Episodes
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The Society of Entrepreneurs and Epicenter recently launched What’s Next, a series of lunches featuring new and exciting businesses in the Memphis area. This podcast was recorded during the founder of Avadain Brad Larschan’s, recent What’s Next presentation.
Josh Poag serves as the President and Chief Executive Officer at Poag, a position he has held since its formation in 2014. He was previously President and CEO of Poag & McEwen Shopping Center from 2009 until 2014.
With over 20 years of experience in the lifestyle center industry, Josh has worked on all facets of the business. Josh has previously served as Executive Vice President- Chief Operating Officer, Executive Vice President- Chief Financial Officer, Vice President- Development, Development Manager, Project Manager, and Leasing Manager. Before joining Poag’s predecessor, Josh was a financial analyst and engineer.
In his role as President and CEO, Josh manages the executive team, oversees key partnerships and runs the day-to-day operations of the company. Josh’s strengths lie in generating new business and establishing corporate vision and direction for the company. Josh is focused on creating unique projects that provide an experiential environment for customers to shop, eat and be entertained. Josh is attuned to the future of the lifestyle center industry and how it is adapting to the rapidly changing world. He ensures that Poag is creating multidimensional properties that function as the core of the community in which they are located.
Josh is a member is ICSC, serves on the Platinum Commercial and Retail Development Council of ULI, and is Chairman of the Board of Community LIFT, a non-profit organization that strives to accelerate revitalization in neighborhoods across Memphis. Josh was named one of the 40 under 40 by the Memphis Business Journal. Josh earned his Bachelor of Science in Engineering from Princeton University in Chemical Engineering.
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The Society of Entrepreneurs and Epicenter recently launched What’s Next, a series of lunches featuring new and exciting businesses in the Memphis area. This podcast was recorded during the founder of Avadain Brad Larschan’s, recent What’s Next presentation.
Avadain is at the forefront of nanotech, with the only known technology capable of manufacturing the world’s most highly sought-after advanced material – large, thin, and nearly defect-free (LTDF) graphene flakes. LTDF graphene flakes are the strongest, lightest, most electrically and thermally conductive material ever discovered. It is an additive material; adding a tiny amount can transform hundreds of billions of dollars of high-value products.
The Wall Street Journal calls graphene “An impending turning point in high tech as important as silicon….”
The New Yorker says “Graphene may be the most remarkable substance ever discovered.”
We hope that you will enjoy this episode with Brad Larschan, as he shares how this atomic scale material that won the 2010 Nobel Prize for Physics will soon touch the lives of almost every person, every day.
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Robert G. McEniry is retired Chairman of nexAir, an 83-year multi-generational company with headquarters in Memphis, TN.
nexAir, founded in 1940 as Standard Welders Supply, was purchased by his father in 1950. Bob worked summers at the company during high school and college. Graduating from Vanderbilt University, Bob formally joined the company in 1963. He became President of the company in July 1971 and Chairman/CEO in 1996. Under his leadership, Bob guided the company and growth, which included acquisitions, mergers, start-ups, and joint ventures. During his 60 years with the company, revenues and geographical reach grew substantially. Bob’s son Kevin took over the company as CEO in 2007 developing the company to an industry powerhouse. When sold in 2023, the company had over 75 locations and 725 employees, one of the largest in the industry. -
Meet the founder of Nutt Bio, a devoted dog mom and seasoned biomedical scientist with 25 years of expertise in unraveling the intricacies of cancer cell demise. She's on a mission to revolutionize the approach to addressing boar taint in piglets by replacing cumbersome procedures with a user-friendly single-injection sterilant. Drawing from her cancer cell research, she identified a delicate balance in metabolite concentrations influencing cell fate and strategically leveraged the external location of the testis for precise drug targeting. The drug she developed permanently eliminates boar taint, and when administered through a purpose-designed medical device, not only minimizes exposure risks but also signifies a significant leap forward in improving the welfare of piglets.
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Are you in the top 20% or the top 2%? Lipscomb & Pitts Insurance Managing Partner Johnny Pitts, a Higginbotham Partner and founder of CityCURRENT, explores how you can rise into the top 2% in all of your endeavors. As a born and raised Memphian, Johnny is very passionate about enriching, engaging, and impacting the community. We hope that you enjoy this conversation about Johnny’s entrepreneurial journey and passion for “powering the good”.
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David Wedaman is the Founder and Former CEO at Re Transportation. He attended The University of Memphis.
In 2002, David Wedaman and a handful of employees started ReTrans. ReTrans is an intermodal marketing company that moves freight throughout the United States, with it’s primary focus on intermodal transportation.
David’s charitable work includes, but is not limited to: Board of Directors of Lifeblood Foundation; Advisory Board for Catholic High; Past Chairman of the Intermodal Association of North America; Past Board member of Youth Villages; Board of Directors for CMUST, Catholic Memphis Urban School Trust (the Financial Board that manages the foundation which was established to fund the Jubilee Schools and the Board of Directors for the BlueStreak Scholarship Fund which is a more “grass roots” fundraising group which funds scholarships of the Jubilee Schools. -
Susan Stephenson is a passionate Memphian, proud mom of four, and grandmother of 12 perfect grandchildren. This is her 44th year in banking—the last 25 years at independent bank (i-bank) the company her partner and she founded in 1998. She serves on several local boards, including the Women’s Foundation for a Greater Memphis, and New Memphis Institute, and is the current President of the Society of Entrepreneurs.
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The Society of Entrepreneurs and Epicenter Memphis recently presented “Protecting Your Brand”, a panel on harnessing your skills to bring the best product to your customer while also knowing when to say no to protect the integrity of your brand. This panel features Susan Stephenson of Independent Bank, Shannon Briggs of Campfire Collective, Lisa Toro of City & State, Bartholomew Jones of Cxffeeblack, and our moderator Mike Bruns, retired Founder of Comtrak Logistics. We hope that you will enjoy this podcast featuring this very informative presentation.
Susan Stephenson is a passionate Memphian, proud mom of four and grandmother of 12 perfect grandchildren. This is her 44th year in banking—the last 25 years at independent bank (i-bank) the company her partner and she founded in 1998. She serves on several local boards, including the Women’s Foundation for a Greater Memphis, New Memphis Institute, and is the current President of the Society of Entrepreneurs.
Shannon Briggs is the founder and head trailblazer for Campfire Collective, a Memphis-based agency that specializes in igniting marketing and public relations campaigns for community-based organizations. Shannon serves on the board of the DeNeuville Learning Center for Women, Shelby County Drug Court Foundation, and East Buntyn ArtWalk. She is a graduate of Leadership Memphis and is an active member of the Greater Memphis Chamber ambassador program, The Society of Entrepreneurs Insights Group, and PRSA Memphis. Additionally, she was named the "2022 PR Executive of the Year" by PRSA Memphis and is a member of the 2023 Memphis Business Journal's 40 Under 40 class.
With over 20 years of experience and expertise in brand development and digital marketing, Lisa Toro has helped numerous organizations and businesses, including her own, craft their unique brand identities. Her expertise lies in developing comprehensive strategies that go beyond aesthetics and logos, delving deep into the essence of a brand and its authentic expression.
In addition to her professional achievements, Lisa is deeply committed to giving back to her community. She actively mentors aspiring entrepreneurs, helping them develop their skills and nurturing the next generation of small businesses. Her dedication to fostering growth and empowering others has earned her respect and admiration from fellow business owners and mentees alike.
Bartholomew Jones is an educator, emcee, avid coffee nerd, and native Memphian. He is also the co-founder of cxffeeblack, a renowned thought leader in matters regarding the African origins and diasporic future of coffee, and a key creative disruptor within the specialty coffee industry.
Bartholomew Jones, along with his wife Renata, intended to reinstate the origin, purpose, and integrity of cxffee through the knowledge of its Black history and being a part of its Black future, creating Cxffeeblack. As the movement, Cxffeblack, continues to press forward to educate community about the history of cxffee through the lens of Blackness; it also seeks to inspire the uniqueness, authenticity, and future of Black people.
Links to items mentioned in the interview:
Independent Bank
Campfire Collective
City and State
Cxffeeblack
Mike Bruns
Society of Entrepreneurs
Epicenter
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From his earliest recollections Chris Bird was always interested in business, commerce and sales-from operating drink stands by the neighborhood tennis court to advertising his lawn mowing business on white match book cases with a rubber stamp with his contact information. In college, Chris even started 1520 Enterprises Unlimited to loan money to friends who were short on funds pending payday or mom and dad’s deposit. Although unincorporated and unlicensed that business was very similar to today’s payday and title loan businesses.
After college, at this grandfather’s urging, Chris studied for and passed the life insurance licensing exam. With the desire to be his own boss driving him, he left that business and started a series of businesses-Microcomputer Consulting Associates, consulting and custom software design; Lido Development, LLC-buying, improving, developing and selling real property and Spec-Tech architectural consulting. (Notable local projects included Peabody Place, Target House and FedExForum)
In 1999, Chris was asked to consider purchasing Delta Door and Hardware Co. by its owners and spent a year inside the company working towards that goal. In 2000, at a meeting of Memphis Rotary, John Dillard told Chris he wanted to retire. Chris formed an agreement with John Dillard, Jr that he would form a new corporation that in two years would purchase the assets of the existing Dillard Door & Specialty Co. Chris took $75K in savings and a personal note from JD to capitalize the new corporation Dillard Door & Security, Inc. At the time of purchase, the company had 12 employees and was doing about 2 million in revenue. In 5 years the company had grown to about 50 employees and 6 million in revenue. In 2008, the security portion of the business had become large enough that they started a separate company Dillard Security Services, LLC to better handle the needs of the security business.
While the recession years took its toll on new construction related businesses, the security and service sector of our business continued to thrive and produce more than 8mil in revenue and both are climbing.
In 2013, due to the increased amount of business done with law enforcement entities, a Federal Firearms License was procured to offer firearms, as well as other security services, to law enforcement contacts. DSS Firearms, LLC is now almost a stand-alone business.
In 2018, Dillard Door acquired Tri-State Glass, a 60 year old, family owned business that had a large portion of its revenue from Dillard. This is coming full circle because when John Dillard, Sr. started his business in 1947 it was called Southern Glass and evolved from just glass to what Dillard Door & Security, Inc. is today.
Chris Bird is actively involved in various church and community organizations including the Memphis Rotary Club Board, Regional One Health Foundation Board of Directors, Calvary Episcopal Church Vestry, Door and Hardware Institute, the Construction Specifications Institute, Morrison Architectural Scholarship Fund at UofM, Memphis Heritage Board, NFIB State Leadership Council and Crime Stoppers. Links to items mentioned in the interview:
Dillard Door and Security, Inc.
Memphis Rotary Club
Mid-South Employer Resource Network
Live at the Garden
Auto Zone Liberty Bowl
Crimestoppers
Elmwood Cemetery
Stax Museum-Soulsville
Society of Entrepreneurs
The Rotary "4-Way Test" has become an important fixture in Rotary- guiding Rotarians in their personal lives as well as in their professional lives.
It asks the following four questions: "Of the things we think, say or do:
Is it the TRUTH?
Is it FAIR to all concerned?
Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS?
Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?"
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Frank J. Cianciola serves as Founder, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Banc3 Holdings, Inc. He began his financial services career at Union Planters in 1973 and from 1984-1992 he held a variety of executive positions with Commerce Union Bank (C&S Sovran). From 1992-1995, Cianciola served as CFO of The Memphis Group, Inc., a $60 million aerospace company. In 1995, he became CEO of Victory Bank and Trust, followed by his role as Founder, CEO and Chairman of Renasant Bank. Frank served on the publicly held Renasant (RNST) Bank’s Board from 2004 – 2009. Most recently, he served as Chairman and Vice Chairman of Metropolitan Bank.
Cianciola holds a Master of Science degree in Finance from The University of Memphis. He is a graduate of The Graduate School of International Banking (University of Virginia), The Graduate School of Commercial Lending (University of Oklahoma) and The Effective Executive Program (The Wharton School). Frank Cianciola has been Adjunct Instructor in the Department of Economics at the University of Memphis.
Cianciola is a past President of the Economic Club of Memphis; Regent at the Barrett School of Banking; served on the Leadership Council for Youth Villages and was the 2015 Chairperson for the Signature Chefs Annual fundraiser for the March of Dimes. Frank Cianciola is also involved with the Wolf River Conservancy, Church of the Holy Apostles and is a graduate of Leadership Memphis.
Links to items mentioned in the interview:
Bank3
Economic Club of Memphis
University of Memphis
Leadership Memphis
Society of Entrepreneurs
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Phillip G. Coop is the co-founder and Chairman of Memphis, Tennessee based EnSafe Inc., one of the nation’s largest environmental and safety consulting firms. The original founders, Phil Coop, Wendell Knight, and James Speakman were motivated by their strong desire to pursue careers (then unavailable in the commercial sector) that intersected business, science and public policy related to environmental protection and safety. EnSafe manages environmental and safety risk issues for companies throughout the United States from 15 offices nationwide. The Company also performs projects worldwide. EnSafe was founded in 1980 in Memphis, grew rapidly, and by 1994 was listed by INC Magazine as one of the 500 fastest growing companies in the country. EnSafe continues to succeed and grow from the original founders’ ethics and vision and is managed by senior staff who have been with the firm for 20-25 years.
Mr. Coop leads the Company’s scientific and compliance consulting practices, with a specialty in the management of environmental risks. He is a frequent lecturer on environmental risk, disaster response, and hazardous substance management.
Mr. Coop is well known in Tennessee as an advocate for good environmental practices in the context of overall business and economic management and speaks frequently on the importance of a stable, scientifically sound regulatory system that encourages both environmental protection and economic expansion.
He was the 2004 recipient of the University of Memphis’ Herff Award for distinguished service to engineering and currently serves as Chairman of The Webb School Board of Trustees. Coop was inducted into The Webb School’s Distinguished Alumni Society in 2007. Mr. Coop is co-chairman of the Mid South Environmental Forum and is a charter member of the Hazardous Materials Control Institute. He serves on the board of Ballet Memphis. He has served on the Memphis-Shelby County Air Quality Board and the board of advisors for the Memphis Chamber of Commerce, and director and treasurer for the Tennessee Brownfields Association. He is a proud member of The Memphis Group – business leaders in support of St. Jude Hospital.
Mr. Coop is a native of Bell Buckle, Tennessee, where his family has resided for many generations. He received his A.B. degree, magna cum laude, from Harvard University in 1970. He is married to Memphis artist, and former Federal Express Director, Kay Coop.
Links to items mentioned in the interview:
EnSafe
The Webb School-Bell Buckle
Harvard University
MIFA
Mid-South Food Bank
Kay Coop Art
Society of Entrepreneurs
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This podcast is a little different than our others because we noticed a theme in many of our interviews on the importance of mentoring. We invited Denise Higdon, CEO of Work Site Consultants and James Kelley, Partner-Operations and Business Development at the KGR Group to join us and mentor Extraordinaire, Dr. Mary McDonald to share their thoughts on mentoring. Both Denise and James participate in the Society of Entrepreneurs mentoring group, the Insights group. We hope that you will enjoy hearing about this program and what it means to the participants.
Links to items mentioned in the interview:
Worksite Consultants
KGR Group
MCD Partners
Society of Entrepreneurs Insights Group
“A mentor is someone who allows you to know that no matter how dark the night, in the morning joy will come. A mentor is someone who allows you to see the higher part of yourself when sometimes it becomes hidden to your own view.” Oprah Winfrey
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Doug Marchant is a serial entrepreneur that was honored as the 2023 Master Entrepreneur by The Society of Entrepreneurs and Junior Achievement for his impact as an entrepreneur and in the community.
Doug Marchant is the President/CEO of Unified Health Services (www.uhsweb.com). In 1997, he was one of the original founders of Unified Health Services. Under his leadership UHS has become a leading provider of worker’s compensation claim processing services nationally, handling over 400,000 patient visits annually for hospitals and medical groups in 26 states.
After graduating from Mississippi State University with a Bachelor of Science in Computer Sciences and Mathematics, Doug began as an original founder of Concord EFS which grew to become a leading provider of electronic transaction authorization, processing settlement and fund transfer services, before becoming a publicly traded company which has been acquired by First Data Corporation (NYSE: FDC).
In 1996, Doug founded Electronic Physician Network (EPN) to help doctors and hospitals move medical data electronically and streamline data access. Later he sold EPN to Envoy Corporation which was acquired and expanded by WebMD.
Mr. Marchant is a member of Dean’s Development Council of the Bagley College of Engineering, and an advisor to the College of Engineering Entrepreneur Studies at Mississippi State University. He is also an advisor for the Crews Center of Entrepreneurship at the University of Memphis.
Links to items mentioned in the interview:
The Society of Entrepreneurs
Crews Center for Entrepreneurship-University of Memphis
Bagley College of Engineering-Mississippi State University
Church Health
Madonna Learning Center
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Jay B. Myers is founder and CEO of Interactive Solutions Inc. (ISI), a Memphis-based firm that specializes in video conferencing, distance learning, telemedicine, and audio-visual sales and support.
Jay started ISI in 1996 and has built it into a $25-million company with 55 employees & offices in Memphis, Nashville, Knoxville, as well as Oxford, MS, & Little Rock, AR.
ISI has received numerous corporate awards and recognition in the past several years. The company was named to INC. magazine’s list of the fastest growing private companies in the United States seven times in the past 11 years. ISI also was recently featured in the Small Business section of the Wall Street Journal. In addition, ISI was named the Memphis Business Journal Small Business of the Year in 2001 and in 2003 was the first recipient of the Kemmons Wilson (founder of Holiday Inn) Emerging Business Award.
In 2007, Jay published his first book, Keep Swinging: An Entrepreneur’s Story of Overcoming Adversity and Achieving Small Business Success and subsequently received the 2010 Ethan Award for success as an entrepreneurial author.
A natural storyteller, Jay is a sought-after speaker at CEO conferences and entrepreneurial development programs where he shares inspiring stories and practical tips based on growing ISI from $11- to $25-million during the Great Recession. Jay’s message as detailed in his second book, Hitting the Curveballs: How Crisis Can Strengthen and Grow Your Business, reveals creative, practical strategies to achieve business success in difficult times.
In 2018, ISI was sold to the world’s largest AV Integration firm, AVI-SPL.
Jay was inducted into the Christian Brothers High School Hall of Fame in 2011 and is active in numerous Memphis area community and civic organizations. Myers currently serves on the advisory board of the Chickasaw Council (Boy Scouts of America) Bancorp South and the National Foundation for Transplants. He is also past chairman and a current board member/executive committee member of the Better Business Bureau of the Mid-South.
Links to items mentioned in the interview:
Jay Myers- CEO, ENTREPRENEUR, AUTHOR
Extra Innings Podcast with Rob Carter
SCORE
Better Business Bureau
Christian Brothers High School Hall of Fame
“A mentor is someone who allows you to know that no matter how dark the night, in the morning joy will come. A mentor is someone who allows you to see the higher part of yourself when sometimes it becomes hidden to your own view.” Oprah Winfrey
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The Entrepreneurial Insights podcast kicked off season 4 with a live taping of a presentation on “Going to Market”. The podcast features Kiamesha Wilson (Kaye's Pints & Scoops), Randy Stepherson (Superlo Foods - Stepherson's) and Art Seessel, formerly of Seessel’s Supermarket. These veteran entrepreneurs shared some excellent insight on the ins and outs of "going to market" with products successfully. We hope that you enjoy the show.
Links to items mentioned in the interview:
Kaye’s Pints and Scoops
Superlo / Stepherson’s Grocery Stores
Junior Achievement of Memphis and the Mid-South
Youth Villages
Recipe for Seessel’s Chocolate Butter Pie, Reprinted from The Daily Memphian, January 22, 2023
Ingredients
1 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon fine salt (see notes)
1 tablespoon nonfat dry milk powder
6 squares Ghirardelli 100% cacao unsweetened chocolate bar (see notes)
1 stick unsalted butter
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
½ cup Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk
2 tablespoons hot water
2 large eggs
Pie crust pastry, store-bought, or use pie crust recipe that follows
Directions
Blend the sugar, cornstarch, salt and dry milk powder; set aside.
Break chocolate bar in pieces as marked, put in bowl with butter and melt in microwave on butter or chocolate setting if your microwave has them. Otherwise, use power setting 2 or 3 and microwave two to four minutes until melted. Stir well.
Blend vanilla, sweetened condensed milk and hot water. Microwave to 160 degrees (use an instant-read thermometer), about 30-60 seconds.
Mix eggs, but don’t whip. Add sweetened condensed milk mixture to eggs. Add chocolate; blend, then add to dry ingredients and mix on low speed until fully blended.
Place pie crust in a 9-inch pan and pour in mix.
Bake at 360 degrees for 30-45 minutes, depending on your oven. The pie will start to form a thin chocolate film on top. Check doneness by inserting a toothpick in center of pie. If it pulls out clean, the pie is baked. If it’s wet, bake a little longer.
Notes: The recipe is accurate as printed, but here are two tips. Jennifer Biggs uses about half the amount of salt, and Art Seessel thinks that five squares of chocolate is sufficient. These are taste preferences and won’t affect the integrity of the pie. Makes one 9-inch pie.
Seessel’s Pie Dough
Ingredients
1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour
11 tablespoons unsalted butter
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons powdered sugar
1 teaspoon nonfat dry milk powder
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 medium whole egg
Directions
Mix flour and butter together until it forms pea-size balls.
Mix baking powder, salt, powdered sugar and milk powder.
Mix vanilla and eggs, then add everything together and mix only until dough comes together in one mass and sides of bowl are clean.
Roll out pie dough into a circle (about 1/8” thick), fold dough in half, place onto half of the pie pan, fold the other half over the rest of pie pan, carefully pat the dough into the bottom and around the edges, then crimp into any form you desire.
Dough should set in pan one hour before filling and is best used fresh.
Note: If you refrigerate the dough (it will hold two to three days) or freeze it, store it in a Ziploc freezer bag and bring it to room temperature before using. Makes one pie crust.
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On his ninth birthday, John Wilcox was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. These days, he’s looking to help others with the same health condition. Wilcox is the CEO and cofounder of Diatech Diabetes, a local medical device startup that’s developing a software platform to help people with diabetes obtain proper amounts of insulin.
There are about 600,000 diabetes patients who use insulin pumps in the U.S. They regularly inject insulin into their body, ideally ensuring that they receive the correct amount of insulin. The margin for error is high, though, and malfunctions happen frequently.
Diatech’s software is set to study data in an insulin pump’s system to make analyses and predictions while also providing alarms when a pump is malfunctioning and insulin dosages aren’t right. The startup plans to sell the software to insulin pump manufacturers, and the company is operating on a flexible, two-year timeline. It wants to complete clinical studies and form a strong relationship with a pump manufacturer by 2023 or 2024.
Already, it’s scored a $300,000 grant from the National Institutes of Health. And in November 2021, Diatech won The Next Big Thing – an annual pitch competition hosted by The Society of Entrepreneurs and Epicenter – which came with a $10,000 prize.
Links to items mentioned in the interview:
Diatech Diabetes
Epicenter Memphis
UMRF Research Park
Memphis Business Journal
JDRF
American Diabetes Association -
Ron Coleman is the President of Competition Cams, a world leader in valve train technology, and under his management the company has acquired several other businesses, including TCI Automotive, LLC and Quarter Master Industries. Coleman founded the National Muscle Car Association, which is recognized as the largest national sanctioning group dedicated to street-legal vehicles. He is also the Founder, President and Chairman of Xceleration Media, LLC, which was acquired by Power Automedia.
Coleman was elected to the White House Conference on Small Business twice. He served on the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) Advisory Council, was a two time Delegate to the U.S. Congressional Small Business Summit, and was on the Advisory Council for the U.S. Small Business Administration. Coleman was active in issues involving government regulations and taxation of business, and testified before the Senate Small Business Committee to encourage the reduction of regulations that impact small business. Coleman was active in the U.S.-Japan Auto Parts Trade Agreement, which for the first time gave U.S. companies a fair chance to compete with product sales in Japan.
Locally, Coleman is actively involved in the community and has supported such organizations as Memphis in May International Festival, Memphis Library Foundation, Catholic Charities of West Tennessee and the Greater Memphis Chamber, among others. He is also a graduate of Leadership Memphis.
Links to items mentioned in the interview:
COMP Cams
Society of Entrepreneurs Profile
National Muscle Car Association
Power Automedia (formerly Xceleration Media)
Small Business Administration
Specialty Equipment Market Association
Memphis in May International Festival
Memphis Library Foundation
Catholic Charities of West Tennessee
Greater Memphis Chamber
Leadership Memphis -
Natives of Memphis, Andy and Michael began cooking as children. Their extended Italian families would gather for jovial Sunday suppers, where everyone would help make homemade meatballs and ravioli. When Andy and Michael met at Christian Brothers High School, they immediately connected over their similar ancestral backstories. After graduating from the University of Mississippi and Auburn University, respectively, Andy and Michael attended Johnson and Wales University in Charleston, SC and the Italian Institute for Advanced Culinary Studies in Calabria, Italy. Both Andy’s and MIchael's first formative kitchen experience was working under Chef Jose Gutierrez at Chez Philippe in Memphis.
In 2008, Andy and Michael opened Andrew Michael Italian Kitchen, which led to their first James Beard Foundation nomination. The duo followed their debut with Hog & Hominy, a wood-burning neighborhood restaurant that was recognized by Bon Appetit, GQ and Southern Living as one of the top new restaurants in the country in 2013. That year Food and Wine also selected them as Best New Chefs in the country, their cookbook Collards & Carbonara: Southern Cooking, Italian Roots was published and they were recognized as semifinalists for Best Chef Southeast by the James Beard Foundation. Two years later, Porcellio’s Craft Butcher highlighted their love of traditional butcheries and heritage meats. The 2016 opening of Josephine Estelle in the Ace Hotel in New Orleans, LA, was their first foray into a hotel space. Catherine & Mary’s a nod to their Italian grandmothers opened in 2016 as well. Gray Canary, located in Old Dominick Distillery in the South Main Arts District in downtown Memphis soon followed as their sixth concept.
For their seventh restaurant, Bishop, Andy and Michael dug into their French cooking foundation that began right out of culinary school. Housed in the historic Central Station Hotel, this latest concept continues as the third in their stable of downtown restaurant locations and continues to underscore the renowned chefs' company culture of family and friends.
They started the Andrew Michael Foundation in 2021 to help organize how the company can give back to our community.
Links to items mentioned in the interview:
Enjoy AM Restaurant Group
Society of Entrepreneurs Profile - Andy
Society of Entrepreneurs Profile - Michael
Andrew Michael Foundation
James Beard Foundation
Mid-South Food Bank
Collards & Carbonara: Southern Cooking, Italian Roots -
Harry Smith's years in public accounting prepared him for his life-changing career move to the Schilling Companies, Inc. as he assumed the role of Chairman and CEO of the 1,000-person company. This is the holding company for the real estate and automotive divisions. He also owned, in partnership with Boyle Investment Company, Schilling Farms, a 448-acre planned business development in Collierville, TN. Over the past 35 years, Smith has been involved in a number of businesses which include automotive parts, industrial engines, heating and cooling distribution and over ten different automobile dealerships of all makes and models. He has served on the Ford Motor Company Governmental Affairs Committee and the Ford Consumer Appeals Board. In January 2003, he was recognized as the Time-Life Quality Award Dealer for the State of Tennessee.
Smith has been involved in over 30 boards and managing committees in the area, including Baptist Memorial Hospital, Baptist Health Sciences University, University of Memphis Foundation, Board of Visitors, Union University, Church Health, and Collierville Chamber of Commerce, just to name a few.
Links to items mentioned in the interview:
Schilling Companies, Inc./Schilling Farms
Society of Entrepreneurs Profile
Ford Motor Company
Baptist Memorial Hospital & Health Care Services
Baptist Health Sciences University
University of Memphis Foundation
Union University
Church Health
Collierville Chamber of Commerce -
When Tommy Earl and Gary Dodson purchased four of Barloworld Truck Center’s dealerships in the summer of 2007, they say their $25 million bought the best Barloworld had to offer in the Freightliner business in terms of employees and customers. The service center and dealership locations are in Jackson, Tennessee; Jonesboro, Arkansas; and Tupelo, Mississippi; with headquarters in Memphis. With the purchases, Earl and Dodson formed TAG (an acronym for Tommy and Gary) Truck Enterprises LLC. Perhaps this intrinsic link between themselves and their business explains TAG’s commitment to customer service and satisfaction and their personal touch with the day-to-day operations.
Since 2007, revenue at TAG Truck Center has almost doubled, and they have expanded from four to 10 locations. TAG Truck Center has been ranked in the Top 25 fastest growing companies in Memphis nearly every year, and has been recognized by Freightliner as an “Elite” dealer.
Links to items mentioned in the interview:
Lonestar Truck Group/TAG Truck Center
Society of Entrepreneurs Profile
Youth Villages
Church Health
Leadership Memphis
Leadership Collierville
New Hope Christian Church
Ronald McDonald House of Memphis
St. George's Independent School - Show more
