The Talk Chamber

The DUX in Memphis with David Schuessler

David Schuessler has spent 27 years with Ducks Unlimited and 18 of them right here in Memphis, and on this episode of The Talk Chamber, he walks us through how the world's largest wetlands and waterfowl conservation organization ended up headquartered in the Bluff City. David also talks about what keeps Ducks Unlimited proud after 89 years, including its 33,000 volunteers and 2,600 local chapters nationwide. The conversation turns to DUX, the Ducks Unlimited Expo, the largest waterfowl-centered expo in the world, which returns to downtown Memphis July 31 through August 2. David talks about the event's growing economic impact downtown and this year's expanded footprint at the Renasant Convention Center.
 
🎙️ THIS MIC IS POWERED BY ORTHOSOUTHThis episode of The Talk Chamber is brought to you by OrthoSouth, proud partner of the Greater Memphis Chamber. Learn more at orthosouth.org.
 
🔗 LINKS MENTIONEDDUX, the Ducks Unlimited Expo: https://www.duckexpo.com/Ducks Unlimited: https://www.ducks.org
 
📲 FOLLOW USFollow @MemphisChamber on Instagram, X, and LinkedIn for more from the Greater Memphis Chamber.
 
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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 ORTHOSOUTHThis mic is powered by OrthoSouth — World-class orthopedic care across the Mid-South. Learn more at orthosouth.org.
🔗 LINKS MENTIONEDYouth Villages / Memphis Allies Initiative: https://www.youthvillages.orgJ.M. Smucker Company: https://www.jmsmucker.comMid-South Drug Testing: https://www.midsouthdrugtesting.comNext-Gen 10 Awards — Apply Now: https://memphischamber.com/membership/councils/young-professionals-council/next-gen-awards/
 
📲 FOLLOW USFollow @MemphisChamber on Instagram, X, and LinkedIn.
 
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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 ORTHOSOUTHWorld-class orthopedic care across the Mid-South. orthosouth.org
 
🔗 LINKS MENTIONEDSave the Harrold: savetheharrold.comBuilt4It Millington: built4itmillington.comNavy League of the United States: navyleague.orgU.S. Navy Memorial: navymemorial.orgCity of Millington: millingtontn.gov
 
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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
 
🎙️ 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
 
📲 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
🔗 LINKS MENTIONED
Interested in joining the Ambassador Program? Reach out to Terri directly: tbosby@memphischamber.com
📲 Follow us on social: @MemphisChamber
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The Benefit Memphis Employers Didn't Know They Could Afford with Raegan Le Douaron

What if your employees had access to a real doctor — same day, no waiting room shuffle, no surprise bill — for just $40 a month? That's exactly what ChamberCare makes possible for Greater Memphis Chamber members. In this episode, Taylor Ann sits down with Raegan Le Douaron, CEO and owner of WeCare tlc, the company behind ChamberCare's on-site primary care health centers.
Raegan breaks down how ChamberCare works as an employer-sponsored benefit: $40 per employee per month covers unlimited primary care access for the employee and every member of their household. That means urgent care visits, preventative screenings, and more, all personalized and in one place. What sets this model apart is the intentionality behind it.
Raegan calls it a return to the family doctor model. And in Memphis, it's already making an impact. ChamberCare is currently operating at the downtown Fogelman YMCA, with a second location coming to the Whitehaven YMCA this summer and a third on the way. It's a benefit built for businesses of all sizes — whether you already offer a health plan and want to reduce costs, or you're a small employer looking to offer your team something meaningful for the first time.
 
🎙️ 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
 
🔗 LINKS MENTIONED
Learn more about ChamberCare
We Care tlc
Greater Memphis Chamber
 
📲 Follow us on social: @MemphisChamber
 
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Leaders Producing Leaders with Cortney Richardson

What happens when a 10th grader walks into a meeting he wasn't invited to? In Cortney Richardson's case — a 20-year journey to the CEO seat of Peer Power Foundation. In this episode, host Taylor Ann Carpenter sits down with Cortney to talk about the model behind one of Memphis's most impactful education nonprofits, the workforce skills being built one success coach at a time, and what it truly takes to lead through uncertainty. Cortney Richardson is the CEO of Peer Power Foundation, a Memphis-based nonprofit that hires college students as "success coaches" and deploys them inside high school classrooms during the school day to provide tutoring and mentoring. Cortney has been part of Peer Power since its founding in 2004, when he joined as a 10th-grade student tutor at East High School — a meeting he wasn't even invited to. He is also a gospel singer, seminary-trained, and a lifelong Memphian committed to transforming public education and workforce readiness in his city. Under his leadership, Peer Power now employs 143 college success coaches across nine Memphis schools, operates a program in Louisville, Kentucky, and is expanding to LeMoyne-Owen College.
 
🎙️ THIS MIC IS POWERED BY ORTHO SOUTH OrthoSouth provides world-class orthopedic care at clinic locations across the Mid-South. Learn more at https://orthosouth.org
🔗 LINKS MENTIONED
Peer Power Foundation: https://www.peerpower.org
University of Memphis: https://www.memphis.edu
LeMoyne-Owen College: https://www.loc.edu
Greater Memphis Chamber: https://memphischamber.com
📲 FOLLOW US @MemphisChamber on all social platforms
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Small Business Spotlight with Marc Young and Melissa Todd

While Small Business Week may be over, the work of celebrating and supporting local businesses never stops. In this episode, host Taylor Ann sits down with two guests making a real impact in Memphis — Marc Young of Frame Corner and Melissa Todd of The Front Porch Memphis — to talk about community, creativity, and what it truly takes to build something that lasts.
Marc Young is the owner of Frame Corner, a custom framing shop near Park and Mendenhall that has been serving Memphis since 1975. A Central High School and Memphis College of Art graduate, Marc shares how Frame Corner has evolved over 50 years and why listening to your customers and staying flexible are the keys to longevity.
Melissa Todd is the executive director of The Front Porch Memphis, a brand-new community gathering space on the campus of Second Baptist Church at Perkins and Walnut Grove. Open to the public and interfaith, The Front Porch houses Second Helpings Cafe (in partnership with Sweet La La's), event and meeting spaces, grief counseling, therapists, tutors, and more. Melissa shares the story behind the $5 million capital campaign, the unique wind phone on the property, and how The Front Porch is tackling loneliness and building connection across Memphis.
🎙️ THIS MIC IS POWERED BY ORTHOSOUTHOrthoSouth provides world-class orthopedic care at 10 clinic locations across the Mid-South. Learn more at https://orthosouth.org
🔗 LINKS MENTIONEDFrame Corner: https://framecornermemphis.comThe Front Porch Memphis: https://thefrontporchmemphis.orgGreater Memphis Chamber: https://memphischamber.com
 
📲 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!

How Small Businesses Power Memphis with Patricia McKinney

In this episode, Patricia McKinney, Director of Small Business and Member Programming at the Greater Memphis Chamber, discusses Small Business Week (May 3–9), support for local businesses, upcoming events, and celebrating our local businesses. She highlights Chamber resources like the Small Business Development Center, the ACE focus (Advocate, Communicate, Educate), and how owners can get involved.