Corporate Cornucopia

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Latest episode

Jul 2024

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About the show

Powered by the Collierville Chamber of Commerce, Corporate Cornucopia is a podcast that calls upon experts in their field to explore any and all topics related to business, commerce and what makes a community thrive economically.

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42 recent

July 2, 202431 min

S6.E6 Dr. Rochelle Stevens

Rochelle Stevens is a formal International Track Star who has dazzled the world of Track and Field as one of America’s best 400 meters runners for 12 years competing in 50 countries and 6 continents for Team USA. Rochelle has won NINE MEDALS including a Gold and Silver Medal from Two Summer Olympics Games. She has been featured in Sports Illustrated, Runners World, Jet, Black Hair, Upscale Magazine, USA Today Newspaper and hundreds of publications worldwide. Since retiring from track and field Rochelle is still making tracks with 25 years of experience as a Motivational and Keynote Speaker, Lunch and Learn Seminars and Brand Ambassador. Her enthusiasm and ability to connect with her audience is a gift with a variety of topics.

June 18, 202441 min

S6E5: Todd Lochner

Todd Lochner is a graduate of Louisiana State University with a degree in Marketing. During his freshman year in college, he joined the Louisiana Army National Guard. Shortly after graduating from college, Todd moved to Nashville, TN, to pursue a career in singing. Discovering quickly that the wheels of Music Row turn very slowly, he decided to sell cars to pay the bills; it was then he discovered his passion for the retail automotive industry.Over the past 25+ years, Todd has held several positions including Sales Associate, Finance Manager, New Car Manager, Used Car Manager, General Sales Manager, Director of Used Car Operations (for 9 stores), and General Manager. During Todd’s tenure, he has managed to substantially grow the departments he has overseen and is known for streamlining processes and procedures to increase production, efficiency, and profitability. He is an award-winning manager with a proven sales record who encompasses extensive sales knowledge, coupled with creative ideas for product applications and a solid history of training personnel for success.https://www.principletoyota.com/

May 29, 202433 min

S6E4: Dr. Joann Massey

Dr. Joann Massey is the Vice President of Operations for EDGE, the Economic Development Growth Engine for Memphis and Shelby County. She is a recognized community leader with accolades such as 2023 MBJ Power 100, Memphis Business Journal Top 40 Under 40, Leadership Memphis Executive Class 2014 and Top Performer Shelby County Government. She received the 2019 Blaze Award for Economic Justice and the 2021 Memphis Power 30. She was also recognized by the Tri-State Defender as a 2017 Woman of Excellence, a 3V Leading Lady of Shelby County and was also awarded the 2017 Partnership Award by WBEC. She is a 2017 Rose Center Fellow for Equitable Economic Development. Dr. Massey has certifications in Economic Development from Harvard University, Executive Education Program; Managing Economic Development Organizations from the International Economic Development Council (IEDC); and as a Certified Compliance Administrator from Morgan State University. She is a graduate of Benedictine University, where she graduated summa cum laude with a Master degree in Business Administration (MBA) concentration in Finance. She holds a dual Bachelor of Business Administration and Finance degree from LeMoyne Owen College.https://edgemem.com/

May 14, 202435 min

S6E3: Lisa Plath

Lisa Plath is the Director of the Town of Collierville Library, a role she’s held for the past four years. She’s worked for the library since 2008. Before becoming Director, Lisa was Assistant to the Director, Digital Services and Adult Services Coordinator. Her goal is to improve library services for Collierville by always trying to determine what Collierville needs and wants and strategizing a way to get those things done. She has overseen some of these improvements such as: the introduction of new self-checkout machines and new security gates, hosting an extraordinary series of events with a New York Times bestselling author, and streamlining automatic book returns. Several other projects in the works look to update the Library catalog for more user-friendly searching, digital signage in the library, a new mobile app, and meeting the growth of the younger population. She currently lives in Germantown with her husband Tom. She has three adult children and seven grandchildren. Collierville Library Website: https://www.colliervilletn.gov/visitors/library-273 The Case for Paper: Books vs. E-Readers https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/well-read/202402/the-case-for-paper-books-vs-e-readers#:~:text=Research%20suggests%20that%20comprehension%20is,visually%20to%20a%20particular%20page. What is Bibliotherapy?: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/well-read/202312/what-is-bibliotherapy Reading print improves comprehension far more than looking at digital text, say researchers: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2023/dec/15/reading-print-improves-comprehension-far-more-than-looking-at-digital-text-say-researchers 7 Scientific Benefits of Reading Printed Books: https://www.howlifeunfolds.com/learning-education/7-scientific-benefits-reading-printed-books

April 30, 202434 min

S6E2: Mary McDonald

Dr. Mary Crowley McDonald is the Founder and CEO of MCD Partners, a national consulting firm that provides a broad range of services for educational, business, and leadership consulting with a presence in 34 states. Dr. McDonald has received national acclaim as an innovative educator, published author, and public speaker. She has been a professional educator for thirty-six years as a teacher, principal, and most recently, as Superintendent of Catholic Schools for the Diocese of Memphis for fourteen years. She left this position in June 2012, in order to start her own business, MCD Partners Consulting. As Superintendent of Schools for the Diocese of Memphis, Dr. McDonald was responsible for overseeing all aspects of the system of Catholic Schools in the Diocese of Memphis, as well as for the creation of the Jubilee Catholic Schools, eight long-closed Catholic schools that were reopened in the inner-city of Memphis under her leadership. Dr. McDonald is very involved in the community, locally as well as nationally. Dr. McDonald is the recipient of numerous awards in recognition of her work in education, entrepreneurship, and community service. Dr. McDonald and her husband, Joe, have two adult children and six grandchildren.

April 9, 202428 min

S6E1: Alex Piña

Alex Piña has been a McDonald’s Owner Operator since 8/3/2018 in Memphis, TN. Alex owns eight McDonald’s restaurants in the Mid-South: five in Memphis, two in Cordova, and one in Collierville. Alex is the only Hispanic McDonald’s Owner Operator in Western Tennessee. He was a 15 Year McDonald’s USA Company Employee and has a wide breath & depth of experience in the McDonald’s System. Alex is a CPA and MBA and was a Regional Controller in the McDonald’s Greater Chicago Region before taking an opportunity to transition into operations in which he was able to utilize his collaborative approach to help his McDonald’s restaurants and partners to grow their business. The Piña Organization was honored to be the recipient of the prestigious Ronald Award in 2023. The Ronald Award is bestowed upon the Top 1% of Owner Operator Organizations in the Unites States.

November 13, 202338 min

S5E5: Stefanie Tolbert

Stefanie Tolbert, a trailblazing entrepreneur with an illustrious 25-year career in the cosmetics and fashion industry, has recently embarked on her most exciting venture yet—a lifestyle boutique that perfectly encapsulates her keen eye for style, innovation, and a customer-centric approach. Stevie's Merle Norman Studio and Spa, located on the historic Collierville town square, is a testament to her passion and expertise. Stefanie's remarkable journey began in the early 1990s when she entered the world of cosmetics as a beauty consultant. Her passion for making people feel confident and beautiful soon became evident, propelling her career forward. With over a decade of invaluable experience at industry giants Lancôme and Chanel, Stefanie developed an acute understanding of luxury and style, which she would later apply to her own ventures. Stefanie's crowning achievement came in 2022 when she fulfilled her lifelong dream by opening "Stevie's Merle Norman Studio and Spa," a lifestyle boutique that blends her passion for cosmetics, fashion, and interior design. The boutique, located on the historic Collierville town square, has quickly become a haven for fashion-forward individuals seeking unique, curated products that reflect their style and sensibilities.

October 23, 202342 min

S5E4: Maureen Yarborough

Maureen Yarborough of Sign Matters, Inc. has come a long way since her college dreams of becoming a grade-school teacher. With her University of Missouri college degree and teaching certificate in hand, she taught for several years before accepting a new challenge in sales with a chemical manufacturing company. She eventually found herself in marketing and sales for a sign company and opened her own shop, Signs Matter, in 2005. Yarborough has found success since the early days of a one-person shop using her children’s little red wagon to deliver signs to a few customers onto the company’s current extensive list of clients throughout the region. The company’s capabilities range from designing and manufacturing to installation and phase management of sign projects. Sign Matters produces everything from reception logos to ADA-compliant signs, wayfinding, and large-scale exterior building signage. These days, she also operates Sign Studio, a division of Sign Matters, that specializes in colorful and personalized office signage.

October 9, 202333 min

S5E3: Karen Shelton

Simply Done Catering’s Karen Shelton has learned the recipe for success. Actually, she may have written it. With a degree in English and journalism from the University of Tennessee Martin and several years of corporate and freelance writing experience, Karen Shelton understands the importance of communication.Stumbling into the catering business after responding to a friend’s request to help cater a party, she soon found herself in a new business. Since 2011, Shelton and her team have combined great food, customer service, hard work, and a very cool location to help get the word out: Simply Done Catering is the place to go for great catering. Located in the old Presbyterian Church on Walnut Street, Simply Done also provides a wonderful event space for special occasions. With a staff of 19, Shelton also has enlisted her family to help on occasion.The caterer has been recognized by several groups and organizations for both their excellent product and their business success: Nominated in 2022 as Entrepreneur of the Year by the Collierville Chamber, Simply Done has also been voted as Best Caterer by the Collierville Herald and Memphis Most.

September 25, 202335 min

S5E2: Nick Bolander

Nick Bolander is the owner of Staks! Pancake Kitchen in Collierville, one of the first franchise locations of the breakfast + brunch spot in the country. Originally from Nebraska with a background in aviation, Nick’s always had a fascination with the ‘bustling atmosphere of restaurants.’ After much persuading of his wife, they dove head first into the Staks! Restaurant, which opened in April 2023. According to Nick, “Staks aspires to be the premier place in Collierville for breakfast, brunch, and lunch. Beyond the great food and service, we also strive to be champions of the Collierville community.” On top of his time in the restaurant business, Nick is also a captain and instructor pilot at FedEx, flying the Boeing 767. He and his wife, Michaela, have four beautiful children, Alina, Vincent, Theo, and Louis. His family loves to travel, in particular visiting family in Omaha. Nick also has an ‘unyielding fascination’ with golf, so one can find him on the golf course 3-4 times a week.