Oakhaven, TN native, Paul Young, is our current President and CEO of the Downtown Memphis Commission. Paul's upbringing has been centered on finding purpose in work and a strong spirit of service. After graduating from UT Knoxville, Paul experienced a turning point in his life as he listened to one of his mother's sermons encompassing the purpose driven life. It was that moment when Paul discovered that he wanted to rebuild communities in Memphis. Since then he has served in a myriad of roles such as Legislative Liaison for the Shelby County Office of Legislative Affairs; Financial Analyst with Community Capital (Memphis, TN); Assistant Program Officer for Local Initiatives Support Corporation (New York, NY); and Associate Planner for the Memphis and Shelby County Division of Planning and Development.

Take a listen as Mr. Young walks us through his current role as President and CEO of the Downtown Memphis Commission. Upon entering the role, Memphis was coming out of covid proper which welcomed endless opportunities. Paul talks about the makeup of your typical investor for projects in downtown Memphis and why they are attracted to the city. Paul feels that "Diversity is our Super Power" in Memphis and that we should all strive to have a mindset of abundance. We also discuss the correlation of poverty as it relates to the DMC in addition to crime being one of their biggest challenges. Last but not least, Paul participates in "Finish That Line" where we see if he knows his 90's R&B. You'll discover some of the upcoming activations in downtown Memphis in addition to a five year outlook.