Roy Exum
So here we are, still a month away from summer, and what a spring-of-change this has been. Scotty Probasco, our greatest cheerleader who caused more to happen in our city than anyone in recent memory, is gone and some of our other great leaders are on canes or riding in wheelchairs. Pete Cooper, a wonderful servant of the people at the Community Foundation, is retiring and so is Eva Dillard, whose hand on the tiller of United Way has inspired us to be one of the most philanthropic cities in the country.
Great golly, you’d think that we ain’t got a cut dog’s chance and that things will get worse before they get better. Our schools, candidly, are in a tragic state-of-repair and our inner city is pleading for the savior that can stop the worse disease imaginable – generational poverty. The Violence Reduction Task Force, or whatever it is called, looked good on paper and made a nice photo-op but, please, pull the plug on this colossal failure. It is time to cease the liberal rhetoric and clear the police blotter with hard-fisted justice.
But, cheer up, my friend. There are glad tidings! I was on the back row of a huge luncheon at the Convention Center on Friday and watched the 2015 class of Leadership Chattanooga be recognized as our tomorrow. There are 40 of the most diverse people you can find. A librarian and a cop, a banker and a teacher, white and black. Blend them together because each wanted very badly to be included, and there is a way they can literally change our skyline.
Impressed? You bet! They spilt into teams of eight and, over the past nine months, they accomplished five no-nonsense projects not a one will ever forget. Sponsored by the Chattanooga Chamber of Commerce, I have an altogether different view of the program than I first witnessed in the early years.
The networking, comradery, and teamwork found in a Leadership Chattanooga class is a given but these people are now enriched with the ability to listen to one another, to respect other’s opinions, and to understand if our community could only come together as they have, Volvo might well have come here instead of picking South Carolina earlier this week.
Wallethub, a respected online source, just picked Chattanooga as the fourth-best place to start a business. Shreveport, Tulsa and Springfield (Mo.) were ahead of us but that isn’t what’s important – Birmingham was 15th, Nashville was 20th, Knoxville was No. 32 and Atlanta ranked 70. I believe a big reason for that is because we have had over 1,000 of our best and brightest advance through the program.
The graduating class went to Nashville, not as tourists but to actually talk to our legislators and the governor himself. The police department put on a dramatic show and then, after putting protective helmets on rapt pupils, let them have a hand-on “shoot or don’t shoot” experience. None of these people would have ever gotten to do that without a nudge. And Chief Fred Fletcher let each “ride along” with an officer on patrol. That’s how people learn about real life.
Then there is the bumble-bee effect. Because of what each learned, they take that pollen back to where they work and they share it, making new flowers grow to the delight of the employers who are just as sure as I am this is a great way to prepare for tomorrow.
The banquet also recognized the YCAP Protégé program, where sadly only seven young professionals benefited from what is a genius stroke. Also a nine-month program, the group meets with a different mentor every month and the older, accomplished leader talks about life’s lessons and pitfalls. Actually the younger professionals are encouraged to ask the different mentors anything that they might use to better their future.
In candor, the Protégé program needs polishing and whoever runs it needs stronger mentors, although people like Rev. Bernie Miller, Judge Christie Sell and politician Bo Watson are so talented that just seven pairs of ears to listen is a travesty. My goodness, new Chamber head Bill Kilbride would probably be the strongest of any available mentor in Chattanooga. Are you kidding me?
Seriously, Kilbride is working wonders with the Chamber of Commerce, so much so some members are calling it the “new” Chamber. Friday’s luncheon was a sellout but the biggest thing is the promise of what the Leadership Chattanooga classes will return to the community is phenomenal.
So don’t worry. We’ve been blessed with great leadership and, while Pete Cooper and Eva Dillard will be hard to replace, it is increasingly obvious that Chattanooga has learned how to cultivate the leaders of tomorrow. We simply reload.
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Chattanooga can take a huge step against racism and disparity on June 24, 2015, when the Chamber, partnering with Blue Cross-Blue Shield of Tennessee, will present “Diversify 2015” at the Convention Center. Janice Bryant Howroyd, the first African-American female to a company valued at over one billion (with a “b”) dollars, will be the keynote speaker. For more information contact Events Coordinator Kaia Gober at 423/763-4357.
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To learn more about the Chattanooga Chamber of Commerce and why any area business owner is a dummy not to take advantage of a membership, call Sandra Brewer, Vice President of Member-Investor Services at 423/763-4346 or go to www.chattanoogachamber.com
royexum@aol.com