Chairman's Circle

Outside the Office: Jeremy Simpson

October 30, 2023 by Amy Daniels

Like most of us, Jeremy Simpson had lots of time on his hands during the Covid lockdown in 2020.

Meet the Chairman’s Circle: Cassandra Williams

September 28, 2023 by Amy Daniels

Cassandra Williams seemed destined to live a life of service. Her mother worked for more than 30 years as a registered nurse in the Mississippi Delta. Her father was a civil rights and union activist who brought a very young Cassandra and the family from Clarksdale to Memphis when he worked with the union during the sanitation workers’ strike in the late 1960s.

Outside the Office: Dan Weddle & the PMW Classic

September 28, 2023 by Amy Daniels

Peyton Martin Weddle had a melting pot of friends. Dan Weddle said his son was a good kid. A huge Grizzlies fan. One night Dan got a call from his son, who was leaving a game with friends. Peyton asked Dan to check the closet under the stairway to see if a big black jacket was still hanging there. It was. Peyton said he’d be home in 25 minutes to get it.

Outside the Office: Travel mix-up leads to 12 new little blue houses in Jamaica

August 30, 2023 by Amy Daniels

Six years ago, Chairman’s Circle investor Shawn Clayton was returning from a mission trip with his family and a few others. The school his sons attended, Northpoint Christian School in Southaven, was having trouble with the destination for a school mission trip. Shawn, who has served as chairman of Northpoint’s board for more than a decade, stepped in to help. He and his family had just traveled to Jamaica, so that’s where he recommended the school send the students. He agreed to accompany them as a chaperone.

Meet the Chairman’s Circle: Justin Farmer of Vaco

August 30, 2023 by Amy Daniels

Justin Farmer is the managing partner for Vaco, a global talent solutions and consulting firm. Justin joined Vaco 16 years ago, when the company was in its infancy and had $90 million in revenue. Today Vaco has $1.5 billion in revenue globally with offices in Canada, India, Mexico and the UK. Justin is a native Memphian, graduated high school from ECS and then graduated college from Mississippi State University.

Meet the Chairman’s Circle: Bill Courtney

July 31, 2023 by Amy Daniels

Bill Courtney is president and CEO of Classic American Hardwoods, Inc., a lumber company that’s grown to an excess of $45 million in annual sales and was named Exporter of the Year earlier this year by the Export-Import Bank of the United States. Having founded the company in 2001, Courtney still oversees day-to-day operations at the 45-acre manufacturing facility and domestic sales office near the Memphis riverfront and at international sales offices in China and Vietnam. The native Memphian joined the Chairman’s Circle believing the group was working positively to effect business growth, and thus, the tax base.

Meet the Chairman’s Circle: Kim Sheley of Forvis

June 29, 2023 by Amy Daniels

Kimberly M. Sheley is a Certified Public Accountant and the Memphis Market Leader for FORVIS.

Meet the Chairman’s Circle: Ralph Donati

May 23, 2023 by Amy Daniels

Ralph Donati is the Executive Vice President and President, U.S. and Latin America Regions, ABB Installation Products Division. [Read more…] about Meet the Chairman’s Circle: Ralph Donati

MEET THE CHAIRMAN’S CIRCLE: ANDRE GIST

April 27, 2023 by Amy Daniels

Andre Gist is the CEO of Manufacturers Industrial Group (MIG). Located in Lexington, TN; Houston, TX; and now Memphis, MIG is a full-service contract manufacturer of metal fabrication products for the industrial, commercial, and medical construction markets. MIG is a proud major steel provider for some of Memphis’s biggest projects such as Crosstown Concourse, Hotel Chisca, the expansions of St. Jude and Southwest Tennessee Community College, and the I-40 bridge reinforcement.

Meet the Chairman’s Circle: Deloitte’s Jonathan Pennington

February 24, 2023 by Amy Daniels

The Greater Memphis Chamber Chairman’s Circle is a group of more than 150 C-suite business leaders working to spur economic growth, develop the workforce, and improve the business climate throughout the region. Learn more about the group and its task forces here and follow the Chairman’s Circle on LinkedIn.

Meet the Chairman’s Circle: Will Isom, Charles River Laboratories

January 27, 2023 by Amy Daniels

As Site Director for three of Charles River Laboratories’ Memphis locations, Will Isom is responsible for CRL’s cell therapy manufacturing services. CRL currently employs more than 20,000 people in 100-plus facilities in more than 20 countries. Locally, the company employs more than 300. Interesting fact: CRL supported the development of 86% of the new drugs approved by the FDA in 2021. [Read more…] about Meet the Chairman’s Circle: Will Isom, Charles River Laboratories

MEET THE CHAIRMAN’S CIRCLE: Saint Francis’ Chris Cosby

December 16, 2022 by Amy Daniels

Chris Cosby is the Market CEO of Saint Francis Healthcare – Memphis & Bartlett. Saint Francis Hospital-Memphis is a 479-bed full-service hospital offering a wide array of medical services, including its Center for Surgical Weight Loss, Joint & Spine Center, Heart & Vascular Center, Chest Pain Emergency Center, and Surgical Services which includes the Center for Robotic Surgery, Diabetes Center, and Cancer Center.