Jack C. Massey – Setting the Standard for Excellence

Though much has been made of Mr. Massey’s business savvy, granddaughter Beth Poe also recalls his sense of humor. “He was always laughing and joking and had a smile on his face,” she said. His daughter Barbara remembers that he came to her basketball games despite his busy schedule. And when it came to games and life—everything was a competition. The two would race home in separate cars (though they had to stick to the speed limit, she says) from his office downtown. Whether racing or playing gin rummy, Massey always seemed to win. “Everything was a challenge in life,” she said. “A lot of people thought everything he touched turned to gold, but that was not true. He did have losses along the way and he learned from them.” Beth remembers reading in one of his letters that he just didn’t view anything as a problem—only opportunities. A visionary able to adapt in many situations, Barbara says he was persistent with a positive mental attitude. “He never complained,” she said. “He had a creative mindset. He was a risk taker.” For associates like Duncan and others, many remember Massey as egalitarian. “He never came off as ‘I’m a big deal and you’re not,’” Duncan said. “Caddies, gas station attendants, whoever he was dealing with he dealt with them as an equal. He didn’t have an inflated sense of self. He treated everyone with dignity and respect.” And for Beth, it’s her grandfather’s generous spirit, sense of hard work and ethics that she will cherish “and hopefully pass on to my family,” she said. To summarize his thoughts, Troutt calls him a great pillar of Nashville and Belmont. “If you think about the people who really shaped the modern Nashville—from revolutionizing a couple of industries from the fast food businesses to for-profit healthcare. It’s just amazing to pioneer two very different sectors,” he said. “He helped reshape not only the modern Belmont but also Nashville. We’re forever grateful that he came back from Florida.” And even today the Massey family legacy continues. On a recent June day with record-breaking temperature, a crowd gathered on Belmont’s campus sipping ice water. Against a backdrop of a still growing Nashville—a city also on fire with entrepreneurship—Jack Massey’s granddaughter Beth Poe stepped to the podium. Barbara Massey Rogers also attended, and the pair helped commemorate a topping out ceremony for the new Jack C. Massey Center. (Meanwhile, the former Jack C. Massey Business Center will be renamed in honor of Barbara—the Barbara Massey Rogers Center—in honor of her and the family’s ongoing belief in and support of Belmont.) The new building, which will open next fall, will host the Belmont Data Collaborative, the Transformational Innovation Hub and the Cone Center for Entrepreneurship, as well as collaborative workshop areas for students, faculty, staff and community members. The Massey Center will also be Belmont’s new “front door”—a welcome center and the new home for the university’s admissions team. “He was an outstanding leader and philanthropist, but he was so much more to me,” Poe said. “He was a loving, caring Southern gentleman. His desire was to make the world a better place. He would be very excited about the prospect of this great, new building and the future opportunities it would bring to Belmont.” Belmont President Greg Jones also weighed in on the moment’s significance. “There is no person who has been more important over the years to Belmont University than Jack C. Massey,” he said. “The university has been blessed by Jack’s vision and the support he provided.” And then, a crane whisked a beam into the hot Nashville sky as the crowd gathered below it cheered.

A timeline of the Massey College of Business and its namesake and inspiration, Jack C. Massey

Jack Carroll Massey born in Sandersville, Georgia

Begins working at his uncle’s drugstore as a delivery boy

Sells KFC for $239 million

Formal dedication ceremony for Belmont’s new Center for Business Administration

Belmont Board of Trustees recommends changing the Belmont School of Management to the Jack C. Massey School of Business Raises millions of dollars to create the Tennessee Performing Arts Center (TPAC)

Acquires Granny’s of Atlanta restaurant chain and renames it Mrs. Winner’s Chicken & Biscuits

Earns a pharmacy license from the State of Georgia Moves to Nashville and works at Liggett Drug Store on Church Street

Buys his fi rst drugstore which he builds into a chain Works 80 hours a week during the Great Depression to stay in business Founds Massey Surgical Supply Gives Dr. Thomas Frist, Sr. his fi rst stethoscope

Becomes the fi rst person to take 3 separate companies to the New York Stock Exchange

Massey Graduate School of Business is formed Establishes the Jack C. Massey Leadership Award with Mental Health America of the MidSouth to honor individuals who demonstrate exemplary leadership

Jack C. Massey dies in Palm Beach, Florida at age 85

Ribbon cutting for the Jack C. Massey Business Center at Belmont

Appointed to the board of Third National Bank —youngest director in bank’s history Co-founds and serves as trustee of Baptist Hospital Makes fi rst venture capital investment in Rigo Chemical Company

Makes his fi rst donation to what was then Belmont College Massey Surgical Supply expands to seven states Opens early drug “superstore” including pharmacy, camera department and fl orist

Massey College of Business earns fi rst AACSB Accreditation

SIFE team (Students in Free Enterprise) wins World Cup Championship Entrepreneurship program named top in the nation

Entrepreneurship major introduced at Belmont

Graduate School of Business awards its 1,000th MBA degree

Massey biography, “Master of the Big Board,” published Barbara Massey Rogers endows Belmont’s Financial Trading Room operations with $1 million investment

Massey Foundation and Barbara Massey Rogers invest $6.75 million in renovation project and secure name for Jack C. Massey College of Business

Ribbon cutting ceremony for newly renovated Massey Business Center

Massey College hosts fi rst 100 Top Alumni Entrepreneur Awards

Brunswick Corporation purchases Massey Surgical Supply Massey trys to retire but gets bored

Purchases Kentucky Fried Chicken for $2 million from its founder “Colonel” Harland Sanders

Purchases shares and joins the board of publishing company that would become Thomas Nelson Inc.

Co-founds Hospital Corporation of America, now known as HCA Healthcare, one of the largest owners and operators of hospitals in the U.S. Founds Capital Investment Services, one of the South’s earliest venture capital fi rms, later became MasseyBurch Investment Group Announces a $1.2 million investment to Belmont to build “a business school of national reputation”

Barbara Massey Rogers & Massey Foundation provide Belmont $15 million investment

Massey Business Center is renamed the Barbara Massey Rogers Center

Scheduled opening for the new Jack C. Massey Center

For a business school to be successful, it needs faculty who possess both academic knowledge and practical experience, individuals who can walk the talk and are fully committed to developing their students into future industry leaders. From its earliest days, the Massey College of Business has been blessed with faculty who excel on all fronts. While this commemorative magazine only provides space to recognize a few, every faculty and staff member from the Massey College’s first 50 years deserves to be honored for a job very well done.

A national champion and state-wide professor of the year with an alumni-led endowed scholarship in his name? It’s easy to see why finance professor Dr. John Gonas exemplifies the Massey way.

Prior to joining Belmont’s faculty in 1998, Gonas worked in the financial planning industry for eight years, primarily in retail brokerage, investment consulting and fee-based asset management. At Belmont, Gonas serves as a Sam Walton Fellow, and in 2008 he was selected as Tennessee’s Professor of the Year by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education. His most widely known recognition, though, comes from his work advising Belmont’s Enactus students, formerly known as SIFE. Enactus, a worldwide organization with more than 2,000 campus organizations, seeks to engage the next generation of entrepreneurial leaders to use innovation and business principles to improve the world. Under Gonas’ leadership, Belmont’s program has won numerous regional and national awards for its service projects related to Enactus/SIFE including being named USA National Champions in 2010 and 2012 and securing the worldwide championship in 2012. Gonas, who leads the team with several other faculty including fellow Massey College professor Dr. Cate Loes, said of the 2012 win, “Belmont students continue to demonstrate that they have the ability to create and apply complex business models to lasting social change. These models are not only sustainable, but are also economically profitable and even scalable. I am honored and blessed to help steward these young men and women who tirelessly take what they’re learning in the classroom and give it away.” Of course, the very thing Gonas celebrates in his students is what they acknowledge that he models for them. In 2015, graduating senior Brennon Mobley reflected in his baccalaureate speech about the impact Gonas had made on his life and the astounding success of the Spring Back Recycling social enterprise that they and others had been able to launch through SIFE. To conclude his speech, Mobley announced the creation of the Dr. John Gonas Endowed Scholarship. “For me, this is my personal vessel to give back to Belmont, because that’s how I was impacted most, through him,” Mobley said. “He does things out of the goodness of his heart without looking for something in return. There were a lot of people that wanted to do something to thank him.”

Dr. Lee Warren comes from a family of educators. In fact, she refers to education as the “family business.” No wonder she feels that way as she has spent time on Belmont’s campus since childhood because her father, Dr. Jerry Warren, was chair of the Music Department. He also served as provost and interim president for Belmont, making Lee’s destiny to join the Belmont faculty seem inevitable.

Like most Massey faculty members, Dr. Warren has both industry experience and an academic pedigree. In addition to earning degrees in economics, finance and accounting, Dr. Warren has served in corporate controller positions and continues to consult with a wide variety of organizations and industries. From the beginning, as a part of Jack C. Massey’s vision for the college, faculty members have focused on real-world experiential learning and the practical application of theory. Further, Massey faculty members’ significant industry experience allows them to connect with the larger business community in more meaningful ways. Dr. Warren joined the Massey College of Business in 1998 and has since served as associate dean and head of the accounting department. A faculty member favorite of students and alums, she was also the recipient of the 2019-2020 Chaney Distinguished Professor Award, the university-wide annual accolade to recognize a faculty member for superior teaching. As Dr. Warren has seen Massey grow over the years, she is most proud of the Association for the Advancement of Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) accreditation for both business and accounting. Massey’s relationship with AACSB over the years has helped the college grow and develop into the nationally recognized institution that Mr. Massey envisioned back in 1968 when he announced plans for a College of Business at Belmont. Thank you, Dr. Warren, for your continued service and commitment to the mission, vision and values of the Massey College of Business.

Recently retired, there are few faculty names as well known or as well admired at Belmont as Dr. Jeff Cornwall. In fact, the longtime Jack C. Massey Chair in Entrepreneurship was named in 2013 as the Entrepreneurship Educator of the Year by the United States Association of Small Business and Entrepreneurship.

“To be named the most outstanding educator in one’s field in higher education is the highest compliment a professor can receive,” said then College of Business Dean Dr. Pat Raines. “Jeff’s professional accomplishments and the prestige that he has brought to Belmont’s entrepreneurship program make him an extraordinarily worthwhile recipient of this award.” Cornwall’s commitment as an entrepreneurship educator was acknowledged by more than his peers and the business community – his students and countless successful alumni recently honored Cornwall with the creation of a fund that again builds on the Massey spirit of entrepreneurship. Announced at the third annual Top 100 Alumni Entrepreneur Awards, held in December 2021, the Jeffrey R. Cornwall Legacy Launch Fund will support a student or students whose entrepreneurial vision and spirit holds the potential to leave a legacy through the launch and growth of a venture. Ranked again as a top entrepreneurship program for 2022 by the Princeton Review and Entrepreneur Magazine, Belmont alumni entrepreneurs represent more than 724 businesses in 87 cities and six countries. Dr. C, as he is affectionately known, played a role in many. Professor of Entrepreneurship Dr. Mark Schenkel said, “Dr. Cornwall has had an incredible impact on students through his own teaching and mentorship, as well as on me and many of his colleagues here and throughout the entrepreneurship discipline. His legacy leaves an indelible mark on the DNA of how we teach and how students experience entrepreneurship at Belmont.”

A widely recognized social entrepreneurship pioneer and expert, Dr. Bernard Turner paves the way for new generations of social entrepreneurs who are actively involved in using business skills to improve the effectiveness of nonprofits and other social enterprises. In essence, he helps aspiring entrepreneurs learn to make the world a better place for everyone through good business practices.

Belmont University’s interdisciplinary Center for Social Entrepreneurship was conceptualized by faculty members in business, English and theology. Dr. Turner was brought in to lead the Center in 2008 because of his extensive experience with nonprofits in the fields of human services, minority and women-owned business development, higher education and healthcare. Dr. Turner previously held leadership positions with Meharry Medical College and Vanderbilt University. As he developed and grew the Center for Social Entrepreneurship, creating an undergraduate degree in Social Entrepreneurship was a top priority. In fall 2008, Dr. Turner launched Belmont University’s Social Entrepreneurship major (SET), the nation’s first according to Fortune Magazine. He began to attract students by asking the question, “Can you imagine a world without any social problems?” After incubating for several years in Belmont’s Interdisciplinary Studies area, in 2015, the program found a permanent home in the Massey College of Business. To date, the Social Entrepreneurship major has 126 graduates, and the program has become a feeder for the Nashville nonprofit community and beyond. Dr. Turner commented, “The SET major is very experiential, very practical and hands-on like all programs at Massey. Majors complete an extensive capstone project with a nonprofit that includes consulting and recommendations to senior leadership. Our graduates are highly valued in the nonprofit community because they can come in and contribute on day one.” Turner’s work has attracted plenty of attention beyond Belmont’s campus as well, with the popular faculty member awarded the Center for Nonprofit Management’s Lewis Lavine President’s Award in 2019. Even more recently, Turner was recognized by the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. with the Nashville Alumnae Chapter’s first International Awareness and Involvement Heritage Award. The chapter took note of Dr. Turner’s commitment to and continued support of outreach ministry both at home and abroad via numerous mission trips to Haiti and Belize where health needs and other services are provided to local and international communities that may not receive medical attention otherwise.

Both a Massey alumnus and faculty member, Dr. José González first began teaching in the Massey College of Business in 2007.

Prior to joining Massey as a professor, Dr. González co-founded Conexión Américas, a Nashville-based nonprofit organization dedicated to building a welcoming community and creating opportunities where Latino families can belong, contribute and succeed. He was also instrumental in building Casa Azafrán, the nonprofit collaborative in Nashville’s International District that houses Conexión Américas and nine other partners. In addition, he is actively involved in numerous local civic initiatives, including The Nashville Entrepreneur Center, The Healing Trust, Leadership Nashville and Nashville Mayor’s Allocation Committee for the American Rescue Plan. In 2014, President Obama visited the Conexión Américas Community Center, and Conexión Américas was recognized for best practices, which gave the Center the opportunity to highlight its work on local and national platforms. Recently, Dr. González was honored with a state proclamation for his outstanding work. “I’ve often said an impetus for Conexión was creating a place of belonging, of integration,” he remarked at the ceremony. “No one has benefited more from that feeling of what Conexión has given than myself.” Dr. González is passionate about helping students make their entrepreneurial dreams come true. Whether it’s assessing the opportunity to launch a new business or building a financial forecast for a social enterprise, Dr. González is always working with students to help them reach their entrepreneurial goals. He has also led many international programs to study the intersection of economic development and entrepreneurship. When Dr. González began his own entrepreneurial journey, he was a Massey MBA student. While earning his degree, he realized that entrepreneurship is a process that includes recognizing opportunities in the marketplace, and building the resources required to develop those opportunities. At Massey, it’s not just about supporting students who want to start a business venture; it’s also supporting students’ overall development and entrepreneurial mindsets regardless of their career paths. “At the end of the day one of the things I enjoy the most is being an educator,” he said. “Being a mentor and working with people young and old who have an idea and want to develop it and grow it.”

In addition to the 50th anniversary of the Massey College of Business, 2022 also marks the 20th anniversary of Massey’s original Association for the Advancement of Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) accreditation. This accreditation is a major, if not the most important, milestone for any for business school who achieves this designation.

Professor Emerita of Marketing Dr. Susan Taylor was an instrumental part of the Jack C. Massey College of Business’ growth and development from 2000 to 2017, perhaps most importantly contributing to the AACSB accreditation process. In addition to bringing her extensive academic and industry experience to Massey, Dr. Taylor also brought in-depth knowledge of the AACSB accreditation process because she had successfully completed the process at her previous institution. Her expertise and hard work played a pivotal role in Massey’s attainment of the prestigious accreditation. From its inception, the Massey College of Business has had strong female presence in terms of faculty, students and staff, particularly in a highly male dominated field of study. (Fun fact: the incoming fall 2022 Massey undergraduate class is over 60% female!) Dr. Taylor continued this tradition when she joined Massey. Under her leadership as an associate dean from 2005 to 2012, enrollment at the Massey College of Business more than doubled while senior business students consistently scored at or above the top 10% level on the Major Field Test in Business. Noting how Massey students were performing as well or better than their peers, Dr. Taylor remarked on the keys that make a Massey education so special: “Their performance is a direct reflection of our focus on delivering a high-quality program and the individual attention our students receive from our highly qualified faculty.”