Inside Memphis Business August/September 2015 by Contemporary Media

AUG/SEPT 2015 | VOLUME IX | NUMBER 6

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M E M P H I S

CELEBRATING A DOZEN OF THE

Bill Huddleston

WEST TENNESSEE CROWN DISTRIBUTORS

CITY’S TOP SALES PROFESSIONALS!

a r t of selling! The

Supplement to Memphis magazine

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Bob McBride knows that business is personal. He had relationships with other banks in the past, but needed a financial partner that approached customers the way he did – by getting to know them. As his business grew, Bob went from being a customer to being part of the family. See Bob’s story at my.triumphbank.com

The My Triumph campaign exists to spotlight everyday people fulfilling their dreams. These are our customers, and these are their stories of triumph. What’s your triumph?

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02 2015

project location client size project type

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CONSTRUCTION

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fe a t u r e s AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2015 VOLUME IX | NUMBER 6 ON THE COVER: Our collection of a dozen of the top sales professionals in Memphis. PHOTOGRAPHS BY AMIE VANDERFORD

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S E L L I N G a af memphis creates a bet ter future

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DEPARTMENTS 15 T H E H O T S H E E T 58 C O M M U N I T Y P A R T N E R S H I P 18 A P P O I N T M E N T B O O K 20 M E M P H I S B E A T 28 P O W E R P L A Y E R S 53 L E A D E R S H I P 60 T H E O F F I C E 63 I N S I D E T H E A R C H I V E S 64 M A D E I N M E M P H I S

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Doffing our caps to the best in sales

INSIDEMEMPHISBUSINESS.COM EDITOR CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Richard J. Alley Brian Groppe

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Frank Murtaugh

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Michael Finger, Marilyn Sadler Douglas Scarboro, David Waddell, Sally Lyon, Larry Fogarty, Richard Shadyac Jr., Scott Morris, Elizabeth Rouse, Charlie McVean, Jane Schneider, Jon W. Sparks Sarah Galyean Jones Christopher Myers Dominique Pere, Bryan Rollins Larry Kuzniewski, Amie Vanderford Bruce Meisterman

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Margie Neal

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Kenneth Neill Jennifer K. Oswalt Jeffrey A. Goldberg Bruce VanWyngarden Molly Willmott

I stopped in one day and browsed the shelves of bowlers, fedoras, boaters, and porkpies, but was pulled away by what was happening a few feet away. A woman had come in and told Alvin Lansky, the owner with a pedigree for fashion and sales, what she was looking for and what she wanted to pay. He led her to the appropriate shelf to look on her own. Then, without saying anything more, he picked up a similar, albeit more expensive, hat to the one she’d requested. He still didn’t speak, but simply admired it, picked a bit of lint from its brim, and ran a palm lovingly over its dome. “What’s that?” she finally asked. “Oh, this?” he answered. There was a brief exchange and then I watched as she paid for that top-shelf chapeau and left. It was an astounding scene, as though it had been choreographed

and produced for my own entertainment. Lansky listened to his customer, showed her what she needed, and then put something she wanted just within reach. The answer to who might make a living selling $150 Borsalino fedoras (my unexpected purchase that day) in an age of backward baseball caps is Alvin Lansky, and it was a treat to have him do so. You can read more about Lansky and his techniques, and those of other sales experts beginning on page 33 of this issue of Inside Memphis Business, in which we highlight the careers and learn some of the skills of the Best Sellers the city has to offer. We plan to make this an annual celebration and hope that you will be a part of it. Do you have a favorite salesperson? Sold! We’ll be looking for your nominations in the spring of 2016.

Penelope Huston Jackie Sparks-Davila Kendrea Collins

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Britt Ervin Lynn Sparagowski Ashley Haeger Joseph Carey Martin Lane

Inside Memphis Business is published six times a year by Contemporary Media, Inc., 460 Tennessee Street, P.O. Box 1738, Memphis, TN 38101 © 2015, telephone: 901-5219000. 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.

Mister Hats in the Poplar Plaza Shopping Center was someplace I’d driven past for years and wondered, “How does anyone make a living selling hats these days?” It seemed a fashion choice that had gone out of fashion, along with walking sticks and ascots.

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. Memphis-area residents and businesses give over $700 million to charity annually. Because of this, Inside Memphis Business is partnering with local companies to highlight some of the good being done. We’re calling it our “Dig Deep for Memphis” partnership program. During 2015, we will match every advertising full page purchased by our corporate partners with a donated page for the charitable organization of their choice. As the city’s premier business magazine, we at Inside Memphis Business think we can and should do our part to make readers better aware of

the strengths of our city’s nonprofit sector and to increase community awareness of the ongoing need for strong philanthropic support for area nonprofits. To see our current partners — Triumph, CBRE Memphis, and FedEx — please turn to pages 52, 59, and 62. For more information about our “Dig Deep for Memphis” partnership program, please contact Kenneth Neill at neill@ contemporary-media.com.

INSIDE MEMPHIS BUSINESS.COM | AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2015

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Communication: a two-way street

The Fed shares info with the public, academics, and business leaders.

I recently joined the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis to serve as its Memphis regional executive and vice president. One of the top duties of this role, along with the Memphis Branch’s board of directors, is to gather information from regional business and share it with those in the St. Louis office who are involved in monetary policymaking and related research.

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In addition, the St. Louis Fed has four inBurgundy Book, released June 23rd, is the drop dustry councils that meet twice a year to proin the Memphis zone’s unemployment rate vide St. Louis Fed President James Bullard to its lowest level since 2008. Unemployment and the Bank’s economists with deep insights averaged 7.4 percent in the first quarter of about current business conditions and trends. 2015, a sharp decline from the previous quarThis anecdotal information is included in ter’s 8.1 percent, and the lowest level since the the Bank’s research and analysis about the summer of 2008. Certainly, the educational and health-sereconomy, and contributes to how the Fed determines monetary policy. When the Fedvices sector continues to be a bedrock of eral Open Market Committee meets, Federal Memphis employment and economic activity. Reserve Board governors and Reserve Bank The significant health-services presence in presidents present their views on the ecothe city, along with the local school districts nomic outlook. Those views are informed and the University of Memphis, has made the by research, modeling, and education and health-seranalysis, as well as by feedvices sector one of the largback from businesses across est by employment in the THE EDUCATIONAL AND the country. The St. Louis MSA, representing 14 perHEALTH-SERVICES SECTOR Fed’s industry councils are cent of total employment. a key part of this feedback. This share of employment CONTINUES TO BE A Given the importance of is up 10 percent from March BEDROCK OF MEMPHIS the healthcare industry to 2000. EMPLOYMENT AND Last, but not least, when the economy, one of the St. Louis Fed’s four councils is speaking about the imporECONOMIC ACTIVITY. devoted to healthcare. (The tance of two-way commuothers are agribusiness, real estate, and transnication, is the annual regional economic portation.) Currently representing Memphis briefing held each winter here in Memphis. I am looking forward to my first time hosting on the healthcare industry council are Lisa this popular event, which is targeted toward Klesges, founding dean and professor with business leaders, academics, community dethe School of Public Health at the University velopment practitioners, and others interestof Memphis; and Jason Little, president and ed in current national and regional economCEO of Baptist Memorial Health Care. The council members’ observations also comic conditions. Given the growing impact of plement the data and information developed healthcare on the economy, and the changes through the Federal Reserve’s Beige Book, the St. that are impacting both employers and U.S. Louis Fed’s Burgundy Books, and meetings of the citizens, you can be certain that healthcare Reserve Bank’s boards of directors. will not only be on the agenda for the next The Beige Book and the Burgundy Books are regional economic briefing, it is also top of good examples of how the sharing of econommind in current research and discussions. ic information isn’t just a one-way street; it is Feel free to contact me at dougcrucial for the Fed to also share important las.g.scarboro@stls.frb.org or follow economic information with the public, acathe Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis on demics, and business leaders. Twitter, @stlouisfed. The St. Louis Fed’s quarterly Burgundy Books publication provides detailed summaries of Dr. Douglas Scarboro is Regional Executive/ Vice regional economic data and anecdotal inforPresident of the Memphis Branch of the St. Louis Fedmation based on surveys of business contacts eral Reserve Bank. He has a B.A. in political science conducted in the St. Louis Fed’s four zones: from Morehouse College, an MBA from Campbell Memphis, Little Rock, Louisville, and St. Louis. University, and an Ed.D. in Higher and Adult Education from the University of Memphis. Of particular note in the latest Memphis

INSIDE MEMPHIS BUSINESS.COM | AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2015

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G U E S T

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Explore bike share, explore Memphis Powered by TEAMwork

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More than 10 years ago I attended a community meeting to discuss the very first bike lane in Memphis proper. There was confusion and some trepidation about what bike lanes could offer, and some thought they were an unneeded aggravation. But today we stand as a nationally recognized city of bike lane innovation, having not only improved access to bike lanes but undertaken the creation of the Hampline, the only major crowd-sourced bike lane channel in the country. At Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare, where I am privileged to work, we have always considered the success of local grassroots organizations and efforts to be directly linked to the success of the greater Memphis community. If these organizations invite participation and engagement, and ultimately serve to increase the wellness of our community, then we are excited to support their growth. Bike share fits perfectly with what we try to do every day at Methodist. This updated take on two-wheeled transportation provides a whole new way of thinking about how we get from Point A to Point B. Through bike sharing, we can expand transportation options and organically explore new areas of Memphis. More transit and more active citizens make the entire community healthier. And it is our mission to continue to improve the health and wellness of all; it’s not just our business, it’s our passion. Increasing the frequency of bicycling in Memphis provides benefits beyond the obvious health improvements for the riders, though. Reducing our dependency on cars relieves our environmental stress — a study in Atlanta showed that during traffic restrictions, both ozone levels and asthma-related emergencies decreased. Not many opportunities come along where we can positively impact so many people at one time, even those who don’t actively participate. During my participation in the Explore Bike Share advisory group and community input meetings, it has become clear to me that Memphians can, should, and will define for themselves what bike share will look like Bike share systems offer on-demand rentals of bicycles throughout cities from a network of bike stations. Explore Bike Share is a project being led by the public relations and marketing firm Doug Carpenter & Associates to explore the feasibility of implementing a bike share program in Memphis. Learn more: e x p l or ebik e sh a r e .c om

in Memphis. We have quite a different geography and environment to contend with than anywhere in the country, and the program may not fit into a package used elsewhere. We are tasked to discover the operations and benefits best suited to Memphis. Personally, cycling changed my life. From a fitness perspective, I have tried running, racquetball, and other cardio activities, yet cycling is an activity I can commit to and actually enjoy doing. The glue of biking is its sense of community. There are hundreds of cyclists in Memphis whom I would have never had the opportunity to meet and connect with in a typical work or personal routine. Geographically, biking has opened my eyes to new areas of Memphis I would never have found by myself. So although bike lanes have been transformative to me, I can acknowledge that I didn’t always think that way. I needed to see the benefits and understand how my personal experience of Memphis would improve. Bike share has this same potential, but it may be hard to imagine in the abstract. Explore Bike Share is reaching into the community to talk about what bike share could be and give everyone an opportunity to define this new civic asset in the way that makes the most sense to each of them. Explore Bike Share is the first mile of this journey and we’re prepared to ride along all the way. The Memphis community can build a system that represents and elevates us all. So let’s build it. Larry Fogarty is Vice President of Supply Chain Management for Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare and Chief Financial Officer of the Olive Branch Hospital. He is a member of the Explore Bike Share advisory group.

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“they took care of ever ything.” Eric Goad, patient

“ they saved my life.” Amy Gregory, patient

“they are my family.” Peggy Boyd, wellness member

At the Church Health Center, Eric, Peggy and Amy received the compassionate and timely care they needed. All new monthly gifts are being matched by an anonymous donor making your gifts go even further. Join the mission that keeps Memphis working. Make your gift today by calling 901-272-7170 or visiting our website at churchhealthcenter.org

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G U E S T

COMING

SOON October/November 2015

The Annual Inside Memphis Business Innovation Awards Our look at the city’s best Big Ideas.

Also: our Innovation Awards event will be hosted in late September 2015

December 2015/January 2016

The 2016 Inside Memphis Business Philanthropy Guide An inside look at business non-profits.

Want to find out more about advertising in these issues? Please call Bruce Meisterman at (901) 521-9000. For more information on event sponsorship opportunities, please call Jackie Sparks-Davila at (901) 521-9000.

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St. Jude celebrates Childhood Cancer Awareness Month Let me tell you about my friend Adam. When we announced in June that we would feature the signature event of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month on our campus at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Adam joined me at the press conference to tell people about the new St. Jude Walk/Run to End Childhood Cancer on September 26th. Even as he was undergoing treatments Tennessee Foundation, is also rallying its three times a week, Adam outlined how he employees. not only planned to participate in the St. Jude Bruce Hopkins, president of West TenWalk/Run 5K but also how he was enlisting nessee banking for First Tennessee, has friends, family, and local businesses to supchallenged the foundation to make the St. port him. A resident of Collierville, Adam Jude Walk/Run to End Childhood Cancer in was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leuMemphis the most successful in the counkemia last summer when he was 16. try. As an incentive, top fundraisers will Patients like Adam are among our most visit St. Jude to see the mission firsthand innovative and hardest working fundraisand share their experiences with family and ers, and they inspire us to do even more friends donate to the cause. We deeply appreciate the support of our to help children with cancer and other life-threatening diseases. many great corporate partners, as well as the “St. Jude values life at all costs, with no cost to the commitment of the City “ST. JUDE VALUES LIFE AT patients,” Adam often says. of Memphis and the MemALL COSTS, WITH NO COST TO phis Convention and VisiB ut A d a m a n d h i s friends cannot do it alone. tors Bureau. THE PATIENTS.” You can help. I am personally grateful The St. Jude Walk/Run to End Childhood to all of our donors who raise funds for the Cancer, gives a unique opportunity to unite pioneering research that leads to lifesaving the Memphis community to help St. Jude treatments every day at St. Jude. That supcontinue its lifesaving mission. We will also port helps ensure families never receive a host events in 57 other cities around the bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, houscountry to rally people to fight childhood ing, or food — because all a family should worry about is helping their child live. cancer. Not only are we asking individuals to Because of the generosity of the public, support this effort, we also are encouraging St. Jude is able to lead the way the world businesses and corporations to organize understands, treats, and defeats childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases. their own teams to raise funds and awareness to help St. Jude make a difference in Treatments invented at St. Jude have helped the lives of children. push the overall childhood cancer survivYour business would join leading U.S. al rate from 20 percent when the hospital companies in support of St. Jude, such as opened in 1962 to more than 80 percent national sponsors Target and American today. But St. Jude won’t stop until no child dies from cancer. Airlines and presenting sponsor First Tennessee Foundation, among others. I hope you will join brave patients like Target’s national sponsorship this year Adam and thousands of their supporters on builds on a partnership that since 1996 has September 26th at the St. Jude Walk/Run resulted in $62 million for the kids of St. to End Childhood Cancer on the St. Jude Jude. Target exemplifies the best in corpocampus, where scientists, doctors, and nursrate philanthropy with a giving philosophy es do amazing work every day. To register your team, visit stjude.org/walkrun. that encourages team members nationwide to volunteer in local causes and events, like the St. Jude Walk/Run to End Childhood Richard Shadyac Jr. is President and CEO for Cancer. ALSAC, the fundraising and awareness organization Another great St. Jude champion, First for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

INSIDE MEMPHIS BUSINESS.COM | AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2015

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I N C .

The recent volatility and turmoil within the Chinese stock market has led to mass concern, hyperbole, and confusion. According to recent media reports, the value of the Chinese stock market has surged nearly 200 percent over the past year only to fall 40 percent over the past month. While that is true for the Shenzhen composite market index, there are in fact many Chinese stock indices, with only a few that Americans can access anyway. For this installment of my Chinese missive, I will attempt to demystify this strange and unruly marketplace. The Chinese stock market, as we know it, began operations in 1990 in Shanghai. One year later, China’s second stock exchange opened in Shenzhen. Originally, these exchanges provided liquidity only for mainland companies and investors. However, in the early 1990s, astute party officials recognized that by encouraging foreign investment participation, albeit gradually, Chinese companies would develop toward international corporate and fiduciary norms. The government authorized parallel share classes exclusively for offshore investors to complement the domestic only (A shares) listings. In 1992, the two exchanges together listed 53 companies, 18 of which could be held in limited quantities by outsiders (B shares). By 2000, the two exchanges listed 1,088 companies, 114 of which could be held by outsiders (B shares) and 52 of which held a dual listing in Hong Kong (H shares). Today, the exchanges list over 2,600 companies with the government committed to greatly increasing foreign accessibility. Because China’s markets have legacy policy segmentations, quoting share returns for Chinese stocks depends entirely on which share classes and exchanges you select. For instance, the Shenzhen composite index has returned 33 percent year to date, while the Shanghai composite index has returned 8 percent, and the Hong Kong composite index has fallen 1 percent. Performance divergences also occur across the A, B, and H share classes even though they are actually share classes in the same companies! Quoting the performance of the Chinese stock market should accompany lengthy disclosures. After speaking with many local individual investors in China, I am reminded of my business school buddies during the NASDAQ’s record Y2K run. In those days, our analysis techniques consisted of hearsay, chat rooms, and charts. We bought what we could with our own money while borrowing all that we could of someone else’s. This frenzied sentiment sowed the seeds of destruction as the monetary oxygen dissipat-

ed in 2000. However, not all stocks captured our attention, just the promising “New New” ones like Pets.com. Likewise, the Chinese market frenzy has concentrated on the sizzle segments. To demonstrate, the P/E ratio on the Shanghai composite is 18, roughly in line with the S&P 500. However, the Shenzhen ChiNext index comprised of 484 “cab-driver favorites” trades for a P/E of 87. Remember, 80 to 85 percent of Chinese stocks are owned by individuals. Travel in mainland China today and you will see flashes of red and green pulsating from iPhones everywhere (FYI, red means up in China for obvious reasons). Predictably, negative returns on property and zero returns on cash made stocks irresistible once they started rising out of the doldrums a year ago. By all measures, the stampede into the local brokerage offices broke records. Now the bubble has burst and the stampede has reversed, drawing the government in to try and calm the herd. Good luck with that. In China, the herd has outgrown the shepherd. Overall, 98 percent of the Chinese stock market is owned by the Chinese. For global investors outside of China, the sell-off is abstract. However, within China undeveloped investors have learned highly valuable lessons. As mature investors know, investing requires rational expectations, expertise, and patience. The Chinese must develop risk appraisal abilities to complement their opportunistic capabilities. The bursting of the Chinese stock market bubble will not derail China, nor will it destabilize the global economy. What it will do is inject some discipline into an adolescent investor base and advance the case for professional and institutional money management in mainland China. Consider this recent market gyration a big, red growing pain. David S. Waddell, CEO of Waddell & Associates, is spending a year in China and delving into the economics and culture for readers of inside memphis business.

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1661 Aaron Brenner Dr., Ste. 300, Memphis 38120, 901.761.2720 â&#x20AC;˘ 417 West Main, Ste. 100, Tupelo 38804, 662.269.4014

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The HOT Sheet Advancement Jason W. Eagle has been appointed vice president of advancement for the Metropolitan Inter-Faith Association (MIFA). He will oversee the vision and execution of engaging the Memphis community to advance the nonprofit organization’s mission. He will lead a team to increase and enrich public awareness, volunteerism, outreach, and stewardship to meet annual and long-term fundraising goals. Steven R. Goodman, PhD, has been named vice chancellor for research for the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC). Goodman arrives at UTHSC from the SUNY (State University of New York) Upstate Medical University where he was the former vice president for research, dean of the College of Graduate Studies, and professor in both the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, and the Department of Pediatrics. Wendy M. Likes, PhD, DNSc, APRN-BC, has been named permanent dean for the College of Nursing after more than 10 months as interim dean. In this role, Likes will serve as the lead administrator for the college with responsibility for managing a team of more than 105 faculty and staff members. The Reverend Julie McKenna has joined Trezevant as associate chaplain. An ordained elder in the United Methodist Church, McKenna will serve residents in Trezevant Terrace and Allen Morgan Center, assisted living facilities on Trezevant’s campus. Molly Hildreth has joined Trezevant as communication coordinator. She is a graduate of the University of Missouri, where she received a bachelor’s degree in journalism with a concentration in strategic communication. The American Contract Bridge League (ACBL), the nonprofit sanctioning body for competitive bridge in North America that serves more than 167,000 members and 3,200 clubs, has named Stephanie Threlkeld as Communications Manager, and Alexandra Turner as Chief Marketing Officer. Geotechnology, Inc., a leading provider of geotechnical and environmental engineering, geophysics, water resource management, materials testing, and drilling services, has announced the hiring of Kelly Townsend as a marketing assistant and Ryan Farrar as a staff engineer. Townsend will be responsible for creating marketing materials and assisting with project and office administration duties, as well as providing support to Geotechnology’s other offices in St. Louis; Oxford; Jonesboro; Fairview Heights, Illinois; and Overland Park, Kansas. Farrar, originally from

Germantown, earned a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from the University of Memphis. Farrar was an active member of the University of Memphis chapter of Engineers Without Borders. Megan E. Warden has joined Shea Moskovitz & McGhee as an associate. Warden graduated cum laude from the University of Memphis in 2010 with a Bachelor of Arts in psychology, and went on to earn her Juris Doctor from the University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law in 2014.

Group Benefits LLC, an independent, local employee benefits broker and consulting firm, has announced the following additions: Mia Cato, account manager; Patrick S. Finnell, producer; Hallie Hastings, benefits communication systems manager; and Carolyn Wilson, account manager. Rick Neal, Richard Harris, and Nicole Pickens have joined Pinnacle Financial Partners in Memphis. Pinnacle’s 11-member Memphis team has close to 200 years of combined experience in the financial industry. Neal comes most recently from Trustmark Bank, where he led the company’s commercial real estate group. He earned a Bachelor’s in Business Administration and Economics from Rhodes College. Harris comes most recently from Paragon Bank where he served as a vice president and relationship manager for the company’s commercial banking group. He holds a Bachelor’s in Finance from the University of Memphis. Pickens brings a 13-year career with First Tennessee to her role of financial advisor assistant. She is pursuing a bachelor’s in Management and Organizational Development from Bethel University and expects to graduate early this summer. Jason D. Salomon, one of only 25 lawyers in Tennessee certified as an estate planning specialist, has joined the law firm of Harkavy Shainberg Kaplan & Dunstan PLC. Harris Shelton Hanover Walsh recently announced the addition of three new attorneys to the firm. Emily Morton and Pablo Varela have been hired on as associate attorneys, and Russell White joins the firm as an of counsel attorney. The Plough Foundation announced it has hired Courtney Leon to assume the role of program officer. Leon, a veteran of local philanthropic and nonprofit organizations in the Memphis area, joins Plough having most recently served as director of fellows for the New Memphis

Institute. She follows Barbara Jacobs, who served as program officer and program director at the Plough Foundation for 20 years.

Pickering has announced the following hires and promotions: Martin “Marty” Cooke has been named associate principal owner; Jonathan “Jon” Foshee, PE has been named associate principal owner; Jerry Caldwell, PE, has been named senior civil engineer; and Sarah Dalesandro has joined the firm’s marketing team as marketing specialist. Lauren Hannaford has been promoted to senior account manager and culture ambassador for Obsidian Public Relations. The promotion comes six years after Hannaford began her career with the company as a level 2 intern. In her newest role as Obsidian’s culture ambassador, she will be tasked with bringing to the forefront the importance of purpose, engagement, and fun in everyday life for the firm, while maintaining aspects of what makes the firm uniquely successful.

Inked Eye Specialty Group has opened their new full-service ophthalmology clinic at 1458 West Poplar, suite 101, in Collierville, to accommodate increased demand for quality eye care. The new facility provides patients with state-of-the-art eye care, including iLASIK laser surgery, laser cataract surgery, oculoplastics, and facial aesthetic rejuvenation. Total protection company State Systems Inc. has announced the acquisition of Memphis-based ESI Companies Inc., a technology company known as the major provider of top-of-the-line nurse call systems for Mid-South hospitals and health care facilities. State Systems’ total staff increases by nine to 127 employees, with the company adding George Price, a 34-year veteran of ESI’s health care division who will lead the effort for State Systems. archer>malmo, a leading brand communications agency in the Mid-South, has announced the acquisition of Austin, Texas-based Tocquigny, an independent, digital marketing agency founded by Yvonne Tocquigny in 1980. This brings the total agency headcount to 190. Tocquigny will be rebranded as archer>malmo over the next few months. Yvonne Tocquigny and Tom Fornoff will continue to lead the Austin office as chief creative and strategy officer and president, respectively. Level Nine Services, a concierge services company, has announced a formal business partnership with Salt Style & Events, a full-service style and events company. Level Nine provides business and lifestyle-management services, helping clients with

AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2015 | INSIDE MEMPHIS BUSINESS.COM |

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Waddell & Associates, Inc.

is not an Outcome, “Performance It is a Discipline.” - David Waddell

anything from mundane tasks to elaborate trips and events. Salt specializes in creating custom events, working closely with clients to produce an event design that allows them to entertain in style and leave a lasting impression on guests.

Awarded

W&A EXISTS TO IMPROVE LIFE BY PROVIDING CLARITY TO REMOVE FEAR... Providing this city and its citizens with financial clarity.

Dawn Rapoport

Allie Prescott, J.D.

Tara (Tee) Meeks

Chief Operating Officer

Senior Advisor

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David Waddell President • CEO • CFP® Chief Investment Strategist Perry Green

The wealth strategists at Waddell and Associates are personally vested in the important and complicated financial and investment situations of each of our clients and their families. W&A’s wealth strategists have earned designations in their fields from national, accredited organizations, including CPA, Certified Financial Planner™, Chartered Financial Analyst®, Certified Divorce Financial Analyst™, Personal Financial Specialist designations and J.D. As a client of Waddell & Associates, you enjoy unlimited access to all of our intellectual capital!

S E RV I C E S Asset Management Charitable Gift Planning Estate Planning Business Consulting Retirement Planning General Financial Planning Employee Benefit Planning Life Insurance Needs Education Planning Business Succession Planning Concentrated Stock Positions

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Tripp Yates

Timothy W. Ellis, Jr.

Jill Shumann

CPA • CFP®

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Registered Paraplannersm

Alison Hughes

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Stacie Waddell Global Communications Director

For a complimentary strategic analysis, please call Waddell & Associates at 901.767.9187. 5188 Wheelis Drive • Memphis, TN 38117 7100 Executive Center Dr #200 • Nashville, TN 37027

16 |

The Memphis-Mid-South affiliate of Susan G. Komen has awarded $510,030 of community grants to 10 programs that provide breast cancer services in the Mid-South. Those programs are: ◗◗ Alliance Charitable Foundation, through the Alliance Healthcare System — $15,000 ◗◗ Baptist Medical Group — $20,000 ◗◗ Baptist Memorial Hospital for Women — $130,000 ◗◗ Church Health Center — $30,000 ◗◗ Julie B. Baier Foundation, Inc., through the Mroz Baier Breast Care Clinic PC, — $90,000 ◗◗ New Bethel M.B. Church, through STAARS (Surviving, Thriving, African Americans Rallying Support) — $7,500 ◗◗ Methodist Healthcare Foundation — $50,000 ◗◗ Regional One Health — $100,000 ◗◗ Urban Health Education and Support Services (UHESS) — $7,500 The Metropolitan Inter-Faith Association (MIFA) has received a $2,500 grant from Meals on Wheels America for its participation in the 13th Annual March for Meals campaign. This year’s grants were made possible through the generosity of Subaru of America, Inc., and its seventh annual “Share the Love” event. The Hyde Family Foundation has awarded the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art a $1 Million Challenge Grant. This major investment celebrates the nearly 100-year legacy of this important institution and launches its next century. The grant is offered in support of the implementation of a new strategic plan developed with renowned arts organization consultant Michael Kaiser in conjunction with the Brooks’ new executive director, Dr. Emily Ballew Neff, its board of trustees and museum staff. This new plan concentrates on several strategies, which include developing a dynamic long-term exhibition program, animating the interior and exterior of the museum with exciting art installations, expanding education and community interactions, creating an institutional marketing campaign, expanding fundraising to support the Brooks’ mission, and strengthening the museum’s board of trustees. ENT Memphis, founded by Dr. Rande Lazar, has been granted a three-year term of accreditation in CT in the areas of Sinus and Temporal Bone CT by the Intersocietal Accreditation Commission (IAC). Accreditation by the IAC means that ENT Memphis has undergone a thorough and rigorous review of its operational and technical components by a panel of experts. The IAC grants accreditation only to those facilities that are found to be providing quality patient care, in compliance with national standards through a comprehensive application process including detailed case study review. contin u ed on page 56

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At Regional One Health, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re proud of our physician partners and their complete dedication to the future health and well-being of our region. As one of the largest medical and surgical teaching sites for the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, we are honored to be partners with top doctors in the mid-south, providing compassionate care and exceptional services to our community.

RegionalOneHealth.org

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A P P O I N T M E N T

B O O K

Business events, networking opportunities, continuing education, and cultural highlights for August and September 2015 • • •

C O M P I L E D

B Y

S A R A H

J O N E S

AUGUST 2 MEMPHIS PINK BRIDAL SHOW: 11:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.

Presented by The Pink Bride. Gathering of Memphis’ most elite wedding professionals. Enjoy fashion shows and gown sales as well as food, drinks, and giveaways at the Memphis Cook Convention Center. Brides will be able to speak in person with industry professionals to help them plan their big day. Ticket prices range, available online and at the door. Visit thepinkbride.com for tickets and more info.

AUGUST 6 CRAWL SPACE SCIENCE: 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. presented

by the Memphis Area Association of Realtors. Everything you need to know to confidently explain common causes and solutions to all crawl space water concerns. Learn how to answer all questions prospective home buyers may have about moisture, mold, and foundation issues. Free for members, $40 for non-members. MAAR Education Center, 6393 Poplar Avenue, 901-685-2100.

AUGUST 13 WOMEN’S COUNCIL OF REALTORS BUSINESS RESOURCE MEETING: 11:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m.

presented by the Memphis Area Association of Realtors. Join the Women’s Council of Realtors for their August Business Resource

18 |

Meeting to discuss appraisals and listen to guest speaker Mary Davis. Germantown Country Club, $18. To RSVP, or for more info, email Marlene McGhee at marlene@eaglelanerealty.com.

AUGUST 14-15 BOYS & GIRLS CLUB BRACKET BASH AND TENNIS INVITATIONAL: Bracket bash to celebrate the kick-off to the 15th anniversary of the tennis tournament. The evening will include food, drinks, entertainment, and a silent auction. Tennis tournament the following day to be held at the Racquet Club of Memphis, Memphis Country Club, The University Club, and Chickasaw Country Club. Visit bgcm.org/ upcomingevents to register. Boys and Girls Club of Memphis, 44 S. Rembert. 901-278-2947.

AUGUST 18 WORKFORCE AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT & CHALLENGES FACING SHELBY COUNTY:

7:30-9:00 a.m. Presented by SHRM-Memphis. Shelby County Mayor Mark Luttrell Jr. speaks about building better jobs, budget discipline, and smarter growth at Holiday Inn-University of Memphis. $25 general admission for members, $30 general admission for non-members. Visit shrm-memphis.org/ to register.

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AUGUST 21-23 MULYP THIRD-ANNUAL EMPOWERMENT CONFERENCE:

Presented by Memphis Urban League Young Professionals at Hilton Memphis, this three-day conference celebrates 12 years of empowering communities and changing lives. Young professionals can benefit from networking and leadership development opportunities such as conference workshops and a hiring lounge. $65 for members, $75 for non-members. Visit mulyp.org/empowerment for more info. 901-272-2491.

AUGUST 25 NETWORKING IN MEMPHIS 5TH YEAR CELEBRATION:

6:00-9:00 p.m. Presented by Networking in Memphis. Meet influential people, enjoy food and drink, mingle with business professionals, and learn how to get involved in the community. $10 tickets sold online only. Event to be held at the 300 Art Gallery at 300 S. Main. Visit facebook.com/Networking-in-Memphis or kellyprice. biz for more info.

SEPTEMBER 7 13TH ANNUAL CHICK-FIL-A

SEPTEMBER 9

CODE OF ETHICS: 9:00 a.m.12:00 p.m. Presented by the Memphis Area Association of Realtors. Class explaining Realtor code of ethics in-depth. Visit maar.org/maarcalendar to register. MAAR Education Center, 6393 Poplar Avenue. 901-685-2100.

SEPTEMBER 9 SHRM-MEMPHIS HUMAN RESOURCES EXCELLENCE AWARDS: 7:00-9:30 a.m.

Presented by the Memphis Business Journal and HRO Partners. Celebrate the top Human Resource Professionals in the area at Holiday Inn-University of Memphis. $50 General Admission. Visit shrm-memphis. org to register.

SEPTEMBER 19

TASTE OF THE TOWN: 6:30-

10:00 p.m. Presented by The Germantown Area Chamber. Taste appetizers from 20 of Memphis’ best restaurants and drinks from beverage specialists while enjoying live entertainment. Auction to benefit MakeA-Wish of the Midsouth. Hosted at Hilton Memphis. $75 tickets. germantownchamber.com

5K: Benefiting Junior Achievement of Memphis and the MidSouth Inc., this yearly walk/run brings thousands to Downtown Memphis for fun, fitness and free chicken at AutoZone Park. Visit chickfila5k.com to register.

Let us know about your group’s events at anna@contemporary-media.com.

7/13/15 11:10 AM

2.7 Billion

26,700

to the State Economy

Jobs Across Tennessee

www.uthsc.edu The University of Tennessee is an EEO/AA/Title VI/Title IX/Section 504/ADA/ADEA institution in the provision of its education and employment programs and services.

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M E M P H I S

Ten news items you might have missed since our last issue.

5.28

The YMCA of Memphis & the Mid-South purchases the Fogelman Downtown YMCA from Forum 245 Madison LLC for $2.9 million. The 1909 building, at 245 Madison Avenue, is 106,800 square feet and appraised at nearly $2.7 million according to the Shelby County Assessor of Property.

POWER APRIL

VOLUM 2015 |

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Inside Memphis Business Power Players Issue is an invaluable year-round resource for anyone doing business in Memphis. Copies are available for $9.95 per copy, and we offer quantit y discounts. When you purchase five or more copies, we’ll even throw in complimentary delivery within the Memphis metro area!

Contact Lynn Sparagowski Distribution Manager for more information: 901.521.9000 lynn@insidememphisbusiness.com 20 |

B E A T

OneJet announces that it will add nonstop service from Indianapolis to Memphis, increasing its regional travel network. Flights will be offered Monday through Thursday with the Hawker 400 service departing Indianapolis at 8:30 a.m. and arriving in Memphis at 8:50 a.m.; return service departing Memphis at 3:15 p.m. and arriving Indianapolis at 5:25 p.m. All ﬂights will be operated by OneJet’s regional operating partner, Pentastar Aviation Charter. “We’re delighted to welcome OneJet and its unique nonstop service model to our mix of air travel offerings,” says Scott Brockman, president and CEO of the Memphis-Shelby County Airport Authority. “Indianapolis is a nonstop market that was recently eliminated, making this a great add for our community. We look forward to working with the OneJet program in their future growth at MEM.”

11:24 AM

6.11

Dr. Andrea Miller is named as the new president of LeMoyne-Owen College, the ﬁrst woman to lead the historically black Memphis institution. Miller graduated from the college in 1976 with a degree in biology and is the 12th president in the school’s history. She will begin her duties on September 1st. “Today marks a new era in LeMoyne-Owen College’s 153-year history,” said Robert Lipscomb, chair of the board of trustees. “Dr. Miller’s qualiﬁcations match those we were seeking in the next president, and we are excited to have her join the LOC leadership team.”

6.16

Belz Enterprises sells its industrial portfolio to MDH Partners LLC of Atlanta for more than $82 million. The total

sale includes 25 properties located in Shelby Oaks, Democrat Square North, Southridge, and Meltech, and have a combined tax appraisal value of more than $85 million. Among the properties, the largest is the 460,000-square-foot building on 10.5 acres at 6400 Shelby View Drive in Shelby Oaks industrial park, valued at more than $6.7 million. Metropolitan Life Insurance Co. issued a $58 million loan to MDH Partners to ﬁnance all properties.

6.22

Ballet Memphis signs a contract to purchase the property on the northeast corner of Madison Avenue and Cooper Street in Overton Square. The parcel, once home to the long-closed French Quarter Inn and, until recently expected to be home to another boutique hotel, will instead be the headquarters of the nonproﬁt. The design from archimania calls for a mostly glass building with six studios, the largest of which will front the famed intersection. The move of the ballet adds to the growing roster of live performance venues in the Square, including Playhouse on the Square, Circuit Playhouse, Theatreworks, Hattiloo Theatre, and Lafayette’s Music Room.

6.27

Cushman & Wakefield/ Commercial Advisors is named to manage the property and handle leasing for the Crosstown Concourse development. The 1 million-square-foot, one-time Sears distribution building, in the midst of renovation on Cleveland Street, will include 65,000 square feet of retail space on the first floor, 620,000 square feet of commercial and office space on floors two through six, and 270 apartments on the upper three floors. Main tenants already include Church Health Center, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare, Memphis Teacher Residency, and Crosstown Arts.

6.30

Retail juggernaut IKEA ﬁles a $16 million building permit for its new store planned on 35 acres

at 7900 IKEA Way, on the southwest corner of Germantown Parkway and I-40 in East Memphis. The company requested, and was granted, an 11year PILOT (Payment In Lieu Of Taxes) from Shelby County and the Economic Development Growth Engine (EDGE) in January. IKEA expects to bring 1.5 million visitors to the new store and employ 175.

7.2

American Airlines announces it will add two daily nonstop flights from Memphis (MEM) to New York’s LaGuardia Airport (LGA) beginning this fall. American Airlines is now the largest carrier in Memphis in terms of flights, with 26 per day scheduled in August. The New York flights will bring that total to 28 flights per day. American Airlines will use two-class 69-seat E170 aircraft for the flights. “This decision by American Airlines will certainly enhance the traveling opportunities at the Memphis International Airport,” said Shelby County Mayor Mark H. Luttrell, Jr. “We appreciate American’s commitment to better serve our community.”

7.7

The Memphis City Council votes unanimously to move the remains of General Nathan Bedford Forrest and his wife from Health Sciences Park (formerly Forrest Park) on Union Avenue at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center campus. Historic Elmwood Cemetery, one-time home for the remains of the embattled Confederate general, has agreed to take them back with burial free of charge, yet has declined to allow the statue of Forrest and his horse.

7.9

The Orlean Co. of Beachwood, Ohio, plans to build a Cambria Suites hotel on the 3-acre lot on Union Avenue just south of AutoZone Park. Cambria Suites caters to the business traveler and will sit between the DoubleTree Hotel to the west and Lit Refrigeration and Danny Thomas Boulevard to the east. The property is owned by Engraph Inc., of Collierville, and is appraised at $1.5 million.

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$2.6 BILLION

added to the Mid-South economy.

$89 MILLION

generated in state and local taxes.

21,000+ JOBS created across our region.

Making an impact on the health of our economy. Baptist Memorial hospitals care for more than 80,000 patients in our hospitals each year. And we keep our local economies healthy as well. For 2012 our total economic impact was $2.6 billion, all part of our mission to help our communities get better with Baptist. Visit baptistimpact.info to download a full report and learn more about Baptistâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s economic impact in the Mid-South.

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Get Better. 7/8/15 7:28 AM

A R T S

PHOTOGRAPH BY CLEWISLEAKE | DREAMSTIME

T H E

Mural under an overpass on James Road.

Art for a Change • • •

B Y

E L I Z A B E T H

R O U S E

Arts organizations everywhere are experiencing a sea change regarding the type of work that they do. As audience demographics change and technology dramatically impacts entertainment, arts organizations are being forced to reformulate their identities as well as their business models. In addition to simply showcasing artistry, such as symphonies, ballets, and arts exhibitions, arts institutions today also must address ever-changing social challenges. What does this mean for a strategic grant-maker like ArtsMemphis? With the important civic and financial support of many local foundations, companies, and individuals, ArtsMemphis has expanded opportunities for the arts in Memphis with the goal of driving change, meeting the needs of our diverse community, and supporting long-term success. The ArtsMemphis Community Engagement Program, in particular, helps local arts groups create programming in collaboration with the communities they serve. The program has two major facets: 1) equipping a cadre of individuals working in arts organizations with the necessary resources to help 22 |

lead the growing national conversation on social change in the arts and 2) aiding local arts organizations to have a lasting social impact through the ArtsMemphis grant process known as Engagement Transforms Communities. For example, eight of 30 “ArtsMemphis Fellows” are participating in a six-month training program to learn how to effect change in our community through the arts. Through workshops, selected readings, educational films, and conferences led by national arts organizations, these ArtsMemphis Fellows — Crosstown Arts, Playback Memphis, UrbanArt

Commission, Stage Door Productions, Levitt Shell, Opera Memphis, Buckman Performing Arts Center, and Soulsville Foundation — are learning about the importance of cultural equity and how to drive positive community change through the arts. Most recently, the Fellows attended the Americans for the Arts Annual Convention in Chicago, where the focus was how the arts can enhance lives and how arts organizations can ensure that all communities are served by the arts. Through Engagement Transforms Communities grants, several arts organizations are now working in the Orange Mound neighborhood, creating arts efforts that work within the realm of activism and artistic achievement. Theatre Memphis and Blues City Cultural Center teamed with the Orange Mound Cultural Enrichment Center and Red Zone, while the Visible Community Music School and PRIZM Ensemble have worked with Orange Mound Outreach Ministries and Melrose High School. New Ballet Ensemble & School has continued its long-time partnership with Dunbar Elementary School. This work has resulted in neighborhood theater productions, intergenerational storytelling

events, and a parent resource center. This work also creates a lasting impact by empowering neighborhood residents to address the challenges in their community through the arts. There is an admirable increase of awareness by the corporate community of the social responsibility inherent in the arts. This important work proves that business can make a lasting social impact in our community through which everyone benefits. This effort can take the form of business partnerships with a nonprofit group and a theater ensemble, or a financial grant that is used to teach fundamental skills to artists who want to be on the front line of social change. New models are always being established to figure out what works for the betterment of all. ArtsMemphis is in a fortunate position to lead this conversation of community outreach and social responsibility on a national scale. As we look to the future, we do so knowing that our commitment to the creativity and the betterment of our community through the world of arts will help bring about the positive change we seek. Elizabeth Rouse is president and CEO of ArtsMemphis. To learn more about its programs, please visit artsmemphis.org.

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PHOTOGRAPH BY AMERICANSPIRIT | DREAMSTIME

S P O R T S

AutoZone Park

Runs, hits, and profits? • • •

B Y

F R A N K

M U R TA U G H

Fifteen years after its grand opening, AutoZone Park remains a standard of its own for minor-league baseball. Earlier this year, Baseball America ranked the home of the Memphis Redbirds second only to BB&T Ballpark in Charlotte among all minor-league facilities in the country. If only comfort, luxury, and sightlines ensured profitability. At a cost of $72 million to build, AutoZone Park opened with a debt load no previous minor-league stadium had ever faced. (Other stadiums built at

TODAY, AUTOZONE PARK IS OPERATED UNDER A PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN THE CITY OF MEMPHIS AND ST. LOUIS CARDINALS (THE REDBIRDS’ MAJOR-LEAGUE PARENT CLUB) the time cost less than half as much.) Today, the stadium is operated under a partnership between the City of Memphis and St. Louis Cardinals (the Redbirds’ major-league parent

club). The ballpark underwent significant renovations before the 2015 season opened: a reduction in the number of seats and luxury suites, a pair of new clubs on the second level, and two grassy bluffs adjacent to each foul pole. All in the interest of closing the gap between the stadium’s supply (viewing areas) and its demand (attending fans). I recently asked Redbirds general manager Craig Unger about the business of baseball at Third Street and Union Avenue. HOW MANY REVENUE STREAMS ARE THERE AT AUTOZONE PARK? The three main revenue streams are ticket sales, sponsorships, and concessions/ merchandise. It all starts with ticket sales. We are building a fourth, which we call Special Events: meetings, wed-

dings, parties, events on non-game days at AutoZone Park. We had these events in mind when we designed the changes to the club level. IS THERE A CROWD SIZE THAT CAN BE MEASURED AS PROFITABLE? WHAT ARE THE VARIABLES FOR MEASURING PROFITS? There is not a minimum number of tickets sold that equals a successful night. Having a night with 8,000 in the park is better than a night with 2,500, but we adjust the number of ballpark staff based on projected attendance. Rain occurring close to game time may result in a large number of people deciding not to come to the game and that has a trickle-down effect on concessions and merchandise. Game times are also a factor. We’re looking into the possibility of moving game times up from 7:05 p.m. to 6:35 p.m. or even 6:05 p.m. on weeknights when school is in session. WHAT’S THE MOST EXPENSIVE ELEMENT TO RUNNING A BALLPARK? Game-day staffing is our largest investment to execute games. We have more than 100 part-time/seasonal workers on the game-day staff, which does not include concessions and full-time Redbirds staff. It takes a small army to provide a great guest experience and each person has a very specific role. Every game is someone’s first game, and we have to meet or exceed their expectations no matter the night of the week or the size of the crowd.

WHAT IS THE VALUE OF A PROMOTION, BE IT A SPONSOR’S ($1 HOT DOG NIGHT) OR A THEME (STAR WARS NIGHT)? Saturday Fireworks Nights are designed to have mass appeal and drive large numbers of guests to the ballpark. Theme nights — like Star Wars Night — are designed to target a much narrower demographic. We will utilize mass media for the broad-appeal promotions, but will look to strategic outlets and partnerships to drive theme nights. With all promotions, our goal is to make coming to a Redbirds game a destination, tied to a speciﬁc date and time. CONSIDERING THE OPERATIONAL COSTS OF A STADIUM THE SIZE OF AUTOZONE PARK, CAN REDBIRDS BASEBALL BE A PROFITABLE VENTURE? Absolutely. Because of the quality of the design and construction of the ballpark, when we were planning the renovations [last winter], we were able to focus on ways to enhance the ballpark and the guest experience. We’re ﬁnding new ways to utilize AutoZone Park (including the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure this fall), build new promotions and theme nights, and engage new strategic partners. There will be some growing pains along the way, but the Cardinals have a long-term vision for success for the Redbirds and AutoZone Park. • Frank Murtaugh is managing editor of inside memphis business and memphis, and a lifelong sports fan.

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H E A L T H C A R E

HERE ARE SIMPLE SUGGESTIONS EVERY BUSINESS, LARGE OR SMALL, CAN IMPLEMENT TO BEGIN REDUCING COSTS AND BENEFIT FROM HEALTHIER, MORE PRODUCTIVE EMPLOYEES. 1. Make your business smoke free with no exceptions on the property. Point employees who smoke toward cessation programs and alleviate the expense. 2. If you have vending machines, offer healthy choices rather than the standard high-fat, high-sugar candy fare. 3. Develop incentives to address obesity and weight management, such as a financial reward for an obese person who loses 10 percent of body weight in a year. Lower costs for that employee’s healthcare will make the short-term expense worthwhile. 4. Encourage employees to avoid hospital emergency departments except in the case of a true emergency. Many people treat even a minor health issue as an emergency in the moment, which is an expensive habit. Something as simple as a list of urgent care facilities can redirect employees to less costly levels of care, especially if the health insurance plan requires a substantially lower copay compared to the emergency department. Make sure the list includes locations for after-hours care. 5. Admit that people in your company have substance abuse disorders. Even if you are a church or a medical facility, one or more of your employees likely has a problem with alcohol or drugs. Every business should take this pervasive problem seriously, educate staff on where to get help, and allocate resources to help employees get back to work as soon as possible.

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Businesses all over the country wail about increasing costs of health insurance. Everyone is looking for someone to blame. As Shakespeare wrote, “The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars but in ourselves.” For too long, we have regarded healthcare as a measurement of how easily individuals have access to medical technology to fix what breaks. That has proven to be financially unsustainable — and doesn’t make people healthier. Instead, the payoff for businesses and individuals will come in interrupting a cycle that leads to expensive care. Our bodies require a lifetime of looking after. If we ignore the maintenance, there is no guarantee the mechanic can fix the problem later. What would our healthcare costs 24 |

look like if we spent as much on developing true prevention and wellness programs as we do on pharmaceutical and medical device research? Health insurance companies are reluctant to pay for gym memberships, nutrition programs, or health coaches because the expense will not be recouped in the

7. Talk about the end of life and help employees have difficult conversations with their families to make a plan for handling end-of-life decisions. Without a plan, most likely family members will say, “Do more.” The easiest choice for the doctors will be to do more at great financial cost, even though the chance for recovery or cure is negligible. An inexpensive tool such as “Five Wishes” will help individuals set parameters for end-of-life decisions before the crisis comes.

next 12 months. Yet strategies for helping employees develop healthy habits now will pay long-term dividends. The Memphis Business Group on Health works together to influence local healthcare services and helps businesses tailor programs and develop solutions that support health. No business is too small to shift the conversation from technology to prevention. •

Dr. Scott Morris is the founder and CEO of the Church Health Center, whose ministries provide healthcare for the working uninsured and promote healthy bodies and spirits for all. Dr. Morris is also the associate minister at St. John’s United Methodist Church. For more information about the Church Health Center, call 901-272-7170 or visit churchhealthcenter.org.

PHOTOGRAPH BY PRUDKOV | DREAMSTIME

Businesses can shift healthcare toward well-being

6. Recognize that people in your organization are depressed. A depressed employee is a poor worker who also misses work and overuses the healthcare system. People may be depressed because of specific circumstances or because of a long-term depressive condition. Business leaders do not have to get into employees’ personal matters in order to learn to recognize the signs of depression and offer options about where to get help.

INSIDE MEMPHIS BUSINESS.COM | AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2015

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E D U C A T I O N

Peer Power’s Memphis Model

PHOTOGRAPH BY MONKEYBUSINESSIMAGES | DREAMSTIME

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In many impoverished areas, our teachers find themselves having to raise, not just to educate, our kids. Single working parents — or simply “broken” homes — often fail to provide the attention necessary to instill the key intangible values such as self-discipline, respect for others, and work ethic, which are the cornerstones of our civilization. Furthermore, these children come into high school with everything from a third-grade to an eighth-grade education. Under these conditions, little good will happen until we have discipline, motivation, and the ability to teach each student on the basis of his or her own academic background. In response, the private nonprofit Peer Power, founded in 2004, was designed to collapse the student-to-teacher ratio within a surrogate family environment.

As a pilot program, the Peer Power/Memphis Model, a collaboration of Shelby County Schools and the University of Memphis, will initially hire and train university students to provide 1,000 hours per week of professional tutoring divided between East High School and Whitehaven High School. It will be activated for the upcoming 2015-2016 school year. Our Success Coaches will be carefully selected as qualified to teach academics as well as character traits, i.e. to function as surrogate parents. Three coaches will be deployed per classroom, each leading a group of 10 students, and these groups

will then compete for real rewards. Peer Power participants learn to respect each other, help one another, get organized, and then compete as teams. In more general terms, our groups tend to evolve to become “functional social units.” Here we have the magic formula for Peer Power’s impressive success over the last decade: A functional social unit led by a surrogate parent, or a surrogate family unit. At the same time, we have collapsed the student-to-teacher ratio from approximately 30:1 to 7:1. In partnership with the U of M, the Peer Power/ Memphis Model will also dramatically expand its professional tutoring operations within the University. What we began in the Fogelman College of Business and Economics will now move, on a larger scale, into the College of Arts & Sciences. Next, Provost Karen Weddle-West plans to grow our programs throughout the University at large. The Peer Power/Memphis Model is conceived to allow sweeping, large-scale operations throughout the entire 117,000-student Shelby County School district. Our system multiplies the teaching power of our better faculty through teaching assistants in large public schools rather than concentrating their efforts in special schools with limited student bodies. Furthermore, the Peer Power/ Memphis Model is replicable, given proper leadership. There may be another way to achieve our core objectives of discipline, motivation, and teaching according to individual needs, but after a decade of extraordinary results, Peer Power executive director Bill Sehnert and I doubt that anyone can match our system. That is why we call Peer Power “a better way to learn.” • Charlie McVean is the founder of McVean Trading & Investments and Peer Power, and a 1961 graduate of East High School.

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Lyman Aldrich, a founder of Memphis In May, was also part of a group who created the Barret School of Banking.

The Barret School of Banking • • •

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If you’ve sampled slow smoked pork at the World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest or attended the Beale Street Music Festival, then you’ve experienced the vision of Lyman Aldrich, one of a handful of civicminded leaders who created Memphis in May back in 1976. What you may not know is that a few years prior, Aldrich was part of a group of local bankers and educators who created another organization that, much like MIM, is unique to our city, yet experienced by people across the country. In 1972, Aldrich and bankers Mott Jones, Ron Samuels, Jerry Schroppel, and Arnold Taylor, along with University of Memphis professors Peter Freund and Herbert Markle, established what is now known as the Barret School of Banking (BSB). Back then, the school was called the Memphis School of Banking and was focused on offering continuing education to banks in the region. But in short order, the not-for-profit school was incorporated and the name changed to the Mid-South School of Banking, reflecting its expansion. For the next 20 years, the school grew under Dr. M.E. Bond, who served as part-time director and full-time professor 26 |

of finance at the University of Memphis. But Bond’s retirement and a large endowment would set the school on a new path that would change its name, leadership, and influence across the country. In 2001, the estate of local banker Paul W. Barret Jr. granted the school $8 million dollars, making it the country’s most highly endowed banking school. This allowed the board to hire a full-time director with the ability to set out in a new direction. BSB was moved to Christian Brothers University and the name was changed to better reflect the generosity of the funder and its new emphasis on becoming a national provider of banking education. In the last 15 years, BSB 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. BSB offers a three-year, graduate-level banking school for financial industry professionals. It consists of once-per-year residency sessions and home study assignments. In the past decade, the school has created career-track programs offered annually in Commercial Lending, Bank Technology, HR Management, Bank Profitability, Regulatory Compliance, and Senior Management-related topics.

IN 2001, THE ESTATE OF LOCAL BANKER PAUL W. BARRET JR. GRANTED THE SCHOOL $8 MILLION, MAKING IT THE COUNTRY’S MOST HIGHLY ENDOWED BANKING SCHOOL. The school is governed by a Board of Regents, which includes industry executives from 11 states and Washington, D.C. They serve voluntarily, as a commitment to provide participants with a robust understanding of

PHOTOGRAPH BY LARRY KUZNIEWSKI

B A N K I N G

major functions performed in financial institutions today. Locally, BSB is affiliated with the Fed, OCC, FDIC, and the regional Risk Management Association chapter, providing programming for banks in the region. BSB also collaborates with CBU to offer our graduate program alums credit in the MBA program there. BSB is presently working with the university to launch a concentration in banking providing undergraduates a program of study that may lead to a career in the industry. Beyond the Memphis area, the school is aligned with community banking associations in Arkansas, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Missouri, Ohio, West Virginia, and most recently, the Independent Community Bankers of America. These organizations represent the interests of the industry through effective advocacy, high quality education, products, and services. From the humble beginnings, to the new national influence, BSB is ready to build on its 44 years of success and help lead the industry from Memphis and beyond. Chris Kelley is executive director and president of the Barret School of Banking. To learn more about the school, please visit barret.ws.

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PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY AB JETS

A V I A T I O N

One of eight aircraft in AB Jetsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; fleet.

Business Aviation Can Save Companies Time and Money â&#x20AC;˘ â&#x20AC;˘ â&#x20AC;˘

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Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve all been there at one time or another. There, at the back of a line of other passengers waiting to take off our shoes, our belts, open our bags, and unload our pockets. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve all been handed the crushing news that our flight would be delayed, that weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll miss a connection. For many, these inconveniences mean less time at the airport bar or a delayed start to a vacation. But for others, for those on business who need to be at a meeting or sign off on a deal, that lost time can mean lost money. When Delta de-hubbed Memphis International Airport in 2013, we saw the number of flights drop dramatically by almost 75 percent. Since that time, the Memphis-Shelby County Airport Authority has worked tirelessly to raise that number, doing so mainly with smaller, regional jet service. Still, the time required to fly from Memphis to almost anywhere has grown. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a phenomenon not unique to us, but an industry-wide situation, and businesses are taking notice. This magazine

cited in a story for our February 2015 issue the fate of Cincinnati when Chiquita Brands International moved its headquarters from that city to Charlotte after Delta cut its flights â&#x20AC;&#x153;from over 600 flights daily in 2005 to 180 today.â&#x20AC;? Though no major corporation has fled Memphis based solely on lack of flights available, the chance is always there. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the sort of environment that makes growth in another industry â&#x20AC;&#x201D; general aviation â&#x20AC;&#x201D; all the more fertile. Flying directly from Point A to Point B based on where a client needs to be and when reduces any guesswork in arrival and departure times. Business aviation, a subset of general aviation defined as those aircraft used solely for business purposes, â&#x20AC;&#x153;serves 10 times the number of U.S.

airports (more than 5,000) served by commercial airlines (about 500),â&#x20AC;? according to the National Aviation Business Associationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Business Aviation Fact Book. Founded and based in Memphis in 1999 by Andrew Bettis, AB Jets is an aircraft charter company working with businesses and individuals with specific travel needs that may not adhere to the airlinesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; availability or schedule. They also handle aircraft management for those with their own aircraft who want a professional flight department to handle details such as pilotsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; training and compliance with FAA regulations. Begun with only one aircraft, the company today owns eight.

BUSINESS AVIATION SERVES 10 TIMES THE NUMBER OF U.S. AIRPORTS SERVED BY COMMERCIAL AIRLINES. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We like to maintain a steady rate of growth without growing too fast, and maintaining a high level of quality control and customer satisfaction; a nice metered growth helps us achieve that,â&#x20AC;? says David Turner, co-owner and director of operations for AB Jets. If time is money, then Turnerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s company is ultimately about

saving some of both for their clients, largely from the greater Memphis area. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The earnings of top executives are quite valuable to their company,â&#x20AC;? he says, â&#x20AC;&#x153;so you could put pen to paper and determine what each personâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s time is worth on an hourly basis. You put two, three, or four executives on a flight and the meterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s running pretty quickly. If you had to fly Delta or some other airline, and had to go through a connecting city, then the chance of having to put them in a hotel overnight, get cars and meals, then wait on the return flight the next day can become a long trip. If your meeting runs late, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re going to wait for you. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s all custom, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re the only client that weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re serving on that particular flight.â&#x20AC;? These arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t all Fortune 500 companies flying business aviation either. The NBAA notes that 59 percent of companies operating business aircraft have fewer than 500 employees, and seven in 10 have fewer than 1,000 employees. For reasons of time, efficiency, privacy, and safety, many in the business world are opting for direct flights on their own timeline. â&#x20AC;&#x153;You can show up just a matter of minutes before your flight, board, and fly direct to your destination,â&#x20AC;? Turner says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;That really has a lot of value for our clients.â&#x20AC;?

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P L A Y E R S

Architects & Engineers

Every day we rely upon engineers in incalculable ways — or at least in ways incalculable to us but certainly not to these experts. Our bridges, electrical systems, homes, and cars are the products of expert engineering; just ask any of the POWER PLAYERS on this list. Civil engineers are at the vanguard of civilization’s material existence — the tip of the spear of humanity’s desire to overcome a stubborn natural world. Poets and philosophers have meditated on what makes architecture sing to the soul. Le Corbusier said, “Architecture is the learned game, correct and magnificent, of forms assembled in the light.” We’re fortunate to have these architects as POWER PLAYERS who have mastered this city-enhancing art form. Their creations range from schools to hospitals, banks to municipal buildings, corporate centers to greenspace. LEE ASKEW III Partner and Founder, ANF Architects. Master of Architecture, Tulane University. Offers master planning, site evaluation, sustainable design, architectural design, construction management, and interior design. Projects include Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, University of Memphis School of Law, Levitt Shell, Trezevant Manor, FedEx Hub, and Pink Palace Museum. Fellow, American Institute of Architects, Silver Beaver award Boy Scouts of America, Francis Gassner Award, AIA Memphis, and Ira Samelson Award, Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Memphis. MARK W. ASKEW President, A2H, Inc. (formerly Askew, Hargraves, Harcourt & Associates). B.S., Civil Engineering, University of Memphis. Registered Professional Engineer in 20 states. Chairman of the Board, Bartlett Area Chamber of 28 |

Commerce, 2014-2015. Member, Advisory Board, Herff College of Engineering, University of Memphis, and named 2012 Outstanding Alumni. Named 2012 Outstanding Engineer of the Year, Tennessee Society of Professional Engineers. Finalist, 2013 Inside Memphis Business CEO of the Year Awards. STEPHEN C. BERGER Managing Principal, brg3s architects. Bachelor of Architecture, University of TennesseeKnoxville; B.A., Psychology, Rhodes College. Local clients and projects include Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Youth Villages, Salvation Army Kroc Center, Shelby County Forensic Center, Bounty on Broad, and the Memphis Slim Collaboratory. Member and Past President, Memphis Chapter, American Institute of Architects.

PHOTOGRAPH BY RAWPIXELIMAGES | DREAMSTIME

P O W E R

L. KIRKPATRICK BOBO Founding Principal and Co-CEO, Hnedak Bobo Group, Inc. Specializes in architecture, interior design, and master planning. Specialty areas include hospitality, adaptive re-use design for existing/historic buildings, and corporate ofﬁces. Clients include International Paper, FedEx, Boyle Investment Company, The University of Tennessee Health Science Center, and SunTrust. Member, College of Fellows, American Institute of Architects. Past President, AIA Memphis. Past Chairman, Methodist Healthcare Foundation, Past Chairman, New Memphis Institute, Past President, Lambda Alpha International-Memphis Chapter. General partner, Westin Memphis Beale Street Hotel. RICHARD C. BURSI President and CEO, OGCB, Inc. Mechanical and Electrical Consulting Engineers. B.S., Mechanical Engineering, University of Memphis. Associate Member, Tennessee Architectural and Engineering Board of Examiners. Member, Tennessee Society of Professional Engineers. Member and Interpro Committee, American Council of Engineering Companies of Tennessee. Past Funded Member, ARCOM MasterSpec Engineering Review Committee. Member, Executive Board, Memphis Italian Festival. Past Member, Board of Trustees, St. Agnes Academy-St. Dominic School.

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JAMES F. COLLINS Principal, Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc. B.S., Civil Engineering, University of Memphis. Specializes in transportation planning, traffic engineering, and sustainable design. Projects include Environmental Impact Statement for a new multimodal bridge over the Mississippi River, design of Elvis Presley Boulevard improvements, industrial warehouses, I-240/Airways interchange, Memphis/ Shelby County traffic signal coordination, and redesign of Saddle Creek South. 2010 ACEC Featured Engineer. TSPE Memphis Chapter Outstanding Engineer of the Year 2015. PHILLIP G. COOP Chairman and Co-Founder, EnSafe, Inc. A.B. degree, Harvard University. CoFounded EnSafe in 1980. With headquarters in Memphis and offices throughout the U.S., the company provides environmental consulting and engineering, industry safety and hygiene consulting, and geographic information services. Member, White House Advisory Panel on Sustainability. Charter Member, Hazardous Materials Control Institute. Recipient, Herff Honor Award for Distinguished Service in Engineering. Elected into The Society of Entrepreneurs in 2011. DIANNE DIXON Founding Partner, Clark/Dixon Associates, Architects. Projects include SCSO Firing Range, Cancer Survivors Park, Raymond Skinner Center for the Disabled, and the library at the National Ornamental Metal Museum. Recipient, AIA Memphis Merit Award and Award of Excellence, AIA Tennessee. Founding Board Member and architect, Memphis Farmers Market. Founder and Board Member, Riverfront Development Corporation. First woman President, Construction Specifications Institute of Memphis. President of the National Association of Women Business Owners. MARK GREY Associate Vice President of Business Development, South, Buchart Horn, Inc. M.B.A., University of Memphis. Company offers full architectural and engineering services pertaining to transportation, environmental, and facilities. Projects include I-40/240 interchange, I-69 segment design near Millington, Memphis Main-toMain Trails Project, and DEMO project helping the city remove eyesore properties in town. Member, Society for Marketing Professional Service and American Public Works Association, Tennessee Chapter.

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.

JOSEPH HAGAN Principal and Co-Founder, Architecture, Incorporated. Master of Architecture, Tulane University. Clients include University Place, East High School renovation, Legends Park, W.C. Handy Performing Arts Park, Memphis in May headquarters, and 100 North Main, LLC. Member, AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2015 | INSIDE MEMPHIS BUSINESS.COM |

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American Institute of Architects. Board Member, Southern Hot Wings Festival. President, Kiwanis Club of Memphis. Board President, Memphis Heritage. Board Member, Orion Federal Credit Union. REB HAIZLIP Principal, Haizlip Studio. Master of Architecture, Tulane. Firm specializes in education, museums, and nonproﬁts. Projects include University of Memphis Student Center, Dixon Gallery & Gardens, Children’s Museum of Memphis, Danny Thomas/ALSAC Pavilion, and Rock ’n’ Soul Museum. Board member, Tulane School of Architecture. Board Member, AIA Tennessee. Trustee, Aydelott Education Fund. Member, AIA Memphis, American Museum Association, Association of Children’s Museums, and Association of Science and Technology Centers.

THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE HOME We Get That! Whether your needs call for home care, respite care, help following surgery, non-medical assistance, companion care, part-time, or full-time care at home, Eagle Staffing is here to assist you. We are committed to offering seniors and others in need the home-care assistance they require to remain in their homes or assisted living residences, while also giving family members and caregivers a respite. Your loved one can maintain his or her routine in familiar surroundings, and you can follow your schedule with cherished peace of mind.

Experience the homegrown homecare difference! With over a decade of experience EagleCare was started right here in Memphis.

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TOM MCCONNELL Principal/Lead Architect, Pickering Firm, Inc. Bachelor of Architecture, University of Tennessee-Knoxville. Full service architectural/engineering ﬁrm specializing in industrial and heavy engineering projects. These include FedEx Ground sort hubs, Riviana Rice processing facility, Smith & Nephew, and Kroger stores. Current local projects include Nike-Northridge expansion, Wright Medical headquarters, Kroger-Union Avenue, and Memphis Union Mission. Member, American Institute of Architects and National Fire Protection Association. NISHA POWERS President, Powers Hill Design, LLC. B.S., Civil Engineering, UT-Knoxville. Appointed by Governor Haslam as Chairwoman of Tennessee Aeronautics Commission. Women’s Foundation Board, Visible Music College Advisory Board. Projects include Main-to-Main multimodal connector, Overton Square garage detention basin, and Elvis Presley Boulevard road improvements. “Super Woman in Business” and “Top 40 Under 40,” Memphis Business Journal. Recipient, Ruby R. Wharton Outstanding Community Service Award. FRANK RICKS Founding Principal, Looney Ricks Kiss/LRK. Graduate, University of Memphis. Firm nationally recognized for sustainable community planning, urban design, residential, ofﬁce, retail, and mixed-use projects. These include Sears Crosstown, Overton Square, Chisca Hotel, FedExFamilyHouse, AutoZone Park, Stax Museum, Old Dominick Distillery, Soulsville Charter School, and Tennessee Brewery. Chairman, Memphis Chamber Chairman’s Circle LRP Committee. Board Member, MRDC, New Memphis Institute, and Tennessee Parks and Greenways Foundation. STEWART A. SMITH Project Manager and Senior Architect, A2H, Inc. Master of Architecture, Virginia Polytechnical Institute. Bachelor of Architecture, Kansas State University. Company specializes in architecture, interior design, planning, surveying, and

INSIDE MEMPHIS BUSINESS.COM | AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2015

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engineering. Clients include Baptist Memorial Health Care Corporation, Memphis Health Center, Germantown Municipal School District, CBRE Memphis, Lakeland School System, and Bethel University. Member, American Institute of Architects. Evidence-based Design Accreditation and Certiﬁcation. U.S. Green Building Council LEED Accredited Professional. National Council of Architectural Registration Boards Certiﬁed Professional. MICHAEL TERRY Principal Owner, the Renaissance Group Architecture and Engineering. Bachelor of Applied Science in Engineering Technology, University of Memphis. Firm offers architecture, interior design, landscape architecture, civil engineering, and electrical engineering design services. Clients include FedEx, the City of Memphis, and Shelby County Schools. Member, American Institute of Architects, the Bartlett Chamber of Commerce, and the Bartlett Design Review Commission.

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JAMES H. TOLES Principal, Toles & Associates, Inc. Established company in 1987. B.S., Civil Engineering, University of Memphis. Former Structural Technician and Structural Design Engineer, Pickering. Former Project Manager and Administrator, MLGW. Former Project Manager, FedEx. Registered Professional Engineer in many states. Member, Consulting Engineers of Tennessee, Society of American Military Engineers, and Memphis and Shelby County Land Use Control Board. CHRIS TRIPLETT Manager, Memphis Ofﬁce, and Vice President, Barge, Waggoner, Sumner, and Cannon. B.S., Civil Engineering, University of Memphis. Project Management Professional, Professional Engineer, and Certiﬁed Professional in Erosion and Sediment Control. Recipient, 2011 Dan B. Barge Jr. Award. Liscomb University Leadership Program and Leadership Memphis Graduate. Member, Bartlett Design Review Committee, Memphis Kiwanis Club. Projects include Heritage Landing Hope VI, Big Creek Drainage Study, Collierville Lateral I Bank, Bartlett Fletcher Creek and Germantown Laterals D & E Bank Stabilization projects. Design Review Commission.

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JIMMIE TUCKER Managing Principal, Self + Tucker Architects. Bachelor’s, Architecture and Urban Planning, Princeton; Master’s, Architecture, Washington University, St. Louis. Recent projects include Cleaborn Pointe at Heritage Landing, Hattiloo Theatre, Memphis Business Academy, and National Civil Rights Museum. President, Memphis Chapter, National Organization of Minority Architects. Trustee, Memphis Regional Design Center, New Memphis AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2015 | INSIDE MEMPHIS BUSINESS.COM |

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Institute, and United Housing Inc. Adjunct Professor, Architecture, University of Memphis.

Structural & Seismic Engineering

Building Systems Engineering

Site Planning & Development

Infrastructure Engineering

Transportation Engineering

Learn more by visiting A2H.com

REAL PEOPLE REAL NEEDS REAL SOLUTIONS Visit mifa.org to volunteer.

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PHOTOGRAPH BY RAWPIXELIMAGES | DREAMSTIME

Architecture & Interior Design

CHRIS L. WOODS President, Chris Woods Construction Co., Inc. Clients and projects include Main Event Entertainment, Bayer CropScience, Tennessee Air National Guard, Memphis Land Bank, FedEx, Memphis-Shelby County Airport Authority, National Cotton Council, Bumpus Harley-Davidson, MGM Resorts International, ExxonMobil Pipeline Company, First Baptist Church, Enterprise Holdings, and Allure Bridals. Recipient, multiple Excellence in Construction Awards, Associated Builders and Contractors. Member of ABC, American Institute of Architects, and U.S. Green Building Council.

J. WESLEY WOOLDRIDGE Civil Department Manager, Renaissance Group, Inc. B.S., Mississippi State. Professional Civil Engineer. Certified Arborist. Specializes in site planning and engineering, as well as state and municipal permit compliance. Clients include Shelby County Schools, Lakeland School System, FedEx, MPD, and Vita Property Management Group. Involved in multi-family, hotels, assisted living, and small lot infill urban development. Current work includes site planning and civil engineering for a new Collierville school. BARRY ALAN YOAKUM Principal, archimania. Educated at University of Tennessee-Knoxville. Firm offers architecture, interior design, planning, and strategic visioning. Projects include Mercedes-Benz, Live at the Garden, Visible Music College, Central Animal Hospital, Conservation Hall at Tennessee Governor’s Mansion, Hattiloo Theatre, Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare, and Regional One. Yoakum and firm have been recognized by AIArchitect, Architectural Record, Architecture, Architecture Week, Dwell magazine, and others. Fellow, American Institute of Architects.

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What is it going to take for me to get you into this article today? We’ve all had our experiences with the pushy ones, those who won’t take no for an answer even though it’s clearly not the car, the house, the deal you want. What happens to these bumptious salespeople? They soon find their way off the showroom floor. But the true professionals find success time and again. You know them, too. They’re the ones who listen, who check up on you after a sale, who recall your tastes and desires even after you leave the store or lot. Most importantly, they’re the people you suggest to friends and family. The Best Sellers — those men and women who marry product knowledge with sound customer service — are who we focus on in the following pages. We find out what they peddle, how they got to where they are, and, to let you all in on their secret: how to succeed in the sales profession. • • •

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Company: CORKY’S RIBS & BBQ AND PRIMETIME STRATEGIC PARTNERS Address: 5255 Poplar Avenue and 3032 Fleetbrook Website: corkysbbq.com and primetimestrategicpartners.com Phone: 901-830-8655 Services/products provided by company: QVC Shopping Channel brand

development and full-service frozen fulﬁllment direct to customer. How long with the company: 21 years Work background: I started with Corky’s in my early 20s in the drive-thru and

waiting tables, became manager, and then general manager (a position I still hold). Fifteen years ago I was fortunate enough to be given the opportunity by Barry Pelts (co-owner of Corky’s) to go to QVC for a presentation of Corky’s ribs shipped directly from Memphis to customers all over the country. It was the first time I had ever seen QVC other than flipping through the channels at home and I was instantly fascinated by their business model. I watched and modeled my career after the other successful vendors, and quickly built Corky’s into one of the most successful food brands at QVC with the help of the entire Corky’s team. Greatest career challenge: Not being able to spend enough personal time with my employees due to my travel schedule. I feel a big responsibility to them. Greatest career reward: Helping to make others successful and being able to give back — two of the best feelings in the world. Family: Wife, Lucy (married for 18 years). Daughter, 15; and son, 9. Hobbies: Boating and traveling with friends and family. What makes a top sales professional: Dedication to building lasting relationships with customers using integrity and personal accountability, listening to all points of views, and truly getting an understanding of what your customers needs are and not just what you are trying to sell. Advice to anyone starting in the profession: Never put money first, always take responsibility, focus on building relationships, and treat each customer as if they are your only one.

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Company: CRYE-LEIKE REALTORS Address: 1715 Union Avenue Website: thelottteam.com Phone: 901-461-4869 Services/products provided by company: Helping people realize the

American dream of home ownership. How long with the company: 3.5 years Work background: I’ve been a Realtor since 1986. Prior to that, I waited

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tables, tended bar, hosted, managed, and opened new restaurants. I believe everyone should interact with the public, in some form or fashion, as training to work in sales. Greatest career challenge: Helping real estate agents across Tennessee realize the importance of the Realtor’s Political Action Committee (RPAC). Realtors do more than sell homes, they protect the consumers’ ability to purchase homes. Greatest career reward: Serving as the Memphis Area Association of Realtors’ President in 2012, and being awarded the prestigious Memphis Area Association of Realtors’ Realtor of the Year award in 2013. Family: I have a beautiful daughter, Amanda, who is also my business partner. She is married to the best son-in-law ever, Kyle, and they have the most adorable little girl on the planet, Cameron Ann. Hobbies: I’m a gym rat. I Crossfit at Crossfit Hit and Run, downtown. I have run four half-marathons. I also love to ride my bike and I have a green thumb. What makes a top sales professional: Listening. I also believe in WOWing customers by under-promising and over-delivering. Another key component for success is expediency. If a customer requests information on anything, the faster the acknowledgment the better. Advice to anyone starting in the profession: Realize that you are starting your own business. There is no vacation time, no sick days, and no benefits. You will not get paid unless you sell a home, period. The sky is the limit as to how much money you can make, and that amount of money is directly related to how much time you put into your business.

INSIDE MEMPHIS BUSINESS.COM | AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2015

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Company: OAK HALL Address: 6150 Poplar Avenue, suite 146 Website: oakhall.com Phone: 901-761-3580 Services/products provided by company: Men’s and women’s clothing

and shoes since 1859. How long with the company: 15 years, although right after college I took

about a year off and explored another type of sales. It turned out not to be for me; Oak Hall was a better fit. Work background: Oak Hall has been my primary home, although I did have an internship with Ralph Lauren in New York during college. Greatest career challenge: This is true for all sales, but trying to find new ways to attract new clients and keep the ones that you already have. Greatest career reward: Working for such an amazing family business, enjoying the folks you work with, and above all else, pleasing my customers. My boss will kill me for saying this, but I am really in the customer service business and just happen to sell a few clothes on the side. Family: I have a small but close family here in town (mom, sister, uncle, aunt, grandfather). I do have a nephew on the way which I am excited about, and a goddaughter that keeps me very busy but happy. I can’t forget my own son, a Labrador named Henry. Hobbies: I love cooking, drinking wine, entertaining, traveling as much as I can, and being on the lake. What makes a top sales professional: You have to truly love your job and believe in what you are selling or clients can tell, and that is not conducive to growing your business. The phrase “the customer is always right” might or might not be true, but in our store the customer is always right and “no” does not exist. Advice to anyone starting in the profession: In any type of sales patience is a huge virtue and it could take years to build a book. Things might be hard at first but if you work hard and stay active in the community, things usually get better.

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Company: LANDERS FORD Address: 2082 West Poplar Avenue Website: landersmemphis.com Phone: 901-854-3673 Services/products provided by company: Auto sales — Ford

cars and trucks. How long with the company: 15 years Work background: I began working in the restaurant business and man-

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aged fast food restaurants. Since beginning in the auto sales industry with Dobbs Ford almost 30 years ago, I have worked in sales, as a finance manager, and as the used car sales manager. Now in sales with Landers, being on the lot is what I enjoy the most, helping people find the vehicle that meets their needs and not just selling to sell something. Greatest career challenge: Working in management. I’ve worked in primary and secondary finance manager, as used car manager, and sales manager. Greatest career reward: When a customer refers a friend or family member to me. Also, I have been fortunate as a longtime golf enthusiast to play on behalf of Landers Ford in the FedEx St. Jude ProAm in 2011 alongside Patrick Reed when he first turned professional, and this past year’s tournament with NBA sports veteran and announcer Brevin Knight. Family: My wife and I have been married for 32 years with one son, Darryle. I am also one of 18 children. Hobbies: Golf What makes a top sales professional: Always listen to what it is the customer wants. When you do that, people tend to come back to you and send their friends and family to you. Advice to anyone starting in the profession: You must always listen to the customers and treat them how you would like to be treated.

AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2015 | INSIDE MEMPHIS BUSINESS.COM |

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Company: TRIUMPH MORTGAGE Address: 5384 Poplar Avenue, suite 201 Website: triumphmortgage.com Phone: 901-746-5303 Services/products provided by company: Mortgage loans How long with the company: 5 years Work background: I started my banking career as a teller when I was 18 years

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old. I was promoted through the Retail Banking system to Customer Service Rep, Assistant Manager, and Branch Manager. I moved into Mortgage Banking in 1993, and was with First Tennessee Bank for 25 years. Greatest career challenge: Promoting myself to generate home loan referrals. I have an extremely above-average ability to take my client from mortgage application to closing with less stress than many of my competitors. I am not scared to ask for the documents that I know I will need and therefore I’m able to better prepare the client for what it takes to get a mortgage loan. The challenge comes in being able to promote my experience and knowledge to generate new mortgage referral sources based on that “promise.” Greatest career reward: I love nothing more than when I receive a call to say, “I was told to call you and no one else but you for my mortgage loan; I heard you will be my ‘lender for life.’” Family: Married to Frank for 35 years, three grown sons, and a 4-year-old grandson. Hobbies: Spending all the time that I can with my grandson, spending time at Pickwick Lake with friends and my family, boating, attending Grizzlies and Memphis Tiger football games. What makes a top sales professional: The ability to sell the products that you have and knowing those products inside and out, along with the desire to help each client meet their ﬁnancial goals. Advice to anyone starting in the profession: Never trade your integrity and honesty for an extra dollar. In the end, it’s your name that you are selling each and every day, regardless of what company you work for.

Company: WEST TENNESSEE CROWN DISTRIBUTORS Address: 7625 Appling Center Drive Website: wtncrown.com Phone: 901-497-9679 Services/products provided by company: Liquor, wine, and non-al-

coholic products. How long with the company: 29 years with Southwestern Wine and

Liquors and two with West Tennessee Crown, the company that bought us and merged us with United Liquors. Work background: 31 years in sales with the wine and liquor industry, and eight years in sales with McKesson Chemical Company. Greatest career challenge: To gain the conﬁdence and trust of your customer so that when they have a need or problem you are the one they call. To build and maintain a strong relationship with your customers. Also to learn as much about my products as I can and to convey that knowledge to others. I have traveled to many wine regions around the world and the U.S. gaining insight wherever I go. Greatest career reward: The relationship with the Naval Base at Millington that became one of my strongest. We were not servicing them and I made a cold call on the account one day, several years later they became the 2nd-largest account in our company. Family: Single. Hobbies: Golf, cooking, and watching University of Memphis sports. What makes a top sales professional: Listening. Make sure your customer knows that he is important to you and that what he wants is your goal. Advice to anyone starting in the profession: Learn about your products and or your services. Listen to your customer and be patient. Find out what he needs and if you can’t handle it, ﬁnd someone in your company who can. Don’t be afraid to say, “I cannot answer that.” Be honest and get help. 36 |

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INSIDE MEMPHIS BUSINESS.COM | AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2015

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Company: ECLECTIC EYE Address: 3670 S. Houston Levee, #102, Collierville; 242 S. Cooper Street, Midtown Website: eclectic-eye.com Phone: 901-853-3213 Services/products provided by company: Frame-ology: Help patients

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find the best frames to accentuate their features, lifestyle, and attitude, as well as fit a patient with the best lenses to match their prescription. Optometry: Comprehensive eye exams, contact lens fitting, co-management of LASIK laser vision correction, medical treatment for eye conditions. How long with the company: 9 years Work background: Prior to starting with Eclectic Eye, I spent 10 years working in the optical field. Prior to that, I was a tennis instructor. Greatest career challenge: One of my greatest challenges is ensuring that each patient I encounter at Eclectic Eye is beyond satisfied with his or her experience and new look. Most people are willing to let you guide them toward a new, updated style, but achieving the right style can be a challenge. Greatest career reward: I love listening to what a patient says he or she is looking for, and then after we spend some time together going through the options, the patient ends up going in a completely different direction than where we started. The original, generally conservative, idea turned into a brilliant, eye-catching design that only we can provide here at Eclectic Eye. Family: My wife, Rachael, and I have three children together, and we have another little girl on the way. Hobbies: Any outdoor activities, especially bass fishing and tennis, and grilling for my family. What makes a top sales professional: Honesty. People appreciate honest, genuine feedback. Show that you truly care about bettering or enhancing the patient’s lifestyle through the service you’re providing, and treat them as if they are the most important person in the room because, at that time, they are. Advice to anyone starting in the profession: Remember to have an enthusiastic and positive attitude every day, and always try to learn from others in your line of work. There is always something to be learned, and once you learn new things, pass that knowledge on to your fellow co-workers.

Company: YULETIDE OFFICE SOLUTIONS Address: 1245 Sycamore View Road Website: yuletideop.com Phone: 901-372-8588, ext. 122 Services/products provided by company: Ofﬁce supplies,

janitorial supplies, break room supplies, toner and ink, paper, printing, promotional products, transactional furniture, space design and custom furniture, medical supplies, packaging. How long with the company: 8 years Background: I started off in marketing and sales for Yuletide, then was promoted to Director of Sales, and became a stockholder a few years ago. Greatest career challenge: Learning and being proficient in all of the facets of a business that demands knowledge in all of the different product segments we offer our customers. Greatest career reward: Having the autonomy to partner with local nonprofits and help them in the many ways Yuletide does. Also, it would be hitting my first $1 million in sales. Family: Beautiful wife, Emily; and spoiled dog, Wonton. Hobbies: Exercise, fishing, attending concerts, traveling, spending time with family. What makes a top sales professional: Hard work, persistence (not pushy), punctuality, differentiating yourself from competitors, and thinking outside of the box. Advice to anyone starting in the profession: Networking and community development are the keys to success.

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Company: COLLIERS INTERNATIONAL MEMPHIS Address: 6000 Poplar Avenue, suite 201 Website: colliers.com Phone: 901-312-4913 Services/products provided by company: A full range of commercial

real estate services to investors, owners, occupiers, and developers. How long with the company: 14 years Work background: After more than 20 years in the cotton business, I started

with Colliers International in 2001, where I specialize in tenant representation for office and industrial users, acquisitions and dispositions of office and industrial properties, as well as land. Greatest career challenge: A mid-life change in careers. As a result of a casual conversation with Bayard Snowden in late 2000, I found that Colliers International was in a position to add another broker to their ranks. To my good fortune, they were willing to take a chance on someone in his mid-40s. Greatest career reward: I have had the opportunity to work with a large number of quality individuals in a variety of industries. Each client has their own set of needs and priorities. The most rewarding moment in all deals is when my client realizes that I am driven by taking care of them to the best of my ability, rather than by the size of the commission. Family: Andrea, my wife and dearest friend of 32 years; and Henry, my 18-yearold son, of whom I am most proud. Hobbies: Exercise and good food, both cooking it and eating it. What makes a top sales professional: A good sales professional must be a good listener. One must ascertain the needs of one’s client in order to properly serve them. This is difficult to do if a sales professional is primarily focused on selling himself rather than listening to his client. Advice to anyone starting in the profession: My father shared the following advice with me, for which I am most grateful: “You cannot set out to make money. Be honest, available, and dependable in your chosen profession. Persevere, and with hard work and a little luck, you will be successful.”

y r n He tton Stra Company: COMCAST SPOTLIGHT Address: 3251 Players Club Parkway Website: comcastspotlight.com Phone: 901-435-4923 Services/Products: Comcast Spotlight offers multi-screen advertising which

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allows advertisers to extend their reach, build frequency, and provide multiple exposures in Comcast, ATT, and Direct TV homes. How long with the company: 4.5 years Work background: I worked with The Commercial Appeal for two years, and WREG-TV for six years. Greatest career challenge: Change! But this is also what makes my job exciting. Our industry is always evolving and it’s happening at a very fast pace. Greatest career reward: I love the relationships that I’ve made with my clients, a majority of my business relationships extend to friendships. It’s nice to get to work with some pretty awesome people! Family: My husband Brian is in sales as well; it’s great to have a partner who I can bounce ideas off of and who understands the demands. Our son Wyatt is 6 years old and our second child Arden is 15 months old. Hobbies: I’m a Crossﬁt junkie. I am obsessed with the sport and love getting stronger. What makes a top sales professional: Knowing your weaknesses and having the desire to grow, being able to tailor your approach based on your clients personality, respecting your client’s time, and most importantly, having the conﬁdence to pick up the phone and have an actual conversation rather than hiding behind an email. Advice to anyone starting in the profession: Do not sit back and wait for an account list to fall in your lap. Being a top account executive comes from understanding the value of relationships and having a good work ethic. Find a mentor, one that will be open and honest with you. Some days are just bad days, and it’s okay to have a bad day.

INSIDE MEMPHIS BUSINESS.COM | AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2015

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Company: SYSCO MEMPHIS LLC Address: 4359 B.F. Goodrich Boulevard Website: syscomemphis.com, sysco.com Phone: 901-795-2300, 901-409-7218 Services/products provided by company: Menu development, staff

training, cost analysis, and we sell everything that an operator could possibly use, including tables, chairs, walk-in coolers and freezers, and of course green beans, for the largest 5-star hotels to the up-and-coming catering operation. How long with the company: 8 years Work background: I started waiting tables at 19 while in college. I loved the fast-paced environment and the fact that I was in charge of my income. I have served, bartended, cooked, cleaned, managed, and brieﬂy owned a share of a local eatery. Greatest career challenge: After my partnership dissolved in my restaurant, I took a huge gamble and applied for a sales position at Sysco. I had a 2-year-old and my wife was pregnant with our second son. Selling my wife on the complete career change was the biggest challenge. We were both absolutely terriﬁed of failure, but that fear drove me to succeed. Greatest career reward: I was recently asked by my District Sales Manager, Michael Pratt, to take over his position as he was being promoted. Being asked to lead 10 of the best professionals in the city was truly an honor. Family: My wife, Jennifer, and I have been married for 12 years. I have three children: Kaitlyn (17), Andrew (10), and Alex (8). Hobbies: Both of my boys are in competitive baseball so there isn’t much time for hobbies. When I can manage, I work on my 1980 Jeep CJ7 or riding my motorcycle. What makes a top sales professional: You have to partner with your customer. I have built my business by developing long-term relationships with my customers, and my success is dependent on theirs; we need each other. Advice to anyone starting in the profession: Understand that sales is as much customer relations as it is selling. Do what you say that you are going to do and when you make mistakes, own them.

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Company: VICTORY BICYCLE STUDIO Address: 2549 Broad Avenue Website: victorybicyclestudio.com Phone: 901-746-8466 Services/products provided by company: Service, sales, maintenance,

spin classes, bike ﬁttings, coaching. How long with the company: I started the company in August of 2010. Work background: I spent several years in real estate sales and some time in

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medical sales. Since 2002, I have operated a coaching company servicing cyclists, runners, and triathletes all over the country. Greatest career challenge: Having my business burn to the ground in 2010. Insurance takes care of the ﬁnancial loss, but the hardest part was retaining customers during the re-build and re-launch of the business. Greatest career reward: Seeing my team in action. It took me four years to build the right team — those that compliment my efforts and boast strengths in areas I do not. Family: My wife and I reside in Midtown and have a four-legged rescue child named Bear. Hobbies: Cycling, cooking, and traveling with my wife. What makes a top sales professional: Listening. It is your job to use your expertise to guide the customer in the right direction, but if you are not asking questions and listening to the answers, you end up teaching and not selling. Remember, you are always selling, whether it’s an idea, a product, or a service, you must listen to the customer to determine the best direction and ultimately close the sale. Advice to anyone starting in the profession: Listen to what the customer is saying. Relate as fast as you can to them. Make them feel comfortable. Take your hands out of your pockets and make eye contact. Be charming. Be helpful. Be their guide throughout the sales process.

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eMPlOYee BeNeFiTs &FiNANciAl seRVices FiNDiNG cUsTOMizeD seRVice sOlUTiONs At the Barnett Group, we have the expertise, experience and flexibility to meet all of your benefit needs, including financial services. Allow our team of professionals to work with you to create a plan that maximizes benefits and minimizes costs. Whether you’re an individual, small company or large corporation, The Barnett Group can tailor a solution that’s right for you. www.gobarnett.com www.barnettfg.com

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7906 Players Forest Drive • Memphis, TN 38119 Phone: 901.365.3447 • Fax: 901.205.1021

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ILLUSTRATION BY B. GROPPE

••• BY JON W. SPARKS

Back in the 1930s, marketing whiz and epigrammatist Elmer Wheeler wowed the world of salesmen with his Wheelerpoint No. 1: “Don’t Sell the Steak—Sell the Sizzle!” There were other Wheelerpoints, but that’s the one that has achieved mantra status among professional persuaders. Beyond the zippy exhortation, there is an art to selling, a discipline that the best in the business practice every time they set out to win over a client. We surveyed several Memphians who have had the pleasure of selling, whether it’s a single hat to a single customer or an investment in a sports team to an entire city. AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2015 | INSIDE MEMPHIS BUSINESS.COM |

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“Don’t Sell the Steak—

At least one of these great persuaders was reluctant to think of himself as a salesman. When asked, Henry Turley immediately said, “I don’t think I know how to sell.” Yes, he really said that, the man who gave life to a moribund downtown Memphis. Since he founded Henry Turley Co. in 1977, he’s made urban redevelopment a beautiful thing here, from Harbor Town to the South Bluffs to the Uptown revitalization. Maybe others saw the possibilities of a vigorous downtown back then, but it was Turley who acted on it. But selling? “I think it’s just dogging it,” he says. “Dogged determination.” He further demurs: “I have to be judicious about what I say because I never take myself too seriously and nobody else did.” But we have to call him out on that. He’s an artist when it comes to encouraging collaborations.

RT GILLIAM touches on one element of selling that is frequently echoed: “You have to believe in what you’re selling.” Gilliam has been CEO of WLOK-AM 1340 since he acquired it in 1977. He spent a year getting financing to secure the deal, which made WLOK the first black-owned Memphis radio station and the city’s first locally owned station. If you believe in what you’re selling, he says, the next thing is to know how to present it. When you’ve mastered how the product or service works, then, he says, “you have to understand that other person and what their needs are because you have to fit what you’re selling into what they need.” Another thing: Shhhh! “You have to be able to listen and have empathy to understand what the other person is interested in buying.” Beyond that, Gilliam says, the way to avoid disappointment is persistence and quantity. “Present to enough people so you know you’ll 42 |

Sell the Sizzle!”

be able to make the sale,” he says. “I’m more of a throw-enough-mud-on-the-wall type as opposed to dwelling on the one that got away.”

or GAYLE ROSE, there’s never a question about her belief in what she’s championing. When she embarks on a project, it’s only after someone else has sold her on it — completely. She wants to be able to see the big picture and its benefits, whether an idea, a service, or a nonprofit. “If I can connect to that higher level and I can visualize it, that will get my passion ignited,” she says. Sell her on something and you’ll have one of the best persuaders anywhere. Rose is founder and CEO of the 10-yearold EVS Corp., which provides data backup and recovery. That enterprise follows several executive positions she’s held while accumulating scads of awards and honors. She also is a fierce backer of civic projects. She currently is chair of the board of the Memphis Symphony Orchestra, where she’s taken the lead in dealing with the organization’s serious financial difficulties. She’s also well known for her leadership in the group that landed the NBA Memphis Grizzlies basketball team. When the idea to woo the NBA came up, she wanted to know all the reasons it would matter. “Some said it would be an economic engine, some that a big city deserves a pro sport,” Rose says. “For me, I connected when I saw it would bring this community together, that blacks and whites in Memphis would share this identity.” Without the requisite passion, Rose says, selling can’t effectively be done. “People can read that in you. It’s the ability to persuade, the art of leadership in the sense that you know yourself and you’re very good at reading others. You have empathy and the capacity to build social networks and then, as you’re

talking, you can sense where they are.” Sense resistance, she says, and you have to know to back off and ask questions. Still, failure happens. Even with all the preparation and knowledge and skills put to use, it sometimes goes pff fft. Rose, ever analytical, says, “Where I make a mistake is thinking that the way I’m seeing things is the way others see it. You have to be willing to be open and ask questions. If you don’t consider that, you can have blind spots and you can fail.” Ultimately, it’s still about having a thorough knowledge of what you’re representing and being persistent. “In my for-profit business,” she says, “I have to deeply understand technology and to persuade that EVS is helping businesses stay in business.” And whether it’s a for-profit or a nonprofit situation, Rose says don’t think of it as taking something away. “My mindset is to convey that they don’t know what they’re missing,” she says. “Here is something so compelling that they don’t want to be left out.”

elling at its most basic level is what you find at Mister Hats in the Poplar Plaza shopping complex. ALVIN LANSKY — you feel compelled to call him Mr. Lansky — opened his topper shop 30 years ago after having sold hair care products with one of his brothers. Eventually, he wanted to do something different, and, of course, his family had some skills in the clothing store business with another brother, Bernard Lansky, who got lots of business thanks to that Elvis Presley fella. But for Alvin (Mr. Lansky from here on out), he wanted to focus on one thing. “He was looking for something he could carry that would be simple to provide the customer,” says Mark Lennon, who married Mr. Lansky’s granddaughter and now manages the store.

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“He didn’t realize that product would turn into so many styles and colors, and next thing you know, he had a store with a thousand hats, and it was never enough.” Mr. Lansky is 86 and still at the store, dressed as sharp as you please and prepared to sell you a hat. To this day, he keeps it to the fundamentals: “We try to give the customer what we think will be pleasing to him,” he says. That knowledge requires a keen observational power that Mr. Lansky has developed over the decades. “You put the different pieces together based on what they’re asking for — although they may not quite know — and based on body type and head type,” says Lennon. “We do it on the fly, trying to find something that will fit the customer’s personality.” And that’s because, as Mr. Lansky says of his customers, “They’re the boss!” Lennon says the kind of sale he most enjoys seeing Mr. Lansky make is when someone comes in, looks around critically, and declares there’s nothing in the store. “And the next thing you know, he’s walking out with $300 worth of hats.”

emember the old ad slogan that went, “They said it couldn’t be done”? That’s what many thought about ALLIE PRESCOTT when he said he wanted to sell out a ballpark downtown. He’s now a senior advisor at Waddell & Associates, but he’s always been a sportsman and a salesman (and lawyer and executive and civic champion), so challenges are what he eats for breakfast. It was his biggest sale, because he had to sway politicians, corporate sponsors, potential suite holders, season ticket buyers, and most of public opinion. “At the heart of selling is building a rela-

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DEVELOPMENT

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| ACQUISITION

tionship of trust,” he says. “With the Redbirds, it was ‘relationship selling’ — earning people’s trust. I was able to go into the community to people I knew and say, ‘If you trust me, I’ll build you the finest non-major league ballpark in the country. Buy a scoreboard or a suite and we will deliver and you’ll be proud.’” The highlight of the campaign was getting AutoZone on board. “It’s an international company with headquarters in Memphis,” he says. “They didn’t need brand exposure in the Memphis market, but they knew that stepping up would send a signal to the community.” To young people looking for wisdom from a pro, he says to underpromise and overdeliver. “And be enthusiastic,” he says. “Be honest with every word you say. Believe in the product you’re selling because you can’t sell it if you don’t believe in it.”

LEASING

ASSET

MANAGEMENT

DWARD BOGARD decided he’d combine his irrepressible entrepreneurial spirit with his commitment to giving back to the community. With his passion and a talent for design, he created SoGiv, a nonprofit that raises awareness through shoes while donating proceeds to worthy causes. For example, he created an espadrille shoe with the Mid-South Food Bank logo emblazoned on the back along with the continental swoosh. Every pair sold provided a local hungry child with 120 meals plus his or her own pair of shoes. It’s very different, this idea of selling not just shoes but of helping out as well. But like any good salesman, he keeps it true. “I go in and I just be myself,” Bogard says. “Know your product or organization or self and be genuine. Because if not, it shows as not natural.” And anyone might be watching. “I was a speaker on a panel at the University of Memphis, talking about entrepreneurship,” he says. “As it happened, Shelley Alley, Chief Development Officer for the Mid-South Food Bank, was in the audience and wanted to meet me afterwards.” She was looking for ways to increase the visibility of the Food Bank’s 5K fundraiser. “That ultimately led to our partnership with nearly 10,000 meals provided.” Even as a potential client is watching you, you need to watch them as well. “When you talk about the product, you want the headnods and not the question-mark faces,” Bogard says. “Make sure they understand.”

INSIDE MEMPHIS BUSINESS.COM | AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2015

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Think Outside the Box.

AT KERR TIGRETT found success by designing and selling unusual and gorgeous gowns, especially for weddings. But she’ll tell you that it’s more than that. “You need reputation, trust, and knowledge,” says the owner of Pat Kerr Inc. “My clients invite me into the most private parts of their worlds, to the most important events.” Neiman Marcus discovered Pat Kerr designs during Fashion Week in London 35 years ago and invited her to the Dallas store the following week. Pat Kerr has since developed a worldwide client list that includes royalty. The designer’s couture has been worn at events in Notre Dame and the Vatican, at English estates and even underwater. It takes a special savvy to develop those relationships, but the principles of selling remain the same: ask and listen. “I’ll ask a client about the wedding,” she says. “What time of day will it be? Cathedral or outdoors? Is the bride a dancer? Long train or short? What’s your favorite dress? Are there religious restrictions?” She has to factor in the bride, of course, but also the groom and the fact that each is marrying into new families. Pat Kerr clients realize that her knowledge is extensive, going well beyond wedding etiquette and fashion awareness. For example, she knows the subject of antique lace, which she collects. The hand-made works of art have been hoarded, smuggled, and treasured for centuries. Go ahead, ask her about the lace-makers who faced beheading for stealing patterns. Her authority on the subject is invaluable when dealing with clients. Tigrett has expertise on something else she loves to sell: Memphis. “It’s the easiest thing to do. We have this maverick, extraordinary city that’s totally unique. I’m passionate about our music and musicians and what Memphis has contributed globally, from rock and roll to FedEx.” She is founder and general chairman of the Memphis Charitable Foundation, which presents the annual Blues Ball among other events. “I go on the premise,” she says, “that whatever I’m working on, whether a gown I designed or a ticket to the Blues Ball, I must believe in it 100 percent.” Jon W. Sparks, a journalist since 1978, has covered entertainment, business, and government in Memphis since 1981. In his alternate life as an actor, he played Benjamin Franklin in the first season of Fox Television’s “Sleepy Hollow.”

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a af memphis creates a bet ter future

• • •

B Y

R IC H A R D

A L L E Y

PHOTOGRAPH BY DON PERRY

All industries have their trade organizations, their clubs, their monthly gatherings to discuss the latest movement and innovations among like-minded colleagues. The American Advertising Federation’s local chapter holds as its mission to “inspire, empower and celebrate the work of advertising and marketing professionals.” Those professionals include 170 members representing 75 companies. But those numbers may not be as strong today were it not for the hard work and vision of a new crop of leaders.

LEFT: A Judges ’ Special Award went to archer>malmo for the AAF Memphis Plug-in Event Poster. ABOVE: The well-attended Plug-in Event at Crosstown Concourse with speaker Matthew Jacobson.

In June, Andrea Wiley (director of account management, doug carpenter & associates) was sworn in as president of AAF Memphis and another page in the book of that organization’s history was turned. It was only a year ago that Wiley, along with then-president Blaine Loyd (associate creative director, archer>malmo), vice president Cynthia Saatkamp (partner, Hemline), and outgoing president Penelope Huston (advertising director, Contemporary Media Inc.) flipped far ahead in the playbook, setting the organization on a trajectory of growth and engagement the likes of which it hadn’t seen for decades. The challenge put to the new officers was to make membership an exciting proposition once again after years of stagnation

that saw luncheons held in familiar venues, lectures delivered by familiar speakers, and staid emails to invite one and all. “It was a case of the cobbler’s children having no shoes,” Loyd says, noting that the website had become out of date and the materials turned out were dull and shabby. “You get so busy with work that you forget you know 50 great art directors.” “We wanted our club to be relevant to the creative community,” Wiley says, “and we knew it was going to take a tremendous amount of work to get there just because we have a long road to go.” To that end, the group’s first big speaker under new leadership in the spring of 2014 was Luke Sullivan, chair of advertising at the Savannah College of Art &

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BELOW: Best of Self Promotion went to Harvest for their “Happy Holiday” posters. RIGHT: Running Pony Productions won Best of Animation for “The Miracle of Reading” for the Bodine School.

ABOVE: Best of Logo went to Tactical Magic for their stylized slice for 3 Guys Pizza Pies.

Design, and the author of Hey Whipple, Squeeze This: A Guide to Creating Great Advertising, regarded as the “bible” for a modern breed of advertisers. “It’s a real big-time ad book,” Loyd says. “So this guy’s a writer, he’s a real dynamic speaker, and he cost probably 10 times more than our usual monthly speaker. We said, ‘Instead of just doing our monthly thing, let’s do this at a different place, let’s have a different lunch caterer, let’s really break out of our box.’” That luncheon was held at the iconic BRIDGES building, certainly not your grandfather’s oak-paneled dining room. And to let everyone know about such a speaker, the officers engaged the services of the obvious — their membership — whom they’ve called upon since to craft witty copy and eye-catching invitational materials. As a result, there were 145 tickets sold to that event, far exceeding the numbers seen at prior events. Other events brought Marshall McKinney, art director of Garden & Gun, to the 1850 antebellum

Annesdale Mansion; Matt Stewart, art director, and John McCall, writer, with Disney’s Yellow Shoes Creative Group, to the Rendezvous; and, Matthew Jacobson, designer at Digitas LBi, to the Crosstown Concourse. The payoff is that those within the advertising community have become more involved, become part of the process, and have taken real ownership in the organization and pride in how events are presented and carried out. Joel Halpern notices an improvement. As a principal with relative newcomer Loaded For Bear, he says the value of such inclusion “is in being part of a larger creative collective and really helping to, as a group, shape the creative mindset that exists within a market.” Refocusing on who came to speak, where they spoke, and how word got out went a long way as membership jumped from 120 to today’s 170. “Membership was actually one of the first things we looked at,” Wiley says. “We recognized that we had really lost the engagement from

all of the agencies and that was ironic because AAF was founded on advertising agencies, and then all the media outlets and vendors that want to network with agencies, and we had really lost that core.” Halpern agrees. “It seems like the current board and president and everybody involved over there is hungry and wanting to start a dialogue and conversation among all the creatives in town. That’s a smart move because if everything siphoned off into little groups with very little communication, it’s not really good for anybody. I think this new mindset with programming and getting people to come to town to speak, and just continually bringing everyone together, is a really smart approach.” It’s a trajectory with momentum and a new challenge, says Wiley, in remaining relevant in an industry that “is continuing to evolve and change on a daily basis.” “It’s so important for us to stay relevant because our constituency is so fractured — creative, marketing, branding, digital,

WE HAVE CLIENT S OUT OF MARKE T T HAT CONSIDER T HIS SOR T OF A MADISON AVENUE OF THE SOUTH BECAUSE THERE ARE SO MANY A G E N C I E S P E R C A P I T A I N T H I S M A R K E T . ” — C Y N T H I A S A AT K A M P

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T HE VALUE OF T HE A AF “IS IN BEING PAR T OF A L ARGER C RE AT I V E C O L L E C T I V E A N D R E A L LY H E L P I N G T O , A S A G R O U P, S H A P E T H E C R E A T I V E M I N D S E T T H A T E X I S T S W I T H I N A M A R K E T .” — J O E L H A L PE R N

Loaded For Bear, the three-year-old boutique agency located in Cooper-Young, took home the Dale Oden Memorial Award for Outstanding Art Direction for their promotional materials for the indie memphis film festival.

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ABOVE: Red Deluxe won Best of Print for promotional material for the Dragon Boat Races sponsored by Duncan-Williams Inc., and RIGHT: the agency’s multi-media campaign for the Wounded Warrior Project won Best of Public Service.

2015 JUDGES: MARK NAPARSTEK, CREATIVE DIREC TOR, R&R PARTNERS (L AS VEGAS); JON RUBY, SVP AND CREATIVE DIREC TOR, MULLEN (BOSTON); AND DOUG JAEGER AND KRISTIN SLOAN, FOUNDERS, JAEGERSLOAN STUDIO (NEW YORK).

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media — there are so many different types of people and types of organizations within our parent organization that we have to encourage and inspire, and that’s hard work,” says Saatkamp. “There are a lot of things that we could be doing that are initiatives for AdFed nationally and in our district,” says Loyd. “We want to work more with students, we want to work more in public service and helping people, to get beyond being just a professional organization, but being a professional organization that gives back.” There may be no greater way to gauge the level of enthusiasm and engagement with AAF Memphis than the annual awards to celebrate the best and brightest the city has to offer. The American Advertising Awards (ADDYs, as they’re known) is a much-anticipated industry celebration whose theme and marketing plan is moved from agency to agency each year. It is a great honor to be the presenting company — this past year’s gala saw Wiley’s home base, DCA, take the reins and the participation was, as Loyd says, “huge.” Among the winners, 95 Gold were handed out, 61 Silver, and 14 Best-of awards. Of those who went on to the district to compete against agen-

LEFT: The Deloss Walker Memorial Award for Best of Video went to inferno and their presentation of Fat Toad Farm for FedEx.

cies from Alabama, Louisiana, Georgia, and others in Tennessee, 24 brought home an award. Loaded For Bear had a big night, taking home Best of Show, Best Art Direction, Best of Outof-Home, Best of Branding, and Best of Apparel, along with 10 Gold and 9 Silver. “It just shows that what we set out to do, there really was a market for it,” says Halpern, “that sort of boutique experience there was a lack of here, and it solidifies all the hard work that we’ve put in for the last three years.” There are 30 agencies represented among the AAF Memphis membership, but there are approximately 50 agencies in the greater Memphis area. They vary in size, from Halpern’s five-person shop to the 165-em-

ployee archer>malmo. For a city this size, 50 agencies is a large number. “We have clients out of market that consider this sort of a Madison Avenue of the South because there are so many agencies per capita in this market,” says Saatkamp. “Memphis is a talent magnet for the South,” Loyd adds. “Memphis has a lot of creative, talented folks that enjoy the cost of living. In the way that FedEx brings people here, I think we aggregate a lot of talent from Mississippi and Arkansas and other parts of Tennessee that might not want to move to someplace like Chicago.” “As an employer, I’m inspired seeing all the young people who I don’t know in this town flocking to our doors,” Saatkamp says. “It makes me want to keep going.

ABOVE: Loaded For Bear won Best of Apparel for its own logo.

LEFT: S2N Design won Best of Web for its work with ALSAC/St. Jude.

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L E A D E R S H I P

Shea Flinn • • •

B Y

F R A N K

M U R TA U G H

PHOTOGRAPH BY LARRY KUZNIEEWSKI

The worlds of theater and law are rarely connected without a smirk. As much as we may love Atticus Finch, Gregory Peck was merely a talented actor playing an extraordinary attorney. But then you sit across a desk from Shea Flinn — senior vice president of the Chairman’s Circle at the Greater Memphis Chamber — and you recognize a blend is possible. “They connect more than you might think,” says Flinn, a theater major as an undergraduate at Rhodes College who later earned a law degree at the University of Memphis. “Theater is a great education for life. You’re constantly studying the human condition. You must have collaboration. Even for a one-man show, someone has to run the lights. And the show must go on. When you get into politics or business, you discover there’s always a reason not to do something. You don’t have that choice in theater. The show must go on. And communication is so important in today’s society. We’re all so close-knit with social media.” Upon graduating from Rhodes, Flinn moved to Los Angeles where he spent almost a year as a personal assistant to Cybill Shepherd. But any calling he may have felt toward the world of entertainment was quieted by the allure of public service — and its potential drama — in 1996. “Bob Dole had fallen off some stage on a campaign stop in California,” ref lects Flinn. “I realized I knew every last bit of information on

the preproduction of Titanic, and I had no idea what was going on in the presidential election. I was raised in a very political family, so that bothered me.” Flinn returned to Memphis, worked in the district attorney’s office while attending law school, then took a job with Flinn Broadcasting, the media company owned by his father, esteemed radiologist George Flinn. He was only 35 when elected to the Memphis City Council in 2007, but Flinn likes to point out there were younger members than he at the time, healthy for a city in need of growth — and fresh thinking — like Memphis. (“One of the issues Memphis has had,” says Flinn, “is balancing being respectful of our history and being

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smothered by it.”) “My motivation was actually selfish,” says Flinn. “I had a 3-year-old child. I don’t like to f ly or travel. I’m a homebody. When my son is 18 and goes off to college, I want to at least make a strong case for him coming back to Memphis. Dealing with some of the struggles we were in at the time, I wasn’t sure I could be a good parent and [make that pitch for Memphis]. I wanted to get in there and do something about it.” The City Council presented leadership in various forms, different members assuming the vanguard in their areas of expertise. “Leadership matters,” says Flinn, “probably more than I thought it did. It’s not as rare a quality as some people think. You can see wonderful examples of leadership in a family unit. Everyone has it in a certain sphere. Being able to translate it into those different spheres is critical. “Our council was interesting because there were definitely spheres of inf luence. If you’re talking purely about the language of legislation, councilman [Jim] Strickland and myself . . . attorneys had a little more training. If you’re looking at construction or zoning, councilman [Reid] Hedgepeth understands that space better than we ever will. When a legislative body is fully functional, there are different times when different people take the leadership role on an issue. When it’s going well, everyone is listening to everyone else.” Flinn resigned his council seat and took his current job in May, with a mission for addressing — and reducing — the single heaviest weight around his hometown’s neck: Poverty. He’s come to believe a larger impact can be made in this ongoing socioeconomic battle by working with business leaders and private industry. “The public wants to be heard,” says Flinn. “They want someone to help them. But you get into positions [as a public official] where there’s nothing you can do. “[The high poverty rate] is an easy problem to diagnose,” he continues, “but very hard to fix, because we don’t have full participation in our economy yet. One percent of business receipts go to minority- and women-owned businesses. That’s 70 percent of our population. Meanwhile, 99 percent of business receipts go to less than 30 percent of our population. That only works in banana republics, and banana republics don’t work.” Changing this math, Flinn feels strongly, will not happen at the hand of government, but through the efforts of like-minded business leaders who share an interest in reducing the damaging ripple effects of poverty. The Chairman’s Circle (comprised of more than 100 CEOs) has established six “moon missions,” broad-scale projects aimed at spurring economic growth for the Memphis

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PHOTOGRAPH BY LARRY KUZNIEWSKI

region. Among them is a longtime priority of Flinn’s: Expanded pre-K education. “When taken as a whole,” says Flinn, “we should solve that 1 percent/99 percent problem. Ultimately, we’re aiming to lower that poverty rate. If we could lower the poverty rate in Memphis 5 percent, we’d add $1 billion to our economy. If you have high poverty, you’re going to have a high crime rate, high taxes — the cost of servicing it — and children are going to have a tougher time in school. To solve [each of those problems], you have to lower the poverty rate.” Another “moon mission” is gaining 1,000 entrepreneurs in seven years. Small-business growth, according to Flinn, would, by necessity, increase the number of women-owned and minority-owned companies. “We’re thankful for Electrolux and Mitsubishi, and the big businesses that come in,” says Flinn, “but to really move the needle, we’ve got to have a bunch of small businesses that are hiring two or three people . . . and not getting headlines. We’re singularly focused on this issue. By lowIF WE COULD LOWER ering poverty, businesses will THE POVERTY RATE IN increase their MEMPHIS 5 PERCENT, bottom line. This WE’D ADD $1 BILLION is the challenge of our time.” TO OUR ECONOMY. Flinn keeps it local when identifying a leader he’s come to admire most over his career: FedEx CEO Fred Smith. “He came to speak to the Council not long ago,” explains Flinn. “I had done some research about light rail and asked him a question about implementing that and a few other things. Off the top, he answered the question from such a brilliant angle. He took my question, proved me wrong, and told me how I could do it better. I don’t generally get intimidated by people, but I’m intimidated by him because I’m so in awe of him and what he’s accomplished. People like that have ideas that change the world.” Actor, lawyer, public official, business stimulator. Shea Flinn continues to chart a path as diverse as any leader of his generation in Memphis. But he’s reluctant to accept the label with so many challenges left to meet, and so many new leaders to develop. “I see leadership the way the Supreme Court viewed obscenity,” says Flinn with a smile. “It’s hard to define, but I know it when I see it.”

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The HOT Sheet contin u ed from page 16

Through a partnership between the Tennessee Department of Health and the United States Healthful Food Council (USHFC), Eat REAL (Responsible Epicurean and Agricultural Leadership) Tennessee has announced the first REAL Certified establishments in Memphis. REAL is a growing national program that helps combat diet-related disease by recognizing foodservice operators committed to holistic nutrition and environmental stewardship. Memphis’ inaugural class can be found throughout the city and include: Andrew Michael Italian Kitchen, Cafe Eclectic, City Market, The Farmer, Fuel Cafe, Hog & Hominy, Lettuce Eat Salad Co., McEwen’s, Porcellino’s, Taziki’s Mediterranean Cafe, Trolley Stop Market, Tsunami, and Two Vegan Sistas. Benevere Pharmacy has been awarded accreditation for specialty pharmacy services by the Accreditation Commission for Health Care. The accreditation is awarded in recognition of the pharmacy’s dedication and commitment to meeting standards that facilitate a higher level of performance and patient care. Benevere is one of only 41 ACHC-accredited pharmacies in Tennessee, and the only one accredited for both non-sterile compounding and specialty pharmacy. Debbie Bossé, senior director of software solutions at Memphis-based CPA firm Cannon Wright Blount, has been named a Top 100 ProAdvisor by Intuitive Accountant. The publication’s second annual list recognizes the leading consultants who have embraced the ProAdvisor program and leveraged it in order to better serve their clients and grow their businesses. Bossé was also named to the first annual list, published in 2014. Drs. Lewis Reich, J. Bart Campbell, and Paul Harris, all of Southern College of Optometry, were recently inducted into the National Academies of Practice, an honor extended to providers who have excelled in their profession and who are dedicated to furthering practice, scholarship, and policy in support of interprofessional care. Alexander Wharton, attorney with the Wharton Law Firm, has been named “Mentor of the Year” for the Education That Works program at Memphis Catholic High School. Wharton was nominated by freshman Vinson Alexander. River City Capital Investment has invested $15,000 for necessary improvements for Quality Qwick Cleaners. The ICED Loan program is a three-year forgivable loan for up to $25,000. The loan is available to targeted neighborhoods within Memphis and can be used to make interior, facade, and streets56 |

cape improvements. A staple in the Soulsville/South Memphis community for over a decade, Quality Qwick Cleaners is owned and operated by Lois Lee. The University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) has announced the following grants and awards: Anna Bukiya, PhD, an associate professor in the Department of Pharmacology in the College of Medicine, has received a five-year grant totaling $1.6 million to study how cholesterol and alcohol interact to modulate blood vessel function in the brain. The award from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, a subsidiary of the National Institutes of Health, will be used to support a project titled, “Cholesterol Control of Alcohol-Induced Cerebral Artery Constriction.” Guoyun Chen, MD, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Pediatrics in the College of Medicine has received a grant totaling $332,250 from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, a subsidiary of the National Institutes of Health. The award will be distributed over two years and will be used to support a project titled, “Sialoside Based Pattern Recognition in Therapy of and Resistance to Septic Shock.” Marie Chisholm-Burns, MPH, MBA, FCCP, FASHP, dean and professor in the College of Pharmacy, received the Clinician of Distinction Award from the American Society of Transplantation at the recent 2015 American Transplant Congress in Philadelphia. The prestigious award is given to a non-physician clinician who is considered an expert in his or her field, whose career is dedicated to transplant, and who is recognized for outstanding contributions to clinical transplantation. The Communications and Marketing Department was recognized with three awards in two recent international competitions. The department received a Gold Award for each of its two entries in the 2015 Hermes Creative Awards and was a winner for its single entry in the 2015 Communitas Awards as well. The UTHSC team collected Gold in the Pro Bono category for its design, photography, media relations, and extensive support for the LIVE! Just As We Are Breast Cancer Awareness and Action Campaign. The second Gold Award was for the College of Pharmacy Fall 2014 alumni magazine, which was entered in the Publications/Magazine category. The department also submitted the LIVE! Just As We Are campaign in the Making A Difference category of the Communitas Awards, earning a win in that competition as well. Francesca-Fang Liao, PhD, an associate professor in the Department of Pharmacology, College of Medicine, has received a grant totaling $1.4 million from the National Institute on

Aging, a subsidiary of the National Institutes of Health, to study Alzheimer’s disease. The award will be used to support a project titled, “Is HSF1 The Key in Mediating HSP90 Inhibitor Effect in AD?” The award will be distributed over five years. Kristen Archbold, RN, PhD, associate professor in Academic Programs in the College of Nursing, has received a grant totaling $248,460 from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, a subsidiary of the National Institutes of Health, to study whether treatment with a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine impacts sleep patterns, cognition, and behavior for children with this condition. The one-year grant will be used to support a study titled, “Neurobehavioral Effects of PAP Therapy in Children with Obstructive Sleep Apnea.” The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) Board of Trustees has approved the accreditation of UTHSC as a separate university. UTHSC is now independent from the “Big Orange” conglomerate, which had previously included UTHSC. Edward Chaum, MD, PhD, Plough Foundation Professor of Retinal Diseases at the UTHSC, Hamilton Eye Institute, and his ORNL collaborator, Pat Collier, PhD, a research scientist, have been awarded a $2.4 million grant from the National Eye Institute of the National Institutes of Health to fund research into the cellular changes in the eye that cause age-related macular degeneration (AMD). The National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties (NONPF) has selected Michael Carter, DNSc, DNP, FAAN, DCC, as the recipient of its 2015 Lifetime Achievement Award. Carter, a University Distinguished Professor in the Department of Advanced Practice and Doctoral Studies in the College of Nursing, received the award during the organization’s 41st Annual Meeting recently in Baltimore, Maryland. Jillian McCarthy-Maeder, PhD, CCC-SLP, assistant professor in the Department of Audiology and Speech Pathology in the College of Health Professions, has received a grant totaling $1,020,381 from the United States Department of Education’s Office of Special Education Programs. The funds will support the training of master’s-level students in an area of high national need — literacy and language outcomes for children with severe or complex communication needs (CCN) who are unable to use speech for effective communication. McCarthy-Maeder’s co-investigator is Ilsa Schwarz, PhD, CCC-SLP, FASHA, professor emeritus in the Department of Audiology and Speech Pathology.

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Appointed Sheri Bancroft, vice president of Bancroft Leasing, was appointed to the Board of Directors of the National Association of Equipment Leasing Brokers (NAELB) at its national conference in Phoenix, Arizona. She was also promoted to Associate Editor of Leasing Logic, a national publication focusing on the leasing industry. Bancroft Leasing, founded by her father, Charlie Bancroft, in 1977, provides equipment lease financing to the following industries in the U.S. and Canada: Hospitality, restaurants, retail, medical and health care, construction, trucking, manufacturing, distribution, non-profits, government agencies, and schools, and is a charter member of NAELB. Dianne Dixon, founding partner of Clark/Dixon Architects, has been installed as President of the National Association of Women Business Owners’ (NAWBO) Memphis chapter. Other officers for 2015-2016 will be Tarrin McGhee, CEO of Pique Public Relations, PR & Marketing Committee Chair; Jennifer O. Littlejohn, CEO of Olivia Massey Public Strategies, Corporate Partnerships Chair/Sponsorships; Meghan MacMahon, attorney with Glanker Brown PLLC, Audit/Legal/Policies & Procedures; Pamela Pitts, CFP with Waddell Reed, Treasurer; Suzan David, CEO of Digital Oatmeal, Secretary; Gwendolyn Tucker, CEO of Rix International, Director of Member Services; Shawn Karol Sandy, CRO of The Selling Agent, Director of Programs/Events; Hughetta Dudley, CEO of Stragistics Technology, Director of Public Policies/Certifications. Kim Hummel, owner of Ancora Studios, is webmaster and Chief Branding Officer. Hylander CPA Firm is the chapter’s accounting firm. Tim Verner, PE, Fisher & Arnold, Inc., has been elected Treasurer, and Logan Meeks, PE, A2H, Inc., will serve as Director at Large, for the American Council of Engineering Companies of Tennessee (ACEC of TN).

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6972 Appling Farms Pkwy., Suite 110 Memphis, TN 38133 • 901.246.8770 AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2015 | INSIDE MEMPHIS BUSINESS.COM |

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C O M M U N I T Y

P A R T N E R S H I P

ServiceMaster and Latino Memphis B Y

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In 2013, ServiceMaster, headquartered in Memphis since 2007, was named to Fortune’s “Most Admired Companies” list. The company’s founder, Marion E. Wade, created ServiceMaster in 1929 with the tenet “[to treat] customers, suppliers, employees and partners with respect and dignity.” It’s no wonder, then, that ServiceMaster and its network of service providers for homeowners (among them Terminix, Merry Maids, American Home Shield, Furniture Medic, and AmeriSpec) have made outreach a major part of the employee experience. “About three years ago, we created Associate Resource Groups as inclusive work environments for our associates to showcase our diversity story,” says Peter Tosches, ServiceMaster Senior Vice President of Corporate Communications. “The women’s and African-American groups were the first to get organized,” he says, “but now we have seven (Hispanic, Asian American, Veteran, Young Professional, and Pride) and they have taken off on their own.” Through these organized groups of associates, “people share ideas, talk about cultural differences, and engage other groups inside and outside the community.” “Outreach has always been a priority for us,” says Cristina Arce de Bagaglio, ServiceMaster Human Resources Manager and President of the Hispanic Associate Resource Group. “But through the various Associate Resource Groups we are able to reflect our customer base through our support of the community.” One local agency with which the Hispanic ServiceMaster group has collaborated extensively is Latino Memphis. Latino Memphis’ mission is to assist Latinos in the Greater Memphis area in every aspect of life: health, education, and justice. 58 |

“ServiceMaster had been working with Latino Memphis already,” says Arce de Bagaglio, “but eventually the Hispanic Associate Resource Group took it over. We’ve been main sponsors or co-sponsors for the Cinco-K-Mayo 5K and festival at Overton Park in May, and we are very involved in their job fairs.” Through mentoring programs and job fairs, ServiceMaster associates

“SERVICEMASTER HAS EXTENDED A HELPING HAND TO STUDENTS WHO PARTICIPATE IN LATINO MEMPHIS’ ABRIENDO PUERTAS (OPENING DOORS) PROGRAM.” —ALVIS OTERO, DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT AT LATINO MEMPHIS are able to directly assist those who want to continue their education or enter the workforce. “ServiceMaster has extended a helping hand to students who

participate in Latino Memphis’ Abriendo Puertas (Opening Doors) program,” says Alvis Otero, Director of Development at Latino Memphis, “which focuses on college access and success through internships and financial support for leadership workshops. The ServiceMaster/ Latino Memphis partnership is instrumental for our organization and community.” “That’s a sweet spot for a company like ServiceMaster,” says Tosches. “Homeowners are our largest customers and the Latino community is booming

right now. We want to make sure that our employee population represents the community.” Thus, by helping Latinos in Memphis sharpen their job skills, ServiceMaster can also find qualified associates through the process. “We’d like to get more involved with quarterly training sessions, teaching direct job skills, doing mock interviews, and mentorships with students,” Arce de Bagaglio says. “We have already hired five or six associates directly through the job fairs who are in customer service at American Home Shield.” “Latino Memphis is wonderful to work with,” Arce de Bagaglio says. And the outreach ServiceMaster participates in is not all job-based. “We had about 40 associates sign up to volunteer for the Día de Reyes (Day of the Kings) celebration in January. The tradition is that on the 12th night after Christmas, the wise men’s camels leave gifts in the shoes of the good children, so we donated two carloads of toys and gifts. We put out the ‘Bat Signal’ and people came.” “The leadership team of [ServiceMaster] has done an amazing job at reaching out to the Latino community in the Greater Memphis area,” says Otero. “It is clear that ServiceMaster deeply cares about the community.” After all, as Tosches says, “Service is embedded in our identity. It’s what we do.”

PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY SERVICE MASTER

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Streets Ministries is an urban outreach ministry that seeks to engage, encourage, and empower the youth of the Memphis metropolitan communities.

Our desire is to create and cultivate an atmosphere that fosters hope within young people. A hope that they were made for a purpose beyond what they have realized, and a hope in the God who gave them that purpose. We strive to instill this hope in three ways.

First, by providing an amazing safe haven for youth to enjoy with their peers and our caring adult staff and volunteers; secondly, by providing opportunities to excel that were previously unaccessible; and finally, by presenting the good news of Jesus Christ clearly, consistently, and relevantly.

WE ARE ALWAYS RECRUITING MENTORS AND VOLUNTEERS AND WOULD BE THRILLED IF YOU JOINED US IN OUR MISSION TO ENRICH THE LIVES OF OUR MEMPHIS YOUTH. If you are interested, please email info@streetsministries.org or visit our website at www.streetsministries.org.

StreetsMemphis

Streets Ministries

streetsministries

THIS PAGE DONATED BY CBRE | MEMPHIS 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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The Office Bob Hamilton,

Founder and Chairman, XMC, Inc.

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• • •

B Y

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C O X

T H O M P S O N

••• PHOTOGRAPHS BY LARRY KUZNIEWSKI

Born and raised in Jackson, Tennessee, Bob Hamilton came naturally to his career. His father was a minority owner of Tom Lawler’s, an office supply company started in 1919, and Bob began working for that company right out of high school. “Four years later, in 1979, I ended up buying into the company,” he says. “The owner was an astute businessman but was in poor health. He realized that his two junior partners — my dad and one other man — had the maturity, and my brother and I had the gusto to make [the company] work, so he sold out.” In 1992, shortly after his father’s unexpected passing, Bob took full ownership of XMC, just a division of Tom Lawler’s at the time. It is now the second-largest Xerox office business partner in the United States. “What really changed for us was in 1983 when Xerox started going into

1. Jersey: “Dick Butkus is my idol. I played football for a long time and I wore ‘51’ in honor of him because when I was a kid there was no one better. He played with such enthusiasm, I tried to pattern my playing after him. I scored nine touchdowns as a defensive lineman in my high school career. I was fortunate enough that I got to meet him.” 2. Senegal: “We also sponsor an NBA SEED Academy [Sports for Education and Economic Development] participant from Senegal, Africa. The program is designed to recruit and train athletes, and get them into the NBA as the goal. His name is Sidy Sall, and he brought this back from when we sent him to visit his mom. He just graduated from Christian Brothers High School. The original coach who

rural America.” XMC’s territory today includes northern Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi, all of Tennessee, and the majority of Arkansas; and provides sales, leasing, service, and supplies including printers, digital presses, digital copiers, and full document solution systems. But despite tremendous growth and success within the industry, Hamilton keeps XMC as family-friendly as ever — he even has desks in his office for two of his four grandchildren whom he picks up every day after school. “We’ve been very blessed. I love this town and it’s been very good to us.”

brought him over moved and he’s been a part of our family for four years now.” 3. Family picture: “I have four kids and four grandkids — the two boys are 10 and almost 9, and the girls are both 5. They mean the world to me.” 4. Community involvement: “My heart is at St. Jude, and we do fundraisers for them. We’re also active in Coats for Kids, we’ve sponsored three inner-city schools, and now our employees are bringing in canned food items. I just celebrated my 40th year in business and my employees gave me this plaque. For my 20 years in Memphis, they got together and made a donation to St. Jude, which spoke volumes. The Lord has blessed us and we try to give back what we’ve been given.”

5. Aquarium: “When you have a stressful day, it’s so relaxing to be able to sit back and watch the fish. It’s rewarding because all they care about is when you come to feed them. My wife gave me a tank years ago, and this year I upgraded it. It’s always been saltwater, though, and the clownfish have been with me a long while. My granddaughter names all of the fish for different ‘people names’ after everyone in the office and our family.” 6. Clock: “Do you know what that is? It’s Finland. We sponsored an exchange student for 10 months and that’s what she gifted me.” 7. School bell: “Many years ago I hung a bell in the sales bullpen and you got to ring it for every box you sold. It’s really cool around here when it starts ringing, it’s a good news bell.”

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COMMITMENT

COMMUNITY

Our reputation for reliability extends well beyond delivery routes. FedEx is proud to support St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and other worthy causes in our local communities. If it’s important to you, it’s important to us. ©2015 FedEx. All rights reserved.

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I N S I D E

T H E

A R C H I V E S

H. Scott’s Sons • • •

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L A U D E R D A L E

The Lauderdale family has a deep and abiding interest in alcohol — wine, whiskey, brandy, ale, beer, and certain brands of cough syrup. As a result, the estate has an impressive amount of alcohol-related research material, including some wonderful old pamphlets for a Memphis company with the rather curious name of H. Scott’s Sons.

liquor distribution company in Memphis in 1913. Judging from the promotional booklets, it was an ambitious undertaking, since the brothers offered an astonishing assortment of alcoholic beverages: whiskey, gin, beer, ale, cordials, cocktails, and more. Why, they offered almost 30 flavors of brandy, including apple, peach, apricot, and even something called “rock and rye.” Once a customer decided that he just wanted, say, whiskey, he was confronted with more than two dozen different brands, carrying such colorful names

THE BROTHERS OFFERED AN ASTONISHING ASSORTMENT OF ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES: WHISKEY, GIN, BEER, ALE, CORDIALS, COCKTAILS, AND MORE.

The “H” stood for Henry, who was born in Greenville, Mississippi, and moved to Memphis in the late 1800s.

Henry doesn’t really concern us here, because it’s his three sons —Isidor, Louis, and Jacob Scott — who established a

as Black Bird, Jolly Fellow, Old Oscar Pepper, Old Ripy, Big Ben, Old Tom, Great Scott, and — a Lauderdale favorite — Grandpa Corn. In fact, the sales brochures offered a gallon of 100-proof Grandpa Corn Whiskey for just $2.95, with free shipping. This product, so Scott’s Sons promised, “offers quality in every drop,” “is excellent for your health,” and — here’s the kicker — “will make you feel better after using it.” In fact, the health benefits of all this boozing were often touted in the Scott’s Sons sales materials. “Doctors recommend whiskey for a tonic,” proclaims one brochure, “and say it will add years to your life because

it has properties that will stop decay and waste.” Another booklet urges customers that they’d better not delay: “Your family doctor will tell you that it is a necessity to have whiskey on hand, because in case of sickness its usefulness cannot be estimated. You cannot wait until someone gets sick before you place an order.” I’m not clear where H. Scott’s Sons actually stored all these bottles and crates and barrels, but the company offices were located in the Falls Building on Front Street. Despite the impressive selection of merchandise and the nicely printed sales brochures, I’m not convinced that H. Scott’s Sons was a thriving business. Sure, the Falls Building, then and now, was a nice address. But two of the sons, Isidor and Louis, boarded together in a house on Poplar. When company owners live in rented lodgings, that’s not exactly a sign of long-term prosperity. By 1915, the company relocated to the ground floor of a more humble building at 79 Union Avenue. In those days, Union was lined with little family-owned businesses like Scott’s Sons. But if the company was struggling to survive, the death blow came in 1919, when Congress passed the Volstead Act, otherwise known as Prohibition. Overnight, nearly all this country’s liquor producers and distributors were put out of business — the legitimate ones, anyway. H. Scott’s Sons was apparently no exception, because the phone books have no listing for the firm after 1919.

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M A D E

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M E M P H I S

Brussel’s Bonsai

Where small plants mean big business • • •

B Y

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S C H N E I D E R

Just south of the Mississippi border, tucked amid horse farms and country estates, you’ll find a forest in miniature growing at Brussel’s Bonsai. If you’ve ever ordered bonsai online, chances are it came from this Olive Branch nursery, as Brussel’s is the largest grower and importer of bonsai in America.

What began in 1987 as a $100,000-a-year operation steadily morphed into the multimillion dollar business it is today. The nursery imports 70 percent of its plants from U.S. growers (some from neighboring Alabama); another 30 percent come from China and Japan, where Martin has shopped over the years for finished, highend specimens. Brussel’s dominates the online bonsai market, providing plants for Costco, Home Depot, Amazon, FTD, Walmart, and others. Long located on Center Hill Road, they moved to a larger location in 2004, one with more growing space and an improved production facility. Here, Martin, with co-owner McNeal McDonnell, employs a staff of 35 who grow and ship 1,500 to 2,000 trees a week. (During Mother’s Day week that figure mushrooms to 45,000-60,000 plants.) You can spend $50 to $500 on a young tree or thousands more for mature ones. Just place an order online with Brussel’s or one of their vendors and you’ll receive your tree within one to three business days.

Brussel Martin

INTERESTED IN LEARNING ABOUT BONSAI? The Memphis Bonsai Society meets on the fourth Tuesday of each month at the Memphis Botanic Garden. Call Fred Nowak, 758-1488 for details.

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Surprised? Well, as it turns out, the Mid-South is ideally suited to the cultivation of these diminutive trees, with its excellent water and temperate climate. It’s akin to Tokyo, Japan, where bonsai has been practiced since its arrival from China during the fourteenth century. Stroll through the nursery’s greenhouses and you’ll discover rows of pint-sized junipers, Japanese maples, and azaleas. Elsewhere, exquisite cypress and evergreens, some hundreds of years old, grow with elegantly gnarled trunks and striated branches that make collectible specimens worth $30,000 or more. Serious practitioners spend decades refining the growth of their trees by pruning, grafting, and shaping limbs until the tree’s appearance looks rather spare or windswept. Growing calls for precision, since all bonsai are trees that, if left untended, would eventually revert back to their normal size. That is part of the intrigue.

LITTLE TREES, BIG DREAMS

Owner Brussel Martin says his passion took root in the 1970s, when his father, architect Robert Thomas “Buddy” Martin, returned with several bonsai from California. Brussel was fascinated. “When my dad brought the trees home, I took an interest. I started growing in my parents’ backyard.”

Like Martin, Terry Stamps, the nursery’s production manager, also discovered bonsai as a teen. He saw a photo of a perfectly shaped crabapple tree complete with tiny apples that “grabbed my heart.” A month later, he came knocking on Brussel’s door, eager to learn. Other enthusiasts have made that pilgrimage, too, gathering here each Memorial Day weekend to attend the Rendezvous Bonsai Convention, a popular event where growers learn from internationally known masters like Marc Noelanders of Belgium and Kathy Shaner of California. Theirs is a small if discerning audience, roughly 10,000 gardeners nationally, but an audience that’s growing. As a member of the National Bonsai Foundation, based at the U.S. National Arboretum in Washington, D.C., Martin sees a new generation becoming entranced by this ancient art form. At age 28, Stamps is among them. He works closely with Martin and McDonnell, overseeing day-to-day production as well as the maintenance of 175,000 square feet of greenhouse space. In addition, he tends his own collection and assists with those of his clients. Growers like him are flourishing in California and Oregon, too; some have even traveled to Japan to study with bonsai masters. Martin gives an approving nod to their passion. “That’s a good indication bonsai has a future,” he says, a future Brussel’s will continue to foster. For more information, visit brusselsbonsai.com. Jane Schneider is editor of memphis parent.

PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY BRUSSEL‘S BONSAI

CAPTURING THE IMAGINATION OF A NEW GENER ATION

INSIDE MEMPHIS BUSINESS.COM | AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2015

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MAKEOVER MASTERPIECE? We’d love to see it — and so would our readers!

2016

HOME

DESIGN AWARDS

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The Memphis magazine 2016 HOME DESIGN AWARDS will honor excellence in architecture and the creative use of materials in new, remodeled, and historic residences in Memphis and the Mid-South.

Memphis magazine’s 2016 HOME DESIGN AWARDS will showcase winners in the following categories: NEW ARCHITECTURE • RENOVATED ARCHITECTURE VACATION HOME • TRADITIONAL KITCHEN CONTEMPORARY KITCHEN • LIVING SPACE MASTER BEDROOM • DINING ROOM • CHILDREN’S ROOM BATHROOM • OUTDOOR SPACE SPECIALTY AREAS (E.G., LAUNDRY, FOYER, GYM, WINE CELLAR) WE’RE ACCEPTING ENTRIES NOW. Go to memphismagazine.com to find out more, plus details of each category and our entry rules!

ENTRY DEADLINE August 20th, 2015 7/13/15 12:17 PM

The Rendezvous found something great to put on top of their BBQ. When Charlie Vergos’ Rendezvous in Memphis ships out an order of their world-famous ribs, custom FedEx shipping labels help them send a piece of their restaurant right there on the box. That’s just one of the tools of the FedEx Small Business Center that can help streamline shipping, boost efficiency and improve e-commerce. To see how our online shipping tools can help grow your business, go to fedex.com/smallbusiness. ®

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