business
BEARDEN Shopper news • JANUARY 28, 2015 • A-13
All flavors make Rob Followell left members of the Halls Business and Professional Association looking at each other d i f f e r ently after last week’s meeting. Rob Followell F o l l o w e l l , CEO of Tennova North, borrowed from author George Manning to divide people into groups of chocolate, vanilla and strawberry. Every team needs a mix of the three personality
Sandra Clark
types, he said. Look for dark chocolate when hiring a CFO. These individuals like order and structure. They won’t go above the chain of command. Examples in history and sports are Moses (who literally carried rules carved into stone) and coaches Pat
Summitt and John Wooden. “All successful leaders,” said Followell. “I’m vanilla,” he said. “That’s a team-builder who dislikes confrontation and lives within boundaries while leading toward a goal.” Most people fall into the vanilla category. They like to make people happy with plenty of discussion around decision-making. In history and sports, examples are Ben Franklin, who pulled France into the American Revolution on the side of the United States. He went on to found the public library system and the U.S.
Post Office. Rick Pitino is a coaching example. He led Kentucky to an NCAA national championship and then turned around and led “a team of scrubs” at Louisville to the same achievement. He’s a consensus-builder for sure. Strawberry people are most likely to hit a home run. They’re also most likely to land in jail. “Don’t hire a strawberry as your CFO,” said Followell. “You might end up in jail.” Historically, he cited Patrick Henry: “Give me liberty or give me death!” In sports he flashed photos of Bruce
Pearl and Bobby Knight on the screen. Strawberries are creative people who focus on the present. There’s an element of marketing and optimism around them, and they don’t mind surprises. “There are great leaders in all three groups,” said Followell. “As business leaders, we need a balanced team.” Somebody asked about football. Folks quickly labeled Peyton Manning a chocolate, Joe Montana a vanilla and Michael Vick a strawberry. Followell drew his talk
from the work of George Manning, a professor of psychology and business at Northern Kentucky University. He has written 11 books, and his consulting clients include AT&T, IBM, the IRS and the U.S. Navy. As the meeting ended, I drifted over to the table where Hallsdale Powell Utility District CEO Darren Cardwell sat. “Now I know why Marvin Hammond and I always got along so well,” I whispered. “We’re both strawberries.” “I tend toward chocolate myself,” said Cardwell. Well, yes he does.
Innovation Valley boosts local economy By Bonny C. Millard The Knoxville region saw one of its best periods of economic recovery and success in 2014, a local business leader said. That’s due in large measure to Innovation Valley, an economic development initiative created in 2008 by the Knoxville Chamber of Commerce, said Rhonda Rhonda Rice Rice, Chamber executive vice president. Rice made a joint presentation to the Rotary Club of Farragut with Doug Lawyer, Chamber vice president of economic development. “Knoxville is a large, viable region, and we know that we can get more for this region and this community by marketing and recruiting as a whole instead of worrying about what political boundaries and geographical boundaries are in this area,” Rice said. She is executive director of Innovation Valley. Lawyer said that last year, the Innovation Valley partnership recruited new businesses such as Flower Foods, Leisure Pools and Fresenius Medical Care and expanded
Keena Strickland and Ann Wallace from Blue Ridge Realty visit with SunTrust representative Alice Eads and LBMC tax partner John Bailes during LBMC’s ribbon-cutting and open house Jan. 20. LBMC is located at 2095 Lakeside Center Way, Suite 200. Photos by S. Barrett
Open house at LBMC
current businesses including Aisin Automotive Casting Tennessee Inc. and ARC Automotive. The initiative has three goals: net new jobs, gain capital investments and increase wages. During the 2013-2014 year, 3,273 new jobs were created, surpassing the goal of 2,300. Innovation Doug Lawyer Valley exceeded its capital investment goal of $300 million by $215 million. According to its annual report, distributed by Rice and Lawyer, the wages increase fell short of its annual 2 percent goal by just .5 percent. “We spend a lot of time making sure that we’re out in front of siteselection corporate decision-makers who are interested in seeing companies grow,” Rice said. “We also spend a lot of time working with our existing industries in the region in trying to find ways and opportunities to help them grow.” Created just as the national recession hit, Innovation Valley is managed by the Knoxville Chamber of Commerce but is a separate entity.
LBMC co-manager Mike Cain celebrates the ribbon cutting with managing partner Greg Gilbert. LBMC offers several different services including financial and human resources and technology solutions. Info: 691-9000.
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MD, FACS, For deand Paul S. cades, the PreDudrick, mier Surgical MD, FACS. Associate phyDr. Midis sicians and completed staff at Fort a Surgical Sanders ReOncology gional Medical Fellowship at Center have the respected had a tradition M.D. Anderof providing son Cancer exceptional Center, and surgical care. a Colon It’s a tradition established Premier at Fort Sanders surgeons (from left to right) Dr. Paul and Rectal Dudrick, Dr. Joel “Trey” Bradley, III, Dr. Troy Kimsey, Dr. Greg Surgery Felby respected, Midis, Dr. Michael Kropilak and Dr. Richard Young. lowship at longtime the top-notch Fort SandCleveland ers surgeons Clinic. Like Dr. Kimsey, Dr. Dudrick including Richard A. Brinner, MD, received his surgical oncology FellowFACS, Randal O. Graham, MD, ship training at the renowned Memorial FACS, Hugh C. Hyatt, MD, FACS, Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. and Kevin P. Zirkle, MD, FACS, Vascular surgeon, Richard M. founding, early members of Premier Young, MD, FACS, completed FellowSurgical Associates. ships in Vascular Surgery at the UniverWith the retirement of these promisity of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, and nent Premier surgeons in the past two Endovascular Surgery at the nationallyyears, one of Knoxville’s most estabknown New York-Presbyterian Hospital. lished surgical groups is experiencing a He specializes in complex vascular and changing of the guard and a rebirth. “It’s an exciting time for Fort Sanders endovascular cases and treats varicose veins. Premier Surgical,” says surgical oncoloThe group’s veteran surgeon, Migist Greg Midis, MD, FACS. “There’s an chael D. Kropliak, MD, FACS, who injection of new energy and an increashas practiced at Fort Sanders since 1988, ing need for specialized expertise.” performs general, vascular, and endoIn August, general surgeon Joel F. crine procedures. He completed a Vascu“Trey” Bradley, III, MD, and surgilar Surgery Fellowship at the esteemed cal oncologist Troy F. Kimsey, MD, Cleveland Clinic. He says working with FACS, joined the Premier Surgical practice at Fort Sanders. The pair brings multi-specialty Fellowship- trained a wealth of clinical knowledge and train- surgeons every day is a plus. “It’s nice to have the ability to discuss ing to the group. Dr. Bradley was Fellowship-trained in complex cases. There’s a lot of clinical knowledge and specialized experience in minimally invasive surgery at Carolinas this group.” Medical Center in Charlotte. There he Dr. Midis agrees. “As operations bespecialized in minimally invasive surgicome more complex, specialty training cal techniques such as complex hernia and volumes point to better outcomes repair and abdominal wall reconstruction. Dr. Kimsey completed a Fellowship for patients.” in surgical oncology at the renowned Memorial Sloan-Kettering in New York. He practiced general surgical oncology in Georgia for six years and helped develop a community-based regional cancer center, before joining Premier Surgical. Dr. Kimsey is part of the strong For more information about Premier Surgical surgical oncology team at Fort Sanders Associates, please visit Premier that includes Greg P. Midis,
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