Forty Under 40: Cass Crews

Growing up the son of a car dealer in Green Hill, Ala., during a very complicated time to be a car dealer spurred an interest in economics for Cass Crews that would mold the rest of his life.

“Things were pretty good when I was a young kid in the early 2000s,” Crews said. “Later in that decade, we had the financial crisis. That basically shut my parent’s business down.”

He pursued education and knowledge that would help him understand the financial crisis and what can be done to prevent events like that from happening again and prevent the damage impacts that come from them.

After graduating with a degree in economics with a focus on quantitative analysis from Auburn University in 2015, Crews worked in the research department at the Federal Reserve Bank in St. Louis.

In 2018, he took his skills to Heartland Forward. There, Crews directs entrepreneurship-focused research projects, co-authors comprehensive reports and conducts in-depth data analysis.

Crews co-authored the report, “Young Firms and Regional Economic Growth,” in 2020, which gained attention, including coverage in “The Economist.”

He also played a key role in developing the “America’s Entrepreneurial Capacity Tool,” which allows users to compare their state’s entrepreneurial capacity with others and understand the factors that influence these rankings.

His work on the “State of Black Business Opportunity,” released in October 2023, is widely referenced throughout Memphis and the heartland because it offers a model for guiding philanthropy, government and public entities across the heartland.

The Greater Memphis Chamber of Commerce cited the report in its proposals for the U.S. Economic Development Administration Recompete Program, seeking $24 million for area development efforts.