Phil Trenary had ‘a life well lived’
Phil Trenary would be the first to say that the momentum in Memphis cannot be deterred by his death, said Kevin Kane, president of the Memphis Convention and Visitors Bureau.
“Today is about celebration,” Kane said Thursday. “It’s about celebrating a life well lived. It’s about celebrating accomplishments that made a difference in his adopted hometown.”
Visitation and a funeral service for Trenary were held Thursday in the Seabrook Hall at Christ United Methodist Church. Kane and Carolyn Hardy, CEO of Chism Hardy Investments, spoke with the media prior to the visitation.
The service was scheduled to include readings and reflections by Barbara and Pitt Hyde, Hardy, Rabbi Micah Greenstein, Peter Hunt, Dr. Scott Morris of Church Health and Trenary’s sons and daughter.
Trenary, 64, was killed last week in a shooting on South Front Street near GE Patterson Avenue in Downtown Memphis. He was president and CEO of the Greater Memphis Chamber, which he led since 2014.
He had also been president and CEO of Pinnacle Airlines Corp. He founded Exec Express Airlines, which later became Lone Star Airlines, in Oklahoma in 1984. He came to Memphis in 1997 to run a regional airline that morphed into Pinnacle, a $1 billion, 7,700employee regional airline operator. After leaving Pinnacle, Trenary led EmergeMemphis, an incubator for entrepreneurs and startup businesses.
Hardy, who is also the previous chair of the chamber’s board and currently chairs the Chairman’s Circle, said Trenary led by example, taking on challenges that few in the community would face.
One example is when ServiceMaster decided to leave Memphis, she said. Trenary said the city could still strive to keep them.
“Phil would want his work to continue,” Hardy said. “He would not want us to look back and feel sorry for him or feel sorry for the situation. He would see that as a point in time. Phil would say that Memphis is still great and Memphis is still on the trajectory he was leading it. He would not want any of that momentum lost.”
Kane, who was a close friend to Trenary in addition to knowing him through business, said Trenary was “a fun guy” with an “infectious personality.” He enjoyed the outdoors, sports and music. He also was involved with many nonprofits in Memphis, caring deeply about art, business, civic organizations and the culture of the city.
“I think if Phil were here he’d say, ‘Hey guys, there’s still a lot of work to do, keep pressing on,’” Kane said. “That’s what we’re gonna do.”