2025 Annual Report: Volunteers

2025 ORDER OF THE RED TRIANGLE 

BRIAN TAYLOR

The YMCA of Middle Tennessee awarded its highest volunteer honor, the Order of the Red Triangle, to Brian Taylor at the 2026 annual meeting of its Board of Directors. The award invokes the Y’s powerful triangle image as a reminder of its long-standing commitment to supporting spiritual, mental and physical health. 

Taylor, a dedicated volunteer with the YMCA for more than 16 years, first started his journey with the Y as a member of the Green Hills Family YMCA Advisory Board. He currently serves as a member on the Association Board of Directors.

"As a volunteer-led nonprofit, the Y relies on the support and servant leadership of individuals like Brian who give generously of their time, skills and resources to ensure we fulfill our mission of helping people grow in spirit, mind and body," said President and CEO John Mikos. "We are grateful to Brian for his involvement and congratulate him on this special honor."

Taylor’s extensive service as a YMCA Association board member is invaluable. In 2024, he was recognized with the YMCA Foundation’s H.G. Hill Jr. Philanthropic Award for his unselfish volunteerism, generous financial support and outstanding leadership. Additionally, in 2022, he received the Community Impact Award from the Green Hills Family YMCA and, in 2017, was named the Green Hills Family YMCA’s Volunteer of the Year.

Taylor balances the demands of his real estate firm, Progent Commercial, while actively serving the Nashville community across various organizations and boards. He is a founding member and past advisory board member of the Nashville Emerging Leaders Awards program, co-founder and past chair of the Young Professionals’ Nashville Advisory Board, former board chair of the Young Leaders Council and former chair and current member of The Phoenix Club of Nashville. 

The Order of the Red Triangle was first given in 1964, to one of the most influential figures in the history of the YMCA of Middle Tennessee – H.G. Hill, Jr.

H.G. HILL JR. FAMILY RECOGNITION

The spirit of generosity has long been a part of the YMCA of Middle Tennessee since its founding in 1875. From the start, the Nashville community rallied to keep the Y alive and growing — through times of great promise and moments of real challenge.

The YMCA Foundation of Middle Tennessee, founded in 1969, annually extends its highest honor – the H.G. Hill, Jr. Philanthropic Award – to perpetuate the memory of noted philanthropist and YMCA leader H.G. Hill, Jr. In 2025, in lieu of presenting the award, a surprise recognition was bestowed on the Hill family for their volunteer and financial support spanning more than a century, during the Y’s 150th Anniversary Celebration held May 15, 2025, at the newly renovated Downtown YMCA.

Jimmy Granbery, a fourth-generation family member currently serving as Chairman of the H.G. Hill Company and CEO of Hill Realty Company LLC, was presented with a custom art piece, entitled Camp of Dreams, by commissioned artist Kim Barrick, which captured a vintage photograph of the swimming hole and bridge at Camp Sycamore — property Mr. H.G. Hill, Sr. helped the Y purchase in 1923. That land became home to some of the Y’s earliest camp experiences and laid the foundation for its vibrant camping program today, serving thousands of kids and teens each year. 

“Thank you to the entire Hill family — for the dreams you’ve made come true through the YMCA,” said Liz Wilson, former Y Board Chair, and Managing Director and Private Advisor for Monarch Wealth Partners. “From those very first campers to today’s members, your legacy is forever a part of our Y’s story.”

Few families have been more consistently present in the life of the YMCA than the H.G. Hill family:

• H.G. Hill Sr. joined the YMCA Board of Directors in the early 1900s. By 1921, just before becoming board chair, the Y was in crisis—facing financial challenges so severe that all but one staff member had resigned. Hill played an essential role in reorganizing and revitalizing the organization.
• In 1923, the family helped the Y purchase land for its summer camp.
• In 1958, H.G. Hill Jr. made a significant gift to build the outdoor pool at the East Nashville Y.
• Perhaps most notably, the family donated the land where the Green Hills YMCA now sits—and made a major contribution that helped make the Brentwood Y possible. These two centers alone impact the lives of more than 40,000 people—a powerful reminder that the investments made in the past continue to bring lasting return in the community.

H.G. Hill Jr. served as chairman of the YMCA of Middle Tennessee Board of Directors from 1950 to 1953, and again from 1965 to 1967, and was an instrumental volunteer leader of the YMCA of Middle Tennessee for more than 50 years. Created in 1995, the H.G. Hill, Jr. Philanthropic Award is normally presented during the Y’s annual Celebration of Philanthropy event and recognizes generous leaders who make an extraordinary impact to the YMCA of Middle Tennessee. More than 25 individuals have received the prestigious award.