Frazier
