ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug 12, 2026--
Pinnacle Financial Partners has been named in the top 20 among the 2026 PEOPLE ® Companies that Care list for the second year in a row by Great Place To Work ® and PEOPLE magazine. Pinnacle remains at No. 16 this year, the firm’s seventh time to be named to the list.
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Earning a spot means that Pinnacle has surpassed rigorous benchmarks, establishing itself as one of the best companies to work for in the country. The PEOPLE Companies that Care list highlights the top U.S. companies that have succeeded in business while also demonstrating outstanding respect, care and concern for their employees, their communities and the environment.
PEOPLE’s list highlights Pinnacle’s belief that the firm “has a responsibility to help people prosper at the most personal, practical level through free financial education and hands-on community support in the places it serves.”
“As we bring two great firms together, I've spent time with team members across our nine-state footprint, and what stands out is that they genuinely care — about clients, about each other and about the work," said Pinnacle President and CEO Kevin Blair. "Our team members serve our clients well, look out for each other and show up for the communities where they live and work. This recognition belongs to them."
Excerpts of a Pinnacle team member’s comments on the anonymous Great Place To Work Trust Index™ survey describe the experience of working at a Company That Cares:
This company is filled with people who each day come to work and give 110%. They actually care about their clients, their team members, and the work they do. Finding that kind of pride in something is rare, but to find that in a company, that is truly a blessing. I have been doing my job for different companies for 15 years now, and I can honestly say this is the best company I have ever worked for. I truly hope I can retire here one day.
In 2026, Pinnacle also ranked No. 12 on the Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For® list. In 2025 the firm was named No. 3 among Fortune’s Best Workplaces in Financial Services and Insurance and No. 4 on the Fortune Best Workplaces for Women™ list.
The PEOPLE Companies that Care list is based on over 1.3 million employee survey responses and data from companies representing the experience of more than 7.3 million employees in the U.S. Of those surveys, nearly 970,000 responses came from employees at companies eligible for this year’s list, and these rankings are based on that feedback.
Companies also submit essays that are validated by employee survey data to give a complete picture of the way an organization cares for its employees, its community and the planet. To be considered for the list, companies must be Great Place To Work Certified™ and have at least 10 U.S. employees.
About Pinnacle Financial Partners
Pinnacle Financial Partners, Inc. (“Pinnacle”) is a $129.1 billion asset regional bank which provides a full range of banking, investment, trust, mortgage and insurance products and services for commercial and consumer clients who want a comprehensive relationship with their financial institution. The firm joined forces with Synovus Financial Corp. in 2026, bringing together more than 160 years of combined banking service. Pinnacle is the largest bank headquartered in Tennessee and the largest bank holding company headquartered in Georgia. The firm is No. 1 in deposit market share* in the Nashville MSA and No. 4 in the Atlanta MSA with offices in Tennessee, Georgia, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Alabama, Kentucky, Virginia and Maryland.
Pinnacle is an employer of choice for financial services professionals. The firm is No. 12 in the Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For® in 2026, its 10th consecutive appearance. Pinnacle was also recognized by American Banker as No. 4 among America’s Best Banks to Work For in 2025, its 13th consecutive year on the list, and No. 1 among banks with more than $10 billion in assets. Learn more about Pinnacle at PNFP.com.
*As of June 30, 2025, according to FDIC data.
About the PEOPLE Companies That Care List
Great Place To Work selected the 2025 PEOPLE Companies that Care List by gathering and analyzing over 1.3 million confidential survey responses from companies representing more than 8.4 million U.S. employees at Great Place To Work Certified organizations. Of those, more than 1 million responses came from employees at companies eligible for the list and these rankings are based on that feedback. Company rankings are derived from 60 employee experience questions within the Great Place To Work Trust Index™ Survey and essays submitted by participating companies. Read the full methodology.
About Great Place To Work
As the global authority on workplace culture, Great Place To Work brings 30 years of groundbreaking research and data to help every place become a great place to work for all. Its proprietary platform and Great Place To Work Model™ help companies evaluate the experience of every employee, with exemplary workplaces becoming Great Place To Work Certified or receiving recognition on a coveted Best Workplaces™ List. Follow Great Place To Work on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram or visit greatplacetowork.com and sign up for the newsletter to learn more.
About PEOPLE
PEOPLE delivers the most trustworthy celebrity news and captivating human interest stories, connecting you to the pulse of American culture. Since our first issue hit stands in 1974, we have been striving to tell compelling stories about the people behind the issues, as opposed to just the issues themselves. We are your everyday escape, taking you inside the lives of intriguing stars, newsmakers, up-and-comers, and ordinary people doing extraordinary things. We serve and delight you by providing ideas about beauty, food, and style through the lens of the people influencing the trends. And we are a force for good by telling stories of hope, optimism, and kindness that drive conversation and inspire action.
Pinnacle Financial Partners has been named in the top 20 among the 2026 PEOPLE® Companies that Care list for the second year in a row by Great Place To Work® and PEOPLE magazine.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles Lakers are being sold for the second time in a year, going to businessmen Josh Kushner and Bob Iger for a record-breaking price.
This sale agreement is $12.5 billion, according to a person familiar with the terms who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Wednesday because neither side revealed specific details of the latest stunning development with one of North America's marquee sports teams.
ESPN first reported that Kushner and Iger are buying the NBA's most valuable franchise. The Lakers were valued last year at $10 billion — a record for a pro sports team — when Mark Walter purchased a controlling stake from the Buss family, which had owned the team since 1979.
“As lifelong NBA fans, we are deeply honored for the opportunity to become stewards of the Los Angeles Lakers, one of the most iconic sports franchises in the world,” Iger and Kushner said in a statement. “We have immense respect for the leadership and vision of Jerry and Jeanie Buss. Our long-term commitment is to build on that foundation, compete at the highest level, and serve this extraordinary team, its fans, and the city of Los Angeles.”
Kushner, a venture capitalist, and former Walt Disney Company CEO Iger had been working together on landing a possible NBA expansion team for Las Vegas. By buying the Lakers, they don't have to wait until the possibility of expansion in the 2028-29 season at the earliest.
Lakers icon Magic Johnson, a partner in Walter's ownership of baseball's Los Angeles Dodgers, praised the deal on social media.
“Laker fans, you couldn’t have two better owners,” Johnson wrote. “I’ve known Bob personally for over 40 years — he has always loved the Lakers and basketball and he will bring championships back to LA.”
The sale still will need approval from the NBA’s board of governors, and that process can take several weeks. The next board meeting is set for September in New York.
The $12.5 billion price tag is not only a record for U.S. pro sports but a new summit in skyrocketing NBA franchise values. Only three years ago, Michael Jordan sold his majority stake in the Charlotte Hornets for a $3 billion valuation, while the Boston Celtics were sold last year to private equity mogul Bill Chisholm at a valuation of just over $6 billion.
Walter’s agreement to purchase a controlling stake in the Lakers at the $10 billion valuation last summer obliterated that mark, and now Iger and Kushner have pushed the bar even higher.
The 66-year-old Walter’s shocking decision to sell after just 10 months of official ownership is reverberating throughout the team’s massive fan base, which appeared to be uniformly excited about the purchase last year. Walter has stewarded the Dodgers into the most successful stretch in franchise history, with three World Series championships in the past six seasons as the most aggressive spenders in baseball.
Multiple media outlets last month reported that Walter’s business empire is under scrutiny from both federal prosecutors and the Securities and Exchange Commission in tax fraud investigations.
The Lakers are 17-time NBA champions who won their most recent title in 2020. They've made the playoffs in each of the past four seasons, and their current roster is built around NBA scoring champion Luka Doncic, who is signed through the 2028-29 season. The Slovenian superstar has become passionate about Los Angeles and the Lakers less than two years after his arrival.
“Being a Laker means everything to me, and I’m excited to get back on the court and bring a championship to LA,” Doncic wrote on social media after hearing of the sale. “I’ve gotten used to big changes over these last few years, but I know that no matter what, there is no limit to the potential of this iconic franchise. I look forward to meeting Josh and Bob so we can get to work building something special in LA together.”
The 41-year-old Kushner has been a minority owner of two NBA teams, but he jumped into the international sports spotlight this summer when his capital holding company, Thrive Eternal, was set to be the “anchor investor” in FIFA President Gianni Infantino’s plan to sell stakes in future World Cup profits. Infantino abandoned the idea on July 31.
Kushner’s older brother is Jared Kushner, son-in-law of U.S. President Donald Trump.
Josh Kushner currently owns a minority stake in the Miami Heat, and he previously owned a stake in the Memphis Grizzlies.
The 75-year-old Iger became one of Hollywood’s most well-known executives while he ran Disney for two lengthy stints between 2005 and last March, when he stepped aside. Iger and his wife, former sports journalist Willow Bay, became the controlling owners of NWSL team Angel City FC in 2024 with a deal that valued the club at $250 million.
Walter’s purchase of the Lakers was approved by NBA owners last October. He originally bought a 27% minority stake in the team in 2021 before purchasing control of the team last year.
The Lakers' 17 championships going back to the franchise’s origin in Minneapolis are the second-most in NBA history behind Boston’s 18. It is a global brand, always at or near the top of the league’s merchandise-sales rankings.
This record sale price comes just weeks after LeBron James, the league’s all-time leading scorer, left the Lakers after eight seasons to become a free agent. James ultimately decided to sign with the Philadelphia 76ers.
Walter and his team had already begun to make extensive changes to the Lakers, who were often perceived as an antiquated franchise in many aspects during their decades of Buss family ownership.
The Lakers had beefed up their basketball operations department with new hires in the front office around longtime general manager Rob Pelinka. They also boosted the business side with extensive searches for new revenue, including sales of new jersey patches and additional prominent sponsorship deals.
When Walter bought his controlling interest in the Lakers, the deal specified that Jeanie Buss would stay on as the team’s governor. With new ownership, it’s unclear whether Buss will have a continuing role in the team she inherited along with her siblings from her father, Jerry Buss, who died in 2013.
Along with the Dodgers, Walter and his various partners also have ownership interests in the WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks, English Premier League club Chelsea, the Professional Women’s Hockey League and the new Cadillac Formula 1 racing team.
AP Basketball Writer Tim Reynolds in Miami contributed to this report.
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/nba
FILE - Disney chief executive Bob Iger arrives at the 96th Academy Awards Oscar nominees luncheon on Feb. 12, 2024, in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File)
FILE - Los Angeles Lakers forward Rui Hachimura (28) blocks a shot by Houston Rockets forward Jabari Smith Jr. (10) during the first half of Game 6 of a first-round NBA playoffs basketball series in Houston, May 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis, File)
FILE - Crypto Arena is viewed before a Los Angeles Lakers NBA basketball game against the Memphis Grizzlies, Jan. 4, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope, File)
