Entrepreneurial Insights

SweetBio is a great entrepreneurial story. Let's meet Kayla Rodriguez Graff and Isaac Rodriguez, Co-Founders of SweetBio, who are revolutionizing wound care with collagen + honey products, starting in dermatology with skin cancer removal recovery. Kayla Rodriguez Graff, MBA, CEO, is a dynamic leader in healthcare and wound care industries, driving fundraising and advocating for women, diversity, a...

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...

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 advance...

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 1...

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 bala...

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...

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 Lif...

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 o...

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 Cxffeebla...

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 m...

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...

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 environm...

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 participat...

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...

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 cor...

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 succe...

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...

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 Found...

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 Universi...

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...

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...

In 1988, Denise Burnett Stewart, RN, BSN joined her friend Carol Paterson, who had an idea to start a specialized nurse staffing company. During the first year, they worked to build their client base and nurse base, but were taken off course when Carol was diagnosed with cancer. In 1990, Carol passed away and Denise became president and owner. Known today as OR Nurses Nationwide/Travel Nurses, Inc...

From art student to artist, designer to chef to restaurateur, Karen Blockman Carrier has been creating in different mediums for more than 25 years. Her first love was painting and glasswork and that, in a roundabout way, is where she got her start in the culinary world. Apprenticing and studying under the brilliant artist, Dorothy Sturm, Carrier spent her early years at The Memphis Academy of Art...