Philanthropy WINTER 2019-20 | VOLUME XIV | NUMBER 2
Who’s doing good
in Memphis?
PLUS! FEDEX FACING THE FUTURE HEALTHCARE YEAR IN REVIEW CYNTHIA HAM EXIT INTERVIEW Supplement to Memphis magazine
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Transforming the standard in health care education.
Utilizing state-of-the-art technology, innovation is at the forefront of our mission to transform health care, education, research, clinical care, and public service.
uthsc.edu
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This way to a healthier Memphis. Better health doesn’t just happen. It’s the result of people working together. That’s why we’re proud to have more than 4,0001 employees statewide collaborating with nearly 6,8002 health care providers across Memphis. Our goal? To lower costs and offer health plans, programs and community support designed to make healthier easier for everyone. And so far this year, we’ve given over $1 million in community grants dedicated to empowering healthier behaviors.1 Because when it comes to better health, we’re all in.
Let’s go! Visit uhc.com/memphis.
1
UnitedHealth Group internal data as of Aug. 1, 2019.
2
UnitedHealthcare internal data: NDAR Hospital and Provider Counts Summary report as of Aug. 12, 2019.
Administrative services provided by United HealthCare Services, Inc. or their affiliates. Insurance coverage provided by or through UnitedHealthcare Insurance Company or its affiliates. Health Plan coverage provided by or through UnitedHealthcare of Tennessee, Inc. 9711908.0 10/19 ©2019 United HealthCare Services, Inc. 19-13074-B
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Contents
COVER ILLUSTRATION BY NUVOLANEVICATA | DREAMSTIME
WINTER 2019 | VOLUME XIV | NUMBER 2
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21 FEATURES 21
A Philanthropic Cross-Section
Who is on the front lines of philanthropy in Memphis? We take a look at a diverse group of organizations determined to make changes for the good at all levels of the community. BY JON W. SPARKS, SAMUEL X. CICCI, JODY CALLAHAN, AND CINDY WOLFF
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What’s in FedEx’s Future?
Memphis’ biggest employer has had its ups and downs this year, and the forecast is complicated. But Frederick W. Smith, the company’s chief pilot, is keeping to his f light plan. BY ANDY MEEK
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INSIDE STORY 4 From the Editor
Philanthropy power.
BIZ 901 51 Leadership
U of M’s Laird Veatch steps up.
BY JON W. SPARKS
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Community Partnership
BY FR ANK MURTAUGH
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Malco and St. Jude are “Wrapped in Love.”
Cynthia Ham’s savvy view of Memphis.
BY EM I LY A DA M S K EPL I N G ER
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Finance & Investment
BY JON W. SPARKS
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Washington’s magical (and risky) calculator.
Smart Business
BY SAMUEL X. CICCI
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Are you really feeling that economic impact?
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We Saw You
IMB’s 2019 Innovation Awards. BY MICHAEL DONAHUE
The Office
Orion’s Daniel Weickenand makes his bread here. B Y S A M U E L X . C I C C I
BY TOM JONES
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Healthcare in Review
A look back at achievements in 2019.
BY DAVID S. WADDELL
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Exit Interview
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From the Archives
The multi-talented philanthropist Abe Goodman. B Y V A N C E L A U D E R D A L E
WINTER 2019 | INSIDE MEMPHIS BUSINESS.COM |
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Inside Story
/ FROM THE EDITOR
The Power of Good
Local organizations make the most of philanthropic efforts. BY J O N W. S PA R K S
M INSIDEMEMPHISBUSINESS.COM EDITOR
Jon W. Sparks
CREATIVE DIRECTOR
Brian Groppe
MANAGING EDITOR
Frank Murtaugh
ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Samuel X. Cicci
COPY EDITOR
Michael Finger
PHOTOGRAPHY ADVERTISING ART DIRECTOR PRODUCTION OPERATIONS DIRECTOR GRAPHIC DESIGNERS
Larry Kuzniewski, Frank Murtaugh Christopher Myers Margie Neal Rachel Li, Bryan Rollins
P U B L I S H E D BY C O N T E M P O R A RY M E D I A , I N C . PUBLISHER EMERITUS CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER CONTROLLER CHIEF REVENUE OFFICER
Kenneth Neill Anna Traverse Fogle Ashley Haeger Jeffrey A. Goldberg
DIGITAL SERVICES DIRECTOR
Kristin Pawlowski
CIRCULATION AND ACCOUNTING MANAGER
Lynn Sparagowski
SPECIAL EVENTS DIRECTOR IT DIRECTOR MARKETING AND CIRCULATION COORDINATOR
Molly Willmott Joseph Carey Kalena McKinney
emphis has long had a good reputation for doing good. we are a giving city in the businessplace, at church, at home. It’s also a place that welcomes entrepreneurs, and some of our most determined risk takers aren’t doing what they do for profit — it’s all about philanthropy. Some cast a wide net and aim to serve the larger population while others keep the focus narrow, often targeting overlooked constituencies. Many have been around a long time, many are brand new. It’s encouraging that they exist in abundance. This doesn’t give anyone leave to be self-congratulatory. Ask most any of the philanthropic groups in town and they’ll tell you that for all that’s being done, there’s much that is lacking. But even with that, the new organizations are reaching deeper and the existing ones are refining how they do their philanthropies. In this issue, Inside Memphis Business looks at a variety of groups dedicated to improving the community. Almost all are nonprofits, but being effective is not necessarily a function of an IRS classification. The 10 selections we made were largely on the basis of showing a variety of philanthropic efforts, not necessarily the best or biggest or most publicized. It’s a sampling of organizations that do good works, and we could do one of these roundups every month and have different groups each time. Among the largest in terms of dollars are the Assisi Foundation and Baptist Memorial Health Foundation. The youngest is the 275 Food Project, just over a year old. The Collective Blueprint targets jobs and The Works has been building housing and improving the presence of healthful foods. Christ Community Health Services is bringing better access for healthcare and Jewish Community Partners is devoted to improving life for those in the Jewish population. cityCURRENT spreads the good word, Arrow Creative aims to bring together the artistic community, and Slingshot Memphis takes a different
approach to battling poverty. We also have included a list of other philanthropic organizations that are making a difference in the City of Good Abode. In this issue, reporter Andy Meek takes a long look at FedEx, the city’s top employer. The old saying “May you live in interesting times” comes to mind as a warning not to take anything for granted. FedEx has long been a steady presence, but changes in technology, society, habits, and economies are swirling all around. Meek takes a look at the history of the company, considers the recent roller coaster it’s been riding, and looks at how FedEx is viewing an increasingly international future that has to take in Amazon, UPS, the U.S. Postal Service, and DHS. Elsewhere in this issue, we have interviews with newcomer Laird Veatch who is athletic director at the University of Memphis, and long-time mover and shaker Cynthia Ham, who has watched and guided key aspects of the growth of Memphis. You’ll also find savvy observations from Tom Jones on the dubious veracity of economic impact statements in Memphis, and a takedown from David S. Waddell on Washington’s predilection to see the number “2” and call it “3.” And don’t miss our roundup of achievements in the healthcare industry in Memphis during 2019.
Inside Memphis Business is published four times a year by Contemporary Media, Inc., P.O. Box 1738, Memphis, TN 38101 © 2019, telephone: 901-521-9000. For subscription information, call 901-575-9470. All rights reserved. Periodicals postage paid at Memphis, TN. Postmaster: send address changes to Inside Memphis Business, P.O. Box 1738, Memphis, TN 38101. Opinions and perspectives expressed in the magazine are those of the authors, and do not necessarily represent the views of the ownership or management.
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Get the Tip Sheet Inside Memphis Business puts out a weekly newsletter that provides a quick look at business goings-on. The Tip Sheet brings you some news you might not have heard, and links to other local publications that are covering the world of money. There’s also a list of upcoming events worth noting as well as our Hot Sheet, a roundup of promotions, achievements, and acquisitions. And we always feature one of our Power Players who make the city buzz. It’s a good look at what you need to know, and it won’t take long to check out because we know you’re busy. All you need to do right now is take 30 seconds to go to insidememphisbusiness.com and sign up. Every Friday morning you’ll get an email and you can stay informed. As Warren Buffett says, “Risk comes from not knowing what you’re doing.”
INSIDE MEMPHIS BUSINESS.COM | WINTER 2019
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INDUSTRY
SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION
PERSPECTIVES 2020
RECRUITING AND STAFFING:
Kirk Johnston Senior Managing Partner, Vaco Memphis | Memphis How does the Mid-South job market compare to others across the country? Memphis topped the list in three categories in 2019: Best City for Commuting, Top Destination for Millennials, and Most Charitable City. Based on this and other things like low cost of living and availability of housing, Memphis is not only a top destination for transplants from larger cities, but the city has also been able to retain local talent that, in the past, fled to larger cities. Memphis is also home to 13 Inc. 5000 fastest-growing companies, and a dozen top publicly traded companies are headquartered here. What hiring trends should we look forward to as we begin 2020?
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The unemployment rate dropped to a 50-year low in 2019. Unlike the job market 10 years ago (at the height of the Great Recession), today’s economy is a candidate’s market. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported more than 7 million job openings at the close of the third quarter in 2019. To compensate and remain competitive, companies will begin investing more in recruiting and retaining top talent. This means they should be ready to offer generous salaries and benefits based on the market’s demands, not what they deem is “good enough” for a desired candidate. Companies also need to become more proactive in the hiring process and speed their decision-making timeline from the initial screening to the final
job offer. Time is no longer on their side, and they should keep the process moving efficiently. This is a sharp contrast to recent years, when it could take weeks or even months to make a job offer. What else should hiring managers do to improve their recruiting efforts in 2020? Two words: Candidate Experience. In 2019, candidate experience became a top priority for companies looking to hire top talent in this competitive job market. Put simply, candidate experience is the series of interactions a prospective employee has with a company. This includes interviews, but it also includes the entire application process and the initial onboarding process.
Long gone are the days of having a line of qualified candidates out the door ready to take any initial offer. The market is so competitive that top talent gets snatched up quickly and employers need to make the candidate experience stellar to stand out among the crowd. This also includes making sure all decision makers meet the candidate at one time to avoid a long, drawn out interview process.
901.333.2250 www.vaco.com 6000 Poplar Ave., Suite 216 Memphis TN, 38119
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Inside Story
/ COMMUNIT Y PARTNERSHIPS
Malco & St. Jude
“Wrapped with Love” is an innovative fund-raiser. B Y E M I LY A D A M S K E P L I N G E R
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his holiday season marks the 19th year that Malco Theatres has coordinated a campaign dedicated to raising funds for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Called “Wrapped with Love,” the program plays to what theaters once had in abundance: film. “Our Wrapped with Love campaign offers bows, hand-made from film,” says Karen Melton, vice president and director of marketing for Malco. “Each bow is made from actual film representing about 24 frames, equivalent to approximately one second of a movie. The bows cost $1 each
program and explaining our need for the film material. Our request was met with a resounding response, and the material we needed was shipped to us so that we could continue the ‘Wrapped with Love’ program.” “St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital founder Danny Thomas
TV Shows • Columns • Radio Show • Books • Podcasts
“We’re trying to fund miracles, and the magic of Christmas is tied into each bow.” and are available for purchase at every Malco Theatre (34 locations across the Mid-South), until Christmas Day. All of the proceeds go directly to support the ongoing operations of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.” Melton says, “Julie Kelyman was our former marketing director who was responsible for creating the ‘Wrapped with Love’ campaign. Aligned with our philanthropic endeavors, she hit on the idea of this way of recycling film. It was a win-win for recycling, as well as a means of giving back to the community.” When the movie industry switched from traditional film to digital, Malco realized it would lose its ongoing access to the film needed for the bows, Melton says. By reaching out to distribution partners, Malco was able to save thousands of rolls of trailers on actual film. “With no other use, that footage was destined to be destroyed,” says Melton. “We sent an email to our partners outlining the
thrived as a comedian and actor, so our partnership with Malco Theatres carries special meaning,” says Richard Shadyac Jr., president and CEO of ALSAC, the fundraising and awareness organization for St. Jude. “We’re grateful for its customers in Memphis and the Mid-South who continue to rally around our lifesaving mission. Together, they have raised more than $1.3 million and their generosity helps ensure families never receive a bill from St. Jude for anything — because all a family should worry about is helping their child live.” “At Malco, we’re making it easy for anyone who wants to get behind the mission of helping sick children,” says Melton. “We’re trying to fund miracles, and the magic of Christmas is tied into each bow. And through our collaborative efforts with St Jude, we’re helping to do that year-round.” For more information about the “Wrapped with Love” campaign, visit www.malco.com. WINTER 2019 | INSIDE MEMPHIS BUSINESS.COM |
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/ FINANCE & INVESTMENT
How DC Makes 2 Equal 3
Washington becomes an economic stimulus machine — at a price. BY DAV I D S . WA D D E L L
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omeone once asked me what I do as a chief investment strategist of Waddell & Associates and I quickly quipped, “I get paid to predict the future.” Unfortunately, the future has a long history of noncompliance, making this a perilous career choice. Furthermore, most mortals like me lack the power to direct the future to ensure greater accuracy. However, for the future-tellers in Washington, such commonplace constraints do not apply. Each year, the President’s Office of Management and Budget produces an annual budget outlining fiscal priorities and economic projections. The most recent submission foresees uninterrupted economic growth of 3 percent annually for the U.S. economy through 2029. Should this manifest, U.S. GDP growth will rise to run rates unseen since the late 1990s. Is this possible? To assess, let’s review the building blocks of an economy. You cannot have an economy if you don’t have people. Economists count people 15 to 64 years old as “working age” within our economy. The combination of birth rates two decades ago and immigration rates today determines the growth rate of our working population. Back in the 1990s, workforce gains contributed 1.3 percent annually to U.S. GDP growth. Based upon the decline in our birth rates over the last 20 years and our stagnating immigration rates today, workforce gains will contribute .5 percent or less over the next decade. To power an economy, workers must produce. High productivity rates require evolutionary workforce training and innovative technology adoption. Within the U.S., low innovation periods like the 1970s corresponded with low productivity growth (.9 percent), while high innovation periods like the 1990s corresponded with high productivity growth (1.8 percent). Over the last 50 years, annual productivity gains in the U.S. have averaged approximately 1.5 percent. Combining the known demographic contribution rate of .5 percent with the predictable productivity contribution rate of 1.5 percent results in a long-run potential GDP growth rate of 2 percent for the U.S. economy. This level rightly correlates with predictions from the independent U.S. Federal Reserve and the Blue-Chip consensus of private sector economists. Therefore, a yawning gap exists between the
White House’s bullish forecast for 3 percent economic growth and our real fundamental growth potential of 2 percent. Boosting a $20 trillion economy 3 percent rather than 2 percent requires $200 billion in economic subsidies. Fortunately, the government has both fiscal and monetary tools to accommodate it. Since the Great Recession, we have seen several large subsidy programs. Beginning in 2008, President Obama authorized $800 billion in fiscal stimulus, while the Federal Reserve added $1.3 trillion more monetarily. Between 2011 and 2015, the Fed injected another $2.2 trillion in fresh funds. In 2017, President Trump inked a 10-year, $1.5 trillion tax cut and, just this year, the Fed has cut interest rates three times and recently announced a new $60 billion monthly cash infusion. How much additional economic growth has this produced? It’s impossible to say, but we did grow 3 percent last year. As predicted. BOTTOM LINE: Faster economic growth makes politicians popular. But as the U.S. economy demographically ages, our potential economic growth rate has descended from our historic 3 percent pace to somewhere south of 2 percent. In order to meet the 3 percent in-house projections, Washington has become an economic stimulus machine. This has led to bloated fiscal deficits and an oversized Federal Reserve. Comeuppance takes the form of voter rejection or market discipline. Not sure which will ultimately intervene, but until then, expect Washington to maintain its ambitions to make 2 equal 3. David S. Waddell is CEO of Waddell and Associates. He has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Businessweek, and other local, national, and global resources. Visit waddellandassociates.com for more.
ILLUSTRATION BY NUVOLANEVICATA | DREAMSTIME
brooksmuseum.org
Transforming lives through the power of art.
Inside Story
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DONATE TO FIND A CURE ALEX’S LEMONADE STAND FOUNDATION (ALSF) emerged from the front yard lemonade stand of cancer patient Alexandra “Alex” Scott (1996-2004). At the age of 4, Alex announced that she wanted to hold a lemonade stand to raise money to help find a cure for all children with cancer. Since then, her Foundation has evolved into a national fundraising movement and a leader in the fight against childhood cancer.
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Inside Story
/ SMART BUSINESS
Economic impact? Have we got some numbers for you!
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n e a r ly 20 01, the N B A’ s Va nc ou v er Gr i zzlies announced they were relocating. Despite failure after failure to attract a National Football League team, a group of Memphis civic leaders decided to go after the pro basketball franchise. It was anything but a slam dunk. As the clock ticked down toward the team’s deadline, it was uncertain that the Memphis City Council and Shelby County Board of Commissioners would approve the deal — $250 million for improvements to The Pyramid and construction of a new arena. In the midst of the heated debate, the Greater Memphis Chamber told the city and county mayors that it had the trump card for a winning vote: an economic impact report that showed the Grizzlies would have $1 billion in economic impact. The mayors were so skeptical of the conclusions that they never used the report. While there had been a few such studies before, the one for the Grizzlies was arguably the beginning of our community’s addiction to economic impact reports. There have been economic impact reports for every imaginable purpose and cause — from day care centers to the medical center. There is the $2.5 billion report for the medical device industry, University of Memphis’ $900 million, Memphis International Airport’s $19.1 billion, the Port of Memphis’ $9.3 billion, Southern Heritage Classic’s $21.6 million, AutoZone Liberty Bowl’s $25-30 million, and Agricenter International’s $524 million. The report for tourism sets that industry’s economic impact at $3.65 billion based on a number of visitors that averages 32,000 visitors a day. Memphis in May’s report said it had $149 million in economic impact, declaring that its attendance increased 18.5 per cent since 2016 while its economic impact 10 |
grew 69 percent. Meanwhile, an economic impact report for Memphis and Shelby County Economic Development Growth Engine (EDGE) said its tax freezes have produced $1.8 billion in new tax revenues since 2011 despite the yearly complaints by local government about tight budgets and sluggish growth of revenues. Companies who are granted these freezes — called PILOTs
(Payment-In-Lieu-Of-Taxes) — get a discount on property taxes in exchange for agreeing to locate in an area for a guaranteed number of years. About 25 years ago, city and county mayors “thawed” PILOTs from 100 percent to 75 percent to free up property taxes for the operations of schools. Today, each PILOT application is accompanied by an economic impact report that dependably claims an economic benefit for every tax freeze by extolling
the new taxes created by the 25 percent “thaw” although for every dollar, three more are given up. The 25 percent revenues become reason enough to approve PILOT after PILOT
Often overlooked in the public discussion about economic impact reports is that they are projections. and inspires the cheerleading for tax freezes by the Chamber, EDGE, and City Hall. The economic impact reports have been used by EDGE to approve a number of controversial PILOTs — a $3.2 million subsidy to Raymond James so it can move from one zip code to another inside Memphis, $1.7 million for Renasant Bank to build a Memphis “headquarters,” tax freezes that amount to more than 20 percent of the cost of an apartment complex, and retention PILOTs that mean some companies will not pay taxes for 30 years. If economic impact reports already suffer from a credibility problem, they took a direct hit when the one used to support $4.25 million in public incentives for the television series Bluff City Law said it would produce $1.7 billion in new visitor spending. That’s the equivalent of about half of the tourism economic impact. Often overlooked in the public discussion about economic impact reports is that they are projections. Some projects, like the TV program, need no such study because their value is readily apparent. For some people, the $1.7 billion was the logical outcome for what one person called “the arms race” in economic impact studies. It is seen starkly with Bluff City Law, because the report tried to quantify the unquantifiable and measure the tangible when the
greater value is in the intangible. For example, a few years ago, there was an economic impact study for nonprofit arts groups, and their economic impact was set at $200 million. And yet, things like the arts cannot be measured in purely economic terms because it’s impossible to put a dollar value on something that shapes the city and its character, inspires its ambitions, and elevates its quality of life. Most of all, the frequent economic impact reports give politicians cover for the PILOT program and are catnip to the news media, which regularly report their conclusions without question and with no examination of the assumptions, the often wild multipliers that turn $1 in spending to $17 in impact, the self-reporting data that swell projections, and the absence of opportunity costs and possible diminishing returns. Here’s the proverbial bottom line: economic impact studies are not a measure of economic well-being. What they do is measure spending flows while telling us nothing about the efficiency of the spending or its social benefits. The studies are also confused with cost-benefit analyses, a staple of the business community, and create the perception that, contrary to the axiom, correlation is causation. Economic impact reports here are reliably positive and overstated. Today, a number of cities are engaged in discussions about what constitutes real economic impact analysis. There are many reasons Memphis and Shelby County should be part of it. Tom Jones leads Smart City Consulting and is the primary author of the Smart City Memphis blog, recognized by the Pew Partnership for Civic Change as “one of the most engaging” civic-minded blogs in the United States. You can reach him at tjones@smartcityconsulting.com.
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BY TOM JONES
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Inside Story /
WE SAW YOU
IMB’s Innovation Awards September 27, 2019
BY MICHAEL DONAHUE
H
ow can you improve on something? Like a product or a way of doing something? Are you a problem solver? If you are any of the above, you might be joining other like-minded people at the next Innovation Awards breakfast. The annual event honored those who used their heads to come up with a new idea or a new way of doing something. They were chosen as leaders in their field by Inside Memphis Business. The magazine honors the very best in local innovation over the past year with the awards breakfast. This year’s recipients were Mark Pryor of The Seam, Juice Plus+ CEO Jay Martin and his team for MyCityRides, Ekundayo Bandele of Hattiloo Theatre, and Phil Baker and Ayile Arnett of RemediChain. •
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1 John Sutton of Novatech 2 Jim Meeks of Northwestern Mutual 3 Dean Damon Fleming of the Fogelman College of Business and Economics 4 Megan Klein of MyCityRides 5 Troy Parkes of DayaMed, Phil Baker of Good Shepherd Pharmacy, Kayla Rodriguez Graff and Isaac Rodriguez of SweetBio, Christine Fahey of Blockchain901 6 Jon W. Sparks and Anna Traverse Fogle of Contemporary Media, Meka Egwuekwe of Code Crew, Mark Pryor of The Seam
7 Edith-Kelly Green of the KGR Group, Vernon Stafford of First Horizon, Hatshepsut Bandele of Hattiloo Theatre 8 Kimberly Douglas of Cumulus Media, Susan Ewing of
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Ewing Marketing Partners
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The Future of
FedEx
There’s been turbulence this year, but the company still plans to deliver. BY ANDY MEEK
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t’s been a year of ups and downs for FedEx Corp. Earnings forecasts have been lowered and share prices have dropped, shipping rates will be going up in January, it quit delivering packages for Amazon and plans to make it up with higher profit margin customers, its acquisition of Netherlands-based TNT Express in 2016 is costing more than predicted to integrate, there are tariffs and a slowing global economy, it sued the U.S. Department of Commerce, and company bigwigs won’t get a bonus this year. But then again, e-commerce continues to grow and there’s gold in those transactions. So as 2019 draws to a close and the curtain will soon rise on a new decade, what are we to make of the logistics giant? Is it a glass half-full or half-empty outlook for the company? We take a look here at how far the company has come, and where it’s likely to go. We’ll address some of the players to know, what FedEx’s rivals are up to, and plot other milestones it’s hoping to achieve.
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s the U.S. Senate prepared to vote back in December 2017 on a massive piece of legislation overhauling the federal tax code, Frederick W. Smith was working the phones. The founder, chairman, and CEO of FedEx — the 30,000 local employees of which make the package shipment giant the largest employer in Memphis, not counting its more than 450,000 worldwide — at one point put in a call to Lamar Alexander, one of Tennessee’s two Republican senators. It was, in fact, the day before the Republican-controlled chamber passed the tax bill, handing a much-needed legislative win to the Trump Administration. Smith wanted to convey a simple message with his call: “Pass that bill.” Alexander would later tell people he didn’t need the convincing, since he already knew he’d be voting “yes.” But Smith just wanted to be sure, making a number of promises to Alexander about what would directly result from the bill’s passage. It was a rare opportunity for Smith and his fellow captains of industry, many of whom had for years preached a gospel of less taxation equals more prosperity — and that Washington is strangling corporate America with a tax code that puts companies here at a competitive disadvantage to much of the rest of the world. Here at last was a chance to fix that, and during his call Smith promised Alexander that at FedEx, once the bill passes, “We’re going to spend half a trillion dollars buying new airplanes and creating lots of jobs.” That kind of pitch won’t exactly come as a surprise to anyone with even a passing interest in FedEx and an awareness of its now 75-yearold founder whose idea for the company arguably gave birth to the idea of overnight package delivery anywhere in the world. Smith is himself a staunch Republican and a champion of global trade (which has the double benefit of championing the underpinnings of FedEx’s business) who makes public speeches and gives interviews about the topic as often as he can. In the past, he’s even been extended invitations to join Republican presidential administrations. As such, it would make sense for one of the country’s highest-profile businessmen to bring his influence to bear in an attempt to shape policy. But in referencing that behindthe-scenes phone call, it’s the “behind-thescenes” aspect that merits attention. Because that’s the thing about FedEx that comes with being so ubiquitous, so well-known, its brand so recognizable almost anywhere you go in the world. There is, of course, the part you see, the sliver of the iceberg that sits in full view. Say the name FedEx in Memphis, and it connotes the sight of all those planes, parked neatly in all those rows, that compose a familiar view as you drive along the interstate shortly before
PHOTO CREDITS: COURTESY FEDEX
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arriving at Memphis International Airport. For some 30,000 workers in this area the name brings to mind the work they spend eight hours of their day on, five days a week — whether they sort packages at the FedEx hub at the airport or fill any of the company’s white-collar jobs from Collierville to Downtown Memphis. And then there are all the ancillary jobs and employers not directly connected to FedEx, but nevertheless still here because it, too, is here. Employers like Material Bank, a media and design technology company that opened an office in Memphis in May 2018. For Adam Sandow, the founder and CEO of Material Bank’s parent company, proximity to FedEx was the motivation to open an office here. “Architects and designers using Material Bank can conduct complex searches and place orders across hundreds of brands and thousands of materials in seconds from a single source,” he told Inside Memphis Business as context for the expansion to Memphis. “Order fulfillment from our 80,000-squarefoot, robotics-powered logistics facility, just minutes from the Global FedEx World Hub in Memphis, allows design professionals the ability to order samples by midnight (Eastern Time) and receive a single box containing their full sample order by 10:30 the following morning.” FedEx also remains an indispensable cog in the machinery of the global economy. And yet, there is (as Smith’s call to Alexander indicates) plenty about the company’s story that you don’t see — a side that’s not as visible as the one that encompasses the planes, the hubs, the jobs here and the army of Express trucks with that ever-present purple and orange logo on the sides. It’s an aspect of the company that Wall Street is certainly hungry for more insight about — to divine, for example, not only what the future holds for the publicly traded enterprise but also what it’s planning to do about the daunting challenges in front of it. Challenges that include a volatile global economy, growth in e-commerce (wherein shipping something you bought online to your doorstep isn’t as profitable as the lucrative, high-volume business-to-business contracts FedEx can strike), and Amazon’s ambitions to be a logistics player in its own right.
P
ondering where the Memphisbased giant will be in, say, five years’ time, is a particularly interesting exercise. To a degree, the answers to that question are being set in motion now. “E-commerce continues to be a driving force of total U.S. domestic market growth,” FedEx chief marketing and communications officer Brie Carere told analysts during one of the company’s most recent quarterly earnings presentations. “We are building our portfolio, networking capacity to best serve thousands
HERE’S A SNAPSHOT OF FEDEX CORP. AS IT STANDS TODAY Moves an average volume of
15 million shipments
each business day. Fiscal year 2019 revenue topped FedEx.com racks up
$69 billion.
65 million unique visitors
every month.
2,100 FedEx Office locations; 1,950 FedEx Express stations, and 13 Air Express Hubs; 39 FedEx Ground Hubs; and around 370
There are more than
FedEx Freight service centers.
180,000 ground vehicles like trucks and almost 700 aircraft at more than 650 airports worldwide. That number of planes It relies on more than
means FedEx Express operates what’s become the world’s largest cargo air fleet. The company has teams and divisions covering all manner of shipments and shipping needs across the globe, including ocean freight. FedEx also has a “Space Desk,” a one-stop shop launched in 2014 for any query related to shipping to or bringing assets back from space. A customer calls the Space Desk, and a customized solution is designed for each space-bound package.
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The Future of
FedEx
The apron of Memphis International Airport holds a small portion of FedEx’s fleet of almost 700 aircraft. PHOTOGRAPH BY JON W. SPARKS
of retailers in this space and we continue to differentiate, for example, with the launch of the FedEx seven-day service.” In 2020, she continued, FedEx Ground will deliver seven days a week and year-round for customers representing 80 percent of U.S. GDP. The company would certainly be foolish not to ramp up in this area; figures from the U.S. Commerce Department show that consumers bought more than $517 billion in online goods last year, a 15 percent increase in e-commerce over 2017. This also comes, incidentally, as Amazon — a company FedEx’s leadership is now talking about in increasingly competitive terms — said in October it plans to spend $1.5 billion in the fourth quarter to support its own ability to offer Amazon Prime customers free one-day shipping. Smith himself has downplayed Amazon’s logistics ambitions for years, even as the Internet retailer has built up a fleet of its own trucks and planes that can serve as a first-party delivery network for Amazon packages. In March, FedEx Corp. president and chief operating officer Raj Subramaniam likewise dismissed Amazon as “not a threat” to FedEx’s business or growth. Six months later, though, came an abrupt about-face. Smith described Amazon this way to analysts: “We basically compete in an ecosphere that’s got five entities in it. There’s UPS, there’s DHL, there’s the U.S. Postal Service, and now increasingly, there’s Amazon. That’s who we wake up every day trying to think about how we compete against and give the best services to our sales force.” Lumping Amazon into the category of rivals that FedEx’s leadership thinks about daily also followed FedEx’s move earlier this year to end its ground and express delivery contracts with 14 |
how the companies might work in the future more closely with the search giant’s parent. Speaking of Google’s parent company, it also operates a drone delivery subsidiary called Wing, which this fall started a pilot project to test the feasibility of using drones to deliver goods from FedEx Express as well as Walgreens. The project is based in a small town in Virginia called Christiansburg, so don’t expect to hear drones carrying FedEx boxes buzzing overhead in Memphis anytime soon. The project is more about testing a hypothesis, anyway — whether FedEx can use technology like drones to conquer more of the logistics industry endgame, the so-called “last mile.” Trucks and people, of course, can only cover so much ground — though that’s not stopping everyone in this space from scrambling to see who can incrementally cover more. Which sounds like the kind of game that will be won on inches, and maybe that’s true — but what might end up tilting the scales is who throws the most money at this problem and who blinks first at the massive amount of investAmazon, which was seen as one more step toment that business like this requires. ward further positioning the companies into Looking ahead, it’s fairly easy to imagmore direct competition. At the time, FedEx ine a future with drones, robots, and techtried to counter attention to the move as much nology that makes FedEx look even more ado about nothing — or, more specifically, cutting-edge in five years’ time than it does much ado about almost nothing, since the pornow. As a reminder of how much can change tion of FedEx revenue attributable to its work in that span of time, consider how much the with Amazon represented less than 1.3 percent world has changed by going in the opposite of FedEx’s total revenue for the 12 months that direction, looking instead backward to 2014. ended in December 2018. At that point, Donald Trump was still a year Nevertheless, the future is not just about away from announcing his candidacy. Five things like protecting its flank against the years from today would take threat from Amazon and beefing up its e-commerce de“We basically compete in us to 2024 and potentially to the final days of a Trump adlivery solutions. FedEx is also an ecosphere that’s got ministration’s second term. placing some high-tech bets five entities in it. There’s This is an administration now to keep the company on whose anti-trade fervor and the cutting edge — bets inUPS, there’s DHL, there’s other unconventional polivolving technologies includthe U.S. Postal Service, cies have brought a measure ing drones and robotics. and now increasingly, of uncertainty to the U.S. This summer, FedEx startand global economies — ed testing the practicality there’s Amazon.” and which have in particular of using an autonomous, sixwheeled robot to deliver packages, with plans stung FedEx in myriad ways, including setting to expand the trial to more cities. The idea is the company on a confrontational path with to team up with brands like Walmart and TarChina — one that was not at all foreseeable get and others to deliver anything from medieven a year ago. cine to pizzas from a business directly to your In a move that served to underscore the butterfly effect phenomenon at the heart of doorstep. Speaking of the latter, Carere herself chaos theory, the Trump administration earlishowed up for a taping in February of The Toer this year effectively banned U.S. companies night Show Starring Jimmy Fallon to show off the from doing business with Huawei. That’s the robot delivering a pizza, and how it can deftly China-based telecommunications giant that navigate simple changes in terrain by itself to is responsible for a larger share of the global complete its package run. smartphone market than Apple. Along similar lines, meanwhile, FedEx repLike so many of the administration’s policy resentatives attended a secret meeting in Silicon Valley in mid-October that was hosted by moves, it was a decision informed by a black-andAlphabet, the parent company of Google. Reps white ideology and not so much the minutiae of how the levers of power work. President Trump from other unnamed logistics and shipping sees in China a gathering storm. So he used the industry companies were on hand, with the focus at the meeting being a discussion about global ambitions of Huawei, a company that may
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or may not have close ties to the powers that be inside the country, as a pretext to fight a proxy battle against one of Trump’s favorite punching bags. The finer points were left to others to sort out — and in this case the devil was very much lurking in details that FedEx ran headlong into. At one point a few months ago, someone in Japan tried to send a package from Huawei’s office to China. They used FedEx to send the package, which FedEx then re-routed away from the destination in China and sent it instead to the U.S. — specifically, to FedEx headquarters in Memphis. That immediately sparked an international incident and put the company at the center of an argument it wanted no part of but was forced to figure out new rules for, leaving the company so entangled in confusion that FedEx eventually took the extraordinary step of suing Trump’s Commerce Department in June over what it argues is the impracticality of the Huawei-related directives. All of which, meantime, comes at a time when FedEx is also trying to ramp up its business in the Asia-Pacific region. In October, FedEx Express announced a major Asia-Pacific expansion that’s meant to help small businesses in particular that are trying to expand their global footprint, something that today’s digital economy makes so much easier than ever before. The expansion opened up 68 more lanes from Asia-Pacific to Europe in which FedEx Express will pro-
vide its International Economy Services — a cross-border, customs-cleared, door-to-door service that promises “competitive delivery dates” for packages. The U.S. equivalent of $1.5 trillion in annual merchandise is traded between Asia and Europe, FedEx Express Asia Pacific president Karen Reddington said at the time. “The expansion of FedEx International Economy service destinations in Europe,” she said, “helps Asia Pacific small- and medium-sized businesses who trade with Europe better capture global opportunities.” It’s all in service of helping build, as she put it, “borderless businesses.” That mention of FedEx Express, by the way, is a good point at which to stop and unpack the Russian doll corporate structure the FedEx brand encompasses. You can have a rough idea about the basic transaction at the heart of the entire FedEx operation — someone needs to send a package from Point A to Point B — but that belies all the associated services and core FedEx competencies that branch out from there. For example, it could be an individual sending a package from their home to a family member. A business to another business. A business to an individual by way of fulfilling an e-commerce order. How fast the package needs to be shipped also determines how it’s routed through the giant FedEx pipeline — and who delivers it along the last mile.
A keen observer might also begin to imagine the creative solutions FedEx could offer, by way of continuing to branch out from that idea of a basic package delivery transaction. Maybe you’re a business owner and not even sure how you want to go about what you want to do yet. After all, you’re not an expert on cross-border shipments, how to deal with customs and the like. Maybe you just want recommendations and advice on how to get the ball rolling. There’s also the company’s customer-facing real estate footprint, which can be thought of, in a way, as yet another extension of the package delivery transaction. You can send off packages there, at a FedEx Office location, as well as secure a host of other services you might need related to those packages, such as making copies, scanning documents, and the like. FedEx Logistics is the subsidiary of the company that in February announced a move of if its global headquarters from the East Memphis Crescent Center office building to Downtown’s former Gibson Guitar Factory. There, multiple FedEx Logistics office locations will be consolidated into one space, housing almost 700 employees. (It’s operating in a temporary space Downtown at 100 Peabody Place as of the time of this writing while work on the permanent space continues.)
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WINTER 2019 | INSIDE MEMPHIS BUSINESS.COM |
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In our 50th anniversary year, we invite you to learn more about the Community Foundation of Greater Memphis and how we help people who care about Memphis and the Mid-South do more to change lives, improve communities, and build futures.
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“As one of Memphis’ great corporate citizens and largest employers, we’re very proud to have FedEx choose to plant roots in Downtown Memphis,” says Downtown Memphis Commission president Jennifer Oswalt. “We believe this choice speaks volumes about the attractiveness of the Downtown office campus and the future of Downtown. … In addition to wage growth, these employees will be patrons of the current and future commercial ecosystem of restaurants, retail, and other small businesses [Downtown].” FedEx Logistics’ role within the corporate portfolio of FedEx companies involves connecting 95 percent “As one of Memphis’ of the world’s gross domestic prodgreat corporate uct via a suite of citizens and specialty logistics largest employers, solutions. Those include providing air we’re very proud and ocean freight to have FedEx forwarding, supply choose to plant chain solutions, specialty transporroots in Downtown tation, cross border Memphis.” e-commerce technology services, customs brokerage, and more. The lease for FedEx Logistics is set to begin in April 2020, with the move having spurred the construction of a new mezzanine in the Gibson Guitar building to grow its 154,000 square feet to almost 200,000. “This will be a great space for collaboration among the different aspects of our business and a true home for our growing company as we attract new talent for the future of FedEx,” said Smith’s son, Richard Smith, who was the CEO of FedEx Logistics until August, when he was named regional president and executive vice president of the U.S. domestic and U.S. international region for FedEx Express. All of that, and more, encompass one aspect of the company’s story, wherein direct, tangible effects can be seen and felt here in its hometown. There’s also a wealth effect that can impact the Bluff City — and beyond. In October, the price of FedEx shares was down around 25 percent. A drop like that is the kind of thing that affects stock portfolios and 401(k)s and causes some investors to feel less wealthy — at least on paper. But rebalancing a suite of investments is one thing. When the company’s fortunes rise and fall, it can also have a direct impact on its army of workers in Memphis, who in turn produce a 30,000-person-strong ripple effect in the slipstream of the city’s economy. In recent weeks, a 2 percent cost-of-living pay increase started showing up in FedEx employee paychecks. However, according to a FedEx spokesman the company’s performance hasn’t been robust enough over the past year to merit annual employee bonuses. Citing a challenging business environment, the company’s
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position released via a spokesman is that “we unfortunately do not expect the level of operating income in FY20 to be enough to fund an Annual Incentive Compensation payout at the end of the fiscal year.” When FedEx revised its profit forecast down last month — predicting that it will fall about $900 million short of projections — it was the third time in a year the company had done so. As mentioned earlier, e-commerce is an area of focus at the moment, but it’s an area where costs are rising. FedEx wants to capture more home delivery business as a result of that e-commerce growth, which continues to be white hot, and as a result the company will add Sunday delivery service for residential customers starting in January. And that means the arrival of 2020 will mark the first time FedEx is delivering to residences every day of the week. In a related move, FedEx also has taken over some home ground deliveries previously handled by the U.S. Postal Service. An estimated 2 million packages a day, to be more precise. Instead of FedEx moving those packages through its network to local post offices, carriers for which would then take those packages along the last mile, FedEx is now carrying those smaller packages the rest of the way itself as a cost-saving move. It’s certainly all a heck of a long way to come from what began as a term paper idea from a then-Yale University undergraduate named Fred Smith back in 1965. At the time, the thing that seemed to most seamlessly zip around the world was music. It was the year before the Summer of Love, when the hit parade was stacked with landmark releases from The Beatles, Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones, The Beach Boys, The Byrds, and so many more. The way Smith saw it at the time, though, airfreight shippers ought to break away from the passenger route systems they relied on, in order to be better able to deliver time-sensitive packages that could include anything from computer parts to medicine that might be needed right away. It was one of those ideas the eventual founder, even back then, saw as inevitable — never mind the fact that the professor who gave Smith an average grade on the paper didn’t regard it in quite the same light. The company that Smith would eventually name Federal Express conveyed its intent and brand right there in those two words. The “express” part of the name gave the appropriate impression of speedy delivery, while the world “federal” was chosen to convey the notion that this company was supporting an activity in the national interest. A variety of other fortuitous circumstances helped lay the foundation for what FedEx would grow to become. Its headquarters was placed in Memphis because of the city’s central location. It also didn’t hurt that Memphis International Airport was happy to make improvements needed to accommodate FedEx, and that the airport
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With ten locations across the Memphis area, Healthcare Realty is the go-to source for on Baptist Memorial Hospital campuses. A variety of locations and levels of build-out provide move-in ready suites, time-share space and the ability to build to suit. It’s your move.
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rarely let bad weather force its closure. The company’s first day in operation was April 17, 1973, when 14 planes took off from Memphis and delivered almost 200 packages to 25 cities around the country. By the 1980s, the company was growing at a rapid clip of about 40 percent a year and hit $1 billion in revenue in 1983 — the first time in American history a company reached that milestone within 10 years of launch all by itself, without a merger or acquisition to juice the growth along the way. By the close of When the company’s the millennium in 1999, FedEx’s fortunes rise and seemed asfall, it can also have future sured — it was at a direct impact on that point when it became the leadits army of workers ing global overin Memphis. night shipper, moving more than 2 million packages to a couple hundred countries every day. Smith was talking to a reporter some years ago about, of all things, how some lessons about innovation could be drawn from the collapse of the local newspaper industry. He was noting how other delivery mechanisms like TV can replace the need for information instantly, depriving newspapers of some of their usefulness on that front — leading, indeed, to something of a “death cycle” of relevancy for local papers. And then he came to his point, including his core beliefs about risk-taking, innovation, and entrepreneurship. Said Smith: “It’s at that point that the innovator says to himself, ‘Now’s the time that I ought to take a risk. I see the threat on the supply side. I see the opportunity on the demand side. And, oh, by the way, I’d like to do something new and useful and important.’ And when all of that happens, that’s when organizations tend to innovate.” What’s notable is that Smith was laying all that out to a reporter for Inc. magazine back in, if you can believe it, 1986. Maybe Smith’s future, and that of his eventual company’s, was preordained, thanks to the entrepreneurship that runs in his family. Before his father died when Smith was still a young boy, he owned the Dixie Greyhound Bus Lines, the Toddle House restaurant chain, and made himself a millionaire. Smith launched his company on the strength of an idea, naysayers be damned, and proceeded to eventually transform it into a holding company of sorts — with FedEx Corp. now the umbrella entity for a portfolio of solutions including FedEx Ground, FedEx Express, FedEx Office, and much more. Future success will no doubt follow a version of that same trajectory — and depend on whether or not there’s a similar boldness of vision that helps the company, like its fleet of planes, soar to newer and more commanding heights. •
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Philanthropy
I
t’s probably bad form to take pride in being charitable. But the fact is that Memphis is a notably philanthropic town and one can’t really be blamed for feeling good about the City of Good Abode. In this issue of Inside Memphis Business, we take a look at a cross-section of nonprofits who are all working to meet needs not otherwise being met. It’s hardly a comprehensive look as there are multiple organizations driven by the need to do good things, but we wanted to give a nod to this small variety of nonprofits — some have been around a long time, one hasn’t even existed for a year; some focus narrowly and others cast a wide net; some get plenty of press, others work in near obscurity. All, however, serve. And maybe instead of taking pride in this community goodness, we could get in touch with an organization and give of our time and ourselves. WINTER 2019 | INSIDE MEMPHIS BUSINESS.COM |
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Philanthropy The Assisi Foundation: Community enrichment with a historic perspective
T
he Assisi Foundation occupies an attractive, one-story modern building in East Memphis, complete with airy interiors, a large courtyard and a colonnade. What captures the attention of visitors first, however, is Elvis, a fluffy little black dog that runs to the front doors in raucous, though nonthreatening, greeting. Two other dogs and a here-again/there-again cat are also in residence. It’s all very Saint Francis, appropriate for a non-profit organization named after the Italian birthplace of the patron saint of animals and founder of the Franciscan order. Overseen by executive director Jan Young, the Assisi Foundation awards grants totalling $10 to $12 million annually in the areas of arts and culture, education, social justice, health and human services and community enrichment. The group is what Young described as “placebased,” that is, it serves greater Memphis along the amorphous boundaries once served by St. Francis Hospital. So, yes, a connection exists between the foundation and the hospital, but its history takes it back to 1885 and the founding of St. Joseph Hospital in Memphis. “There would be no Assisi Foundation without St. Joseph Hospital,” says Young, who trained at the now-demolished Catholic-operated facility and worked there as a nurse and nurse practitioner. St. Francis Hospital, founded in 1974 by Sister Rita Schroeder, was affiliated with St. Joseph, though what Young called “a falling-out” occurred between the two institutions, and St. Francis was sold in 1994 to Tenet Healthcare Corp for $129 million. The proceeds from that sale resulted in the establishment of The Assisi Foundation. Despite its Catholic heritage
New Ballet Ensemble, a grantee of Assisi. PHOTOGRAPH BY PATRICIA POSSEL
and adherence to the compassionate, service-oriented philosophy of the actual Saint Francis (born 1181/82, died 1226), the foundation is not religion-based. Young was the foundation’s first program officer, then interim director, then executive director beginning in 2005. “We didn’t come from a philanthropic background,” she said of the foundation’s beginning, “so we had to learn as we went along. Other foundations in the area were helpful and provided guidance.” Assisi Foundation does not award grants to individuals, only qual-
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ified groups and institutions. Each quarter is devoted to a particular category of the foundation’s fields of interest. Applications can be made throughout the year, though deadlines apply to the specific areas, spelled out on the foundation’s website. The application process is open and available online. The next deadline is February 10, 2020, for applications in the field of education. The foundation’s 22-member board meets four times a year to vote on applications. The Assisi staff, including Young, has no voice in which applications are approved, a fact that can lead to disappointments. “Oh, we always have favorite applications,” says Young, “but we have to make sure to stay out of the process and let the board do its work.” A “pretty high percentage” of applicants is accepted, she said, but sometimes not until the third attempt. “Our goal is — if they’re doing something of value to the community, we try to help, even if only with constructive criticism.” In its role of providing non-monetary assistance, Assisi Foundation offers workshops on grant applications and directs a program called “Before You Ask” designed to help nonprofits develop programs and applications. When applications are rejected, it tends to be for one of three Jan Young reasons: a failure to follow or understand the technicalities of the process; a lack of coherent vision; a weakness in the articulation or comprehension of the intended results. These factors, and the different rules that apply to the various types of non-profit groups, illustrate what Young called “the complicated process of philanthropy.” While the Assisi Foundation freely acknowledges its religious origin and awards grants to faith-based organizations, it explicitly details on its website the requirements of tolerance and non-discrimination that such groups must adhere to, including having both Christians and non-Christians on their boards and not precluding services to non-Christians or people of different faiths. Assisi Foundation is “blessed,” Young says, not to have to rely on donations or fund-raising. “We’re sitting on assets of $210 million. It’s from those earnings that we are able to fund the grants that the board approves.” Recent grantees include Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital, Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Memphis, Christ Community Health Services, Knowledge Quest, Latino Memphis, New Ballet Ensemble, Street Ministries and William R. Moore College of Technology. — Fredric Koeppel
The Assisi Foundation FOUNDED 1994 EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: Jan Young COMPENSATION: $254,000 ASSETS: $210 million
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Christ Community Health Services: Health care for those with low incomes.
I
f you mix, motivation, direction and prayer with a mighty dose of health care you’ll find Shantelle Leatherwood’s passion for leading an organization that provides medical services to low income and uninsured people in Memphis. Leatherwood is the chief executive officer of Christ Community Health Services, a Memphis-based, nonprofit health care provider that operates eight clinics in Memphis. She grew up in South Memphis in a neighborhood that was a mix of low- to middle-income families. After she received her master’s degree in hospital administration from the University of Missouri in Columbia and completed a fellowship at a family health center in Missouri, she moved back to Memphis to be closer to her family. “I began praying about and pursuing ways to gain service in a faith-based organization providing health care to the poor,” Leatherwood says. In 1999, she put her foot in the door as an administrative assistant at CCHS. She spent the next 18 years with steady promoShantelle Leatherwood tions until she reached the top job in 2017. Today, Leatherwood makes $170,000 as the CEO. CCHS is a successful nonprofit with net assets of $11.9 million, according to a financial statement for fiscal year 2018. With $36.1 million in revenue and $33.8 million in expenses, CCHS finished FY 2018 with a net income of $2.4 million. The organization operates seven medical and dental clinics combined and a free-standing dental clinic peppered throughout Memphis in locations such as Hickory Hill, Frayser, Orange Mound — areas of the city where medical practices rarely open. The clinics provide a variety of services such as pediatric and adult primary care, dental, behavioral health, pharmacy, prenatal and obstetric/gynecological services and spiritual health counseling to over 57,000 patients annually. CCHS plans to open its first clinic outside of Memphis in January in Jackson. She says the organization’s data shows clinics are also needed in Desoto, Crittenden and Tipton counties. There aren’t any plans currently to open in those counties, but it’s something CCHS will consider at some point, she says. Currently, CCHS is looking to build a 20,000-square-foot clinic to replace the 9,900-square-foot facility at 3362 S. Third, which was the original clinic that was opened by CCHS founders in 1995. Leatherwood said CCHS is discussions with property owner Belz Enterprises about gaining control of the entire Southwest Shopping Center, where the clinic is located. The property at the northeast corner of South Third and Mitchell Road is the site of the former Crystal Palace skating rink. Leatherwood says the plan is to develop the property in two phases. The first would be the clinic. The second phase would be to find tenants that would help people who live in that area.
Outreach building
“Phase two includes inviting community partners to join us in meeting the needs of the community by providing many with an opportunity to lease space,” Leatherwood says. “These plans are being fleshed out.” She envisions a police presence, youth programming, a place to exercise, additional specialty services and more mental health services for the area. “It’s a healthcare desert in that area,” she says. Leatherwood said her experience as a native Memphian shaped her passion for meeting the needs of those who are hopeless, in need of support, guidance, motivation, direction and prayer. “I understand the unique challenges that our patients face, especially young women,” she says. “I understand the need to invest in our targeted communities, to invest in the youth residing in these areas, and the need to bring life back to some of the areas we serve.” “I understand the social determinants that they face and the system of care that we need to establish to help overcome these issues,” she said. “It is what gives me my passion and drive to carry out the vision that I have for CCHS.” — Cindy Wolff
Christ Community Health Services FOUNDED 1995 CEO: Shantelle Leatherwood COMPENSATION: $170,000 NET ASSETS: $11.9 million
Arrow Creative: Building a creative hub for artists.
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or generations, the Memphis College of Art was at the center of the local art scene, a place where art was taught and events were held that reached out to the community. But it’s going away at the end of the upcoming spring semester and there’s no exact replacement on the horizon. However, the area’s art scene is a constantly growing and evolving thing, and two women with a vision are bringing their idea of invigorating the creative community to life. Arrow Creative, the brainchild of Abby Phillips and Dorothy Collier, is planned to be “a creative resource center that will marry creative with entrepreneurship. It will bring customers to products.” Phillips made this statement recently in announcing Arrow’s new, temporary home on Broad Avenue. It is something of a prototype, a functioning enterprise that is pointing the way to an ambitious premise WINTER 2019 | INSIDE MEMPHIS BUSINESS.COM |
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Philanthropy The 275 Food Project: Raising awareness of local food.
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Arrow Creative: Dorothy Collier and Abby Phillips
that will include a newly constructed 80,000- to 100,000-square-foot facility in the Broad Avenue Arts District. “The space will be more than a building, more than a program, and more than just studio space,” Phillips says. “Arrow will be a one-roof creative district in the heart of Memphis. We will house micro retail opportunities, creative community education with a focus on workforce development and artist development.” For now, there are six art studios and six to eight classes a month in the temporary quartes. “This summer, we are hoping to take over where Memphis College of Art is closing and serve hundreds of students in a summer camp,” Phillips says. “We are really excited about being able to pick that up where MCA unfortunately is closing. But all of these students will still have a home with Arrow. We will also work with creative organizations to house their office space, and host meetings and events.” The new headquarters will have some 40 studios and creative offices, as well as co-working and shared equipment. Arrow has acquired some of the equipment from Memphis College of Art that will be available to the Arrow community. About $2 million has been raised toward acquiring the property and Arrow will mount a capital campaign to get another $10 million. The hope is the new facility will take about a year to complete. Arrow is not brand new. It started as an event during Memphis Fashion Week and evolved into Memphis Fashion Design Networks a few years ago. “We saw a need in the community for education,” Phillips says. So we went to Memphis College of Art and sat down with them telling them there are fashion designers in the community that want to grow their business and want to gain more resources.” The relationship with MCA resulted in fashion design courses being taught. When MCA announced it was closing, Phillips and Collier decided to up the ante. “We have found that the largest areas of need are the support network, a creative hub, connections to clients and education,” Phillips says. “These are the key components that we are looking to focus on as we build Arrow Creative.” — Jon W. Sparks
he 275 Food Project was founded in October 2018 by Heather Jamerson and Diane Terrell, both of whom have extensive experience in the nonprofit sector. The name came from the radius in miles around Memphis where they get food from farmers. On their website (275foodproject.org/), the folks behind the 275 Food Project declare their intent “To build an equitable local food economy in Memphis that shifts 20 percent of food spending to local farmers and producers. In order to achieve that goal, we have built a series of partnerships and developed programming designed to increase farmers’ yields, build greater demand for local foods on the part of restaurants, groceries, large public/private institutions and individual consumers while positioning food entrepreneurs for greater success.” Or, as Terrell put it in an interview with the Memphis Flyer earlier this year, “Our mission is to help realize the economic, health, and social impact of local food on the community. I think there’s consensus around the nation, perhaps around the globe, that local food does have significant health impacts. And those health impacts, particularly for a community like ours, with its high rates of diabetes and heart disease, are important for the future of our community.” But that’s not all this nonprofit organization hopes to do. Their ambitious agenda goes beyond just getting more locally sourced food into the area’s restaurants and stores. According to the organization’s website, Jamerson and Terrell have several programs in various stages of progress: ◗ The 275 Food Fellowship Program, which works with women and minority chefs through professional mentorships in the hopes of helping them succeed in business. ◗ The Ground Up Initiative, presented by Dave and Amanda Krog. This one is also devoted to chefs of color through an 18-month culinary fellowship. ◗ The Women’s Chef Initiative presented by Kelly English, proprietor of The Second Line and Restaurant Iris. “We believe there is a pressing need for more women to be in higher ranking positions in the restaurant industry. To address this problem, Chef Kelly English and 275 Food have partnered with Chef Edward Lee in Louisville to launch a six month mentorship in Memphis for high achieving women chefs,” the organization says. ◗ The 275 Container Restaurant Initiative, which hopes to use “container restaurants” — small spaces that resemble shipping containers — as a way to bring new food options to areas where healthy options are limited. The first such restaurant, radical.TACOS, is expected to open soon at 1025 College in the Soulsville neighborhood. ◗ New South Memphis, which includes a “grant awarded to the New South Produce Cooperative to build a local food hub in Memphis, aggregating source-identified produce, proteins and dairy for distribution.” ◗ Puck Food Hall at 409 S. Main Downtown, which features 10 local beverage and food sellers..— Jody Callahan
Arrow Creative
The 275 Food Project
FOUNDED 2012
FOUNDED 2018
CO-DIRECTORS: Abby Phillips and Dorothy Collier
CO-FOUNDERS: Heather Jamerson and Diane Terrell
NET ASSETS: $10,570 (per 2017 IRS Form 990)
COMPENSATION AND ASSETS: IRS nonprofit forms are not yet available.
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The Works: Building homes and health for the community.
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oshu n Aust in h a s been at the helm of The Works for a decade and can fire off a list of the nonprofit’s achievements. “We have a combination of experiences in doing single family detached for home ownership and that’s mostly in the South Memphis area,” she says. “And we have a multifamily development for very low income families that we did about 20 years ago and our Roshun Austin office is located on this property.” And there’s a $17 million multi-family development project in Frayser with construction expected to be completed next September. That’s among the big projects, but The Works also does minor home repair providing service to homeowners in South City and elsewhere. But wait, there’s more. Healthy food initiatives are part of The Works’ mission, including a greengrocer in South Memphis, operating the South Memphis Farmers Market, and doing cooking education. And The Works is a lender with a residential mortgage loan fund for a small dollar mortgages, and is a partner with Pinnacle Financial Services. It also has made loans to a grocer and is involved in the reopening of the closed Kroger store in Southgate as a Cash Saver grocery. There’s even more, including working with national foundations like Kresge for improvements to MLK Park and various infrastructure improvements. And this is nowhere near all of what The Works is involved with. In other words, as Austin says, “We’re comprehensive in our scope. We’re like a classic community development corporation in other places like Chicago or New York.” Austin has run the CDC as CEO for 10 years and before that was in mortgage services as a licensed broker; hence the expertise in developments. And her staff is also highly qualified: “We have an anthropologist who’s our research and evaluation specialist — that’s her whole job. We have another on staff who is the director of multifamily.” And there too, the list goes on. Austin grew up in the Hyde Park area of North Memphis. She thought
The Works headquarters: The Clancy House
her life would be in biochemistry, but eventually found that urban anthropology and community development was to be her destiny. She graduated from the University of Memphis and followed her dream. What is she looking for in the future? “I just want to do more of what we do at a larger scale to ensure that the most vulnerable populations are served,” she says. “The private developers can do the market rate deals, but I want to make sure that there’s policy in place at the state and local level to protect those who are vulnerable. I want to see us scale up and be able to provide resources to families and small businesses and neighborhoods and make sure that they can stay, and they’re not pushed down.” — Jon W. Sparks
The Works FOUNDED 1999 PRESIDENT/CEO: Roshun Austin COMPENSATION: $84,555 ASSETS: $2.6 million
Baptist Memorial Health Care Foundation: Keeping up with the changes in healthcare.
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enny Nevels uses a tasty metaphor to describe how the mission of the Baptist Memorial Health Care Foundation has changed over the years. “I like to phrase it as now we’re funding the cake,” she says, “where we used to fund the icing on the cake.” What that means is that, as health care continues to evolve in this country, the mission of the Foundation — founded in 1983 — has had to evolve as well. In the past, Nevels says, the Foundation might have spent its money on things such as programs. Today, though, while programs are still part of its mission, that money is more likely to be spent on equipment or technology. “Health care is not the same as it once was, as we have continuing reductions in reimbursement, and things of that nature, that make it hard to meet all the needs. So fundraising helps fill the gap in terms of patient care,” says Nevels, director and CEO of the Foundation. “We have seen in the last few years that we are funding a lot more things along the lines of technology and equipment where in the past we might have funded programmatic kinds of things.” An example, Nevels said, is that the Foundation, along with a private donor, recently purchased an interoperative radiation device for their women’s hospital. “It can provide all the radiation to the surgical site, the tumor bed, during the course of the surgery, so the individual doesn’t have to undergo the traditional 6-8 weeks of radiation after the surgery,” Nevels says. Another recent purchase, Nevels says, is a series of small cameras attached to bassinets that allows parents to remotely view their new baby if they can’t be at the hospital at that moment. As of 2018, the Baptist Memorial Health Care Foundation had net assets of more than $500 million. However, some of that money can’t be touched for general grants, Nevels says. About $122 million is restricted funds, meaning they can only be used for specific purposes. Another portion is for endowment funds, which also can’t be used. In the most recent fiscal year, the Foundation raised about $10.3 million, Nevels says. One of the signature programs the Foundation supports is the Kemmons Wilson Family Center for Good Grief, along with the Good Grief Camp. WINTER 2019 | INSIDE MEMPHIS BUSINESS.COM |
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Philanthropy “We provide counseling for those who have lost a loved one, primarily in Memphis and parts of Mississippi and Arkansas,” Nevels says. Another signature program the Foundation helps support is Baptist Operation Outreach, a program that provides medical care to the homeless. The Foundation helped purchase the newest mobile van, Nevels says, which helps treat between 3,000-4,000 people annually. — Jody Callahan
speakers to the local community. ◗ Holocaust remembrance. This takes the form of education and outreach as well as such events as the local observance of the Yom HaShoah Day of Remembrance. ◗ Jewish Camp Scholarships for needy children. ◗ The PJ Library, a national program that sends Jewish children 8 or younger a book every month. JCP helps cover that cost in Memphis.
Baptist Memorial Health Care Foundation
But perhaps the most important work they do, Zuckerbrot-Finkelstein added, was with the city’s senior Jewish population. “Our support of senior services, which includes senior meals [is important]. We deliver meals to the homebound elderly. We provide meals at meal sites. The support for Plough Towers and the Jewish Home falls under seniors. We provide a transportation program for seniors,” Zuckerbrot-Finkelstein said. —Jody Callahan
FOUNDED 1983 DIRECTOR/CEO: Jenny Nevels COMPENSATION: $208,720 ASSETS: $522.2 million
Jewish Community Partners: Supporting members of the Jewish community.
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he Jewish community in Memphis is estimated to number somewhere between 10,000 and 15,000 people. The members of that community may often need special services such as housing or medical care for seniors, support for those with special needs, scholarships for education and the like. That’s when the Jewish ComA traditional Jewish Tzedakah Box for charitable contributions. munity Partners become involved. JCP was founded in 2015 when two long-term fixtures in the Memphis Jewish community — the Memphis Jewish Federation and the Jewish Foundation of Memphis — merged into one group. Now, that umbrella group does its best to see to the needs of Memphis’ Jewish population. The Federation raises funds as well as oversees an ambitious slate of programs in the Memphis area. So far this year, the Federation has raised about $4 million; last year, they granted about $3 million to agencies and programs. “The Memphis Jewish Federation is the central planning, convening, and fundraising arm of the Memphis Jewish community. We raise money for both local needs in Memphis and for needy Jews worldwide, including Israel,” says Bluma Zuckerbrot-Finkelstein, chief strategy officer for JCP. “We raise money both for social services to help the most needy and vulnerable and also to strengthen Jewish life and engagement for the continuity of the Jewish people.” The Foundation’s mission, while similar, primarily concentrates on fundraising. “We are donor-centric. We work with families on what they want to give,” said Sherri Gadberry, director of operations for JCP. “We help our agencies raise endowment money. We focus on legacy giving.” In addition to serving the elderly and those with special needs, the JCP also operates numerous other programs, including: ◗ Support for Israel and other Jewish communities around the world. Zuckerbrot-Finkelstein said that about one-third of the money JCP raises goes toward this. As another aspect of this, the Lemsky Endowment Fund is also used to help high school students visit Israel as well as for programs about Israel, including bringing Israeli 26 |
Jewish Foundation of Memphis FOUNDED 1995 PRESIDENT/CEO: Laura Linder COMPENSATION: 204,500 ASSETS: $44.3 million (2018 IRS Form 990) FOUNDED 1942 PRESIDENT/CEO: Laura Linder COMPENSATION: $214,650 ASSETS: $22.2 million (2018 IRS Form 990)
Slingshot Memphis: Creating a poverty fighting ecosystem
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ustin Miller admits that, upon first glance, Slingshot Memphis is a bit confusing. After all, the organization that Miller leads is steeped in traditional Wall Street terms such as “value investor,” perhaps leading one to believe that Slingshot is your average brokerage or hedge fund. Instead, though, Slingshot Memphis is a nonprofit devoted to reducing poverty in the Memphis area. At times, even Miller himself has a little trouble explaining that. “I’m the CEO and one of the founders and I’ve been doing this 24/7 for three and a half years and I still have trouble with an elevator pitch,” Miller says. What Slingshot does, Miller said, is try to take that Wall Street approach and apply it to making people’s lives better here through working
Slingshot Memphis PHOTOGRAPH BY DAVID ROSEBERRY
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with other nonprofits directly engaged in that battle against poverty. “Our mission is to reduce poverty by creating a results-driven, poverty-fighting ecosystem. By that I mean helping nonprofits get better, certainly helping funders make better decisions,” he says. “We’re trying to help people to ask different questions, measure different things, ultimately to invest in things that have the evidence or the potential to create the most impact in our city.” Slingshot does that in three phases. The first is to narrow the options. Slingshot, Miller says, tries to find the best partner organizations that can make an impact in the fight against poverty. “We’re looking to work with organizations that are trying to create a better quality of life for our neighbors who are living in poverty by way of increasing their income or their health,” Miller said. The second phase is look at that nonprofit to determine how it could be better at their mission. “Researching best practices, creating a healthy feedback loop, measuring infrastructure to make better decisions over time, thinking about the systems level, how you can create impact beyond the beneficiaries you might impact directly,” Miller says. “All are important for an organization to become best in class. Many of our nonprofits don’t have the bandwidth to do this, so our team does this in partnership to help them improve.” The third phase is financial. Slingshot raises money from the community. Some investors donate large sums, but Miller likes to tell the story of a law student at the University of Tennessee who sends $10 every month. “We want people to reconsider how they invest. Not based on what feels good or has the best story, but what has the best impact in the lives of our neighbors who live in poverty,” Miller says. And when they raise that money, they try to spend it. They also don’t use that money to pay salaries — all such costs are covered by Slingshot’s board of directors and some funders. After Slingshot’s founding in 2017, they raised about $500,000, working with four local nonprofits. In 2018, they raised about $1 million and increased their nonprofits to 10. This year, they are working with 17 nonprofits — many of them well known such as Hope House, MIFA and Porter-Leath — and have a goal of raising $1.5 million. “We aggregate those dollars,” Miller says, “and we strategically and expeditiously get that capital into the hands of these nonprofits.” — Jody Callahan
Slingshot Memphis FOUNDED 2017 CEO AND FOUNDER: Justin Miller COMPENSATION: $123,588 ASSETS: $762,499 (2018 IRS Form 990)
The Collective Blueprint
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n Memphis, there are 45,000 young adults who are out of school or work, despite there being up to 15,000 open jobs at any given time. Memphis struggles ensure that young adults are able to pursue thriving careers and while there are many organizations that help with the poverty crisis, the 18-30 age range is often ignored. Thanks to the efforts of Sarah Lockridge-Steckel, CEO of the Collective Blueprint, there is a path forward for many disenfranchised young adults. Growing up in Detroit, Lockridge-Steckel quickly noticed that
Collective Blueprint
where someone lived dictated what opportunities people had access to. “It was very frustrating that we can almost predict what happens to children based on the zip code they’re in,” she says. “I felt like in particular, Memphis is losing young adults because we have so few services that are targeted at folks once they turn 18. People need a lot of support, especially if they’re not taking a traditional four-year college pathway, or can’t find a way around having to take on hundreds of thousands of dollars of debt.” To address these issues, Lockridge-Steckel piloted the Collective Blueprint in 2016. “We strive to create pathways for young adults to get to economic mobility in our city,” says Lockridge-Steckel. “Our work encompasses a few different things: we create programs that get people to economic self sufficiency, and we also advocate for more equitable policies so that postsecondary education and employment works better for young adults.” Her team has been working with the City of Memphis and Shelby County on an opportunity youth plan to help provide more support to the 45,000. She also examines what barriers are preventing people from thriving, and how city policy can help to change that. The Collective Blueprint’s main focus is the year-long Leaders program. The first intensive phase lasts about 10 weeks and has the cohorts meeting five days a week. “They spend every day with us, and we have them ask ‘who am I as a person, what do I want to get to, what’s my career pathway?’” The group has school visits, meets various industry professionals, and goes through the process of applying and financing for schools. Along the way, skills like crafting a resume or cover letter, networking, and interviewing are built up. The second phase has participants go down one of 12 different school pathways. “We have training for EMT, MTS, hardware repair, and others, so our cohorts go into these actual work environments.” The organization partners with other local groups such as Code Crew, Tech901, Moore Tech, or Regional One to help people get certified in different fields. As the cohort gains professional experience, the Collective Blueprint hosts community dinners, provides professional mentors, and monthly workshops. When that all wraps up, the organization partners with employers to help participants start their careers. Typically, 50 young adults make up a cohort, but the Collective Blueprint wants to increase that number. “We’d like to build out more and offer deeper employer support,” says Lockridge-Steckel, “and our next programming is going to really focus on how we ensure people thrive once they finally do start their jobs, make sure that they’re retained, and have the opportunity for upward mobility.” Throughout the whole process, each WINTER 2019 | INSIDE MEMPHIS BUSINESS.COM |
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Philanthropy going to really focus on how we ensure people thrive once they finally do start their jobs, make sure that they’re retained, and have the opportunity for upward mobility.” Each participant gets a $400 a month stipend, access to a psychologist, and trauma support. The Collective Blueprint has 12 team members, but wants to add more to provide more comprehensive services. “Change is collective, and it does require a collective effort for us to make progress in these things because we’re dealing with so many different pieces,” says Lockridge-Steckel. “But young adults are going to shape the future of our city and our country, so we have to invest in them and we have to invest in their success.” — Samuel X. Cicci
Collective Blueprint FOUNDED 2016 CEO & FOUNDER: Sarah Lockridge-Steckel COMPENSATION AND ASSETS: IRS nonprofit forms are not yet available.
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he organization began in 2005 as the Lipscomb Pitts Breakfast Club, focused mainly on networking opportunities for individuals and businesses. Over time, though, the organization’s mission evolved beyond just networking to include philanthropy and what CEO Jeremy Park calls “positive media.” With that expanded mission, their name evolved as well, as the Lipscomb Pitts Breakfast Club gave way to cityCURRENT. Now, cityCURRENT — with the aid of more than 100 corporate partners, including such big names as FedEx and AutoZone — focuses on that three-pronged mission in both Memphis and Nashville, after expanding east in 2018. “We kind of position ourselves as a privately funded catalyst and city-building organization,” Park says, noting that cityCURRENT is not registered as a nonprofit but is instead a limited liability corporation. “What it boils down to is we host a lot of free events in the community, (and we do) a lot of philanthropy and a lot of positive media.” While the organization in its earliest days did perhaps a dozen events a year, that number swelled to 183 events in Memphis last year alone, Park says. The biggest event is the Signature Breakfast, held eight times a year and featuring national speakers. “It’s a lot of events, workshops, seminars, executive luncheons, bringing in a lot of national speakers,” he added. “We’re doing everything we can do to offer enrichment and collaboration, to help people with their businesses and personal lives, anything to help we can do,” Park says. They also concentrate on philanthropy, Park says, including the Memphis Police Department’s Fallen Officer Memorial and an event called Samaritan’s Feet, where they wash children’s feet and give them new socks and shoes. Beyond just giving money, Park says, they also want to encourage people to participate in events, such as cleaning up trash at McKellar Lake. “But we really focus just as much on the physical engagement. Turnkey volunteerism is a big thing for us,” Jeremy Park Park says. “A dollar bill doesn’t mentor a child, doesn’t tutor, doesn’t physically solve any problems. People do. So we need people to be physically engaged to make a difference in the Mid-South.” The final aspect of their three-pronged mission is “positive media.” They try to accomplish that through shows on WKNO-TV as well as podcasts, videos and radio shows. “We live in a world that’s very negative. For us, we spotlight the positive of what’s going on so that people can see it. But it’s not a rah-rah thing. It’s shows that these are the individuals and organizations that are out there making a difference,” Park says. “Really, (it’s) so that people know the good that’s going on and how they can get involved.” —Jody Callahan
Here is a list of other local organizations that are influential in the world of nonprofits and philanthropy. Community Foundation of Greater Memphis Robert M. Fockler, president CFGM.ORG
CFGM is the largest charitable grantmaker in the MidSouth, with grants of more than $147 million last year. It manages 1,100 charitable funds for individuals, families, and organizations throughout the region, with total assets of $480 million.
United Way of the Mid-South Dr. Kenneth S. Robinson, president/CEO UWMIDSOUTH.ORG
Has served the area for more than 90 years working in education, financial stability, and health issues to address poverty. Net assets: per 2017 IRS Form 990: $13.2 million
Knowledge Quest Marlon Foster, executive director KNOWLEDGEQUEST.ORG
The nonprofit focuses on the 38126 and 38106 zip code areas to promote academic excellence, social emotional competency, and encourage healthy lifestyles. It maintains a learning farm, offers help with parenting issues and families in crisis. NET ASSETS: per 2017 IRS Form 990: $1.7 million
Christian Community Foundation Rex Jones, president CCFMEMPHIS.COM
The grantmaker helps donors share their resources through churches and ministries that combine Christian faith and Christian action. NET ASSETS: per 2017 IRS Form 990: $132 million
Plough Foundation
cityCURRENT
Bob Wallace, COO & CFO
FOUNDED 2005
PLOUGH.ORG
BUDGET OF ABOUT $1 MILLION, ACCORDING TO CEO JEREMY PARK.
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ILLUSTRATION BY DECORWITHME | DREAMSTIME
cityCURRENT:Networking, philanthropy, and positive media
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Guaranteed
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A philanthropic mainstay since its founding in 1960 by Abe Plough, whose goal was “to help the greatest number of people in order to do the most good.” In August, the foundation announced that it would grant its remaining assets to local nonprofits over the next four years and then close operation. NET ASSETS: per 2017 IRS Form 990: $47.6 million
If you find a better rate offered by a local bank or credit union,
Hyde Family Foundation
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Barbara Hyde, Chair and CEO HYDEFOUNDATION.ORG/INDEX
Since 1961, the foundation has sought to improve the city in numerous areas, including education, spaces and communities, arts and culture, and leadership. NET ASSETS: per 2017 IRS Form 990: $158 million
Kemmons Wilson Family Foundation Betty Wilson Moore, president and board chair KWFF.ORG
Works with organizations to improve the community, inspire youth, enrich education, and promote health. NET ASSETS: per 2017 IRS Form 990: $35.5 million
firstsouth.com • 901-380-7530
Women’s Foundation for a Greater Memphis Ruby Bright, executive director and CAO
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WFGM.ORG
For more than 23 years, the organization of women has continued to help women break the cycle of poverty through philanthropy, leadership and collaboration. NET ASSETS: per 2016 IRS Form 990: $4.7 million
Getting words out is hard. We can help.
Pyramid Peak Foundation James R. Boyd, executive director A wide range of philanthropies from this very private organization. NET ASSETS: per 2017 IRS Form 990: $786.8 million
Poplar Foundation Thomas Marino, executive director A wide range of philanthropies from another very private organization. (Poplar and Pyramid Peak share offices in the Crosstown Concourse). NET ASSETS: per 2017 IRS Form 990: $272 million
THE
STUTTERING FOUNDATION
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800-992-9392
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GIVING GUIDE PROFILES Give back to the Mid-South this year by supporting one of many wonderful nonprofit organizations. On the following pages, you can find out more about the area’s leading nonprofits — what they do, who they help, their impact, successes, and connections. Looking to feed a passion project or aid in making a difference in our area? Opportunities abound. Start here to see how — and why — you could become involved with a worthy cause right here at home.
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GIVING GUIDE
Youth Symphony Program
Dance Instruction
MISSION GPAC’s mission is to serve the community by presenting the highest quality artistic endeavors to educate, engage, enrich and transform. ABOUT US ANNUAL REVENUE: $3,129,272
(FY19 Financials) NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES: 13 FT and 5 PT ESTABLISHED: 1994 SOURCES OF FUNDING INDIVIDUALS: 14% CORPORATIONS: 16% ORGANIZATIONS: 67% FOUNDATIONS: 3% ADDRESS
1801 Exeter Rd., Germantown, TN 38138 PHONE
901-751-7500 WEBSITE
www.GPACweb.com
Lifelong Learning
E XECUTIVE LE ADERSHIP
Paul Chandler Executive Director Liz Mulroy Venue Director Parke Kennedy Development Director Emily Hefley Programming Director
GOALS There has never been a better time for you to get involved at GPAC! Located in the heart of Shelby County, GPAC serves the greater metro Memphis area of more than a million people and is accessible to all members of the community. Currently in its 25th season, GPAC continues to awe patrons with the breadth, depth and quality of the artists presented, performance after performance. Indoors, in the Duncan Williams Performance Hall, the Watkins Studio Theater, our grand lobby and our education department, we’ve got a blockbuster year planned. Beginning with Sutton Foster and a dazzling season opener, our lineup features exactly the kind of artistic excellence, creativity and innovation in music, dance and the visual arts upon which we have built our reputation. GPAC will host more than 60 arts programs and performances this year in its acoustically perfect 864-seat venue, presenting exceptional dance and music, year-round educational activities for all ages, rotating visual arts exhibitions and multiple community events, welcoming more than 100,000 visitors. In addition to the 12 shows in the 2019-2020 GPAC Presents season and six Jazz in the Box performances, an array
BOARD MEMBERS
Lee Grinspan President Patrick O’Connor Vice President Carol Ross-Spang Secretary Kathy Simonetti Assistant Secretary
William H. Watkins Treasurer Carlton Anderson Pamela Arrindell Samuel Beach Joey Beckford September Blain
of local arts organizations such as IRIS Orchestra, Opera Memphis, Germantown Symphony Orchestra, Memphis Symphony Orchestra, GPAC Youth Symphony Orchestra, Collage Dance Collective, and Children’s Ballet Theater present all or a portion of their season at GPAC. Between September 2019 and June 2020, more than 250 arts-related events will occur at GPAC. Today, GPAC is one of the most important cultural centers in the region. Outdoors, we are poised to open our new performance space, The Grove. Our vision for The Grove is simple: to expose more people to the arts. Entertaining, educating and enriching lives through the arts has always been our mission and The Grove gives us another way to share arts experiences with new and old audiences - families, teenagers, millennials, active empty nesters and folks who just enjoy being outside. The great big stage and giant, high-definition video wall will be suited for all kinds of performances - dance, theater, orchestras and all genres of music. Our aim is to provide something to entertain and educate everyone. This unparalleled community asset will provide a unique place where our guests will experience the power of the arts to connect and inspire All of this is made possible by generous support from people like you! To learn more about supporting and getting involved at GPAC, contact Parke Kennedy, Director of Development at (901)751-7505.
The Honorable George Brown, Jr.
Dr. Jorge Calzada
Dr. Brooke Dishmon Mitch Major Dr. Frank Ognibene Mayor Mike Palazzolo Ann Parker Honey Scheidt Trey Watkins Brenda Antwine GPAC Guild President
SPECIAL PROMOTION
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NOW IS THE TIME TO GET
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RICKY SKAGGS & KENTUCKY THUNDER SATURDAY, JANUARY 18
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MS. LISA FISCHER AND GRAND BATON SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 1
SPYRO GYRA SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 8 GEORGIA ON MY MIND: CELEBRATING THE MUSIC OF RAY CHARLES
NEW STEVE WINTER WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHER SUNDAY, JANUARY 12
FEATURING: CLINT HOLMES, TAKE 6, NNENNA FREELON AND KIRK WHALUM
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 29
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TICKETS & INFORMATION AT GPACWEB.COM | BOX OFFICE 901.751.7500 SPECIAL PROMOTION
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GIVING GUIDE
osten
Pancreatic Cancer Support
Research
Advocacy
Education
Hope
ABOUT US ANNUAL REVENUE: $250,000
Support Group
Kick It 5k
ESTABLISHED: 2003 SOURCES OF FUNDING INDIVIDUALS: 90% CORPORATIONS: 5% ORGANIZATIONS: 5% ADDRESS
6060 Poplar Avenue, Suite 140 Memphis, Tennessee 38119 PHONE
901-606-7542 WEBSITE
www.kostenfoundation.com facebook.com/KostenFoundation/ @KostenFDN EVENTS:
The Kosten Foundation support group is open to everyone affected by pancreatic cancer, including patients, family members, caregivers, and anyone interested in supporting those who are impacted by, or wants to learn more about this disease. The support group meets on the second Saturday of every month at the Cordova Public Library from 10 am - noon. Kick It 5K: The Kick It 5K takes place in early April and is the largest fundraiser for the Kosten Foundation. The all-ages event includes a 5K run, 1-mile fun walk, opportunities for spirit runners, an inspirational survivor ceremony, entertainment and food vendors. Tribute At Twilight: For Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month in November, the Kosten Foundation is proud to host the Tribute at Twilight. The event is for survivors of pancreatic cancer, Kosten support group members and those who have lost loved ones to the disease. Participants share stories and there is a symbolic presentation in remembrance and honor of those lost to pancreatic cancer and those still fighting it.
E XECUTIVE LE ADERSHIP
Alan L. Kosten Chairman Of The Board Jeffrey A. Goldberg President Kathryn Gilbert Craig Director of Community Engagement
MISSION To establish support and a forum for communication among those afflicted with pancreatic cancer via support group meetings, our website, social media channels, and events. To assist with the training of future pancreatic cancer surgeons. To provide funding for a yearly Memphis public lecture on pancreatic cancer delivered by a nationally and or/internationally renowned expert on the disease. To provide funding for clinical and basic research toward improving outcomes for those afflicted with pancreatic cancer It is our sincere hope that we can provide an informative, compassionate, and humane approach toward improving the quality of life for those afflicted with pancreatic cancer and their families. Additionally, through research efforts, it is our very realistic passion to find a path to the early diagnosis and cure of pancreatic cancer in our lifetimes. ABOUT THE HERB KOSTEN FOUNDATION: The Herb Kosten Foundation for Pancreatic Cancer Research was founded in 2003 by the family of Herb Kosten after his death due to pancreatic cancer. Kosten’s family sought to improve community support, awareness, and funding for pancreatic cancer, one of the deadliest known cancers. As the only organization of its kind in a five -state area, the group focuses on providing access to resources and support through a combination of communication, initiatives, programs, and events. All members of the Foundation are volunteers who donate hundreds of hours each year and believe in leading by example. The organization has raised close to $2,000,000 for pancreatic cancer research and hosts a very active monthly support group meeting for patients, their families, and anyone interested in learning more about pancreatic cancer. In 2004, in honor of Kosten’s love of tennis, the Memphis-based organization began hosting annual tennis tournaments to raise money to fight pancreatic cancer and in 2011 the group held its first Kick It 5K run/walk. The annual event has grown to include more than 2,000 participants. Money raised from the Kick It
Herb Kosten 5K and other Kosten Foundation events help fund pancreatic cancer research, In addition, the Foundation presents a yearly symposium headlined by nationally recognized leaders in the field of pancreatic cancer. For more information about the Kosten Foundation, its programs, and events, visit the website at kostenfoundation.com.
SPECIAL PROMOTION
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SPECIAL PROMOTION
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GIVING GUIDE METHODIST LE BONHEUR HEALTHCARE MISSION: Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare, in partnership with its medical staffs, will collaborate with patients and their families to be the leader in providing high quality, cost-effective patient-and family-centered care.
ABOUT US NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES: 10 2018 REVENUE: $5.75
M • Annual Events – 14% • Clinical Priorities – 25% • Community Outreach – 14% • Hospice – 10% • Humanitarian Fund & Help Funds – 11% • Research & Education – 26% ESTABLISHED: 1974
METHODIST HEALTHCARE FOUNDATION MISSION:
Methodist Healthcare Foundation will support the life of Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare by inviting community philanthropic partners to invest in the parts of our mission that demand enhancements in research, facility or programs.
LOCATION
1211 Union Ave., Suite 450, Memphis, TN 38104 PHONE
901.478.0704 CONTACT
www.methodisthealth.org/give facebook.com/methodisthealth @MethodistHlth @methodisthealth Methodist Healthcare linkedin.com/company/methodist-le-bonheur-healthcare
PHILANTHROPIC AREAS OF SUPPORT: Care for All funds support the social and holistic needs of patients and families while ensuring that all patients are able to access the care they need, regardless of their circumstances. Capital Needs include new capital projects, enhancements to existing facilities, and care supplies and resources, which often include donor recognition. Clinical Priorities including Cancer, Cardiology, Neurology, Sickle Cell and Transplant, offer meaningful opportunities for donors to advance the level of care available through staff, resources, and research. Community Outreach efforts include more than 20 best-practice and evidence-based programs offered to the community to promote and protect community health and well-being. Dennis H. Jones Living Well Network serves as a free community resource to help individuals navigate depression, stress, and other challenges of life.
SENIOR LE ADERSHIP
Michael Ugwueke President & Chief Executive Officer Kathleen Forbes, MD Executive Vice President, Academic Group Cato Johnson Chief of Staff, Public Policy & Regulatory Affairs
William Kenley
Executive Vice President, Community Group
Chuck Lane, Chief Financial Officer
Albert Mosley Chief Mission Integration Officer Nikki Polis Chief Nurse Executive Carol Ross-Spang Chief Human Resource Officer Monica Wharton Chief Legal Officer
FOUNDATION STAFF
Zach Pretzer, Interim President Kristin Attaway Flora Jenkins Cameron Mann Joey Maurizi Bob Plunk Emily Tipton
FOUNDATION BOARD
Nicholas Bragorgos Chair Wilson Moore Vice Chair
Hospice care, including care in the home, at assisted living facilities, in hospitals, and at the Methodist Hospice Residence, as well as bereavement services are provided to all community members. WAYS TO SUPPORT: Donations to support the mission of Methodist Healthcare can be made through cash gifts, bequests, gifts of stock, gifts inkind, event sponsorships, and shopper loyalty programs, such as AmazonSmile. Special Events include: • Mental Health Breakfast – Business breakfast featuring a keynote speaker and breakout sessions focused on mental health, benefitting the Dennis H. Jones Living Well Network. • Methodist Healthcare Golf Classic – Engaging day of golf, benefitting Methodist Hospice’s Camp BraveHearts Family Grief Camp. • Living Awards Benefit – Special dinner and awards ceremony honoring individuals and organizations who exemplify Methodist Healthcare’s faith-based, healing mission. • Night Life for Methodist Hospice – One-of-a-kind concert event featuring a performance by a Country artist, benefitting Methodist Hospice. • Methodist Healthcare Luncheon – Elegant luncheon featuring a celebrity guest speaker, benefitting the mission of Methodist Healthcare. Sally Aldrich Dana Armstrong Roshun Austin Wes Barnett Jason Chandler, MD Michael Drake Kim Heathcott Yvonne Madlock James Parker Demetri Patikas Shane Stanford
SPECIAL PROMOTION
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www.cbu.edu • 901.321.3270 SPECIAL PROMOTION
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GIVING GUIDE COMMUNITY MISSION STATEMENT
Southland Casino Racing invests in local organizations that empower our neighbors to care for their health, create brighter futures, and connect with each other. When it comes to giving back, Southland is ALL IN because we believe there are no limits when communities are strong. ACHIEVE: Helping neighbors achieve greater educational and career success CONNECT: Helping neighbors come together to strengthen community THRIVE: Helping neighbors make healthy choices COMMUNITY COMMITMENT
1550 N. Ingram Blvd. West Memphis, AR 72301 1-800-467-6182 SouthlandCasino.com @SouthlandCasinoRacing @SouthlandGaming
PRESIDENT AND GENERAL MANAGER
David Wolf COMMUNIT Y ENGAGEMENT MANAGER
Johnekia (Neki) Catron
Southland Casino has long been a pivotal fixture in our community. “One of the hallmarks of Southland, owned and operated by Delaware North, is the focus we place on stewardship and corporate social responsibility” said David Wolf, President and General Manager of Southland Casino. We do our part by not only providing jobs and business stability, but also through economic contributions, including millions of dollars of donations to neighborhood charities and educational institutions. Southland has increased its impact in the region by 20% over the past three years resulting in a $144 million economic impact in 2018. Many of us live and work in West Memphis, and we are focused on continuing to grow the success of the property and build upon its history of service and impact in the Eastern Arkansas and Mid-South communities. FOCUS
YE AR ESTABLISHED
1956 ECONOMIC IMPACT
$144 Million in 2018
In 2018, we designed our Community Engagement Office to strategically identify areas within the Eastern Arkansas and Mid-South community to invest and empower through our philanthropic channels. The Community Engagement Office works with community
leaders to determine the community’s greatest needs and most meaningful impact Southland can contribute. To expedite the application for donations and sponsorships from organizations Neki Catron, Southland’s Community Engagement Manager, developed an online application that automates the giving process in a structured and purposeful manner. It’s at southlandcommunityengagement.com. ASSOCIATE INVOLVEMENT
We CARE is an employee-driven charitable program that was established in January 2016 by the dedicated associates of Southland Casino. The We CARE program supports our local communities through payroll deductions and donations. Associates have the opportunity to donate $5 a week to wear jeans on Friday for their contributions. Since launching the program, associates have donated more than $163,700 to the surrounding communities. The We CARE effort also includes wishing wells, which allow customers to donate change and unused tickets by placing them in containers located around the property. The We CARE program is a true illustration of associates coming together for the greater good of the community.
CHARIT Y CONTRIBUTIONS
$215,382 to local charities in 2018 COMMUNITIES IMPACTED
Eastern Arkansas and Mid-South EMPLOYMENT
Currently employs 819 associates. Expansion project is expected to create 400 additional jobs bringing total employee base to about 1,200 jobs.
COMMUNITY PARTNERS Southland Casino provides various types of support for dozens of local organizations, including: • American Cancer Society of Mid-South • Arkansas State University • West Memphis School District • Ronald McDonald House Charities • Soulful Memphis Operation Christmas Basket • Children’s Advocacy Centers of Arkansas • National Civil Rights Museum • East Arkansas Family Health Center
• Hughes Outreach Ministries • Good Neighbor Love Center • 8th Street Ministries • 28th Annual Ronald McDonald House of Memphis Radiothon • Earth Day • Jeremy Jacobs Hospitality Center at ASU Mid-South • Down Syndrome Association • St. Jude Children’s Research Center • Crittenden County Boys & Girls Club • Susan G. Komen Foundation
• Make-A-Wish Foundation • West Memphis Police Foundation • Mid-South Greyhound Adoption Option • DeltaARTS • Families in Transition • J.W. Rich Girls Club • PAWS of Marion • Arkansas Special Olympics • St. Michael’s Catholic School SOUTHLAND • Steudlein Learning Center • Marion Chamber Foundation FOR STRONG COMMUNITIES
SPECIAL PROMOTION
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Must be 21+. Play responsibly; for help quitting call 800-522-4700.
GIVING BACK IS OUR STRONG SUIT.
As a major employer in West Memphis, it is our privilege and honor to play a significant role in the community – giving back through volunteerism, philanthropy and continued investment. To learn more about us, visit SouthlandCasino.com.
OWNED AND OPERATED BY
9633 Partners in PhilanthropyMBJ_9x10.875.indd 1
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GIVING GUIDE MISSON
ABOUT US NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES: 2FT, 2PT ESTABLISHED: 1992 INCOME DISTRIBUTION
$11.2+ million granted for breast cancer/breast health services and programs and $3.5 million for breast cancer research since 1993 in the Memphis Mid-South service area . Additional funds distributed by Legacy Mississippi Affiliates. ADDRESSES
Memphis- MidSouth (Main Office) 6645 Poplar Ave., Suite 211 Germantown, TN 38138 Tel. 901.757.8686 Central Mississippi 625 Lakeland East Drive, Suite B Flowood, MS 39232 Phone: 601-932-3999 Gulf Coast 11975 Seaway Road, Ste. A300 Gulfport, MS 39503 Tel. 866.475.6636 WEBSITE /SOCIAL MEDIA WEB: Komenmemphisms.org
@komenmemphisMS @komencentralms @gulfcoastraceforthecure @komenmemphis @komenmagnolias @komengulf E XECUTIVE LE ADERSHIP
Raphael McInnis, Board President Senior Regulatory Affairs Manager, Medtronic, Memphis, TN Gretchen Reaves, Board Secretary Community Volunteer, Memphis, TN Kyle McGowen, CPA, Board Treasurer, The Village, Germantown, TN John Anthony, Program Director Mix 98.7 fm, Jackson, MS Danielle Bowlin, Director, Finance Optimization at Medtronic, Memphis, TN Barbara Bowman, Vice President, Consumer Banking Manager Regions Bank Jackson, MS
Save lives by meeting the most critical needs in our communities and investing in breakthrough research to prevent and cure breast cancer. Since 1993 Susan G. Komen Memphis-MidSouth has provided nearly $11.3 million in direct grants to local healthcare providers in the Mid-South and over $3.5 million to breast cancer research. Additional local community grants and research funding were given from the legacy Mississippi affiliates. For every dollar that Komen MemphisMidSouth Mississippi raises, 75% remains in the local community for breast healthcare grants and educational programs. The remaining 25% funds breast cancer research. The Susan G. Komen network is the largest non-profit funder of breast cancer research in the United States. Only the US Government funds more breast cancer research. These are the organizations in the Mid-South that we have supported financially since 1993 through our Local Grant Program: Alliance Charitable Foundation, Baptist Healthcare Foundation, Baptist Medical Group, Memphis Breast Care, Baptist Memorial Hospital Cancer Center, Baptist Memorial Hospital DeSoto, Baptist Memorial Hospital East/Women’s, Baptist Memorial Hospital Tipton, Breast Cancer Institute, Carpe Diem of the Mid-South, Center for Healthcare Quality, Children and Family Services, Christ Community Health Services, Church Health Center, DeSoto Health and Wellness Center, Julie B. Baier Foundation, Memphis Cancer Foundation, Memphis Center for Reproductive T. Taylor Burnett, Chief Executive Officer, The Face & Body Center of Plastic and Hand Surgery Associates, Jackson, MS Eddie Jean Carr, Chancery Clerk, Hinds County, Mississippi, Jackson, MS Sophia Cole, Director – Sales Enablement, Medtronic, Inc., Memphis, TN Barbara S. Craft, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine Director of Breast Cancer Treatment and Prevention Program, University of Mississippi Medical Center Jackson, MS Mike Davis, Realtor, Keller Williams Realty, Jackson, MS
Health, Memphis Chapter of Hadassah, Memphis Health Center, Memphis-MidSouth Affiliate, Methodist Healthcare, Pink Sunday, Reach for Recovery, St. Andrew AME, St. Francis Hospital, STAARS, Tennessee Men’s Health Network, Memphis Cancer Center, Regional One Health (Regional Medical Ctr at Memphis), Tipton County Commission on Aging, TN Department of Health, Total Women Body System/Necessities Bag, University of Tennessee, University of TN/ West Institute for Cancer Research, Urban Health Education & Support Services, West Tennessee Area Health Education Center, West Cancer Center, Wings Cancer Foundation and YWCA of Greater Memphis.
Nikki Huffman, Administrative Assistant, Landers Automotive Group Memphis, TN Ormonde Landry, Attorney, Memphis, TN Melody McAnally, Attorney, Butler Snow, Memphis, TN Christy Moore, Billing Administrator, Specialized Physical Therapy, Jackson, MS Odessa Simon-Hawkins, MSN, RN, CFNP, Clinical Administrative Supervisor, Merit Woman’s Hospital, Flowood, MS Karen Sock, President and CEO, P2P, Biloxi, MS Rochelle Sandifer, Family Nurse Practitioner, Family Health Care Clinic, Inc. Jackson, MS
Lakesha Williams, Private Wealth Advisor, Vice President, Regions, Memphis, TN William Winstead, V.P. Development & External Relations, Boys and Girls Club of Greater Memphis, Memphis, TN Lorraine Wolf, Community Volunteer, Memphis, TN Elaine Hare, Ex Officio, Chief Executive Officer, Memphis, TN Catherine Young, Ex Officio, Senior Vice President, Jackson, TN Lisa Mischke, Grant Director
SPECIAL PROMOTION
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EVENTS
FEBRUARY: The Pink Attic Sale, Memphis APRIL: Metro Jackson Race for the Cure MAY: Gulf Coast Race for the Cure, Gulfport Grant Luncheon - Memphis AUGUST: Survivor/Those Living with MBC Luncheon – Memphis SEPTEMBER: Pink Sunday OCTOBER: Memphis-MidSouth Race for the Cure NOVEMBER: Disparity Conference, Jackson SPECIAL PROMOTION
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GIVING GUIDE
ESTABLISHED: 1923
For over 95 years, United Way of the Mid-South has brought the time, talents, and treasures of our citizens together so individuals and families in need can enjoy a better quality of life, making the Mid-South an even better place for all. We do this by being the leading catalyst in stimulating support and services for individuals and families as they progress from poverty to prosperity.
ADDRESS
MISSION: To improve the quality of life for Mid-Southerners by mobilizing and aligning
ABOUT US NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES: 50
community resources to address priority issues.
1005 Tillman Street, Memphis, TN 38112 PHONE
(901) 433-4300 WEBSITE
www.UWMIDSOUTH.ORG facebook.com/uwmidsouth @uwmidsouth linkedin.com/company/united-way-of-the-mid-south/
Rev. Kenneth S. Robinson, M.D. President & CEO E XECUTIVE LE ADERSHIP
Rev. Kenneth S. Robinson, M.D. President & CEO Lori Spicer Robertson Chief Communications & Engagement Officer Gia Stokes Chief Financial Officer Angelia Allen VP, Strategic Development Mary Sexton VP, Resource Development BOARD MEMBERS
Scott Fountain, Chairman of the Board Baptist Memorial Health Care Christopher Anderson Enterprise Holdings R. Scott Barber Horseshoe Casino and Hotel
GIVING: United Way is the largest, public, charitable foundation in the Mid-South. We invest 83¢ of every dollar raised to fuel the fight against poverty and in support of nearly 70 high-performing, human services agencies to boost prosperity for individuals and families through our Community Impact Fund. United Way offers partners and donors the ability to fulfill their dreams of how they can support their communities through their financial contributions. DRIVING THE DREAM: United Way of the Mid-South is changing the way we support individuals and families in achieving selfsufficiency through Driving The Dream—a network of high-impact organizations with a simple, shared goal of advancing families in
Shannon A. Brown FedEx Express Irvin Calliste Memphis, AFL-CIO Labor Council Darrell Cobbins Universal Commercial, LLC Jerry Collins Community Volunteer Roland Cruickshank Methodist University Hospital, Methodist LeBonheur Cathy Culnane AutoZone Mike Edwards Paragon National Bank J.W. Gibson Gibson Companies Jeffery Greer FedEx Freight Alisa Haushalter, M.D. Shelby County Health Department
Memphis from poverty to prosperity. No matter the areas of need, Driving The Dream changes lives by working across organizational lines to connect families with necessary resources. Unite with us to help move people from where they are to where they dream to be. GOALS: In 2017-18, support for United Way of the Mid-South made a meaningful impact on the lives of individuals more than 350,000 times throughout our eight-county area, mobilized 28,000 donors, convened 420 corporate partners, and invested in 70 agencies. We LIVE UNITED in our efforts to move individuals and families from poverty to prosperity; we LIVE UNITED in our dreams for better lives.
Mary Ann Jackson Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz Michael Jung Commercial Appeal Melanie A. Keller Meritan, Inc. Ari Litvin Wells Fargo Advisors, Memphis Ursula Madden City of Memphis David May Regions Bank Jean M. Morton SunTrust Bank John Pettey, III Raymond James Nataline Purdy Communities In Schools of Tennessee at Memphis Rev. Kenneth S. Robinson, M.D. United Way of the Mid-South
Cathy Slater International Paper Randy Stokx Deloitte Service LP Charles Thomas AT&T Leticia Towns Regional One Health Josh Tulino Valero Chris VanSteenberg First Tennessee Bank Craig L. Weiss Tower Ventures Kevin Woods BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee Richard Wright Ernst & Young, LLP J.T. Young Memphis Light, Gas & Water
SPECIAL PROMOTION
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SPECIAL PROMOTION
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Celebrate Your Company’s Milestone
Contemporary Media, locally owned publishers of Inside Memphis Business, Memphis magazine, the Memphis Flyer, and more, are proud to offer book publishing for your company. We produce the finest quality books through our Creative Content division for many of the Memphis area’s leading businesses. For additional information or to discuss the creation of your book or other custom content for your brand, please contact: Jeffrey A. Goldberg | 901.606.7542 | goldberg@contemporary-media.com
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Meet Your Holiday Crush
When you give a year's subscription to Memphis magazine, you’re giving 12 ISSUES of the South's most delectable city magazine, including the flavorful annual Restaurant Guide and City Guide, a personalized gift card, PLUS a taste of Dinstuhl’s delicious dark chocolate peppermint bark.
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FUEL THE
FREE PRESS FRE QUE NT FLY E RS HE L P K EEP THE F RE E PRE S S FRE E . Always independent, always free (no paywall — ever), the Memphis Flyer is your source for the best in local news and information. And we aim to expand and enhance our work. That’s why we’re asking you to join us as a Frequent Flyer member. You’ll get membership perks while helping the Flyer to continue delivering the kind of independent journalism you’ve come to expect.
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Must be 21 years or older to gamble or attend events. Know When To Stop Before You Start.® Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-522-4700. ©2019, Caesars License Company, LLC. All rights reserved.
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COLORECTAL CANCER PREVENTION: Administrative Office 2020 Exeter Road Germantown, TN 38138 www.gastro1.com
GET SCREENED
Colorectal cancer in the U.S.
2
ND leading cause
of cancer death in men1 and women combined
90% RATE 1in 3 SURVIVAL
when cancer is found and treated early 2
American adults are not screened as recommended1
When should I start screening? Most guidelines recommend average-risk individuals start screening at age
50 3
African Americans and people with a family history of cancer or polyps should start screening earlier 4,5
The American Cancer Society recommends average-risk individuals start screening at 45
6
Colonoscopy: The gold standard The only test for those with risk factors such as personal history of polyps, cancer, or family history of cancer 5
Reduces the incidence of cancer by
89% 7
The only screening that detects and prevents cancer
? 5
REFERENCES: 1. Fight Colorectal Cancer. About Colorectal Cancer. Facts and Stats. https://fightcolorectalcancer.org/prevent/about-colorectal-cancer/facts-stats. Accessed July 27, 2018. 2. American Cancer Society. Survival Rates for Colorectal Cancer, by Stage. https://www.cancer.org/cancer/colon-rectal-cancer/detection-diagnosis-staging/survival-rates.html. Accessed July 27, 2018. 3. BĂŠnard F, Barkun AN, Martel M, von Renteln D. Systematic review of colorectal cancer screening guidelines for average-risk adults: Summarizing the current global recommendations. World Journal of Gastroenterology. 2018;24(1):124-138. http://dx.doi.org/10.3748/wjg.v24.i1.124. 4. Williams, R., White, P., Nieto, J., Vieira, D., Francois, F., & Hamilton, F. (2016). Colorectal Cancer in African Americans: An Update: Prepared by the Committee on Minority Affairs and Cultural Diversity, American College of Gastroenterology. Clinical and Translational Gastroenterology, 7(7), e185. http://doi.org/10.1038/ctg.2016.36. 5. American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy. Media backgrounder on Colorectal Cancer Screening. https://www.asge.org/home/about-asge/newsroom/media-backgrounders-detail/colorectal-cancerscreening. Accessed July 27, 2018. 6. American Cancer Society. American Cancer Society Updates Colorectal Cancer Screening. http://pressroom.cancer.org/releases?item=770. Accessed July 27, 2018. 7. Pan J, Xin L, Ma Y-F, Hu L-H, Li Z-S. Colonoscopy Reduces Colorectal Cancer Incidence and Mortality in Patients With Non-Malignant Findings: A Meta-Analysis. The American Journal of Gastroenterology. 2016;111(3):355-365. https://dx.doi.org/10.1038%2Fajg.2015.418.
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Biz 901
PHOTOGRAPH BY FRANK MURTAUGH
The U of M’s new athletic director leads in his own way. Laird Veatch says, “I was never the rah-rah guy. I’d say what I thought needed to be said. Do what you’re supposed to do. Earn it.”
T
his section of Inside Memphis Business has a rich mix of the people and processes that are helping our town make what’s good even better. We interview Laird Veatch, the new athletic director for the University of Memphis to hear his take on leadership. There’s an Exit Interview Q&A with Cynthia Ham who is leaving as president and CEO of BRIDGES. We give you a tour of the new headquarters of Orion FCU with CEO Daniel Weickenand. There’s also Healthcare in Review, a roundup of what’s been going on this year in the area’s health and medical communities. Finally, our distinguished resident historian Vance Lauderdale looks back at Abe Goodman, one of the city’s most generous businessmen. He was multitalented as well: He sold jewelry and real estate, founded a bank, established a dairy, opened an automobile dealership, and built hotels. Then, when he wasn’t busy with his philanthropies, he and his wife were frequent world travelers. As you’ll see, we’re all better off for it. WINTER 2019 | INSIDE MEMPHIS BUSINESS.COM |
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YOUR CHILD CAN TRAIN FOR A CAREER IN THE HOMEBUILDING INDUSTRY FOR FREE
Starting Today!
Shelby County Schools and Municipal School Districts now offer Building Construction Technology courses. It’s a FREE program that’s open to all students, male or female, in Shelby County. Most students will be dual enrolled and earn college credits upon high school graduation.
WHY HOMEBUILDING?
Homebuilding is a profitable career with more than 1,700 job openings in the Mid-South. Homebuilding offers variety. There are careers for many skill sets and interests in the homebuilding industry.
DID YOU KNOW? As a trained plumber, carpenter, electrician, or HVAC technician your child could earn
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A career in the homebuilding industry builds a successful, stable future for your child and their future family.
HELP YOUR CHILD Build A STRONG FUTURE. For more information visit hbitn.org
This project is funded under an agreement with Tennessee Housing Development Agency.
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Biz 901 /
LEADERSHIP
Laird Veatch
The new U of M athletic director was a Wildcat before he became a Tiger. BY F R A N K M U R TA U G H
Laird Veatch, University of Memphis Athletic Director
A PHOTOGRAPH BY LARRY KUZNIEWSKI
s a junior linebacker at Kansas State in 1993, Laird Veatch helped the Wildcats to a 9-2-1 record and a win over Wyoming in the Copper Bowl, the first postseason victory in the history of the program. Veatch’s coach at the time, Bill Snyder, had taken over a program that lost 21 of 22 games (and tied the other) before he first walked the sidelines in 1989. (That first team under Snyder went 1-10.) Today, the new University of Memphis athletic director considers every member of that ’93 team — players, coaches, support staff — leaders of one kind or another. “It was a true transformation,” says Veatch, “a change in the culture, very challenging, very hard. There were no hour limits [on practice] in those days, so we just worked. You can imagine the bonding. To see that turnaround, and the impact it had on the community, the people . . . it was a remarkable experience. I can relate to the players who were here [at Memphis] two or three years ago. It’s incredible, the impact. That’s
a lot of what drove me into this profession.” Veatch grew up in Manhattan, Kansas, the youngest of three brothers. His roots in the shadow of Kansas State run deep, his parents still living in the house where Veatch was raised, merely a block from where Veatch’s wife, Brandy, called home as a child. (Veatch delivered newspapers to his future wife’s family, who also live in the same house today.) “It was very much a competitive, all-boys,
sports-oriented household,” says Veatch. “Our high school — Manhattan High — was always really successful, good at football. We played for the state championship three years, and won my junior year. But track was my first love, the 100, 200, and 400. I also played baseball and basketball until my sophomore year in high school, when I started focusing on football.” In addition to K-State, Veatch considered offers from Missouri and Kansas. He laughs when reflecting on his decision to stay home and play for the Wildcats, noting these three programs, at the time, were at the bottom of the Big Eight Conference. “I was a recruit, but that tells you the “People respect level,” he notes with when you do a chuckle. Veatch was named the little things, captain as a senior, show up every an early measure of day, hold yourself leadership skills, but the kind not meaaccountable. I sured by statistics, was never the or even wins on fall Saturdays. “It was a rah-rah guy. work-ethic thing,” he I’d say what I says. “People respect thought needed to when you do the little things, show up be said. Do what every day, hold youryou’re supposed self accountable. I to do. Earn it.” was never the rahrah guy. I’d say what I thought needed to be said. Do what you’re supposed to do. Earn it.” Upon graduating from Kansas State in 1995 where he earned a degree in business administration, Veatch took a job as a graduate assistant at the University of Texas and earned a master’s in sports administration. That set the foundation for a career that’s seen Veatch at the University of Missouri (1997-2002), Iowa State (2002-03), his alma mater (2010-17), and Florida most recently, with seven years (200310) at Learfield Sports mixed in, where he came to appreciate the symbiotic ties between media and big-time college sports. Why sports administration? To begin with, athletics was the world Veatch knew best. He had witnessed the impact successful programs made beyond a college campus. So it became a matter of how best to contribute to such impact. “I didn’t want to coach,” explains Veitch, “because I didn’t think I could balance the family/husband/parent priorities in my life. I knew I’d be in constant conflict.” (Veatch and his wife, Brandy, have three daughters and a son between the ages of 9 and 18.)
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“You want coaches that studentathletes will respect and gravitate to. But then also, genuine and real. If you have those attributes, combined with a philosophy that’s sound, you can be effective.”
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Coach Mike Norvell
Veatch welcomes the challenge of leading an athletic department outside the ballyhooed “Power Five” (SEC, ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, and Pac 12). Minus the TV contracts those five leagues enjoy, the U of M must be creative — and intentional — in finding revenue streams to boost recruiting, promotions, and ultimately, wins on the playing field. “While we’re not as big as some,” notes Veatch, “we do have some abilities and capacity here to do some things that others may not have. It’s a sweet spot, in a lot of ways. You can help and move the needle farther than you might be able to at other places.” In a position to identify and hire leaders — namely coaches — Veatch takes multiple angles in measuring a candidate. “You can look at leadership from a philosophical standpoint,” he says. “I like to think of myself as a servant leader. I like to serve and support our teams, what they’re doing. Accountability is a form of service. If you care about someone and want to help them, you’ll hold them accountable. “As for what I’m looking for in others, how do they connect with people? Is there a connectivity that you sense and feel? And do they have a presence? You want coaches that student-athletes will respect and gravitate to. But then also, genuine and real. If you have those attributes, combined with a philosophy that’s sound, you can be effective.” Leadership to Veatch is, ultimately, a matter of decision-making, and what fuels the decisions that impact those around us. “Are
PHOTOGRAPH BY LARRY KUZNIEWSKI
Welcome to Triumph. Let’s talk growth.
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we making decisions based on how we care about our student-athletes? How we support our coaches? How we serve our fans? That’s the guideline to me. Our decisions need to be consistent with what our core beliefs are. It’s hard, when you’re moving so fast, and going in different directions. That’s why it’s important to have the right people around you.” Being new to Memphis, Veatch is in an exploratory phase, both in terms of the lay of the land and the qualities that he’ll utilize to sell Memphis — the university and the city — to other leaders. “We already have a huge piece in the recruiting process,” notes Veatch. “They’ve seen the success [i.e. Mike Norvell’s football program]. We have some inherent advantages: our recruiting base and a university that’s accelerating, constant improvement in all our metrics academically. You need to be able to sell the ability for success to a coach, but all those elements are here. I’ve got to learn more about what those are so I can articulate that.” Veatch cites athletic directors he once called boss among the leaders who have influenced him most: Joe Castiglione and Mike Alden (Missouri), John Currie (Kansas State). And he gravitates toward the wisdom of Snyder — a 2015 inductee in the College Football Hall of Fame — when it comes to leading Tiger athletics toward new heights. “Coach Snyder was very process-oriented,” says Veatch, “very detailed. He had high expectations. Relied on repetition. His mantra was, ‘Get a little better every day.’” WINTER 2019 | INSIDE MEMPHIS BUSINESS.COM |
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EXIT INTERVIEW
Cynthia Ham
Looking back at a long career with Memphis at the center. BY J O N W. S PA R K S
Having been in leadership in birthing and rebirthing Memphis attractions, what was your next move? A friend and I decided that we were burned out and wanted to quit our jobs and hit the road. We’d saved some money and by this time I’m 32 and thinking, if not now, when? It’s a dream of a lot of people to just do it. We hoped it would last for a good six or eight months. We lived on the cheap, traveling in her little bitty car, no air conditioning, 10,000 miles, 22 states, Vancouver for the world’s fair and we ended up in Mexico. That was a real time of reflection for me about what I wanted to do next and what was important to me and was I committed to Memphis or not. I decided I really needed to recommit myself to Memphis.
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ynthia Ham is stepping down from BRIDGES Inc. at the end of this year, capping eight years as president and CEO of the nonprofit. It is only the latest example of her leadership as most of her work has been high-profile executive jobs her entire career, most in Memphis. But there was a time that Memphis lost her. It was 1977 and the city was in the doldrums. In the less than 10 years since the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated, the Downtown area was, as Ham says, a ghost town. The Memphis Chamber of Commerce was nearly broke, The Peabody was shut down, a remake of the Orpheum was barely under way, and Memphis in May was just getting started. So Ham went to Opryland, then a young organization and chock full of great experiences for a rising executive talent in the travel and tour industry. But as she was learning, Memphis was putting itself back on the map. Mud Island River Park was being formed and they wanted her to be marketing director. So she came back to Memphis a couple of years ahead of the opening to set up shop. INSIDE MEMPHIS BUSINESS: Tell us about the Mud Island experience. CYNTHIA HAM: The city was being very supportive financially, but unfortunately it didn’t have clarity about what they wanted Mud Island really to be. The people who came in, like me and the general manager, saw it was not only a place for locals to get caught up in the legacy and the lore, but also it would be a good place for tourists to get to know Memphis. Of course Downtown was still a ghost town. I knew there was a lot that had to happen to turn it around. Fortunately, we were on the precipice of greatness and it was exciting to be a part of something that was going to hopefully help bring commerce back to Downtown. Picture a boarded-up Peabody, 54 |
a dilapidated Beale Street, and then there’s this little beacon of hope at Mud Island. We had more than a million attendance that first year. It’s so tragic that the city hasn’t remained committed to it and that clarity was never gained about its purpose and therefore its importance in terms of funding. What was your next call to action? I joined John Elkington as the vice president of marketing of the Beale Street Historic District. That was such an interesting challenge too because there were very few businesses open as it was so much in the early stages. There were all of the dynamics around the true heritage of Beale Street and how you reconcile the need to sustain that or bring it back while also getting businesses that would sign the leases.
So now we’re at 1997 and you’re wondering what comes next. About three months later, Ward Archer Jr. called me and asked me if I would come to the agency. One thing led to another and I was part of the management group that bought out the agency from Ward about a year or so after I got there. And I was there 15 years. All of the jobs that I had previously called for some level of expertise in communications or PR, and I had an instinct for it, but I hadn’t thought that this is what I want my career to be. Frankly,
PHOTOGRAPH BY LARRY KUZNIEWSKI
Cynthia Ham
You did it in a big way, taking the job as executive director of the Memphis in May International Festival. Jeff Sanford, who was on the board of MIM, called me. We had been out on a couple of dates and he was on the board of MIM. The executive director had resigned 10 weeks before the 1987 festival honoring China. He knew my background in theme parks, special events, and fundraising, so he asked if I wanted to submit my resume for the interim job. He recused himself, of course. [They got married a few years later]. I got the job and made it through the festival, breaking even. It was in a really bad place at that time, financially, so they wanted me to stay on — and I needed a job — so I stayed 10 years, 10 festivals. This was an incredible opportunity to travel the world, to work for a board of directors, and learn how to run a nonprofit. After 10 years, it was pretty stressful, not knowing whether or not you’re going to be able to pay the bills if it rained.
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I didn’t even really care to work with the media. But Ward was persuasive. So you put in 15 years at archer>malmo and you say you hit a wall? I wanted to do something more meaningful on the back nine. I had seen an email that BRIDGES was in a search of a president and CEO. I went through the interview process with the board over the holidays in 2011 and I started in February of 2012. So what did I know about youth development? Nothing, but I knew that the organization’s mission was so important and I knew that it had a very positive reputation. What they needed was someone who had nonprofit and general management experience. And it needed a little more external exposure, so that PR part of me came into play. Taking the job at BRIDGES was, in a way, a culmination of the work that had come before. I brought to it all of these experiences in jobs and specifically in Memphis, the people I’ve met, the people I knew, and knowing where bodies were buried. Then there were several crises that I had lived through and different situations all really converged here and I felt, even though I was out of my element in terms of not knowing youth development, I was in my element in figuring out what the organization needed in that moment. It was a really satisfying feeling to have that sort of calm in the face of the challenges. I could call on all kinds of specific examples through the years that informed how I reacted to something. I wanted to make sure it could be financially sustainable. Jim Boyd, the previous leader, had structured a model before he left and it was evolving in a way that the organization had never done. There was a lot to figure out and a lot to grow into. We had three different program levels
instead of one going to 7th through 12th grades instead of just 11th and 12th grades. There were structural changes made. I had to get everybody 100 percent focused on youth and not try to be all things to all people. And then Jim had just gotten a $10 million challenge grant and we had to start to match that.
encouraged by friends to pursue. Another one is to write a book with my friend about our big adventure, because we’ve talked about it for 37 years and finally realized that now I have time and she’s already retired. She said, okay, well let’s take a road trip and talk about it. So we’re doing that in January. Like Thelma and Louise without the gun.
Dana Wilson will succeed you in 2020 and you’ve championed her. How has she contributed? Dana was really advocating for a mechanism whereby you could get plugged into the youth we had trained who wanted more. They’re telling us, “Hey, I know I’m a leader now and I’m more tuned into Memphis than I’ve ever been.” This whole idea of youth voice and youth-led social change is picking up a lot of steam across the country. I just really cheered Dana on to figure it out. Now we’re about ready to embark on this new enterprise, the Youth Action Center, and it’ll be a hub for youth to come together and work side-by-side equitably with adults to get plugged into structures that are already there whereby they can lend their voice to decisions that affect them. As an example, Mayor Lee Harris has established a youth council and we are going to help train the adults.
After having been so close to the evolution and growth of Memphis, how to you feel about it today? I love the city as much as anyone can and still get mad as hell at it sometimes. If I had to personify Memphis, I would say that it has the sort of fiercely independent attitude that makes me think of Sam Phillips, Fred Smith, and Kemmons Wilson. There’s just that willfulness and that stubbornness and that willingness to think differently that Memphis breeds. It’s sort of in the water and I think it’s through the veins of the citizens of Memphis. We are who we are and if you don’t like it, there are plenty of places for you to go. So we’ve not allowed our city to become generic. Memphis is in a great spot. I’ve been thinking that there is more awareness of the racial tension that we experienced in the 1960s even though it lessened over the years. But looking back on it, I think that probably is a superficial view. I was working with people of color who appeared as though they were pretty much set. They were middle-class, upwardly mobile professional African Americans. My view was here we are 10 or 20 years after Dr. King and we all get along fine. But I was not really looking behind the curtain to see the deeper problems. And I think that maybe a lot of white Memphians felt that way, that the racial tensions had lessened. But they were always there. The majority of our population is African American and we have, you know, an incredible amount of poverty. I want to say that we’re doing so well in some areas. But I think this has been a very slow, steady town in terms of its growth and evolution of place and sense of self. In a way it’s a blessing because I think that we have figured things out in a way that is sustainable. I think Memphis has got a lot of momentum. We’re ground zero for education reform in this country. There’s a lot of good things happening. It’s becoming more attractive for people to live here because it’s such a soulful, interesting city. •
You were intent on having a succession plan for when you left. No matter what anybody says, no matter how important it is to build a succession plan in any organization, the reality for nonprofits is that it’s very tough because you usually don’t have the kind of bench depth to be able to do that very easily. We were so fortunate because when I started thinking about wanting to retire, it was obvious to me that Dana would take over. She had been here 10 years. She had the vision, she had the thought leadership. She knows Memphis. She’s well liked. It just made sense.
CYNTHIA HAM'S SHORT RESUME Graduated from Memphis State University in 1976 majoring in journalism and public relations. 1976-1977: Libertyland director of group sales and guest relations 1977-1980: Opryland USA advertising and promotions manager 1980-1983: Mud Island River Park marketing director and general manager 1984-1986: Beale Street Historic District vice president of marketing 1987-1996: Memphis in May International Festival executive director 1997-2012: archer>malmo principal and chief PR officer 2012-2019: BRIDGES president and CEO
So what’s next for you? Travel, going to see grandchildren who live in California and, all of the things that people do in retirement. But there are two itches that I want to scratch. One is doing interior design, which I’ve always had an interest in and been
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/ H E A LT H RE V I E W
Healthcare Year in Review 2019
Treatment advances, improved trials, construction, and changes in personnel highlight the year’s accomplishments. BY SAMUEL X. CICCI
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emphis is a hotbed of medical development, with a large group of hospitals and practices constantly pushing each other to be the best they can be and provide the most optimal healthcare for patients in Memphis and the Mid-South region. The year 2019 was no exception, with several organizations partnering up to either achieve breakthroughs in treatment or figure out ways to better serve the city. A new sports rehab facility should take Memphis’ athletic scene by storm, while a hospital’s new green space should vastly improve the experience for patients. Read on for some of Memphis’ healthcare achievements over the last year.
accessibility for patients, including longer hours and increased availability. The partnership also bolsters Baptist’s forces, which already oversees 22 hospitals. Methodist leadership team brings in three new executives ethodist Le Bonheur Healthcare added to its executive team with three new hires in leadership positions.
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Tabrina Davis joined the company as vice president for marketing and communications. She boasts more than 25 years of experience with crafting healthcare campaigns, and previously held positions as senior consultant and vice president of communications with Wyn-Wyn Communications in Chicago, and vice president, corporate communications for Presence Health, the largest Catholic-based health system in Illinois.
Accel Performance and Wellness Center evere injuries aren’t the exclusive domain of professional athletes. Even though athletes and workout enthusiasts at all levels are prone to the same type of exercise-induced damages, the elite-level treatment and rehab options accessible to the pros isn’t necessarily available to casual joggers or high-school athletes. Campbell Clinic, however, sought to bridge that gap through the creation of a new facility. The Accel Performance and Wellness Center is an 11,000-square-foot training and rehabilitation center designed to utilize state-of-theart equipment when treating sporting-related injuries. After purchasing a membership plan, patients get access to a wide variety of rehab technologies, including dorsaVi Wearable Technology (sensors that can measure a full range of movement), an AlterG Anti-Gravity Treadmill, a HydroWorx underwater treadmill, cryotherapy chambers, nutritional consultation, and more. The Accel center doesn’t discriminate when it comes to treatment; whether someone focuses exclusively on Olympic lifting or prefers long-distance running, there are a team of experts to
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provide personal assessments To lead its new facility, Campbell Clinic tapped Drew Graham to take charge of all programs. Graham is a notable name in fitness circles, having been recognized as the NBA Trainer of the Year during separate stints at both the Brooklyn Nets and the Memphis Grizzlies. Baptist Memorial Healthcare Corp. partners with OrthoSouth n order to provide more orthopedic services around Memphis, Baptist Memorial Healthcare teamed up with OrthoSouth to launch the Institute for Orthopedic Excellence. Having been in the works for over a year, the partnership tested the waters at Baptist’s Memphis and DeSoto locations. The partnership will allow for 24-hour admissions for patients that have orthopedic injuries that require hospitalization. OrthoSouth, a rebranded group comprising Memphis Orthopaedic Group, OrthoMemphis, and Tabor Orthopedics, will have physicians present at the two aforementioned Baptist locations, in addition to its own eight clinics. This extends its services to have much more
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Finally, Anna Lopez arrived at Methodist Le Bonheur Germantown as chief operating off icer. Lopez started her career as a student in the school of radiology at Methodist in 1994. Over the past two years, she was Methodist Germantown’s vice president of professional services. UTHSC’s SafeMed Study Finds Lower Cost for Healthcare ealthcare is an expensive business these days, but if there’s a chance to simultaneously lower costs and improve patient outcomes, why not take it? A recent joint study between the University of Tennessee Health Science Center and Methodist Le Bonheur discovered that attentive outpatient care can provide both of those benefits.
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PHOTOGRAPHS PROVIDED COURTESY HEALTHCARE ORGANIZATIONS
Accel Performance and Wellness Center
Methodist University Hospital selected T imothy Slocum to become its chief operating officer. He arrived after a 16-year tenure with four-hospital organization Navicent Health (formerly known as Central Georgia Health System) in Macon, Georgia, where he most recently served as vice president of systems support services.
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than using recruiters, the practice utilizes its marketing team to reach out to individuals who seem like they would be a good fit for the organization. Since 2018, Stern has bolstered its ranks with nurse practitioners, medical assistants, and non-medical employees. The medical team currently holds 42 physicians and 56 nurse practitioners, many of whom visit outreach clinics away from Memphis. SafeMed team
The two-year SafeMed study, led by UTHSC professor Jim Bailey and Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare president and CEO Michael Ugwueke, targeted high-need and highcost Medicaid patients. The two looked at the advantages of improving outpatient care for what they call “super-utilizers,” or patients who are frequent users of hospital services and at more risk of immediate returns to a hospital after discharge. The team selected 285 participants and 1,950 others as part of a control group across three hospitals. Members examined and got to know complex patients prior to their discharge so as to more accurately assess requirements for follow-up care. Nurses and pharmacy technicians would conduct regular home visits and check-ins via telephone for at least 45 days. For patients participating in the study, the SafeMed team found that there were 7 percent fewer hospitalizations, 31 percent fewer readmissions over a 30-day period, and a decrease of more than $8,600 per month in medical expenses. For Medicaid patients, the study discovered that they required significantly fewer emergency room visits, hospitalizations, and readmissions.
West Cancer Center and SemmesMurphey advance brain cancer treatment/West debuts new mesothelioma device emphis is no str anger to groundbreaking medical developments, so when two notable medical practices join forces, it’s got to be something good. Earlier this year, Semmes-Murphey Clinic combined its expertise with Dr. Matthew Ballo at West Cancer Center to implement a new, noninvasive procedure for cancer patients. Ballo, the director of radiation and oncology at West, pursued cranial stereotactic radiosurgery alongside a team from Semmes-Murphey. The procedure is effective for patients with brain tumors, meningioma, and trigeminal neuralgia. While standard procedures for brain cancer might require surgery and extensive chemotherapy sessions, West and Semmes-Murphey’s new treatment might take only a few minutes thanks to the MASEP
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Infini radiation machine. The Infini machine harnesses miniscule radiation beams that target specific sections of the brain. Without the need for surgery, it reduces the chances of infection, and there is much less damage to tissue. The therapy often requires only one day and no repeat sessions, while patients are fit to resume normal schedules the following day. Memphis’ Infini machine, located at the radiosurgical center of Memphis, is one of only two in the country. Having been proven to be successful, Ballo wants to help implement the technology to more areas of the country. And as if one new innovative treatment wasn’t enough, West has been designated as one of the first centers in the country to prescribe a new device for treating malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM), an uncommon strain of cancer linked with asbestos exposure. A recent clinical study demonstrated that the NovoTTF-100L device, in tandem with chemotherapy, could extend the lifespan of patients with MPM. The device is wearable and portable technology that uses electric fields, at specific frequencies, to interrupt dividing tumor cells and potentially kill affected cancer cells. The NovoTTF-100L device is the first FDA-approved mesothelioma treatment in more than 15 years. So far, patients who used the device were found to have a median overall survival of around 18 months.
MASEP Infini radiation machine
Stern Cardiovascular continues growth with proactive recruitment hen a business is on top, it’s a good idea to maximize the situation. And when it comes to healthcare and treating the ill, that goes doubly important when people’s health is at risk. For Germantown-based Stern Cardiovascular, there’s no cap on growth. Witness the company’s aggressive approach to recruitment and expansion over the past year. While Stern Cardiovascular was already the largest cardiovascular group in the MidSouth, an addition of 50 staffers has pushed the employee count to well over 400. The key to drawing more employees, both from Memphis and beyond, is the personal message that Stern provides to potential recruits. Rather
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Rendering of the proposed Le Bonheur Green
Learn how to profit at
St. Jude Clinical Trial Reduces Chance of Leukemia Relapse ven with all the advances of modern medicine, leukemia patients can relapse, weeks, months, or even years after the original cancer was treated, resulting in a higher mortality rate. In the United States, patients diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) — a blood and bone marrow cancer that causes the overproduction of lymphocytes (a type of white blood cell) — have a 10 percent chance of relapsing. However, a recent clinical trial published in the Journal of Oncology may have found a way to decrease the percentage of relapse cases. Ching-Hon Pui, chair of the St. Jude Department of Oncology, and Sima Jeha, member of St. Jude’s departments of Oncology and Global Pediatric Medicine, led the Total Therapy Study 16 trial, which helped achieve a reduced rate of central nervous system relapse. Following the preceding Total 15 trial that pushed the relapse rate to 5.7 percent in high-risk patients, the Total 16 trial went much further, dropping the chances of a relapse down to 1.8 percent, the lowest rate among all reported studies. Over a period stretching from 2007-2017, the Total 16 trial examined 598 patients age 18 or younger. The study, which covered ALL and its subsets (including B-ALL, T-ALL, patients with Philadelphia translocation, and infant leukemia), sought to improve central nervous system disease control. Researchers added extra doses of chemotherapy to cerebrospinal f luid earlier in the treatment cycle. That improved control without high-risk patients experiencing toxicity. The success also meant that young patients would not need to be ex-
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Leave 2019 on a high note and be the good in grief.
In 2019, the Baptist Centers for Good Grief helped more than 900 children overcome the loss of a loved one by helping them learn how to express their feelings in a safe place, give meaning to their loss, and re-emerge whole with the promise of hope for the future. Baptist Memorial Health Care Foundation is working to expand the Centers for Good Grief and their ability to provide comfort and hope to children and families. You can be the good in grief by remembering Baptist Foundation in your year-end giving.
Visit bmhgiving.org to give, and help Baptist Foundation grow the good in grief.
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since 1977
posed to the prophylactic cranial irradiation procedure. St. Jude has already begun work on the followup Total 17 trial, which studies the use of targeted molecular and immunotherapies like CAR-T cells.
STILL RARE
Le Bonheur Green he inside of a hospital can be daunting to patients, especially during an extended stay for serious illnesses. In an effort to provide a more welcoming environment for those passing through the hospital, Le Bonheur began work on creating an outdoor green space just outside the hospital. “Our families have long needed an outdoor green space to provide the kind of natural healing and respite simply not available inside,” says Le Bonheur President Michael Wiggins. “Le Bonheur Green is an extension of the healing that happens inside the hospital. I’m thrilled we’re soon to break ground on this project, made possible by the generosity of our donors.” The hospital commissioned Rose Construction, from Covington, as the general contractor, Blair Parker Design to create the vision, and Ben Womble (principal at Womble Engineering) as the engineer. The $3 million, donor-funded project broke ground in October, and is tentatively slated to complete phase one of three next spring, while phase two would start in 2022. When construction is completed, Le Bonheur Green would occupy two acres in front of the hospital. The therapeutic space is set to include a prayer labyrinth, open lawn space for kids, and a walking path in the shape of a heart.
MEMPHIS
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Regional One offers unique therapy for Parkinson’s patients hile a Parkinson’s diagnosis can be scary, Regional One’s Center for Rehabilitative Medicine recently implemented a new program geared specifically toward those with the disease. While the center already offered speech therapy, the new program is designed to work alongside the old service. Regional One’s approach to treating Parkinson’s is based on the proven therapy of LSVT BIG and LSVT Loud. Regional One’s program is quite difficult, with heavy exercise demands aiming to keep patients moving constantly. “Parkinson’s disease can cause movements to get smaller and slower. That makes it hard to do everything from walking to getting dressed,” said LSVT BIG-certified clinician Ambrosia Scott. The regiment involves 16 one-on-one, hour-long therapy sessions over the span of four week. When patients aren’t at therapy, they exercise on their own.
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Parkinson’s rehab
People with a Parkinson’s diagnosis slowly see normal movements become smaller and more limited. That makes routine tasks much harder to accomplish. Sometimes, patients don’t even realize that their movement has become limited, which makes proper therapy all the more important. Over the course of the program, Scott’s exercises put patients in a position where they can resume moving their body in a normal fashion, and the effort involved with doing so each day. After that standard is reached, the Regional One therapists help patients adapt those exercises to everyday movements. Previous research showed that this type of therapy can result in an easier time walking, increased ability to twist from the waist up, less difficulty when sitting up, and better “small motor” skills (think actions like writing). “These programs were created based on extensive research. They’ve shown excellent results for patients with Parkinson’s and other neurological conditions,” said Scott. The addition of LSVT BIG therapy means that patients can now treat both mobility and speech-related Parkinson’s issues at one location. Clinician Johnna Johnson is responsible for the speech therapy side of the center, which helps patients speak at a normal volume and tempo.
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Biz 901
/ THE OFFICE
Daniel Weickenand OR ION FEDER A L CR EDI T U N ION
Orion’s new headquarters light the way for the Edge District.
PHOTOGRAPHY BY LARRY KUZNIEWSKI
BY SAMUEL X. CICCI
Daniel Weickenand
T
he old Wonder Bread factory lit up the night around the Edge District for years with its recognizable neon sign. While the quadrant of the city had become blighted and depressed over the years, the factory’s bright façade stubbornly refused to move from its perch overlooking the area. The building, vacant since 2013, might have seen its lights dim but for a new tenant that swooped in. In an effort to fight blight and drive economic development, Orion Federal Credit Union now calls the old Edge District factory home.
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T HAN KS TO T H E S P O N S O R O F THE OFFICE
N O VAT E C H . C O M
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Orion FCU provides financial services ranging from commercial lending to consumer lending, whether it’s a loan for credit card, home, or auto. Daniel Weickenand joined the company when it was in trouble in 2010, having been recruited to turn its fortunes around. “It’s been a whirlwind over the past decade,” says Weickenand, “but overall it’s been a great experience.” Having long since stabilized and grown Orion, Weickenand and the company found their new home in 2017. They searched extensively throughout town and had plenty of options, but eventually, their gaze fell on the Edge District. “We were approached by a lot of different sides, looking all around Downtown, but setting up here [the Wonder Bread factory] made sense. It’s addressing a long-blighted area in our community, and that’s the kind of thing we want to do.” Earlier this year, Weickenand and more than 100 employees moved to the new headquarters and resumed operations. Orion’s new headquarters, at 400 Monroe Avenue, kept the integrity of the original 100-year-old structure. The exterior brick was reclaimed from parts of the building that were torn down, while other sections are being remodeled for future expansion. When thinking through the original design, he wanted the sense that a warehouse similar to something in Chicago or New York had been dropped right in the Edge, but with a modern feel. From the beginning, Weickenand and architectural partner Looney Ricks Kiss were in agreement that they keep the “iconic” neon Wonder Bread sign attached to the building. After fixing it up, the sign is set to a timer that casts its electric glow over the district every night, but it can also be turned on and off remotely. Just inside the main entrance past the staircase, one of the factory’s grain silos still hangs from the ceiling; several light fixtures are suspended from it, a visual mem-
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clockwise from right: To welcome Orion, Union Row principal Kevin Adams commissioned this Wonder Bread painting for Weickenand. The flowery basketball — a favorite work of local art — is near the gym at Orion’s new HQ. The championship belt reflects Orion’s fundraising efforts in a golf tournament done with Regional One Health. The photo at the Federal Reserve shows Weickenand with other board members of the National Association of Federally Insured Credit Unions.
ory of what the buliding used to produce in its heyday. And there are more f lashes of modernity all around the office. Little electronic touchpads rest next to the entrance of every conference and meeting room for easy access to scheduling and availability. Artworks by local artists and curated by David Lusk adorn the walls. “We wanted to support local artists, so we worked with David and looked at different artists,” Weickenand says. “Every piece of art hanging in here has a connection to Memphis; maybe the artist lives here, or goes to school here. Anything like that, it’s fair game. It’s all meant to be Memphis-centric, kind of like this factory.” Any employee sitting in the open space on the first floor can easily swivel to see one of the numerous pieces. On the northern side of the building, a small outdoor courtyard is intentionally punctuated by steel beams where the original build-
ing was cut off during renovation. Upstairs, a full service kitchen (equipped with glistening appliances and countertops) is by a large dining room. The spacious area, filled with tables and chairs, is capable of hosting groups whenever Orion has company gatherings. Large glass windows provide a view of a balcony that stretches around the side of the building close to the Wonder Bread sign. It’s just one of many places where employees can eat lunch or take a short break. But amenties for the workers don’t stop there. On the basement floor, Orion set up 62 |
a full-service gym, complete with weights, treadmills, and other equipment. It also hosts a large training room for up to 100 people. Weickenand’s personal office is spacious and replete with items of personal significance. There are family photos, various corporate awards, supp or t for issues like sickle-cell treatment, and even a framed copy of his “CEO of the Year Award,” courtesty Inside Memphis Business. An avid traveler, he also likes to document the places he goes and keeps photographs of some of his stops like Fredericksburg, Texas,
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PHOTOGRAPHS BY LARRY KUZNIEWSKI
or St. Louis, Missouri. His favorite piece, however, is a distinct painting of a small Wonder Bread sign atop a Hostess Cakes design. “That was gifted to me by Kevin Adams, one of the principals of Union Row.” One item that sticks out is what looks like a wrestling belt. Back when Weickenand was on the Regional One Health board, Orion helped sponsor a fundraising golf tournament. “We came up with the idea to make these championship belts for the winning team,” he says. “But they gave me one as an honorary thing, since I guess you could say, there’s no way I’m winning that tournament myself!” Then there’s the guitar propped close to the door. “I do play a little bit. It’s nice to have around. Sometimes, when things get pretty stressful, I can close the
door, pick it up, and play some to reset myself.” If the new building is a complete improvement over Orion’s former headquarters, that just mirrors the company’s recent goals. “For us, it’s just a continued focus on growth,” says Weickenand. “This year has been phenomenal for us. We earned around $150 million or more in assets than we had at the end of the month, and we’re very close to a billion dollars. Now, it’s just a matter of retooling and preparing ourselves for the next phase of what this organization would like to be. Because when I started, we had around $400 million, but it’s much higher now.” Orion now encompasses, in addition to its new headquarters, 11 branch locations in Tennessee and Arkansas. “We’re also looking at remodeling some of our
legacy locations so our customers can get the same kind of experience, no matter which branch they’re at,” says Weickenand. “Beyond that, in terms of expansions, it’s just a matter of where and when. The growth that we’ve seen recently, in a relatively short period of time, won’t be replicated so easily. So we need to make sure that we as an organization have the processes and people in place to make sure that we can handle that sort of growth without tripping and falling.” Now that the dust has mostly settled on Orion’s move, Weickenand is excited to be part of a growing community in the region of Downtown. However, even though Orion was the largest corporate partner to sign on with the Edge District revitalization plan, Weickenand is quick to recognize all the businesses that
Renovations by Looney Ricks Kiss retained the integrity of the original Wonder Bread structure while providing bright, wide open spaces like the main staircase and the second-floor break area. Hanging lights were installed at the old grain silo.
arrived before. “You know, we get more credit than we deserve. Others brought this idea to us initially and allowed us to visualize what this space could look like. You have LEO Events, who came in recently. They did a great job with their remodeling. It’s a pretty neat place, built on what used to be an auto shop. Then you have Union Row nearby. All of this is going to be a real gamechanger for our community, which is fantastic. It’s great to see these sorts of things going on, and it’s great to be a part of it.” •
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Biz 901 /
FROM THE ARCHIVES
Abe Goodman
This philanthropist was truly a “good man” to Memphis. BY VA N C E L A U D E R DA L E
W
hen Abe Goodman died in 1943, at the age of 79, The Commercial Appeal described him as “a man of many facets. Bankers knew him as an astute financier, real estate men relied heavily upon his judgment, and business leaders sought his opinions.”
But financial success was just part of his legacy: “To the children of Oakville Sanitarium, where he was the chairman of the board, he was a white-haired Santa Claus who brought them gifts and happiness. Scottish Rite Masons knew him as the treasurer of their organization. Golfers at the Overton Park links knew him as the man who donated and furnished their $25,000 clubhouse, and who had done much for the city’s parks and playgrounds during his terms on the Memphis Park Commission.” The golf course, supposedly the first municipal (or public) course in the South, opened in 1906. The 64 |
handsome clubhouse was constructed in 1926. The Tudor-style building featured a vaulted-ceiling dance hall, massive brick fireplace, snack bar, golf shop, and even an apartment for the resident golf pro. A Memphis Park Commission plaque mounted above the fireplace reads: “This building is presented by Abe Goodman to the City of Memphis, with the sincere hope that its use may bring added pleasure and happiness to those of its citizens who enjoy healthful outdoor life.” So who was Abe Goodman, exactly? His father, Joseph, had come to America from Germany and began working at a jewelry store
in Hernando, Mississippi. Abe was born here in 1864, and at a young age began working for his father. In 1891 he teamed up with a brother, Ben, and moved to Memphis, where they opened a high-class jewelry store on Main Street. But Goodman wasn’t content simply selling rings and watches. He also started his own real estate firm, founded the Commercial Trust & Savings Bank, organized the Clover Farm Dairy, opened the Memphis Motor Car Company (one of this city’s first automobile dealerships), and organized the Memphis Hotel Company, which constructed the original Peabody, Gayoso, and Chisca Hotels. He was also chairman of the board of the American Finishing Company and the Memphis Cold Storage Warehouse. What’s more, he served on the boards of the organizations that constructed the Mid-South Fairgrounds, Shelby County Jail, and Ridgeway Country Club. Whew! Out of all these endeavors, his work with the Oakville Sanitarium was apparently his favorite. The Commercial Appeal observed, “One of his best feats was reacting to the little plays the children staged for him as if these plays had been Noel Coward pro-
ductions. Friends have said that Mr. Goodman’s presence and love for the children were as good as any doctor’s care they might have received.” Somehow he and his wife, Bobye, found time to journey around the world several times, making jaunts to Mt. Everest, Hong Kong, the Andes, Fiji, and — if you can believe the newspaper accounts — “the spot where the Garden of Eden was located.” Reporters followed their expeditions, and one newspaper described the Goodmans as “probably Memphis’ greatest travelers.” Abe once claimed that because he was so widely known anywhere and everywhere he went, “he was never in a country where he was unable to cash a personal check.” He certainly wrote a lot of checks for groups in Memphis, and Abe Goodman is still regarded today as one of this city’s most generous benefactors. • Vance Lauderdale is the awardwinning history columnist for Memphis magazine and Inside Memphis Business. He has authored several books and is sometimes moved to research historical questions that interest him. He can be reached, occasionally, at askvance@ contemporary-media.com.
PHOTO CREDITS: VANCE LAUDERDALE, LILY BEAR TRAVERSE, AND THE UNIVERSITY OF MEMPHIS SPECIAL COLLECTIONS
LEFT: A framed photograph of Abe Goodman taken in 1888 is displayed inside the Overton Park Golf Clubhouse (above) that bears his name, as a way of saying thanks for donating $25,000, an enormous sum in those days, towards its construction. The building, still in use today, opened in 1926. RIGHT: A newspaper photo shows Goodman in the 1930s.
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ROADSHOW GIVES BACK
As a small locally-owned business in Memphis, we feel it’s really important that we stay involved in the community and support our fellow Memphians whenever and wherever we can. So, we introduced our Roadshow Gives Back program in 2019 and we will continue to give back in 2020! In 2019, we donated $6,000 to each of the local charitable organizations or nonprofits listed below, for a total donation amount of $72,000. We are excited about the partnerships we have lined up for 2020 thus far. All you have to do to support us in our efforts is to come to Roadshow BMW and test drive a car. It’s that simple. Contact Roadshow BMW or visit our BMW dealership in Memphis to learn more about our partnership each month. At Roadshow BMW, you can do business where your business matters!
Total 2019 Donation Amount: $72,000 #RoadshowGivesBack • roadshowbmw.com/roadshow-gives-back.htm 901.365.2584 • roadshowbmw.com • roadshowmini.com 405 N. Germantown Parkway • Memphis, TN 38018
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