Rex Hammock, our company’s founder and CEO for 30 years, passed away last Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025. Family and friends will celebrate Rex’s life Friday, Feb. 21, 2025, at 2:30 p.m. at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Nashville. Over the past few days, many Hammock Inc. team members, clients, alums, and friends have shared special memories of Rex with each other. If you have a memory of Rex to share, please let us know at jlavey@hammock.com.

Here’s more about one of content marketing’s true pioneers:

Harvey Rex Hammock, a visionary entrepreneur and beloved husband, father, and grandfather, passed away peacefully on February 12, 2025, in Nashville, TN, surrounded by his family after a battle with Alzheimer’s. Born on March 29, 1954, in Dothan, AL, to his parents Rev. William Raymond Hammock, Sr. and Mary Frances Wilks Hammock, Rex was the youngest of three brothers.

Rex was a born leader and a pioneer in the field of publishing, media and technology. He attended Samford University in Birmingham, AL, graduating in 1976 and went on to receive a Masters of Divinity from Southern Theological Seminary in Louisville, KY. In the early 1980s, he worked as a Congressional aide on Capitol Hill before moving to Nashville in 1984 to work for Buntin Advertising and ultimately run Buntin PR.

Rex’s legacy lives on through Hammock Inc., the company he founded in 1991 and led for over 30 years. As a thought leader in the content marketing industry, he created a positive company culture at Hammock that values teamwork, engagement, communication, and collaboration. He cheered his employees on in professional and personal achievements, celebrated marriages and growing families, and made them laugh more times than they can count. Rex’s impact on the industry was recognized by Forbes, who called him a “leading voice in content marketing.” He was a contrarian who challenged assumptions about the industry and believed in the power of content to help customers accomplish their goals.

He loved to mentor young entrepreneurs in Nashville and beyond, and he had a passion for harnessing technology to help small business owners achieve their goals. In 2000, he founded a second startup, SmallBusiness.com, which grew into a community of small business owners to develop and share ideas and visions.

Rex was a National Advisor for American Business Media, a member of the Downtown Nashville Rotary, served on the boards of the Tennessee Repertory Theater and Walk Bike Nashville, and was a member of Westminster Presbyterian Church, and Belle Meade Country Club.

Rex was also a pioneer and early advocate for expanding bike and greenway access across Nashville. He knew every bike lane in town and loved giving visitors tours and rode his bike to the office almost every day of his life. One of his greatest biking achievements was biking the Natchez Trace in 2019.

An early supporter of the Tennessee Titans who never missed a game, Rex was a fiercely loyal local sports fan. He loved any Vanderbilt sports team and would even support other non-Nashville teams, as long as there was a Nashville connection.

Rex met the love of his life, Ann Knight, in college, and they married soon after. They were together for 48 years and lived in the same house in Nashville for 33 of those years. He was beyond proud of his children, Ann Parker Hammock Weeden (Douglas) and Forrest Knight Hammock (Katie), and adored his granddaughters, Parker, Frances, Caroline, and Walker.

Rex was predeceased by his father, mother, and brother Roy Wilks Hammock. He is survived by his wife, Ann Knight Hammock, children, grandchildren, brother William Raymond Hammock, jr. (Sandra), and nieces and nephews. Rex’s passion for helping small business owners across the country and his dedication to the Nashville community will be long remembered. He will be deeply missed by all who knew him.

A Celebration of Life service will be held in Rex’s memory on Friday, February 21, 2025, at Westminster Presbyterian Church at 2:30pm.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in Rex’s memory to any of the following organizations:

• Westminster Presbyterian Church, 3900 West End Avenue, Nashville, TN 37205

• Abe’s Garden, 115 Woodmont Boulevard, Nashville, TN 37205

• Alive Hospice, 1718 Patterson Street, Nashville, TN 27203

• Walk Bike Nashville, 1 South 7th Street, Nashville, TN 37206