Slim & Husky's Owners are Intentional About Business in North Nashville

Emmanuel and Derrick at TSU's studios with Genma Holmes on Living Your Best Life Radio

Childhood friends and proud Tennessee State University alums; Clinton Gray, III, Derrick “Mo” Moore and Emmanuel “EJ” Reed, are no strangers to entrepreneurship. The trailblazing trio are owners of GT Services, which operated Green Truck Moving, and are proprietors of the much-touted Slim & Husky’s Pizza Beeria. Slim & Husky’s, located in North Nashville at 911 Buchanan Street, has become extremely popular to not only the North Nashville corridor residents and area employees but also has garnered a large following throughout Davidson and surrounding counties. With the explosion of endless positive reviews on Trip Advisor and Yelp, visitors to the Nashville Area have joined the chorus of singing the praises of eating Slim & Husky’s delicious pizzas as they check off their bucket lists of Things to Do while visiting Music City. 

Emmanuel and Derrick with one of Nashville's pizza 'experts', Alex.

Alex inspecting his pizza.

A happy customer!

Since Slim & Husky’s debuted in early spring, the lines and loyal customers have grown very rapidly. To see customers in line at popular restaurants like Pancake Pantry on 21^st Avenue near Vanderbilt is acceptable and makes for many ‘You are so Nashville If’ jokes. Many see it as a badge of honor to stand in the line for hours for breakfast. However, to see a line appearing around 10:30 am for an African-American owned establishment barely six months old near TSU makes everyone take note and super curious to bite into the custom made to order pizzas. The popularity of Slim & Husky’s, with lines, has the new restaurateurs gearing up for another grand opening in Antioch in the fall in the former Applebee’s across from Hickory Hollow Mall and a carryout location with a retail store, The Rollout.

The carryout location will double as a catering kitchen and will be located on Buchanan Street across from the flagship restaurant. As if they are slaying all naysayers and putting to bed any doubt that they know what they are doing, the dynamic trio are also capitalizing on the Slim & Husky’s social media branding by opening a merchandising store in the old James Otis hat store. The Rollout will give customers a “taste” of Slim & Husky’s to wear. If you are keeping count of the number of the real estate transactions, that is three commercial buildings to date.

A little bit of This and a lot of That!

Yes!

“As natives of Nashville, we are aware of the developments that have contributed to the new 'It City' persona. In the midst of our excitement for Nashville's growth, our team is still focused on providing creative local concepts to communities that have been overlooked. North Nashville and Antioch are great examples of these,” stated Gray.

“We could have opened our restaurants in any area in the city but we were intentional about being in the locations that we selected. We want to be great entrepreneurs. But we also focused on economic development. We wanted to bring jobs to North Nashville and we wanted to be investors in the communities where we were raised and educated. We are very proud of being able to show that opening a business can happen. Our success will attract others to follow our lead,” said Moore. 

When asked if they were jittery about opening a restaurant? The answer was an immediate collective, “No, Ma’am!” “This is not our first rodeo at owning a company,” stated Reed. “We have been entrepreneurs and a team since 2010. We learned how to research the market. We spent two years traveling the country learning from others who have been and who are still in the restaurant business. We had a passion and drive to open Slim & Husky’s and we love what we are doing.”  Their passion for business and their community shows. 

You can listen to their radio interview here.

911 Buchanan Street

Nashville, Tennessee 372018

Mon-Sat 10:30am-11:00pm

Sun Closed

615-647-7017 

www.slimandhuskys.com

Source: Living Your Best Life Radio

Photos: Genma Holmes

UT's Joan Cronan and OVC's Beth DeBauche Discuss 2014 NCAA Women's Final Four on Living Your Best Life with Genma Holmes

Women’s History Month had its origins as a national celebration in 1981 when Congress passed Pub. L. 97-28 which authorized and requested the President to proclaim the week beginning March 7, 1982 as “Women’s History Week."  Throughout the next five years, Congress continued to pass joint resolutions designating a week in March as "Women’s History Week."  In 1987 after being petitioned by the National Women’s History Project, Congress passed Pub. L. 100-9 which designated the month of March 1987 as “Women’s History Month."  Between 1988 and 1994, Congress passed additional resolutions requesting and authorizing the President to proclaim March of each year as Women’s History Month.  Since 1995, Presidents Clinton, Bush and Obama have issued a series of annual proclamations designating the month of March as “Women’s History Month.”

 Living Your Best Life Radio with Genma Holmes celebrates the strength, courage, and boldness of women who embrace life to the fullest and have not let others "no" determine their destiny in life. Join us to hear the from women who are seasoned with success and who believe in mentoring other women to become trailblazers as they empower, inspire, and motivate us to live our BEST life.

On Saturday, March 29, 2014, tune in to hear the Joan Cronan, the University of Tennessee AD Emeritus, and Beth DeBauche,the Commissioner of the Ohio Valley Conference, discuss the exciting road to the 2014 NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Final Four, the largest women event to be hosted in Nashville.

Listeners will hear from the legendary AD Emeritus, Joan Cronan, as she shares what drives her to give 1000%, how she pushes others to be the best they can be, how sports shaped her leadership skills in the game of life and what are the "B.E.L.L.S" she rings daily. Hear her share her passion for the University of Tennessee Women Athletics and her love of women supporting women. She will also share about hiring Coach Pat Summit and the mission of the  Pat Summit Foundation. 

Commissioner DeBauche will discuss her path trajectory from being a divorce attorney to her leading the Ohio Valley Conference. Hear her share her strong beliefs in mentoring relationships and the role mentors have played in life. Commissioner DeBauche will give listeners an insiders' view of working with twelve universities and with over 4,000 college athletes and how the OVC is helping students prepare for success beyond the OVC. She will also share the exciting events planned for the 2014 NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Final Four, the economical impact to the Nashville area, and how important volunteers will be at the 2014 Women's Final Four.

You will not want to miss this show. Two amazing women, Cronan and DeBauche, sharing their passion for the highest women’s collegiate sporting event in the country.

Tune into 760AM in the Middle Tennessee Region, on Tune In, streaming live online at UStream.TV, and on military bases on Saturdays from 9:00-10:00am CST. 

More About UT's Joan Cronan

Joan Cronan has been a leader in collegiate athletics for almost four decades. She has served as the Director of Athletics at the University of Tennessee since 1983 and has developed the Lady Volunteers into one of the most positive and recognizable brands in intercollegiate athletics.

Cronan severed on the 2010 NCAA Division I Leadership Council and previously was selected by her peers as the president of the National Association of Collegiate Directors of athletics (NACDA) in 2008-09 and president of the National Association of Collegiate Women Athletics Administrators (NACWAA) in 2007-08. Additionally, Cronan has served on the NCAA’s Executive Committee, Management Council, as well as the NCAA’s Council, and is a member of the NCAA Championship Cabinet. She also has been a member of the Southeastern Conference Executive Committee.

Cronan makes her home in Knoxville and is the mother of Kristi (Mrs. Rhett Benner) and Stacey (Mrs. Kent Bristow), both 1994 graduates of UT. She is the proud grandmother to three grandsons, Chase and Reed Bristow, and Quinn Benner; and two granddaughters, Reese Lauren Benner and Larkin Ann Bristow. She lost her husband Tom, in August 2006, after his valiant battle with pancreatic cancer.

 More About Commissioner Beth DeBauche 

Elizabeth (Beth) DeBauche was named Commissioner of the Ohio Valley Conference on July 29, 2009 and began her duties with the league in September 2009.

DeBauche is the seventh full-time Commissioner in the 63-year history of the OVC. DeBauche is one of just eight females to be the head of a Division I Conference in 2013-14.

DeBauche will serve as the Chair of the Nashville Local Organizing Committee (NLOC) for the 2014 NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Final Four. The Ohio Valley Conference will serve as the host institution of the event which will be held at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville on April 6 and 8.

Under DeBauche, the league started an extensive strategic planning and branding initiative which led to the development of the league’s first tagline of “Inspiring Excellence Since 1948.” The project also produced the league’s first 30-second PSA commercial in over a decade as well as a longer feature video highlighting the Conference.

In her four years with the league, the OVC has seen postseason success men’s basketball as Murray State topped Vanderbilt in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in 2010, Morehead State beat Louisville in the second round in 2011 and Murray State bested Colorado State in the second round in 2012. Overall the league has won NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament games in four of the past five years, including four-straight years (2009-12) for the first-time in league history.

In 2012-13 DeBauche helped spearhead a year-long celebration of the 40th Anniversary of Title IX. As part of the celebration, each of the OVC's 12-member institutions identified a pioneer in women's athletics and gender equality from their school to be honored during the year and celebrated at a home athletic event on their campus.  The celebration was capped in May when those honorees were recognized at a special luncheon as part of the OVC Spring Meetings.

DeBauche currently serves on the NCAA Committee on Athletic Certification, the NCAA Division I Leadership Council and the NCAA Rules Working Group.

More About the NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Final Four

From April 6 – 8, 2014, in partnership with the Ohio Valley Conference, the Nashville Sports Council and the city of Nashville will be hosting the NCAA Division I Women’s Final Four.
The NCAA Women’s Final Four is the conclusion of the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championship, which runs for three weeks in March and April. The main attraction will be the three basketball games played over two days at Bridgestone Arena in downtown Nashville, including the two National Semifinals on Sunday, April 6 and the National Championship game on Tuesday, April 8, 2014.

The Final Four® weekend experience is “More Than Just Three Games®.” Throughout the week of the Championship, the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Convention, community engagement and legacy programs give the event its exciting pulse. It is a time for everyone to celebrate and experience women’s college basketball at the highest level.

If you would like to receive information and updates from the NCAA, sign up to receive email newsletters.

Photo credits: Genma Holmes, OVC, UT Knoxville

Nashville Songwriters to help Middle Tennessee Heroes Heal Through Workshop

Fort Campbell is proud to be the home of the only Air Assault Division in the world, the 101st Airborne Division, the Army’s most-deployed contingency forces. In fact, the most recent U.S census recognizes that Clarksville, TN as the 2nd densest veteran population in the country. An hour drive from Clarksville and Fort Campbell is Nashville, TN, home to the Tennessee National Guard. Members of the Tennessee National Guard  have been deployed multiple times since 2002.

Many of these warriors carry with them Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and other emotional, mental, and physical injuries.

There is little argument that war is hard. The sacrifice, courage, and determination that it takes for the men and women of America’s Armed Forces to face loss of life and limb on the battlefield can be unimaginable to most ordinary civilians.  Often, the battlefield is not left behind when our military men and women return home. The burden of war is carried within them. The memories of combat experiences invade the mind daily. This impacts their ability to rejoin the community, families are torn apart, jobs are lost, and some face incarceration. The solider suffers silently while family and close relationships watch hopelessly.

Because music can change and even potentially save a life, Soldiers and Families Embraced (SAFE) and The Beat of Life are combining the expertise and resources of trained counselors and professional songwriters to help Ft. Campbell's veterans and active duty military personnel find a voice to tell their stories through songs.

The Bluebird Café calls the songwriters the “heroes behind the hits”. Nashville is nationally recognized as one of the top homes for successful songwriters of all genres. Induction into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame is one of the nation's highest songwriting honors. The songwriter is the heart beat of Music City and Middle Tennessee.

On the weekend of September 20-22, 2013, twenty servicemen and women have been invited to attend a retreat at the beautiful Cedar Crest United Methodist Campsite in Lyles, TN, where each soldier will be paired with one of Nashville’s most prolific songwriters to collaborate in telling their stories and creating original songs. Those stories, told through the undeniable power of music, will hopefully help begin that healing process.


Singing Their Stories Concert:

On November 8, 2013 at 7pm, these soldiers-turned-songwriters will take the stage with their co-writers to perform the original songs created at the retreat for family, friends, and the general public. The concert will feature hit songwriters and top artists from Nashville. The concert will be held at Austin Peay State University’s nationally acclaimed George and Sharon Mabry Concert Hall. It will be a night sure to be filled with healing as well as inspiration for all. Tickets are $5 at the door and a love offering will be collected to fund the counseling work of SAFE.

Singing Their Stories is sponsored by Shofner Vision Center, Austin Peay State University, Tennessee United Methodist Church Camp and Retreat Ministries, The Beat of Life, and SAFE.

SAFE is a resource for the region to ease the readjustment and reintegration of military members returning from our current wars and their families, as well as veterans from previous eras. The counselors and staff of Soldiers And Families Embraced are made up of veterans, family members of veterans or active duty military, or have extensive experience working with them. All services are confidential and provided free of charge.

The Beat of Life was also founded on the belief that we live in a city of tremendous heart, where members particularly of our music community are eager to give of their time, skills, talents, and passions, but that there was a need for a one stop shop, a central clearinghouse of sorts, to bring together what we have with what is needed in this city.

 
For Interviews:

Rev. Jodi McCullah (SAFE) 615-347-9071
Jeni Dominelli (The Beat of Life) 615-957-6324


Songwriter List:

David Bradley, Bob Regan, Tim Gaetano, Doug Drake, Lisa Malone, Stephen Cochran,  Jason Jones, Keni Thomas, Jeremy Bussey, Michael Peterson, Tim Maggart, Eric Lee Beddingfield

Album Production: Curt Ryle will be producing the album of the songs created by the heroes and songwriters

The Song Team: Jeff Jacob & Sheree Austin

Photo Credits: Fort Campbell, Commissioner Many-Bear Grinder, Cedar Crest Camp, and The Beat of Life

Siane Wilson: When Dreams Come True

“A dream is a wish your heart makes when you're fast asleep. In dreams you will lose your heartaches. Whatever you wish for, you keep. Have faith in your dreams, and someday, your rainbow will come smiling through. No matter how your heart is grieving, if you keep on believing, the dreams that you wish will come true.” -Cinderella

Siane Wilson was attending Clark Atlanta University in the spring of 2012. Having always wanted to follow her dreams of performing on Broadway, she began researching performing arts’ auditions at the school’s library. Siane, a longtime lover of all things Disney, was looking for Disney’s Lion King auditions.

“All it takes is Faith and Trust” - Peter Pan

To her surprise, Disney was holding auditions. Unfortunately, the auditions were being held in New York City. Traveling to New York would mean missing two days of class but she continued searching.  By chance, Siane saw a link for www.disneyauditions.com. As luck would have it, they were holding auditions in her hometown, Nashville, Tennessee. With great anticipation, Siane printed the information and dashed back to her room to call her mother, Seanne Wilson. The mother-daughter duo discussed plans for Siane to attend the Nashville auditions. Two days later, Siane was on a bus home as the auditions were that weekend. She would be able to audition for Disney without missing classes. Perfect.

On the morning of the audition, Siane and her mother arrived at the dance studio where the auditions were being held. Siane, along with 60 other young ladies, were there to give the Disney casting directors a preview of Music City’s Talent. As one would expect from Disney casting directors made the atmosphere inviting and fun! Everyone were given audition numbers. Siane was number six.

In the first round of the auditions, the hopeful Disney performers were taught a simple dance routine consisting of four eight counts. They were split into groups of four to perform the dance number with everyone watching.  After everyone finished the routine, the casting directors asked them to relax and get to know each other. After a few minutes of deliberating, the casting directors began to call out the numbers of who they wanted to stay. Siane, number six, was the second number to be called. “I was beyond excited,” exclaimed Siane!

From the initial group of sixty dancers, the girls dwindled to twelve for the second round of auditions.  During the second round, individual interviews were also given. Siane was asked about her hobbies, goals, and passions in life. Siane was interviewed on camera, filled out audition sheets, and asked to turn in her head shots and résumés. Throughout the last auditions, the final twelve were given short monologues to memorize and execute. After the monologues routines, finishing photos were taken of the divine twelve.  

“The flower that blooms in adversity is the most rare and beautiful of all”. –Mulan

Two long excruciating months later, Siane received a call from Disney saying that they did not have any openings, yet, but that her performance scores were very high. Disney would keep her on standby for a possible opening. When spring turned into summer, there was still no word from Disney. Not one to give up easily, Siane decided to go to another Disney audition. “If at first you do not succeed, try again,” mused Siane. Determined.

 

Disney Performers

The second Disney audition was far more intensive. There were three rounds of dancing that became increasingly more difficult. But Siane made it through every round. Again, she was told she would receive a call in a few months. Unwavering.

“Years of dreams just can't be wrong!”-Anastasia

After five months from her initial try out, Disney finally called Siane! “On October 31, 2012 to be exact,” Siane says with confidence. Disney wanted her to be a performer on their Disney Dream cruise ship and offered her a contract. Joyfully, Siane accepted. Talent combined with work ethics and determination netted results for Siane. She had to move rapidly from that point. Siane would have to leave school before the semester ended. She spoke to all of her college professors who allowed her to take her finals early. She was congratulated by Dr. Carlton Brown, President of Clark Atlanta University. “We are so proud of you,” he told her after hearing about her opportunity to work for Disney.

With passport secured and medical physicals taken, Siane said goodbye to her college family. Siane traveled home for Thanksgiving to prepare for her move to Toronto, Canada. She would spend two months in Canada rehearsing and literally learning A Hold New World. On January 27, 2013, Siane and a cast of forty-four were flown from Toronto to Port Canaveral, Florida where they began sailing the high seas. She now travels the world on a Disney Dream cruise ship and is a steadfast believer in following your heart’s desire and living out your dreams.

Disney Photos courtesy of Disney Crusie Line Media

Siane Wilson's photo by Bella Lumiere

(This article was first published in the Travel Issue of Mocha Market Magazine)