The Urban League of Greater Chattanooga, Comcast and UPS will bring the Fourth Annual Entrepreneur Power Luncheon to Chattanooga’s business community on Tuesday, April 26, at 11:30 a.m. at the Chattanoogan Hotel.
The event will feature pioneer businesswoman Carolyn Hardy, while celebrating the Scenic City’s ongoing entrepreneurial growth. Ms. Hardy is the CEO of Chism Hardy Investments LLC and Henderson Transloading Services, as well as the first African-American female to be inducted into the Society of Entrepreneurs—a Memphis-based organization geared toward fostering the development of an entrepreneurial spirit in the state.
“Carolyn Hardy has lived a life that is meant to be shared.
We are thrilled to welcome her to this year’s event to talk about her extraordinary achievements and, in turn, inspire others in the community to pursue their dreams and lay down their own road maps to success,” said Warren E. Logan, Jr., president and CEO of the Urban League of Greater Chattanooga. “We greatly appreciate the local sponsors who are making this momentous occasion for greater inspiration, growth and connection possible.”
A Memphis native, Ms. Hardy has been described as a “trailblazer” in the many non-traditional jobs she has pursued throughout her career. The first African-American female plant manager of The J.M. Smucker Company, Ms. Hardy was also named the first African-American female vice president of a major brewery, Coors Brewing Company. Additionally, Ms. Hardy is the founder of Chism Hardy Investments LLC, which purchases and develops real estate for companies servicing the rail industry. Chism Hardy Investments is now the largest owner of container depots in the Memphis market.
With a heart for filling in service gaps within the community, Ms. Hardy in 2012 closely analyzed the needs of the Memphis market to unearth new service opportunities, which ultimately led to the creation of Henderson Transloading Services. The company transloads grain and lumber from Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi and Missouri, and it has become the largest grain transloader in the Memphis market with plans to expand its service offerings even further in 2016.
“Life is a journey that is full of choices. Many of the choices that I made have been to take the road less traveled, which has come with its share of obstacles. However, it is how you react, readjust, and move forward that determines, at the end of that road, whether you are victorious,” said Ms. Hardy.
The seventh of sixteen children, Ms. Hardy attributes her competitive, entrepreneurial spirit to her upbringing in a full house in Memphis. She graduated from the University of Memphis, where she received both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in business administration. Since then, she has also earned her certification as a certified public accountant.
The Urban League of Greater Chattanooga thanks the following companies for their key partnerships in April’s event: UPS, Comcast, EPB, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Tennessee, City of Chattanooga, Unum, Chattanooga Chamber of Commerce, SunTrust, Brewer Media and Waterhouse Public Relations.
For more sponsorship information or tickets, visit
www.ulchatt.net or call 423-756-1762.