Entrepreneurial Insights

Growing up in the Cleaborne Homes housing community in the Memphis area, Fred Jones worked during the day and went to school at night to earn his BBA degree from then Memphis State University in 1971. He recognized that the support of his family and friends was vital to that achievement, and he wanted others to have that same support and opportunity. Having discovered a knack for putting together...

A founding member of the Society of Entrepreneurs, John Malmo has spent more than 60 years in advertising and marketing. He founded John Malmo Advertising in 1967 and built it into the largest agency in the Mid-South. He sold the agency to Ward Archer & Associates in 1991 and became a full-time marketing consultant in 1994. He currently serves as chairman emeritus of Archer Malmo, Inc. Malmo is a...

In 1977, he launched Gilliam Communications, Inc. and bought the WLOK radio station. In doing so, WLOK became the first African American-owned Memphis radio station and the city's first locally owned station. As president and CEO of Gilliam Communications, Inc., Gilliam has also operated radio stations in New Orleans, Louisiana, Jacksonville, Florida, and Savannah, Georgia. He also sponsors the an...

Daphne Large, founding CEO of Data Facts got her start in the Consumer Reporting industry at the young age of 16 at Equifax Services while still attending Briarcrest High School. She stayed with Equifax while attending the University of Memphis and rose to the position of Assistant Regional Manager. She recognized a competitive advantage and started Data Facts in 1989 at the age of 27. She saw an...

Jay Martin graduated from the University of Georgia in 1968 and moved to Memphis in 1969. Jay founded National Safety Associates (Juice Plus Co.) with $500 and has served as President and CEO since its inception. Juice Plus+ has 75,000 independent distributors in all 50 states and 25 foreign countries, with system-wide sales of $425 million annually and has sales since inception of more than $12 b...

David Andrews is the Principal and Chief Executive Officer of City Enterprises, LLC. City Enterprises is the managing company of several businesses, many auto-related, including City Auto Sales, Chief Automotive Group, Pace Financial, City Auto Finance, and Dealers Auto Auction Group. Andrews launched City Auto Sales more than 35 years ago. Since then, he has grown the business to seven auction si...

Throughout an entrepreneurial career that has spanned trade publishing, lecturing, cause-related marketing, implementing fundraising programs and seminar training, Ellen Rolfes has helped organizations of all sizes and different purposes advance financially in order to foster societal change. She often begins by finding an obscure institutional story. It becomes their guiding story that evokes a n...

While working as Executive Director of a money management firm, Jack Soden met a client, Priscilla Presley. Upon her request, he came to Memphis and helped develop a business plan for opening Graceland. Today, Jack is the CEO of Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc., which now has more than four hundred employees. Graceland has become one of the nation's premier tourist attractions with annual visitors...

A founding member of the Society of Entrepreneurs, Don Hutson has made a name for himself in the speaking, management and sales arenas. Chairman and CEO of U.S. Learning in Memphis, Don has enjoyed many honors stemming from his ability to motivate others and to teach the secrets of success. U.S. Learning is a firm that specializes in providing innovative, high-impact sales, leadership and strategi...

Hilliard Crews founded Memphis Glove Company in 1974 as an importer of industrial gloves. After several years of success, he co-founded with his brothers Crews Safety Glasses and River City Rainwear. In 1984, he formed Shelby Specialty Gloves for the fire-fighting industry. Presently, all four companies – leaders in PPE, operate under the holding company Shelby Group Intl. Inc., which now operates...

Susan Stephenson is Co-Founder and Co-Chairman of Independent Bank in Memphis, Tennessee. Established in 1998, Independent Bank now has over $800 million in total assets and over $100 million in capital. It is the second largest bank headquartered in Shelby County with 10 branches and 180 employees.   Alongside her Co-Founder and Co-Chairman Chip Dudley, Susan designed and executed the unusual den...

In 1977, Harold Crye and Dick Leike founded a company that they promised would make a difference – results-oriented, professional and dedicated to providing the utmost in service to the people it helped. Beginning from the ground up, the two men have built an entity that was once a small shop and is today one of the top 10 real estate companies in the nation, with more than 3,500 sales associates...

Pat Lawler is chief executive officer of Youth Villages, one of the largest private providers of services to troubled children and their families in the country. Under his leadership, Youth Villages has established an array of specialized treatment programs operated by a team of more than 3,000 employees operating in 21 states and the District of Columbia. Youth Villages' mission is to help childr...

Prior to founding the KGR Group in 2005, Edith Kelly-Green worked for nearly 30 years at FedEx Express, a subsidiary of FedEx Corporation, where she served in many roles including Vice President and Chief Sourcing Officer. She also served as Vice President-Internal Audit of FedEx Corporation and reported directly to the Chairman and Founder, Frederick W. Smith. She was the first black woman to rec...

Craig Brewer is a multi-disciplinary artist with a knack for storytelling. His passion for filmmaking stems from his ability to captivate his audience and connect culturally relevant plots on screen. Even at a young age, Memphis, Tennessee, served as his cinematic muse. His guerrilla style approach and relentless work ethic led to his first feature film, "The Poor and Hungry." At the time, Craig w...

In 1974, Richard Gadomski bid for and was awarded his first contract – a $50 million corn processing plant for Cargill – before his company was even founded. After successfully building his company around that first job, he proceeded to buy out his original backers so that he could continue to build the company as he saw fit. PSI, an engineering and construction contracting firm, built internation...

Joining Entrepreneurial Insights hosts Jay Healy and Pearson Crutcher for a bonus episode to discuss how they have navigated their business through the coronavirus pandemic are Carolyn Hardy, president of Chism Hardy Investments; Dr. Scott Morris, founder and chief executive officer of Church Health; and Jeff Webb, founder of Varsity Brands. 2020 has forced us all to deal with unprecedented challe...

Billy Orgel is CEO of Tower Ventures, a full-service telecommunications provider offering quality tower and rooftop sites, build-to-suit services, and third-party marketing and management throughout the U.S. Tower Ventures has also established Tower Ventures REIT to purchase easements and land underneath existing tower sites across the country. Over the years, Billy became interested in preserving...

As Chairman of Kemmons Wilson Companies, Spence Wilson knows entrepreneurship quite well, having spent a lifetime with one of the city's most well-known – his father, Kemmons Wilson the founder of Holiday Inn. Spence understands and embodies the importance of blending creative energy and vision, initiative and innovation, and has worked to develop Kemmons Wilson Companies into a leading investment...

Jeff Webb knows something of the entrepreneurial "spirit" – he's made a career of it. In the mid 70s, the former University of Oklahoma yell leader founded a company to conduct training camps for high school and college cheerleaders. Varsity Spirit, a division of Varsity Brands, has grown through the years to become the world's largest operator of specialty camps, competitions and uniforms. Links...

A phrase that's often heard these days, is "Downtown Memphis sure has come a long way." It's one for which, in large part, Memphis can thank the vision of Jack Belz. Mr. Belz and his family purchased The Peabody Hotel in 1975 rescuing it from dilapidation. He re-opened it in 1981, at the same time revealing his dream for revitalizing downtown Memphis. Links to items mentioned in the interview : Be...

In today's world, we need more aspiring young people to pursue their dream of owning their own businesses." That's exactly what Charles Ewing said and did. He started Ewing Moving Service Inc. with one truck and one employee in 1980. Today, Charles is president and CEO of this international, commercial and residential relocation company that has 47 employees and a fleet of trucks.  Links to items...

Dr. Mary McDonald has received national acclaim as an innovative educator, author, and public speaker. She has been a professional educator for 36 years as a teacher, principal and most recently, as Superintendent of Catholic Schools for the Diocese of Memphis. Today, Mary is CEO of MCD Partners, a national consulting company that provides a broad range of services for educational consulting and m...

The latest episode of Entrepreneurial Insights features Walker Uhlhorn. Entrepreneurship is what it's all about for Walker, as he is the visionary behind the Society of Entrepreneurs. His definition for an entrepreneur is someone who is not easily deterred and is creative enough to turn problems into opportunities. Walker has been successful in creating a unique group of individuals who all have o...

Dr. Scott Morris is an example that the entrepreneurial spirit is not limited solely to capitalistic ventures. Scott is the Founder and Executive Director of Church Health, which opened in 1987 to provide primary health care to low-income, uninsured working people of Memphis. The organization is supported by faith and medical communities and averages more 50,000 patient visits a year. Links to ite...