Inside Memphis Business, Feb/March 2017

FEB/MAR 2017 | VOLUME XI | NUMBER 3

AWARD WINNERS

Bryan Jordan FIRST HORIZON

Stacy McCall SERVICEMASTER BY S T R ATO S

Ned Canty OPERA MEMPHIS

Debbie Eddlestone STERN CARDIOVASCUL AR FO UNDAT I ON

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Bryan Jordan

FIRST HORIZON

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2015

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NovaCopy Memphis, TN 26,267 sf Mixed Use - New Construction

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©Jeffrey Jacobs Photography

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MOST FINANCIAL COMPANIES FOCUS ON YOUR INCOME. WE FOCUS ON YOUR OUTCOME.

Northwestern Mutual 1770 Kirby Pkwy Ste 400 Memphis (901) 761-7794 memphis.nm.com 05-4012 Š 2016 Northwestern Mutual is the marketing name for The Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company (NM), Milwaukee, WI (life and disability insurance, annuities, and life insurance with long-term care benefits) and its subsidiaries. Northwestern Mutual Investment Services, LLC (NMIS) (securities), a subsidiary of NM, broker-dealer, registered investment adviser, and member of FINRA and SIPC. James Edwards Meeks Jr, General Agent(s) of NM. Managing Partners are not in legal partnership with each other, NM or its affiliates. James Edwards Meeks Jr, Registered Representative(s) of NMIS. James Edwards Meeks Jr, Representative(s) of Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management CompanyŽ, (NMWMC) Milwaukee, WI, (fiduciary and fee-based planning) subsidiary of NM and a federal savings bank.

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FEBRUARY / MARCH 2017

25 A W A R D

VOLUME XI | NUMBER 3

COLUMNS 4

R I C H A R D

J .

A L L E Y

SCA RBORO FA RE •••

8

1000+ EMPLOYEES

FROM THE EDITOR ••• B Y

6

WINNERS

••• B Y J O N W . S P A R K S

B Y

D R . D O U G L A S

S C A R B O R O

Bryan Jordan

FIRST HORIZON

WORKFORCE ••• B Y

M E G

C R O S B Y

10 C R E A T I V E C O M M U N I C A T I O N ••• B Y

A N D R E A

W I L E Y

12 F I N A N C E & I N V E S T M E N T ••• B Y

D AV I D

S .

W A D D E L L

14 T H E H O T S H E E T 60 M E M P H I S B E A T

DEPARTMENTS 20 L E A D E R S H I P

200-1000 EMPLOYEES

Debbie Eddlestone STERN CARDIOVASCUL AR FOUNDATION

Rola Obaji The new CEO for McDonald Murrmann brings a world view to healthcare. ••• B Y

FR ANK MURTAUGH

34 B R A N D A W A R E N E S S

Anderson Humphreys A pioneer of the marketing profession embraces new ideas and new technology. ••• B Y

EMILY ADAMS KEPL INGER

43 P R O F E S S I O N A L D E V E L O P M E N T

Ten opportunities for professional advancement in Memphis. ••• B Y

50-200 EMPLOYEES

Stacy McCall

SERVICEMASTER BY STR ATOS

SAM CICCI

51 S M A L L B U S I N E S S C E N T R A L

eScape Landscape Designs The small business has bloomed while remaining true to its vision. ••• BY RICHARD J. ALLEY

55 P O W E R P L A Y E R S

Commercial Real Estate 59 C O M M U N I T Y P A R T N E R S H I P S

State Farm and LITE Memphis Local nonprofit is first to be awarded a grant by the insurance company.

1-50 EMPLOYEES

Ned Canty

OPERA MEMPHIS

••• BY SAM CICCI

62 T H E O F F I C E

Jim Meeks Northwestern Mutual’s space in East Memphis. ••• BY SAM CICCI

64 M A D E I N M E M P H I S

Keith Warner Gunsmith Craftsmanship and attention to detail keep this artisan busy with his labor of love. ••• BY JANE SCHNEIDER

FEBRUARY / MARCH 2017 | INSIDE MEMPHIS BUSINESS.COM |

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F R O M

T H E

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A L L E Y

Embracing Change

Successful CEOs find opportunity among the obstacles. INSIDEMEMPHISBUSINESS.COM EDITOR CREATIVE DIRECTOR MANAGING EDITOR EDITORIAL ASSISTANT COPY EDITOR EDITORIAL CONTRIBUTORS

ADVERTISING ART DIRECTOR GRAPHIC DESIGNERS

Richard J. Alley Brian Groppe Frank Murtaugh Sam Cicci Michael Finger Meg Crosby, Emily Adams Keplinger, Douglas Scarboro, Jane Schneider, Jon W. Sparks, David S. Waddell, Andrea Wiley Christopher Myers Jeremiah Matthews, Bryan Rollins

PHOTOGRAPHY

Karen Pulfer Focht, Larry Kuzniewski

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR

Jeffrey A. Goldberg

PRODUCTION OPERATIONS DIRECTOR

Margie Neal

The country has just gone through one of the things that makes our nation great — change. The peaceful exchange of power every four or eight years is a tenet that sets us apart from so many other governments around the world. It is a benchmark for how we should conduct ourselves in business, politics, and social situations. We can disagree, we can advocate for our own ideas and philosophies and visions, but in the end compromise and mutual respect always win out. As America’s office of CEO was changing hands, we were wrapping up this issue of Inside Memphis Business,, our CEO of the Year Awards issue. I delighted in reading the profiles put together by Jon Sparks, and learning just what it is that makes each of these four people tick. And one thing stands out among them, as I’m sure must stand out for anyone in a leadership position — the enthusiastic embrace of change. For these four, such situations have been an opportunity more than an obstacle. Bryan Jordan and First Horizon weathered the 2008 recession to ultimately come out stronger, with profits at or near record levels and a stock price that climbed 38 percent last year; Debbie Eddlestone successfully navigated the labyrinth of a digital medical records conversion and a number of partnerships and mergers to make Stern Cardiovascular one of the largest such foundations in the region; Stacy McCall left the petroleum oil fields to start up

AWARD WINNERS

Bryan Jordan FIRST HORIZON

Stacy McCall

SERVICEMASTER BY S T R ATO S

Ned Canty

OPERA MEMPHIS

Debbie Eddlestone STERN CARDIOVASCUL AR FO UNDAT I ON

Supplement to Memphis magazine

Bryan Jordan

FIRST HORIZON

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1/12/17 11:01 AM

FEB/MAR 2017 | VOLUME XI | NUMBER 3

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

Kenneth Neill

CHIEF OPERATIONS OFFICER

Molly Willmott

Bryan Jordan FIRST HORIZON

Stacy McCall

SERVICEMASTER BY S T R ATO S

Ned Canty

OPERA MEMPHIS

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR CONTROLLER

Jeffrey A. Goldberg Ashley Haeger

Debbie Eddlestone STERN CARDIOVASCUL AR FO UNDAT I ON

Supplement to Memphis magazine

EDITORIAL DIRECTOR EVENTS MANAGER

Bruce VanWyngarden Jackie Sparks-Davila

MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER

Kendrea Collins

EMAIL MARKETING MANAGER

Britt Ervin

DISTRIBUTION MANAGER

Lynn Sparagowski

IT DIRECTOR

Joseph Carey

OFFICE MANAGER

Celeste Dixon

RECEPTIONIST

Kalena McKinney

Inside Memphis Business is published six times a year by Contemporary Media, Inc., P.O. Box 1738, Memphis, TN 38101 © 2017, telephone: 901-521-9000. For subscription information, call 901-575-9470. All rights reserved. Periodicals postage paid at Memphis, TN. Postmaster: send address changes to Inside Memphis Business, P.O. Box 1738, Memphis, TN 38101. Opinions and perspectives expressed in the magazine are those of the authors, and do not necessarily represent the views of the ownership or management.

Stacy McCall

S E RV I CE M A S TE R BY S TR ATOS

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AWARD WINNERS

Bryan Jordan FIRST HORIZON

Stacy McCall

SERVICEMASTER BY S T R ATO S

Ned Canty

OPERA MEMPHIS

Debbie Eddlestone STERN CARDIOVASCUL AR FO UNDAT I ON

Supplement to Memphis magazine

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Debbie Eddlestone

S T E R N C A R D I O V A S C U L A R F O U N D AT I O N

1/12/17 10:47 AM

FEB/MAR 2017 | VOLUME XI | NUMBER 3

AWARD WINNERS

PUBLISHED BY CONTEMPOR ARY MEDIA , INC .

ServiceMaster franchises in Alabama and here in Memphis, creating a culture that gives back to the community on a regular basis; and Ned Canty turned traditional marketing on its ear to make Opera Memphis — and opera — a household name. Another evident characteristic is the importance these leaders place on their teams. The trust and respect they have for those who work for them in every capacity is what, they say, keeps their organizations moving forward and growing at every new turn. I hope that the focus we place on the bosses reflects on their troops as well. It’s a new year and a new administration, and change is in the air. Will you follow the example the country’s founders and the CEOs profiled on the pages here have set and see the changes, not as a reason to quit or retreat, but as an opportunity to make something better? FEB/MAR 2017 | VOLUME XI | NUMBER 3

FEB/MAR 2017 | VOLUME XI | NUMBER 3

1/12/17 10:44 AM

AWARD WINNERS

Bryan Jordan FIRST HORIZON

Stacy McCall

SERVICEMASTER BY S T R ATO S

Ned Canty

OPERA MEMPHIS

Debbie Eddlestone STERN CARDIOVASCUL AR FO UNDAT I ON

Supplement to Memphis magazine

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Ned Canty OPERA MEMPHIS

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Dig Deep for Memphis A 2012 survey conducted by The Chronicle of Philanthropy ranked Memphis second in that magazine’s list of per-capita charitable contributions for America’s 50 most-populous metro areas. Memphisarea residents and businesses give over $700 million to charity annually. Because of this, Inside Memphis Business in 2015 started working together with local companies to highlight the good work being done in our community. This is our “Dig Deep for Memphis” partnership program. Over the past two years, we’ve matched

every advertising full page purchased by our partners with a donated page for the charitable organization of their choice. We are very pleased with the “Dig Deep” program and look to expand it in the coming year. For further information, contact neill@contemporary-media.com. As always, please join me in thanking our program partners — Triumph, FedEx, and Northwestern Mutual — for their support of philanthropy in the Mid-South, and their support for Inside Memphis Business in 2017. — Kenneth Neill

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S C A R B O R O

F A R E

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B Y

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S C A R B O R O

College Diploma Key to Economic Success I’ve been able to manage and lead most big projects by monitoring a small set of data. When I worked for the city of Memphis, one statistic from Joe Cortright with Portland, Oregon-based City Observatory, resonated with me as I worked to increase the level of talent in Memphis: 58 percent of a city’s success can be determined by its percentage of college graduates. I recently had a strong case of déja vu when hosting a group of Memphis-area teachers and educators gathered here at the St. Louis Fed’s Memphis Branch to participate in a live town hall webcast with Federal Reserve Board Chair Janet Yellen.

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Yellen spoke to teachers gathered at Federal Reserve regional banks and branches across the country from the Federal Reserve Board’s headquarters in Washington, D.C. She discussed the mission and responsibilities of the Federal Reserve System, and then took questions from K-12 and post-secondary educators of economics, history, and related disciplines. This town hall followed a speech she gave at the University of Baltimore’s 2016 mid-year commencement in December, where she said, “Economists are not certain about many things. But we are quite certain that a college diploma or an advanced degree is a key to economic success. Those with a college degree are more likely to find a job, keep a job, have higher job satisfaction, and earn a higher salary.” The value of investment in higher education remains true nationwide, and ensuring that all Memphians have this opportunity has been a passionate focus of several organizations in Memphis. Leadership Memphis launched the Memphis Talent Dividend (MTD), a collaborative of more than 100 stakeholders from an eight-county region who are working together to increase the percentage of college attainment in the area by 1 percent. If this goal is met, the CEOs for Cities organization estimates a $1 billion economic impact for the region. Leadership Memphis and MTD also support Graduate Memphis, a free college resource center designed to increase postsecondary attainment among adults. In addition, when I was executive director of former Mayor A C Wharton’s Office of Talent and Human Capital Engagement, we ensured Memphis was one of the Lumina Foundation’s first groups of partner cities to participate in the Foundation’s Goal 2025, which supported the efforts of Seeding Success and the Community Partnership for Attainment (CPA) Collaborative Action Network to increase post-secondary attainment in Shelby County to 55 percent by 2025. Through these and other efforts, Memphis and Shelby County are well on their way, with 30 percent of adults in Shelby County who are 25 years and older now having bachelor’s degrees or higher.

In Yellen’s December speech, she also noted that beyond the numerical advantages, “research also shows that a college or graduate degree typically leads to a happier, healthier, and longer life.” This town hall and Yellen’s speeches reflect how important the role of education is to the Federal Reserve, and why we are continually working to 58 PERCENT OF A expand financial and CITY’S SUCCESS CAN economic educaBE DETERMINED BY tional opportunities for students of all ITS PERCENTAGE OF ages. Why? While COLLEGE GRADUATES. financial literacy and good financial decision-making are essential to the prosperity and financial security of individuals, they are also essential to the growth and efficiency of our overall economy. The Federal Reserve’s mission to conduct monetary policy and maintain a stable financial system also depends upon the participation and support of an educated and engaged public. Several years ago, the St. Louis Fed made a commitment to improving economic literacy throughout our District and we now have a wide range of award-winning resources for people of all ages and educational backgrounds. These resources, available on our “Econ Lowdown” site, include award-winning online courses, videos, podcasts, lessons, whiteboard activities, websites, and publications that appeal to students, teachers, parents, and general consumers. We in the Memphis region, whether in our educational leadership roles with the Federal Reserve, or in our roles with local philanthropic, civic, and government agencies, need to remain committed to providing our young people with the resources and support to allow them a chance at achieving the opportunities for happier, healthier, and longer lifetimes through successful post-secondary attainments. Dr. Douglas Scarboro is regional executive/senior vice president of the Memphis branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.

INSIDE MEMPHIS BUSINESS.COM | FEBRUARY / MARCH 2017

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We Love Our City. In 2016, our team and board contributed over 425 hours of service with our community partners – and we’re going to do even more in 2017. We’re grateful for the amazing work our partners do in the Memphis community every day. Growth for our community means growth for our customers – and we’re dedicated to both. Welcome to Triumph. Let’s talk growth.

triumphbank.com triumphmortgage.com (901) 333-8800

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WORKFORCE

• • •

B Y

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C R O S B Y

Five Questions Every CEO Should Ask About Their People 1. What is our People Strategy? The most foundational and important people-related question every CEO should ask is “What is our People Strategy?” That is, what is our strategy for mobilizing, energizing, and growing our people? Having (and executing on) a People Strategy is just as important as having and following a Financial Strategy — and is necessary if a company wants to reach its full potential. People have always been the engine that powers the business; but mobilizing, energizing, and growing your people has never been more important than it is in the current knowledge economy, where businesses increasingly rely on the brainpower of their employees more than their physical abilities. As a result, it is critical that every CEO have a well-defined strategy for attracting, deploying, developing, and rewarding talent to accomplish their business objectives. TV Shows • Columns • Radio Show • Books • Podcast

2. Does every employee know our vision? A company’s vision is the direction or common purpose around which the organization should be aligned. It is a company’s North Star. Organizations perform better when employees can see how their daily work contributes to the overall success of the company — when they can see themselves as important to achieving the vision. Successful CEOs communicate a clear vision throughout the entire company and then align the business activities with it. For many companies, however, there is not a clearly defined and articulated vision. There may be a ‘felt sense’ of a vision, where some people generally know the direction of the company. In other cases, there may be a clearly defined vision that is only known and discussed at the executive level. As a result, the people are not energized around a common purpose and aligned and moving in the same direction. 3. Are we actively reinforcing the culture we want? High performing organizations understand that their culture is the secret sauce to their success and are intentional about reinforcing their winning formula throughout the company. Strong cultures ultimately police themselves attracting and retaining talent that fits with the culture and expelling talent that does not. So, CEOs need to

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make sure the culture they have is the culture they want. Hiring, onboarding, performance management, training and development, compensation, and employee recognition programs are all touch points with employees where they learn what the company values and the criteria they are supposed to use to make decisions. These are all opportunities for companies to drive and reinforce the culture you want. 4. What am I doing daily to mentor and develop talent? Developing talent ensures the long-term sustainability of the business and is a key responsibility of the CEO. As A.G. Lafley, former CEO of Proctor & Gamble, put it, “There is no substitute for personal involvement with the people who are being groomed for the future. I know the top THERE IS NO 500 people in the comSUBSTITUE pany and I am personFOR PERSONAL ally involved in career for the 150 who INVOLVEMENT. planning are potential presidents or function heads. I review their assignment plans at least annually, assess their strengths and weaknesses, and put them in front of the board at meetings, lunches, and other company events. Little if anything else that I do as CEO will have as enduring an impact on P&G’s long-term future.” 5. Do my employees trust me enough to tell me the truth? The larger an organization gets, the more challenging it becomes for a CEO to know what is really happening throughout the company. Layers of management act like information filters such that by the time the CEO hears an important message its sense of urgency, poignancy, or even accuracy may have been lost. Like it or not, it is difficult “to speak truth to power.” Candid feedback only occurs when there is a level of vulnerability-based trust that allows the giver of the feedback to feel safe when delivering a tough message to the CEO. It takes time and effort to build trust. CEOs can start by soliciting, listening to, valuing and, wherever possible, acting on employee feedback. Meg Crosby is a principal with PeopleCap Advisors.

INSIDE MEMPHIS BUSINESS.COM | FEBRUARY / MARCH 2017

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Congratulations to our CEO

Debbie Eddlestone being named as an

IMB CEO of the Year Award Winner From all of us at

Stern Cardiovascular Foundation

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CREATI V E COMMUNICATION

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The Power of Strategic Internal Communication While on a family vacation, Chris Hurn, founder and CEO of Fountainhead Commercial Capital, discovered his son had accidently left his stuffed giraffe “Joshie” at the Ritz-Carlton. Once they returned home and called the resort, they learned that the staff had found Joshie in the laundry and promised

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his safe return. A few days later, a package arrived which not only included the giraffe but a variety of hotel goodies and photos of Joshie’s “extended” vacation at the resort. The photos showed Joshie the Giraffe sunbathing by the pool, getting a relaxing spa treatment complete with cucumbers over his eyes, driving a golf cart in front of the 18th hole, and socializing with other stuffed animals who were also on extended holidays. Hurn’s son was ecstatic about Joshie’s return and delighted to find out he had so much fun while they were briefly separated. Joshie’s extended vacation is an example of great customer service that resonated with thousands around the world when shared via social media with 12,000-plus Facebook likes, 4,600-plus tweets, and 3,500-plus Facebook shares. The story has been memorialized in at least three books and told in many keynote speeches. It was recently featured in a MarketingProfs Webinar by keynote speaker Scott Stratten, president of UnMarketing, and an expert in viral, social, and authentic marketing, to illustrate his point that when a consumer sees a logo of a brand, in this case of Ritz-Carlton, they are immediately taken back to their most recent or most extreme experience with that brand. Yes, Ritz-Carlton is famous for its customer service, but any business can learn from this story to never miss an opportunity to ensure customers have the best experience possible. Those experiences are often times directly tied to employees who have direct contact with customers, which means your employees are your best brand ambassadors. Training your employees to be brand ambassadors starts with internal communication. Whether proactive or inactive or somewhere in between, your level of internal communication affects your employees’ level of engagement, morale, productivity, and even revenue, which is directly tied to that customer experience. Customers are influenced as much by their experience with a product as by the product itself. If there is a gap between the two, brand mistrust can be the result. Brand perception is driven by a string of interwoven touch points, only some of which fall in the category of marketing, like the brand’s website, YouTube videos, or promotional emails. Many touch points, such as calls to customer service and interactions with the sales associates, sit

outside the traditional realm of marketing. Internal communication is critical when it comes to brand philosophy, marketing initiatives, and the importance of delivering a great customer experience. A disconnect can occur between the promises of promotional activity and what is actually experienced by customers if employees are not clear about what they are supposed to be doing or completely behind it. Marketing tends to be externally focused, but it is equally important if not NEVER MISS AN more so that it is shifted OPPORTUNITY TO internally. Your most ENSURE CUSTOMERS critical target audience is your own employees. HAVE THE BEST At a basic level, compaEXPERIENCE ny goals and values must be clearly communicated POSSIBLE. at the right time and through the right medium so employees know what is expected of them and can align their individual objectives accordingly. At a deeper level, for employees to feel engaged in their work and motivated to do their best job, they have to believe that they are valued and understand how their role contributes towards overall business goals. Employees’ perceptions of company brand values do not develop by simply being told what they are, but from the experience they have, day in and day out. It is developed over time and is the sum of many subtle cultural variables such as the quality of relationships they have in the office, through the level of communication that runs through the company from the top down, and ultimately by how listened-to people feel. If employees do not feel invested in the brand’s philosophy and approach to marketing, then how are they supposed to sell these values to customers? By using strategic internal communication to demonstrate company values, an engaged and motivated workforce can be created that enhances the customer experience of the brand. And one day, maybe your own company’s version of “Joshie the Giraffe” could go viral. Andrea Wiley is director of Account Management at DCA Creative Communications Consulting. She is an adjunct professor teaching Advertising at the University of Memphis and is the 2015-2016 president of the American Advertising Federation, Memphis Chapter.

INSIDE MEMPHIS BUSINESS.COM | FEBRUARY / MARCH 2017

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1/12/17 2:00 PM

CELEBRATING

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1/13/17 11:29 AM

FI NA NCE & I N V ESTMENT

••• BY DAVID S. WADDELL

Is 2017 the New 1981?

PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT

Surprise! Donald Trump won the Presidential election. Additionally, the Republicans swept Congress, creating a legislative freeway for conservatives. Fortunately for investors, the 13 prior congressional sessions dominated by Republicans (President, House, and Senate) since 1901 produced average annual returns of over 8 percent for the Dow Jones Industrial Average. The last time we had a red river flowing through Washington with major tax and trade reform afloat was 1980. Washington fatigue, after the poor political and economic performances of the 1970s, led to a populist revolt catapulting a previously Democratic outsider from California with a spotty acting career into the Oval Office. History may not repeat, but Donald does rhyme with Ronald.

By the end of the 1970s, politicized central bank policies, oil price shocks, and misguided price controls boosted consumer price inflation to over 14 percent in 4:00-9:00 P.M. 1980. Jimmy Carter took to the microphone and delivered his “great malaise” speech, blaming America’s ills on Americans’ bad 10000 Woodland Hills Drive attitude. Ronald Reagan broadcasted his “Are you better off than you were four Cordova, TN Make your reservation now as the years ago?” message soon after promising smaller government, less regulation, lower Down Syndrome Association of Memphis hosts Contact Martine Hobson & the Mid-South taxes, and revived prosperity. To break the 901.547.7588 office 901.262.0473 mobile the Sixth Annual “Get Down and Derby” stagflation logjam, Reagan combined tight monetary policy with loose fiscal policy. Saturday, May 6, 2017 Ladies, wear your best hats and Monetarily, the Federal Reserve raised interest rates to 20 percent by June of 1981, men, your nicest seersucker suit 4 to 9 p.m. squelching inflation down to 3 percent for the sixth annual “Get Down by 1983. Fiscally, Reagan’s Economic Woodland and Derby”. Attend theHills live Recovery Tax Act of 1981 reduced capital 10000 Dr. gains rates 28 percent, personal income viewing of the Woodland KentuckyHills Derby Cordova, TN 38018 tax rates 25 percent, and accelerated benefiting the Down Syndrome depreciation allowances to boost business Association of Memphis and investment. Once the cuts took full effect Entertainment • Food • Drink in 1983, growth surged. For the four the Mid-South! Food, drink, years prior to tax reform, the economy Silent Auction silent • Wineauction, Pull • Hat Parade entertainment, averaged annual growth of .9 percent. wine pull and much more. Over the four years post, the economy $75 Individual Ticket • $30 Self-Advocate Ticket • $125 Couple grew 4.8Ticket percent annualized. The stock market responded in kind. Spurred by high Tickets cost $75.00. Ask about our different Sponsorship Levelsgrowth, low inflation, and stable interest Purchase tickets online at rates, U.S. stocks rose 19.5 percent annudsamemphis.org/getdownderby alized between the years 1983 and 1986. Proceeds Benefit or callAll901-547-7588. Over the last 50 years or so, the U.S. economy has averaged growth of 3 percent Down Syndrome Association of Memphis & the Mid-South compared with the 2 percent we have experienced since the great recession. Purchase Tickets Online at Quantifying the gap, we are now about $3 trillion below our long-run economic potential … a point not lost on the 2016 www.dsamemphis.org/getdownderby or call 901-547-7588 electorate. Trump’s popular cocktail of infrastructure spending, regulatory relief, offshore repatriation, and tax reform certainly qualifies as a bold attempt to break our current slow-growth “malaise.” Should

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these provisions pass, there is little doubt that they will increase economic RPMs as they did in the 1980s, but there are some meaningful environmental differences. Reagan’s playbook boosted the U.S. dollar nearly 50 percent between 1980 and 1985. Priced in U.S. dollars, food and energy prices collapsed, ending the energy panic and reducing consequential growth push inflation. Today, the U.S. relies far less on foreign fuel sources, lessening WE MAY the deflationary impact of a stronger currency. SEE MORE “HAWKISH” Additionally, rising rates mean rising rents, an MONETARY inversion of the reductions under Reagan. Therefore, HABITS. while the Trump policies could substantially boost growth consistent with historical precedent, inflation may not prove as accommodative. Should inflation surprise, the Fed could overreact, threatening stock market valuations and growth forecasts. Given Trump’s preference for appointing tighter-fisted Fed governors, we may see more “hawkish” monetary habits. Bottom Line: As long as long-term interest rates remain well above short-term interest rates, “Trumponomics” should levitate the economy and asset values, as intended. However, if inflation, interest rates, and the U.S. dollar start to vigorously wrestle each other for supremacy, flipping the yield curve upside down, Trump’s Reagan rhyme could become . . . cacophonic. David S. Waddell is CEO of Waddell and Associates. He has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, and Business Week, as well as other local, national, and global resources. Visit waddellandassociates.com for more.

INSIDE MEMPHIS BUSINESS.COM | FEBRUARY / MARCH 2017

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The HOT Sheet

Advancement Christopher J. Tutor has joined Butler Snow, practicing with the firm’s finance, real estate, and restructuring group. Michael D. Allen, past president and CEO of Catholic Charities of West Tennessee and formerly with International Paper, has been named executive director of Memphis Botanic Garden. Allen & Hoshall has added Daniel Longserre, mechanical engineer; and Kim Theis, marketing coordinator. Michael J. Beebe, Clayton Bettin, and James Robinson have joined the team of physicians at Campbell Clinic. McDonald Murrmann Women’s Clinic has named Rola Obaji as CEO (see her Leadership profile on page 20).

Caissa Public Strategy has added Tennessee State Rep. Mark White to its executive team as a senior director. Vaco Memphis has announced the hire of Shanna Naumann as executive search consultant. Baker Donelson has added five associates to the Advocacy Department of its Memphis office: Preston Battle, Nicole Berkowitz, Locke Houston, Jennie Silk, and Mary Katherine Smith. Crye-Leike Real Estate Services, the nation’s sixth largest residential real estate brokerage firm, has named Laura Gaither as assistant manager of its Bartlett branch office. The Downtown Memphis Commission has named Penelope Houston, formerly of Contemporary Media Inc. and Memphis in May, as the organization’s new vice president of Marketing, Communications, and Events. Knox Shelton has been named executive director of Literacy Mid-South.

Anthony Berryhill, retired Memphis Police Department deputy director, is the new chief of police for the University of Tennessee Health Science Center Memphis campus.

Derrick Alston has been promoted to senior art director and Joe McLaughlin to senior account executive for inferno.

Financial Federal Bank has added Gerre Currie as vice president, community development officer, responsible for building strategic alliances with nonprofits, community development organizations, and realtors to identify opportunities for financing and infrastructure improvements to new and existing markets in the Mid-South.

Abbie Gordon has joined DCA as account manager.

Sarah Nicholson has joined Hollywood Feed as director of bakery services for its new specialty bakery. Nicholson earned her degree in pastry arts from the Cambridge School of Culinary Arts in Boston. Paragon Bank has expanded its Memphis team: Lea Carr, assistant vice president of Private Banking; John Christy, vice president of Commercial Lending; and Nancy Walls, assistant vice president and community development officer. Barge, Waggoner, Sumner and Cannon, Inc., has added Peter Kauffmann, PE, as traffic engineer. Kauffmann has five years of experience in the planning and engineering of mixed-use and municipal transportation projects.

Appointments Frederick Azar, MD, chief of staff for Campbell Clinic Orthopaedics and professor at the University of Tennessee-Campbell Clinic Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Biomedical Engineering, has been elected as director-elect of the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery (ABOS). The Tennessee Chamber of Commerce & Industry has announced the following appointments to its board of directors: Don Bradford — EnSafe, CEO; Craig Cowart — Jackson Lewis, principal; and Jeff Fedorchak — TruGreen, vice president Corporate Affairs. Robert Fockler, president of the Community Foundation of Greater Memphis, will serve as board chair for the Southeastern Council of Foundations, the nation’s largest regional association of grant-makers, serving more than 330 dynamic foundations and corporate giving programs in the South. Junior Achievement of Memphis and the Mid-South has named the following as new members of the board of directors:

Eleanor French, International Paper; Justin Gentry, Ernst & Young; and Catherine Reid, KPMG. The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) recently elected Steven R. Goodman, PhD, vice chancellor for Research at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC), as a 2016 AAAS Fellow. Goodman’s election makes him the first active UTHSC-affiliated AAAS Fellow since 1972, and the first active member of the association from Memphis since 2009. Benjamin J. Figura, PhD, a board-certified forensic anthropologist, has been named director of the West Tennessee Regional Forensic Center (WTRFC), which is operated through UTHSC. Debra Broughton, principal of Whitney Achievement Elementary School in Frayser, has been named to the board of directors for Agape Child & Family Services. The West Tennessee Home Builders Association inaugurated their incoming board president, James Reid of Reid Homes. Pace Cooper, president and chief executive officer of Cooper Hotels, has been selected as the chairman of the Board of Commissioners for the Memphis-Shelby County Airport Authority (MSCAA).

Awards Rebecca Adelman, founding partner of Hagwood Adelman Tipton, received the inaugural Ethel Mitty Heart Award, a national achievement within the assisted living industry. Karl Schledwitz, chairman and CEO of Monogram Food Solutions, Inc., has received the Richard L. Knowlton Award, which recognizes innovative skills, corporate citizenship, and exceptional business acumen. The award is given annually by Meatingplace, one of the nation’s leading information sources for the red meat and poultry processing industry. The Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) awarded top-level honors to DCA, a creative communications consulting firm, for prominent projects with the Grizzlies Foundation: Best of Show, Grizzlies RiverFit Stair Art; VOX Award, Grizzlies RiverFit Stair Art; and Gold Award, Grizzlies Foundation Annual Report. DCA’s Cara Greenstein was announced as 2016’s PRSA Rising Star. Memphis International Airport (MEM) was the 2016 Peggy G. Hereford Award recipient from Airports Council International – North America (ACI-NA) and its 2016 contin u ed on page 16

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The HOT Sheet

contin u ed from page 1 4 Excellence in Airport Marketing, Communications, and Customer Service Awards.

The University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) has announced the following awards:

Baker Donelson received a perfect score of 100 percent on the 2017 Corporate Equality Index (CEI), a national benchmarking survey and report on corporate policies and practices related to LGBT workplace equality, administered by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation. In addition, the firm has been named to Fortune’s first-ever list of “50 Best Workplaces for Parents.”

The UT Boling Center for Developmental Disabilities, a University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities at UTHSC, and LeMoyne-Owen College, are partnering to generate more minority student interest in the developmental disability field thanks to a $40,000 National Training Initiative — Partnership Planning Grant.

The Tennessee Trucking Association has awarded Averitt Express with the 2016 Clean Diesel Award and the 2016 Fleet Safety Award.

Ankush Gosain, MD, PhD, FACS, FAAP, associate professor in the Department of Surgery and director of Pediatric Surgery Research at the Children’s Foundation Research Institute of Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital, has been awarded a $785,220 grant to continue research for the treatment of a birth defect that can affect the colon of newborns. The grant is funded by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.

Jill M. Steinberg of Baker Donelson has successfully achieved re-certification as a civil trial advocate with the National Board of Trial Advocacy (NBTA). Counterpart Communication Design won two silver W3 awards for the agency’s website, and a gold Vox award for its work with the City of Germantown. BTI Consulting, the nation’s leading research firm of professional-service providers, has ranked Wyatt, Tarrant & Combs LLP among America’s top 300 law firms in client service in its Client Service A-Team 2017 rankings. Historic Hotels of America announced the winners of its Awards of Excellence and Douglas V. Browne, general manager of The Peabody Memphis and president of Peabody Hotels & Resorts, was named “Hotelier of the Year.” Matt Cox, director of Asset Management for Lehman-Roberts Co., has been designated as a Certified Equipment Manager (CEM) by the Association of Equipment Management Professionals. AAF Memphis announced Stinson Liles, founding principal at Red Deluxe Brand Development, as the recipient of its 2017 Silver Medal, the highest form of individual recognition by the American Advertising Federation. Adams and Reese had 34 attorneys named in the 2016 Mid-South Super Lawyers and “Rising Stars” list. Kelley & Associates Advertising won two Platinum Awards, four Gold Awards, and four Honorable Mentions for its work with several Memphis-based clients like MPD, First South Financial, and Porter-Leath, at the 2016 Marcom Awards. The following Memphis-based law firms received “Tier 1” rankings in the 2017 “Best Law Firms,” a joint initiative between U.S. News & World Report and Best Lawyers:

Rebecca Krukowski, PhD, has received a grant for $3.3 million over five years for a program to help women in the United States military return to fitness standards after the birth of a baby. This project is the result of a cooperative agreement between UTHSC and the United States Air Force.

The College of Medicine’s Center for Addiction Science is recognized as the first Center of Excellence in Addiction Medicine in the country by The Addiction Medicine Foundation. Founded to address the untreated addiction epidemic, not only in Memphis, but across the country, the center provides clinical treatment services including cognitive behavioral therapy, medication-assisted treatment, motivational enhancement therapy, and 12-step program facilitation across all demographics. Rajashekhar Gangaraju, PhD, an assistant professor in the Hamilton Eye Institute, has been awarded a $1.5 million grant from the United States Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity to develop stem cell-based therapeutics for retinal damage after traumatic brain injury, specifically in military personnel after blast injuries are sustained. Alex Dopico, MD, PhD, University Distinguished Professor and chair of the Department of Pharmacology in the College of Medicine, has been appointed to serve a four-year term on the National Advisory Council on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. The council is the highest advisory board for the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), one of the 27 institutes and centers that make up the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Arash Shaban-Nejad, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Pediatrics, has received a $100,000 Grand Challenges Explorations award from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Shaban-Nejad will pursue an innovative global health and development research project titled, “A Semantic Framework to Support Evolution and Interoperability.” Melissa Little, PhD, and Wayne Talcott, PhD, have received a grant totaling $418,000 to study tobacco use by military recruits. They are assistant professor and professor, respectively, in the Department of Preventive Medicine in the College of Medicine. Baker Donelson garnered 170 metropolitan rankings, and 98 attorneys have been named to the 2016 edition of Mid-South Super Lawyers, which recognizes attorneys in Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi, and Tennessee. Littler ranked in the categories Employment Law — Management; Labor Law — Management; and Litigation — Labor & Employment. Fisher Phillips ranked with Employment Law — Management and Labor Law — Management. Two attorneys, senior counsel Jay Kiesewetter and managing partner Jeff Weintraub, were selected for inclusion in the

2016 Mid-South Super Lawyers. Courtney Leyes, Gabriel McGaha, and Robert W. Ratton III were listed as “Rising Stars.” Harris Shelton Hanover Walsh, also announced that 13 of the firm’s lawyers were selected for the 2016 Mid-South Super Lawyers, four of which were named “Rising Stars” — Kannon C. Conway, Laura Martin, Abigail J. Webb, and William J. Wyatt. Jackson Lewis’ Memphis office has been recognized for excellence in Tier 1 and named the national 2017 Law Firm of the Year in the Employment Law — Management category. contin u ed on page 18

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The HOT Sheet contin u ed from page 16

Inked Dunavant Global Logistics Group, LLC, has announced the addition of two new subsidiaries: the opening of Dunavant International Freight Agency in Shenzhen and Hong Kong, China; and the acquisition of John M. Brining, Inc., a Mobile, Alabama-based private customs brokerage company. The Henderson, a 170-room luxury Salamander Beach & Spa Resort owned by Dunavant Enterprises, Inc., has opened in Destin, Florida. Barge, Waggoner, Sumner and Cannon, Inc. announced its acquisition of Atlanta-based planning and landscape architecture group jB+a with its portfolio spanning a wide range of project types including commercial and residential development, parks, recreational complexes, greenways, public facilities, and institutional/higher education campuses.

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HopeWorks, an organization empowering underserved individuals to earn their high school equivalency diploma and become engaged members of the workforce, announced it will be moving to a new location at 3337 Summer Ave. in the Binghampton neighborhood, allowing it to double class offerings and increase its impact on the community. Bank3 announced the move of their corporate headquarters to East Memphis and the Poplar and White Station area. This opening marks their third location, others include Union City and Woodland Mills, Tennessee. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has opened a new, 20,000-square-foot field office on the 7th floor of Brinkley Plaza at Monroe and Main Street downtown. The office will have 34 employees and service approximately 60-90 people per day. Cosmic Coconut has been rebranded as City Silo Table & Pantry. Mutt Island, a dog daycare and grooming facility, has opened Downtown at 320 Monroe Avenue. Hollywood Feed has opened its first Georgia location in Roswell.

Milestones McDonald Murrmann Women’s Clinic celebrated its 20th anniversary last fall. Averitt Express recently honored associate Shuford Bishop for 30 years of service, and associate David Underwood for 20 years.

INSIDE MEMPHIS BUSINESS.COM | FEBRUARY / MARCH 2017

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L E A D E R S H I P

Rola Obaji

Rola Obaji

• • •

B Y

F R A N K

M U R TA U G H

Rola Obaji grew up in Dammam, Saudi Arabia, and Amman, Jordan, where her father, Ali Alhindi, ran travel agencies. She and her two younger siblings traveled the world for what amounted to business trips with their dad. As a result, Obaji’s world view comes from a variety of perspectives, from Paris to Istanbul, from Los Angeles to New York City. The new CEO at McDonald Murrmann Women’s Clinic has called Memphis home for more than a quarter-century now — she fell in love with her husband, Dr. Suhail Obaji, on a visit to Memphis in 1989 — but continues to draw from her global journeys in raising a family and running a business. Perhaps most poignant are her memories, not that long ago, of college life in Syria, at Aleppo University. “My mom is Syrian, my dad Jordanian,” explains Obaji. “I was born in Aleppo, but I lived between Jordan and Saudi Arabia during my school years [before college]. “Jordan, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon . . . these places are beautiful. We have beaches, mountains. It’s very European. It’s nothing like what you see [in the news today]. It’s like judging the United States on the worst neighborhoods in Chicago or Memphis. My kids love to go to [the Middle East]. It has a lot of history, and for all religions. It was inspiring,

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PHOTOGRAPH BY KAREN PULFER FOCHT

The new CEO for McDonald Murrmann brings a world view to healthcare.

growing up there. Traveling as I did, it made me more open-minded, more accepting.” Syria’s five-year civil war — with all its death and displacement — has weighed heavily on Obaji’s heart. She finds comfort the only place one can: hope for peace and stability. “I’m an optimistic person,” she says. “Will Syria come back [to its previous state]? I don’t think it can, because of the destruction of historical places. It’s going to take generations to recover. It’s a holocaust. A couple of my cousins still live in Aleppo, on the west side,

where it’s stable. But my husband’s former neighborhood is completely leveled. It’s so chaotic; nobody knows the answer.” Obaji’s journey to Memphis became a matter of the heart after she met her would-be husband (Suhail is now an oncologist with the West Cancer Center). But it began with a connection to the Mid-South’s most renowned crop. “My mom’s family had a cotton business in Aleppo,” she says. “Memphis had a famous cotton school in the Sixties and Seventies, and my uncles came here to learn how to grow and harvest cotton. Well, they stayed here. When one of my brothers wanted to go to college in the United States, my mom preferred that he go somewhere we have family. That was Memphis. My brother graduated from the University of Memphis and is now a mechanical engineer in Dubai. My sister graduated from the U of M and now lives in Jordan.” Obaji began her career in medical-group management in 1994 alongside Suhail, serving seven years as an administrator for his growing practice. She then spent eight years with the Family Cancer Center — first as

INSIDE MEMPHIS BUSINESS.COM | FEBRUARY / MARCH 2017

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marketing director, then vice president of administration — before becoming CEO at Integrity Oncology, where she served from 2009 to 2016. In some respects, Obaji became a business leader by default. “When I started, it was our own business,” she says. “I’m all in. I educated myself about how to lead a medical practice. A business background from Aleppo is different: more accounting, more marketing. Implementing that in a small healthcare practice [became my job]. The relationship between physicians and hospitals . . . how do you market yourself, make yourself stand out? Every time our practice grew, I learned something new. And I’ve never been ashamed to say, ‘I don’t know this. I need to learn.’ Annoyingly, I ask a lot of questions.”

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“I’M BIG ON EMBRACING NEW T E C H N O L O G Y, B U T T O O M U C H OF IT CAN STRIP THE HUMAN T O U C H W E A L L N E E D.” Managing a healthcare business requires a delicate balance between compassion and the same bottom line — profitability — every company must prioritize. “I feel empathy for other people, so I put myself in a patient’s position,” says Obaji, who was a patient herself at McDonald Murrmann long before she became an employee. “How would I want to be treated? That can be good and bad, because there are times you have to make tough decisions.” She cites the challenging transition for many physicians from private practice to affiliation with a larger hospital group. “You have patients who are seriously ill, and you also have to make decisions that make financial sense. You have to pay rent, pay employees, and pay physicians so you can continue to provide the best care.” Obaji oversees seven physicians (all female) and a total staff just under 50 at McDonald Murrmann. As a private practice, the clinic — Obaji in particular — has to monitor costs that are influenced well beyond the walls of any exam room. “Safety regulations drive costs up,” she says, as well as ever-developing, often-expensive technology. “I’m big on embracing new technology, but too much of it can strip the human touch we all need.” As she takes the wheel at McDonald Murrmann (founded in 1996), where does Obaji see the clinic a decade from now? “I’m a big believer in more comprehensive care under one roof,” she says. “I’d like to introduce more services, which I can’t discuss until we finalize. Our patients feel comfortable with our staff and doctors. Instead of going some-

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where else for more testing, hopefully we’ll have more in-house. Our physicians and I believe in cutting-edge medicine. Practice administrators can have greater challenges if they have different visions than their physicians. Here we agree on growth.” In terms of leadership style, Obaji mentions her dad’s approach to running his business, and the importance of establishing a comfort level — financial and otherwise — for employees. “Happy physicians will produce high-quality care,” she says. “With all the

PHOTOGRAPH BY KAREN PULFER FOCHT

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“HAPPY PHYSICIANS W ILL PRODUCE HIGH-QUALITY CARE.” challenges, with more regulations, sometimes it’s frustrating for them. Maintain trust, and help with the challenges they face. I have my [leadership] style, but I’m not scared to say I’m going to change. Let’s see what works.” Having lived in the Bluff City more than a quarter-century, Obaji has come to embrace a Memphis lifestyle, even if she’s yet to master the proper use of y’all. “It’s home,” she says. “My two kids were born here. My daughter is in law school at the University of Memphis, even after her father pushed her to go up north. My kids are loyal Memphians. It’s a great medical center, with a lot of services that other cities don’t offer. Safety is the number-one issue. But with the Greenline and Shelby Farms, it’s becoming a more attractive city. “Growing up in different countries, I never had a city I could claim,” says Obaji. “Memphis is the only one. I still love to travel, even for a long weekend. But then I come home.”

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On behalf of DHG, I would like to congratulate the winners of IMB’s 2017 CEO of the Year Awards. For the fifth year in a row, we are truly honored be a part of such a prestigious event – one that reflects the ideals, goals, and talent that Memphis leadership has to offer, and that DHG values and celebrates. As one of the top 20 U.S. accounting firms, we understand the challenges and changes that businesses of all sizes, ages, and structures face. However, we also understand that when strong leadership is in place, these obstacles merely become part of their success journey.

Ultimately, DHG celebrates those today who have exemplified the character and leadership that individually improves the overall business community in Memphis. Congratulations, honorees, and thank you for your contributions!

Sincerely,

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1000+ EMPLOYEES

Bryan Jordan FIRST HORIZON

AWARD WINNERS •••B Y J O N W. S PA R K S

Memphis is a city built on commerce, from its advantageous spot on the Mississippi River to its centralized placement within the country. Our business community has changed the way the world

200-1000 EMPLOYEES

Debbie Eddlestone STERN CARDIOVASCUL AR FO UNDAT I ON

ships, travels, and recreates, and is never short on leaders. To choose a CEO worthy of being designated tops in any industry in Memphis is a little like choosing your favorite barbecue joint in this town. There are so many great ones that the task is a bit overwhelming, but it sure is fun getting to know them. The four leaders honored in the following pages are no exception.

50-200 EMPLOYEES

Stacy McCall

SERVICEMASTER BY S T R ATO S

They are exemplars in their respective industries and on the stage of local, regional, national, and international business. Narrowing the field down was no easy task to say the least, but those we’ve chosen, we believe, are representative of the greatness of our Memphis business community. Thank you for reading. And now, the winners . . .

1-50 EMPLOYEES

Ned Canty

OPERA MEMPHIS

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1000+ EMPLOYEES

Bryan Jordan FIRST HORIZON

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Bryan Jordan might have been perfectly happy to be a CPA his entire life, but we’ll never know. He spent some eight years working with columns and rows in public accounting but was drawn to banking in the early 1990s. Jordan quickly developed an interest in finding out how it all worked and was soon on the path to leadership. Now, he’s chairman, president, and chief executive officer of First Horizon National Corp., the parent company of First Tennessee Bank and FTN Financial. And he’s become something of an expert on being an effective CEO. He took the helm at a turbulent time in financial history — just a week before Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac failed in 2008. But he brought a steady hand to a steady ship, and First Horizon is today one of the 40 largest banking companies in the United States in asset size and market capitalization. Jordan says he’s always had an interest in leadership and has cultivated that whenever he could. And with all the preparation and training, it made him ready for the surprises he’s encountered. “I never stepped into a job where it wasn’t more complicated and bigger than I expected it to be,” he says. “I was amazed at the sheer strength of culture that First Horizon and First Tennessee had, and I see that as one of our very strong assets.” A strong culture, he believes, is essential to helping a company work through times of great change or tough economic environments. Jordan has always made the most of working closely with customers and the community. “I had a real strong sense of the significant role that our organization has played in helping to weave the economic fabric not only here in Memphis but across the state of Tennessee by supporting the development of dreams in businesses and home ownership and all of those things that banking organizations do,” he says. “The most exciting and interesting part of stepping into a leadership role like that in a period of change is being part of putting together a leadership team to tackle the challenges. I feel very good about who we’ve been able to pull together here over the last few years — our people who have long-term experience with the organization along with people who are relatively new. It’s a good blend that has helped shape the strong culture we have.” One area that’s crucial for a financial institution to master is that of innovation. Jordan has made sure to stay on top of it. “Technology has become a bigger and bigger part of the way we provide services to our consumer customer base as well as our commercial customer base,” he says. “That change is only going to accelerate. For example, customer visits to branches drop about 3 to 4 percent a year. They have the ability to interact online or with mobile banking or with the call center. The

“A strong culture is essential to helping a company work through times of great change.”

financial center, though, is still the heart and soul of our relationship-building with customers.” The new trends and changing interactions are full of opportunities, Jordan says. He’s mindful of the changes that led from a Blockbuster to a Netflix world, noting that “business models are changing at an ever-accelerating pace and we have to adapt to that, serving customers in a way that they want to be served. We can’t be early and force customers to bank in a way they don’t want to bank and we can’t be late and not enable customers to bank in a way that they want to bank. It’s important that we get the timing right.” Jordan says serving the community is a priority for financial institutions as well. “Those of us with First Tennessee today have the benefit of a great 152-year legacy in serving our customers and our communities,” he says. “We are an inextricable part of the economic fabric of the communities that we serve and we won’t do well if any of the markets we serve don’t do well.” And while the company gives considerable sums to nonprofits and community-based institutions, Jordan says he’s most proud of the work done by employees. “We have hundreds of people who are involved in boards and volunteer activities in the community they participate in,” he says. “I expect we underestimate it by a significant amount, but we can track more than 20,000 hours a year in terms of people just giving paid time back to their communities.” The role of CEO might seem daunting, but Jordan says there are a few key things to keep in mind. “Some of the best advice I ever got was to view it as a marathon, not a sprint,” he says. “Think about developing your skill set and your tool box in a colorful fashion over a period of time. Look for opportunities to gain experience in different aspects of the business so that you have a broader understanding of the business.” Another critical aspect, he says, is “investing in the skill set around people and leadership and how you influence the organization, particularly in periods where change or difficult decisions have to be made. You want to feel that you’re building a broad and successful place for people to grow and to nurture their careers. One of our main objectives here is to make sure that our broad and diverse employee base has an opportunity to be successful to meet their career objectives and to do meaningful work in serving customers and communities. It’s important for leaders to think that way about how they build their organization for the future.”

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200-1000 EMPLOYEES

Debbie Eddlestone STERN CARDIOVASCUL AR FO UNDAT I ON

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Debbie Eddlestone was given the challenge during her employment interview: “We have to make some hard choices that we have to see through,” the interviewer said, “and we’re seeing the rocks at the bottom of the pond. Do you know what I mean?” “Yes, sir,” she said. And that set the course for the future of Stern Cardiovascular Foundation. As a CEO in one of the largest medical research areas in the country, Eddlestone came to the company in the late 1990s to overhaul the business operation. She became CEO of the organization in 2010, guiding it through a period of growth and change. Eddlestone built that road to CEO by making the hard changes Stern needed back then. Computer systems were being developed to handle billing and electronic medical records, a field that was evolving and full of uncertainty. But she stayed on top of the technology as well as making changes in personnel and systems, balancing the needs of both physicians and administrators. “Both teams were behind me and it was a huge challenge,” she says. “I worked more hours in my life than I ever thought I would, but it got to me. The group just took my heart — the patients we see, the commitment from the doctors, the commitment from the community is more than I could ever ask for. It’s tough, but it’s very rewarding.” The key to running a successful operation like this — a cutting-edge research and treatment center — is having both the clinical and administrative segments working seamlessly together. The president of Stern Cardiovascular Foundation is Dr. Steven Gubin, a cardiologist who focuses on preventative cardiology and patient education. He and Eddlestone have a dyadic relationship, each tending to their areas and making sure everything meshes. “Dr. Gubin is instrumental in looking at the clinical needs and aspects so that we’re not going into an area that wouldn’t be good for the community or for the Stern physicians,” Eddlestone says. “We make decisions together administratively and we communicate very well.” It’s especially critical these days as the healthcare industry is facing almost certain changes with the Affordable Care Act. “The two of us help get the information out to our physicians and staff because everybody makes a difference, everybody,” she says. “The more understanding and the more education that everybody can get, the better. I have a very good administrative team but the clinical aspect that Dr. Gubin brings to the forefront is very important.” Eddlestone cites the example of electronic medical records, a revolution in the industry, but not one easily incorporated. “We have doctors from age 34 to 80,” she says. “The doctors who were older

“The key to running a successful operation like this is having both the clinical and administrative segments working seamlessly together.”

had been practicing on paper for 30 and 40 years and all of the sudden you want them to walk in the examining room and just look at the patient and a computer screen. It was a huge challenge but we successfully did it with Stern as one of the first to really adopt full electronic medical records.” Stern has been doing it since 2000 and was able to implement it and keep current because everyone was on board. “We educated and informed all of the staff, not just the clinical people, not just the doctors and nurses, everybody,” Eddlestone says. “Everybody played the part in helping and assisting that physicians learned how to be electronic.” For Eddlestone, that philosophy of including everyone as a group is to show that Stern believes every employee has value. “A big piece of why you’re here is because of the patient, and you want to make a difference in somebody’s life. I would say that for most of the people that work at Stern, that’s the motivation for them.” She has also overseen changes that Stern has made in efforts to help patients as well as the community. Several years ago, for example, Stern partnered with the Sutherland Clinic and Cardiology Associates to create a catheterization lab for outpatient procedures that were being done at hospitals. “We were competitors but we all came together for that and it’s been very successful,” Eddlestone says. “It was good for the patients, it made sense, and it kept healthcare costs down.” Stern has also done some moving around to meet the needs of patients. “We did a big move from downtown Memphis out to the East, building our own building and consolidating offices we had Downtown, in Baptist Hospital, around Baptist Hospital, in the East Memphis area, and also in the St. Francis Hospital area.” But it was also important strategically to go into underserved areas, so Stern built an office in DeSoto County and has since opened outreach offices around the Mid-South. “We have locations in more rural areas where physicians go maybe once a week or even once a month,” Eddlestone says. One of the most important things she’s learned as a CEO is perspective. “Everybody comes with the idea that we think we have the best ideas,” she says. “But I’ve learned to really listen and seek to understand. There are many different ways to get something done and most times, there are better ideas than what you have. I’ve learned a lot from our doctors but I also learn a lot from the people on the front desk and the lady you meet every day because she’s around the clinic and sees things. I’m a much better listener now and I think that is what has helped me be a better leader.”

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50-200 EMPLOYEES

Stacy McCall

SERVICEMASTER BY S T R ATO S

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“This was not a road I would have chosen initially,” says Stacy McCall. The president and CEO of ServiceMaster by Stratos, a contract janitorial service, started out as a petroleum engineer, working the technical side of a career that included stints in the oil fields. But experience and opportunity would have their say in where McCall would ultimately go. Her savvy at understanding process-driven systems led her to start a ServiceMaster franchise in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. That began drawing her toward the people side of organizations, which would eventually take her to the top of the Memphisbased franchise unit of ServiceMaster Clean. McCall’s devotion to understanding every aspect of the contract janitorial business involved getting down and dirty. “I went through everything any employee in our organization goes through,” she says. “I cleaned toilets, stripped floors, and did housekeeping. I also went through all of the other experiences that my people encounter in a day.” That meant people “looking through me as if I was a ghost because I was a janitor,” she says. It also meant sometimes hearing a kind word, dealing with equipment failure, or working long hours because of unexpected problems. “I started developing a heart for my people and what they were going through personally and then professionally when they joined my organization. It helped me become an advocate within my own company.” Part of that was developing empathy for personal as well as professional issues of employees, who are called service partners. “I was available and a listening ear,” McCall says, “so I learned what trials and tribulations were on our frontline, which helped me create internal processes but also a company culture of caring and engagement, not just with my external customers in the marketplace but my internal customers and my service partners.” She became attuned to the voice of the customer as well as the voice of her people. “I say I’m a contract janitorial company but what I understand through the path I’ve traveled is that we’re a logistical people business,” McCall says. “That journey and those experiences created this opportunity of trust and loyalty and gave me the ability to spearhead a culture we’re always driving for in our organization.” McCall has a series of key beliefs that she readily shares. “We don’t make widgets or gadgets. We provide a service, and we cannot provide a service without our people and if we’re not taking care of our people internally, they don’t have the ability to take care of our customer,” she says. “We have to fill their cup up or they will be empty and they don’t have anything to give to our customer. I also believe in

“We have integrity and credibility internally in our organization and therefore we can translate that externally to our customer.”

constant communication all the way throughout my organization. I believe that we should all be constant learners. I believe we’ve never ‘made’ it — we can always do better in servicing our people and our customers. I believe we all make mistakes and if we get it on the table and accept it and then move on, that we are better for it. I believe in trust within my organization. One of our foundations is that we have integrity and credibility internally in our organization and therefore we can translate that externally to our customer.” With that driving the engine of ServiceMaster by Stratos, McCall is looking to the future and hoping for more full-time opportunities for the Memphis market. “We want to provide a career path,” she says. “I like to talk about changed lives and I hope that in 10 years I have at least 500 full-time service partners working for us day-in and day-out.” Another critical component to nurturing the business and engaging the service partners is community service. “I’m a commissioner with Memphis City Beautiful and have been elected to the Memphis In May International Festival board,” McCall says. “Our organization provides financial support for local organizations but where we’ve really plugged in is with in-kind donations where our people can be involved in activities, like MIFA’s ‘Feed the Soul.’” McCall’s service partners handle the facilities before and after events, and sometimes even during them, like the River Arts Festival, the Center for Southern Folklore’s Music & Heritage Festival, and the New Memphis Institute’s 901 Fest. “I compensate them for it but don’t charge the organization for our services,” she says. “That lowers the cost of the event for the organization but then also gives an opportunity for our people to experience these activities, exposed to artists they might not see on a regular basis.” When it comes to being an effective CEO, McCall says that whatever your passion, it’s essential to know everything about your company. “You can be a subject-matter expert,” she says, “but if you want to be a CEO, you need to learn the entire organization. Then you become a wealth of knowledge for others and they are naturally drawn to you for information or exchange of ideas. And then when opportunities arise, even if not in your exact skill set, it creates another opportunity to learn. Develop your network internally within the organization and externally in the marketplace. Relationships allow you to grow professionally and personally to be in the right place at the right time when those upward mobility opportunities exist to get on a path of being a CEO in an organization.”

FEBRUARY / MARCH 2017 | INSIDE MEMPHIS BUSINESS.COM |

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1-50 EMPLOYEES

Ned Canty

OPERA MEMPHIS

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Running a nonprofit is nothing like running a business, except when it is. Ned Canty is acutely aware of that, having been at the helm of Opera Memphis since 2011. He jumped aboard as general director, which, as he notes, meant having to answer to everyone about both business and artistic aspects. “The artistic is why we exist — the fun part,” he says. “But the majority of the job is the CEO part, thinking strategically about the company and trying to make sure we’re flexible and strong enough to grow but also to weather whatever kinds of changes and tsunamis might happen.” Such as the recession of 2008. “I don’t think anybody in any arts organization across the country was prepared for it,” he says. “I’m lucky I didn’t start running a nonprofit until after the recession had already established itself and people realized it was going to hold on. I’ve always had to think about the CEO parts of the job: the audience, growing it, meeting the needs of customers and supporters. You have to think about every choice that is made and you have to know things, like the idea of finding a new customer is many times more expensive than keeping an old one.” Canty loves opera, but hasn’t been a lifelong fan, a fact he thinks works in his favor. He came into opera’s embrace in his 20s, but before that, had only attended one opera in college. “When you grow up in opera, you love it so much that you can’t imagine others having a fulfilled life without it,” he says. “If you have never questioned it, then you’re stymied in a certain way. That’s one reason the presentation I frequently give is called ‘Opera Doesn’t Suck.’ I talk about how great opera is, but for the vast majority of people, that’s not what they believe. There are people who might come and see the opera you love and just not love it. That’s okay. If a person goes to a movie and doesn’t like that movie, they don’t say, ‘I’m done with movies, I’m never going to another movie.’” Opera is a hard sell, so Canty uses the language of business to promote the creative arts. “I think as a CEO in determining if there’s still a market for what we’ve been selling for 60 years.” He knows that the expertise of the organization in mounting grand operas isn’t enough to sustain it. “We’re the only fully produced professional opera for hours in any direction,” he says. “If we can do that, and we know it will cost x, and the ticket revenue will be y, then we need to think about a different product that has a different cost to produce and a different cost for the audience.” The need to cultivate a new customer base prompted Canty to turn things upside down. Soon after he arrived, he was proposing what would become 30 Days of Opera, a monthlong series of daily performances all around the city, from predictable venues to unlikely pop-up arias presented

“Finding a new customer is many times more expensive than keeping an old one.”

at farmers markets and busy intersections. Before he came aboard, he says, “A majority of our time, effort, and energy was spent trying to get a couple of thousand people to come and see a show for two hours. What if, instead of just doing that, we’d take a small amount of money and try to get 50,000 people to experience opera for 10 minutes? It’s sampling, and that’s the oldest strategy in the book.” It worked. The community delights in it and the idea has gotten national attention plus a couple of generous NEA grants. Opera Memphis will do it again this year for the sixth time. The company has diversified in other ways as well. “If we were in business, we’d say we had three product lines,” Canty says. “We’ve still got our grand opera with an audience and we’re proud of how we do it and the level at which we do it. “Then we have 30 Days of Opera, an entirely different proposition because it’s free,” he says, but purposeful as well as a way to cultivate sponsorships, donations, and philanthropy to support the idea that free art of quality improves the life of everybody. “We also have this new line with the Midtown Opera Festival,” Canty says, “with pieces that are smaller in scope and that don’t require the same outlay for musicians and people and costumes and sets. That doesn’t just mean we can save money, but we can charge less.” The different approaches also allow experimentation. For example, in the first year of 30 Days, Opera Memphis staged The Playground King, an original production that youngsters and parents could enjoy on different levels. That encouraged similar programming as well as marketing to families for other productions, such as the upcoming Pirates of Penzance in February, with a Pirate Festival and various family activities during the opera’s run. Canty is mindful of the time the Memphis Grizzlies were named the best sports franchise in America by ESPN in 2013. “That was a revelation,” he says. “It wasn’t because they were the biggest or the best funded or had the longest track record of winning, because they didn’t. They were the best because they were the best for their fans, the best value. I want Opera Memphis to be the best at satisfying our patrons and meeting the needs of our city that make it a better place.”

FEBRUARY / MARCH 2017 | INSIDE MEMPHIS BUSINESS.COM |

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Humphrey

A W A R E N E S S

Anderson

B R A N D

A pioneer of the marketing profession embraces new ideas and new technology. • • •

B Y

E M I LY

A D A M S

K E P L I N G E R

The world of marketing and advertising has always been one of responsive evolution. Tastemakers and the general public have a pull that is inarguably unparalleled in most other industries. But through the years, changes in technology, possibly even more than consumers’ taste, have played the biggest role in changing marketing and advertising strategies and delivery. With more than 40 years in the marketing and advertising industry, Anderson Humphreys has witnessed the ongoing development of the field from a simple to a more complex form.

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“I came into advertising in the 1970s as a filmmaker with F. Herrick Herrick as my mentor,” recalls Humphreys. “He was the guy who brought Hitchcock over to this country. Ultimately, we developed a TV series called Ports of Call. The series was set in Miami and was distributed to 26 markets.” Later, Humphreys formed a production company called Hefalump Pictures and began work on The Cayman Triangle, a PG-rated comedy feature film that’s a spoof on the Bermuda Triangle. The film features a number of look-a-likes and Humphreys worked with a voice impressionist to dub in the lines, matching

the voice to the face. Subsequently, this became a spin-off and he launched a company called Phonies, using celebrity voices of an impressionist to produce telephone answering machine messages. They were sold in numerous stores around the country including Radio Shack, Target, and Walmart. The latter endeavor evolved into a partnership with the renowned impressionist Rich Little, who did all of the male voices. Julie Dees, wife of former Memphis disc jockey Rick Dees, became the impressionist for all of the female voices. Returning to Memphis, Humphreys started his own advertising firm, Humphreys Ink. The

company went through several evolutions over the next 30 years. But it’s what has happened on the inside of the firm that really tells the story of the field. “Initially, we worked in a traditional manner with staff, overhead, etc.,” explains Humphreys. “I wrote three books, including Semmes America, a book about American Genealogy and how it should be presented. And I was part of a newly formed company in Washington, D.C., called ACC (Anderson Chip Charles) that produced an advertising industry-related book about the annual Addy Award winners simply called The Book.” In what seemed to be a total

FEBRUARY / MARCH 2017 | INSIDE MEMPHIS BUSINESS.COM |

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PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY ANDERSON HUMPHREYS

Anderson (right) as a movie director in the 1970s.

“I wrote three books, including Semmes America, about American geneaology and how it should be presented.”

With ten locations across the Memphis area, Healthcare Realty is the go-to source for on Baptist Memorial Hospital campuses. A variety of locations and levels of build-out provide move-in ready suites, time-share space and the ability to build to suit. It’s your move.

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deviation from traditional advertising, Humphreys found he had an interest in paint ball. In fact, for a time, he was the owner of the Paint Ball Park located in Lakeland. But true to his background, this was not just a recreational interest. Humphreys wanted to learn the business, and then be able to market it on a national basis. “I got very interested in paint ball and connected with a guy in Chicago to form a partnership,” says Humphreys. “We raised $7 million and built Challenge Park Xtreme, in Joliet, Illinois, a facility that included BMX biking, skating, and paint ball. We came up with different concepts — a complete town named ‘Bedlam’ that offered an urban cityscape as the background for playing paint ball. Participants were able to be a part of ‘big games’ that involved 6,000 to 8,000 people playing in one big orchestrated game. We had numerous celebrities who took part in our games, too, which, as can be imagined, enhanced our marketing efforts. In all, we created 12 different, themed fields, including an area that simulated burntout Berlin-esque ruins and another area that simulated a Mayan temple.

INSIDE MEMPHIS BUSINESS.COM | FEBRUARY / MARCH 2017

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into your career.

TURN YOUR CALLING

Baptist College is a private, specialized four-year institution located

in the heart of the Memphis medical district, dedicated to training the next generation of health care professionals and leaders. We offer many unique programs of study and the flexibility to attend class online or on nights and weekends, with the opportunity to learn in a clinical setting and earn a bachelor’s degree. At Baptist College, you’ll acquire the skills and knowledge you need to learn, grow and succeed in a rewarding career in health care.

Please visit bchs.edu/Future-Students and find the career that’s right for you. 1003 Monroe Ave. | Memphis, TN 38104 | 1-866-575-2247 | 901-575-2247

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“In creating new games and ways to handle paint ball, it became a very interesting chapter in my life, all done while running Humphreys Ink.”

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In creating new games and ways to handle paint ball, it became a very interesting chapter in my life, all done while running Humphreys Ink. And that chapter served as an introduction to realizing another technological advancement in advertising — the virtual office.” Humphreys believes the Internet changed the business of advertising more than any other advancement that has impacted the field. “Film houses and type houses, they all went away,” he says. “With the advent of more sophisticated personal computers, work could be done internally by an advertising firm. There was no longer a need for couriers, as PDF files could be sent directly to clients. And the playing field was leveled as smaller agencies could begin to operate globally, competing with larger firms for contracts.” Humphreys now works in a virtual agency of his own creation. Most of his clients are out of town. And he is able to assemble the team he desires for each contract, drawing on the best-of-the-best. “In a traditional brick-and-mortar agency, I would have to deal with

INSIDE MEMPHIS BUSINESS.COM | FEBRUARY / MARCH 2017

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Make your move to PennMarc today

John Mercer | 901.683.2444 john.mercer@highwoods.com

Congratulations on a job well done. Congratulations to Debbie Eddlestone, CEO of Baptist Medical Group–Stern Cardiovascular Foundation, as winner of the Inside Memphis Business CEO of the Year Award for the 50–200 employee category. Her leadership is essential to the long-standing delivery of exceptional care and premier heart services through the Mid-South’s largest network of cardiac experts. The Baptist family wishes to thank Debbie for her dedication and service.

baptistdoctors.org

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Get Better.

1/12/17 1:30 PM

Humphreys embraces the virtual office while visiting Jamaica in 2013.

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Having a virtual agency allows me to bring in the team I need, which usually ranges from three to nine players, and they can be located anywhere. CBRE knows the Mid-South. Through our industry leading perspectives, scale and local connectivity, we deliver outcomes that drive business and bottom-line performance for every client we serve in the Mid-South. How can we help transform your real estate into real advantage? For more information contact or visit: +1 901 528 1000 cbre.com/memphis

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overhead costs such as facility space and payroll,” he says. “Staffing would be limited by geographies. But having a virtual agency allows me to bring in the team I need, which usually ranges from three to nine players, and they can be located anywhere. I put together the ad team we need, like a media director, an art director, and writers. We rely on email for most communications and engage Skype when we need face-to-face conversations. I can work from anywhere now, though most often I choose to work fireside from my farm outside of Memphis in Rossville.” Humphreys says that he finds working from his rural setting to be creatively inspiring, set among lakes and trees. He has a small, but very efficient office, and can host meetings at various locales if needed. “The main reason I went on this independent track is that it gave me control over the ‘financial valve’ of my work,” says Humphreys. “I can turn it off and on as needed since there are no salaries, only contracted laborers. And for my clients, I can offer a much better product for a lot less money, and delivered much quicker.”

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THIS PAGE DONATED BY FEDEX AND CONTEMPORARY MEDIA, INC. AS PART OF THE INSIDE MEMPHIS BUSINESS “DIG DEEP FOR MEMPHIS” PROGRAM. FOR MORE INFORMATION, SEE PAGE 4.

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Joe Steffner, Senior Vice President, jsteffner@ngkf.com 901-761-1717 555 Perkins Ext., Suite 410, Memphis, TN 38117 North America • Latin America • Europe • Asia-Pacific • Africa • Middle East

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1/12/17 1:32 PM

Professional Advancement Opportunities in Memphis

Whether a recent college graduate, a new member to the workforce, or an already-settled employee, it can be tough to distinguish yourself from the crowd. While companies are always looking for new recruits, applications and resumes flood in from prospective workers, making it easy to get lost in the surge of those seeking a position in their chosen fields. Luckily, Memphis-area institutions have made a push to create

• • •

C O M P I L E D

B Y

S A M

C I C C I

more advancement opportunities for workers of all ages.

FEBRUARY / MARCH 2017 | INSIDE MEMPHIS BUSINESS.COM |

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Barret School of Banking

W

ith over 44 years of banking education to its name, the Barret School of Banking — overseen by a Board of Regents comprising bank executives and other specialists in the financial services industry — offers a wide range of programs for adults striving to work in commercial banking or the financial services industry. In addition to sharing a campus with Christian Brothers University, the Barret School of Banking is an attractive advancement option due to its low tuition, a curriculum that can be taken alongside full-time employment, and a faculty body that includes nationally known speakers and instructors.

“Since its founding, the Barret School of Banking has built a national reputation by attracting the best instructors in the country and holding an annual lecture event, while keeping tuition well below the industry average and class size small.” — Chris Kelley, director/president, Barret School of Banking

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Available Programs: ◗◗ Barret Graduate School Three year graduate program, annual one-week residency session, 40+ hours of classroom instruction each year. ◗◗ Commercial Lending Academy Topics include: Loan structuring, loan packages and business writing skills, and loan pricing concepts, among others. ◗◗ Understanding Bank Profitability Topics include: Interest rate risk and asset liablity management; competetive positioning and peer bank performanc reviews; and balance sheet, income, and expense statement reviews, among others.

“The same emphases that define CBU’s undergraduate program — critical thinking, hands-on experience, and ethical context — carry through in its master’s-level programs. In step with our Lasallian tradition, we strive to provide our graduate students with individual attention as they pursue a practical, real-world education. ” — Dr. John Smarrelli, president, CBU

◗◗ Compliance Programs Sessions: Lending Compliance and Operations/Deposit, BSA/ AML Compliance. ◗◗ Human Resource Management Program Topics include: Employment law; employee recruitment, selection, and placement; and disciplinary systems, among others. DIRECTOR:

Chris Kelley

$1,195/ session, years one & two; $1,345/session, year three.

GRADUATE SCHOOL TUITION:

CORE PROGRAMS TUITION:

$295-$1,195 For more information, please visit barret.ws 650 East Parkway South Memphis, Tennessee 38104

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Christian Brothers University

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hristian Brothers University has upheld a Lasallian tradition for more than 300 years and has been active in the city of Memphis since 1871. With this tradition of excellence in education, CBU expands upon its undergraduate studies with a diverse lineup of graduate programs, from accountancy to the arts. The college places the same emphasis that defines its undergraduate program — critical thinking, hands-on experience, and ethical context — through to its master’s-level programs.

Available Programs: ◗◗ Master of Accountancy Concentrations: Forensic Accounting, Financial Management. ◗◗ Master of Business Administration Concentrations: Finance, General Management, Marketing, Sports Management, Healthcare Management, Project Management, Commercial Banking (see Barret School of Banking), Nonprofit Management. ◗◗ Master of Catholic Studies Spring courses include Christology, Catholic Spirituality, and Catholic Social Ethics. ◗◗ Graduate Education Programs Programs: Master of Arts in Teaching, Master of Education, Master of Science in Educational Leadership, and the LANCE/LEaPS postbaccalaureate and licensure program. ◗◗ Computer Information Systems

Designed with the option to complete degree on campus, as a hybrid curriculum (classroom and online instruction), or completely online. ◗◗ Engineering Management Concentrations: Engineering Management, Construction Management, Data Analytics, Information Technology, Innovation, Packaging Engineering, Quality of Medical Devices. ◗◗ Physician Assistant Studies Mission: To meet the needs of those suffering from a lack of quality primary care services by training healthcare providers who deliver excellent and compassionate care using current evidence-based medical information and knowledge. Dr. John Smarrelli Ranges from a fully subsidized teaching residency to $25,000 per year.

PRESIDENT: COST:

For more information, please visit cbu.edu. 650 East Parkway South Memphis, Tennessee 38104

Rhodes College

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rought to Memphis in 1925 by Charles Diehl under the name of Southwestern, Rhodes College has long been a staple of the liberal arts scene in Memphis. Steady growth over the past century has earned the institution a place among nationally ranked liberal arts colleges and serves as a stellar undergraduate option for students in Tennessee and around the country. Rhodes College also offers a two-semester, high-level master’s program that teaches a complete understanding of accepted professional accounting practices and supports entry into the accounting field. The program boasts 100 percent job placement at the conclusion of the course, with many alumni taking up positions at some the Big Four auditing firms such as KPMG and Deloitte. Like many of the programs on the list, the Rhodes Master’s in Accountancy Program is a strenous course. However, the 100 percent job placement cannot be overlooked. In addition, Rhodes College has consistenetly been ranked as one of the most beautiful liberal arts colleges in the country, and is even a certified arboretum. Available Programs: ◗◗ Master of Science in Accounting Pamela Church Around $22,000 per semester.

CHAIR:

TUITION:

For more information, please visit rhodes.edu. 2000 North Parkway Memphis, Tennessee 38112

“[Rhodes students] stand apart from other new hires because they have a strong liberal arts background and can communicate in oral and written forms as well as think critically and analyze thoroughly.” — Dr. Pamela Church, chair of Rhodes Master’s in Accountancy Program

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The Fogelman College of Business & Economics, University of Memphis

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he Fogelman College of Business & Economics offers a wide selection of graduate studies in business and economics, with four core MBAs available in addition to a large selection of secondary programs. FCBE is comprised of six departments — School of Accountancy; Business Information and Technology; Economics; Finance, Insurance, and Real Estate; Management; and Marketing and Supply Chain Management. Under its unique model of operation, members of the business community are considered customers, the students are products, and the faculty and staff are employees manufacturing the product. With Memphis as home to so many great companies, FCBE takes full advantage of the environment its situated within, providing opportunities for students to interact with the business community through real-world, relevant, and important projects and internships.

Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law, University of Memphis

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he Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law offers a comprehensive legal education with opportunities to pursue several dual degree tracks. In addition, the school offers certificates in Advocacy, Business Law, Health Law, and Tax Law for more specialized tracks through the program. Along with the core programs, the University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law has fingerprints all over the city. Take a look at any of the notable firms around town, and chances are that some of the top litigators and other legal professionals in Memphis graduated from the University of Memphis law school. In addition, the school’s facilities have been ranked among the top law schools around the country. Alumni include many of Tennessee’s leading attorneys, as well as two of the state’s five Supreme Court justices. Dual-degree Programs: ◗◗ JD/MBA ◗◗ JD/MA in Political Science ◗◗ JD/MPH Certificate Programs: ◗◗ Advocacy ◗◗ Business Law ◗◗ Health Law ◗◗ Tax Law Peter Letsou TUITION: Around $9,000 per semester for in-state enrollment. DEAN:

For more information, please visit memphis.edu/law 1 North Front Street Memphis, Tennessee 38103

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MBA Programs: ◗◗ Professional MBA ◗◗ Online MBA ◗◗ International MBA ◗◗ Customer-Driven MBA ◗◗ Executive MBA ◗◗ Pharmd/MBA (dual-degree for students enrolled at UTHSC) ◗◗ JD/MBA (dual-degree for students enrolled at Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law) Specialized Master’s Programs: ◗◗ MA in Economics ◗◗ MS in Accounting ◗◗ MS in Information Systems ◗◗ MSBA in Finance

—Peter Letsou, dean, Cecil C.

“The Fogelman College of Business & Economics has master’s programs to suit each and every individual’s needs, including full-time, evening, and online MBA programs, the Executive MBA program, and a variety of specialized master’s programs for professionals who would like to focus intensively in one functional area of Business.”

Humphrey’s School of Law

— Rajiv Grover, dean, FCBE

“Memphis Law offers an outstanding program of legal education, emphasizing cutting edge doctrinal and practical skills training, public service through innovative community-based educational programs and partnerships, and a distinctive commitment to experiential learning.”

Doctoral Program: ◗◗ PhD in Business Administration Dr. Rajiv Grover Around $11,000 per year

DEAN:

TUITION:

For more information, please visit memphis.edu/fcbe University of Memphis 3675 Central Avenue Memphis, Tennessee 38152

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New Memphis Institute

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he New Memphis Institute is dedicated to the cultivation and enrichment of the local business community. They offer several programs geared towards leadership. Embark, a 3-month course, guides those in their 20s who have been following their career path for two to seven years. The aim is to churn out individuals capable of excelling in leadership and building connections throughout the community. The Fellows Program is a year-long course for those in mid-career. Fellows hopes to mold its participants into city ambassadors and inclusive leaders, all while pushing the city forward. Leadership Development Intensive (LDI) is a program geared towards executives. The three-and-a-half-day exercise reinforces leadership skills by focusing on personal strengths. Aside from the the three main projects, New Memphis provides two other programs for those new to Memphis or to the workforce. The Newcomers program is a free program open to all ages and works to connect every new member of the city through special events at some of Memphis’ most iconic locales. The Summer Experience gathers undergraduate, graduate, and recent graduates for a series of recreational and educational events. Available Programs: ◗◗ Embark Program ◗◗ Fellows Program ◗◗ LDI Nancy Coffee Embark ($300); Fellows ($1,200); Newcomers and Summer Experience (free).

PRESIDENT AND CEO: COST:

For more information, please visit newmemphis.org. 22 N. Front Street, suite 500 Memphis, Tennessee 38103

“New Memphis is not just enhancing careers, we are activating and connecting a community of leaders to push our city forward.” — Nancy Coffee, president, New Memphis Institute

Leadership Memphis

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eadership Memphis focuses on finding and training individuals with the necessary attributes to become great leaders. Their three programs — Executive, FastTrack, and Grassroots — connect potential leaders in environments that will equip them to make a difference in improving the city. Executive and FastTrack both focus on preparing members to become leaders in the community, while Grassroots targets those already in leadership roles, such as neighborhood groups, PTAs, or law enforcement. Leadership Memphis even recently organized a new program, the Criminal Justice Program, a getaway to the Arkansas “People who really want mountains which aims to to make something forge bonds between anyone better find a way to involved in the Criminal Justice Industry. be part of the change Available Programs: ◗◗ Executive ◗◗ FastTrack ◗◗ Grassroots ◗◗ Criminal Justice David Williams Executive ($3,995); FastTrack ($1,299); Grassroots ($200); Criminal Justice (for tuition rate, contact Tori Taylor: ttaylor@ leadershipmemphis.com).

PRESIDENT/CEO: TUITION:

365 S. Main Street Memphis, Tennessee 38103

process. They find it beneficial to participate in Leadership Memphis in order to increase their understanding of the community, and to connect with other leaders who share their hunger to make great things happen.” – David Williams, president/CEO, Leadership Memphis.”

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Greater Memphis Alliance for a Competetive Workforce

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he Greater Memphis Alliance for a Competitive Workforce was created in 2014 as a priority initiative of the Greater Memphis Chamber’s Chairman Circle and the Memphis and Shelby County Regional Economic Development Plan. Prepared in collaboration with the Brookings Institution Policy Program, the mission of GMAC Workforce is to provide employers access to the talent they need to compete and to provide the workforce of the Mid-South with the skills needed for good jobs. GMAC Workforce aims to close the skills gap by driving better alignment of training and education programs with employers’ skill requirements, and delivering innovative new strategies and tools to help citizens successfully navigate career pathways. To that end, the U.S. Department of Labor recently awarded the organization a grant totaling $6 million to bolster the medical device manufacturing workforce in the Memphis metro area. The grant will provide education, training, support services, and job-placement help for more than 1,000 adults for careers in the rapidly expanding sector of medical device manufacturing. GMAC Workforce uses the Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP) definition of career pathways, which means a combination of rigorous and high-quality education, training, and other services that, among other aspects, prepares an individual to be successful in any of a full range of secondary or postsecondary education options, including apprenticeships.

University of Memphis: MILE Leadership Program

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ts own entity within the Fogelman College of Business & Economics, the University of Memphis: MILE (Memphis Institute of Leadership Education) Leadership Program offers the next level of business leadership education for graduate and undergraduate students at the Fogelman College. There are four key aspects that the MILE Program sticks to when molding its students:

For more information, please visit gmacworkforce.com. ◗ Mainly selects students from the Fogelman College of Business & Economics. ◗ Narrows its focus to developing future leaders in Memphis and the Mid-South. ◗ Has a wide variety of leadership development activities from which to choose. ◗ Includes a leadership mentoring program as a main component of the course. The MILE Program is renowned for having its students participate in community outreach programs. Recently, partnerships have included serving dinner for up to 100 residents of the Ronald McDonald, Target, and Grizzlies houses. For more information, please visit mileprogram.com. Fogelman College of Business & Economics 3675 Central Avenue Memphis, Tennessee 38152

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THIS PAGE DONATED BY NORTHWESTERN MUTUAL MEMPHIS AND CONTEMPORARY MEDIA, INC. AS PART OF THE INSIDE MEMPHIS BUSINESS “DIG DEEP FOR MEMPHIS” PROGRAM.

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S M A L L

B U S I N E S S

C E N T R A L

eScape Landscape Design

The small business has bloomed while remaining true to its vision. • • •

B Y

R I C H A R D

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A L L E Y

yard. “You look at the whole property because even within a small property you can have a lot of different sub-zones,” he says. The biggest resource, of course, is water, and irrigation systems, while helpful, may ultimately do more harm than good to the well-landscaped yard. “Overwatering,” he says. “People often just set [irrigation less likely to need insecticides,” he says. systems] up to water too much and then “What I try to set up for my clients is a don’t think about it. You can at least as situation where you just don’t use those quickly, and often more quickly, kill a plant things. We made it until basically the by overwatering it than under watering. So last 50 years without usyou’re wasting water and ing all that and everything wasting money.” K ALKI WINTER’S worked fine.” The reception to WinFIVE FAVORITE He does this with native ter’s vision and methods SPRING PLANTS plants, sourced locally and has been better than he’d ◗ Lenten Rose chosen himself, that are ever expected. His busi◗ Phlox (also known easy to grow and easy to ness has g row n mostly as Sweet William) maintain. Winter creates through word-of-mouth ◗ Florida Anise more than just pretty outand via social media. With ◗ Ajuga more awareness of our endoor vistas with these of◗ Columbine ferings, but a sustainable vironment and the need to preserve it, there was ecosystem throughout a

Kalki Winter loves digging in the dirt. But he also loves art and when the opportunity presented itself for a new career path, he combined the two into his own landscape design and maintenance firm. In 2011, with the birth of eScape Landscape Designs, Winter became a small business owner, dreaming up new Edens for his clients while his wife, Wendy Sumner-Winter, kept the books and worked toward new business development. “My plan was to fuse my love for plants and gardening, and just natural science in general, with my love for creative pursuits,” he says. “I’ve sold art and I’ve been in the landscaping business, but this particular side of the industry satisfies my scientific curiosities and also serves as a creative outlet.” But it’s more than just that. Winter has a responsible sensibility and has built his business around sustainable design and stewardship of resources. “Keeping the organic material that comes off the lawn, keeping it out of landfills, and creating systems that don’t really require chemical fertilizers and maybe you’re going to be

“By keeping the organic material that comes off the lawn, keeping it out of landfills, and creating systems that don’t really require chemical fertilizers, then maybe you’re going to be less likely to need insecticides.” — Kalki Winter, eScape Landscape Design

PHOTOGRAPH BY PETRKURGAN | DREAMSTIME

Kalki Winter of eScape Landscape Design has brought a responsible sensibility to his business with a vision towards sustainable design and stewdship of resources .

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eScape Landscape Design has ventured into decks, fencing, privacy screens, and hardscapes such as these wooden steps built into a lush hillside .

PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY KALKI WINTER

WINTER LOOKS AT SPRING

Though we may still be in the throes of winter, this is a bi-monthly magazine so we’re sticking a toe into the (hopefully) warm weather of March with a sun-squinted eye towards April. Below are five suggestions from Kalki Winter and eScape for that seasonal change. ◗ Remove leaves from any beds and lay down one to two inches of organic compost. ◗ Cut back dead perennials, and prune non-flowering trees and plants such as crepe myrtles and hydrangeas. ◗ Overseed fescue grass. ◗ Plant spring flowers and plants. ◗ Cut back monkey grass.

“The stressed-out plant is going to get picked on,” he says. “If a plant is weakened, whatever natural defense measures it has are going to be weakened as well, so it’ll be more readily consumed.” — Kalki Winter, eScape Landscape Design an openness to sustainable landscaping when he began and it’s only increased each year. “It’s been a pretty easy fit,” he says. “Sometimes people who are maybe not as concerned with environmental stewardship or eco-friendly practices, it’s such a common sense fit because a lot of what I do or suggest will save the customer maintenance costs.” There are clients who require eScape to take care of their horticulture needs bi-weekly while others need once per month or quarter. “I tell people it’s like if you have a housekeeper that comes over occasionally just to do the heav y lifting part and give you a good reset,” he says. “We’ll come through and pull the weeds, prune whatever it’s appropriate to prune, and also inspect for pests that might be there and recommend ways to deal with them.” He explains that there are organic measures towards controlling pests and that

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plants become susceptible to pests when their growing condition is less than ideal. “The stressed-out plant is going to get picked on,” he says. “If a plant is weakened, whatever natural defense measures it has are going to be weakened as well, so it’ll be more readily consumed.” He uses non-toxic horticultural oil or insecticidal soap to soak and suffocate pests. “The most common pest on azaleas is the lace bug,” he says. “They’re on the underside of the leaf and they’re sucking at the nutrients in the leaf, so if you turn the leaves upside down and spray with horticultural oil at the right time of year, you can kill them.” In addition to the design and implementation of landscaping, eScape has ventured into hardscapes, decks, fencing, and privacy screens. “The only things that we don’t do,” Winter says, “is cut the yard every Friday. We’re not that kind of outfit, and, obviously, we don’t spray because

we’re trying to steer people away from the dependence on chemicals.” His is a year-round service, despite the harshness of mid-summer or the sub-freezing temps we saw last January. But volume has increased over the five years he’s been at it. In the beginning, he was boss and employee, designing a project and putting in the plants, while occasionally bringing in temporary help for especially large or laborious jobs. Within a year, he brought in someone full-time with occasional help, and now he has two full-time employees with help added on an as-needed basis. “It’s very measured growth and that’s been by design because if you stretch out too far too fast, it’s really hard to keep the quality right,” he says. “But I’m still on every job site, often doing the digging with them, but mostly just making sure I’m giving the customer something unique. I really do look at each job as an artistic offering.”

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Advance Memphis was founded in 1999 to bring about economic revitalization in Memphis, Tennessee. Specifically, we focus on the 38126 zip code area of South Memphis, which includes and surrounds the Cleaborn/Foote public housing developments. We believe that adults can be empowered to change their lives and their community. Advance Memphis provides Biblically based programs that bring HOPE, KNOWLEDGE, RESOURCES, and SKILLS to the neighborhood. The residents of the neighborhood then have the tools they need to affect change. www.advancememphis.org • 901.543.8525 THIS PAGE DONATED BY TRIUMPH BANK AND CONTEMPORARY MEDIA, INC. AS PART OF THE INSIDE MEMPHIS BUSINESS “DIG DEEP FOR MEMPHIS” PROGRAM.

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P O W E R

P L A Y E R S

Commercial Real Estate

The city’s Commercial Real Estate (CRE) market is constantly in flux. There is always a business considering relocating from one part of the city to another and new businesses looking for a location. CRE professionals are the ones businesses seek out to help them fi nd that perfect location for their needs. We asked: When it’s time for your office, retail, or industrial deal, who do you want brokering it? CRE development requires a different set of skills and a determination to take properties from seed to fruit, from inception to conclusion. Whether renovating properties, repurposing old spaces, or imagining the potential of undeveloped parcels and carrying out their vision, these POWER PLAYERS are the facilitators of growth in Memphis and its environs. They’re not just developing properties, they’re developing our business environment.

RONALD “RON” BELZ President and CEO, Belz Enterprises. One of the largest commercial and industrial developers in the South. Developments include more than 25 million square feet of property, including Shelby Oaks, Goodlett Farms, Appling Farms, The Peabody, Peabody Place, and numerous office and industrial parks. Specializes in the development and management of industrial, retail, office, and residential properties across the country. Board member, The Assisi Foundation. PAUL BOYLE President, Boyle Investment Company. Graduate, Washington and Lee, New Memphis Institute, and Leadership Memphis. Member, Chairman’s Circle, Greater Memphis Chamber. Advisory Board Member, Baptist Memorial Health Care. Board Member, Urban Land Institute, Brooks Museum of Art. Executive Committee Member, Commercial Real Estate Owners’ Alliance. Former Board Member and Treasurer, Hickory Hill Chapter, Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Memphis. Founder, West Institute for Cancer Research. DANNY BURING Managing partner, Memphis office, The Shopping Center Group, LLC. B.A., Psychology, University of TennesseeKnoxville. Company provides full assortment of retail real estate advisory services to landlords, developers, investors, financial institutions, and retailers throughout the Eastern U.S. Notable clients include Fresh Market, Dick’s, Bed Bath & Beyond, Panera Bread, Chipotle, LA Fitness, and Fleming’s Steakhouse. Member, International Council of Shopping Centers. Board Member, Memphis Light, Gas and Water, and Memphis Shelby Crime Commission. Received Pinnacle Award for Commercial Broker of the Year in 2004. ANDY CATES CEO and president of Brokerage Services for Colliers International in Memphis. Involved in nearly 750 transactions totaling more than 50 million square feet. Recipient of Colliers Everest Award and numerous Memphis Area Association of Realtors Pinnacle Awards including Commercial Broker of the Year, 2012. SIOR Memphis Chapter President, 2013; Memphis Chamber Board of Advisors, 2015.

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DARRELL T. COBBINS President and principal broker, Universal Commercial Real Estate, LLC. B.A., Rhodes; M.B.A., University of Memphis. Chairman’s Circle/Board of Directors, Greater Memphis Chamber. Board of Directors, National Civil Rights Museum. 2013 Board Chairman, New Memphis Institute. Past Chairman, Memphis Light, Gas and Water. Recipient, 2011 Agent of Change Award, MULYP, and 2012 African American Male Image Award for Business, HobsonGoodlow Foundation. JOHN ELKINGTON Chairman and CEO, Elkington Real Estate Group. Nationally known for development and stewardship of the Beale Street Historic District, the winner in a 2013 USA Today readers’ poll as “Most Iconic American Street.” Has been involved in the successful development of over 50 properties, including Lenox School in Midtown; Beachwalk Villas at Sandestin, Florida; and Union Station in Nashville. Recently served as a consultant for The Banks entertainment district in Cincinnati and Grand Center in St. Louis. Currently leading the development of 300 acres near Muscle Shoals, Alabama, and Red Square entertainment district in St. Louis. Member, Germantown Park Commission. Named 2015 Rotarian of the Year by the Memphis Rotary Club. THOMAS FARNSWORTH Partner, Farnsworth Investment Company and Holdings. Has been a real estate developer and investment builder for more than 40 years, building more than 10 million square feet in 60 warehouse buildings and 25 office buildings. Member, Society of Office and Industrial Realtors (SIOR). Recipient, Memphis Area Association of Realtors Commercial Broker Lifetime Achievement Award, the Lambda Alpha International Excellence in Real Estate Lifetime Achievement Award, and Carnival Memphis Cook Halle Award, among others. ERIC FUHRMAN President, Crye-Leike Commercial. Certified Commercial Investment Member. Member, National Association of Realtors, Memphis Area Association of Realtors, and Tennessee Association of Realtors. Recent clients have included Henco, Keystone Healthcare Management, and Fred’s. Awarded the “Circle of Excellence” by company founders Harold Crye and Dick Leike in 2010. Involved with sons in the Boy Scouts of America Troop 95 in Somerville. STEVE GUINN Vice President, Highwoods Properties. B.B.A., Baylor. Has more than 30 years’ experience in commercial real estate. Received the Pinnacle Award’s Commercial Broker of the Year in 2009. Certified Public Accountant and LEED 56 |

Accredited Professional. Member, Society of Industrial and Office Realtors. Certified Commercial Investment Member. Member, Lambda Alpha International. Board Member, Soulsville Foundation. Project Board Member, Shelby Farms Park Conservancy. LAWRENCE “LARRY” JENSEN President and CEO, Cushman & Wakefield | Commercial Advisors. Represents and advises families, corporations, and institutions on real estate. Instrumental in Smith & Nephew’s acquisition of their orthopedics headquarters building. Other clients have included FedEx, ServiceMaster, and AutoZone. Honors include 2005 Commercial Broker of the Year and 2008 Office Broker of the Year. Former President, Memphis Tomorrow. Board Member, Shelby Farms Park Conservancy. Past Chairman, Greater Memphis Chamber.

CARMA C. JUDE Portfolio manager, Healthcare Realty. B.S., Business Management, Louisiana Tech University; M.B.A., Finance and Real Estate, University of Memphis. Certified Commercial Investment Member. Company is a publicly traded REIT that focuses on owning, managing, acquiring, and developing outpatient medical facilities throughout the U.S. Company owns seven properties totaling 516,000 square feet in Memphis. Clients include Baptist Memorial Health Care Corporation and numerous physician practices in the Mid-South. MICHAEL A. LIGHTMAN Owner, Michael Lightman Realty Co., a regional leader in commercial property brokerage and land investment. Developed Shelby Business Park, a 500,000-square-foot, high-end industrial park, Germantown’s Exeter Village, Centennial Place, the 230,00-square-foot South Lake Centre in Southaven, and multiscreen movie theater complexes for Malco Theatres. Recently expanded into the Nashville area. Currently completing phases VI and VII on Memphis’ Fieldstone Apartments, as well as Phase IV of Centennial Gardens Apartments in Memphis. Inducted into the Commercial Hall of Fame, Memphis Area Association of Realtors.

ROBERT “BOB” LOEB President, Loeb Properties, Inc. B.S. and M.B.A., Southern Methodist University. Portfolio of more than 2 million square feet of office, multifamily, and industrial space, including more than 100 retail properties in Memphis noted for their architectural designs. Current projects in Memphis include the redevelopment of Overton Square Theatre District, Broad Avenue Arts District, and University District revitalization. Trustee, Memphis University School and Memphis College of Art. Director, Playhouse on the Square and Neighborhood Preservation, Inc. Member, Overton Park Conservatory Board. LEWIS K. MCKEE JR. Partner and Broker, McKee and McFarland, Inc. Full-service real estate firm actively engaged in the acquisition, development, management, and marketing of commercial and industrial properties. Has represented corporate clients including Prudential Insurance Company of America, Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company, Holly Farms Corporation, and Tyson Foods. Licensed Real Estate Broker in Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi, and Missouri. Began career with Trammell Crow Company. TIM MOORE Marketing officer, IDI Gazeley. B.S. in Biology from Rhodes College. Responsible for the marketing and leasing of both IDI Gazeley-owned development properties and thirdparty-owned buildings in Memphis; DeSoto County, Mississippi; and West Memphis, Arkansas. Recognized as CoStar Power Broker for Memphis Industrial Market for 2008 and 2009. Prior to joining IDI Gazeley in 2005, was Regional Marketing Director at The Pauls Corp. in Colorado. JOSH POAG President and CEO, Poag Shopping Centers. BSE in Chemical Engineering from Princeton University. Commercial Real Estate services include management, leasing, development, and acquisition of lifestyle centers. Notable clients include Tanger Outlets Southaven, Highland Row, Carriage Crossing, and Graceland. ISCSC and ULI certified. Chairman, Communify LIFT. Former Chairman, River City Capital. Lives with wife, Amy, and three daughters, Celia, Charlotte, and Alexandra. GARY PROSTERMAN President and chief executive officer, Development Services Group, Inc. B.S., University of TennesseeKnoxville; Georgetown (Comparative Economics Systems). Founder, Symbion in 1998. Projects include

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redevelopment of historic federal courthouse in Tampa into Le Meridien Hotel. Current projects include adaptive reuse of major office buildings into hotels in downtown Houston and downtown Atlanta. Board Member, Hapten Sciences, Inc., University of Tennessee College of Consumer Services, and Housing Foundation of West Tennessee. FRANK QUINN Managing director, CBRE. B.B.A., University of Mississippi. More than 30 years of successful commercial real estate brokerage experience. Market leader of the CBRE operations in Memphis and Jackson, Mississippi, overseeing leasing, sales, and management efforts for industrial, office, and retail brokerage. Member of the New Memphis Institute, Greater Memphis Chamber, and the Chamber’s Chairman’s Circle. Serves on the University of Mississippi Real Estate Advisory Board. EDWARD “EDDIE” SAIG President, NAI Saig Company, a full-service industrial, retail, and office brokerage firm. Has business degree from University of Arkansas. Earned Pinnacle Award as the Highest Producing Commercial Real Estate Broker. Recently received the NAI Gold Club Award. Served as president of Memphis Chapter of Society of Industrial and Office Realtors (SIOR). Has SIOR and Counselor of Real Estate (CRE) designations. Member, Lambda Alpha National Real Estate Chapter. CHARLES H. SEVIER Chief manager and partner, Crump Commercial, LLC/CORFAC International. B.S. from Christian Brothers University; M.S. and M.B.A., University of Memphis. Company has won six annual top industrial transaction awards from CORFAC International. Clients and projects have included Durham School Bus Services and Shearer Supply. Former president of Society of Industrial and Office Realtors Memphis Chapter, former president of CCIM Memphis Chapter, and 2011 president of CORFAC International. JOSEPH L. STEFFNER Senior vice president, Regional Managing Director, Newmark Grubb Knight Frank. Recipient, MAAR Pinnacle Award — 2015 Commercial Broker of the Year, 2013 Land Sales Broker of the Year, 2006 Office Sales Broker of the Year. Past president, Children’s Museum of Memphis, Carnival Memphis, MAAR, SIOR Memphis Chapter. B.A., University of Tennessee; M.S., Real Estate Development; and M.B.A., University of Memphis.

What kind of philanthropist are you? When you choose the Community Foundation as your charitable partner, your dollars go further. Perhaps you desire the flexibility and convenience of a donoradvised fund, or maybe you want to pool your money with others’ in order to amplify the impact of your giving. Whichever way you choose, you can take pride in knowing you are building a stronger community and showing the world how empowering the possibilities of philanthropy can be.

CFGM.org FEBRUARY / MARCH 2017 | INSIDE MEMPHIS BUSINESS.COM |

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The 2017

Now Accepting Nominations

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usiness is pushed forward by change and evolution, and it is those in the forefront of that evolution — the tinkerers, the questioners, the visionaries — who keep the machine of commerce oiled. But who are these people? We want to know. Send us your best and brightest nominations for our fourth annual Innovation Awards issue coming in October. Please include any pertinent biographical or business information, and why the person, business, or organization should be recognized as a leader among innovators.

Email your nomination to richard@insidememphisbusiness.com. Deadline for nominations is June 15, 2017. MM_FullPage_TrimSize_9x25_11x125.indd 1

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C O M M U N I T Y

P A R T N E R S H I P S

State Farm and LITE Memphis

Local nonprofit is first to be awarded a grant by the insurance company. • • •

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Let’s Innovate through Education (LITE Memphis) has been named one of 60 recipients across the country to receive a $40,000 grant from State Farm. The award was chosen by a youth advisory board and is the first to be given to a nonprofit organization from Memphis. “State Farm supports service-learning because it integrates service to the community into classroom curriculum using a hands-on approach to mastering subject material while fostering civic responsibility,” says Judy McConkey, State Farm’s community specialist. “The State Farm Youth Advisory Board is a prime example of our commitment to education, our community, and our youth.” A field of 750 nonprofits applied for the grant, which were reviewed by young people from across the country. “The evaluation process focused on how effectively the applying programs utilized youth voice,” says Hardy Farrow, founder of LITE Memphis. The goal of LITE Memphis is to empower high school students of all socioeconomic backgrounds to launch social venture ideas to improve communities.

The program was founded by Farrow upon his completion of a two-year assignment with Teach for America. He worked with students at Power Center Academy in Hickory Hill where he taught 11th grade Government and Economics. Farrow recalls, “I came into the classroom and noticed students didn’t have the skills they needed for workforce and college. They were disenfranchised from their education. It seemed they were irritated by the class work of developing business plans without actualizing them. “I asked the students to tell me about a problem they saw in the community and told them that we would try a different approach, designing solutions to help them launch their ideas.” As his students prepared to leave for college, Farrow transitioned his classroom project into a nonprofit organization.

LITE Memphis has been named one of 60 recipients across the country to receive a $40,000 grant from State Farm. Among those attending the check presentation ceremony were (from left) Thomas DuBose, State Farm sales leader; Denise Perino, State Farm; Heath Johnson, State Farm; Henry Hooper, State Farm; Hardy Farrow, LITE Memphis; Lucy Dang, State Farm Youth Advisory Board; Pam Burch, State Farm; and Deloris Burrow, State Farm.

He wanted to continue preparing young adults for the workforce by helping them learn to set goals, to be more organized, and to become creative problem solvers. “I wanted to be able to guide others in our community to invest in our kids,” he says. He also wanted to continue showing students how they can have a meaningful impact on their communities. Following his own advice, Farrow launched his idea into the community. He sought partnerships with area schools and businesses, established a board of directors, developed a fundraising model, and formed relationships with local foundations. So, how does LITE Memphis work? Farrow outlines it in five simple steps: ◗◗ LITE works with nonprofit partners (BRIDGES, Reach Memphis, Memphis Athletic Ministries) to host workshops and select students for the sixmonth program. ◗◗ Over that period, students develop entrepreneurial ideas and learn how to market, budget, pitch, and value differentiate. ◗◗ Students receive $750 in funding for their idea. ◗◗ Students get matched with scholarships for college and paid internships while in college. ◗◗ As students become adults, LITE works with entrepreneurial organizations in the Greater Memphis area to help students scale businesses. In the past four years, LITE has expanded from Farrow’s Teach for America classroom to working with 18 students to launch ideas in 2015, then working with 50 students to launch their ideas in 2016. The average student in the program earns $260,000 in merit scholarship

offers towards college over a fouryear period. In regard to LITE receiving the State Farm grant, Farrow says, “I think this grant is a testament to the power of letting our students drive the future of this city. We believe firmly in the idea that solving our deepest problems as a city starts with entrepreneurship, and that includes empowering African-American and Latino entrepreneurs. Through this grant, we are going to be able to expand to 425 ideas over the next five years and help these students with pursuing their dreams.” Lucy Dang found out about the youth advisory board from Dana Wilson, vice president at BRIDGES, and worked on several projects while an intern there. “I thought it was very meaningful that youth were the ones who were allowed to make the selections, and ultimately be able to empower other youth,” Dang says. “LITE Memphis’ Entrepreneurial Pipeline program will empower young people to close the economic gap for the community. Service-learning is an excellent way to engage students outside of the traditional ‘chalk and blackboard’ model, and our board really liked this project’s core goals.” Dang, a senior studying nonprofit administration at the University of Memphis, is soon to complete her second year of a two-year term on the youth advisory board. “We are truly honored to receive this grant from State Farm,” says Farrow, who discovered the grant through Dang. “We can’t wait to invest this money into student projects and help them grow to have a positive impact on Memphis.” For more information about this emerging nonprofit organization, visit litememphis.com.

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M E M P H I S

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Do you ever feel like you’re missing something? We do, all the time. Keys, cell phone, that report the boss asked for last week. News? We’ve got you covered here with a handful of items you may have missed since our last issue.

1.3

The Booksellers at Laurelwood announces it will be closing its doors for good. The embattled, 32-year-old indie bookstore, formerly known as Davis-Kidd Booksellers, rallied from near-closing in 2011 and was saved in the 11th hour by owner Neil Van Uum. A liquidation sale has begun with tentative plans to close in late February. Citing its large footprint, rent, and declining sales, Van Uum said, “The numbers just don’t work.”

Five Night Stand, the debut novel from Richard J. Alley

When journalist Frank Severs and music prodigy Agnes Cassady come to New York to witness jazz legend Oliver Pleasant’s final five-night stand, the timeless force of music pulls the trio together. Over the course of five nights, the three reflect on their triumphs and their sorrows: families forsaken, ideals left along the wayside, secrets kept. Their shared search for meaning and direction in a fractured world creates an unexpected kinship that just might help them make sense of the past, find peace in the present, and muster the courage to face the future. Available at Burke’s Book Store, and Amazon.

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1.2

The board of directors of Crosstown High School, the charter school set to open in the Crosstown Concourse development in 2018, announces its new executive director. Chris Terrill comes to Crosstown High from Mooresville, North Carolina, where he has served as the Head of Schools for Pine Lake Preparatory since June 2012. As the inaugural executive director, Terrill will administer the curriculum, instructional programs, and standards, and promote the school’s unique vision of project-based learning and use of personalized learning plans for its eventual co-ed student body of 500 students.

12.15

Wolfchase Hotel Associates LLC sells the Holiday Inn Hotel & Suites Memphis-Wolfchase Galleria to RLM II Investors LLC and Texas-based Royal Living Inc. for $11.5 million. The hotel at 2751 New Brunswick Road sits on three acres, and the 101,000-squarefoot building most recently appraised for $6.4 million.

12.14

IKEA Memphis opens its 271,000-square-foot store, the Swedish company’s first in Tennessee, the 43rd in the United States, and the 392nd across the world. IKEA has created 225 new jobs in Memphis, and City Council Chairman Kemp Conrad praises IKEA’s “fantastic culture” for raising its minimum wage and extending a four-month paid parental leave to its employees.

12.12

Seattle-based retailer Nordstrom Rack files a $1.5 million building permit application with the city-county Office of Construction Code Enforcement for its store at 4572 Poplar Ave. It is the third multimillion-dollar permit filed for the planned 33,000-square-foot store on the site of a former Sears.

Rhodes College introduces Dr. Marjorie Hass as its 20th president. Hass is currently president of Austin College and will take the reins at Rhodes before the 2017/2018 school year. The search for a new president of the 168-year-old institution comprised a committee of 12 and included students and faculty who, along with a national search firm, heard from more than a hundred applicants from inside and outside of academia. Dr. Cary Fowler, co-chair of the search, in announcing Hass, said the search committee praised her as being, “Smart, strong, warm, engaging, and energetic . . . a force of nature.”

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12.8

12.28

The Hyde Family Foundation awards a $1 million grant to Church Health. Of the total amount, half will go towards capital expenses with the other half funding a two-for-one matching grant challenge raising donations of $2,500 to $24,999. Church Health will consolidate all of its facilities providing healthcare for the working uninsured into Crosstown Concourse in the first quarter of this year.

The state of Tennessee and the city of Memphis announce they will contribute a total of $37 million to improve infrastructure around the Downtown campus of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. St. Jude and its fundraising organization, ALSAC, have previously announced a multi-billion dollar investment, including additions to its campus and personnel.

12.7

Air Canada announces that it is returning to Memphis International Airport (MEM) to resume nonstop service between MEM and Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ). The flights are set to begin May 1st and will be the first daily international flights at MEM since 2012, offering a gateway to more than 160 international destinations. Memphis passengers will have one-stop connectivity that was not previously available to 41 international destinations including Budapest, Copenhagen, Dubai, Vienna, Warsaw, and many Canadian cities.

12.1

International Paper closes on its $2.2 billion purchase of Weyerhaeuser’s pulp business. Federal regulators signed off earlier in the year on the agreement for five pulp mills and two converting facilities. The resulting business is Global Cellulose Fibers to be led by Jean-Michel Ribieras, a 23-year veteran of International Paper management.

11.29

Cargill, Inc., and Calysta, Inc., along with several third-party institutions, plan to invest in the creation of the world’s largest gas fermentation facility on Presidents Island to produce Calysta’s FeedKind protein, a family of sustainable, traceable nutritional ingredients for fish, livestock, and pets. Upon completion of the plant, the new venture expects to hire 75 permanent employees and expand to 160 people when the plant is at full ramp-up.

11.22

The U.S. Department of Labor awards the Greater Memphis Alliance for a Competitive Workforce a grant totaling $6 million to bolster the medical device manufacturing workforce in the Memphis metro area. The grant will provide education, training, support services, and job-placement help for more than 1,000 adults for careers in the medical device manufacturing sector.

INSIDE MEMPHIS BUSINESS.COM | FEBRUARY / MARCH 2017

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1/12/17 4:17 PM

Who’sWho IN MEMPHIS BUSINESS THE POWER PLAYERS 2017

More Power

The April/May 2017 issue of INSIDE MEMPHIS BUSINESS is our annual POWER PLAYERS ISSUE. This special issue of INSIDE MEMPHIS BUSINESS features profiles of hundreds of the area’s most powerful executives and business owners in 32 different categories.

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The POWER PLAYERS issue is a must-read, invaluable resource, and is an excellent media value for your marketing message. For additional information regarding advertising please contact: Jeffrey Goldberg at 901-606-7542 or email

goldberg@contemporary-media.com

1/12/17 1:36 PM

The Office Jim Meeks

Northwestern Mutual

!1 THANKS TO THE SPONSOR OF

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XMCINC.COM

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• • •

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• • • PHOTOGRAPHS BY LARRY KUZNIEWSKI

Having worked his way up from intern, Jim Meeks has had plenty of time to familiarize himself with the inner workings of Northwestern Mutual. Now the managing partner at his own Memphis branch, one of the key tenets of his personal office space is accessibility. “I feel like there’s a barrier, meaning this desk,” he says. “I have trophies, plaques by the box-loads. I’m not the guy who wants to plaster his walls full of ‘Hey, look at me, look at how great I am.’ That’s not me at all. When I meet someone new for the very first time, I have one goal: I want to spend time asking questions about you.” That overwhelming accessibility displays itself in trust, one of Meeks’ core values in the workplace. His aim for accessibility was quickly realized when I walked in and noticed a coffeemaker and a package of organic wine in the corner: an instant connection with someone at the peak of his career powers. The value of trust extends to his employees, as well. When Northwestern Mutual moved to their new office space on Kirby Parkway back in 2011, one of the first goals was to put his own spin on the office.

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1. Basketball, autographed by former University of Memphis coach Josh 1 Pastner: “The basketball is a cool thing for me. I went to him and asked if we could bring 100 young kids to his practice. Well, we actually took 99 kids, and this is the 100th basketball. Ninety-nine kids that were ages 7 and 8, they got to watch practice, and even go out on the floor and participate in drills. The players came out and helped them out with all the exercises, and then had chicken nuggets for the kids. I wish Josh could have won some basketball games, but he was very good at organizing these community outreach events.” 2. Blue Angels F/A-18 Hornet: “This is the number one plane. The number two, three, four, and five never look forward. They fly the entire time and they’re next to this plane and only looking at one spot, so that their wingtip is next to

“When I walk out of here, I want the office to be in the exact same condition as when I first renovated it,” he says. “Every year, I have the walls repainted. The carpet is installed in square strips, so it’s very easy to relace if one of the sections is damaged or burned.” While the constant renovations maintain a high-quality work environment, there are various items around the office that provide a splash of color. A large, inflatable, pink flamingo perches on top of a cubicle, and a second rests on a desk outside Meeks’ office. “It represents our vacation sweepstakes, so this guy travels

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another plane’s wingtip. Number one only looks forward, and the rest are all looking in different directions. Number two and number three don’t have to like each other, that’s immaterial, but they do have to trust each other; that’s critical. They need to know the precise timing of when to turn and to shift or they’ll most likely collide in formation. For me, a core value that I live by, is trust. I

around the office — some days he’s here, some days there,” he explains. “He’s kind of like ‘Elf on the Shelf,’ he moves all the time.” Combining the aesthetic appeal and community outreach of the company are the paintings hung on the wall, all purchased from local artists. The first, a painting by Jeri Ledbetter, is one of Meeks’ favorites. “I won’t point at a random painting and say, ‘I’ll take that one,’ it has to mean something to me,” he says. Needless to say, under Meeks’ stewardship, Northwestern Mutual has achieved a goal of cultivating a trusting, hardworking, and fun workplace culture. talk about it to my employees every single day.” 3. Faces of Memphis campaign: “These photographs are all in [Memphis magazine]. This photo series was about the connection of the city and corporate America with the University of Memphis. I would call these people up and I’d have to sell them on it. The first couple were hard for me, but all of a sudden people were asking who was going to be in the magazine next. I remember calling Reginald Coopwood, the CEO of Regional One Health. I got him on the phone and started to explain, but he said, ‘I know who you are, and yes I will.’ The most challenging figure to reach out to, however, was the University of Memphis mascot. You have to go through so many steps to arrange a meeting; they won’t let just anyone meet him. It took a lot of work and jumping over a lot of hurdles, but we were finally able to procure a photo of someone wearing the headpiece.”

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Keith Warner Gunsmith

Craftsmanship and attention to detail keep this artisan busy with his labor of love. B Y

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Step inside Keith Warner Gunsmith Inc. in CarreFour at Kirby Woods and Poplar Avenue and you’ll find cases of small handguns, rows of new and used rifles, and impressive animal mounts showcasing grizzlies, bobcats, and African kudu. But more interesting is the steady stream of customers that drop by with their favorite rifles and shotguns in tow, telling sad stories of how their piece got run over by a four-wheeler or tumbled from a truck hood. Some guns, after a fruitful season of duck or deer hunting, will have residue build-up from heavy use. The staff listens closely to each story, asking pertinent questions to better understand how the owner uses the weapon before offering their services.

Over the years, he’s had the opportunity to do just that. In his workshop, he shows me one of the oldest guns he’s currently refurbishing. Commonly called a Brown Bess, it’s a muzzle-loaded smoothbore musket produced by the British Army between the

in use on the battlefields until the mid-1800s. Warner’s interest was fostered through hunting and marksmanship, hobbies he and his father shared. Warner shot trap and clay pigeon competitively in high school and college. He went on to attend the University of Montana where he studied history. But he found academia too dry, yearning instead to do the handson work gun making entails. So he left Montana to attend a two-

WARNER’S INTEREST WAS FOSTERED THROUGH HUNTING AND MARKSMANSHIP. At 41, Keith Warner has been working on guns for nearly two decades. You’ll find both used and collectible firearms in his store but most clients come in for repair work or customizations. He estimates that he and his two part-time employees handle more than 3,000 guns a year, though only Warner is a gunsmith. Like many who are drawn to the field, Warner’s fascination with firearms took root as a kid, stoked by the Butterfield and Butterfield auction catalog of antique and collectible guns his father received each year. “I’d get those auction catalogs and I’d pore over them,” he says, “often researching the guns of interest to me. And the artistry of those guns was of great interest; those photos made me think, ‘I want to see those guns, and put my hands on them, and reproduce that work.’”

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Keith Warner has worked as a gunsmith for nearly two decades.

late-1700s and early-1800s. The dulled wooden stock, with its long, hollow cradle, is surprisingly light, but once the steel barrel and forged hardware are added, there’s considerable heft. Though not terribly accurate, it remained

year gunsmithing program at Pine Technical and Community College in Minnesota. Upon graduation, he returned to Memphis and began a five-year apprenticeship at Dowdle Sports in Germantown, working along-

side two long-time Memphis gunsmiths, Ed Mason and M.V. “High” Highsmith. Both a craftsman and artist, Highsmith was considered among the nation’s foremost gunsmiths. In fact, one of Warner’s favorite guns is a piece Highsmith refurbished for him: a French Pirlet side-by-side, double-barreled shotgun from 1900 with beautiful hardware engraving and delicate wood checkering on the stock. Gun repairman Don Koester also started as a kid. He estimates having owned more than 400 guns in his lifetime. In the old days, it was the blacksmith that worked on firearms. Today, men like Warner and Koester tackle weapons that are more sophisticated yet still require a trained eye and steady hand to ensure that that gun lasts a lifetime. For some customers, Warner builds guns from scratch, though he only produces one or two a year these days; more of his work falls to customizing guns. Warner says he has a keen understanding of the mechanics of firearms, priding himself in knowing not only how to analyze and fix a problem, but how to further enhance a gun’s performance by changing out the stock, trigger, optics, or sights to make it more powerful and accurate. How often a gun owner has the weapon serviced depends on the frequency of use. Warner suggests avid duck and dove hunters get their rifles or shotguns cleaned once or twice a year. “If you’re shooting 300 rounds a weekend and are only doing external cleaning, you might have problems further down the road since the internals can get gunked up with oil that dries and slows everything down,” he notes. “A dirty gun won’t be reliable in the long run.”

PHOTOGRAPH BY JANE SCHNEIDER

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INSIDE MEMPHIS BUSINESS.COM | FEBRUARY / MARCH 2017

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1/10/17 3:51 PM

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1/10/17 3:15 PM

Only a tailored e-commerce solution could fit Oak Hall. Since 1859, famed Memphis clothier Oak Hall has been known for its impeccable southern style and service. Now, thanks to integrated e-commerce solutions from FedEx, Oak Hall can deliver their unique customer experience online. See how you can have tailored e-commerce solutions woven into the fabric of your brand. Go to fedex.com/ecommerce.

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12/15/16 2:14 PM 1/9/17 9:48 AM