VOL. 129 | NO. 142 | Wednesday, July 23, 2014
Memphis Newsmakers
McKinney Named Branch Manager at Waddell & Reed
By Kate Simone
Mack McKinney has been promoted at Waddell & Reed to district branch manager for the Memphis area. McKinney has been with the financial advisory firm for five years, holding management positions for four of those years.
McKinney works to develop field leaders and help financial advisers leverage their strengths and experiences to build successful practices. He serves as mentor to both new and seasoned financial advisers and says he’s committed to building an office that demonstrates the collective passion shared for clients and the community.
Hometown: Dallas, Texas
Experience: Bachelor of Business Administration, managerial finance, University of Mississippi. With Waddell & Reed Inc. for five years, four of those in management positions.
Family: Wife, Amy McKinney; dogs, Scooter and Pyper
Favorite quote: “If it is to be, it is up to me.”
Favorite movies: “Fletch” and “Heat”
The sports teams you root for: Way too many to list.
What’s playing on your stereo right now? Creedence Clearwater Revival, Neil Young, Lord T & Eloise
Activities you enjoy outside of work: Playing lacrosse, hunting, listening to music, playing my guitar
What talent do you wish you had? I wish I knew how to fly a plane.
Who has had the greatest influence on you and why? My parents and my wife – they taught me how to listen, observe, think, reflect and evaluate.
What attracted you to the financial services industry? I was attracted by the thought of creating a successful practice in a business industry that could provide me with opportunities to positively impact the lives of my colleagues and clients.
What are your goals in your new role? As our office continues to grow, I’m going to add several new seasoned advisers to our team this year.
What do you consider your greatest accomplishment? I’m still working on my greatest accomplishment …
What do you most enjoy about your work? We have a lot of fun – that is what I enjoy that the most.
If you could give one piece of advice to young people, what would it be? Be proactive, and take initiative to accomplish your goals – do the hard things, and you will achieve great success.
Ahsaki Baptist, an attorney with Wyatt, Tarrant & Combs LLP, has been named to the Lawyers of Color 2014 Hot List. The annual list by Washington, D.C.-based Lawyers of Color recognizes minority attorneys who excel in the practice of law and are active in initiatives that promote diversity. Baptist is a senior associate at Wyatt, Tarrant & Combs and is a member of the firm’s Litigation & Dispute Resolution Service Team.
Mercedes-Benz of Collierville has recently added five employees. Phil Shelton and Alan Morgan have joined as certified sales and leasing consultants, Donny Olivo as diagnostic technician, and Seth Ashdown and Greg Kirkland as master-certified technicians.
Nicole Yasinsky has been promoted to marketing team leader at The Booksellers at Laurelwood. Yasinsky is a 15-year bookselling veteran and has served as children’s team leader for the past 13 years. Corinne Walker has been promoted to children’s coordinator. Walker has been with The Booksellers at Laurelwood for two years.
Scott Frizzell, a teacher at Harding Academy of Memphis, has been selected as of the top 16 Lead PBS Digital Innovators as part of the Class of 2014 PBS LearningMedia Digital Innovators. Frizzell will soon begin his third year of teaching eighth-grade history and ninth-grade English at Harding, and he is simultaneously completing his doctorate in African-American history at the University of Memphis.
Twenty-one UT Medical Group Inc. primary care physicians and specialists have been named to Castle Connolly Medical Ltd.’s 2014 Regional Top Doctors list: Karl T. Weber, cardiovascular disease; Robert B. Skinner, dermatology; Susan F. Nelson, family medicine; Patricia Adams-Graves, hematology; James E. Bailey, internal medicine; Giancarlo Mari, maternal-fetal medicine; Ramasubbareddy Dhanireddy, neonatal-perinatal medicine; Owen P. Phillips, Claudette J. Shephard and Edwin M. Thorpe Jr., obstetrics and gynecology; James C. Fleming, Barrett G. Haik, Natalie C. Kerr and Matthew W. Wilson, ophthalmology; William L. Hickerson, Roberto Lachica and Robert D. Wallace, plastic surgery; Laura Detti and Daniel C. Martin, reproductive endocrinology; Stephen W. Behrman, surgery; and Michael J. Rohrer, vascular surgery.
Methodist Hospitals of Memphis has been ranked No. 1 in the Memphis metro area on U.S. News & World Report’s Best Hospitals list, which recognizes hospitals that excel in treating the most challenging patients. Methodist Hospitals – which includes Methodist University Hospital, Methodist North Hospital, Methodist South Hospital and Methodist Le Bonheur Germantown Hospital – also earned top honors in nine specialties: cancer, cardiology and heart surgery, diabetes and endocrinology, gastroenterology and GI surgery, nephrology, neurology and neurosugery, orthopedics, pulmonology and urology.