Yesterday was special for me on several levels. First and foremost, Operation HOPE has never before operated in Nashville, Tennessee, and this new HOPE Inside location gives us a formidable beachhead of operation to now begin providing services and empowering people here in this great American city. Nashville was forced introduced into the American landscape in 1779, and today is one of the overall bright spots in the country, and of course, the home of country music.
That said, there are also very real problems here. And families who are struggling with what I call, ‘too much month at the end of their money.’ These are not just poor and struggling families, but working class and solid middle class families also. The HOPE Inside model positions itself as the ‘private banker to the less than affluent,’ or the working poor, the working class and the struggling middle class. We work in this case to get the banker out of the ‘no’ business, and into what we call ‘the yes business,’ by helping to rehabilitate the credit, financial and overall well-being profile of the HOPE client, and the future bank borrower. In this regard, I have a special thank you to our first rate partner in Nashville, First Tennessee Bank.
Introducing the new HOPE Inside, Nashville @ First Tennessee Bank location, in partnership with First Tennessee Bank, and led by my friend and partner Bryan Jordan, the chairman and CEO of First Tennessee Bank and First Horizon. Even more exciting, Bryan Jordan announced last night that he would now like to see 15 HOPE Inside locations throughout the First Tennessee Bank footprint, both urban and rural. This is exciting news for us, and the underserved communities we serve.
At the ribbon cutting last night, the bank also agreed to provide attendees with complimentary copies of my last book, which outlines clearly our work and plan on the ground, “How The Poor Can Save Capitalism: Rebuilding the Path to the Middle Class. The Solution for the 100%.”
Here is a link to a story that talked about the growth of the First Tennessee Bank relationship with HOPE, focused on our Memphis work.
