The link to the commercial appeal article is found here.

“Our organization’s mission is to provide value added services to our members that will positively impact their growth, accelerate the successful development of member companies, springboard high technology education programs and recruit new companies and talent to Memphis,” Scott Fountain, chairman of EmergeMemphis and senior vice president/chief development officer of Baptist Memorial Health Care, said. “Our board is thrilled to attract Carlton to Memphis, especially given his proven track record of job creation.”

In the last few years in Michigan in a similar role, a few of Crothers accomplishments included: creating 34 new technology companies bringing 309 new jobs, attracting Fortune 100 companies including GE, FORD, and Dematic with $68.5 million in public/private investments, developing a successful new job creation program for university students called Fortune 500 that hired 218 engineering students and achieving double-digit job growth year-after-year during a recession.

Steve Bares, president and executive director of the Memphis Bioworks Foundation, has been a supporter of EmergeMemphis from the beginning and is looking forward to working with Crothers in his new role.

“The measurable goals of EmergeMemphis generate wealth and economic stimulus into the Mid-South economy,” Bares said. “In addition, they seek to assist emerging businesses that are not resident in the building through our many programs aimed at assisting entrepreneurs succeed.”

Phil Trenary, the former CEO of Pinnacle Airlines, was the consultant who led the effort to hire the top candidate for the position.

“We looked both locally and nationally with the help of the National Business Incubation Association,” Trenary said. “Carlton Crothers credentials and experience will be invaluable to our organization and to Memphis. We were fortunate to attract superior candidates from Memphis and across the nation. Carlton’s leadership will have a positive impact on developing companies in the Mid-South that provide good jobs in the fields most important to the economic growth of our community and our nation.”

EmergeMemphis also strives to provide both a high quality physical infrastructure and shared office services along with the intangible benefits of consulting, mentoring, networking in an energetic, creative environment. Mayor AC Wharton sees the benefits of EmergeMemphis as immeasurable for the city.

“This is one of the key reasons we chose to house the Mayors Innovation Delivery Team at EmergeMemphis,” Wharton explained.

EmergeMemphis is a business and technology incubator with the goal of helping high-growth start-ups and early stage companies become self-sustaining.  They do this by strategically aligning entrepreneurs with various resources, a compelling environment, and mentors that when combined help ensure the success of the participating companies.  Emerge operates as a 501-c-3, but plays a unique and critical roll bridging the public and private sectors. Emerge Memphis was formed in 2001 and serves as an incubator for high-growth companies.  While this often means technology-based business models, Emerge also seeks companies across a wide range of industries and models.  Emerge operates from a renovated, historic property in downtown Memphis with 35,000 square feet of tenant space.  Today, 37 companies as well as FedEx’s Innovation Lab are resident at Emerge across a variety of industries.

“This is exciting for me because I am truly passionate about working with innovative, bright young talent and my operational and strategic experience is something I can bring to help in this effort,” said Trenary.

Rather than employ a search firm, the Board felt strongly that having Trenary on tap to assist would add extra value.

“Phil is a natural fit for what we need. We had a successful 2012 filling the building with new members, redefining our mission and hosting a helpful interim team in Eric Mathews,” said Scott Fountain, Chairman of the Board of Emerge. “Phil will certainly serve as a valuable resource to the entire EmergeMemphis community,” Fountain added.

Trenary’s role will be to provide executive leadership and mentorship, oversight on new initiatives, assistance with strategic objectives in place and helping to identify and hire the permanent executive director that will help bring EmergeMemphis into the future of entrepreneurship.

The organization has adopted a strategic new vision, improved member amenities, added new member companies and welcomed FedEx Labs to a renewed commitment to the organization and what it does for the community. Recently, Emerge completed upgrades to the building and has plans to host community events on the new rooftop, as well as the meeting and conference spaces within the facility.

About EmergeMemphis

EmergeMemphis is a business and technology incubator that helps high-growth start- ups and early stage companies become self-sustaining by strategically aligning entrepreneurs with the various resources, a compelling environment, and mentors that combined, helps ensure the success of their companies.

MEMPHIS TN, & EVERYWHERE ELSE- “everywhereelse.co The Startup Conference” has been announced for Sunday February 10, 2013 through Tuesday February 12, 2013 and has already attracted an all star line up of speakers, panelists, investors, startups and entrepreneurs.  The conference will take place in the heart of beautiful Memphis Tennessee at the World Famous Peabody Hotel.

The three day conference will feature over 30 panels, keynote addresses, roundtable and fireside chats geared towards the challenges that entrepreneurs, startups and even investors face outside Silicon Valley. The conference will also include three signature networking events as well as a three day startup exhibition featuring 100 startups from “everywhere else”. Startups from every stretch of the country, and as far away as Israel and Romania have already committed to exhibit in the Startup Village.

Startup America CEO and founding CTO of Priceline Scott Case will keynote at the event. Best selling author and motivational speaker Tracy Myers, along with Grammy award winning hip hop artist and startup investor Chamillionaire, will also speak at the event.

Startups, startup founders, accelerator heads and investors will round out three fun filled and educational days in Memphis Tennessee on topics ranging from “raising money everywhere else”, “what I learned in an accelerator”, “what investors outside the valley expect”, “startups: life after hip hop, music and sports”, “kick ass female founders from everywhere else” and more.

There will also be three startup pitch contests with finals taking place at the conference; “The Best of Everywhere Else”, “The Startup Village People Awards” and the “Top of Tennessee” startup pitch contests will have their finals take place at the conference in front of a panel of well known angels, VC’s and celebrities.  With the three startup contests over $100,000 in cash and prizes will be given away.

The Best Of Everywhere Else contest will begin with video pitches on November 1, 2012.

The Top Of Tennessee pitch contest will be open to startups throughout the state of Tennessee and will begin during Global Entrepreneurship Week.

In the Startup Village People Awards, Startup Village companies will compete for $25,000 in cash and prizes by audience participation vote via the official conference app.

“everywhereelse.co The Startup Conference” has made both exhibiting and attending affordable for even the boot-strapping startup from “everywhere else”. Attendee tickets are $60 with an early bird rate of $39 for all three days. Startup Village booths are $480 with a few $295 pre-sale booth spaces still available. An earlybird rate for Startup Village booths of $350 will continue through October 31st.

Keep up the great work!

Over the past fifty years, nearly all academic papers on conducting business interviews support the use of structure and a behavior-based approach. In more specific terms, this means using prepared questions about past events, and fishing for details.

Asking the Right Questions

A very poor question might go something like, “What do you think are some of your weaknesses?” Most interviewees will be able to B.S. their way through a question like that. In contrast, “Could you tell me about an example in which you worked with other employees to fix a problem?” forces a more direct answer. Be sure to take note of specific details like a name, time, place, or number. If the interviewee doesn’t readily give you specific details, try to probe with follow-up questions.

 Observing the Interviewee’s Behavior

After you ask a question, the candidate will likely break eye contact and look off to the side. This is GOOD! It means you asked a question that has caused them to think. Preventing the candidate from using canned responses is one of the goals of behavior-based interviews.

Tolerating Silence

As an interviewer, you should be completely comfortable tolerating silence. After a good, detail-oriented question, an interviewee may take an extended period of time trying to think of an answer. Instead of helping him along or looking impatient, give him or her time to think. It’s far better to wait for a well thought out answer than force a half baked one.

Preparation and Creating a System

In addition to the basic ideas above, Dr. Green stressed the importance of good planning. He advocated using prepared questions organized by competencies related to the open position. Based on the interviewee’s answers, the interviewer can later assign ratings to the candidate for each competency. Systematizing the interview process beforehand allows each interview to proceed smoothly and be highly useful in comparing potential hires.

The structured behavioral interview may take a little more time to prepare for and execute, but it will certainly be worth the investment. Quality hires can dramatically improve your company’s efficiency and results, while mediocre employees will create far more work for you in the long run!

If you are interested in having Dr. Green speak or simply want more information, you can contact him using the information below:

Paul C. Green, Ph.D.
Author, Trainer, Consultant
505 Tennessee St. #514
Memphis, TN 38103
901-312-8852
paulcgreen@earthlink.net

Thanks to Apryl Childs-Potter (Hyphen Market Services) for this analogy.  Apryl is a pretty serious cyclist, often going on rides with other cyclists.  When riding one has to see the glass in the road, and all riders are encouraged and supported for shouting out about some glass in the road, because it helps everyone else in the pack to avoid it and the flat tires that come with it.

Great organizations like it when someone notices and shouts out about the obstacles and problems they are encountering.  They bring these “hassles” to the table and discuss how to solve them, without shooting the messenger who identifies the hassle.  They see the hassles and the people shouting out about them as contributions and contributors.

In-Synk has been working with a select group of Emerge member companies as well as Seed Hatchery 2012 teams, using both Gazelles methodologies and Lean Startup principles to help these companies develop one page business strategies and BHAGs (big, hairy, audacious goals).

“They all have something good figured out, but the tension of making it happen is immense.  I think they all feel more in control of what will happen with their ideas,” said Synk of his work with these teams. “I’m providing the proper amount of structure, the amount that sets them free.”