andy j. pizza

creative pep talk

Andy J. Pizza is an illustrator.

Sometimes he uses pictures. Like in his kid’s books, comics and client work for the likes of The New York Times, Apple or Nickelodeon.

Sometimes he uses words. Like when he’s making his podcast Creative Pep Talk. CPT consists of monologues on building a thriving creative practice and conversations with creative powerhouses like Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Abbi Jacobson and Morgan Harper Nichols.

His favorite way to illustrate ideas is with analogies and stories on stage. Andy’s style of public speaking is one part TED Talk, one part one man show — with a sprinkle of stand up comedy. His friends call this new art form Laydown Tragedy ( 😆) - because it’s the opposite of stand up comedy, in that instead of shooting for laughs, they aim for tears!

Allie Mounce & Clare Freeman

Pretty Useful Co.

Allie Mounce and Clare Freeman founded Pretty Useful Co. as a small goods brand in 2016, and now run it as a creative studio of three creating award-winning branding, illustration, interactive and motion design for national clients in addition to making and selling their own products.

Jarius Bu$h

Good guy collective

Jarius Bush is a hip-hop artist, entrepreneur, and co-founder of the Good Guy Collective. Born and raised in Knoxville, TN where he found his passion for music and art at an early age. He’s an avid practitioner of Hip Hop's core principles, Bush aims to spread peace, fun, love, and unity throughout the soundscape he composes, while at the same time, never refusing to shy away from speaking on the harsh truths in his lyrics. Growing up as the youngest of three siblings in a middle-class household, he took note of how his parents utilized belief, creativity, and innovation to provide for the family. This translated into 'the tools of survival' in his mind and these same qualities are what he applies to his approach to music and his role as the artistic director of the Good Guy Collective.

Amelia Bartlett

Amelia Bartlett, Business Strategist & Community Weaver

Amelia Bartlett is a neurodistinct business architect and community weaver in Knoxville, TN. She also teaches accessible workshops on strategic planning and systems implementation for entrepreneurs. There's a lot more than meets the eye so if you're curious, your best bet is to sit down together over coffee.

booth andrews

The Booth Andrews Company

Booth Andrews is a public speaker, entrepreneur, lawyer, strategist, business mentor and consultant who holds a vision for what people, organizations, and communities can become. She is the Founder and CEO of The Booth Andrews Company, LLC which helps build individual and organizational well-being for sustainability and impact. Booth is also Of Counsel at Morehous Legal Group where she works primarily with start-ups and not-for-profit organizations; trainer and consultant for the Alliance for Better Nonprofits; and a leader and mentor for the Women in Entrepreneurship Knoxville group, a program of the Knoxville Entrepreneur Center.

You can also hear Booth on the Freedom from Empty podcast, available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and Audible or follow her on Facebook and Instagram @theboothandrews.

lindsay brine

lindsay brine design

Throughout her career as a designer, creative director, and strategist, Lindsay Brine has been a leader in the creative and business community. She is formerly the Creative Director at nationally recognized advertising firm Designsensory where her areas of expertise include account planning, integrated marketing strategy, branding, interactive and print design. In 2020, Lindsay was inducted into the American Advertising Federation’s Hall of Fame for her career of excellence in advertising. She earned a bachelor's degree in Graphic Design from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville (UTK), and holds a minor in Studio Art with a concentration in drawing. Currently, she is pursuing an M.F.A. in Service Design at Savannah College of Art and Design to broaden her knowledge of applying design thinking to organizational structures to help foster innovation. She also teaches Graphic Design for User Experience at Radford University. Lindsay's work has been featured in Print, Graphic Design USA and How magazines, the LogoLounge book series, and in exhibits at the 1010, Downtown and IronWood galleries. She has won Best of Show Overall, Best of Branding, Best of Website, Best of Out of Home, Best of Print, Best of Cross Platform, Best of Interactive in addition to various Judges Choice, Gold and Silver ADDY® Awards. Her work is archived at the Memphis College of Art as part of the juried AIGA Ten Show. Lindsay is also a former president of AIGA Knoxville.

LEANNE McQUEEN

McQueen Pottery

I try to make work that is successful in several ways: comfortable to use, enjoyable to look at, and interesting to think about. I strive for the work to be clean, classic, and timeless. The handformed pieces are simple with a modern shape and a fresh look. We want the meal that you took hours to prepare plated on dishware that has the same amount of thought and love into it.

MEREDITH TIZEDES

Blackberry Farm

Meredith Tizedes is director of retail for Blackberry Farm, one of the most celebrated small luxury resorts in the world. Her extensive understanding of upscale consumers, international markets, and current trends in retail help Blackberry Farm to consistently bring high-quality crafted maker goods to their audiences all over the world.

ERIKA BIDDIX

Aught Entrepreneurs

Erika Biddix is an entrepreneur, managing two businesses, three overly confident children, a professor husband, two dogs, and a fish. She firmly believes that it’s never too late to discover your purpose, that women can do anything at all and that the power of community can create magic.

Her passion project turned full-size business is Aught, a company helping women to redefine entrepreneurship. With coworking offices, retreats and business coaching, Aught is on a mission to change lives and local communities through female entrepreneurship.

MARTHA WEEKS

JAM CAMP Communications and University of Tennessee

Martha Weeks believes everybody has a story to tell, and she helps them tell theirs. Martha is a coach and lecturer at the Haslam College of Business at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. She spent twelve years coaching MBA and executive education students at Stanford Business School. She has worked with clients on TEDx talks and hundreds of business, technical, and medical presentations as a speechwriter and coach.

Since 1993, Martha has provided services to Fortune 100 organizations, including Google, Microsoft, and Volkswagen America, as well as numerous start-up companies. She leads workshops and coaches executives, physicians, engineers, and entrepreneurs on telling great stories.

Martha earned an MBA from the University of California-Berkeley and a BA in mathematics from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville. She serves on the board of the University of Tennessee’s College of Nursing. She dabbles in collage and other paper art.

SUE MALONE

Strategies For Small Business

Sue Malone is the founder and CEO of Strategies for Small Business--where the focus is on starting and expanding businesses. Over the course of nineteen years, Sue has been responsible for funding over 40,000 businesses, with an emphasis on women, minority, veteran and underserved communities. Sue sits on several national boards focused on entrepreneurship and inclusion. Sue is the President and CEO of the on-line company National Lien Law, which helps contractors across the nation with easy and cost-efficient mechanic’s lien forms. Plus, she helped author several a new loan and equity programs for small businesses. In addition, she makes sure small business voices are not forgotten in Washington DC.

DAVID HARMAN

Native Maps

David is the owner/founder of Native Maps, and he has been selling his work online for over 10 years. He came to Knoxville for art school, and he stayed for the community.

As an artist-turned-entrepreneur, David loves advocating for makers and small businesses. He helped found The Maker City, he coaches through the KEC, and he currently runs a studio building full of makers in Fourth and Gill.

BAILEY FOSTER

Real Good Kitchen

Bailey Foster is the founder of Real Good Kitchen, a shared commercial kitchen and food business incubator. She believes in the power of food to build community, break down barriers and make lasting change.

A Knoxville native, Bailey spent more than 20 years away, in North Carolina, New York and San Francisco, where she worked in book publishing, retail grocery, and consulting and software development, while eating all the food and exploring food cultures from around the world.

When Bailey returned to Knoxville in 2013 she found a thriving downtown scene and a growing local food and beverage culture. Drawing on the work of other shared kitchens, she conceived of Real Good Kitchen as a facility and a community that would make it possible for more people to build successful food businesses.

Bailey is an avid home cook, vegetable lover and dedicated food geek. She loves hosting meals for family and friends. She currently serves as the President of the Friends of the Knox County Public Library and as Secretary of the Knoxville-Knox County Food Policy Council.

ASHTON LUDDEN

Relay Ridge: Collaborative Artist Space

Ashton Ludden is an artist and educator with specialization in hand-engraving, printmaking, and sign painting. She received her BFA in Engraving Arts and Printmaking from Emporia State University in 2009, and her MFA in Printmaking from the University of Tennessee in 2013. She is the co-founder and an active artist of Relay Ridge Collaborative Artist Space, a teacher of printmaking at Knoxville’s Community School of the Arts, and recently retired as the lead sign artist for Knoxville’s Trader Joe’s. Ludden is also the 2D Coordinator for the Spring Pentaculum Artist Residency at Arrowmont School of Arts & Crafts and teaches various workshops throughout the region. When she’s not in the studio, you’ll likely find her hiking with her dogs in the Cumberland Plateau, working and laughing with her partner Andrew, or napping with her cat in the sun.

Haseeb Qureshi

Forthlaw PLLC

Haseeb Qureshi (HQ) is a licensed attorney who regularly consults and advises startups, entrepreneurs, and business owners throughout the region. Having been on the business and entrepreneurial side, HQ is incredibly passionate about helping entrepreneurs, inventors, and business owners create more value, either in launching new ventures or growing existing. HQ is a self taught software developer, founder of a past music technology company (Audiohand) and currently holds IP within the live music realm. HQ is a director on the Big Ears Festival board, a representative of the business community on the KUB Community Advisory Panel, has served on the Mayor's Maker City Council, and collaborated with the Mayor’s Office to help businesses get federal relief through the pandemic. HQ was an Entrepreneur in Residence at Morehous Legal Group, a boutique business law firm specializing in startups and entrepreneurial law and has been adjunct lecturing entrepreneurship and management since Spring 2019. HQ serves as full-time faculty with the Department of Management & Entrepreneurship at the Haslam College of Business at the University of Tennessee, where he focuses on entrepreneurship and student entrepreneurial activities. Alongside, HQ is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Forthlaw PLLC, a tech-based modernized law firm dedicated to increasing access to business legal for young and early businesses and their founders. HQ is also the co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Audiohand Inc., a music technology company dedicated to redefining recorded live music experiences and their recordings.

SARAY TAYLOR-ROMAN

Taylor-Roman Photography

Saray Taylor-Roman is a multi-award-winning and internationally published master portrait photographer, businesswoman, creative director and entrepreneur behind Taylor-Roman Portrait. Regardless of the type of session, her favorite moment is when her clients see themselves through her lens and, for the first time in their life, love what they see. In June 2019, four years after opening her first commercial studio, she opened the doors to a 2000 sq. ft studio and welcomed a full time employee and a part-time assistant. She loves photographing people and, in particular, women. As a mom and photographer herself, she knows very well how easy it is to hide behind the camera. So, she's on a mission to show the women who have gone into hiding just how beautiful, how powerful, how strong, and how worthy they are to be celebrated in photographs. Saray is fluent in Spanish and English as she was born and raised in Mexico. She emigrated to East Tennessee in 2004 where she graduated Cum Laude from Maryville College in International Studies and Education. She also holds a masters in Educational Technology. She has worked one-on-one with photographers from all over the world to help them create a portfolio they love, adjust their pricing for profitability and sustainability, and develop custom marketing plans to ultimately reach financial and time freedom.

ZACHARY TOWNESMITH

Caracol Consulting and Kula Collective

Zachary inspires participation and thoughtful consensus in a wide array of groups. He is dedicated to developing intercultural relations and facilitating innovative solutions for regenerative well-being.

His Cum Laude B.A. from Harvard College led him to explore issues of privilege and work for justice from his hometown of Philadelphia to the Guatemala City garbage dump. This work has taken him throughout the Americas engaging diverse stakeholders in strategic planning through the development of creative and critical thinking in fields such as education, public health, business, creative industries, and entrepreneurship.

His 500hr Yoga Teacher training instills a diversity and depth to his facilitation. He embodies these ancient practices in ways that are socially relevant and culturally appropriate.

ALLYSON VIRDEN

Olde Virden’s Tennessee Pepper Company

Allyson Virden, along with her husband Chris, founded Olde Virden's Tennessee Pepper Co. while managing a hike-in lodge in the Great Smoky Mountains. They grew the idea of a more flavorful crushed red pepper to a company who offers 7 different chili pepper blends. They have grown the company from a small family owned business who sold at local farmers markets to a company that now has product in over 500 retail locations across the U.S.. Olde Virden's is now offered through online sales, Amazon, small retailers, wholesale distributors, and large grocery stores chains. Allyson has experience working with wholesale accounts and direct to consumers. She has spent the past nine years growing her knowledge in this field.

RHETT TALBERT

Loch & Key productions

Rhett Talbert is fascinated by marketing and committed to growing brands and building a like-minded team with lives and careers they love. In 2014, Rhett left her graphic design job at an ad agency in Charleston, SC to join the marketing team for the company behind Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival, Forecastle Festival, High Water Festival, Tennessee Theatre, and more in Knoxville, TN. In just six years, she became a leading force in the department, handling all digital communications for regional venues, launching new festival entities, and contributing to national-scale festivals. Then, mid-pandemic, she walked away from her "dream job" to build something of her own — a digital marketing department under the roof of the creative powerhouse Loch & Key Productions, a video production company based in Knoxville. Two years later, their marketing team now includes a handful of employees supporting clients like the Bijou Theatre, The Mill & Mine, Monolith Studios, Downtown Knoxville, Shaky Knees Music Festival, and more. In her free time, she is steadily working in her garden, failing at training her beagle, and binge-watching something on Netflix she’d love to talk to you about.

JASMINE NEWTON

Javon Renee Portraits

Jasmine is a portrait photographer and owner of Javon Renee Portraits, based in Knoxville, TN. She specializes in branding, boudoir and personal portraits. Originally from Chicago, IL, Jasmine loves to give the experience of beauty and confidence to the women who find themselves in front of her lens. Jasmine started her business in June of 2015 after realizing that climbing the corporate ladder wasn't for her. Jasmine loves to work with photographers on discovering their worth and taking their business to the next level as she mentors female photographers from different parts of the country. Jasmine's mission is to show women who they are at their core and give them a beautiful portrait experience that brings out confidence and love of self.

DAMON RAWLS

The Innovation Digital Agency and Knoxville Black Business Directory

I’m Damon Rawls. I’m 48 years young, born in Alabama, and currently reside in Knoxville, Tennessee. I’m an entrepreneur, business owner, and reputable tech consultant, and the list goes on and on. I’ve started businesses, run businesses, and I’ve sold businesses. I’ve achieved, I’ve failed, but I’ve always managed to learn from my career blunders. I’m the proud father of two great sons, and I’ve been happily married for 17 years. Or at least I think so, but you may have to double-check with my wife. I love my work, but certainly understand the value of time off. I enjoy the outdoors immensely and I play golf (most often, poorly).

With over 20 years of experience leading, managing, and providing consultative support in various areas of business, I feel like I’ve seen it all. But recently, as I was reflecting back on my career path, I noticed that a theme began to emerge; I was and will always be a leader. Whether it be when I was a young financial analyst for Marriott Hotels, tech-support rep, Quickbooks team manager, or founder of my own digital media agency, I was always determined to master my role and eager to share the knowledge I gained with others. Leading and teaching people is what I care about most in this world. I was fortunate enough to grow up in a household with two parents that demonstrated what hard work was all about. My pops was a successful TV producer, and my mom was a nurse who eventually purchased her own assisted living facility. My parents were a shining example of success during a time of intense racial adversity. I learned through that experience that if I worked hard at something, I could achieve it.

I recently earned a Master’s Degree in Ethics and Leadership from Johnson University. I knew I had to further my education in order to be the most effective leader I could be. Most recently, I’ve been giving leadership talks at schools and entrepreneurial conferences in Knoxville. It took the better part of 20 years to gain the leadership tools I own today. I can’t wait to share these tools with others!

I care deeply about my community, and that’s why I created the Knoxville Black Business Directory (https://www.knoxvilleblackbusiness.com/), a web-based directory that drives commerce to black-owned and operated businesses in Knoxville. I’m also the owner and operator of a full-service digital marketing agency (https://innovationdigitalagency.com).

Lastly, it’s worth mentioning that I proudly sit on the Board of Directors United Way of Greater Knoxville and The Tennessee State HBCU Advisory Council, two fantastic organizations that serve our community. So needless to say, my plate is full, but I like a full plate. I’m inspired to better myself on a daily basis and my dream is to inspire others along the way.

MARY THOM ADAMS

Spark

I've worked in non-profits since the mid-1980's. My career has afforded me the opportunity to meet people doing fascinating things and helping the world to be a better place. Today I work with Spark, an organization which provides assistive and adaptive technology to help people with disabilities live with maximum independence and dignity.

ADRIAN HALL

Adrian Hall Mortgage Team at Movement Mortgage

Adrian Hall is a Knoxville native with 10 years of service to the finance industry and leads the Adrian Hall Mortgage Team, a multi-million dollar producing team with Movement Mortgage.

Receiving numerous accolades and acknowledgements, he prides himself most in the fact that he is one of, if not the highest, producing openly LGBTQ mortgage lender in the state of Tennessee and one of the highest producing loan officers of color in the state.

Adrian is a self-taught money expert who rebuilt his credit, paid off $60,000 of debt on a middle class salary, and has taught over 10,000 others how to do the same.

CLAUDIA CABALLERO

Centro Hispano de East Tennessee

Claudia Caballero is President & CEO of Centro Hispano de East Tennessee, a nonprofit that works to empower the Latino community through education, workforce development, youth, and family engagement, and resource referral services. During her five-year tenure at Centro Hispano she has increased the organization’s annual income tenfold and expanded its staff from one employee to over 30 full and part-time team members. Raised between Honduras and the United States, Caballero is both bicultural and bilingual. She earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the Catholic University of Honduras and currently is pursuing her master’s degree from Vanderbilt University. In addition to her work at Centro Hispano, Caballero mentors three young Latinos and serves on numerous boards and committees, including those of the Knoxville Chamber of Commerce, Greater Knoxville Advisory Board for Johnson University, and Roane State Foundation. In 2021 Caballero was the first Latina to join KUB’s board. She is a member of Conexión Américas’ Mosaic Fellowship class of 2018, the 2019 class of Leadership Knoxville, and class VII of Leadership Tennessee. She is the recipient of the YWCA Emerging Leader Award, the Young Professionals of Knoxville Outstanding Young Professional Award, and was named to the 2019 Knox.biz list of 40 Under 40 and VIP Knoxville’s 2020 list of VIP Women.

DR. ANGELIQUE ADAMs

Angelique Adams Media Solutions, LLC

Dr. Angelique Adams is an author, speaker, and executive coach focusing on leadership for scientists and engineers.

Angelique is an engineer with 25 years of experience in operations, strategy, and innovation in the metals and mining sector. She was Director of R&D at aluminum giant Alcoa, and Chief Innovation Officer at multibillion dollar steelmaker, Aperam. She has a Ph.D. in Fuel Science from Penn State and an MBA from MIT.

After managing multimillion dollar innovation portfolios and leading hundreds of scientists and engineers around the world, she discovered her true passion is developing people, not products.

Following the successful publication of her first book for women in the sciences and engineering in 2021, she launched Angelique Adams Media Solutions LLC, a distribution platform for her books, online courses, and coaching programs.

Angelique lives in Knoxville, TN with her husband and 2 children and she serves on the board of several local nonprofits.

JALYNN BAKER

Jalynn Baker Photography

Jalynn Baker is a Knoxville photographer who uses art and storytelling as a tool for advocacy. She earned a B.A. in Art at the University of Tennessee and has been involved in the Scruffy City as a professional photographer and active community member. Through a creative process that starts with listening first, Jalynn seeks to center the voices of the unheard and reveal the dignity of all communities. Her goal is to create work that releases appreciation for life and empathy for people into the world.

CURTIS GLOVER

Curtis Glover Creative

Curtis Glover has been painting professionally since the beginning of 2016. After working many jobs in the arts industry including faux finishing, refurbishing kitchen cabinets and framing at an art gallery, he decided to take the risk as a full-time artist. Solely depending on his ability, Curtis has been able to make a career of painting murals across the state of Tennessee and beyond (as far as Costa Rica currently). He has been able to tackle all sorts of client requests for commercial, public and private art. He believes art plays an important role in enhancing his local community and other cities across the world. Glover stays busy year-round with his detailed work and is proficient with acrylics and spray cans.

MARCUS HALL

Marc Nelson Denim

Knoxville native Marcus Hall followed his dream of designing and manufacturing custom-made menswear when he founded Marc Nelson Denim in 2011. The business, named after his grandfather who taught him to always look sharp, took inspiration from the Levi Strauss factory, which employed many of his friends and family members for 44 years before closing its

doors in 1997. Today, Marc Nelson Denim continues the legacy of the Levi Strauss factory by providing local jobs, producing quality, American-made clothing, and maintaining a global presence.

Giving back to the community is a value Marcus demonstrates daily. He has been involved with Junior Achievement, Dogwood Arts, UT Knoxville, Knox Heritage, The Mend House, the Tennessee Innocence Project, and many more area and regional organizations. Through The Common Apron Project, a portion of the sales from Marc Nelson Denim commercial-grade denim aprons goes to the Second Harvest Food Bank of East Tennessee.

Along with the Marc Nelson Denim corporate headquarters situated just blocks from the Levi’s former East Knoxville location, Marcus owns and operates Marc Nelson Studio in Lakeland, Florida. Marcus’ crowning achievements, however, are his two beautiful daughters: 20 year-old Kharma and 6-year-old Indigo.

EUGENIA ALMEIDA

A New Hue

Eugenia Almeida sparks joy. You can feel it when you’re around her, and you can hear it in her voice when she speaks about what it means to build a successful business, life, and community around her craft. Born and raised in Argentina, Eugenia came to the United States over thirty years ago while her husband was at the University of Tennessee, and she would go on to raise five children right here in Knoxville. Her joy, and her passion for building a “better tomorrow” have always stayed with her, and would eventually lead to founding her own company in 2014 – A New Hue. A New Hue has applied faux finishes, concrete overlays, original stencils and more to some of the most amazing homes in Knoxville, and some of the buildings you may recognize (such as the Knoxville Chamber in Market Square). Headquartered in North Knoxville, Eugenia has taken classes all over the world to bring new techniques to her clients, and also to the people that work with her, and to the community she has come to serve.

Chris mcadoo

knoxville entrepreneur center

Chris McAdoo is an artist and creative professional living in East Tennessee who believes that creativity can change the world. His work is intensely autobiographical and uses paint and canvas to focus on “the stories we tell others, the stories we tell ourselves, and the liminal space between those two shores”. His paintings and original prints have been featured in numerous exhibitions, private collections, and publications around the country and he has been an active studio artist for over twenty years. Chris is also an accomplished speaker, traveling all over the United States, focusing on the power of creative thinking, entrepreneurship, and the practice of design.