NASHVILLE, Tenn., June 4th, 2025
Nashville’s fastest growing bank, Sonata Bank, announces it has appointed Nashville entrepreneur, Keith Hoogland, CEO, Highland Ventures, to the board of directors. Highland Ventures is a national venture management company focused on real estate development, retail, food service and healthcare industries. Headquartered in Brentwood, Tenn., Highland Ventures is a family-owned and operated company that has been scaling businesses for more than 75 years with real estate located in 20 states providing property management, leasing and construction capabilities. Highland Ventures includes Hoogland Restaurant Group, the largest owner and operator of Marco’s Pizza franchises in the U.S.; Legacy Commercial Property that specializes in leasing, acquisitions and development; and Highland Pure Water & Ice that dispenses ice and water at 70 locations.
“We welcome Keith to the board of directors at Sonata Bank,” said Farzin Ferdowsi, Chairman of the Board. “His depth of entrepreneurial experience in scaling businesses and real estate development aligns with our growth mindset at Sonata. We look forward to collaborating on our strategic growth initiatives to serve Nashville’s business community.”
Among his entrepreneurial accomplishments, Hoogland grew Family Video to more than 800 locations in the U.S. and Canada becoming the third largest video rental chain in North America. He strategically purchased all Family Video retail real estate which allowed the company to remain in business long after the closing of its competitors.
Passionate about giving back both locally and globally, Hoogland created local programs that recognized student achievements and contributed $5 million to Vanderbilt University’s undergraduate business minor program, the Hoogland Undergraduate Business Program, that creates business pathways for students to explore their areas of interest. More than 9,400 students have taken the courses since the program’s launch. He also created a charitable campaign and established the first research biobank at the University of Chicago supporting Lymphoma research with contributions totally $8 million.
Hoogland graduated from Vanderbilt University in 1982 with a B.A. in economics.
Sonata Bank is the #1 fastest-growing bank in Nashville by year-over-year percent change in deposits and the top-ranked commercial lender in Tennessee and ranked 4th nationally based on 2024 asset growth rate data from the FDIC.
About Sonata Bank
Sonata is an FDIC-chartered bank and a digital-first financial services company led by experienced banking industry leaders. Sonata is a top-ranked commercial lender in Tennessee and ranked fourth nationally. The bank is the #1 fastest-growing bank in deposits in Nashville and provides a full suite of banking products and services for business and personal banking customers in the Middle Tennessee and Western Kentucky markets. In addition, Sonata serves quick-service restaurant (QSR) franchisees and their employees across the United States.