- This month on The Spark, our theme is "Protecting and Leveraging our Assets."

We'll learn more about a multidisciplinary research center focused on our water and other natural resources here in the Memphis area.

An organization working with and for the people of Memphis to trigger the transformative power of our river and a leading provider of self storage solutions that goes the extra mile to give back.

We'll also share a special moment from our Spark Awards 2020.

- Lipscomb and Pitts   Insurance is honored   to serve the Memphis   community for over 60 years.

We've always focused   on supporting   our community and believe   in promoting the positives,   encouraging engagement   and leading by example.

Lipscomb and Pitts Insurance is proud to be a presenting sponsor of The Spark.

- (male announcer)   Additional funding for   The Spark is   provided by Meritan,   United Way of   the Mid-South,   My Town Movers, My Town   Roofing, My Town Miracles,   and by SRVS.

- Ever been excited   by a new idea?

Inspired by watching   someone lead by example?

When we talk about   creating change,   we start by sharing the   stories of everyday heroes   who are making a   difference in their own way   so we can learn   and do the same.

I'm Jeremy Park, and   this is The Spark.

[upbeat music] Let's dive into the world of water and our natural resources here in the Mid-South.

We're lucky to be joined by Sarah Houston.

She is the Associate Director of Education and Outreach with the University of Memphis Center for Applied Earth Science and Engineering Research affectionately known as CAESER.

So Sarah, let's start out, give us a little bit of background on CAESER in terms of the work that you do.

- Absolutely.

Well, thanks so much for having me on.

I'm really excited to be here.

CAESER has been an ever-growing research center at the University of Memphis.

So we started off as the Groundwater Institute in 1992.

So we were really focused obviously on groundwater, our aquifer system below our feet, but then we added on a new wing in 2015, and that was GIS and mapping and really looking at spatial analysis of our area.

And so that's what morphed us into CAESER.

So from then we actually have added one more division, transportation and logistics, and that's with Dr. Stephanie Ivy, Dr. Martin Lipinski, what was formally IFTI.

So we really morphed into an interdisciplinary research center, looking at all aspects really of community within Memphis and Shelby County and West Tennessee, but still my heart's with the Memphis aquifer and our water resources.

- Give us an idea when you talk about the Memphis aquifer.

One, are we calling it by the correct name, 'cause I know there's multiple names.

And two, give us the main things we all need to know about the Memphis aquifer.

- Sure thing.

So people have heard Memphis aquifer, they've heard Memphis Sand Aquifer, Memphis Sands Aquifer.

And if you're in Mississippi or Arkansas, you probably heard Sparta Aquifer.

All of those are the same formation.

So it's a shared resource.

Another thing to know is   that, you know it's not   this big underground lake.

It is actually a   thick layer of sand.

If you're in downtown   Memphis about three   to four hundred   feet below ground,   and it's a thick layer of sand   where all those pore spaces   are filled with water.

And so that's really what makes up that aquifer, it's more like a sandbox that's been rained in.

And then one other thing I think is really important for everybody to know is that when water gets into our aquifer it's mostly coming from Fayette County and West Tennessee in an area where the sands reach the surface.

So it has been slowly filtering underground   for thousands of years,   but we found areas   where younger water can   actually start to infiltrate   from our shallow aquifer   system and our groundwater.

And that can lead to more   likely man-made pollutants,   more likely to have   contamination   from the current era   versus 2,000 years ago that's pretty pristine water.

- And that's where the work that you're doing around education, advocacy, raising awareness for conservation, that's why all of that matters and is so important.

So give a little bit of a teaser, if you will, on the community conversations, the education, the advocacy around conservation.

- So we launched our biggest research project with the utility here, Memphis Light, Gas and Water in 2018, and that has been by far our largest investigation.

And really that's specifically looking at this clay layer that's right above our Memphis sands.

It's this thick dense protective clay, but we found over the past few decades, that there's actually naturally occurring gaps, or breaches, or windows.

And that's another thing that has multiple names, but it's just going to be a connection between ground surface and the Memphis aquifer.

And so that's really important because it can introduce contaminants into our aquifer system.

And so we have over 20 projects going on right now all across Shelby County trying to identify where those breaches might be and then trying to see if there's any interactions in our well fields and our pumping stations to see, is there an impact to water quality.

And that can help inform utility operation.

It can help inform land use planning, could help ensure that we are able to treat our land with care in order to protect our water quality far far into the future.

- Give us a couple of tips in ways that we can become better conservationists on our end.

And then obviously, where do we go to access the information on your end?

- Everybody can play a role in protecting our aquifer and really ensuring that we've got great water far into the future.

So a few things, just be mindful of your water use.

If you've got a lawn don't water it in the week that it's rained.

You don't need, we don't need that on our grass.

You're putting clean drinking water on grass.

And if you're at home, taking 10 minute showers back when I was in Texas, five minutes was the limit.

So, I'm a little more lenient here.

We got a little more water to spare but just being knowledgeable about the water you use.

And then if you're using fertilizers, use organic fertilizers.

If you're using any kind of chemicals, try to cut back on those because that is going to infiltrate into our ground and into our shallow aquifer and batteries, paints, oils, chemicals that you use in the household, you can take those to hazardous waste facilities, and Jiffy Lubes and things like that to dispose of it correctly because you've put it in a landfill and it's in your trashcan, that landfill eventually leaks too.

So it's all connected in a way.

So you're just being more acknowledging, acknowledge the impacts that you have day to day and taking care of those types of hazardous chemicals and your individual water use, some things that we can do as individuals.

- So wrap it up, where do we go to learn more about University of Memphis CAESER?

- Absolutely.

- So we launched a brand new website with all kinds of great resources.

Great resources for teachers and students too.

So if you go to caeser.memphis.edu.

And I'll spell out CAESER for you, it's C-A-E-S-E-R.memphis.edu.

And we're also on Facebook and Twitter.

So if you're on the socials, you can come find us and follow us.

And yeah, those are the two main ways you can get to know what we're doing and stay in touch.

- Well Sarah greatly appreciate all you and your team are doing.

Thank you for coming on the show.

- Absolutely, well, thanks for having me.

And we look forward to continuing this conversation.

- Since we recorded our interview with Sarah Houston on March 31st, she recently accepted a new position.

And on June 14th transitioned from CAESER to become the Executive Director of Protect Our Aquifer, a nonprofit focused on protecting our drinking water and active aquifer management.

We wanted to give you the important update and also say, congratulations Sarah.

[upbeat music] - They're working to trigger the transformative power of our river.

We're here with the President and CEO of Memphis River Parks Partnership, Carol Coletta.

And Carol, let's start with a little bit of background for Memphis River Parks Partnership.

Give us a history lesson.

- Yeah, well the partnership is the evolution of an organization, a nonprofit organization in partnership with the City of Memphis that was founded almost 20 years ago.

But three years ago we became the Memphis River Parks Partnership and we manage 250 acres of riverfront on behalf of the citizens of Memphis.

- So you have a big project underway, a lot of transformation.

And so, talk about the vision, talk about what's going.

- Yeah, two or three years ago, Mayor Strickland commissioned something called the Memphis riverfront concept.

It was chaired by Alan Crone.

And it was really to take a comprehensive look across our entire riverfront and across all the decades, a hundred years, ten decades, of trying to do something more with it.

And so, we have begun the initial pieces of that Jeremy, we finished River Garden, the former Jeff Davis Park.

We'd finished the former Confederate Park, now called Fourth Bluff Park.

We connected the   entire thing thanks   to the Hyde Family   Foundation with what we call   the river line which goes   from the Wolf River Greenway   all the way down and across   the Big River Crossing.

So those were big fast   pieces we could get done.

We've gotten all that done   in the last three years.

The big piece we're now   working on in addition   to improvements that   we've made just this year   on Mud Island is the   remaking of Tom Lee Park.

In 1991, the Corps of   Engineers built a new dyke   along the river and   allowed the city to expand   what was then a very   small Tom Lee Park.

And that was great, except   that it's always been sort   of a place waiting to happen,   a place waiting   to become a park.

They put it in some walkways,   they put in some grass,   but not a lot more.

So our chance now for   Memphis is to convert this   into a real signature   park for Memphis.

And that's what we're doing, it's a $60 million remake of the park.

Very exciting, work is underway now we'll be finished mid-2023.

- And a big part of that is accessibility for all.

And so ADA-compliance is a big piece of this.

Also two multi-use year round flexible spaces.

So talk about some of the things that you want everyone to know.

- Yeah, I think you mentioned a couple of them.

One, the big move, if you think about getting, from the bluff, like Front Street, down to the river it's pretty steep.

And it's really hard for a lot of people to get up and down, but especially if you have any sort of mobility challenges.

So, we're really thrilled that we will build the first ADA-accessible ramp down the bluff at Vance Park, down to the banks of the river and create a new civic entry to Tom Lee Park, that's very exciting.

Our playground will be fully accessible.

We'll have another ADA-accessible point on the south end of the park.

So, that just ramps up the equity.

It ramps up the ability of people to use it.

And again, not just those with what we think of as tagged mobility challenges, but also people who are getting a little older, moving a little slower, people who are a little overweight.

All of that can hinder your opportunity to enjoy our riverfront because of the nature of the special conditions we have.

But in the park there's going to be so, first of all, just trees and gardens that will be so beautiful as places to just linger.

And we're excited about that.

Food and beverage, park-appropriate food and beverage, which we're excited about.

A beautiful misting fountain, 7,000 square feet of that.

We'll have a huge civic canopy under which is open-air, but under which you can do private parties, you could do concerts, you could do line dancing, play ball, all kinds of different things in the park.

We've got new art that we're not ready to talk about but it's going to be very, very special.

And a hammock grove, I mean, honestly, just go to tomleepark.org and take a look.

- So how can we help?

- Well, we're still looking for donors   and we're always looking for   volunteers and there are lots   of different volunteer   jobs to be done.

Everything from serving   the public to find out,   how we can do things   better, is it clean   do they feel safe?

What would they like to   see on the riverfront?

To painting, to   doing some gardening.

And all of it's fun,   right, cause you know,   it's volunteer work, it's   fun, you meet nice people.

You meet people from very   broad range of neighborhoods,   which is great because downtown   is everybody's neighborhood.

The riverfront is   everyone's park.

And so you can, we got   this really cool category   of donor where you can   become a visionary donor   for $1000, and that $1000   doesn't have to be paid all   at once, it can be paid   in very small increments.

We have people paying, I think   as little as $10 a month.

So, it's cheaper   than your coffee.

And it gives you a way, not only as a citizen to feel ownership of the park, but also as a direct donor.

And we've been thrilled with how many Memphians have stepped up.

And we've even had some former Memphians step up and become visionary donors for the park and we love that.

So you can always go to memphiriverparks.org or tomleepark.org.

- Carol, greatly appreciate all you and your team do.

Thank you so much for coming on the show.

- Thank you so much, appreciate your interest always.

[upbeat music] - The Spark Awards annually recognize and celebrate individuals and organizations that have made outstanding contributions to the community.

The 2020 recipient of the   Corporate Award for companies   with 101 to 499   employees is Radians.

- Radians is a Memphis   space manufacturer   of personal   protective equipment.

We've got facilities   in North Carolina,   Reno, Nevada,   Mexico.

We've been very fortunate   to have a great workforce   here that's allowed   us to grow.

We've been able to continue   to expand our footprint   in Memphis, when we   first started we were   in about 5,000 square feet.

Today, we occupy almost   300,000 square feet.

We have over 400 employees.

We started in eyewear and hearing protection.

We've been able to become one of the largest manufacturer of high visibility clothing.

And then obviously once COVID-19 came in we've had to repurpose a lot of our manufacturing of gloves and Hi-Vis and learn how to make masks.

That point in time   masks were very scarce   and they were hard to come by.

We had a lot of distributors   that were willing   to do anything to   get them from us.

And we looked at how much   they were marking them up.

And instead of doing that   and harming other   people financially,   we thought one of the best   things we could do would be   to support our local   first responders.

We typically do things   way under the radar.

We made one call to the   mayor's office and it ballooned   on us very quickly, we   never actually imagined   that it would get the   press that it did.

We just did it because it   was the right thing to do   for our community.

It's just a reflection of the   culture we like to have here.

We're involved with the   Grizzlies, we're involved   with anything we believe   helps support Memphis.

I've been a longtime supporter   of Live at the Garden.

We just think it's one of the   greatest things we get to do   because it brings so many   people in Memphis together   to celebrate both our hometown   and our happiness and music.

It's just a very unique   atmosphere for Memphis.

But the Church Health Center does so many great things and we're proud to be a sponsor of that.

I think Palmer House is a great opportunity to invest in our community.

The Stax and Soulsville, the fact that we teach children and giving them the opportunity after school to learn to expose their talents to the world.

Probably up until   five or six years ago,   we invested a lot   in our community,   but we were always   an anonymous donor.

We stepped back and   started involving   and putting our name on it   and getting our team involved.

We meet with our team   and the people here   have much better ideas   than I will ever have.

And it gives them a great   sense of pride in the business.

I'm a lifelong Memphian.

I grew up in Graceland.

This is a great city.

So many times we forget all the ways we're blessed.

You know, we have great food and we've got great music.

We got great culture and the more our businesses can invest and can help build that culture and that community, it perpetuates because it improves the jobs and it improves the opportunities for the people here.

I would encourage every business here to take some part of their business proceeds and make sure they invest it well in our community.

It is amazing what it'll do to your workforce.

[upbeat orchestral music] - They're a leading provider of self storage solutions.

We're here with the CEO of Absolute Storage Management, Scott Beatty, and let's start out, Scott.

You're a national provider, you're local oriented in terms of headquartered right here in our area.

Give us a little history lesson on your end.

- Jeremy, thanks, it's an honor to be here.

We started our company back in 2002 in a small small office space in Cordova, Tennessee and with one property under management.

We manage storage properties across the South   and southeast United States.

We now have   over 135 locations.

And like I said,   headquartered here in Memphis,   in Cordova, about   265 team members.

- So talk about what you do, as you mentioned on your end you're a service provider, so there's one piece but you also own, as well.

So give us a little bit of your world.

- We have ownership in about 25 of those 135 locations.

Some of them are here in the greater Memphis area are ownership pieces of that.

And so those get managed quite the same, much the same as our regular third-party managed properties do as well.

- Give us an idea of how the pandemic has impacted your business.

- Yeah, it's been a rollercoaster.

Things got really quiet for us back when the lockdown really kind of took hold in this late spring, early summertime.

But thankfully the demand for self storage continued, which was wonderful.

So folks began to need self storage for different reasons.

So pre-pandemic, there was some moving to houses and those sorts of things were still going on.

Folks were relocating, needing self storage.

With the pandemic though, there was this huge need to free up space in their home so that you could have school at your house, so that you could office out of your house.

And so we picked up quite a bit of a business that way as folks cleared out the guest bedroom, cleared out the garage to establish these spaces.

- Technology played a pivotal role in the pandemic and how you've been able to weather through and become successful.

Talk about technology on your end because now it plays a very important role moving forward.

- It really does.

I think like a lot of folks would say this pandemic really forced us all to fast forward.

It forced us all to to get better quickly in a very abbreviated timeframe.

So we were very fortunate in a lot of ways.

We had contactless or touch-free rentals going on prior to COVID, but once it really started kicking in we really started to see the value of that.

So prior to that, most of our rentals were done in a traditional manner.

So folks would come to the office and see the product and sign a lease, physically sign a lease.

With COVID though, we transformed all of that to touch-less.

So about 40% of our rentals now are done online.

So the customer is able to complete the entire transaction including lease signing and gate code acquisition, and getting a lock for their unit and honestly going and moving in that evening or that afternoon.

All completed online.

So it's been a wonderful transition, a transformation.

And I think it's going to continue to be kind of the next step forward for us as an industry going forward.

- Let's talk about philanthropy.

You personally, your team, very philanthropic, very engaged in the community, a big part of the University of Memphis MILE Program, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

Talk about, let's start with the University of Memphis MILE Program.

Talk about your relationship with the MILE Program.

- One of my favorite things to talk about.

I have been involved with it for over eight years now.

So for those of you that don't know much about the program, it is through the University of Memphis Business School.

And it pairs roughly 80 to 100 students, mostly juniors and seniors, with 80 to 100 influencers, leaders in the Memphis market coming from a number of businesses.

And so that relationship, that mentor-mentee relationship is just a wonderful thing.

So every year for the last eight years, I've had a mentor, a mentee that I've gotten the opportunity to do things with, both in an organized structure through the MILE Program, which we'd meet approximately once a month.

But then kind of off-campus as well.

And just really get to know them, pour into those students and help them build their network and build their confidence and give them some of those skills they need to get the job they want or give them a perspective they might need to think about something in a different way.

So it's been a wonderful relationship for us.

Our vice president of marketing, we actually met through the MILE Program, she was a student at the University of Memphis when we first met her.

We brought her in as an intern.

She grew from there and just really excelled.

And we're just so thrilled and blessed to have found her and honestly to have connected with the MILE program.

- Talk about St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and Toys for Tots and some of the other nonprofits that you support.

- Our commitment and our connection to St. Jude, here locally, really serves us extremely well.

Both locally and   kind of nationally   because of the draw and the   scope of what St. Jude is.

So each year for the   last number of years,   we've partnered with them,   I have participated primarily   in their Memphis   Marathon Weekend.

In 2019, we raised over   $50,000 as a company for them, which was incredibly gratifying and exciting.

2020 was a little bit off due to the pandemic but we're bouncing back for 2021.

We've also taken the opportunity over the years and this dates back to the foundation, to founding in 2002, to partner with Toys for Tots.

So each, December, November,   and December actually, we   put donation collection boxes   in each of our 135 locations.

And over the years we've   collected thousands and thousands of toys.

- A wrap up on your end, where do we go to learn more about Absolute Storage Management?

- Please, look us up online.

Google Absolute Storage Management, absolutemgmt.com is the actual .com address.

We can be found on all the social media outlets as well.

- Well Scott, greatly appreciate all you and your team do, thank you for coming on the show.

- Great, thank you.

[upbeat music] - Here in the Mid-South, we're fortunate to have an abundance of natural resources, including our Memphis aquifer, the Mississippi River, fertile soil, and a climate perfect for crop growing seasons.

We're also fortunate to have assets like our rich musical legacy, our entrepreneurial ecosystem, our food and entertainment, tourism and service industries, and so many organizations and individuals who are focused on protecting and improving these assets.

Not just for our generation, but for the generations to come.

Organizations like the University of Memphis Center for Applied Earth Science and Engineering Research, are working to educate the community and protect our natural environment, while Memphis River Parks Partnership works to transform our riverfront and ensure that all Memphians have access with the ability to enjoy public spaces that can bring our community together year-round.

Then companies like Absolute Storage Management are not only allowing people to safely protect their assets and storage, they're leveraging their resources to give back and make a difference like through the University of Memphis MILE program and so many others.

When we take good care of what we have, we have a much brighter future to give to those ahead.

So thank you for watching The Spark.

To learn more about each of the guests, to watch past episodes, and to share your stories of others leading by example, visit wkno.org and click on the link for The Spark.

We look forward to seeing you next month, and we hope you'll continue joining with us to create a spark for the Mid-South.

- Lipscomb and Pitts   Insurance is honored   to serve the Memphis   community for over 60 years.

We've always focused on   supporting our community   and believe in   promoting the positives,   encouraging engagement,   and leading by example.

Lipscomb and Pitts Insurance is proud to be a presenting sponsor of The Spark.

[upbeat music] [acoustic guitar chords]