Evolving innovation
New EmergeMemphis boss seeks to build collaboration
As the new leader of EmergeMemphis, Carlton Crothers has spent his first official week on the job becoming familiar with the organization’s framework and getting to know the faces behind the 37 companies housed at the Downtown business incubator.
Next step: Getting to know the entrepreneurial leaders in Shelby County.
Crothers, who arrived at EmergeMemphis after a year of management consulting with Innovation Ecosystem Design in Texas and six years leading a startup accelerator in Michigan, is the president and chief executive officer.
He wants to promote the local entrepreneurial ecosystem through collaboration and connectivity. He hopes to work with area organizations to maximize entrepreneurial resources and eliminate duplication of services that may dilute the effectiveness of some programs.
“I’m interested in evolving the innovation of our ecosystem. EmergeMemphis can’t operate as an island,” Crothers said. “There are so many resources in Memphis that other cities would love to have. It’s my job to convince community leaders to jump on the bandwagon so that all of us together can promote Memphis and Shelby County as an area of entrepreneurial excellence.”
That may mean sharing resources with other local facilities, Crothers explained.
For example, instead of Emerge applying for the same grants and funding as other local entrepreneurial organizations, Crothers would like to see them band together and seek larger amounts of funding for bigger projects. Similarly, he’d like to see more coordinated programming that will engage entrepreneurs, investors and mentors.
“From what I’ve heard, people work really well here in Memphis, and I think that’s a great foundation to build on,” Crothers said. “Instead of each organization always reaching out to philanthropic agencies or applying for federal dollars on their own and asking for nickel and dime amounts, I think there should be more cooperation where we apply for funding as a larger entity. That way, we can expand what we do and create a
larger impact on the community.”
If Crothers sounds like he has big ideas, that’s because he does. And his past performance indicates that he’s got the experience to implement those visions.
As CEO of the Michigan Tech Enterprise Corp. from 2005-2011, Crothers oversaw the launch of nearly three dozen technology startups that generated more than 300 new jobs for the community. He secured nearly $70 million in public and private investments for the organization and collaborated with a local university to create an entrepreneurial program that employed more than 200 engineering students.
“We have a lot of work ahead of us, but we’re excited to have someone of Carlton’s caliber leading us and helping advance entrepreneurship in our community,” said Scott Fountain, chairman of Emerge Memphis and senior vice president and chief development officer of 3,500-employee Baptist Memorial Health Care. “He has a fantastic track record, and it was obvious to us during the search process that he stood out above the crowd.”
Crothers also plans to use his corporate background in guiding EmergeMemphis.
Before joining the startup world, Crothers worked for Japanese conglomerate Mitsui & Co.’s Dallas-area office to develop and mar-
We have a lot of work ahead of us, but we’re excited to have someone of Carlton’s caliber leading us and helping advance entrepreneurship in our community.” Scott Fountain, chairman of
Emerge Memphis
ket emerging technologies. He said he believes that experience will serve him well in Memphis.
“I’ve been in technology commercialization for years, and I have a global perspective of what works,” Crothers said. “I’ve got extensive corporate experience and incubator experience, and EmergeMemphis is the perfect place for me to use all of it.”
Former Pinnacle Airlines chief executive officer Phil Trenary, who served as a consultant during the search for the organization’s new leader, said he is thrilled with the board’s choice.
“Carlton has proved that he can take a small operation and turn it into a multimillion-dollar operation that creates jobs,” Trenary said. “If he could do that in an area that’s smaller than Memphis and had fewer resources than we have, I’m confident that he’ll do even greater things here.”