Rob Carter Launches the Academy's MemphisConnect.com

Memphians were tweeting, texting, Facebooking, calling and just plain talking about the MemphisConnect.com launch party that took place March 24th. Nearly 200 city-shapers packed the Zone at the FedEx Institute of Technology to celebrate the debut of the community’s newest site. 

Developed by The Leadership Academy, MemphisConnect.com is a cutting edge online space where Memphians from Downtown, Midtown, Orange Mound, Germantown and beyond discuss what inspires them to make this city home. The site is a space to share pictures, videos, and real-life stories on topics from best school options to the best neighborhood pubs to the latest innovations driving our economy. Beyond that, the site also boasts a cornucopia of links that plug out-of-towners and locals alike into Memphis’ cultural and business scene.

Rob Carter, Executive V.P. of FedEx Information Services and CIO of FedEx Corporation, gave the keynote speech heralding MemphisConnect as a torchbearer for the “innovation and creativity…that tap back into the Memphis soul.” 

“It does my heart a great deal of good to be in a room where people are passionate about Memphis,” Carter continued. “It’s up to us—to MemphisConnect, to The Leadership Academy—to empower a new generation of leaders to speak up. We want people to say, ‘Wow, I’d give anything to go live in Memphis.’”

The launch party was a bona fide social media gala.  Eric Janssen, VP of Digital Media at The Commercial Appeal, tweeted that “the folks attending are the ‘Who’s Who’ of Memphis social Media. EVERYBODY is here!” 

Meka Egwuekwe, Sr. Software Architect at Lokion and Leadership Academy Fellow, said in the FIT, “This [resource] is an outstanding idea that’s long overdue for our wonderful city. I’m so excited I’m actually blogging directly to it right now.”

He added, “It’s a great gathering place for such diversity of viewpoints.  Not only that, it’s an opportunity to showcase Memphis diversity along racial lines, along gender lines, along economic lines, along neighborhood lines.”

Memphis’ “innovation and creativity” abounded at the launch after-party as the crowd was treated to top-notch local artistic talent. Steve Swift regaled and redeemed the crowd as Sister Myotis. Darius Wallace, Memphis actor and poet, recited in a bellowing base one of his poems.  Darlene Newman filled her canvass with a piece representing unity.  DJ Mr. White cued up music from local artists that, in keeping with the night’s theme, was primarily electronic. 

Zack Perry summed it all up with his tweet: “Great afterparty for memphisconnect. THE resource for connecting in Memphis.”

Click here to see our launch event pictures on Flickr, and read what James Dowd wrote about MemphisConnect.com in the Commercial Appeal.

See below for event highlights created by our immensely talented friends at LunaWeb.