Eric Brown is the Vice President and General Manager of the Valero Memphis Refinery, a position he has held since April 2020. Moving to Memphis last year was a homecoming of sorts – although he’s a Jackson, Tennessee native, he began his career at the Memphis refinery in 1997 as a process engineer, after earning his bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from Christian Brothers University.  In 2002, Eric moved to the Gulf Coast and over the years he has held progressive leadership roles throughout Valero, the world’s largest independent refiner and North America’s largest renewable fuels producer. Throughout the refining organization he has served as Operations Complex Manager, Director of Technical Services and Operations Director.

The Valero Memphis Refinery is located on 250 acres along the Mississippi River’s Lake McKellar. It is the only oil refinery in TN. More than 300 employees and 200 contractors work to provide a safe, stable and reliable source of petroleum products for the Tennessee-Arkansas-Mississippi market. They use light and sweet crude oil to produce gasoline, diesel, jet fuel and petrochemicals. Nearly 100 percent of gasoline and jet fuel in this area comes from the Valero Memphis Refinery.  Brown says, “I come to work every day focused on how we manage our business. The safety of our workers, the environment and the surrounding community are my priorities.”

Brown describes Valero as a “very giving company” with a consistent commitment to the communities where we live and work. Over the past 10 years, this Memphis refinery and the Valero Energy Foundation have donated over $10 Million to support area charities. The COVID-19 pandemic canceled the Valero Texas Open and Benefit For Children, one of their signature programs. But that didn’t stop Valero from distributing over $350,000 here in Memphis to support disabled and disadvantaged children’s programs. Over the past three years Valero employees have volunteered over 12,000 hours to support charitable organizations. During the pandemic they focused on helping children that live near their fence line advance and succeed by donating meals and digital devices. Brown says, “Valero purchased this site in 2005 and we value the relationships we have fostered in this community. I’m grateful for the opportunity to be back in Memphis and I’m looking forward to meeting more Memphians when the pandemic lifts.”

Brown is a proud veteran of the United States Army. He served in the US Army for five years as a Power Generation Equipment Repairman. He says the Army helped him earn money for college, develop strong leadership skills and travel the world. He was stationed in Germany, Kansas and served in Operation Desert Storm. Brown credits a teacher from Southside High School in Jackson, TN, with recognizing his natural affinity for math and science and ultimately helping him find his path to his current career. He has been married to his high school sweetheart for 32 years. He and Chiquilla have two sons – a 19-year-old who is attending UCLA virtually and a 15-year-old attending Lausanne.

[Read more…] about Meet the Chairman’s Circle: Eric Brown

The Greater Memphis Chamber’s Chairman’s Circle presents a panel of local experts sharing best practices for instilling basic business sense in your employees. We hope you and/or your HR representative can join us Wednesday, March 3, 12:00 – 1:30pm.

[Read more…] about Chairman’s Circle Presents: Building Your Employees’ Business Sense

Eustis Corrigan, Jr. is the Senior Managing Director for the Memphis office of CBIZ MHM, LLC, which he manages from newly renovated office space on the 30th floor of Clark Tower. With about 100 employees in Memphis, CBIZ is one of the nation’s top providers of accounting, tax, and advisory services.

He started his career as a CPA with Arthur Andersen & Co. in Jackson, MS, shortly after graduating from Louisiana State University. A job with KPMG took Corrigan and his family on a nomadic journey to Baton Rouge, back to Jackson, MS, to Memphis and back to Baton Rouge, to San Antonio, Lafayette, LA, Jackson, MS, then back to Memphis. When he was recruited to lead the office here in 2013, Corrigan says it was CBIZ’s reputation for having an outstanding work culture that convinced him to make the move.

He says CPAs are wired to be teachers and describes his management style as very hands-on, ensuring there is a constant atmosphere of learning and teaching, where accountability can’t be lost, and good results must be maintained. He strives to hire the right people who are hungry and smart, and then provides constant coaching. He said, “I’m a big believer in getting execution through the development of others.” Corrigan is a fan of fable-oriented writing. One of his favorite authors is Patrick Lencioni, whose books on business management emphasize team dynamics.

Corrigan and his wife of 32 years have 4 children. He says it’s a testament to Memphis that 3 of his children choose to live in the Bluff City. He credits a low cost of living, easy commutes, access to entertainment and plenty of craft beer. In his downtime you’ll find the Louisiana native in the kitchen, preparing his favorite Cajun food. Just don’t ask him for a recipe … he doesn’t have one. The self-taught cook has created his own dishes built on a blend of recipes from multiple cookbooks. He equates cooking to running a business: you choose a bunch of different ingredients, measure by hand or feel, and then add in lots of time and patience. Like gumbo, a perfect work team gets better with time. Give him a tough issue, and he’ll let it simmer, while he works through it.

[Read more…] about Meet the Chairman’s Circle: Eustis Corrigan

As the President of Pandrol North America, Breen Reardon is focused on his coworkers, his community, and growth for Pandrol, a global leader in railroad infrastructure. Reardon and Pandrol are excited to now call Memphis home after a recent strategic relocation of Pandrol operations from New Jersey to Memphis. Through Pandrol and in his personal life, Reardon is actively working to provide value to the local community while becoming an integral part of the vibrant culture of Memphis and the Mid-South.

[Read more…] about Meet the Chairman’s Circle:  Breen Reardon

Frank Quinn is a Managing Director with CBRE, covering west Tennessee and Mississippi, with offices in Memphis and Jackson. He’s held the role since 2016, returning to CBRE as market leader. During his extensive career, Quinn has represented both landlords and tenants in their leasing efforts, acquired sites for clients, as well as represented owners in the sale of investment properties. Today, as Managing Director, he’s passionate about shaping the next generation of real estate professionals.

[Read more…] about Meet the Chairman’s Circle: Frank Quinn

Jennifer Sims is the CEO of Power & Tel, a position she’s held since 2013. Power & Tel is a third-generation family-owned company founded by her grandfather 58 years ago. The company distributes communications products and solutions used to build and maintain communication networks to around 70 different countries from its multiple locations throughout the US, as well as in Canada and Mexico.

[Read more…] about Meet the Chairman’s Circle: Jennifer Sims

Octavius Nickson is the president of Nickson General Contractors, a company he co-founded in 2015. The company is a Certified Minority Owned Small Business with the core principles of people, purpose, and pride. Past projects include the Shelby County Health Department, Grind City Brewery & Ghost River Brewing and Whitehaven and Central High Schools. The project he’s most proud of has also been one of the most challenging: renovating the historic Cossitt Library in Downtown Memphis. Nickson is replacing and relocating all the systems in the building from the chillers to the switchboard. He says the transformed space will be a great asset to the community.

[Read more…] about Meet the Chairman’s Circle: Octavius Nickson

Oliver Doughtie is the Chief Financial Officer of Mimeo.com, a company he describes as the perfect combination of technology, manufacturing, and logistics, all of which play to the strengths of the Memphis market. Mimeo provides on-demand digital printing services to a broad spectrum of clients from Fortune 100 companies to small consulting firms. Mimeo has three main business lines. MimeoBusiness provides business customers the ability to build, print and ship high quality documents globally. With the tagline “Hold the Moment,” MimeoPhotos enables consumers to turn meaningful moments like vacations and weddings into high-end photo books, calendars, cards, and wall art. MimeoSchool’s creates customizable student planners for schools worldwide. Mimeo’s location near the FedEx World Hub means orders placed by 10pm can be produced and delivered as early as 8:30am the next day.

[Read more…] about Meet the Chairman’s Circle: Oliver Doughtie

Dr. Vernell Bennett-Fairs became the 13^th president of LeMoyne-Owen College in January. The Ohio native is the second woman to lead the HBCU. A trained vocalist and orator,  she dreamed of becoming the first singer to successfully cross multiple musical genres from opera to gospel. But she also aspired to become a college president. She says she was just waiting for the right opportunity.

[Read more…] about Meet the Chairman’s Circle: Dr. Vernell Bennett-Fairs

Gil Uhlhorn joined Bass, Berry & Sims in 2006. The law firm has more than 300 attorneys in four cities, including Memphis, Nashville, Knoxville and Washington, D.C. He became a managing partner of the Memphis office in June and is proud to share that “public service is an important part of who we are as a firm at Bass, Berry & Sims. In 2020, attorneys in our Memphis office invested an average of 50 hours of pro bono support to strengthen families, empower communities and protect civil rights.” That work lead to the TN Supreme Court naming the Memphis office as a 2021 “TN Supreme Court Recognized Law Office for Justice.” In addition, at the end of last year, the Memphis office announced a diversity scholarship program in partnership with the University of Memphis. The goal is to grow and strengthen a diverse local legal community. The first scholarship candidate started at the U of M this fall.

[Read more…] about Meet the Chairman’s Circle: Theodore G. Uhlhorn, V

Bill Bradley joined the law firm of Glankler Brown 37 years ago. He’s been the managing partner since 2000. He describes himself as a problem solver with an “eclectic” practice, focused mostly on business litigation and intellectual property law counseling and litigation. Founded in 1918, Glankler Brown is based in Memphis, and has attorneys licensed in Mississippi, Arkansas, Alabama, Georgia, New York, New Jersey, Texas, and Washington, D.C. 

Straight out of Ole Miss, where he graduated with a B.B.A. and J.D., Bill had a job offer from a judge in Mississippi who had been nominated to the federal bench. When the judge’s confirmation process was held up, he decided to interview with law firms in Memphis, the big city just 75 miles north of his hometown of Clarksdale, Mississippi. Law runs in the family. His father practiced law for nearly 65 years. His wife, Beth Bradley, is a lawyer with Burch Porter and Johnson. His daughter, Maggie, graduated from the University of Virginia Law School this year and is practicing in Washington, D.C. His daughter Kate works at Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital in Nashville.

His family’s favorite vacation destination is Sanibel Island, FL. They first visited more than 20 years ago after he read an article about collecting shells on Sanibel. He thought his young daughters would love it, and they did.

Bill credits his father, who was still practicing law in his 80s, for giving him an invaluable piece of advice: It is far better to look forward rather than look back. It’s not productive to look back and lament over the things you have done, could have done, or should have done. Applying that to modern-day Memphis, Bill says that “from a community standpoint, our goal should be to make Memphis an even better place in the present and in the future than what we remember it was in the ‘good old days.’“ He adds: “The Chairman’s Circle provides an opportunity for more businesses to become more engaged in addressing issues common to all businesses in our community. It also provides an opportunity for a unified voice in the political arena.”

When he’s not working, Bill’s primary hobby is golf. He briefly – and in his words “poorly” – played football at Ole Miss. As a fan of Ole Miss football since childhood, he said he’s taking great delight in a rare successful season.

Sylvester Tate is the President & CEO of Tate Computer Systems. The company has a retail location on Hacks Cross that services Windows and Apple Computers. TCSi is the only Apple Authorized Service provider in the Memphis area. TCSi also has a B2B division that remotely manages companies’ networks and is a value-added reseller for many major brands.

[Read more…] about MEET THE CHAIRMAN’S CIRCLE: SYLVESTER TATE