Love of running inspires unique tour company

Small Business Spotlight for The Memphis Daily News

July 26, 2010

John Lintner loves to run.

“I run about four to six miles a day, and nine to 10 miles on the weekends,” he said. “I’ve run four marathons.”

A certified personal trainer and head of sales for Breakaway Running’s bulk embroidery division, Lintner recently trained his wife, Crissy, for her first major race, the 13.1-mile Germantown Half Marathon.

“Whenever we weren’t fighting, it was fun,” John Lintner said.

The two newlyweds – married last September – have recently taken their love of running, the outdoors and a healthy lifestyle to a new level by starting Rockin’ Running Tours.

The idea is simple: take visitors to the city on a three- or six-mile tour of Downtown Memphis at their own pace, at street level, where they can take the time to see all there is to see.

There are several ways to see the sights of Downtown, including horse and carriage tours, a riverboat ride on the Mississippi River and Backbeat Tours, a music-themed tour company ... (read more)

A new trail, and a path forward

Feature story for the Summer 2010 Memphis Crossroads magazine

Long-awaited greenline links city neighborhoods with parks - exactly the type of asset employers say they need to make Memphis more attractive for workers.

Health partnership sights poor

Spot business news for The Commercial Appeal

May 22, 2010

Baptist Memorial Healthcare Corp. kicked off its partnership with one of America's leading vision benefits companies, Davis Vision of Plainview, N.Y., to provide eye screenings to the homeless and underserved of Memphis.

"The Focus on America program targets children and adults underinsured or not insured at all," said Laura Dyer of Davis Vision. "This is not a one-time thing. This is the kickoff of a partnership that will provide glasses on a monthly basis."

Those who failed eye exams were either given vouchers for reduced-cost eyeglasses from any local retailers who work with Davis Vision, or free glasses in cases of homelessness. An average pair of glasses, according to George Yanoshik Jr. of Davis Vision, is $293.

"If you can't see, it's hard to fill out a job application or find your way out in the community," said Baptist Memorial Healthcare president and CEO Stephen Reynolds ... (read more)

Skate park competes for $250,000 grant

Metro news story for The Commercial Appeal

April 25, 2010

Pepsi contest rewards community projects

A Memphis grassroots organization that advocates public skate parks is backing the Binghampton Development Corp.'s bid to win $250,000 for a park in the neighborhood.

Pepsi, through its site refresheverything.com, is awarding two organizations, people or businesses grants of up to $250,000 every month for one year for ideas that will have a positive impact on their communities.

"Memphis is two places from the bottom among the U.S. for the amount of money spent per person for parks and recreation," said Dr. Aaron Shafer, founder of the nonprofit Skatelife Memphis and a researcher at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. "This is an incredible opportunity for churches to cooperate together and bring in some funds for their communities."

On Saturday, the Binghampton Development Corp. -- under the headline "Get our kids Moving! Build a skate park for inner-city Memphis youth" -- was ranked No. 16 among "Current Leaders" in the $250,000 category. Voting ends April 30 ... (read more)

My Profession: Health care administration

My Profession profile for The Commercial Appeal

March 10, 2010

George Hernandez is a man on the move.

As the new CEO of Campbell Clinic, Hernandez is charged with carrying the 100-year-old orthopedic clinic into its next century of operation. He took the reins from former CEO John Vines, who retired Dec. 31.

Hernandez, 57, now oversees an organization that is at the top of its field in orthopedic surgery in the Mid-South, produces the top-selling textbook on orthopedics in the world, Campbell's Operative Orthopedics, and facilitates research in its field and the training of physicians domestically and internationally.

In addition, Campbell Clinic works with orthopedic implant manufacturers such as Smith & Nephew to develop new implants and devices for use in surgery.

"The support staff and I are here to provide the framework that allows the doctors to practice their skill, and that's to treat patients with orthopedic problems," Hernandez said ... (read more)

Make A Splash swimming program borne of tragedies and statistics

Corporate giving story for The Commercial Appeal

August 7, 2009

In the summer of 2007, two teens drowned while swimming in public pools in Memphis. From the tragedy sprang the Make A Splash Mid-South program through Safe Kids Mid-South at Le Bonheur Children's Medical Center.

The goals of the program, according to Susan Helms, Le Bonheur's director of injury prevention, are to offer swimming lessons to those who otherwise couldn't afford it, enhance lifeguard training and inject diversity into swim meets.

"The community was outraged by the drownings, and it was the perfect time for the two, Safe Kids and Le Bonheur, to work together," Helms said ... (read more)

There's no mulligan in a round of raising kids

"Because I Said So" column for The Commercial Appeal

July 9, 2009

In an effort to enjoy the fresh air and spend more time with my four kids, I pulled out a bag of plastic golf balls and a few irons the other day and scattered them about the yard for the kids to practice.

That was a mistake.

First, they fought, like the worst caddies in the world, over who got which club. Once we all settled on the 9, the 7, the pitching wedge and putter, well, they started playing at golf.

It looked like a skinny, metal chicken fight out there. It looked like a foursome of cats with golf clubs taped to their paws. It looked like a bunch of stumbling Saturday night John Dalys in short pants ... (read more)

Alphabet Appetite class spells fun ways for kids to learn about healthy diets

Feature story for the Lifestyle section of The Commercial Appeal

March 18, 2009

On the drive from our house in East Memphis to Downtown, we pass about 14 Taco Bells. My 2-year-old daughter, Genevieve, wants to stop at every one of them. Due to gestational cravings, she was born with a taste for the 99-cent menu.

This night, however, she and I are headed to the Hope and Healing Center at 1115 Union for a childhood nutrition class.

The nutrition education classes for children are available to a variety of age ranges and at times convenient to the workout schedule of their parents. The class we are attending is Alphabet Appetite, for children ages 2 to 5. The class is the brainchild of Laurie Holt, 23, who began working with Hope and Healing last April as an intern and was asked to develop the class in July. She has been teaching it ever since as a staff member ... (read more)

Lausanne teacher moves to inspire kids' exercise habits for a lifetime

Health & Fitness story for The Commercial Appeal

January 8, 2009

While most kids were getting virtual workouts in living rooms across the city via their Wii video games, the first-graders at Lausanne Collegiate School were taking a figurative walk to Washington.

Starting in September, Leslie Brahm's first-grade physical-education students walked and ran one day per week to accumulate the number of miles required to make it to the nation's capital. They also helped log collective miles toward their goal by walking after school with their parents ... (read more)

Bright Outlook

Health & Fitness cover story for The Commercial Appeal.

December 22, 2008

Lynette Herman stares into the middle distance while listening to a conversation, occasionally offering up information, correcting her husband's memory or erupting with a sharp burst of laughter.

There is levity in those steel grey eyes, and something else: a malfunction that reaches to the cells lining the back inside wall of the eyes. The mutation of a gene reaching back to at least the turn of the last century ... (read more)