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Code Crew
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SweetBio WINNER
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OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2016 VOLUME XI | NUMBER 1 ON THE COVER: PHOTOGRAPH BY LARRY KUZNIEWSKI
f e a t u r e s
24 Innovation 36 Memphis Medical
Awards
District Collaborative
Our fourth-annual look at the most progressive leaps in science and society.
Q&A with Tommy Pacello of MMDC and Paul Young of Housing and Community Development.
••• BY JON W. SPARKS
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OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2016 | INSIDE MEMPHIS BUSINESS.COM |
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Innovating now and then INSIDEMEMPHISBUSINESS.COM EDITOR CREATIVE DIRECTOR MANAGING EDITOR EDITORIAL ASSISTANT COPY EDITOR EDITORIAL CONTRIBUTORS
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It’s a good time to be alive. A latte is to be had on nearly every corner and I just realized the other day that I can operate my Roku streaming device through an app I downloaded on my phone. Thanks to innovation, television remotes are things from the century past. In The Rise and Fall of American Growth: The U.S. Standard of Living Since the Civil War, author Robert J. Gordon contends that the breadth of innovations in the hundred years from 1870 to 1970 will never be duplicated. And he has a good case on his hands. He begins by stating that in the century following the Civil War, “daily life had changed WINNER beyond recog nition. Manual outdoor jobs were replaced by work in air-conditioned environments, housework was increasingly performed by electric appliances, darkness was replaced by light, and WINNER isolation was replaced not just by travel, but also by color television images bringing the world into the living room. Most important, a newborn infant could expect to live not to age forty-five, but to age seventy-two.” Is that to say that today, in 2016, we don’t suffer? Of course not. Spread of the Zika virus, staggering rates of crime and poverty locally, racial inequality, and international terrorism are proof that there is still trouble in our world despite the incredibly advanced states of science and industry. But we keep working on those problems. I can’t speak to the rate of innovation nationwide today versus that of, say, the Jazz Age as Mr. Gordon does, but I will say that, after putting O C T/ N O V 2 0 1 6 | V O L U M E X I | N U M B E R 1
BRIDGES
Dana Wilson vice president, BRIDGES
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Dr. Guy Reed
Dr. Guy Reed Chair of the Department of Medicine, College of Medicine, UTHSC
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this issue of Inside Memphis Business together, innovation in Memphis is alive and well and bursting at the seams. The four winners of our fourth-annual Innovation Awards are combatting health and social troubles on various fronts. The winners are an ethnically, economically, and educationally diverse group working hand-in-hand to make our hometown and our WINNER world a better place. Memphis is lucky to have these innovators and lucky to have the institutions backing what they do — institutions such as the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, WINNER epicenter Memphis, bridges, and Start Co. to name a few. Innovation takes place in a myriad of ways and spaces, and the Memphis Medical District Collaborative is looking to reprogram space in and around some of the institutions named above. In this issue, I sit down with Tommy Pacello, president of the mmdc, and Paul Young, director of Housing and Community Development, to learn how revitalizing the places where these innovators might work, live, and play is good for the region as a whole. We should all think so progressively. While our TV remotes may stay lost, it’s a good day to find that spark for the next great idea. O C T/ N O V 2 0 1 6 | V O L U M E X I | N U M B E R 1
SweetBio
Isaac Rodriguez CEO, SweetBio
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Meka Egwuekwe, co-founder, Code Crew
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Dig Deep for Memphis A 2012 survey conducted by The Chronicle of Philanthropy ranked Memphis second in that magazine’s list of per-capita charitable contributions for America’s 50 most-populous metro areas. Memphisarea residents and businesses give over $700 million to charity annually. Because of this, Inside Memphis Business in 2015 started working together with local companies to highlight the good work being done in our community. This is our “Dig Deep for Memphis” partnership program. Over the past two years, we’ve matched
every advertising full page purchased by our partners with a donated page for the charitable organization of their choice. We are very pleased with the “Dig Deep” program and look to expand it in the coming year. For further information, contact neill@contemporary-media.com. As always, please join me in thanking our program partners — Triumph, CBRE Memphis, FedEx, and Northwestern Mutual — for their support of philanthropy in the Mid-South, and their support for Inside Memphis Business in 2016. — Kenneth Neill
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While this quote by John Ward of B&B Arming your agency with these goals and a Dorland is decades old, it is still relevant today. deep understanding of your current customer, Big creative ideas solve problems. They as well as prospects and what motivates them come from an insatiable sense of curiosity on an emotional level, will provide them with and the relentless pursuit of “What if.” They the tools needed to develop a unique, creative go beyond the boundaries of obvious and they solution or big idea to stand out among your make you uncomfortable. But when an ad- competition, regardless of what business you vertising campaign is executed strategically, are in. yielding desired results, big ideas can work Allstate Insurance, for instance, decided to for your business, no matter the size. take a risk when they needed it most. They had If your current marketing efforts aren’t solv- been hit hard by the economic downturn and ing your business’ problems, it is time to shake were about to do something bold with their up what you are doing and how you are doing it. advertising. They recognized that insurance is But before going straight to possible solutions, a commodity, a necessary evil to most anyone you better know what problems who has had to make a claim. Coverage plus deductibles you are trying to solve. Real data about your business equals blah, blah, blah, boring. IF YOUR CURRENT can reveal those problems, but Fear tactics could have been an MARKETING EFFORTS obvious creative approach: Mayproblems sound bad. They are AREN’T SOLVING YOUR be a tornado ripping your house better viewed as opportunities. Revealing those opportuni- BUSINESS’ PROBLEMS, to shreds, a head-on collision, or ties is critical for setting goals: coming home to find your home IT IS TIME TO SHAKE How much revenue did you burnt to the ground. Pretty terrifying stuff. make last year and how much UP WHAT YOU ARE do you want to grow it? What The big idea was a spin on fear DOING AND HOW YOU type of revenue do you want to tactics no one had seen before. It grow? Are your customers’ pref- ARE DOING IT. was humorous and relatable, and erences changing? What are the opportunities focused on everyday accidents rather than catwith your under-utilized products/services to astrophic tragedies. “Mayhem” was introduced grow those types of revenue? Where are your in the likes of, OMG — a teenage girl, a raccoon, customers geographically and what markets do a hot water heater, a tree branch landing on a you want to expand? What new markets do you car, and many other causes of accidents that want to enter? When are your company’s peak could happen to anyone. Not only did they make selling times and when is activity dormant? us laugh, they made us think twice about our What is your competition doing to woo your “cut-rate” insurance coverage. customers and prospects? Are they dominating At the two-quarter mark after the cama bigger piece of the market pie? paign launched, Allstate sales had increased You get the idea. by almost 5 percent to $7.9 billion. And the Whether you are crunching the numbers “Mayhem” campaign is still running today, on your business or your extensive team of six years later. The big idea of “Mayhem” set marketing analysts is scientifically splitting Allstate apart from Geico, State Farm, and hairs about what it all means, the data behind Progressive. It struck a chord with consumers, such questions will enable you to set goals for which led to real results. your advertising campaign. Qualitative goals Just like national brands, local brands have look good and make everyone feel good, but the opportunity to develop and execute adthe most important are quantifiable goals. vertising campaigns that get attention with a If you don’t determine goals that you can big, creative idea that communicates the right quantify, you will be left with nothing to mea- message, utilizing the right media mix. But if sure the campaign’s success against, which that campaign doesn’t achieve the intended results (or better) it means nothing. could leave you unsure about the return on investment. Knowing the facts about your business’ current situation is imperative in Andrea Wiley is an adjunct professor teaching making educated decisions about what you advertising at the University of Memphis and past president of the AAF, Memphis Chapter. want to accomplish in the future.
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Took an order for 100,000 extra units. Jumped up and down in celebration. Stopped celebrating. Started freaking out. Called Phil at First Tennessee.
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Financial technology crucial for U.S., Memphis. Memphis is hot in the innovative technology space and is poised to get even hotter.
TV Shows • Columns • Radio Show • Books • Podcast
Some examples: ◗◗ Inc. magazine recently designated Memphis as the country’s best and edgiest upand-coming startup hub, thanks in part to the presence of startup leaders such as early-stage venture fund Innova Memphis and companies like Restore Medical Solutions; MRI Interventions; and Preteckt, a Canadian trucking-logistics startup that relocated here after partnering with venture-development organization Start Co. ◗◗ A few months later, Google announced it had chosen Memphis as its eCity for the state of Tennessee for 2015, citing the Center of Excellence for Mobile Sensor Data-to-Knowledge at the University of Memphis as one of its deciding factors. ◗◗ This past year, the FedEx Institute of Technology at the University of Memphis launched a Community Partners Program to help create strategic alliances with Memphis-based community organizations impacting technology trends. The partners now include the Memphis Technology Foundation, Tech901, and the Memphis PASS (Professional Association of SQL Server) Chapter. ◗◗ This summer, the Brookings Institute ranked the Memphis metro area as eighth in the nation for job growth in the “advanced jobs” category, which includes architecture and engineering, medical-related manufacturing, and computer systems. According to the report, “America’s Advanced Industries: New Trends,” the number of these types of jobs in the Memphis region rose 6.3 percent in 2014-2015, after increasing 3 percent the preceding three years. Meanwhile, Tennessee ranked first among states in 2014-2015. In fact, overall job growth for STEM (science-technology-engineering-mathematics) careers was faster in the Deep South than in typical hotbeds like San Francisco and Seattle. As Brookings noted, the vitality of this advanced-industries sector — a group of 50 R&D- and STEM-worker intensive industries — are crucial for future U.S. economic growth and prosperity. Of particular interest to me in the Brookings report was the 8 percent increase (2,693 jobs) in the category of computer systems design and related services jobs in Memphis. This not only bodes well for legacy computer and information systems jobs here, but also
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for the potential development of new technology products in the financial arena, now dubbed “fintech.” Fintech was considered by Inc. to be one of the most promising industries of 2015. Overall fintech funding in the U.S. remains on track to surpass 2015 levels in 2016, with traditional financial institutions and banks increasing their activity as venture-capital investments have faded, according to auditor KPMG’s quarterly The Pulse of Fintech. In 2015, total investment MEMPHIS in financial technology companies around the ALREADY HAS world skyrocketed to A STRONG $19.1 billion, up 56 perSTARTUP cent from $12.2 billion the previous year. In the ECOSYSTEM. U.S. alone, fintech investment reached $7.7 billion, up 75 percent from the previous year. While the top technology innovation synergies so far have been fostered by Memphis’ strong healthcare and transportation sectors, could Memphis be a fintech hub as well? Memphis already has a strong startup ecosystem with a number of highly regarded incubator and accelerator programs such as Start Co. and Emerge Memphis. Another key, especially for cities in the South, is having engaged university-centered innovation, and Memphis has this, too, with a growing number of resources and programs available through the FedEx Institute of Technology and the Crews Center for Entrepreneurship at the University of Memphis. Finally, the presence of a strong and innovative banking sector in Memphis means there is the potential to grow partnerships and collaborations. At this year’s Banking Growth Forum, several sessions highlighted how cooperation and partnerships between established financial institutions and tech newcomers — rather than competition between them — has been the more pervasive direction of the past year. Across all sectors, we need to scale up and capitalize on this extraordinary innovation energy so these startups end up in Memphis, creating more jobs and opportunities over the long term. Dr. Douglas Scarboro is regional executive/VP of the Memphis branch of the St. Louis Federal Reserve Bank.
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WORKFORCE
COMING
SOON December 2016/January 2017
Healthcare Year In Review A look back at the biggest stories of 2016. Special Section: Industry Perspectives
February/March 2017
CEO of the Year Issue
The top leaders in Memphis business industry honored.
Also: our CEO of the Year Awards will be hosted in January 2017. Want to find out more about advertising in these issues? Please call Jeffrey Goldberg at (901) 606-7542. For more information on event sponsorship opportunities, please call Jackie Sparks-Davila at (901) 521-9000.
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Spurring Innovation There is a new book on my reading list. The Last Days of Night by Graham Moore is a fictional account of the historical rivalry between Thomas Edison, who invented the light bulb, and George Westinghouse, who improved upon it and ultimately wired the country. So, the question is, which of the two was the innovator? Both! Innovations come in all shapes and sizes — from the groundbreaking invention to the iterative improvement, and from the major disruptor to the better, faster, cheaper. It’s all innovation. One thing that is true for every business is the mantra, “Innovate or die!” We are living in a time where the pace of change has accelerated due largely to technology and a global economy. The challenge for companies today is to make innovation a part of their culture. Even the most mature businesses and the least sexy industries have room to innovate. Here are five actions leaders can take to unleash innovation potential. Ask your employees. Innovation comes from the front lines — from the people who are closest to the work every day. Those who do the work are generally the best positioned to improve the way the work is done. Surveys, interviews, focus groups, and town hall meetings can be great ways to ask your employees to volunteer their ideas. When you ask, you do two things: You let your employees know that innovation is important to the company and that their thoughts and ideas are valued. Mix it up. Remember the great Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups commercial? “You put your chocolate in my peanut butter!” Breaking down silos and encouraging communication between employees with different skillsets, or who are focused on different points of a supply chain, will bring multiple perspectives to the table. Multiple perspectives not only tend to have a better result in solving the problem, but also ensure buy-in from those most impacted by the changes or solutions. Give them the tools. Resources are a critical component to innovation. Google engineers love working at Google because they have the opportunity to use Google’s vast computing resources to solve complex problems — something not available anywhere else. What resources (time, equipment, talent, training, space, etc.) can you provide to your employees to help them innovate?
Embrace failure of the right kind. Innovation requires taking risks. It’s true that risks don’t always pay off; however, lots of learning occurs when people fail. And that learning is very valuable. If you are serious about innovation, allow for the right kind of failure. And make sure that the team understands why something failed and what they can learn from it in order to persevere. (Side note: When we talk about failure here, we’re talking about honest effort, preparation, thought, and teamwork that does not result in MAKE INNOVATION A the intended PART OF THE CULTURE. outcome for some reason. This is the type of failure that can be studied and iterated upon for future success. This is the type of failure that leaders should expect and should not punish. We are not talking about the kind of failure that results from sloppiness, laziness, procrastination, etc.) Be open to ideas. Many leaders that we work with are stunned to find out that their employees perceive they are not open to hearing new ideas. This disconnect results in a culture where employees are reticent to bring forth an idea or innovation. To combat this, find a way to say “yes” to employees. If someone comes into your office with what seems like a crazy idea, don’t quash it right away. First, praise them for their initiative. Then, ask them to do more research on the idea or come back with a more detailed plan. One of two things will happen: Either they will come back with a well-researched plan that you can agree to or they will scrap the idea. Either way, you get credit for not dismissing ideas and more people will come forward when word gets out that you are open and receptive. Meg Crosby is a principal with PeopleCap Advisors.
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Mason knows success requires flexibility. Mason runs a business with local roots and a nationwide customer base. Whether providing jobs locally or services and products around the country, he needed a bank that could offer support on multiple levels. See Mason’s story at my.triumphbank.com
The My Triumph campaign exists to spotlight everyday people fulfilling their dreams. These are our customers, and these are their stories of triumph. What’s your triumph?
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FI NA NCE & I N V ESTMENT
••• BY DAVID S. WADDELL
A formula for economic growth You may recall from your freshman economics class that GDP = C + I + G + NE. Translation: A nation’s economic output equals consumption + capital investment + government spending + exports – imports. To grow an economy you must grow consumption, capital investment, government spending, and net exports in some proportion. However, when assessing a nation’s growth capability this equation overcomplicates things. More simply, we can combine a nation’s labor force growth rate with the productivity growth rate of that labor force. Therefore, to project a nation’s GDP path we only need some demographic data and some productivity projections.
A great business leader is dynamic, inspirational, resourceful, approachable, and creative. Memphis is teeming with them. Who is your favorite?
We are now accepting nominations for our annual CEO of the Year Award! For more information, or to nominate a CEO, please visit insidememphisbusiness.com or email editor Richard Alley, richard@insidememphisbusiness.com.
And keep an eye out for the date and time of our CEO of the Year Awards banquet coming in early 2017. 12 |
workforces. In fact, globally, the labor force First, let’s try this at home. growth rate has declined significantly The U.S. labor force has grown historically over the last few decades leading some to between 1-1.5 percent per year, amassing forecast that we could see “peak labor” 160 million workers today. Over the last 60 within the next 50 years. With demographic years the Baby Boomer generation has had trends slowing, the planet profound influence over our must nurture a productivity nation’s labor force growth boom to replicate growth rate. In the 1970s, the work WITH DEMOGRAPHIC rates of yore. According to a migration of the Baby Boomers TRENDS SLOWING, THE McKinsey Institute study, hisadded 3 percent annually to the labor force, substantially PLANET MUST NURTURE torical productivity growth rates need to accelerate by boosting non-inflation adjusted A PRODUCTIVITY BOOM 22 percent to overcome the GDP. Unfortunately, with the Baby Boomers now retiring, TO REPLICATE GROWTH upcoming labor undertow. How do we do that? this demographic trend RATES OF YORE. 1) We must help the has reversed. According to emerging economies “catch up” with the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the U.S. developed economy productivity rates by labor force grew just 1 percent annually boosting access and competitiveness. 2) over the last decade and will drop to We must promote and subsidize higher half that rate over the next decade. R&D spending and new business formation Worker productivity in this country has worldwide. 3) We must improve job training increased about 1.5 percent annually over and labor force participation rates among time. The U.S. enjoyed a big productivity disenfranchised groups. 4) We must open up boom after World War II as the only factory economies, reduce trade frictions, rationalize left standing and during the late 1990s regulations, and optimize tax structures. with mass adoption of new technologies. Notice something? Current political will Unfortunately, since then, productivity seems to run counter to these directives. growth has fallen sharply, growing less than Sadly, while global GDP growth over the 1 percent annually over the last decade. The last few decades may have been a democombination of a slow-growing work force graphic given, moving forward economic and slow productivity growth accounts growth will become productivity, and therefor the slowing economic growth trend in fore policy, dependent. Vote accordingly. the U.S. Over the next decade, a .5 percent workforce growth rate and a 1 percent proDavid S. Waddell is CEO of Waddell and ductivity growth rate amounts to a projected Associates. He has appeared in The Wall GDP 1.5 percent growth rate overall — half Street Journal, Forbes, and of what we are used to historically. Business Week, as well as other local, While the U.S. may no longer have the national, and global resources. Visit Boomer “demographic dividend,” other waddellandassociates.com nations like South Korea, Germany, Italy, for more. Japan, Russia, and China possess shrinking
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The HOT Sheet
Advancement Stephanie Storgion, MD, FAAP, FCCM, has been named as the new chair of the Department of Physician Assistant Studies at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. Previously, Storgion worked as medical director of the Intermediate Care Unit and co-medical director of Pediatric Neuro Intensive Care at Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital. Turner Construction has promoted Andy Davis to business manager of the company’s Memphis office. Recently serving as project executive in Nashville, Davis has been involved in many of the company’s healthcare projects, such as Ascension Health, Memphis Mental Health Institute, and the Methodist University Hospital expansion. Jamie Elkington has been promoted to director of communications for ABO Marketing & Communications. Trial attorney Jack Irvine has joined the law firm Shea Moskovitz & McGhee. Allen & Hoshall has made two new additions to their team: Alixis Williams has been hired as a level 1 civil engineer, and Taylor Hogan has joined as a structural engineer intern. ProTech Systems Group, Inc. has announced the hiring of four new employees: Kristee Dunn, NOC engineer; Tonya Hoyle, payroll and invoicing coordinator; Chelsea Nelson, marketing manager in the Managed Services Division; and Laetitia Sandler, sales assistant. Digital agency Speak Creative has added two new staff members locally: Suzi Richey, content strategist; and Matt Grayson, web and mobile development. Matt Hayden has been promoted to the position of CFO at Boyle Investment Company. He will be responsible for reporting and financial accounting, in addition to compliance and tax planning. Hayden joined Boyle in 2014 as deputy treasurer.
Alison Welch has been promoted to JA BizTown manager at Junior Achievement of Memphis and the Mid-South. Welch was previously an instructional coordinator for JA BizTown and a writing intern for Junior Achievement, and graduated with a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Memphis.
Mahul Amin, MD, has been named chair of the Department of Pathology in the College of Medicine at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC). He will also be the UTHSC Gerwin Chair for cancer research.
DHG has added two new employees to the firm as associates: Ashley Counce and Andrew Sprecher.
Three Memphis area engineers have been elected to the American Council of Engineering Companies of Tennessee (ACEC of TN):
Dr. Chalise Maybee has joined Eclectic Eye as an optometrist for its Midtown and Collierville locations. Maybee is a graduate of the Southern College of Optometry. Wesley Grace has joined SEACAP Financial as managing partner. Grace, who previously worked as managing director of investment banking for Wunderlich Securities, Inc., has 25 years of experience with raising capital for businesses and financial institutions. Scott Kern has been promoted to chief operating officer of Poag Shopping Centers. Sarah Vaughan has joined Trezevant as a communications coordinator. Previously, Vaughan worked as art director for Desoto Magazine and editor of Town and Gown Magazine in Starkville. Anna Condon has joined inferno as a junior copywriter. She will be responsible for working with account and creative teams to develop copy, and also demonstrate knowledge and application of brand standards and voices of clients for all projects. Deron Wisdom has been appointed as vice president of Commercial Lending at Paragon Bank. Wisdom will work closely with Paragon Bank CEO Robert Shaw, and has extensive experience from various banking institutions around the midsouth. Sean Eschelweck has joined the bank as a specialty lending associate. Dr. La Sonya Harris Hall has been named director of Volunteer Memphis. Hall previously served the City of Memphis for over 10 years, serving as the deputy director of the Executive Division, before becoming deputy director of Parks and Neighborhoods. She was also director of the Office of Public Health for the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.
Appointment
Logan Meeks, PE, of A2H (first vice president); Tim Verner, PE of Fisher Arnold (second vice president); and Diane Vesely, PE, of Buchart Horn, Inc. (president, Memphis chapter). AMA Memphis has added five new members to its 2016-17 board of directors: Kerri Guyton, Obsidian Public Relations (PR chair); Ciara Neill, Loeb Properties, Inc. (programming chair); Cathleen Wood, Morris Marketing Group (event logistics chair); and Jessica Van Eyck, Vaco Memphis (sponsorship chair). Trezevant has recently named former mayor A C Wharton to its board of directors. Ned Canty, general director of Opera Memphis, has been elected to the OPERA America board of directors. The New York-based institution is dedicated to increasing education and awareness of Opera in America and abroad. Canty will help the board oversee professional development activities, research and advocacy, educational offerings, and grant initiatives. MIFA (Metropolitan Inter-Faith Association) has announced the election of four new officers to its board of directors: Milton Lovell (chair); Reverend Dorothy Wells (vice chair); Ken Jones (secretary and legal counsel); and Michelle Fulmer (treasurer). Thomas R. Greer, of law firm Bailey & Greer, has been elected president of the Tennessee Trial Lawyers Association for 2016-17. Greer has been active in the Association for over 10 years and has experience in the state courts of Tennessee and Mississippi, and federal courts of Arkansas, Northern Mississippi, and Western Tennessee. contin u ed on page 16
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The HOT Sheet contin u ed from page 1 4
Ed Wallis, a partner at Glassman, Wyatt, Tuttle & Cox, PC, has been selected as vice chair for the Memphis UrbanArt Commission for 2016-17. Wallis specializes in business and probate litigation, construction disputes, legal and medical malpractice, medical devices, and products liability.
The Best Lawyers in America 2017, compiled from thousands of reviews by lawyers across the country, has honored the following attorneys and law firms:
Bobbi Gillis has been chosen as the board chair for the 2017 Memphis in May International Festival. A board member since 2007, Gillis has lived in Memphis for 47 years and has been actively involved with various organizations and committees in town.
Jay Kiesewetter, senior counsel, and Jeff Weintraub, managing partner, of Fisher Phillips. Kiesewetter was selected in the “Lawyers of the Year” section for labor law-management. Fisher Phillips had a total of 86 attorneys included in this year’s edition.
Awards John Shawver has been honored by Averitt Express for 20 years of service to the company. He joins Averitt’s “Over 20 Team,” which contains over 900 active associates that have 20 or more years with the company. Red Door Wealth Management has recently been named by Financial Advisor Magazine as one of the fastest-growing Registered Investment Advisor firms in the United States. It is the only firm from Tennessee to feature in the magazine’s “Top 50” list. Memphis City Employees Credit Union has been named to the 2016 edition of the “Top 200 Healthiest Credit Unions in America” by DepositAccounts. The credit union was recognized as a standout in several categories including Texas Ratio, Deposit Growth, and Capitalization. The WDIA Goodwill Fund recently approved a $45,000 donation to Junior Achievement of Memphis and the Mid-South. The donation will be spread out in $9,000 payments over five years, and will help the organization to aid local youth on their journey towards economic achievement. Alan Crone and Laura Bailey, of The Crone Law Firm, PLC, have been named to the annual “Super Lawyers” list by Thompson Reuters. Crone, the firm founder, was named as a “Super Lawyer,” while Bailey, an associate, was named a “Rising Star.” ArtsMemphis has received the annual Robert E. Gard Award from Americans for the Arts. The award was designated for ArtsMemphis’ Community Engagement Fellowship Program, which trains artists, residents, and neighborhood leaders to use the arts as a platform for change.
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Harris Shelton Hanover Walsh has had 21 attorneys selected, and four members of the firm with the top “Lawyer of the Year” distinction.
Three attorneys from law firm Jackson Lewis P.C. have been included: James R. Mulroy II, office managing principal shareholder; O. John Norris, principal and office litigation manager; and James H. Stock Jr., principal. Donna Fisher, employment law — management; and Thomas Henderson, employment law, labor law, and litigation, of Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, P.C. The firm had 195 total attorneys listed for recognition. The University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) has announced the following grant awards: Anton Reiner, PhD, and Tayebeh Pourmotabbed, PhD, have received a $418,000 grant from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, part of the National Institutes of Health. The award will fund a study into research on a possible new gene therapy treatment approach for Huntington’s disease. Fu-Ming Zhou, PhD, an associate professor in the Department of Pharmacology in the College of Medicine, has been awarded a $1.66 million grant from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, part of the National Institutes of Health. The grant will fund a study on the role of dopamine in the treatment of Parkinson’s, titled “Ion Channel Mechanisms of Striatal Dopaminergic Motor Stimulation.” Meiyun Fan, MD, PhD, an associate professor of Pathology, has received a $100,000 grant from the National Cancer Institute. The grant will fund a study on an aggressive breast cancer form, Basal-Like Breast Cancer, which can also spread to the lungs, liver, and brain. Valeria Vásquez, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Physiology in the College of Medicine, has
received a $120,000 grant from the United States-Israel Binational Science Foundation to study the causes of chronic pain. The mechanisms of continued pain response are still not well understood, so the study will test substances to explore further treatment options.
Inked IMC Companies, a national leader in intermodal logistics, has acquired California-based Progressive Transportation Services (PTS). PTS will be the ninth brand under IMC Companies, and is one of the largest container drayage companies in Long Beach. The acquisition means IMC Companies can now handle shipments in any major facility in the United States. The Olympus East Coast National Service Center held it’s groundbreaking ceremony in July. The facility will have over 280 employees and support a large concentration of medical device growth. The project is a collaboration between Chris Woods Construction Company, Olympus Surgical Technologies America, and Renaissance Group. Metropolitan Bank has announced the launch of Metropolitan Capital Advisors, its new business advisory platform. The branch will provide a new type of advisory service to bank and non-bank clients, with a main preliminary focus on permanent debt placement. Butler, Sevier, Hinsley, and Reid, PLLC, has moved its main office to the Oak Court Office Building in East Memphis. BSHR is dedicated to providing exceptional legal service in all facets of family law, including divorce, custody, marital settlements, mediation, and collaborative law. Dunavant Enterprises has announced the formation of a new entity, Dunavant Logistics Leasing Group, LLC (DLLG). The group will be responsible for directly leasing every type of transportation equipment, including container chassis, specialty type chassis, and Dry Van Trailers. Services will be available all over the continental U.S., as well as Alaska, Hawaii, and the Caribbean. In August, Frost Bake Shop opened up a new location on West Poplar in Collierville. The new bakery, Frost’s second location, donated 20 percent of the first week’s earnings to the Collierville Education Foundation. Hollywood Feed has opened a new specialty bakery for pets next to its Midtown location on Union Avenue. The new facility has an open kitchen, so pet owners can watch the baked goods being made for their pets daily. All goods created at the bakery will also be available for purchase at other Hollywood Feed locations in the Memphis area.
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8.31
Memphis in May International Festival releases its 2016 economic impact study. Prepared by Younger Associates, the report findings from the economic analysis of the festival show a 15 percent increase since the previous study conducted in 2011 by the University of Memphis Sparks Bureau of Business and Economic Research. An economic impact of over $88 million was generated and 1,138 jobs were supported. “Our mission directs that we foster economic growth for our city, so we are pleased to have once again produced such a major positive impact for the Memphis area,” James L. Holt, president and CEO of Memphis in May International Festival, said. “We are immensely proud of the new economic impact study findings.”
8.23
On the third and final reading, the Memphis City Council votes down a referendum ordinance that would have put residency requirements for city employees to live within the city limits on November’s ballot. The current requirements state that city employees must live within Shelby County. The next referendum opportunity will not be until 2018.
8.23
By a full council vote of 11-0, Wiseacre Brewing is given the go-ahead by the Memphis City Council to pursue a lease of the Mid-South Coliseum in an effort to expand its operations from Broad Avenue. The resolution for the deal is sponsored by council chairman Kemp Conrad and council member Jamita Swearengen. “The terms required by the council’s resolution include no city funds, a 30-year lease with renewal options, and an estimated $12 million dollar investment by Wiseacre,” Conrad says after the vote. “This council believes this to
be a truly transformative possibility for the Coliseum, for the Fairgrounds, and for the city. We hope to see it move forward.”
8.22
Former President Jimmy Carter and wife Rosalynn descend on Memphis this week with Habitat for Humanity to build homes in the Uptown neighborhood of Downtown. The Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Work Project sees nearly 1,500 volunteers over several days in sweltering heat to build a subdivision from the ground up. The Carters have been working with Habitat on projects across the U.S. and the world since 1984, and have assisted with building, renovating, and repairing nearly 4,000 homes in 14 countries. President Carter tells the crowd assembled that first day, “Habitat for Humanity is the best way for me to take the talent I have and invest it.”
8.15
The largest publicly traded real estate investment trust by number of owned apartments is created when Memphis-based MAA agrees to purchase Atlanta-based Post Properties Inc. for $4 billion. The combined company will have an expected value of $17 billion and a combined asset base of nearly 105,000 multifamily units across 317 properties. “The combination of MAA and Post will establish the leading apartment real estate platform focused on the high-growth Sunbelt region of the country with significant competitive advantages to drive superior value for our shareholders, residents, and employees,” MAA chairman and CEO Eric Bolton said in a statement.
8.12
Memphis loses another vocal icon when Ruby Wilson — the Queen of Beale — passes away. A 40-year veteran of Memphis nightclubs, Wilson grew up working the cotton fields of Texas. Thanks to
her parents, she was firmly grounded in gospel and blues traditions, and started singing in public at the age of 7. By the time she was 15, she was touring as a backup singer for gospel star Shirley Caesar. At 20, she was singing with B.B. King, who called her his goddaughter. Wilson moved to Memphis in the early 1970s and worked as a kindergarten teacher for Memphis City Schools by day, belting out tunes on Beale Street by night. Wilson recorded 10 solo albums, toured the world, sang for presidents, and performed alongside artists such as Willie Nelson and Ray Charles.
8.4
In a 15-county contest, and with 27 percent of the votes, David Kustoff claims the Republican nomination for Tennessee’s 8th Congressional district. The former U.S. Attorney will face Democratic nominee Rickey Hobson in the November Congressional general election. That seat is currently held by Republican Stephen Fincher.
7.28
Young & Rubicam opens its Downtown office to much fanfare with Shelby County Mayor Mark Luttrell, City of Memphis COO Doug McGowen, and Rear Admiral Jeff Hughes on hand to speak. The marketing and communications firm specializing in advertising, digital and social media, direct marketing, and brand identity consulting, secured a $457 million, five-year contract with the U.S. Navy before expanding in Memphis. As a result, 50 new employees will be hired.
7.21
A $12.4 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation for the modernization of Memphis International Airport’s Concourse B, as well as improvement of an access road and security, is announced by Congressman Steve Cohen.
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“Over the last few months, I’ve been asked how I got here a lot,” says Sweat. “Looking back, it almost seems purposeful. But I wasn’t focused [on reaching this office].” Sweat spent her childhood days in and around her parents’ grocery and bait shop. Her mother was only 18 when Gina was born, and she gained a sister after her 10th birthday. So in some respects, Sweat had a peer leader in her own mom and an important leadership role to play for her only sibling. “Growing up,” says Sweat, “my mom was one of my best friends, and she is to this day.” When not playing basketball, Sweat practiced taekwondo, earning a black belt as a senior at Middleton High (where she was co-valedictorian in 1984). “My mom and dad were self-employed,” she explains, “so I helped them. My dad was the local ice distributor, so I helped with packaging ice. My granddad was a farmer, so I’d get to ride a tractor with him. I grew up learning the value of work. I was always looking for ways to make money so I could buy the things kids want to buy.”
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The Memphis Fire Department’s first female director knows the value of loyalty, trust, and teamwork.
Gina Sweat, Director of Fire services, Memphis Fire Department
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Gina Sweat and one of her heroes, Larry Bird, share two distinct foundational qualities: They each grew up in a small town (Sweat in Middleton, Tennessee; Bird in French Lick, Indiana) and they each played basketball. Sweat’s career on the hardwood ended after her college days at Freed-Hardeman, but you’d have a compelling debate in measuring which career was less likely. Bird, you probably know, became a Hall of Fame forward for the Boston Celtics. Sweat became — just last January — the first female Director of Fire Services in the history of the Memphis Fire Department. 20 |
Upon earning her bachelor’s degree (in business administration) in 1988, Sweat moved to Memphis and spent a short time with a property-management company. But when she heard the Memphis Fire Department was, for the first time, recruiting female firefighters, she did some research, considered her athletic upbringing, and sprinted through the newly opened door. When hired in 1992, Sweat and a classmate were the fourth and fifth women to join the department. Training to be a professional firefighter — and the physical tests one must pass — does not allow for gender distinction. “Fire doesn’t discriminate against race or gender,” emphasizes Sweat. She had to sprint up a five-story building — wearing a weighted vest — and keep pace with male trainees. She had to wield a sledgehammer and bust through a wall or roof with the same force her male classmates displayed, for she’d be called upon to perform the same tasks, only with lives at stake. “I considered it a challenge to get back in shape,” says Sweat. “It was intimidating. When you went out, there were people lined up taking the test, but there was no one else like me. Raising a ladder, walking across a balance beam, carrying a dummy. It’s necessary to have minimum standards, and I was very cognizant to make sure I could meet those. The real test comes a few months down the road when you’re in a burning building and have to do things contrary to nature. I
PHOTOGRAPH BY LARRY KUZNIEWSKI
YOU HAVE TO CARE ABOUT PEOPLE TO LEAD THEM, AND THEY HAVE TO KNOW YOU CARE ABOUT THEM.
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never wanted to be in a situation to get myself hurt, but even more, to get one of my fellow firefighters hurt, or not be able to help them.” In May 2015, the New York Post reported that 5.7 percent of American firefighters today are women. Sweat estimates that Memphis currently has 50 female firefighters among a force totaling 1,600 (3 percent). Despite the distinct minority she’s represented for more than 20 years now, Sweat made a steady climb up the promotional ladder. [Sweat identifies four other cities with female fire chiefs: San Francisco, Phoenix, Austin, and Portland, Oregon.] “A lot of the stuff I’d done in my childhood — the basketball and martial arts, being a teammate — prepared me for this [career],” says Sweat, who spent much of her work life essentially living in fire stations as the only woman on a team of nine or 10. “It’s a family concept. We work nine or ten 24-hour shifts a month; that’s a third of your life. You eat together, handle chores, training. And when a call comes in, you drop what you’re doing and go. You never know what the night may bring.” Sweat says she never experienced what she’d call harassment as a firefighter. (“There were some uncomfortable moments,” she notes with a smile. “Men will be men.”) She took life at the station seriously and she treated the job like the career it’s become, earning a bachelor’s in Fire Administration in 2000, and a master’s in Strategic Leadership in 2013, both from the University of Memphis. When asked about the qualities she values most in a leader, Sweat emphasizes loyalty and trustworthiness. It can be a race to the top among firefighters when it comes to administrative positions, and this can compromise relationships, even among station teammates. On top of that, the stresses of a firefighting career can strain otherwise strong family bonds. Sweat practices a leadership style that emphasizes compassion and engagement with individuals under her guidance. “As a battalion chief, I’d get to know [firefighters’] families,” says Sweat. “I maintain those relationships to this day. You have to care about people to lead them, and they have to know you care about them. Are you a manager or a leader? You manage a fireground, tactically. You’re at war with the fire. It’s not time for please or thank you.” Sweat has endured the deaths of fellow firefighters, once early in her career and then later at a scene where she was in charge as battalion chief. “When you’re young — and invincible — they tell you that you can get hurt,” says Sweat, “but you don’t really believe it. This is dangerous, though, and you really have to watch each other’s back. You can’t take things for granted. It’s a hard life lesson. You’re responsible for people inside a burning building. It strikes home the re-
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sponsibility.” [Fifty-four fallen firefighters are memorialized on a wall at the Fire Museum of Memphis.] Trips to the Gulf Coast or Caribbean and walking her three dogs have helped Sweat manage the stress of firefighting, though she emphasizes exercise is — now and forever — the best weapon against tension and work pressure. “The beach brings me back to earth,” she says. Now in a position to identify and help steer future leaders (male or female), Sweat aims to make the same connections she has since first donning a fire suit 24 years ago. “I like to give people the opportunity to show they’re trustworthy,” she says. “We spend our lives trusting each other with our life. When people start jockeying for position, it can get ugly. People often say you learn who your friends are when you’re going through tough times, but you really learn about f riends when you’re successful. I’ve lost a few people I thought were friends along the way, but I’ve made so many g reat relationships. “There were so many people who mentored me. I try and do that for anybody I see who has the desire to do things right and move this department forward. And you don’t start doing that when you become director. These are things I’ve done for 20 years. Some of the people who report to me now were my boss at one time.” Encased high on a shelf in Sweat’s downtown office is a basketball signed by the late Pat Summitt, the Hall of Fame women’s basketball coach at the University of Tennessee. Sweat has long considered Summitt the gold standard for leadership with her emphasis on accountability and teamwork beyond what anyone might see on the basketball court. The onetime sweet-shooting forward acknowledges she wasn’t quite good enough to play for the Lady Vols, but Sweat likes to think her favorite coach would be pleased with her career choice. “My philosophy is, you go to work,” she says. “Whatever needs to be done today, that’s what I’m going to do. I’d learn my boss’s job. If I could make him look good, he’d get promoted and that might open a spot. It may seem purposeful now, but it was really just learning new challenges and learning more about the department as a whole. Every time an opportunity came to test for a promotion, I was ready.”
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The Eureka Factor Well before it became a vacuum cleaner company’s brand name, and even before the word made its way onto The Great Seal of the State of California, the word “eureka” was simply Greek for “I found it.” Legend has it that, over 2,000 years ago, the mathematician Archimedes solved one of the ancient world’s greatest scientific problems while sitting in his large wooden bathtub. “Eureka!” he cried excitedly after he’d figured out the puzzle — he'd discovered that a precise volume of water would be displaced by a solid of equal volume. In this case, the solid was Archimedes himself. He was so excited that he purportedly jumped out of the tub and into the street, naked, shouting at everyone he encountered, “I found it!” We’re not quite that excited down here at the offices of Inside Memphis Business — we’re keeping our clothes on — but we are very pleased this month to announce the recipients of our Fourth Annual Innovation Awards, presented in conjunction with the Fogelman College of Business & Economics at the University of Memphis. Once again, the competition was stiff; it’s remarkable what wonderfully innovative projects are going on inside the research centers of our private and public institutions, and inside the homes and garages of individual Memphians. After reading the next few pages, I think you’ll agree with me that all four of this year’s winners are truly worthy honorees. Keep in mind what these awards are all about. Much as we all value business acumen and financial success, this celebration is not about entrepreneurship or profitability. The Innovation Awards salute vision and endurance, and most of all, they celebrate real breakthroughs. There’s nothing inevitable about what our winners have done. These are real people solving real problems. Special thanks again to Dr. Rajiv Grover, Dean of the Fogelman College, and to our now well-experienced panel of judges, who graciously adjudicated these awards for a fourth straight year and, clearly, took their mission very seriously. The results speak for themselves. Thank you all for your excellent efforts. Eureka! — Kenneth Neill, Publisher
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SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR SPONSOR
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The Brain Trust Andy Cates
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ounder and CEO of RVC Outdoor Destinations and founding Managing Member of Value Acquisition Fund, an acquisition, development, and asset management company created in 2004. In 1999, Cates moved back to Memphis to develop the Soulsville Revitalization Project as its Project Developer and founding board Chairman. The nonprofit public/private project includes the Stax Museum of American Soul Music, The Soulsville Charter School, and The Stax Music Academy. Beginning in 2000, Cates worked with a team of business and civic leaders to attract the Vancouver Grizzlies NBA franchise to Memphis and to get public support for the team’s arena, FedExForum. Successful in its bid, Cates was a member of the original local ownership group. Cates earned a B.B.A. from the University of Texas at Austin and began his real estate career in Dallas at Trammell Crow. He was a founding partner in Viceroy Investments, LLC, in 1996, and is currently a partner in two Viceroy-sponsored partnerships. He’s a board member of PICO Holdings, Inc., and Pioneer Natural Resources, the best performing publicly traded energy company from 2009 to 2014.
Dr. Eugene Eckstein
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rofessor and Chair of the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Memphis. He has been in his current position since 2001, where his leadership and active scholarship have resulted in a growing topic of research that encompasses many areas related to improving human health. He holds a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and he has held faculty positions at Harvard, the University of Miami, and University of Tennessee Health Science Center. His interests include educational methods for biomedical engineering and analysis of motions, blood flow, and artificial organs. He served as President for the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering, and he is a member of the Biomedical Engineering Society, American Society for Mechanical Engineering, Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society, Society for Biomaterials, International Society for Artificial Organs, and the American Society for Artificial Organs. Patents he holds include a method and device for connecting biological duct to a prosthesis, a shock-absorbent prosthetic hip joint, a hydrogel surface of a urological prosthesis, and intervertebral spacers.
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Dr. Balaji Krishnan
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irector, MBA Programs, and Professor of the Department of Marketing and Supply Chain Management in the Fogelman College of Business & Economics at the University of Memphis. He has a Ph.D. in Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing from Louisiana State University, and he received his Bachelor’s in Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering and Master’s in Marketing from India. He has been instrumental in making the Fogelman MBA the largest MBA program in Tennessee. His research interests are in the area of crosscultural issues in marketing, pricing and price promotions, branding and brand equity, and services marketing. He has published a number of journal articles in prestigious journals. Krishnan was honored with the “Best Conceptual Paper” and “Best Empirical Paper” awards in the college. He has 18 years’ experience in marketing research, consulting, and marketing education. Krishnan has consulted with small businesses as well as multinationals in India and the United States. He currently teaches in the doctoral program and the MBA programs.
Anna Mullins
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irector of communications and public Engagement at the New Memphis Institute, a nonprofit that works to attract and retain talent and make Memphis magnetic for the best and brightest. In this role she leads the organization’s communication strategy, broadens awareness of its programs and mission, and generally works to share positive stories about the people and organizations that are solving problems, looking forward, and successfully shaping our community. In 2014, she helped steward the launch of the digital magazine High Ground News, a weekly news source focused on what’s next for the city of Memphis, and currently serves as managing editor of the publication. She led the team that established TEDxMemphis and serves as executive director of the annual conference in August. Through the new TEDx platform, Memphians are able to share local “ideas worth spreading.” After receiving her MFA from the University of Memphis, she worked as editorial director of Niche Publications for E.W. Scripps, where she edited and helped launch a number of titles, including Skirt! magazine. A longtime Memphian, she serves on the Shelby County Mayor’s Young Professional Council, on the Board of the Mid-South Peace & Justice Center, and on the Advisory Team for GiVE 365.
• • • INNOVATOR PROFILES BY JON W. SPARKS • • • INNOVATOR PHOTOGRAPHS BY LARRY KUZNIEWSKI
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“We saw the education landscape changing and daily lives of students changing, and realized it was important for us to re-evaluate how we work with young people and take it up a notch.”
Maria Oceja, CHANGE specialist; Jesse Davidson, evaluation manager; Mahal Burr, community action coordinator; Dana Wilson, vice president, BRIDGES; Lucy Dang, CHANGE intern 28 |
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BRIDGES A
INNOVATION
CHANGE: The youth-led social program working with students in grades 8 to 12, providing them with opportunities to become leaders who advance social justice through community organizing.
WEBSITE
bridgesusa.org
t bridges, the idea is to push for a solution — and then push harder. The nonprofit has long been focused on developing young people as tomorrow’s leaders, but the organization is finding that it’s imperative to let youth take on leadership as soon as possible. “Several years ago we took a step back and looked at the Memphis community,” says Dana Wilson, vice president of the Bridge Builders youth program. “We saw the education landscape changing and daily lives of students changing, and realized it was important for us to re-evaluate how we work with young people and take it up a notch.” That innovation is what bridges calls youth-led social change. “We allow young people to take the lead and commit themselves to youth and adult equity environments,” Wilson says. “We trust they have good ideas on how to make Memphis a better place and their ideas and voices need to be lifted up.” It’s not just an exercise in having the kids write down some nice ideas. bridges — through its change internships — wants city leaders to listen and act on these youth-inspired proposals. “We listened to young people and let them set the agenda to what the program could really do and seek to achieve,” Wilson says. “We ventured into new topics and areas, including youth and police relations and issues with juvenile justice, so they lean into that work and become involved in that.” If the traditional approach is adults trying to fix the problems of youth, change changes
that. “This is youth working to fix issues and systems that aren’t working,” Wilson says. “They set their own agenda and train us and community. No one else is doing that.” While the young people have considerable latitude in creating their agendas, they’re not working in a vacuum. “The equity model requires we provide students with a lot of support and networking with other organizations on issues they’re interested in,” Wilson says. bridges connects the students with experts and ensures the focus of inquiry is on root causes. It helps determining what information is needed, where to find it, and gives the young people support in space and resources. “Students are capable of doing very profound work. They’re great researchers and motivated.” The change program started some five years ago with about a dozen students. It has grown to 30 participants from grades 8 to 12 who spend about a year on the project. It has worked with the Shelby County Schools, developed a blog, and is working on a campaign against sexual harassment and assault that seeks to create safe places and bases in schools. Students are also working with the Memphis Police Department on issues of youth violence. One effort that has come out of change working with the Shelby County Sheriff’s office has been to create a group called Incarcerated Youth Speaking Out For Change. A group of young men in jail competed through essays and debates to share their insights on why they were behind bars, what they saw as the
root causes of teen violence, and what changes could be made to prevent the violence. iysofc’s members are sharing their insights, which include recommendations on how schools suspend and expel students, how job and intern opportunities might be increased, and ways of reforming juvenile offenders. “It’s really invaluable when someone has real personal experience to back up what the research says,” Wilson says. “It’s pragmatic, knowing why something would or would not work and how it would resonate with young people. And who better to know that than young people?” Wilson says that bridges feels strongly that this is crucial work. “We’re excited to deepen what we’re doing,” she says. “Part of our organization’s strategy is a full-time evaluator to figure out the metrics that indicate success for the program. We try to track students individually but also want to understand the impact on the community to guide our decisions moving forward.” Students from this program, who help create an agenda and network with the community to implement a plan, are going to learn a lot. “And they will be really impressive when they sit down for college interviews.” Eventually, Wilson says, bridges would like to see a youth action center, a hub where young people of varied interests can work with the support of adults who see youth as invaluable assets to community and are willing to give them space to experiment and create change we want to see. Says Wilson, “Not only will they grow up to be incredible leaders, but the world is going to be more just for young people.” •
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“People have used honey since the ancient Egyptians, but we’re the first to deliver it as an implantable device.”
Isaac Rodriguez,CEO; Marsalas Whitaker,CMO; Kayla Rodriguez Graff,COO 30 |
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SweetBio W
INNOVATION
A membrane made of medical grade manuka honey and proteins used in oral surgery to fill in gaps that occur after a tooth extraction. Allows the bones to regrow and gums to regenerate while preventing infection.
WEBSITE sweetbio.com
hat is music to an innovator’s ears? Something that sounds like this: “I wish I had a better product — can you invent something?” This was the query that lit the fuse for what would become SweetBio Inc., a honey of a startup that is bringing scientific and business savvy to healthcare. The request came from an oral surgeon who was dealing with a vexing fact in the field of dentistry in America: Nearly 50 percent of adults aged 30 or older — about 65 million people — have signs of gum disease. That assessment from the Centers for Disease Control opens the door for better ways of dealing with a condition that is linked to diabetes and heart disease. SweetBio’s novel product is a membrane used in oral surgery to fill in gaps that occur after a tooth extraction. It’s made of medical grade manuka honey and proteins that allow bones to regrow and gums to regenerate while preventing infection. “People have used honey since the ancient Egyptians, but we’re the first to deliver it as an implantable device,” says Kayla Rodriguez Graff, COO of SweetBio. Her brother, Isaac Rodriguez, started development of the idea at Virginia Commonwealth University where he got his Ph.D. in 2013. He continued working on it when he came to the University of Memphis where he worked with Dr. Gary L. Bowlin at the U of M’s Tissue Template Engineering and Regeneration Laboratory in the Department of Biomedical Engineering. Isaac is now CEO and Chief Science Officer. While at the U
of M, he met Marsalas Whitaker, a biomedical engineer with experience in medical startups who is Chief Marketing Officer of the company. The fourth co-founder is CFO Kevin Graff, who was recruited by Kayla, his fiancée at the time. While this sophisticated use of honey is being developed specifically for dental care, SweetBio is aiming a whole lot higher than that. Its platform technology can be expanded for use in the entire body for a range of uses. “With our proprietary manufacturing process, we can create a bone graft and fill bone voids anywhere,” Kayla says. “We are a wound care product. The membrane industry is $118 million but wound care will grow to a $10 billion industry in the next 10 years.” For now, though, the focus is on dentistry and the reason, beyond the original need, is that it’s easier to get to oral surgeons than going through hospitals to get to other kinds of surgeons. “We have to prove it works and the fastest way was in dentistry,” she says. SweetBio has gone to 14 states in the last year, interviewing more than 100 dental clinicians. “We need to make sure they need and want to purchase it.” The response has been encouraging for the company that incorporated a year and a half ago. “We went to Atlanta and pitched and got incredible response,” Kayla says, “including two offer letters for accelerator programs — one from San Francisco and one from Memphis.” She says the startup chose to go with the Memphis Bioworks Foundation’s ZeroTo510 medical device accelerator program that would let them get on
the fast track to market. It’s a complicated route. Product development has to continue, a support network has to be refined, and the FDA’s 510(k) fast-track regulatory pathway worked out. And, of course, there’s the money. Major investors Innova, MB Venture Partners, The JumpFund, and ZeroTo510 helped SweetBio get $1.15 million in funding by last June. “We expect to submit and clear the FDA by the end of 2017,” Kayla says. Soon after that, she’s hoping the company will expand internationally. “Then we want to go into other applications, to orthopedic, cosmetic, and veterinary industries. We want to build a fantastic product line and brand that can be built and leveraged by a company that can spread it to more people than we can.” She says the role of Memphis in making all of this possible has made all the difference. “I love technology,” Kayla says. “I moved from Minneapolis to San Francisco to be in the startup scene, so it had to be something monumental to get me to move to Memphis. But the entrepreneurial ecosystem here is nothing short of amazing. I’ve never seen a city work so hard. It has the spirit, the infrastructure, and support, and it’s constantly developing.” Memphis, she says, makes it easy for SweetBio, which she calls a young, fun, diverse team that wants to revolutionize healing. “We believe the world needs to smile with no pain. And we have grit and grind with a strong brand, strong business acumen, and strong science that makes it an easy sell.” •
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“I give credit to UT because it has created an environment that encouraged moving scientific insights into products to benefit people.”
Dr. Guy Reed, Chair of the Department of Medicine, College of Medicine, UTHSC 32 |
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Dr. Guy Reed F
INNOVATION
TS23, an antibody that inhibits the molecule regulating clot dissolution as a better therapy to dissolve thrombi, which cause strokes and acute cardiovascular disease.
WEBSITE uthsc.edu
ew things are as difficult for a doctor as being unable to save a patient. “That was one of the most profound things that happened to me in my training,” says Dr. Guy Reed, a cardiologist, the Lemuel Diggs Professor of Medicine, and Chair of the Department of Medicine in the College of Medicine at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. “A patient came in and developed weakness on one side of the body, an indication of a stroke. We gave the best care we could at the time, but he died within 24 hours.” Reed knew there wasn’t enough understanding of the causes of ischemic stroke and that there wasn’t a safe enough treatment for it. But rather than staying frustrated, he got to work looking for a solution. For several years now, he’s been looking for a better therapy to dissolve blood clots, which cause most strokes. The result is TS23, a blood clot dissolving agent undergoing clinical trials and which holds the promise of providing vastly improved treatment of stroke and acute cardiovascular disease for millions of patients. His research sought to determine what it is that regulates clot dissolution. The research team found a promising molecule and created an antibody that would inhibit the molecule, resulting in blood clots being dissolved. Further research was done to ascertain if it could be used in humans and, thus far, the results are encouraging enough that he’s received funding support from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health and the National Institute Of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. Last year, a licensing agreement was
made with an international firm and the therapy is expected to be submitted to the Food and Drug Administration in 2020. While there are other studies being done on treatment of stroke, “this is the only research targeting this molecule in the country,” Reed says. Reed came to UTHSC in 2008 from the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta, where he was the Kupperman Professor of Medicine, the chief of cardiovascular medicine, and co-director of the Georgia Cardiovascular Center of Excellence. Taking over the leadership position at UTHSC was a significant career move for Reed, giving him strong academic opportunities in a department that has 11 divisions, encompasses about 400 faculty, and more than 200 residents and fellows, as well as providing clinical training for the medical students. But there was much more than that. “I give credit to UT because it has created an environment that encouraged moving scientific insights into products to benefit people,” he says. An area where UTHSC has taken the lead is in stroke research since the Mid-South is smack in the middle of America’s Stroke Belt. “One of the reasons we were inspired to come here is stroke is a particular problem in the southeast United States and in Memphis where the incidence of stroke is highest in the country and the death rate from stroke is the highest,” Reed says. “We felt this was the place where there is a focus on addressing the disparity and the scientific interest and community would be supporting.” One of the innovations UTHSC has undertaken is creation of a Mobile Stroke Unit, a sophisticated ambulance with advanced CT capabilities that
can save precious minutes in getting treatment for patients. It’s an effort to shorten the time it takes to get a patient treatment since the longer a stroke goes untreated, the worse the situation is likely to become. If a stroke patient can be treated quickly with tissue plasminogen activator (tPA), then the prognosis improves. But the problem with tPA is that it’s limited. It has to be given quickly and can cause major bleeding. “The longer a patient has stroke symptoms, the more the benefits of tPA decline and its harmful effects increase,” Reed says. “It’s a competing risk-benefit ratio, and ends up being used in only 5 percent or less of the patients who have ischemic stroke.” Testing thus far indicates that Reed’s clot dissolving agent addresses those issues and thus could dramatically increase the survival rate of stroke patients. Last year, Reed’s research company — Translational Sciences, Inc. — signed an exclusive licensing agreement with Tokyo-based Daiichi Sankyo Co. to develop and commercialize TS23. Reed, who is CEO and Chief Science Officer of Translational Sciences, says the trials and the research and development process take considerable time and money. “We looked for partners experienced in doing these kinds of studies and doing them well.” After some two and a half years and scores of meetings, phase one of the trial was done and the licensing agreement with Daiichi Sankyo was signed. The Japanese company, which has among its interests development of treatments for thrombotic disorders, will take up phases two and three beginning next year. •
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“In the past 18 months, we’ve had more than 500 kids be a part of Code Crew in some way.”
Meka Egwuekwe, co-founder 34 |
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Code Crew M
INNOVATION
Coding training directly to teenagers using three models: summer coding camps, after-school programs, and in-school training. Draws in new students and sends them into the marketplace with the realization that mentoring, networking, and partnerships are all part of building a community that goes beyond being a savvy coder.
WEBSITE
code-crew.com
eka Egwuekwe was well aware of the problem. As a software engineer, he knew that Memphis and the Mid-South were on the wrong side of the digital skills gap. The call for relevant and effective computer programmers was out there but wasn’t being met as vigorously as was needed. So he took action. In 2012, he founded the Memphis Chapter of Black Girls Code, which would become one of the country’s most active efforts to teach girls how to build mobile apps, web pages, video games, and robots. That would lead him to develop Code Crew in 2015, a program that goes directly to teenagers in schools and community centers, teaching them the nuts and bolts of the jobs of the future. It’s more than showing youngsters how to write a cool line of code, though. Egwuekwe wants this effort to continue with existing students, to draw in new ones, and to send them into the marketplace with the realization that mentoring, networking, and partnerships are all part of building a community that goes beyond being a savvy coder. “Code Crew is a nonprofit focused on youth coding,” he says, “and we do that by building healthy relationships with adults in the industry and by convincing kids that they’re capable of being technology producers.” The program offers coding using three models, Egwuekwe says. It started with summer coding camps and that grew to after-school programs. Now it’s being offered in-school at the Memphis Grizzlies Preparatory Charter School and the Martin Luther King Jr. College Preparatory High School where the students get homework, tests, and grades like any other
elective class. “We’re different from many other coding organizations in the city and even the country,” he says, “because we bring it directly to the school.” What the youngsters learn are practical things that interest them. “Kids want to see the fruits of their labor more than a patient adult would,” Egwuekwe says. “Our summer camps were about mobile development and the students could do them and run them. We taught web development so they could build a website and there’s video game development. It’s what the kids ask for and this allows us to fill a need while hooking them into the reality that coding is not rocket science.” Being on the board of the National Civil Rights Museum, Egwuekwe met fellow board member Elliot Perry, who was interested in the Black Girls Code program. They discussed setting up a locally based operation open to boys and girls and, with Perry being on the board of the Memphis Grizzlies Foundation, Egwuekwe was able to use support from the Foundation to establish a digital lab at the Lester Community Center last year. “That’s how we got started,” he says. “We did a six-week summer camp last year and a two-day hackathon to showcase the skills of the kids, which became an after-school program at Lester last year. And this summer, we had three camps at Lester. Now we’re operating two after-school programs at Lester and the in-school electives as well.” Code Crew got to where it is today thanks to Egwuekwe and his co-founders Audrey Jones, who works at AutoZone, and Petya Grady, who works with Lokion Interactive.
The nonprofit was launched through Start Co.’s Sky High accelerator that specializes in social impact tech startups. The program is very much about connections. Code Crew relies on the staffs at schools and community centers to find youngsters who might be interested in taking the classes. It also goes through nonprofits that focus on youth, such as Knowledge Quest, and of course it makes use of social media, including Snapchat, Facebook, and Twitter. The payoff, Egwuekwe says, is that, “In the past 18 months, we’ve had more than 500 kids be a part of Code Crew in some way.” While its oldest regular kids are around 16 now, the organization is mindful of the future. “We have an eye to college and career and entrepreneurship,” he says. “That’s part of our motivation at MLK Prep: We have high school seniors and it’s structured to prepare them to pursue computer science in college. Not every kid goes to college, but they’ll have skills sufficient for them to pursue career opportunities and we can refer them to additional training.” Even if a student chooses not to pursue a career involving coding, there remain benefits. “It helps in other subjects and provides a healthy relationship in mentoring with industry professionals and college student teaching assistants,” Egwuekwe says. Egwuekwe — who studied coding when he attended East High School — hopes to eventually teach a significant number of youngsters to code with a well-established teaching network. “We also want to have an effective instructing program so we can train teachers to teach their own students and allow us to reach tens of thousands of kids across Memphis,” he says •
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T he Memp
his M e dic
a l D is t r ic t o ll a b o r a t i ve A convers ation w C ith T O M
• • •
B Y
R I C H A R D
J .
A L L E Y
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AU & P O L EL PA C MY
P H OTO G R A P H S
B Y
C H I P
L YO
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ABOVE: Tommy Pacello, Paul Young, and Richard J. Alley
C H O C K L E Y
As many Memphians make their way each morning from home to work, traveling west down Union, Madison, or Poplar, they may not even realize they’re passing through one of the largest economic engines of the region. Passersby will notice students everywhere with white coats, hospital scrubs, and backpacks; unused trolley tracks; a city park with its controversial statue; and construction seemingly at every corner. This is the Medical District, an area defined by Poplar to the north, Vance to the south, I-240 on the east, and Danny Thomas to the west. Located between Midtown and Downtown, the District is home to institutions such as the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Southwest Tennessee Community College, Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital, Sun Studio, and the Bioworks Foundation. The District is where 24,000 employees and students spend their days. As upgrades to the hospital and university campuses began to swell, the need for a unifying organization became apparent. The Memphis Medical District Collaborative is the answer to that need and is supported by
UNG
eight anchor institutions. At the helm of this collaborative is Tommy Pacello, formerly of the Mayor’s Innovation Delivery Team and lately a special project manager with U3 Advisors. With the Innovatino Delivery Team, Pacello pioneered events such as MEMFix and MEMShop, relatively small buy-ins that showed what a fallow neighborhood might become. Paul Young was appointed director of Housing and Community Development (HCD) last December by Mayor Jim Strickland. The HCD is the city’s tool for commu-
nity revitalization and takes an interest in the neighborhoods that make up the Medical District. Young was previously administrator for the Memphis and Shelby County Office of Sustainability, whose Sustainable Shelby Implementation Plan oversaw building codes, land use and development, neighborhood rebirth, and transportation and traffic. To learn more about the needs and plans for the Medical District, I sat down with Pacello and Young at High Cotton Brewery in the heart of what is known as the Edge District, the neighborhood just to the west of the Medical District. High Cotton, once home to a century-old carriage house for nearby Victorian Village, opened its public taproom in 2014. It has since been held up and admired as a success story in an otherwise desolate neighborhood looking to be revitalized by the MMDC. As the conversation progressed, the after-work crowds came in and the taproom filled with talk and laughter — an impressive example of a neighborhood in rebirth.
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PAU L YO U N G
How did the Memphis Medical District Collaborative come about? T O M M Y PAC E L LO : The MMDC officially started in February of this year but the work started about two years ago with this whole discussion about how Downtown has been on an upward trajectory and Midtown has been waking up with Overton Square and Sears Crosstown and Broad Avenue. The neighborhood is beginning to come together, gel, and the institutions in the Medical District began to say, “We really need to be doing something about the District in a serious way.” We’ve been talking about it for many, many years. We got a code, we got a plan, but we’ve never really put in place the infrastructure to implement it. That was the genesis. It came out of those realizations and conversations from about two years ago and it’s all very much modeled off of the anchor strategy work that was pioneered in places like Philadelphia in West Philly, and places like midtown Detroit and Cleveland. Were you involved with the District two years ago with the Mayor’s Innovation Delivery Team? T P : We were in on it in the sense that we had a ton of data and a ton of analysis work around planning that we just began to share with U3 Advisors, who I think of as the architects of the strategy. We shared that data with them and started some early conversations about what’s happening in the city, but not in a serious way.
T O M M Y PAC E L LO
Were you involved, Paul? I was with the Office of Sustainability at the time. I was not deeply involved with it although I knew it was going on. I guess the bulk of my involvement was through the Rose Fellowship Program that folks in our office participated with and so, just having dialogue and conversations with them about how it aligns with sustainability and our goal to develop some innovative strategies to redevelop that district. T P : That’s a really good point that the ULI [Urban Land Institute] Rose Fellowship was happening at the same time that U3 started to do their phase-one work where they’re scanning the district to see what was going on. If you think about it, the Rose Fellowship ideas that emerged from some of the earlier plans, and even from the U3 Advisors work, they all are very supportive of each other. None of those ideas are in conflict. PAU L YO U N G :
There was the Rose Fellowship in 2013 and ’14, but before that, going back a decade or more, there was an organized group calling itself the “Edge District.” Do you work with them? T P : One thing that’s been a huge help from the Edge District is the property owners’ association getting together and the mix of business owners and residents coming together. Think about them as hyper-focused on a four- or five-block area, that’s the Edge District compared to the bigger district. They’ve become really good at community engagement
entry points in the neighborhood. A district is made up of multiple neighborhoods. For us, the Medical District is made up of the Edge neighborhood, Victorian Village neighborhood, Vance neighborhood, and multiple other neighborhoods that are within the larger District. Each of those neighborhoods having their own organizations is a really helpful thing for us. Everyone’s ideas are complimentary, but I would say that in the community development world, we get smarter and better at this work each and every time. It’s very iterative. While the fundamentals are somewhat similar, new techniques, new interventions that can take place within a neighborhood or district, as far as community revitalization goes, all that stuff can change. P Y: As well as new opportunities. There are things like the expansion of St. Jude that weren’t necessarily on the table however long ago we started this process, but now it is and so we build from those opportunities and try to scale up what was on the books at that time.
How do you work within the parameters of an anchor tenant like UTHSC and the $250 million master plan under way for its campus? T P : It’s important to think about our work as thinking about how do we strengthen the communities that are between and around the institutions, and not focusing as much as what’s happening on the actual
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campuses. I’m not stepping on toes or trying to pile on to something that the universities are already doing a good job of. Maybe it’s, “How do we take what you’re wanting to do and maybe thinking about how it meets at the seam with what the community development work can have around it?” Something else I would maybe say about new opportunities arriving, also, as we get better at this work, we become more sensitive to ideas or concepts. For instance, if you think back to the community development world overall in early 2000s, or 2008 then 2009, the conversation that we’re having today about equity for instance, or inclusion, that wasn’t as much of the dialogue as it is today. At that time it was a lot about retaining talent. We need to be better and smarter and work harder to be more inclusive in that work and so we learn as we go. You don’t get it all right every time and so we are constantly trying to do better and better. St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital recently announced a plan to expand into the Pinch District and add density with residential and commercial. Why not propose the same plan for the institutions already in the Medical District? One reason that it’s a little different is that this is a supply side and a demand side. We’re thinking about how do we leverage the assets and the balance sheets of the institutions to create additional demand. Working with the institutions to spend more money with local minority women-owned businesses, working with them on their collective hiring needs, working with them to incentivize their employees and their students to move back into the district. Those
“When you talk about the economic impact that comes out of this two- to threemile stretch, the impact that it has on the broader community is significant and the health of our core drives this whole region.” 38 |
things all create demand. At the same time, we have to be willing to work from a supply side to meet that demand, whether it’s mixeduse development, residential development, other types of commercial office-type uses. So that’s a little bit different than a typical redevelopment strategy in the sense that we have those anchors there to be able to leverage demand and meet with supply. What’s the total workforce in the Medical District? T P : Our counts are about 16,000 employees, about 8,000 students, plus you have the [2,000] new hires that St. Jude is planning on and over the next several years you’re talking another several thousand in just natural growth of the rest of the institutions. P Y: As well as 1,200 new jobs down the street with ServiceMaster. T P : All the pieces are starting to come together. P Y: Many of them will travel right through this area. What about that connectivity to Downtown and Midtown? It’s a major thoroughfare for the most part and not pedestrian friendly. T P : I think at a point in time, we’re really going to need to rethink Danny Thomas Boulevard, begin to have it be less of a highway. It serves as a highway today and it separates Downtown from the Medical District. As we do this work, again it’s not necessarily where you start, but at a point in time we’re going to need to think about how to humanize that, and get it so that people can have a more porous relationship between the Medical District and Downtown. P Y: Right, and that’s not just for the Medical District, I think that’s for South City as well. One of the challenges we’re dealing with is figuring out how to soften that connection and make it less of a highway and more of a connected neighborhood because, as you know, Foote Homes has two sides of Danny Thomas and we want to make sure that it’s seamless. Who funds the MMDC? T P : The MMDC is funded largely by the [Medical District] institutions themselves. They see the value in allowing them to have a different angle on the work from what they could have individually by funding something collectively. It also is funded by contributions from local philanthropy. Nothing from the city of Memphis? Nothing from the city. However, maybe we should have a beer. P Y: There are always opportunities and we look at Tommy and his team as a partner. While we don’t have any existing investment, TP:
“Neighborhood revitalization is about momentum and it’s about making these steady, small investments constantly throughout, and they get gradually larger and larger and larger.” we will continue to have conversations about ways that we can partner to redevelop areas in the Medical District. T P : I would add this about the city: The city has bent over backwards to be helpful in other ways. While there’s not necessarily cash investment into our work, there are things such as wanting to make an investment into the infrastructure in this neighborhood and being accessible and open in working with us and things of that nature. It’s a huge benefit to have the city’s participation in this work. P Y: Or programs like the down payment assistance program that we just announced. Tommy was one of the first people that we talked about to really see how it can have an impact in the Medical District in the areas in which they are working to grow the population in those areas, get more middle-income buyers to purchase homes in those areas. Is that strictly residential? P Y: It’s residential, it is, but we were focused on designated zip codes instead of spreading ourselves thin and saying, ‘Here, purchase homes anywhere in Memphis,’ which would still be a benefit but we would have a much more substantial benefit if we were targeting buyers to purchase homes in specified zip codes. That’s what we’re doing and working with his team has helped us craft that strategy. How important is residential for the revitalization of the Medical District? T P : It’s critical. The re-densification of the core of the city is perhaps one of the most important things we can all be working on. I would add that we have a program that we’re working to launch a pilot version of that’s very similar to what Paul has launched and we’re calling it the “Live Local” program. We’ve been talking about this program
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for a while. This is another illustration of how we’re working together — we want to be complimentary in the programs and things that we do. Making sure that, again, we’re not piling on something that the city is working on, something that the Downtown Memphis Commission is working on. We all have to be very collaborative and talk on a regular basis about, ‘You’re doing this, we’re going to do this,’ and it’s always a complimentary vehicle for whatever the issue is we’re working on. The residential would almost have to be built from scratch. Are you looking at developers to come in and do that? T P : We have a supply issue. It’s a “both-and.” So for us it’s two parts: One is we have to have an additional supply in the district and I think that we believe that the demand is there. At the same time, the second part is taking the residential that is there and finding some of the vacancies that are between the cracks, whether it’s the back house behind some of the single-family homes, whether it’s properties that need some attention, just maybe fixed up a little bit before they can be turned back on. We think there is some low-hanging fruit by just being able to pick up some of the properties that haven’t been occupied in a while or need some love. Then at the same time, let’s encourage developers and others to begin to add more supply in the area. In 1970, there were 36,000 people that lived in this district and today there’s fewer than 15,000. There is residential land here, it’s just that a lot of those properties have been torn down.
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Is it as simple as going to a large-scale developer and saying, “Hey, here’s a block, see what you can do with it.”? T P : In some cases, an example would be that the universities and the institutions and the hospitals in the district, they own about 250 acres of land. A hundred-and-ten of those acres are surface parking lots or vacant land. Those create opportunities that you can do sort of an RFP-type of process to bring a developer and usually if you go to that process, it will be larger scale projects. At the same time, you also have to be thinking small scale and thinking about how do we support small-scale development — the fourplexes, rehabbing a small building to make it a couple of apartments upstairs, some retail, renovate some homes, some infill housing, whatever it happens to be. The small-scale developers are really what add the texture to the neighborhood, and use the big-scale developers in strategic ways as well, so those are complimentary efforts. The mixture of small- and large-scale sounds familiar. How does revitalization of the Medical District differ from Broad Avenue, Overton Square, or Crosstown? T P : One thing that I think is a little bit different about Broad, and I think this is an important note, is that Broad Avenue really happened relatively quickly in Memphis terms. I think that it happened quickly because of the scale of the buildings — 2,000-square-foot to 6,000-square-foot buildings. An end user can fumble their way through the redevelopment of that. The pie gets bigger of potential developers to do a Broad Avenue, but in this neighborhood in particular, there are some smaller buildings
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but the bulk of these buildings are 8,000 to 30,000 square feet. It’s a different type of developer in this case. You’ve got to be a little bit more sophisticated to be able to tackle a 30,000-square-foot building.
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If they’re not that sophisticated though, are you guys there to help them? T P : We’re working on that on a couple of fronts. We’re working on trying to build the small developer ecosystem in the city of Memphis so that we can have small developer participation that opens it up to building wealth among folks that may not typically have access to that type of thing. But then we’re also working with the larger, established developers to have them come in and do some of the bigger projects, too. Does this area, because of its anchors, have an advantage over places like South City or Frayser or any redevelopment going on anywhere else? P Y: All of those areas have their own inherent advantages. Sometimes it’s a people opportunity, the right people in place in those areas that can push development forward. I think that the Medical District certainly has an advantage by being anchored by such strong institutions that have a lot of employees. All of the things that Tommy is working to build upon, those are advantages for this area that other areas can’t say that they have, but it’s not to say that there aren’t other advantages that those areas have that the Medical District doesn’t have. We are trying to stimulate the market in areas like Frayser and South City and all of these other neighborhoods that have great historic assets, have great people assets, passionate individuals that are working to change those areas. We’re trying to leverage whatever we can in those communities to propel them into a positive trajectory. T P : There’s not a one-size-fits-all approach. What Paul is saying is that maybe it’s more building off of neighborhood scale assets that are very grassroots driven. That’s how Broad Avenue began to kick off. You didn’t have an anchor on Broad Avenue to bring in the big heavy-hitter developers right away. It had to be very boot-strapped in a way and using very lo-fi techniques to get the energy and the momentum going there. They had their own assets. In that case it was a bunch of buildings in the area that can be renovated by people that aren’t expert developers.
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But, in addition to the university and the hospitals, you’d like to see those sorts of businesses here, too — the bike shop, the coffee shop? T P : I think that’s what’s interesting. What’s interesting is to have the mix of both. Tell us about the Pre-Development Grants the MMDC is offering. T P : The idea with the Pre-Development Grant is that a lot of the smaller entrepreneurs have got ideas for things. Somebody really ought to do this thing with some shuttered muffler shop, and it’s just intended to give them a little bit of a reason to actually take it to the next level and create a project. Creating a project by having some architectural renderings to a small business plan, something like that. Vacant land and property have given this area a negative perception. How do you turn that around? P Y: I would say it’s the work that Tommy is doing. He started off talking about the proposals for events, things of that nature. You have to get people to put their eyes on the space and experience it. When you’re driving down the street you have a whole different experience than when you’re walking down the street and you’re actually touching the concrete and seeing the buildings up close. The more we can get people into this area — that goes for any community in the city — the more you can get people into those neighborhoods and experience it in a new light, the more you can change their perceptions. To that end, will you program events like MEMFix and MEMShop such as were held when you were with the Mayor’s Innovation Delivery Team? T P : I think they have a role. There’s been a MEMFix here that tested some infrastructure projects and now we’re working with the Downtown Memphis Commission to make the next iteration of those, making them permanent. It’s not the $500 fix, it’s the $150,000 improvement. It’s the larger-scale version of it. To quote Todd Richardson [co-director of the Crosstown Concourse redevelopment project], when he was talking about the importance of what MEMFix and some of these other things that happened in Crosstown, and all the work that they did with MemFeast, he said, “Those efforts put the neighborhood back on the mental map of Memphians.” I just love the way Todd has of framing things. I’ve always liked that quote and I think that’s a really key piece. It starts small but neighborhood revitalization
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is about momentum and it’s about making these steady, small investments constantly throughout, and they get gradually larger and larger and larger. But you don’t start large, you start with the small stuff. P Y: Another point that I guess we touched on, but one of the things I’ve wanted to do in this role at HCD is put a focus on our neighborhoods and some people think that is to the exclusion of working on projects that are larger like South City or Pinch or the Medical District as a whole. They don’t see it as a neighborhood; they see places like Frayser or Uptown, where you’re really in the core of a residential area, as being worked at the neighborhood level. We have to also think about this as economic development. When we are able to strengthen our economic anchors in our community, that is neighborhood redevelopment as well because those people have to work somewhere. We definitely want to have economic corridors in our neighborhoods with smaller shops and businesses, but we still need to strengthen our large economic anchors and so the more we can strengthen this, the more we strengthen our neighborhoods and communities as well.
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How important is this area to the city as a whole? Why does the person living on Shady Grove in East Memphis, who goes to work in the Poplar Corridor, care that the Medical District is thriving? P Y: When you talk about the economic impact that comes out of this two- to three-mile stretch, the impact that it has on the broader community is significant and the health of our core drives this whole region. Not just East Memphis, but Southaven, Tipton County, Fayette County, Crittenden County, all of those areas are dependent on Memphis having a healthy core because as this core grows, their communities grow. I think that it’s incumbent upon all of us to work to see this happen. T P : My take is very similar on that. The Medical District area is the economic engine for the core of the city, it’s also the linchpin between Downtown and Midtown. As Downtown has begun to see this upward trajectory, and as Midtown is beginning to come around in the same way, we have an opportunity now to take the entire core of the city and begin to see that be healthy and vibrant. That gives us ways we can play off that into North Memphis and South Memphis and other areas, so you lift up the entire city. If you have a really strong core, that gives you a much better place to start from than if it’s fractured. I think that this work is about stabilizing that core.
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What is the greatest challenge? T P : None of this work is easy. I think that one thing that is a challenge is this managing of expectations, that the second you start to work on a project, people try to say, “Well, let’s do this. Let’s do this right now. Why is this taking so long?” This work is a marathon, and we have run, I think, a decent first eighth of a mile. We’d be in trouble if we hadn’t, but at the same time we’ve got a long way to go. If you think about the way this has played out in other cities, for instance in Philadelphia, this is a 20-plus year effort and in midtown Detroit, they’ve been at it about six years, and they made a really big impact, but it’s going to keep going. I think that the biggest challenge is keeping slow and steady, let’s not make any mistakes, let’s do really good, strong, solid work, make wise decisions, and it’s going to take some time for this stuff to actually manifest in the long run so you get a complete revitalization. These deals take a long time to put together.
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Is there a definition of success in such large-scale revitalization as this? T P : Neighborhoods and cities always are changing and sort of evolving. I think we do have things that we aspire towards. Today we’ve got 3 percent of the employees and 6 percent of the students living in the district; we’d like to see a much higher percentage of those employees and students living in the district. But, again, it takes time for these deals to come together. It’s not going to happen in two or three years, it’s going to happen in five, six, seven, eight years. P Y: I would add that I think success is when the private market begins to act on its own because that’s the way I’d like to think about the work that we do in government — we are there to incentivize the private market to do what it’s supposed to do. In other areas of the city, the private market is healthy and it’s active and transactions are happening and people are coming in and rehabbing properties and doing all the things that we want to see in this area. I think that is when we see the tipping point, when this organization or my organization or any subsidies are not necessary to stimulate private activity. Then you still have to deal with gentrification and I think you figure out ways to stymie gentrification by including targets and goals for affordable housing with all of our developments and approaches. When we’re able to do that, I think we are starting to see success.
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Where AutoZone might be your go-to supplier for motor oil, wiper blades, and spark plugs, Hollywood Feed is certainly your first stop for pet food, dog leashes, and catnip. And the two have more in common than just a Memphis base of operations. Hollywood Feed’s president, Shawn McGhee, purchased the pet supply company 10 years ago while still an executive vice president for the auto parts retailer. “There are a number of AutoZone people who have seen our behind-the-scenes, and they all remarked how AutoZone-esque Hollywood Feed is,” McGhee says. “Much of the infrastructure and much of the benchmarks are very similar to what AutoZone was a number of years ago when I was there.” Just as AutoZone has rapidly expanded throughout North and South America, Hollywood Feed’s growth has taken the company from a Memphis-area concern to 50 stores in five states. McGhee says the pet supplies and services industry sees 2 to 3 percent yearly growth, and $63 billion in revenue. Hollywood Feed has grown 40 to 50 percent annually during McGhee’s tenure. “Lately we’ve caught notice, more than anything because of our size,” he says. “You know, you reach a certain size and scale and people start to notice you.” It’s a far cry from where the company was in 2006 when Hollywood Pet Star, as it was known, was struggling to compete with majors Petco and PetSmart. McGhee saw opportunity there, saying, “I thought I had a different model and different plan, and convinced my partners to back it and support it with us. We’ve been off to the races ever since.” The most recent growth has happened in Georgia and Texas where, at this writing, two stores 50 |
in the Dallas area are under construction. “When you have Dallas at 7.2 million people and Atlanta at 6.7 million, those two markets can feed a tremendous amount of growth before you have to start looking to other major markets.” But he is looking at other markets, adding, “Our goal has always been to be national. Because of our distribution we already have and the investments that we made [focusing on the Southeast first] just made the most sense.” Closer to home, Hollywood Feed manages its warehousing and distribution from its 103,000-square-foot facility on Broad Avenue. To better handle the multi-state expansion, McGhee is in the process of purchasing and renovating warehouse property at 1339 Warford Street in North Memphis. Granted an eight-year PILOT (payment-in-lieuo f- t a xe s) f r o m Memphis and Shelby C ou nt y in March for the 180,000-square-foot proper t y, McGhee plans a $3.1 million total investment and an additional 31 jobs. Company-wide Hollywood Feed employs about 300. McGhee looks to be up and running on Warford in the first quarter of 2017. On the retail side, the company has 13 retail stores in the Memphis area. One of the few remaining original businesses
ABOVE: Hollywood Feed operates 50 stores in five states, including this one on Poplar Avenue in East Memphis. LEFT: Shawn McGhee, president, shows off the company’s Mississippi Made line of products.
on Broad Avenue in Binghampton, Hollywood Feed’s flagship store was at home long before it became an arts district. Seemingly out of place now as 18-wheelers attempt to navigate the increasing pedestrian traffic and Hampline bike lanes, it will move its retail operation across the street to the northeast corner of Sam Cooper Boulevard and Collins Street. That property is owned by Greg and Carla Touliatos and will be built-out by them. The 5,000-square-foot store will front onto Collins and has a planned opening in the first quarter of 2017. “It’s definitely an upgrade from being on Broad Avenue when you have 37,000 cars a day driving by on Sam Cooper,” McGhee says. Along with its geographical
growth, Hollywood Feed has expanded offerings through its own Mississippi Made line of dog beds, dog collars, leashes, lampshades, picture frames, and other items made from fabric remnants, all manufactured in Tupelo, Mississippi. A bakery specializing in dog treats from a professionally trained French pastry chef recently opened adjacent to their Union Avenue location in Midtown. With its movement in the Southeast and a future in the national market, Hollywood Feed remains at home in, and committed to, Memphis. As part of this commitment to their customers and community, the Overton Park dog park is sponsored by Hollywood Feed, and their “You Bought, We Give” program donates items to area pet rescues and shelters. “All of our kids, in some form or fashion, if you walk into a store, are likely to be the individual that is waiting on you or ringing up your transaction or checking in an order that’s delivered,” McGhee says, referencing his own and his business partner’s children. “It’s very much a family business.”
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B A R N E T T
J O N E S
Summer showers held off as the Mighty Souls Brass Band wove their sound through a long line of patrons in Memphis Park, united through a simple bond — cold beer on a hot summer night. The first Fourth Bluff Friday in a series that began in September and will continue on the second Friday of October brings together local beer, music, food, and families for a night on the Mississippi. It is the culmination of hours of meetings and phone calls with city officials and insurance companies, a partnership with the Downtown Memphis Commission, and one small business fueled by local brews and a few Memphis millennials with a passion project for their city. When a friend with family in the restaurant industry drove a mobile refrigerator box with some home-installed beer taps to a backyard party, at first the idea was just a fun alternative to a keg, but local attorney McCauley Williams and a few of his friends had a vision for the device. A few months and a lot of research later, the mobile beer garden they named The TapBox was born. With Curb Market manager Justin Brooks and Birmingham-transplant bond salesman J.R. Kingsley, the three formed a partnership that led them down roads even their varied careers had never crossed, from insurance to liquor laws to technical maintenance of a refrigeration system. Less like a food truck than a portable refrigerator, the idea isn’t to stand inside The TapBox (a common misconception). At a constant 36 degrees, the “box” itself serves solely as the vehicle to keep beer cold. When The 52 |
TapBox travels to different locations, a makeshift bar is set up outside for licensed bartenders to provide service. As local brews become more and more appealing to Memphians and brewery taprooms fill to capacity, the entrepreneurs behind The TapBox see this endeavor as an opportunity to bring beer-on-tap to places people couldn’t previously have
ABOVE: The TapBox founders see pop-up beer gardens as a way to get millenials involved in the city and reinvigorate neglected public space.
it — concert venues, backyard parties, outdoor events. “The people who have the most beer to sell aren’t in the market of traveling to sell it on a weekly basis,” says Brooks. “We’re bringing brewery-level tap equipment anywhere we want outside.” Achieving this level of quality meant no shortcuts for these self-described rookies. Down to the smallest metal bearings, each element of construction was
thoughtfully considered and finalized in order to preserve the integrity of the beer. After a fresh coat of black paint and a modern logo, The TapBox launched in May 2016. Since then, they have become the vendor for concerts at the Levitt Shell and a presence at many public and private outdoor venues around the city, working to prove that their device is such a well-oiled machine, they can sell more beer faster and colder than anyone else and increase revenue for the locations they visit. As the goals for their initial rental business model were quickly exceeded, The TapBox founders’ vision began to evolve. “It started out from the development of the device for a rental model, then we realized we could actually go out and vend with this thing at the Shell and concert venues,” says Williams. “Now we’re thinking, ‘How can we harness the power to do something bigger, not only to go into already established venues but starting to create our own?’” Memphis got a peek at a similar concept with Untapped, the popular revitalization of the old Tennessee Brewery into a temporary hotspot in 2014. Untapped has been followed by similar venues around the city, but the entrepreneurs behind The TapBox envision something even bigger. More than a thousand miles away, a series of pop-up beer gardens developed over the last few years have become a full-fledged movement in Philadelphia. Some permanent and some seasonal, these social oases are creating community from vacant lots,
industrial spaces, and parks. The new abundance of outdoor drinking spaces, often combined with live music, games, and local food trucks, provides a thriving environment for millennials, families, locals, and visitors of all backgrounds. As a city with similar demographics to Mem-
THE ENTREPRENEURS BEHIND THE TAPBOX SEE THIS ENDEAVOR AS AN OPPORTUNITY TO BRING BEER-ON-TAP TO PLACES PEOPLE COULDN’T PREVIOUSLY HAVE IT. phis, seeing the success of this concept in Philadelphia has made The TapBox founders look at abandoned spaces in their own city with fresh eyes. “I kept reading stories about neighborhoods in Philadelphia where they started these pop-up beer gardens and all of a sudden the whole neighborhood became transformed,” Brooks says. “It brings people into different parts of the city that they would never normally travel, but then they’re enjoying this beautiful place they never knew about and never had seen in their own city.” Beyond just utilizing parts of town that are already wellknown, The TapBox founders see their business as a way to bring life to spaces that are either underutilized or totally vacant, strengthening the city’s urban core while drawing attention to the potential that already exists — like the unbeatable sunset view of the Mississippi from the Fourth Bluff. “Part of the mission is to show that, hey, this is a beautiful park,” Williams says. “We hope that not only will people think
PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY TAPBOX
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that it’s cool for pop-up beer and food trucks and music, but that if you’re hosting your office event you’ll consider your parks and outdoor spaces as a viable option and not just traditional venue halls.” As the business evolves, the vision for The TapBox is an ambitious one that goes beyond one truck. Fourth Bluff Fridays are just the beginning of many more plans in the works for The TapBox as support is gathered from local officials, businesses, and organizations to make their long-term vision a reality. “You could move to any big city and have a great job and succeed in your goals, but you may not actually be able to do something for the city that would make it a better place as a whole,” Brooks says. “I think Memphis is unique that you’ll be able to do some small things and it could have a city-wide impact.” To everyone taking in the sounds of Mighty Souls and the Mississippi sunset on a Friday night at the Fourth Bluff, it’s a beer truck painted black, a piece of a memory filled with food, family, and music. But to the entrepreneurs behind The TapBox, it’s the answer to getting millennials out and involved in their city, a vehicle for change, and a tangible expression of the possibilities Memphis can provide for anyone with the desire to make a change for the better. With a vision like this, the passion is contagious. As a hot delta summer gives into the perfect outdoor weather, the time may be just right for Memphians to come together like never before over that simple bond of a cold beer — and The TapBox will be right there waiting.
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S M A L L
B U S I N E S S
Mad Women
C E N T R A L
Walker & Associates is locally owned and family-run, but the ad agency has international reach. B Y
B I A N C A
P H I L L I P S
”Success is the best revenge.” Those are words to live by if you’re Ceil Walker, the charismatic CEO of Walker & Associates, a locally owned advertising, public relations, and marketing firm that represents clients as large as McDonald’s and NASA, and as homegrown as the Memphis Art Park and the Racine + Southern Dance Exchange. “My mom has little plaques and coasters around the house that say, ‘Success is the best revenge.’ She’s always taught me to gracefully let things go and work as hard as you can to be successful, and the rest won’t matter someday,” says Cecilia Walker, Ceil’s daughter and the senior vice
president of business development for the firm. Ceil has followed her own advice and led the company to its 51st year in business. Walker & Associates also has the distinction of being the largest local ad firm run by a woman and the only such firm in Memphis that’s
Ceil (left) and Cecilia Walker are the mother-daughter team running one of the largest ad agencies in town.
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never merged with another firm or been acquired by a larger one. But there was a time when Ceil had some doubters. Her husband Deloss Walker, who founded the company in 1965, passed away from a stroke in 1996, and Ceil, who was serving as president of the company at the time, took over as CEO. “Well, all of a sudden these accounts were up for review, and all of the other agencies were like hawks circling; they were trying to steal my accounts,” Ceil says. “Clients would call and say, ‘So-and-so told me that you’re selling, or so-and-so told me
that you’re closing.’ I’d say, ‘If I ever think of doing any of those things, I will call you personally.’ That’s just how my integrity is.” Ceil was never considering closing. Slowly, she went back in and re-pitched those accounts that were up for review, and she succeeded in retaining them. “Fortunately, we won. But were there sleepless nights? Absolutely. And tears? Yes, but I never went to a meeting after he died and shed a tear. I knew people would say that I was too weak and I wouldn’t make it,” Ceil says. “You can go home and cry all night long, but you never cry
PHOTOGRAPH BY TORRIN BRADSHAW
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in front of anybody.” Ceil moved to Memphis in 1977 to work on branding for the Memphis Rogues, a short-lived professional soccer team with the North American Soccer League. She’d previously been working in Tampa, Florida, with the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Rogues’ owner Harry Mangurian Jr. wasn’t happy with the team’s branding, and he asked Ceil to interview Walker & Associates. “That is how I met my husband. I tell my daughter all the time that you never know when you’re going to meet the man of your dreams,” Ceil says. “They hired Walker, and a couple years later, [Deloss and I] started dating.” Although Deloss has been gone for a decade now, it’s clear that Ceil’s love has never wavered. She’s a master at turning questions about herself around as a chance to dote on Deloss. “He was adoring and charismatic. He would treat the president of the United States and the shoe-shine boy the same way. That was just his nature,” says Ceil of her uber-successful husband, who was often called the “Kingmaker” for his success working on political campaigns for governors, senators, congressmen, and presidents. A former Arkansas farm boy, Deloss made a name for himself in the ad world by establishing the most successful record in modern-day political consulting, a record he still holds 20 years after his death. Deloss and Ceil eventually married, and he asked her if she’d be willing to come work for the company. In the early 1980s, the advertising world was male-dominated and “extremely cutthroat,” Ceil says, so her early days at the company were tough.
“He was 21 years older than I then the whole crew gave me a want my late husband to feel like was, and I can recall guys mumgroup hug.” I didn’t do the right thing.” bling under their breath, ‘Well, Ceil’s plan worked and she Walker & Associates continshe’s just a trophy wife.’ And I’d scored the McDonald’s account. ues to be a family affair these just think, ‘Oh, check. I’m going To this day, Walker & Associates days. After attending boarding to remember that,’” says Ceil. still has that account. school and then college in other But Deloss and Ceil made a She and Deloss ran a successcities, Cecilia eventually came great team, in both their personful operation out of their downback and took on her position at the agency. al and professional lives. At work, Deloss managed “I never thought I would the political side of the come back to Memphis, WALKER & ASSOCIATES ALSO HAS THE business, and Ceil hanbut it ended up being the dled corporate clients. At best decision I’ve ever DISTINCTION OF BEING THE LARGEST made,” Cecilia says. “My home, they raised two chilLOCAL AD FIRM RUN BY A WOMAN AND dren — Cecilia and Deloss mom and I have a wonderTHE ONLY SUCH FIRM IN MEMPHIS THAT’S ful dynamic, and it’s fun to Thomas — together. C ei l cer t ai n ly had work together. We don’t NEVER MERGED WITH ANOTHER FIRM OR something to prove, so always agree, but having BEEN ACQUIRED BY A LARGER ONE. she poured herself into two different perspectives her work. In 1989, McDonald’s town offices in the Morgan allows us to get the whole package to our clients.” contacted the agency about Keegan building [now Raymond Deloss Thomas worked at the working with them, and Ceil James] for years (the agency is got the idea to work undercover now located in Clark Tower). company for a brief time, but he’s there to better understand the That all changed on February a bit of what his sister describes business before pitching adver28, 1996. as a “free spirit,” having lived “That night, he went to a pretising ideas. in Australia, the Virgin Islands, “I learned so much I can’t even sentation, and he came home and and Ecuador. “He’s grown out a beard. He’s tell you,” Ceil says. “I scrubbed had a stroke. Cecilia was 7, and very wanderlust,” Ceil adds. the f loors. I made the fries. I Deloss [Thomas] was 15. He lived grilled the burgers. They tried about six weeks after that. It was But while Deloss Thomas has to get me to be a good cash regisso sad,” Ceil says. been exploring the globe, the ter-ringer-upper, but that seemed The only way Ceil knew how to mother-daughter team at Walker too complex for me. I could hand grieve was to get back to work, so & Associates has been maintainthe bags out of the window.” she buried him on a Monday and ing the family business, and just was back to work on Tuesday. Only Deloss and the owners last year they led the company of the Collierville McDonald’s “Otherwise, I wasn’t going to through a rebrand to take it into location knew about Ceil’s unlive. Survival for me was coming the modern age. They’ve amassed dercover gig. She didn’t tell back to work. And it was survival big-deal corporate accounts, like co-workers at either job or her for my children because they’re Coca-Cola and the State of Tenchildren for fear of being bustcrying, so I can’t cry,” Ceil says. nessee, and yet they still find ed. But one day, Ceil was spottime for nonprofit work with “I’d go home at night, and after ted by a McDonald’s worker as the Ronald McDonald House, I put them to bed I’d wail on the back porch.” she was getting into her MerCrimeStoppers, and various other charities. cedes, and he knew something But Ceil pulled through and was up. The worker confronttook the reins at the company. “We have some clients who come to us and say they think ed Ceil, and she confessed but At that time, she’d already been they’re too small for us, and swore him to secrecy. president at Walker & Associates “I told him I was working unfor six years. my response is no client is ever “What worked for me was bedercover and to please not tell too small. Period,” Cecilia says. ing persistent and dedicated and anybody. Well, he went and told “Locally grown, internationaleverybody,” Ceil says, laughing working so many hours and all ly known. That’s always been as she recalls the moment. “And the weekends,” Ceil says. “I don’t mom’s mantra.”
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P O W E R
P L A Y E R S
Logistics
As the earth gets flatter and more crowded, businesses are profiting from emerging markets. For companies trying to reach customers, wherever they may be, the specialists they need are logistics service providers, aka third-party logistics (3PL) firms. An essential link in the supply chain, the best 3PLs know how to get the product where it needs to be in the most timely and cost-effective manner. Clients may contract with these POWER PLAYERS for storage, warehousing, order fulfilment, cartage, drayage, and delivery of countless kinds of goods via air, land, ocean, and river. There are also a host of dynamic trucking companies with local, regional, and national reach. If the world map is flat, globalization puts Memphis right in the middle. Crowded? Sounds like an opportunity.
CHARLIE ANDREWS Chief Operating Officer, Nickey Warehouses, Inc. B.B.A. in Marketing, University of TennesseeMartin. Services include warehousing, order fulfillment, reverse logistics, international shipping, and transportation management. Has been with company for more than 10 years. Member, International Warehouse & Logistics Association, Mid America CropLife Association, Southeast Warehouse Association, and Warehousing Education and Research Council. DAVID BRONCZEK President and CEO, FedEx Express. Graduate, Kent State University. Member, Senior Management Committee, FedEx Corporation. Appointed to National Infrastructure Advisory Council. Member, Board of Governors, International Air Transport Association. Board Member, Airlines for America, International Paper, FAA Management Advisory Council, and Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. Vice Chairman, Board of Visitors, University of Memphis. Member, Memphis Tomorrow.
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LANNY CHALK Terminal Manager, Fullen Dock and Warehouse, Inc. Attended Jacksonville State University. Company is a full-service, intermodal river terminal and warehousing facility. Clients include barge brokers, freight forwarders, and manufacturers requiring barge, harbor, and tug services, transshipment, trucking, and storage. With Port 740, Inc., company owns two tugs. Has been with company since 1994. Member, Inland River Ports & Terminal Association and Area Maritime Security. CHERYL BURCH CITRONE Partner and Executive Recruiter, Vaco Logistics & Operations. B.P.S., University of Memphis. Board Chair, Society of Female Transportation Professionals. Member, National Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals. Board Member, Mid-South Roundtable. Advisory Board Member, Junior League of Memphis and University of Memphis Department of Marketing & Supply Chain. Super Women in Business 2014, Memphis Business Journal. Winner of University of Memphis’ Intermodal Freight Institute Outstanding Industry Professional.
MICHAEL L. DUCKER President & CEO, FedEx Freight Corporation. Former President, international business, FedEx Express Asia Pacific in Hong Kong. Executive committee, American Trucking Associations (ATA) and Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations for the Obama administration. Chairman, International Policy Committee. Executive Board Member and Vice Chairman of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Board Member, Coalition of Service Industries, Salvation Army, Amway Corporation, and International Flavors and Fragrances. WILLIAM B. DUNAVANT III CEO and President, Dunavant Enterprises, Inc. Board Member, Memphis University School, New Memphis Institute, National Advisory Board, Jefferson Scholars Foundation, University of Virginia. Advisory Board, Baptist Memorial Hospital. Past Chairman, Cotton Council International, New Memphis Institute, St. George’s Independent School. Past President, American Cotton Shippers Association, World Cotton Exporters Association, Memphis Botanic Garden, and The Chickasaw Council of the Boy Scouts of America.
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BUZZ FLY Vice President, Patterson Warehouses, Inc. Winner of 2011 Michael S. Starnes Leadership in Logistics Award. Former President, Greater Memphis Chamber Uniport Association. Member, Warehousing Education Research Council and Memphis Regional Logistics Council. Elder, First Evangelical Church. More than 27 years’ experience in transportation and warehousing business. Operates 2 million square feet of modern food-grade space and provides complete inventory, fulfillment, and order management services for 22 accounts. Additional services include cross-dock operation, intermodal drayage, and retail freight consolidation.
MARK H. GEORGE Chairman, IMC Companies. Founded Intermodal Cartage Company in 1982 with wife, Melinda; and IMC Companies in 2009, now one of the largest intermodal carriers in the country with more than 1,500 employees. Serves on the Intermodal Association of North America’s Board of Directors, American Trucking Association Intermodal Motor Carrier’s Board of Directors, the Memphis World Trade Club advisory board, and Agape Child and Family Services’ Directors Council. Vice Chairman and one of 11 founding members of the North American Chassis Pool Cooperative (NACPC). KEN HAZEN President and CEO, CTSI-Global. B.B.A., University of Memphis. Formed transportation consulting company MultiModes before purchasing Continental Traffic Service. Co-author, The Role of Transportation in the Supply Chain and The Role of Freight Bill Payment and Transportation Information in the Supply Chain Industry. Former Chairman, Associated Catholic Charities of West Tennessee. Former President, University of Memphis Alumni Association and Board of Visitors. Fundraising leader for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
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GLENN LACY Regional Service Center Manager, YRC Freight, which specializes in providing reliable long-haul transportation services for industrial, commercial, and retail customers in North America. Company employs about 750 people in Memphis and prides itself on high safety standards. Bachelor of Science degree. Has been with the company for 30 years. Supports United Way of the Mid-South and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Married to wife, Kitty, with two children, Kelli and Garrett. CLIFFORD F. LYNCH Principal, C.F. Lynch & Associates. Member, Warehousing Education and Research Council. Certified Member, American Society of Transportation & Logistics. Past President, Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals. Recipient, CSCMP Distinguished Service Award. Named AST&L Outstanding Transportation/Logistics Executive in 1997. Author of five books on logistics and supply chain management. Adjunct Professor, Supply Chain Management, University of Memphis.
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W. NEELY MALLORY III President of Mallory Alexander International Logistics. Has overseen growth from cotton forwarding to ocean transportation, intermodal trucking, warehousing, and distribution. Accepted the President’s E Star Award for Excellence in Exporting and the Governor’s GATE Award for facilitating global trade. Past President, Memphis World Trade Club. Former Board Member, National Cotton Council, Cotton Council International, and the Agriculture Transportation Coalition. Current Board Member, Greater Memphis Chamber of Commerce. Chairman, Regional Logistics Council of Memphis and the Mid-South. CALVIN W. OZIER President, UWT Logistics. B.S., Industrial Management, University of Tennessee. Specializes in order processing and shipping, transportation services, and repackaging services. Member and former President, Southeastern Warehouse Association. Member, International Warehouse and Logistics Association and Greater Memphis Chamber. Director, Land Bank of Mississippi. For the past 25 years, has been going in the Fall on a medical mission trip to Peru with United Servants Abroad and South America Mission. BOB PHILLIPS Chief Executive Officer, Versant Supply Chain. Company offers comprehensive supply chain services, going above and beyond traditional third-party logistics in that they add a depth of expertise in transportation, distribution, and staffing to the mix. Has been with Versant for 11 years and was responsible for developing one of the firm’s key business units. Is now responsible for guiding the growth of the
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company as a leading national supply chain services provider. RICK RODELL Founder and Chairman, Cornerstone Systems. Educated in Transportation, Northwestern University. Founded company in 1997. Member, The Global Leaders. Made employees partners by selling private stock to them under the government approved ESOP. Past Chairman and former Board Member, Intermodal Conference of the Transportation Intermediaries Association. Transportation Clubs International Person of the Year, 2011. Supports Alois, Youth Villages, The Forsaken Children (Ethiopia), Coaching For Literacy, Make-A-Wish, and charter schools in low-income areas of Memphis. SCOTT TALLEY Partner and Vice President of Worldwide Distribution, PFSweb. B.B.A., University of North Texas; M.B.A., New York Institute of Technology. Services include logistics and end-to-end eCommerce solutions. Responsible for daily operations at distribution complex in Memphis and for strategic resource and technology deployment decisions for all company distribution facilities. Has been in position since 1999. Member, Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals and Association for Operations Management. DAVID WEDAMAN President and CEO, Re-Trans, Inc. Graduate, University of Memphis. Board Member, Bluestreak Scholarship Fund, Advisory Board for Catholic High School, and Education That Works Program. Former Board Member, Lifeblood Foundation, Youth Villages, and Catholic Memphis Urban School Trust. 2011 Executive in Residence, University of Memphis Intermodal Freight Transportation Institute. Member, Board of Visitors, University of Memphis. Recipient, 2012 Humanitarian Award, Diversity Memphis. KAREN WHITE Regional Vice President, OHL. Named to Inbound Logistics Top 100 3PLs. Selected as Participant in U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Broker Self-Assessment Outreach Pilot. Certificate of Appreciation, Department of Homeland Security for supporting TSA Truck Security Forum “Linking Government & Industry.” Member, Board of Advisors, Greater Memphis Chamber. Member, Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals and Memphis Cargo Task Force.
949 SHADY GROVE
Construction is underway on this new “Class A” 155,000-square-foot office building on the last remaining site in Boyle’s Ridgeway Center community at Poplar Avenue and I-240. Pinnacle Financial Partners is the first announced tenant and will occupy 35,000 square feet of space, which will serve as its new Memphis headquarters. Pinnacle will take occupancy of its new space in the fall of 2017. An additional 122,000 square feet of space is available for lease. To discuss moving your business to 949 Shady Grove please contact: Mark J. Halperin (901) 766-4266 mjh@boyle.com
Boyle Investment Company 5900 Poplar Avenue Memphis, Tennessee 38119 www.boyle.com
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THE PERFECT HOLIDAY GIFT
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C O M M U N I T Y
P A R T N E R S H I P S
Building a better neighborhood
The University of Memphis works hand-in-hand with the Carpenter Art Garden to enhance quality of life in the Binghampton community. • • •
B Y
E M I LY
A D A M S
K E P L I N G E R
For the last two years, undergraduate and graduate students have been joined by faculty from the university’s Architecture Department to work with the Carpenter Art Garden in Binghampton, established “to promote individuals’ creative potential and self worth, through exposure to artistic, educational and vocational programs.” The group of 16 students was led by university faculty Michael Hagge, chairman of the Department of Architecture, and Sherry Bryan, director of architecture and director of graduate studies in architecture. The goal has been to design projects based on the art garden’s needs.
“This May, our collaborative partners from the University of Memphis began working on-site at the Carpenter Art Garden to help us complete a series of projects,” says Erin Harris, founder and executive director of the Carpenter Art Garden. “The work they have completed for us has served as actual coursework for the studio design and build class of their degree program.” Harris says their U of M partners have worked every Friday and Saturday since May, despite the summer’s heat, to construct a learning pavilion in the community garden. The crew also designed and built enhancements to the garden’s stage.
“This amazing bunch of people constructed these beautiful and useful projects, including the most creative traveling vegetable cart you’ve ever seen,” Harris says. “Through this collaboration, they have become family to all of us here at the Carpenter Art Garden.” “Community Engagement is a major part of the mission of the Department of Architecture and the University of Memphis,” Hagge says. “This collaborative model exposes students to a more realistic, practice-based situation similar to what they will find in the professional workplace after graduation. Over the years, students and faculty from our department have worked with a variety of nonprofit community partners.” For the AIAS (American Institute of Architecture Students) Design + Build Studio at the Carpenter Art Garden, Hagge and Bryan tapped three graduate students to serve as
ABOVE: David Hinton (left), a senior at East High School, worked all summer on the collaborative project in the Carpenter Art Garden with Master of Architecture students Oscar Andrade and Barry Allmon.
Hinton is now hoping to pursue his dream of going to college to become an architect. TOP RIGHT: Megan Banaszek, program director of the Carpenter Art Garden, sorts vegetables on the traveling cart.
BOTTOM RIGHT: Antonio Tirado, first-year Master of Architecture student at the University of Memphis, shows off his plans for a learning pavilion in the Carpenter Art Garden in Binghampton.
PHOTOGRAPHS BY ERIN HARRIS/CARPENTER ART GARDEN
Students in the Department of Architecture at the University of Memphis are accustomed to making site visits and sketching their ideas for building plans. But last summer they used their talents to construct much more than a proposed building — they helped to build a better neighborhood.
team leaders. Master of Architecture students Barry Allmon, Oscar Andrade, and Martin Tantik each had extensive construction experience and were each assigned to be in charge of one of the three projects. “Our students loved participating in this project — they loved what they learned and they loved having an opportunity to give back to the community,” Bryan says. “They knew what they had done would have an ongoing, positive impact on the children of Binghampton. We hope to continue our community engagement with the Carpenter Art Garden for many seasons to come. Our plan is to offer a Design + Build Studio every summer for the foreseeable future as part of our curriculum.” In addition to the tangible products resulting from the fruits of their labor, Harris says that the students from the Binghampton area reaped something as well. “Our children who participated in these endeavors gained invaluable experience while working side-by-side with the U of M students and faculty,” Harris says. “One of our high school kids has a personal goal of being an architect. The firsthand experience and knowledge he gained is fueling his desire to go to college and build a better future for himself.” And that is exactly what the Carpenter Art Garden is all about. “Our mission at the Carpenter Art Garden has always been larger than our plot of ground,” Harris says. “We hope to enable our participants to create and grow their best futures. This partnership with the University of Memphis is another means for us to reach that goal.” For more information, go online to carpenterartgarden. com or follow the Carpenter Art Garden page on Facebook.
OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2016 | INSIDE MEMPHIS BUSINESS.COM |
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The Office Dr. John Smarrelli Christian Brothers University
• • •
B Y
S A M
C I C C I
• • • PHOTOGRAPHS BY LARRY KUZNIEWSKI
As the president of Christian Brothers University, Dr. John Smarrelli has been expanding on tradition since he joined the school in July 2009. Smarrelli has the distinction of being the first permanent lay president at the college. Historically, only Lasallian Brothers had served in that capacity.
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Currently in his eighth year, Smarrelli has been working on having the school branch out and engage more with the community than in the past. Students today are encouraged to seek out community service opportunities. In addition, the University’s “September of Service” program has students volunteer at an organization for a full month. That visibility in the larger community has Smarrelli leading by example. It could be said that the entire campus is his office. “It’s up to me to be a more interactive president and get out of this office. That’s really why I’m here,” he says. “I love to walk the campus and that’s where I interact best
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with our students. I’m at virtually every athletic event, but what I really enjoy doing is walking to the cafeteria at lunchtime, saying, ‘Hey, how’s it going?’” Smarrelli’s student interaction isn’t limited to the physical campus, however. “We created this hashtag: #smarrelliselfie,” he says. “I’ll go around campus sometimes and a student will ask, ‘Can I get in a selfie with you?’ The more interesting part about that is they’ll tell me their story and what the issues are that they’re facing, whether it’s financial or academic.” While maintaining a presence on campus is incredibly beneficial for the student body, Smar-
relli does have his office ready to entertain guests, whether they be students, journalists, professors, board members, or potential donors. Trees that have been cut down on campus do not go to waste; one has been repurposed into a beautiful table right inside his doorway. The eight surrounding chairs make it the perfect place for a conference. Behind his desk are numerous mementos from his life, paying tribute to an education in science, a love of sports, and past meetings with famous individuals such as President Obama, the Dalai Lama, and former basketball star Bill Walton.
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1. Microscope and Thesis: “I trained as a scientist. I was a biologist by trade and my Ph.D. is in biochemistry. This was kind of an opportunity to say, ‘Hey, let’s get some old science stuff and display it.’ I’ve got more of these that I brought home, but it’s a microscope from the old days. It’s nothing I would use, but maybe something that my predecessors would have used. Having it reminds me of my science days. I’ve got my Ph.D. thesis here, too. As a practicing scientist I had a lab going and I had money to start research. It’s kind of like a second family, where you’re training graduate and undergraduate students to write their own theses. 2. Photo with President Obama: “One of the highlights of this year was when we were invited to the White House by the President of the United States. It was an awesome experience; we were invited to attend a reception because of the work we’d done with Latino students in the
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area. The President invited us and he only took pictures with about 10 people, and we were some of them. It was amazing to see the President and the White House, it was spectacular. Just being in there, I was like a kid, a 63-year-old kid at that point in time. The vice president was there also, and he said, “I’ve heard about the things you’re doing there [at CBU].” 3. Photo with Bill Walton: An avid sports fan, Smarrelli was sure to get a picture with former college and NBA basketball star Bill Walton. They met at the 2014 Salvation Army Annual Dinner, where Walton was the keynote speaker. 4. Signed basketball: “I love athletics. I taught honors students and they knew I loved basketball — I used to play a lot more when I was a little bit younger — so at the end of the semester, they gave me a basketball and signed it.” 5. Veterans Flag: “We had some programs for veterans and one day I
was really honored when they came in. Because of the program we had, they gave me a folded flag.” 6. Family Portrait: “Clearly family is crucial for me and I think this picture is my ground here. I’ve got my three adult children, right there we have two grandkids. Now we have over double, we have five grandkids. That’s my wife Eloise right there. We’ve been married 41 years. Nothing else matters if this doesn’t ground you.” 7. Books: “Every year we have our ‘Fresh Reads’ project where every freshman reads a common book. Over the years, these have been the common books that we’ve had. This year, we’ve got a book about Hurricane Katrina. The author comes in and signs each book. Our
faculty and administration participate, so we’re all reading the same thing. The books we’ve been picking out have been more timely books, for example, books about Katrina or immigration.”
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Brandon Bell
The digital craftsman has created everything from sets for the Tony Awards to branding for local restaurants. B Y
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The interview begins with the simplest of questions: “What is it you make?” And yet, the answer is anything but simple and Brandon Bell stumbles as he tries to explain what it is he does to the Luddite sitting before him. “It’s funny because whenever people have asked me that I’ve always had kind of a hard time explaining. I’d say, ‘Well, I do design, but I do a lot of interactive, and I do a lot of video and motion graphics.’ So I’d sort of list things off and people would ask if I do logos and, yeah, that’s part of it.” But even this Luddite can find Bell’s website and there it is in simple, easy-to-understand, black-and-white pixels: “I make creative digital stuff.” And he does. His stuff is seen by millions from national stages — he’s created and produced the virtual sets for the Tony Awards, and designed and produced the screen graphics for Ted Talks Live. Closer to home, he’s done
online work for Soul Fish Café; designed and developed the website, logo, and packaging for Relevant Roasters coffee company (now French Truck Coffee); and the video animations for the Rock ’n’ Soul Museum’s ceremonies; among others. Bell enjoys doing a little bit of everything, a jack-of-all-trades for the digital world, but admits it makes it difficult to sell himself and just what it is he does. He came from traditional media working on branding, advertising, and print design. Then he got into interactive web work such as phone and desktop apps including a user interface for Audi working through MTV. “Once you get into interactive in general, the principles
Andrew Mangino speaks at TED Talks Live: Education Revolution in 2015 at The Town Hall in New York. Brandon Bell (left) and Peter Acken man the controls of the virtual set created by Bell.
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are the same whether it’s a phone interface or a digital audio recorder or it’s a desktop app or car interface,” he says. “The way you apply them are different but the principles are the same.” He got into Flash, which was popular at the time, and it was easy from there to go into animating for video because those principles are the same. “It evolves naturally over a period of 20 years.” It seems there’s no job too big or small for Bell, working in the open and airy threeroom office he shares with his partner, photographer Sarah Rossi, in Cooper-Young. The two met in New York City where Bell lived and worked after earning an undergraduate degree from Louisiana Tech University and a graduate degree in graphic design from the University of Memphis. His five-year stint working on the Tony Awards began in
2010 when the event moved from Radio City Music Hall to the smaller Beacon Theatre. “Things had started to evolve from traditional set design to more digital, but they realized they couldn’t get all those physical set pieces into the Beacon, so they decided to do their whole thing with LEDs instead,” he says. “It wasn’t really something that anyone had ever done before.” Brandon and his team, including Rossi, went into the various theatres to photograph the shows’ sets piece by piece, lighting them in different colors for different looks. “Then you have to chop all that up and program it on the server and you put it on the screen so it looks like a real set. It took about a month. It’s pretty nuts.” Recent projects include the branding of the Soul Fish restaurants and Young Avenue Deli. The PBS program TED Talks: Education Revolution, which aired in September, featured his video sets as well. Bell and Rossi moved their family (they have three children between them) back to Memphis in an effort to downsize and to simplify life and work. In addition to his work making “creative digital stuff,” Bell teaches graduate-level classes in graphic design, typography, and interactive media at his alma mater, the University of Memphis, and says, “What I’m excited about is getting some of the students involved with some of the productions I’m working on.” For more on Brandon Bell, visit brandonbell.com.
PHOTOGRAPH BY RYAN LASH/ TED
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