Replay: Memphis' Future with Next Gen Awardees

Replay: Memphis' Future with Next Gen Awardees

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 means to lead without waiting for permission and why he believes real, lasting change comes through relationships built across sectors. Next up is Donae Gooden, Human Resource Manager at the J.M. Smucker Company. Her advice for young professionals: get connected, be assertive, and rise above the noise. Rounding out the episode is Madison Dobbins, Scheduling and Results Administrator at Mid-South Drug Testing. Her vision for Memphis is the next generation stepping up to start new businesses and fill the gaps still open in the city. 🎙️ THIS MIC IS POWERED BY ORTHOSOUTH This mic is powered by OrthoSouth — World-class orthopedic care across the Mid-South. Learn more at orthosouth.org. 🔗 LINKS MENTIONED Youth Villages / Memphis Allies Initiative: https://www.youthvillages.org [https://www.youthvillages.org] J.M. Smucker Company: https://www.jmsmucker.com [https://www.jmsmucker.com] Mid-South Drug Testing: https://www.midsouthdrugtesting.com [https://www.midsouthdrugtesting.com] Next-Gen 10 Awards — Apply Now: https://memphischamber.com/membership/councils/young-professionals-council/next-gen-awards/ [https://memphischamber.com/membership/councils/young-professionals-council/next-gen-awards/]   📲 FOLLOW US Follow @MemphisChamber on Instagram, X, and LinkedIn.   🔔 If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe and share it with someone making Memphis greater.

Regionalism: Memphis & Millington with Frankie Dakin

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, Frankie joins Taylor Ann in a discussion on leadership, regionalism, and young professionals.   🎙️ THIS MIC IS POWERED BY ORTHOSOUTH World-class orthopedic care across the Mid-South. orthosouth.org   🔗 LINKS MENTIONED Save the Harrold: savetheharrold.com Built4It Millington: built4itmillington.com Navy League of the United States: navyleague.org U.S. Navy Memorial: navymemorial.org City of Millington: millingtontn.gov   📲 FOLLOW US @MemphisChamber on Instagram, X, and LinkedIn   🔔 Subscribe to The Talk Chamber to keep up with the latest on the Chamber, economic development, and all things Memphis. If you enjoyed this episode, share it with a friend or colleague.

Done Beats Perfect with Kimberlee Denise

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 teacher to now, an entrepreneur.  Kimberlee also reflects on what being a Chamber member and Ambassador has meant to her business, from her ribbon cutting in White Haven that drew nearly 70 people to the intimate connections she's made at events like the Felicia Suzanne's reopening. And she traces the entrepreneurial thread running through her family — her grandmother's custom drapery company, her first job at a family member's dollar store at 15 — that made coming home to build her business the only option that ever made sense. She leaves us with a phrase she's carried through years of working with entrepreneurs: done beats perfect, but you can't perfect what you don't do.   🔗 LINKS MENTIONED The Flourishing Agency: https://www.theflourishingagency.com Greater Memphis Chamber: https://memphischamber.com [https://memphischamber.com]   🎙️ THIS MIC IS POWERED BY ORTHOSOUTH OrthoSouth provides world-class orthopedic care at 10 clinic locations across the Mid-South. Learn more at https://orthosouth.org [https://orthosouth.org]   📲 FOLLOW US @MemphisChamber on all social platforms   🔔 Subscribe to The Talk Chamber for the latest on the Chamber, economic development, and all things Memphis. If you enjoyed this episode, share it with a friend or colleague!

The Reel Deal with Princeton James

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. In this episode of The Talk Chamber, Princeton James, producer, director, writer, actor, and founder of Princeton James Productions,  talks about what he's building in Memphis and why he believes this city is fertile ground for a real, sustainable film industry. He shares what it was like to take Hoop Street to the American Black Film Festival and watch the theater sell out and he gets into what it's actually going to take — investment, infrastructure, a talent pipeline — to make sure Memphis tells its own stories, on its own terms. 🎙️ THIS EPISODE IS SPONSORED BY ORTHO SOUTH — orthoSouth.com   LINKS MENTIONED: 🔗 Princeton James Productions — princetonjamesproductions.com 🔗 Hoop Street on IMDb — imdb.com/title/tt36235232 🔗 American Black Film Festival — abff.com   🔔 Subscribe to The Talk Chamber for the latest on the Chamber, economic development, and all things Memphis.   📲 Follow us on social media @MemphisChamber

A Homegrown Cheerleader

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 devoted hometown cheerleaders. 🎙️ THIS EPISODE IS POWERED BY ORTHOSOUTH OrthoSouth provides world-class orthopedic care at clinic locations across the Mid-South. Learn more at https://orthosouth.org [https://orthosouth.org] 🔗 LINKS MENTIONED Interested in joining the Ambassador Program? Reach out to Terri directly: tbosby@memphischamber.com [tbosby@memphischamber.com] 📲 Follow us on social: @MemphisChamber 🔔 Subscribe to The Talk Chamber so you never miss an episode. If this one reminded you why Memphis is worth cheering for, share it with someone who needs to hear it.