Companies
A Mutual Mission
DENNIS
BARON
BARON HERDELIN-DOHERTY, CEO & DENNIS BLANTON, COB YMCA of Metropolitan Chattanooga For 150 years, the YMCA of Metropolitan Chattanooga’s various programs and services have promoted community wellbeing in our city and the surrounding area. Today, Baron Herdelin-Doherty, president and CEO, and Dennis Blanton, market leader and COB, work together to ensure that the YMCA’s legacy lives on. Since 2021, Herdelin-Doherty and Blanton have successfully navigated a number of challenges, particularly those brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. Given that the YMCA is a nonprofit organization and relies heavily on memberships to fund their operations, they were dealt a particularly heavy blow. “It was extremely difficult to maintain that membership under the restrictions of COVID-19,” Blanton admits. As a result of this financial strain, Herdelin-Doherty says, “There was some uncertainty about how we would come out of it.” Undoubtedly, their teamwork made all the difference. As they worked to overcome these challenges, Herdelin-Doherty’s enthusiastic 4 4 « CITYSCOPEMAG.COM
leadership energized their team, while Blanton’s diplomacy brought people together to focus on the mission. “Common ground is always more productive,” Herdelin-Doherty explains. “The shared sense of a mission-based organization drives effective collaboration.” Fostering this sense of purpose allowed their team to adapt quickly. “We, along with many of our volunteers and staff, got creative with funding sources, made a lot of tough decisions regarding spending, and figured out a path forward that allowed us to continue our mission throughout our community,” Blanton says. As a result – in 2021 alone – the YMCA’s Community Support Campaign topped $1 million for the first time, and roughly
575,000 meals were served to Chattanooga locals in need. Now, a year into their partnership, Herdelin-Doherty and Blanton remain hopeful for the future as the YMCA continues to evolve. “Through my partnership with Dennis and the rest of the board, my hope is that the YMCA of Metropolitan Chattanooga will grow to serve more families and children in need and provide healthy choices for this community that is active and vibrant,” says HerdelinDoherty. In the same spirit, Blanton adds, “My term is two years, followed by an additional two years as immediate past chair. At the end of that time, I hope Baron and I can look back and honestly say we moved the Y forward.”