XMi targets 15% growth as it aims to deepen ties to Nashville's entrepreneur scene

Enlarge Photo

Jim Phillips is president and CEO of XMi Holdings Inc.

Scott Harrison

Staff Reporter- Nashville Business Journal

Email  |  Twitter

XMi Holdings is looking to capitalize on the growth of Nashville's entrepreneur space by deepening its ties to local small businesses.

The company is already firmly rooted in Nashville's entrepreneur community. It helped launch the Nashville Entrepreneur Center and has an active role in the state's TNInvestco program through its own venture capital fund, the XMi High Growth Development Fund.

Jim Phillips, president and CEO of XMi Holdings, believes the firm has the opportunity to insert itself in the marketplace further.

XMi has a 15 percent growth yardstick for 2015. It currently operates five different business segments: human resources, accounting, legal, commercial real estate and private equity.

The firm is planning to build out on the private equity line, Phillips said, having recently hired Forrest Shoaf, former general counsel for Cracker Barrel Old Country Store. Additionally, XMi is expanding to offer a captive insurance arm, a growing space in Tennessee where firms can create their own insurance company.

Phillips pointed to continued strength in Nashville's commercial real estate market. On the human resources side, where XMi provides consulting and payroll services, Phillips said XMi "could easily double that and we anticipate seeing exciting growth there."

Yet alongside those moves, Phillips said XMi is looking to bring customers in across its multiple platforms.

"Over the past 10 to 15 years, most companies would engage with us in only one of our five areas. Historically, businesses have had only knowledge of one business line," Phillips said. "Our initiative is to leverage each of them … we think there's value in having that all under one roof for businesses."

Scott Harrison covers government and economic development, banking and law.