Profiles with Clay: Lea Taylor

Editor’s note: Profiles with Clay is intended to provide information about those in the Fort Smith region who find themselves — purposefully or via promotion — newly engaged in a business or civic leadership role. Furthermore, they have demonstrated the capacity and willingness to improve some aspect of their community, and have expressed a desire for regional leadership that is more active, aggressive and accommodating. The profiles will be posted on the second and fourth Mondays of each month.

story and interview by Clay McKinney

Lea Taylor’s career has led her from Texas to Chicago to North Carolina and ultimately back home to Fort Smith. It is this interesting journey that helps shape her and her company, What If Creative. And bringing these experiences back home has been to the benefit of many in the Fort Smith area. Her feisty personality and can-do attitude is definitely what we need more of in our region.

Taylor graduated from Northside High School in Fort Smith and Southern Methodist University in Dallas where she received a bachelor’s degree in advertising and psychology. Following graduation, Taylor stayed in Dallas to work for the Temerlin McClain advertising agency.

After several years in Dallas, she moved to Fayetteville briefly to work for a friend’s agency doing media work. Shortly thereafter, Taylor moved to Chicago where she spent nearly four years working for TMP Worldwide before being transferred to their offices in Raleigh, N.C.

During all of these moves she continued dating her high school sweetheart who remained in Fort Smith to help run the family business. Taylor, a self-proclaimed “big city girl” knew in all likelihood her career path would keep her in a major metropolitan area and never really considered moving back to Fort Smith.

Shortly after Sept. 11, 2001, and after 12 years of dating, Lea’s husband, Ryan, flew to North Carolina. He asked Lea to marry him, and convinced her to move home. Luckily, her company was working with Fort Smith-based Beverly Enterprises at the time so she was able to stay on with TMP in Fort Smith.

Within a few months she moved on to sell media spots for a local television station and newspaper. Taylor says this was a pivotal time for her. She was trying to sell as she did in the larger cities where terms like “return on investment” and “advertising diversification” are key selling points. In Fort Smith, she quickly learned, this approach wasn’t the key. She said when she quit talking business and started talking personal, things began to click.

Following a short stint with the McIntosh Group, Taylor took all of her experiences and in 2007 poured them into her own marketing and advertising company, What If Creative.

THE INTERVIEW
Clay McKinney: Tell me about some of the activities, groups or organizations you are a part of that help shape the Fort Smith region?
“Currently I’m on the YEL (Young Emerging Leaders) Marketing committee. I’m president of the American Advertising Federation Fort Smith Chapter and I also serve as an Ambassador for the Chamber. I work with Philip Merry who is leading the Education and Quality of Place committee for the Chamber and he’s asked me to spearhead the Quality of Place part of it. There’s so much involved we decided to split the committee and there are seven or eight sub-categories under the Quality of Place committee. It’s a big undertaking. I also put on business focus seminars for the Chamber and the IEC and I serve on the Girls, Inc. board.”

CM: What would you say a young leader’s role should be in our region?
“If you have a leadership desire and want to make a difference just get involved. I know you hear that all the time, and that doesn’t mean you have to run for a city director position, but get on boards, get on commissions, find something you’re passionate about. It doesn’t have to be painful or else you’re not going to stick to it. Once you get on these boards you’ll meet other people with the same passion and from there you will meet others.

“Find two or three things you’re interested in, and make sure they are actionable groups not just ‘I just go talk and hang out and not really do anything’. I hear people say they want to get involved but they don’t know how. Yes you do. It’s not that difficult. Go do it. People need help. They want volunteers, and don’t wait for them to ask you. If you’re going to be a leader, go do something.”

CM: Some might say there is an underlying “old vs. young” theme in this area. Do you believe it exists and what are your thoughts on bridging this gap?
“I do believe it exists and I don’t think Fort Smith is unique to that situation. I think it’s just more prevalent in smaller towns. But it’s typical that the most influential people are going to be the older generation. They call a lot of shots and carry a lot of weight but rightfully so. They’ve been successful in what they do. At the same time because this town is so ‘it’s all who you know’, they tend to live in their comfort zone. They have the people they like to work with and have a hard time letting go of that. It makes it harder for the younger generation to break through but then again, the younger generation may not be trying hard enough to break through.

“On bridging this gap I think we need to take the initiative. What reasons do they have to come meet you? You’ve got to show you’re viable and capable of getting the job done. You’ve got to put yourself in that position or else you don’t stand a chance.”

CM: A lot has been said over the past few years about the importance of keeping young professionals in our region and its pivotal role in the future success of our region. What are your thoughts on this?
“Absolutely, or else we’re just going to waste away. You’ve got to have someone to step in when the older generation steps down, so I don’t see how anyone could believe it’s not important.”

How do you envision our community when the next generation is in your position?
“I would like to see it vibrant or have an energy. Currently when you drive through Fort Smith it is ‘still.’ I guess that’s the best way to put it. It’s quiet and calm and there’s some appeal to that but I would like to see certain parts of our region have an energy about it and that can be contagious. And I don’t know if that’s economic development or more (activities) to do but we need more energy. For example, the new apartments and piano bar going in downtown, that’s someone from our generation who had an opportunity to invest in the future of our town and look what they’re putting in. Things like that that have an energy to it. I think there is a cry for more of that, more culture. We have a lot of history here but we need more from the cultural aspect.”

CM: Some believe that the young leaders needs to be active in the political arena in order to bring about change. Do you believe this to be the case?
“I think there has to be some of that but I know it’s not for everyone. There are a lot of things that need some young leadership in this town and it’s not all political, but obviously politics plays a key part in some of the major decisions that affect our region. The problem is our age group is busy raising families, starting their own companies or is in career mode so it can make it difficult. Hopefully, we can find one or two that have a situation personally or professionally where it’s doable, because we need it.”

CM: Our region has a long history in manufacturing but many would like to see us move away from this. How do you feel about this and what do you feel are our obstacles?
“I think you must play to your strengths. Don’t be embarrassed. Don’t try to hide them. Look at the new plants going in at Fort Chaffee, they are high tech. Do we put all of our eggs in one basket? No, but I don’t think we should shy away from (manufacturing). There’s a strategic reason we are a great manufacturing hub; our location. So don’t run from it, own it. Then expand into other areas.”

CM: Some say the young leadership groups within our community are simply social groups and that they really don’t have a productive function. What is your reaction to those who believe this?
“I think there is some truth to that. I think where that stems from is because the nature of the activities have traditionally been social and they honestly haven’t had a community function to show that they are giving something back to the community, to make them stand out. Everybody needs to have fun, that’s part of it but there’s definitely a time for learning, growing and taking care of business.

“I think a lot of the frustration comes from a lack of professional development. I am hungry for that and some of the groups I have been involved in have lacked that. I loved to be challenged personally and professionally. There needs to be more of that and I think it needs to start earlier. We should be teaching those right out of college these leadership skills. A lot of these groups have potential but they’re not quite there yet.”

CM: If you were “King for a day,” what one thing would you change about our region, and why?
“One thing that if I could wave a magic wand and change, it would be the riverfront. I would have that thing so built up because, in my personal opinion, I think we’re sitting on a gold mine. If you have that it will help retain the young professionals. You’ll have the tourist dollars, the downtown will grow, and everything would pull from that. The city would have more money to go out and recruit businesses to our area. I don’t understand why it hasn’t happened. It needs to be built up. It’s crazy the missed opportunities. If people want the dollars to come into this region, that’s it. It could be beautiful if it was done right. You would come over the bridge and say ‘What’s going on here? This is awesome!’”

About Clay
Clay McKinney is a graduate of the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. He’s lived in Fort Smith since 1999 with his wife and two daughters. His short story, “Duplicity,” placed third in the National Writer’s Association Short Story contest in 2007. He’s working on a book with an attorney friend about an arbitration case against the New York Yankees.

You can reach Clay at [email protected]