Written By JR Robinson

On this bright and inspiring Friday morning in Memphis, community and business leaders gathered for the cityCURRENT Signature Speaker Series breakfast featuring keynote speaker Ben Utecht — a Super Bowl champion, award-winning artist, and transformative business leader. This event, powered by Higginbotham and hosted by Smith & Nephew, celebrated the power of service, leadership, and purposeful culture that drives Memphis forward.

Welcoming the Community and Spreading Positivity

The event kicked off with a warm welcome reminding attendees to silence their phones while keeping them ready for photos and social media sharing using the hashtags #cityCURRENT and #PowerOfTheGoods. This engagement encourages the sharing of positive energy, exemplifying cityCURRENT’s mission: "powering good" throughout Memphis by connecting business with community through events, media, and philanthropy.

The breakfast was hosted by Smith & Nephew, longtime supporters who helped launch cityCURRENT’s journey 15 years ago. The atmosphere brimmed with stories of impact and collaboration, building on a legacy of companies joining forces to amplify good in the city.

Encouraging Effective Delegation in Business

Dew Tinnin, founder of Skillway, shared valuable business insights on the challenge of delegation—often hindered by guilt, time scarcity, or arrogance. She emphasized that investing time to teach others yields long-term benefits, referencing Dan Martell’s "80% done by someone else" principle. Proper delegation frees leaders and accelerates growth by empowering teams.

Memphis Making Strides

CityCURRENT highlighted three significant community milestones:

• AutoZone Park Upgrades: A $45 million investment ensuring the Memphis Redbirds’ downtown presence with improved stadium amenities meeting major league baseball standards, fueling stronger community hubs.
• Female Entrepreneurship Record: Memphis became the only major U.S. city where women own more businesses than men, a national model for female-led retail and creative enterprises.
• Entrepreneurship Boost: The city’s program offers forgivable loans up to $25,000 for brick-and-mortar businesses, with $2.7 million issued through 120 loans so far, strengthening Memphis’s small business ecosystem.

cityCURRENT’s Event and Media Power

With over 300 annual events nationwide—150 in Memphis alone—cityCURRENT creates vibrant opportunities for networking, learning, and service. Its media footprint includes five TV shows, syndicated radio broadcasts across Memphis and Nashville, books, and podcasts, all sharing stories of local impact and lessons on involvement. The upcoming Spark Awards celebrate community champions in various categories and invite public nominations, emphasizing the power of collective recognition.

Spotlight on Samaritan’s Feet

Highlighting nonprofit impact, cityCURRENT featured Samaritan’s Feet, co-founded by Manny and Tracie Ohonme. This organization has blessed millions worldwide by distributing shoes to children in need, including thousands in Memphis. The emotional distributions foster priceless connections, as children receive their first new shoes amid affirming words of truth and love. Plans for a major distribution this December invite volunteers from the city to participate.

Smith & Nephew: Innovation and Compassion in Healthcare

David Key, Senior Director of US Shoulder and Upper Extremity Marketing at Smith & Nephew, shared the company’s impressive legacy. With $5.8 billion in revenue and 17,000 employees globally, Smith & Nephew leads in orthopedics, sports medicine, ENT, and wound care. Beyond technology, the company lives its values—care, courage, and collaboration—supporting local charities like cityCURRENT and Make-A-Wish, while advancing patient care worldwide.

Keynote: Ben Utecht on Culture, Leadership, and Purpose

Ben Utecht delivered an electrifying keynote built on his NFL experience with the Indianapolis Colts, especially his time under legendary coach Tony Dungy. His message centered on:

• Servant Leadership: Tony Dungy’s philosophy to "build better men to build better players" showed the power of investing in people to boost performance.
• Culture by Design: Utecht emphasized that culture is not “soft skills” fluff but a critical, strategic asset. He cited data showing workplace culture attrition costs of $20 billion (2017–2022), urging leaders to intentionally shape culture for retention and success.
• Foundational Beliefs: Sharing his father’s lifetime lessons—play for a purpose bigger than yourself, work harder than everyone, keep improving, and have fun—Utecht explained how these guided his path from athlete to business leader.
• Practicing Leadership: Drawing from football’s rigor where players practice 280 hours for one hour of game time, he compared how businesses must continuously practice values to excel.
• Blueprint Pillars: He introduced four pillars shaping championship organizations: Listening, Learning, Language, and Love—active communication and empathetic respect that align teams around shared purpose.

Stories of Faith, Family, and Transformation

Utecht shared heartfelt personal stories:

• A powerful moment in the Super Bowl tunnel when his father’s unexpected presence reminded him of his roots and purpose.
• How after a career-threatening college injury, Colts coach Dungy personally recruited him, provided elite medical care, and invested in his growth, leading to a miraculous NFL debut touchdown.
• The Colts’ Super Bowl ring engraving with “Faith” symbolizing trust and hope among diverse teammates—a bond that transcended the field.

Closing Charge: Be a Champion for Your Culture

Utecht concluded with a call to action: every leader must champion their organizational culture daily. When culture is built on purpose and lived intentionally, it transforms teams, organizations, and lives.

This cityCURRENT breakfast was more than a gathering—it was a rally for Memphis leaders to embrace servant leadership and purposeful culture as motors for growth and community impact. Inspired by Ben Utecht’s message, attendees left energized to carry forward the legacy of powering good in the Mid-South.

Keynote: Ben Utecht on Culture, Leadership, and Purpose

Ben Utecht delivered an electrifying keynote built on his NFL experience with the Indianapolis Colts, especially his time under legendary coach Tony Dungy. His message centered on:

• Servant Leadership: Tony Dungy’s philosophy to "build better men to build better players" showed the power of investing in people to boost performance.
• Culture by Design: Utecht emphasized that culture is not “soft skills” fluff but a critical, strategic asset. He cited data showing workplace culture attrition costs of $20 billion (2017–2022), urging leaders to intentionally shape culture for retention and success.
• Foundational Beliefs: Sharing his father’s lifetime lessons—play for a purpose bigger than yourself, work harder than everyone, keep improving, and have fun—Utecht explained how these guided his path from athlete to business leader.
• Practicing Leadership: Drawing from football’s rigor where players practice 280 hours for one hour of game time, he compared how businesses must continuously practice values to excel.
• Blueprint Pillars: He introduced four pillars shaping championship organizations: Listening, Learning, Language, and Love—active communication and empathetic respect that align teams around shared purpose.

Stories of Faith, Family, and Transformation

Utecht shared heartfelt personal stories:

• A powerful moment in the Super Bowl tunnel when his father’s unexpected presence reminded him of his roots and purpose.
• How after a career-threatening college injury, Colts coach Dungy personally recruited him, provided elite medical care, and invested in his growth, leading to a miraculous NFL debut touchdown.
• The Colts’ Super Bowl ring engraving with “Faith” symbolizing trust and hope among diverse teammates—a bond that transcended the field.

Closing Charge: Be a Champion for Your Culture

Utecht concluded with a call to action: every leader must champion their organizational culture daily. When culture is built on purpose and lived intentionally, it transforms teams, organizations, and lives.

This cityCURRENT breakfast was more than a gathering—it was a rally for Memphis leaders to embrace servant leadership and purposeful culture as motors for growth and community impact. Inspired by Ben Utecht’s message, attendees left energized to carry forward the legacy of powering good in the Mid-South.