Nashville’s new music palace ... Sports historian ... Menu for success ... Winning hand.
Edited by Louis Marroquin
SYMPHONIC CROWN JEWEL
Fewer than 10 years ago, the Nashville Symphony was in bankruptcy. This September, under the leadership of president and CEO Alan Valentine, the symphony moved into its new $120 million home and debuted with galas headlined by National Symphony Orchestra music director Leonard Slatkin and longtime supporter singer Amy Grant. “It’s a success story unlike any I can think of,” Valentine says about the Schermerhorn Symphony Center. “We accomplished this within five years, on schedule and on budget.” The symphony’s new digs, which promise to be the crown jewel of the city’s performing arts community, already have prompted the rejuvenation of Nashville’s SoBro neighborhood. In its first year, the Center will present more than 200 concerts, by artists and groups such as Aaron Neville, Branford Marsalis, Ravi Shankar, Chick Corea, Dianne Reeves, Mark O’Connor, the Cleveland Orchestra, Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, Philip Glass Ensemble, and the Fisk Jubilee Singers. “It’s an incredible concert hall,” says Valentine, a member of Nashville City Club. “The acoustics envelop you similarly to those of an amplified rock band in an arena. The sound is that magnificent — it blows you out of your seat.” A convertible seating system transforms the hall into cabaret-style seating. The 197,000-square-foot center also features a music education center. Valentine says educational programs are the bulk of symphony activities, providing free musical experiences to more than 100,000 young people in Middle Tennessee. The organization has gone from “living out of the back of a truck” to operating with a $17 million budget and 84 full-time musicians, plus many new services and programs. Before it even opened, the Schermerhorn Symphony Center spurred much of that growth. Valentine credits, “Nashville is a city of can-do people with vision who are generous beyond belief.” — Mary Sue Lawrence
- Photography by Dean Dixon
INK IS THICKER THAN WATER
An old joke about longtime newspaper writers bleeding ink, not blood, certainly applies to Hubert Mizell. Although the respected sports columnist retired in 2001 after 27 years with the St. Petersburg Times, reporting is still in his blood. Now living in Gainesville, Florida, Mizell, 67, writes a Sunday column for the Gainesville Sun and is a radio commentator for the Masters and U.S. Open golf tournaments. “My whole goal is to do stuff that’s fun and a lot like work. Not that I won’t work at it,” says Mizell, a member of Gainesville’s Haile Plantation Golf & Country Club. During more than 40 years as a full-time sports journalist, Mizell regularly covered the world’s biggest events and greatest athletes. He could talk for hours about his memories, chief among them the tragedy-marred 1972 Munich Olympics and the U.S. hockey team’s monumental upset of the Soviet Union at the 1980 Olympics. Regarding athletes, though, one easily tops his list of favorites: boxer Muhammad Ali. “I don’t think there’s any doubt he was the greatest sports figure in history,” says Mizell, pictured above during Ali’s heyday (and today, at right, with University of Florida coach Urban Meyer). “[Ali] was incredibly smart for a guy who had no formal education, and he was one of the most amazing looking athletes I’ve ever seen.” — Steve Wilson
CULTIVATING CHILI’S
When Todd Diener joined Dallas-based Chili’s Grill & Bar as a manager trainee in 1981, the company had 12 restaurants and $17.5 million in annual sales. These days, Diener, Chili’s president, presides over a chain that opens a dozen restaurants a month, and sells that many millions in cheeseburgers, baby-back ribs, and other casual fare in a couple of days. “It’s been an incredible journey, to say the least,” says Diener, a member of Stonebriar Country Club in Frisco, Texas. The “longtime ChiliHead,” so dubbed in parent company Brinker International’s annual report, is actually in his second stint as president. He held the post from 1998 to 2003 before serving as Brinker’s chief operating officer, where he remains as executive vice president. Diener’s business philosophy is an ongoing quest, adopted through osmosis from his mentor, restaurant trailblazer Norman Brinker, who retired in 2000. “What Norman brought to the party was always finding the right people and putting them in the right seats,” Diener notes. “He was fanatical about selecting the right talent and giving them the room to grow.” Growing is what the flagship chain, which celebrated its 30th birthday last year, plans to do. With 1,000 restaurants in 24 countries, Diener has set his sights on doubling Chili’s size over the next six years. — Helen Bond
- Photography by Lisa Means
CITY SLICKER
As an amateur-league baseball player, Bob Atwater values comfortable athletic wear. But the longtime executive recruiter never expected to have a hand in outfitting himself. At the One Ninety One Club in Atlanta, Atwater met a client who invented the technology behind a breakthrough material that was strong, soft, and odor-controlling — perfect for a baseball player’s sliding shorts, he thought. By 2005, Atwater had created “The Slicks,” a line of athletic wear made of the antimicrobial material that so impressed him. “The fabric feels slick, and part of my idea behind the garment was, ‘If you’re going to slide, be slick,’” he says. Made of Lycra and Tactel nylon, “The Slicks” includes shorts, shirts, pants, knee protection, and even undergarments, all made to order through his Web site (www.atwaterslicks.com). He also has personally reaped the benefits of the apparel. “I’m a lead-off batter. I run a lot, and I wear these things all the time,” Atwater says. “I have yet to have a knee abrasion.” So how hard was it for Atwater to convince his fellow baseball players to try “The Slicks”? “There was no convincing necessary,” Atwater says. “When they saw them, when they felt them, they bought them.” — Janet Mefferd
- Photography by Marc Climie
SPECIAL DELIVERY
Before her first child was even born, Rachel Zinny had wondered why a new mom’s hospital gown always had to be so unattractive. “Everyone e-mails out that first photo of the mom with the baby … and in the picture, it’s always the same ugly gown the mom is wearing,” she says. “I thought, ‘Why couldn’t it be in cute fabric?’” A few years later, pregnant with her second child, Zinny decided to put her idea into action. With no design background of her own, she found fabric she liked and enlisted her mother-in-law to help sew some cute hospital gowns that she could wear in the hospital. “The nurses in the hospital thought they were adorable,” remembers Zinny, a member of Boston College Club in Massachusetts. She created 10 prototypes of the stylish, all-cotton gowns, and her friends soon were buying the gowns for their pregnant friends. In June 2005, Zinny incorporated as dearjohnnies, which now offers hospital gowns with stripes, polka dots, and touches of ribbon online and at select maternity stores. The response, she says, has been incredible. “People just want something fun and cute and whimsical,” Zinny says. “I think it’s really about helping women feel better about themselves.” — Janet Mefferd
- Photography by Anna Weymouth
SWEET TOOTH
Life is sweet for Jim and Karen Paras. In 1990, the couple took over Betsy Ann Chocolates, then a 42-year-old chocolate factory that Jim’s father had bought in 1968. Today, the Parases, members of Treesdale Golf & Country Club in Gibsonia, Pennsylvania, are giving heavy hitters like Godiva a run for their money. From its original West View location in Pittsburgh, Betsy Ann Chocolates has grown to 11 outlets and enjoys a brisk online business. The Food Network featured the confections on its Best of … program, and corporate accounts have become a substantial portion of Betsy Ann’s business. “We have several companies that use our chocolates as a marketing tool,” Karen says. “We do a lot of custom corporate logos and special packaging that fits with their products.” In 1994, Jim and Karen created the Paras Truffle, which has become a best-seller year round. After christening the confection with their last name, they learned that, in Finnish, Paras means “the best,” and many customers agree the truffle is aptly named. “We’ve fine-tuned our products,” Karen says, “but we’re still doing everything by hand. Once people try it, they taste the difference.” — Paula Felps
– Photography by Michael Ray
HOT COMMODITY
While many folks flee the hot Texas summer, Ejike Edward Okpa II — the son of a Nigerian chieftain — felt instantly at home when he landed in Dallas in August 1985 to study real estate. “I came from a tropical country,” says Okpa, a member of the Tower Club in Dallas. “I can’t deal with the cold weather.” Things heated up even more as he immersed himself in the market, heading up regional real estate appraisal for the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. for more than a decade. As principal of the Okpa Co., he currently oversees the development of Third Rail Lofts, the first downtown Dallas residential tower constructed in more than 40 years. The luxury project, which includes a ninth floor outdoor terrace, movie theater, and wine room, is set to open in 2007 and will tie into the nearby residential redevelopment of the historic Gulf States Insurance Building. Okpa, who comes from a long ancestral line dedicated to community service, has announced his intention to run for Dallas mayor for the second time and serves on the board of the World Affairs Council of Dallas-Fort Worth. — Helen Bond
- Photography by Lisa Means
CHANGING THE WORLD
I was raised in the ’60s, and we were gonna change the world,” explains Taylor Hogge, a member of the Pyramid Club in Philadelphia. “I looked around when I was about 39, and realized that I wasn’t doing enough.” That’s when she began volunteering at the Hadassim Children and Youth Village near Tel-Aviv. For more than a decade now, Hogge has spent six months a year in the Middle East caring for the village’s children and teaching them English. (She volunteers for three months at the beginning of each school year, and returns for another three months at the end of the school year.) The village takes in displaced and wayward children and teens, providing them with food, education and — most importantly — love. About half of the children are immigrant children from Russia and Ethiopia. By the time they graduate at age 18, they have become productive Israeli citizens. “These children have had so much loss in their lives, it’s hard not to be there for them,” she says. “I can’t back away from it.” Her husband, Robert Spivak, also does volunteer work in the Middle East, so the couple is able to see each other even when they are abroad. “Honestly, I could not do it without him,” she says. “He understands how important this is, and it works for us. And that’s good, because I don’t foresee a time when I’m not doing this. It’s just too important.” — Paula Felps
reMEMBER
When readers of Private Clubs last caught up with Marilyn Solomon [“Clubs & Members,” January/February 2004], the former television executive and consultant was preparing for retirement. Well, it appears Solomon has found a way to spend her retirement years contributing in a way that even the queen of England thinks befitting of recognition. Solomon recently was selected by Her Majesty as an Honorary Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE) for her decade-long work in support of the British Marshall scholarships. One of four Americans honored, she was presented with the insignia of the OBE for her contribution to British-American relations at a special ceremony at the embassy residence, officiated by the British ambassador. “The OBE is the highlight of my public life,” says Solomon, a member of City Club on Bunker Hill in Los Angeles. “To be honored for doing work that I love is wonderful.” About 40 exceptional American students are awarded Marshall scholarships each year, allowing them to complete an advanced degree at British universities. Solomon has served as chairperson of two regional selection committees and is credited with helping to increase geographical and ethnic outreach. “I’ve stayed in touch with several Marshall scholars who are now contributing to their communities as physicians, entrepreneurs, and scientists after completing their studies in the U.K.,” Solomon says. “I feel I’ve made a little difference.” — Mary Sue Lawrence
A BOY’S LIFE
Nearly 35 years after joining the Oak Ridge Boys, Richard Sterban is still having a ball. “People ask us when we’re going to retire or slow down, but there’s still a spark that burns within us to get out on stage and perform,” says Sterban (kneeling), a member of Bluegrass Yacht & Country Club in Hendersonville, Tennessee. “As long as we’re healthy and people are willing to pay money to see us perform, we’ll get up there.” Currently, the Oak Ridge Boys perform about 160 dates a year, and, this year, they’re playing some larger venues with Kenny Rogers in addition to their own shows. The band has finished recording a new as-yet-untitled CD, which will be available by the late fall, and was featured in a nationally televised patriotic concert with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir for the Fourth of July. These days, their fans include the children — and sometimes grandchildren — of fans who came out to see the Oak Ridge Boys when Sterban first joined the band. “It’s gratifying to have young people coming up and saying they grew up listening to us,” says the bass singer, who backed Elvis Presley as a member of the Stamps before joining the Oak Ridge Boys. “There’s no way of ever knowing how long a band will last. When I joined the band, I was already a fan. But I had no idea how big and successful it would become. We’ve lived a dream and, the best part is, we’re still living that dream.” — Paula Felps
– Photography by David Johnson
… SHORT TAKES …
House Call: Les and Linda Lampert, members of California’s Porter Valley Country Club, open up their home for a Wine for Wheels charity event and roll away with $3,600 to benefit the Wheelchair Foundation — enough for about 50 wheelchairs for the needy. The Lampert’s daughter Holly and her friend Colin Behring organized the event, both are seniors at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. The Foundation was started by Colin’s grandfather, Kenneth Behring, in 2000 to provide wheelchairs to children and adults who cannot affort them. Each chair costs $75. To date, more than 497,000 wheelchairs have been delivered to 120 countries for those in need. For more information, visit www.wheelchairfoundation.org or to present your own Wine for Wheels event, visit www.wineforwheels.org. … Great Tippers: The Columbia Tip Club at South Carolina’s Capital City Club presents breakfast server Trina Austin with a new car after her own car unceremoniously broke down. Austin has served at the Tip Club’s breakfast meeting for the last five years. The Tip Club members donated enough to buy her a car, plus several months of insurance, as a token of their appreciation for her many years of service. Says member Tom Ashburn, “We always look forward to our weekly meetings at the Capital City Club with the good food and fine service Trina and the staff provide for our business club.” … Clay Shooting USA magazine profiles The Homestead’s Shooting Club in a recent issue. … Hockey great Grant Fuhr wins the Toyota Celebrity Classic Hosted by Stan Humphries at California’s Morgan Run Resort & Club amid competition from former NFLers Jerry Rice and Billy Joe Tolliver, actor Jack Wagner, and many other celebs. … San Francisco Tennis Club member Tom Edlefsen adds NCAA Collegiate Hall of Famer to his résumé. … Operation A.B.L.E. of Greater Boston honors Boston College Club member Peter Meade for his outstanding community service. … The St. Petersburg Chamber of Commerce in Florida picks Centre Club member (and Maddux Business Report publisher) Nancy Howe as its Business Woman of the Year. … During a “spring renewal weekend,” guests at North Carolina’s Pinehurst get lifelong wellness tips from Body for Life for Women author/nutritionist Pamela Peeke. … In the News: Successful Meetings magazine recognizes Barton Creek Resort & Spa with the 2006 Pinnacle Award for its top-quality meeting services. … Who does Golf Inc. magazine laud as one of 2006’s top 20 “most admired operators”? Barton Creek’s director of golf, Brian Dees. … And Golf for Women magazine names Rosey Bartlett of Texas’ Trophy Club Country Club one of America’s top 50 golf instructors. …