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Susie Alcorn, 37
Lobbyist/Campaign advisor

A Manchester, Tenn., native, Alcorn is a highly accomplished political operative. People keep her business card nearby knowing that if they’re plugged in to her network they can contact anybody, including the White House. In addition to performing project management and business development for clients statewide, Alcorn is also a top lobbyist who represents BlueCross/BlueShield and has a reputation as a highly skilled backroom dealmaker. The former campaign manager for Congressman Ed Bryant, Alcorn later became deputy commissioner in the state Department of Labor under Gov. Sundquist. (She also served as Sundquist’s deputy assistant for legislation.) In 2002, Alcorn managed the successful campaign of Sen. Lamar Alexander.

Mabel Arroyo, 38
Attorney—Stites & Harbison

A top immigration lawyer who is quickly becoming a Hispanic community leader in Nashville, Arroyo is a former district attorney with the Department of Justice in Puerto Rico. Appointed by the governor there, Arroyo prosecuted mainly white- collar crime involving antitrust violations. Famed for her pro bono work, including frequent free seminars at churches and community centers for local Hispanics needing basic legal advice, Arroyo is also a board member of Conexion Americas, the foremost Latino advocacy organization in Middle Tennessee. As Nashville’s Hispanic population grows, Arroyo will emerge into the broader consciousness of the city. A political future is predicted, likely to begin at the Metro Council level.

Cathy Boettner, 36
President—Cleveland Tubing

About 80% of Cleveland Tubing’s business entails proprietary moldings. The rest ranges from the manufacture of medical tubing, thick drinking straws for sport cups, etc. A Centre College graduate (and one of its most ardent supporters), Boettner spent several years as a stock broker with Dean Witter before coming home to Bradley County to run the 50-employee family business. Thirteen Fortune 500 companies representing 12,000 manufacturing jobs inhabit Bradley County, and as president of Cleveland Associated Industries, a manufacturing group, Boettner represents the bulk of them. Boettner is also immediate past chairman of the Cleveland/ Bradley County Chamber of Commerce, which named her small businessperson of the year in 2000.

Darrell Brady, 39
Executive Vice President—Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce

As head of the Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce, Brady represents an area between Knoxville and Pigeon Forge, two locales more easily marketed for tourism and business development. Brady, a former national sales manager for a temporary staffing organization, nevertheless has taken his small shop and limited budget and moved Jefferson County above stepsister status in that fiercely competitive market. Emphasizing quality of life and closeness to amenities, Jefferson County has during Brady’s tenure become the seventh fastest growing county in Tennessee. Brady also personally authored the Chamber’s leadership development curriculum, which was placed in Jefferson County high schools and resulted in students pushing for and securing ex officio spots on the local school board.

Rob Briley, 37
Majority Floor Leader—State House of Representatives

When Speaker Jimmy Naifeh and his A-Team huddle on the House floor to discuss legislation nearing a vote, Briley, grandson of past Nashville Mayor Beverly Briley and partner in the Nashville office of Covington-based law firm J. Houston Gordon, is central to the mix. Briley is sponsoring a controversial technology bill aimed at curbing cable theft that would also grant cable companies the right to deem any future computer gadgets illegal. If House Democrats can maintain their majority in the 2004 election, Briley’s star will continue to rise. If not, his political fortunes could take a turn for the less relevant.

Stuart Brunson, 36
Vice President—Qualifacts

Son of a Memphis cotton merchant, Brunson is a former top Gore-Lieberman campaign official who in 2002 successfully steered Phil Bredesen to the governor’s office as his campaign director. He is credited as a key figure in Bredesen’s surprising and crucial victory in conservative Knox County, as well as with generating the large Democratic turnout in his native Memphis. Post-election, Brunson served as deputy director of Bredesen’s transition team, selecting people to fill top government posts. Brunson is currently vice president of business development at Qualifacts, a Brentwood-based health care information system software developer. Bredesen holds 70% of Qualifacts’ stock. Politically and socially entrenched, Brunson could pursue a political career of his own in the future.

Charles Byrd, 39
Chairman—Madison County Commission

In his undergraduate days at Ole Miss, Byrd led cheerleaders as the microphone-toting Colonel Reb, a coveted position known for igniting school spirit at football games. Now in a much less glamorous role as the head of the Madison County Commission, Byrd is still a school cheerleader, supporting the construction of $50 million of schools, funded through bonds rather than a tax increase. An attorney at law firm Byrd & Byrd, he was the youngest elected Madison County commissioner in 1998. The Republican standout has been approached to run for a higher office in the General Assembly, but with two children and one on the way, Byrd is likely to stick to local politics for now.

Marcie Allen Cardwell, 30
President—Mad Booking & Events

The Memphis Jam and Nashville’s Dancin’ in the District summer concert series bring bands like Hootie and the Blowfish and Blues Traveler to music fans, courtesy of Nashville-based Mad Booking & Events. Cardwell started Mad Booking in May 1999 as a talent-buying service for college student activity programs—a division that now books more than $4 million in talent annually. She has grown the business to include major music events in Memphis, Nashville, Atlanta and Washington, D.C. Mad Booking now employs a full-time staff of 11 and also handles music tours, festivals and private concerts for corporate clients. Cardwell’s next big project is producing an 18-city college tour for Virgin Mega Stores in April.

Kim Carter, 35
Senior Vice President—Harvestons Securities

With a background in international marketing for FedEx, Carter recently became the manager of the Memphis office of Denver-based Harvestons Securities, one of the largest minority-owned investment banking firms in the country. Harvestons Securities was involved with the Memphis Light, Gas and Water prepayment deal with TVA. Carter also serves as an adjunct professor at LeMoyne-Owen College and Webster University, teaching marketing and business communications. Her industry is evident in her side job as executive producer for the television program Jubilee: Food for the Body and Soul, which features Carter’s mother, M.P. Carter, and friend Dorothy Bolton as they teach viewers how to prepare soul food with reduced fat and frying.

Elizabeth Clarke, 35
Director of Business Development—Cumberland Pharmaceuticals

Extremely self-reliant, Clarke has hiked solo through New Zealand, and in her professional career, negotiated multiple acquisition and co-promotion agreements totaling more than $100 million in net present value in the past two years. Her position at Nashville-based Cumberland Pharmaceuticals followed her experience of owning Business Development Solutions, a private consulting practice specializing in growing specialty/emerging pharmaceutical companies. Clarke’s involvement in cultural, leadership and charitable organizations runs deep and wide, including a range of Nashville nonprofits. She is currently planning her December wedding—just the next in a series of adventures ahead for this young, thrill-seeking business leader.

Jason Dinger, 29
Vice President—St. Thomas Health Services

Currently a vice president with St. Thomas Health Services in Nashville, Dinger is better known as the founder of now defunct Weberize, a Web development company that epitomized the lavishness of the dot-com bubble (replete with playful work environments in New York and Cairo, Egypt, branch offices). Dinger founded Weberize with an aim of using its proceeds to provide Internet technology to Native American reservations. While at Vanderbilt, Dinger received the President’s Service Award for forming a student organization dedicated to building ties between students and Nashville’s homeless population. All told, it’s fair to assume Dinger is not at St. Thomas in quest of a gold watch at retirement. The former rural health clinic worker in Zimbabwe is likely working on the education he’ll need to erect health care systems in developing countries.

Paula Flowers, 35
Commissioner—State Department Commerce & Insurance

Monterey native Flowers heads the state’s chief regulatory agency with oversight that extends to TennCare MCOs. As commissioner, Flowers also serves as state fire marshal. While at Farmer & Luna, a law firm she helped found, Flowers was appointed special deputy in the receivership of Xantus, a failed TennCare MCO. Then gubernatorial candidate Phil Bredesen discovered Flowers’ forensic mastery of TennCare during his gubernatorial race after she volunteered for his campaign. Flowers quickly became one of Bredesen’s key policy researchers. Armed with a Masters degree in engineering, Flowers is a former regulatory compliance engineer at Oak Ridge. Considering her career to date, one observer predicted Flowers would “do anything she wants” in the future.

Harold Ford Jr., 33
Congressman—U.S. House of Representatives

First elected to Congress at age 26, Ford represents to many the future of the moderate wing of the National Democratic Party. Ford is a likely senatorial candidate in 2006 and presidential candidate down the line (he’ll be 42 for the 2012 election). Ford smartly used a late, unsuccessful run for minority leader in 2003 to further raise his profile into the national consciousness. Ford is a telegenic, fresh face for the Democrats at a time when the presidential primary field offers no single compelling figure around which to rally the party. He is, however, criticized for his lack of business experience. Ford went straight from law school to elected congressman.

Bobby Frist Jr., 36
Chief Executive Officer—HealthStream

With a black belt in Tae Kwon Do, Frist has been patient and disciplined in leading Nashville-based Health- Stream into positive cash flow last year, for the first time since he co-founded the e-learning company. Frist’s famous family includes uncles Sen. Bill Frist and Tommy Frist Jr., who helped start hospital giant HCA, but Bobby Frist is making a name for himself with HealthStream, which he has led as chief executive and chairman since 1990. Currently a director of Health-Leaders, a health care publisher, and HearingPlanet, a hearing health care network, Frist is already a power player in the health care industry.

Darron Hall, 39
Sheriff—Metro/Davidson County

Hall is a rising political star whose countywide election in 2002 made him the youngest elected sheriff in the history of Davidson County and positioned him well for future countywide political runs. As politically savvy as any elected official in Nashville, Hall has already galvanized his troops for what they say will be a reelection run in 2006. That objective could easily be shifted into a run for Nashville mayor the following year. A former program director for Corrections Corporation of America who worked in an Australian prison, Hall is one of only two Tennessee sheriffs Gov. Phil Bredesen appointed to the state board overseeing county jails throughout the state.

Don Hardman, 31
Senior Director of Operations—Memphis Grizzlies

As Senior Director of Operations for the Memphis Grizzlies professional basketball team, Hardman is the man responsible for the star-up, operation and management of FedExForum, the Bluff City’s brand new downtown sports and entertainment arena slated for completion in the fall of 2004. Hardman’s responsibilities with the Grizzlies extend to guest services, engineering, event operations, security, information technology, merchandise and food and beverage operations. Having moved with the Grizzlies from their former home in Vancouver, Canada, Hardman is already in his ninth year with the team, an outfit clearly on the rise among its NBA peers.

Tre’ Hargett, 34
Minority Leader—State House of Representatives

Hailing from Bartlett in Shelby County, Hargett has brought more conservative leadership to House Republicans. Should they find a way under his leadership to wrest away control of the state House from Speaker Jimmy Naifeh and the Democrats in the 2004 elections, Hargett’s political star will surge into the stratosphere. Many pundits are predicting that transfer to occur by 2008 at the latest. A former student government president at Memphis State University, Hargett currently is director of community relations for Rural/Metro Corporation. Urged by former state Rep. Tim Joyce to replace him as 97th District representative, Hargett then had to face down Joyce when he decided to run after all.

Marci Harris, 29
Tornado Recovery Coordinator—City of Jackson

She may sound like Pollyanna, but Harris’ optimism about the future of Jackson is critical to her job of managing the city’s recovery efforts after a tornado ripped through the area last May. Jackson Mayor Charles Farmer appointed Harris, his previous campaign manager, to the new position shortly after the storms. A picture of diplomacy, Harris has worked with federal and local governments, downtown merchants, residents, consultants and developers to oversee not only Jackson’s recovery but its unique opportunity for deliberate redevelopment. The daughter of prominent Jackson businessman Jimmy Harris, Marci Harris already has established her own reputation in Jackson, where her civic contributions will only increase.

Rodney Herenton, 36
Founder—Herenton Capital Partners

A Harvard Business School graduate, former Wall Street investment banker and son of Memphis Mayor Willie Herenton, Rodney Herenton founded Herenton Capital Partners in a somewhat unusual partnership with First Tennessee Bank in 2001. Herenton currently serves on the board of directors of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Cincinnati. Despite being considerably less political than his father, Herenton did work directly in Lamar Alexander’s 2002 Senate campaign. Contrary to popular belief among many Memphis sources, Washington, D.C., insider Roll Call recently predicted Herenton could make a political run of his own in the future, perhaps against a member of the Ford family, with whom the Herentons feud.

Kim Kaegi, 39
Political Fund-raiser—Kaegi Resources

Legendary Republican fund-raiser Ted Welch describes Kaegi as “the best political fund-raiser in the Southeast.” Kaegi has long been the top paid GOP fund- raiser in Tennessee. Current clients include President Bush. Past client, gubernatorial hopeful Van Hilleary, surprised many by matching eventual winner Phil Bredesen dollar for dollar until Bredesen put his own money into the race. Kaegi’s accomplishments with Hilleary are all the more impressive considering that typical GOP contributors in 2002 were more concerned with getting Lamar Alexander elected to the Senate. One admiring politico describes Kaegi as “the most focused pain-in-the-ass human being on the campaign trail … she will literally drive you crazy.”

Drew Kim, 33
Policy Director—Bredesen Administration

A Martin native with a Master’s in public policy from Duke University, Kim serves as Gov. Phil Bredesen’s policy director, advising him on the full range of topics from education to health care to economic development. Bredesen’s policy director during his gubernatorial campaign, Kim helped craft Bredesen’s message to conservative East Tennesseans that swung him to narrow victory. Prior to hitching up with Bredesen, Kim served as assistant director of the Tennessee Technology Development Corporation (TTDC), a public private partnership formed by the state General Assembly to put the state on the high tech map nationally. Previously Kim held marketing and recruiting roles with the state ECD and the Nashville Chamber.

David Kloeppel, 33
CFO—Gaylord Entertainment Co.

A future CEO of a major company in waiting, Kloeppel is a top officer with a company that will employ over 10,000 following the opening of its Texas resort. Hired at 31 as Gaylord Entertainment Co.’s CFO and executive vice president, the former Deutsche Bank merger and acquisitions specialist has over the past two years played an integral role in the restructuring of the hospitality company through the shedding of its non-core assets. Given the $157 million sales price fetched for Acuff-Rose, the $65 million acquired for two of the company’s radio stations and the critically commended stock swap for ResortQuest, Kloeppel has proven himself a reliable financial advisor.

David Kustoff, 37
Attorney—Kustoff & Strickland

A partner in Kustoff & Strickland in Memphis, Kustoff managed President George W. Bush’s successful 2000 campaign victory over Al Gore in Tennessee. Bush has already tabbed Kustoff to win the state again in 2004. In 2002, Kustoff chaired Lamar Alexander’s successful Senate bid. Kustoff himself entered the race for Congress representing the 7th district in 2002, eventually finishing second, but higher than all other Memphis-area candidates. Given his age and prominence within the state GOP, another bite at the congressional apple appears inevitable for Kustoff, considered one of the nice guys in politics who has been compared favorably to another past Shelby County GOP star, Gov. Winfield Dunn

Paul Latture, 36
President—Jackson Area Chamber of Commerce

Latture’s career in economic development hit a high point last year when he successfully recruited Bodine Aluminum, a subsidiary of Toyota Motor Manufacturing, to set up shop in Madison County. Expected to be fully operational in the fourth quarter of 2005, the plant plans to invest $100 million in the area as part of its first phase of development and will hire approximately 230 people. Latture completed the deal inside a year of taking the helm of the Jackson Area Chamber of Commerce. Well-connected in the economic development field, Latture surely will realize successes above and beyond his most recent accomplishment, to the benefit of the Jackson area.

Jeff Lebo, 37
Head Basketball Coach—University of Tennessee-Chattanooga

Lebo is a former starting point guard under Dean Smith at North Carolina and one of the most sought after young head basketball coaches in Division I sports. His most recent suitor was Big 12 school Iowa State. Previously an assistant coach at both South Carolina and Vanderbilt under fellow UNC alum Eddie Fogler, Lebo’s pedigree as a representative of the younger generation of the UNC family of coaches ensures there will always be interest in his talents. A one-year player in the NBA (San Antonio Spurs), Lebo made his first mark as an NCAA coach in turning around Tennessee Tech.

Dawn Lopez, 32
Executive Director—Light It Up

A Louisiana native, Lopez already has tackled law school, a corporate job with Storage USA and the founding of Mpact Memphis, a group aimed at making the city a more desirable place for young professionals. Lopez has been called the torchbearer of Mpact, and her current role as head of Light It Up only adds to her reputation as a visionary who puts ideas into practice. Light It Up is a nonprofit Lopez started to enhance the image of Downtown Memphis at night through creative lighting design. The Memphis skyline never looked so good, and Lopez will continue to make her mark on the city in a very visual way.

Lecia Martin, 35
Founder—Dunning-Martin Engineering

Martin founded Dunning-Martin Engineering in 1999. Martin is the only African American woman to become a consultant mechanical engineer for the city of Memphis. Projects her prolific firm has worked on include the new FedEx- Forum (where the firm is designing portions of the mechanical, electrical and fire protection services), the Memphis Pyramid renovation, the Stax Museum and AutoZone Park. Other clients have included the United States Air Force, the University of Memphis, Looney Ricks Kiss Architects and Pizza Hut.

Thom Mason, 38
Researcher—Oak Ridge

Mason, a native Nova Scotian, has since 2001 been in charge of the largest civilian science project on earth, the $1.4 billion Spallation Neutron Source. Upon completion in 2006, SNS will provide the most intense pulsed neutron beams in the world for scientific research and industrial development. Benefits of neutron-scattering research to date have resulted in improvements in jets, credit cards, compact discs, computer disks, shatterproof windshields, satellite information for weather forecasts and stronger, lighter plastics. Medical research also has benefited, determining, for instance, how bones decay during osteoporosis. Prior to moving to Oak Ridge in 1998, Mason, who has a doctorate in condensed matter physics, served on the faculty of the University of Toronto.

Chris Moneymaker, 27
Accountant—Pan South

Spring Hill accountant Money-maker’s stunning victory as an amateur in the 2003 World Series of Poker championship boosted the game’s popularity, sparked a televised poker phenomenon and merged Internet poker with that played in casinos. “Money” qualified for the tournament through an Internet poker site and a $40 entry fee. (His father, a Knoxvillian, funded his travel costs to Las Vegas.) In his first ever live tournament, Moneymaker out-bluffed several legendary professional gamblers to win the $2.5 million pot, promptly donated $25,000 to cancer research and appeared on The Letterman Show. He still works for Pan South, the holding company for Nashville restaurants the Bound’ry and South Street, and plans to defend his title in 2004.

Ashoke “Bappa” Mukherji, 33
CEO—Guy Brown Products

Mukherji, a McMinnville native, owns Brentwood-based Guy Brown Products, a manufacturer of recycled toner cartridges for laser printers. A member of over 35 state and regional minority business councils, Mukherji smartly capitalizes on his status as a minority supplier. A shrewd investor, Mukherji’s other business interests include ProQuest Management, a financial planning firm targeting professional athletes, and various restaurant properties in the Nashville area. More recently, the former Neal & Harwell attorney has been acquiring health care facilities, including Coffee County Medical Center in Manchester and Edmonson Pike Medical Center in Nashville. Mukherji is sure to cast a long shadow over the state’s business community before he’s through.

Mike Neal, 36
Sheriff—Rhea County

Democrat Mike Neal won a landslide victory in the 2002 Rhea County sheriff’s race and is described by state Democratic Party insiders as a rising political star in East Tennessee. Neal resigned his 12-year post as deputy with the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Department to run for sheriff in his home county, announcing his candidacy with a float in the Tennessee Strawberry Festival Parade. A farmer on the side, Neal’s accomplishments in office thus far include establishing a precinct on the north end of the county, creating a program to check on the welfare of area senior citizens on a regular basis and bringing to fruition plans to expand the county jail.

Russell Palk, 33
President—Tennessee Retail Association

Palk is a lobbyist for entities including Wal-Mart, Kroger and Eckerd. One colleague describes Palk, a protégé of Richard Fulton who became Fulton’s partner and later bought the former congressman’s firm when he ran for Nashville mayor, as “so good you wouldn’t know it.” Evidence is the Tennessee legislature’s approval in 2002 of the streamlined sales tax bill, the number one priority of retailers across the nation. Truly an invisible hand, Palk takes no credit for pulling that rabbit out of the hat late in the session. Steadily assuming more of a leadership posture among business lobbyists in Tennessee and already head of one of the state’s fastest growing business groups, Palk will probably remain with TRA long term.

Chip Saltsman
CEO—eMids

Saltsman is a former state GOP chairman expected to make an ambitious political run of his own someday. For then candidate George W. Bush, Salts- man led the media and political war against Vice President Al Gore in his home state in 2000. After leaving as party chair in 2001, Saltsman raised money for the Bill Frist-led Republican National Senatorial Committee, which won back the Senate and set national politics as we know it in motion. Saltsman frequently duck hunts with Frist and Vice President Dick Cheney. Should Frist decide on a run for president in 2008, look for Saltsman to put his own political future again on the back burner. Former congressman Don Sundquist’s campaign driver, Saltsman currently owns and runs a Nashville IT consulting company, eMids.

Andrew Seamons, 33
Managing Partner—Pittco Capital Partners

As managing partner of Pittco Capital Partners, the private equity firm led by AutoZone founder J.R. “Pitt” Hyde III, Seamons is a director of Internet Pictures (IPIX) and several other companies (Memphis Networx, Qcept Technologies). A product of Duke University (he holds a degree in electrical engineering), Harvard Business School and a two-year stint at McKinsey & Co., Seamons’ prior business experience includes time spent with Paradigm Capital Partners and with Lending Tree Inc., an Internet lending marketplace based in North Carolina. Given his connections and his fast start, Seamons appears destined to make a big splash in Tennessee’s business marketplace.

John Tolsma, 30
President—erroyo

Tolsma is president of Knoxville-based erroyo, the educational media subsidiary of RIVR Media Group (formerly Bagwell Entertainment). Scripps Howard launched HGTV in 1994 following its purchase of RIVR. Founded by Tolsma and Dee (Bagwell) Haslam, who is married to Jimmy Haslam, erroyo creates cutting edge e-learning products for clients such as Clayton Homes, Pricewaterhouse-Coopers, Kimberly-Clark, Georgetown, Harvard and Vanderbilt. A graduate of Harvard Law School and Business School, Tolsma’s past corporate experience includes a stint as a consultant to the COO of Edison Schools. A former aide to Tennessee Senator Lamar Alexander, Tolsma recently assisted Bill Haslam’s successful election as Knoxville mayor and now serves in Haslam’s unofficial transition team.

Bishop Joseph Warren Walker III, 35
President—JW Walker Ministries

In addition to his flock of 13,000 members spread across four worship locations in Nashville, Walker also counts legions of followers in Memphis via radio and television broadcasts. Walker began his ministry in 1992 at Mt. Zion Baptist Church with 175 members. Now the church’s holdings include a $17 million complex that seats 4,500 in North Nashville and a converted shopping center worship hall that doubles as income producing rental property in southeast Nashville. The founder and President of JW Walker Ministries and CEO of Exodus Productions, Walker’s influence is sure to grow politically and socially not only in Nashville but across the state in the years to come.

Gary Wunderlich, 33
Founder and CEO—Wunderlich Securities

Wunderlich founded Wunderlich Securities, one of the largest privately held securities brokerage firms in Tennessee, following his purchase of 65-year-old Crisler, Tipton & Co. in 1996. At the time, the University of Virginia graduate and former Progressive Capital executive had 12 employees. Today, Wunderlich employs around 100 individuals and manages investment accounts for over 7,300 retail customers and about 100 institutional accounts. Annual revenue tops $15 million. Through acquisitions, Wunderlich now has offices in Houston, St. Louis and Chicago in addition to Memphis. Having weathered three of the toughest years in the industry since the early 1970s (acquiring small firms throughout that time period), Wunderlich now appears poised for strong growth.

Andy Cates, 33 Chairman—Soulsville

A Soul Man in his own right, Cates is helping revitalize a struggling downtown Memphis neighborhood, called Soulsville, U.S.A., through music education and a new museum that pays homage to the soul music created there.

He initially served as project developer of the $20 million nonprofit Soulsville, which owns the Stax Music Academy and the Stax Museum of American Soul Music, both named for the former Stax Records studio credited with launching stars like Otis Redding and Sam & Dave. Cates, now chairman of the Soulsville board, hopes to continue building traffic at the museum, which has been open for nine months and is ahead of projections in merchandise sales and event space rentals.

The true measure of success with the Soulsville project will be quantifiable improvements in the area—revitalization, not gentrification, he emphasizes. Half of the residents in the three-mile radius live below the poverty line, and the household median income there is less than $14,000, Cates says, adding that the nonprofit’s goals are to help improve those figures and see every music academy student enter college.

Cates should be accustomed to the spotlight in Memphis for his work with Soulsville as well as his role in recruiting the NBA Grizzlies to Memphis from Vancouver. Cates is one of six members of the Grizzlies’ local ownership team, and while his financial stake in the team is “immaterial,” he got involved with the relocation to improve the city and break down some of the societal walls created by the city’s “extreme diversity.” The Grizzlies’ games have succeeded in bringing people of various backgrounds together in a seamless way, Cates says

This native Memphian’s résumé becomes more impressive with a look at a third major accomplishment—his successful real estate ventures. Cates began his real estate career in Dallas, where he worked as an associate for Crow Family Holdings, the Trammell Crow Family’s ownership and asset management vehicle.

In 1996, Cates served as a founding partner in Viceroy Investments, which has been the general partner in more than $120 million of commercial real estate transactions. Three years later, he moved back to Memphis and later started the one-man operation called Cates Company, aimed at acquiring and retaining ownership of buildings in need of redevelopment.

The ambitious Cates doesn’t fall far from the tree. His father is real estate wiz George Cates, the founder of Mid-America Apartment Communities, which has acquired and redeveloped more than $1.2 billion of multifamily real estate since going public in 1994. Also, Andy Cates’ brother, Staley Cates, is president of Southeastern Asset Management, which manages about $23 billion for institutional clients.

—Paige Orr

Lisa Janke, 37 Founder—SBI Industries

Lisa Held Janke was a 25-year-old fashion college graduate when her father died in 1991. She promptly moved back to Madisonville in East Tennessee to re-start the family’s cut and sew business. Calling it Short Bark Industries after the name of the road she grew up on, Janke and the eight employees left over from her father’s business churned out camouflage pants in a four-car garage, selling them to suppliers by UPS or out of the back of her truck. First-year sales reached a quarter million dollars.

Twelve years later, Janke runs one of the fastest-growing companies in Tennessee, employing nearly 250 people, up from 110 in June 2003. The company now exceeds $7.5 million in sales and anticipates topping $10 million in 2004.

SBI produces police uniforms and SWAT tactical clothing, battlefield dress uniforms (BDUs), polypro underwear and even boonie hats. It also sews car seats. Essentially a seller of labor, SBI cuts and sews the product that suppliers then sell direct to retailers.

SBI’s phenomenal growth over the last eight months is tied to two significant developments. First, Janke has greatly diversified the focus of the business. In 2002, SBI began sewing car seat covers for National Seating, a supplier to automakers. SBI soon could be supplying seat belts as well. Such higher priced automotive products have sent SBI’s revenues skyrocketing.

In addition, the war in Iraq has spurred SBI’s growth. Not only does SBI now work for a company that supplies to the government, it also recently received an emergency four-month, $700,000 military apparel contract with the Department of Defense.

It’s been a long climb from that four-car garage to SBI’s current operations. The real growth began when Janke reconnected the family business with past client Atlantco (formerly Atlanta Army-Navy Supply Company). As a result, Janke would move the company out of the garage in 1994 into a 15,000-square-foot facility in Sweetwater. Although she had 20 machines and even subcontractors, Janke still drove the product herself to Atlanta, getting a check and bringing it home. In 1996, even though she admits she wasn’t a big supporter of NAFTA, Janke decided to get involved in offshore production, worried that her one client, Atlantco, might otherwise leave her behind. She spent several months in Honduras riding dilapidated buses across the country searching for a plant in which she could set up shop. (Eventually, Atlantco would buy the property she had identified in La Ceiba, installing SBI as manager of the 500-employee factory.)

In 1996, Janke moved SBI’s home operations out of Sweetwater to a 90,000-square-foot building in Tellico Plains. By 2001, SBI had outgrown that space and purchased the 120,000-square-foot building where SBI currently operates.

Janke’s sprawling company hardly resembles her father’s original business. Its future upside appears quite healthy, especially considering that to date SBI neither buys the fabrics it cuts and sews nor does it supply any product directly to retailers.

—Drew Ruble

Blake Lay, 38 Executive Director—Murray Inc.

Blake Lay was a star high school football player in Lawrenceburg who while studying business at Memphis State University walked on to the football team. Lay later married into a wealthy family known widely for its apparel manufacturing. His professional career has included the successful startup of two software companies (Learning 2000 and Proven Edge) and a stint as CEO of trucking company, Southland Express. Following a losing run for State Senate in 1998, Lay won election as mayor of Lawrenceburg in 1999. Now a top executive over human resources and government relations at Brentwood-based Murray Inc., Lay wields a big stick on behalf of the outdoor equipment manufacturer. Surprisingly, the now Chinese-owned company had no state or federal government relationships in place prior to Lay’s arrival.

All indications are that Lay’s golden boy status will remain stable into the future, specifically as regards the political arena. One top Tennessee GOP official predicted for Lay “a bright future with our side” that will likely culminate in a run for the 4th District congressional seat currently held by freshman Democrat Lincoln Davis. Key to his future success in politics, say observers, is that Lay has many friends on the Democratic side of the aisle. As mayor, Lay successfully lobbied Democratic state lawmakers representing Lawrenceburg to allow a change to its city charter. Under Lay’s guidance, the city scrapped a nearly decade-old system (the last of its kind in Tennessee) where individuals were elected to commissioner posts overseeing specific functions of government such as finance, public safety or parks. It was a form of government rife with competing interests and prone to result in a body composed of people more focused on their particular functions than the greater interests of the city. Lay’s change led to a city manager-led form of government where a hired professional runs all aspects of the city and commissioners are elected to serve in the role of a board of directors for what is essentially a $50 million company.

Lay’s term as mayor saw other progressive changes take effect in the place best known as the birthplace of former Sen. Fred Thompson. (Thompson, in fact, attended school with Lay’s mother, and was one of Lay’s strongest supporters in office.) Using his good relationships with Thompson and others—Lay also counts Sen. Bill Frist and former congressmen Ed Bryant and Van Hilleary among his friends—he secured $20 million in federal grants that previous city leaders had left on the table. During his term, he also secured two major road projects.

In addition to his corporate and political work, Lay has his finger in the growing diversification of his family’s businesses. Lay is the son-in-law of Tony Santini, the apparel manufacturer who was heavily involved in the development of what is now publicly traded Jones Apparel Group, whose brands include Jones New York and Polo Jeans. In recent years, however, Santini has gotten involved with all kinds of businesses ranging from car dealerships and black Angus cattle farming to the backing of an energy-boosting sport drink in Austria. The Santini family also has an interest in a small regional airline, Corporate Airlines, with headquarters in Smyrna.

—Drew Ruble

Many of yesterday’s young and promising are still active and influential today.

Lamar Alexander—Maryville native who walked over 1,000 miles across Tennessee before being elected governor at age 39. A governor focused on education who brought the state national attention for proposals including teacher career ladder pay plan and BEP. Later a UT president, a presidential candidate and now a U.S. senator.

Tony Brown—piano player for Elvis at the time of the King’s death in 1977. Evolved into the foremost record producer in Music City. At 35, signed Alabama to RCA. Later, at MCA, signed Steve Earle, Patti Griffith, Patty Loveless and Lyle Lovett. Co-founder of Universal South label.

Frank Goad Clement—Dickson native elected Tennessee governor at age 32. Under Clement, Tennessee became one of the first states to provide free textbooks to all students. A great orator, Clement at age 36 spoke at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. Prior to entering politics, Clement was the youngest FBI agent in history. Tragically died in an auto accident at age 49.

Mike Curb—started his own record label at age 20. Took over MGM Records at 24. Elected lieutenant governor of California at age 34. Narrowly lost gubernatorial nomination at age 37. Currently runs largest independent country music label in Nashville.

Al Gore—Carthage native elected to congress at age 28. A senator by age 36. For eight years as vice president, Gore was a heart beat away (and later a few electoral votes away) from becoming leader of the free world.

John Jay Hooker—Special assistant to Bobby Kennedy at age 31. At 32, general counsel for The Tennessean. At 36, democratic nominee for governor. At 37, started Minnie Pearl’s Chicken. At 40, lost another bid for governor. Later a publisher of the Nashville Banner and chairman of UPI. Now battling for campaign finance reform.

John Seigenthaler—A city editor for the Nashville Tennessean during sit-ins, Seigenthaler briefly left journalism to serve as administrative assistant to U.S. Attorney General Bobby Kennedy in the early 1960s. He served as chief negotiator with the Alabama governor while shadowing the Freedom Riders. All told, Seigenthaler spent 43 years with The Tennessean, leaving as editor, publisher and CEO. He is still chairman emeritus. Founding editorial director of USA Today. Founded the First Amendment Center in 1991.

Fred Smith—Memphian founded FedEx at age 27 based on a Yale term paper he wrote. Now a $23 billion company that just bought Kinkos. Smith’s father helped found Greyhound bus lines.

Fred Thompson—Lawrenceburg native who was a Senate Watergate committee chief minority counsel at age 30. After helping expose a cash-for-clemency racket in Tennessee, Thompson played himself in the movie documenting that scandal, beginning a career as a Hollywood actor (The Hunt for Red October). Recently retired U.S. senator who acts on NBC hit Law & Order.

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