For a decade, Inside Memphis Business has celebrated CEOs of the Year, recognizing visionaries and executives who go above and beyond to elevate both their companies and their community. Historically, we have selected four winners based on company size, and honored them at a sponsored awards breakfast where each CEO would speak.
Last year, the Covid-19 pandemic forced a rethink. With a live event out of the question, it afforded us an opportunity to revise our format and try something new. And at the time, there was no better choice than to honor all the major Memphis-area hospital CEOs for their sterling work combating the largest public health crisis in years. While last year’s virtual panel was a resounding success, we are pleased to announce that we are able to once again host our annual awards breakfast at the Memphis Botanic Garden on March 1st.
But view it as a fresh start instead of a return to the old format. Throughout our nomination and selection process, we received plenty of outstanding candidates and top quality executives who didn’t neatly fit into our former categorization by employee count. Instead, we took the opportunity to reconsider our process again. This year, we are featuring five total CEOs who have demonstrated outstanding leadership and overcome the serious challenges facing their diverse industries.
Kevin Dean at Momentum Nonprofit Partners stepped up as an industry focal point when nonprofits needed someone to turn to. Beverly Robertson at the Greater Memphis Chamber continues her effortless campaign to create economic prosperity for everyone in Memphis. Lauren McHugh Robinson at Huey’s adapted early and made sure that every single one of her employees had a job throughout the pandemic. Troy Watson at ServiceMaster Facilities Maintenance took on more jobs than ever before, making sure that his clients could return to a clean and sanitized workspace without fear of illness. And Patrick Lawler at Youth Villages made sure his team of 3,000+ helped a record number of kids during tough times.
All of our 2022 CEO of the Year winners have done an exceptional job, and we hope to see you at 7:30 a.m. on March 1st to hear from them and to celebrate all they’ve done for Memphis. Those interested can buy tickets at bit.ly/ceo2022. In the meantime, enjoy our winners’ stories in the profiles featured here. After all, their success is Memphis’ success.
