The Talk Chamber

In this episode of The Talk Chamber, the President of Bank of America Memphis takes us back to the grocery store moment that set her on a course to a career in banking. Trevia Chatman breaks down what leading the bank's Memphis market looks like, why Bank of America has sponsored the Greater Memphis Chamber's Women's Business Council, and how the bank supports entrepreneurs at every stage, from ge...

Pumps are always in the background working, and so is the manufacturing industry that keeps Memphis moving. On this episode of The Talk Chamber, Jon Schindler, VP of Sales and Site Leader at American-Marsh Pumps, shares how he started at the company in 2007 and worked his way through different departments. We also break down why Memphis is such a strong home for manufacturing, from our logistics a...

Two Memphis' media leaders sit down with Taylor Ann to talk about how technology has reshaped the way news gets made and the way businesses reach their customers. Mark Russell, executive editor of The Commercial Appeal and regional editor for USA TODAY Co., and Karen McCrary, director of advertising at LocaliQ, share how they each found their way to Memphis, and why local connection still matters...

Memphis has long worn the crown of America's Distribution Center, but on this episode of The Talk Chamber, Gwyn Fisher, the Chamber's Chief Economic Development Officer, explains why that crown looks different in 2026. This year at the Logistics Summit we're answering the question: how is artificial intelligence reshaping supply chains, and where can Memphis lead?   The 2026 Logistics Summit, taki...

This week we sit down with two Memphis entrepreneurs who turned side projects into shelf-stocked businesses through the Greater Memphis Chamber's Shelf Ready pitch program. Erica Sutton, owner of Boss Lady Pickles, shares how a backyard cucumber patch and a late-night snack turned into a business that let her walk away from a 22-year career. Kalilah Sanders, founder of Naked Scents Candle Company,...

Taylor Ann sits down with Kenon Walker — Memphis's one and only Duckmaster at The Peabody Memphis — for the full story behind the city's most famous residents. Kenon walks through how the tradition began in 1933,  and how bellman Edward Pembroke turned that into the now-famous Duck March ceremony in 1940, coining the "Duckmaster" title itself. Whether you've caught the Duck March a hundred times o...

When Jee Vahn Knight first passed through Memphis on a family road trip years ago, she figured it would be one more check mark on a long list of cities she'd visited. Instead, it became the place she couldn't stop thinking about — long before she ever imagined leading one of the city's most talked-about new attractions. In this episode, the CEO of Baron Von Opperbean and the River of Time (BVO) wa...

Gwendolyn Tucker, co-chair of the Chamber's Small Business Council, joins Taylor Ann to talk leadership. She shares the journey from a paper manufacturing career to Memphis, what pushed her to write her book "Call to Lead," and the one quality she says every first-time leader needs: confidence. They also dig into the Small Business Council's mission to advocate, communicate, and educate — and why...

Paige Walkup, President and Founding Partner of Caissa Public Strategy, joins the Talk Chamber to talk about the winding path that brought her to Memphis, the community she's built here, and the work she leads as co-chair of the Greater Memphis Chamber's Women's Business Council alongside Kandace Stewart. Paige traces the Council's growth from a room of 50 women to sessions that now draw 125 or mo...

When Eric Barnes and Andy Cates sat down eight years ago to sketch out a business plan on paper, they weren't sure it would work. "I can make a spreadsheet say anything," Barnes admits — but he believed enough in the civic case for local news to bet on it anyway. In this episode, the CEO of The Daily Memphian joins us to trace the winding road that took him from an English degree and a small-town...

Bobby White, Chief Government Affairs Officer at the Greater Memphis Chamber, returns to The Talk Chamber for a wide-ranging conversation about the chamber's biggest year yet. Taylor Ann and Bobby just got back from the Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives (ACCE) annual convention in New Orleans, and they open by unpacking what they took away from three days of sessions with chamber leade...

In this episode of The Talk Chamber, Diamond Young, Director of Marketing at the Greater Memphis Chamber, sits down to talk about her path back to Memphis — from Howard University to starting her career in D.C. and New York — and how that experience shaped her approach to leading the Chamber's Music + Entertainment Council. Diamond breaks down how the council has grown from 30 members to 130 under...

Memphis is building a service reputation — and this episode kicks off a brand-new Talk Chamber series built around it. Taylor Ann sits down with Kim Jenkins, CEO of OrthoSouth, and Melissa Kandel, OrthoSouth's Director of Marketing, for the first installment of a monthly series spotlighting Memphis businesses that are getting hospitality right. Kim and Melissa dig into why healthcare, an industry...

David Schuessler has spent 27 years with Ducks Unlimited and 18 of them right here in Memphis, and on this episode of The Talk Chamber, he walks us through how the world's largest wetlands and waterfowl conservation organization ended up headquartered in the Bluff City. David also talks about what keeps Ducks Unlimited proud after 89 years, including its 33,000 volunteers and 2,600 local chapters...

This episode of The Talk Chamber is a replay spotlighting three of Memphis's 2025 Next-Gen 10 Awardees — and applications for the next class are open now through July 15 at memphischamber.com. Taylor Ann sits down back-to-back with three young professionals making their mark across the city, starting with Jevonte Porter Sr., Director of Community Relations at Youth Villages. He shares what it mean...

Frankie Dakin was 19 when he and a few college friends decided that someone needed to run for alderman in Millington. That someone ended up being him, and he won, catapulting him into his career in public service. Now, as city manager for Millington, he runs an $85 million operation and thinks hard about what it actually takes for a nine-county, three-state region to act like one region. This week...

Entrepreneurship can be a lonely field to be in, but it doesn't have to be. And that's exactly what this week's guest, Kimberlee Denise, believes. Kimberlee is the founder and executive director of The Flourishing Agency. At the heart of what she does is creating a community through leadership and professional development. Kimberlee shares her journey from being a Whitehaven native to a classroom...

A 3rd grade teacher told Princeton James to be realistic. He'd never be an actor; he should be an accountant. So he got the degree. Worked the job. And then one day, he quit. That decision set off a chain of events that would take him from having never seen a script growing up to the sets of Netflix's Uncorked, NBC's Bluff City Law, and eventually to the director's chair of his own feature films....

If you've ever been to a Greater Memphis Chamber ribbon cutting, you've probably met Terri Bosby — and if you haven't, you'd remember her if you had. In this episode, Terri sits down with host Taylor Ann Carpenter to talk about her nearly 10-year journey at the Chamber, the ambassador program she's grown from 14 to 178 members (with a goal of 200 by year's end), and why she's one of Memphis's most...

What if your employees had access to a real doctor — same day, no waiting room shuffle, no surprise bill — for just $40 a month? That's exactly what ChamberCare makes possible for Greater Memphis Chamber members. In this episode, Taylor Ann sits down with Raegan Le Douaron, CEO and owner of WeCare tlc, the company behind ChamberCare's on-site primary care health centers. Raegan breaks down how Cha...

What happens when a 10th grader walks into a meeting he wasn't invited to? In Cortney Richardson's case — a 20-year journey to the CEO seat of Peer Power Foundation. In this episode, host Taylor Ann Carpenter sits down with Cortney to talk about the model behind one of Memphis's most impactful education nonprofits, the workforce skills being built one success coach at a time, and what it truly tak...

While Small Business Week may be over, the work of celebrating and supporting local businesses never stops. In this episode, host Taylor Ann sits down with two guests making a real impact in Memphis — Marc Young of Frame Corner and Melissa Todd of The Front Porch Memphis — to talk about community, creativity, and what it truly takes to build something that lasts. Marc Young is the owner of Frame C...

In this episode, Patricia McKinney, Director of Small Business and Member Programming at the Greater Memphis Chamber, discusses Small Business Week (May 3–9), support for local businesses, upcoming events, and celebrating our local businesses. She highlights Chamber resources like the Small Business Development Center, the ACE focus (Advocate, Communicate, Educate), and how owners can get involved...

In this episode, Scott Beal and Joe Lyons of Barr Brands discuss the company’s 80-year history, its evolution from solvent-maker to a house of consumer brands, and its growth strategy through acquisitions and innovation. They also explain Barr’s 30-year ESOP, share powerful employee stories about long-term wealth creation, and describe why Barr chooses to stay and invest in Memphis.

Neki Catron, Sylvamo’s Corporate Global Community Engagement Manager, discusses the company’s roots, mission, and deep commitment to Memphis. The episode highlights Sylvamo’s values-driven community investment—especially literacy and education partnerships—and spotlights the Reading Is Fundamental 60th anniversary kickoff event in Memphis at Benjamin L. Hooks Central Library.