Entrepreneurial Insights

SweetBio is a great entrepreneurial story. Let’s meet Kayla Rodriguez Graff and Isaac Rodriguez, Co-Founders of SweetBio, who are revolutionizing wound care with collagen + honey products, starting in dermatology with skin cancer removal recovery. Kayla Rodriguez Graff, MBA, CEO, is a dynamic leader in healthcare and wound care industries, driving fundraising and advocating for women, diversity, and life sciences. She has been featured in Forbes, Inc. Magazine, and national TV commercials. Isaac Rodriguez, PhD, Chief Science Officer, brings 15 years of expertise in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. He has been recognized as Memphis' Top 40 Under 40 and a Top 10 Alumni by his alma mater.

The Society of Entrepreneurs and Epicenter recently launched What’s Next, a series of lunches featuring new and exciting businesses in the Memphis area. This podcast was recorded during the founder of Avadain Brad Larschan’s, recent What’s Next presentation.

Josh Poag serves as the President and Chief Executive Officer at Poag, a position he has held since its formation in 2014. He was previously President and CEO of Poag & McEwen Shopping Center from 2009 until 2014.

With over 20 years of experience in the lifestyle center industry, Josh has worked on all facets of the business. Josh has previously served as Executive Vice President- Chief Operating Officer, Executive Vice President- Chief Financial Officer, Vice President- Development, Development Manager, Project Manager, and Leasing Manager. Before joining Poag’s predecessor, Josh was a financial analyst and engineer.

In his role as President and CEO, Josh manages the executive team, oversees key partnerships and runs the day-to-day operations of the company. Josh’s strengths lie in generating new business and establishing corporate vision and direction for the company. Josh is focused on creating unique projects that provide an experiential environment for customers to shop, eat and be entertained. Josh is attuned to the future of the lifestyle center industry and how it is adapting to the rapidly changing world. He ensures that Poag is creating multidimensional properties that function as the core of the community in which they are located.

Josh is a member is ICSC, serves on the Platinum Commercial and Retail Development Council of ULI, and is Chairman of the Board of Community LIFT, a non-profit organization that strives to accelerate revitalization in neighborhoods across Memphis. Josh was named one of the 40 under 40 by the Memphis Business Journal. Josh earned his Bachelor of Science in Engineering from Princeton University in Chemical Engineering.

The Society of Entrepreneurs and Epicenter recently launched What’s Next, a series of lunches featuring new and exciting businesses in the Memphis area. This podcast was recorded during the founder of Avadain Brad Larschan’s, recent What’s Next presentation.

Avadain is at the forefront of nanotech, with the only known technology capable of manufacturing the world’s most highly sought-after advanced material – large, thin, and nearly defect-free (LTDF) graphene flakes. LTDF graphene flakes are the strongest, lightest, most electrically and thermally conductive material ever discovered. It is an additive material; adding a tiny amount can transform hundreds of billions of dollars of high-value products.

The Wall Street Journal calls graphene “An impending turning point in high tech as important as silicon….” 

The New Yorker says “Graphene may be the most remarkable substance ever discovered.” 

We hope that you will enjoy this episode with Brad Larschan, as he shares how this atomic scale material that won the 2010 Nobel Prize for Physics will soon touch the lives of almost every person, every day.

Robert G. McEniry is retired Chairman of nexAir, an 83-year multi-generational company with headquarters in Memphis, TN. nexAir, founded in 1940 as Standard Welders Supply, was purchased by his father in 1950. Bob worked summers at the company during high school and college. Graduating from Vanderbilt University, Bob formally joined the company in 1963. He became President of the company in July 1971 and Chairman/CEO in 1996. Under his leadership, Bob guided the company and growth, which included acquisitions, mergers, start-ups, and joint ventures. During his 60 years with the company, revenues and geographical reach grew substantially. Bob’s son Kevin took over the company as CEO in 2007 developing the company to an industry powerhouse. When sold in 2023, the company had over 75 locations and 725 employees, one of the largest in the industry.

Meet the founder of Nutt Bio, a devoted dog mom and seasoned biomedical scientist with 25 years of expertise in unraveling the intricacies of cancer cell demise. She's on a mission to revolutionize the approach to addressing boar taint in piglets by replacing cumbersome procedures with a user-friendly single-injection sterilant. Drawing from her cancer cell research, she identified a delicate balance in metabolite concentrations influencing cell fate and strategically leveraged the external location of the testis for precise drug targeting. The drug she developed permanently eliminates boar taint, and when administered through a purpose-designed medical device, not only minimizes exposure risks but also signifies a significant leap forward in improving the welfare of piglets.

Are you in the top 20% or the top 2%? Lipscomb & Pitts Insurance Managing Partner Johnny Pitts, a Higginbotham Partner and founder of CityCURRENT, explores how you can rise into the top 2% in all of your endeavors. As a born and raised Memphian, Johnny is very passionate about enriching, engaging, and impacting the community. We hope that you enjoy this conversation about Johnny’s entrepreneurial journey and passion for “powering the good”.

David Wedaman is the Founder and Former CEO at Re Transportation. He attended The University of Memphis.

In 2002, David Wedaman and a handful of employees started ReTrans. ReTrans is an intermodal marketing company that moves freight throughout the United States, with it’s primary focus on intermodal transportation. David’s charitable work includes, but is not limited to: Board of Directors of Lifeblood Foundation; Advisory Board for Catholic High; Past Chairman of the Intermodal Association of North America; Past Board member of Youth Villages; Board of Directors for CMUST, Catholic Memphis Urban School Trust (the Financial Board that manages the foundation which was established to fund the Jubilee Schools and the Board of Directors for the BlueStreak Scholarship Fund which is a more “grass roots” fundraising group which funds scholarships of the Jubilee Schools.

Susan Stephenson is a passionate Memphian, proud mom of four, and grandmother of 12 perfect grandchildren. This is her 44th year in banking—the last 25 years at independent bank (i-bank) the company her partner and she founded in 1998. She serves on several local boards, including the Women’s Foundation for a Greater Memphis, and New Memphis Institute, and is the current President of the Society of Entrepreneurs.

The Society of Entrepreneurs and Epicenter Memphis recently presented “Protecting Your Brand”, a panel on harnessing your skills to bring the best product to your customer while also knowing when to say no to protect the integrity of your brand. This panel features Susan Stephenson of Independent Bank, Shannon Briggs of Campfire Collective, Lisa Toro of City & State, Bartholomew Jones of Cxffeeblack, and our moderator Mike Bruns, retired Founder of Comtrak Logistics. We hope that you will enjoy this podcast featuring this very informative presentation.

Susan Stephenson is a passionate Memphian, proud mom of four and grandmother of 12 perfect grandchildren. This is her 44th year in banking—the last 25 years at independent bank (i-bank) the company her partner and she founded in 1998.  She serves on several local boards, including the Women’s Foundation for a Greater Memphis, New Memphis Institute, and is the current President of the Society of Entrepreneurs.

Shannon Briggs is the founder and head trailblazer for Campfire Collective, a Memphis-based agency that specializes in igniting marketing and public relations campaigns for community-based organizations. Shannon serves on the board of the DeNeuville Learning Center for Women, Shelby County Drug Court Foundation, and East Buntyn ArtWalk. She is a graduate of Leadership Memphis and is an active member of the Greater Memphis Chamber ambassador program, The Society of Entrepreneurs Insights Group, and PRSA Memphis. Additionally, she was named the "2022 PR Executive of the Year" by PRSA Memphis and is a member of the 2023 Memphis Business Journal's 40 Under 40 class. 

With over 20 years of experience and expertise in brand development and digital marketing, Lisa Toro has helped numerous organizations and businesses, including her own, craft their unique brand identities. Her expertise lies in developing comprehensive strategies that go beyond aesthetics and logos, delving deep into the essence of a brand and its authentic expression.

In addition to her professional achievements, Lisa is deeply committed to giving back to her community. She actively mentors aspiring entrepreneurs, helping them develop their skills and nurturing the next generation of small businesses. Her dedication to fostering growth and empowering others has earned her respect and admiration from fellow business owners and mentees alike.

Bartholomew Jones is an educator, emcee, avid coffee nerd, and native Memphian. He is also the co-founder of cxffeeblack, a renowned thought leader in matters regarding the African origins and diasporic future of coffee, and a key creative disruptor within the specialty coffee industry. 

Bartholomew Jones, along with his wife Renata, intended to reinstate the origin, purpose, and integrity of cxffee through the knowledge of its Black history and being a part of its Black future, creating Cxffeeblack. As the movement, Cxffeblack, continues to press forward to educate community about the history of cxffee through the lens of Blackness; it also seeks to inspire the uniqueness, authenticity, and future of Black people.

Links to items mentioned in the interview:

Independent Bank

Campfire Collective

City and State

Cxffeeblack

Mike Bruns

Society of Entrepreneurs 

Epicenter