South magazine [79] Power Issue | Page 12

PUB
P U LETTER
B
LETTER
A NOTE FROM THE PUBLISHER
Publisher Michael
Brooks and Ameris
Market President
Greg Marini
NO SHORTCUTS
“ I T H I N K M Y S E C R ET I S T H AT T H E R E ’ S N O
S H O RT C U T S FO R H A R D WO R K , D ET E R M I N AT I O N
A N D H AV I N G T H A T D O N ’ T G I V E U P A T T I T U D E .”
~ Jerry Rice
One of the easiest things in the world is to pick someone up
- just a simple pat on the back, or two seconds of your day spent
recognizing another person’s efforts and showing them that those
efforts are appreciated.
The problem is, it’s even easier to take potshots. Easier still to
let yourself get thrown off track by them. That’s why it’s so crucial
to remember, in those moments of doubt when the naysayers are
trying to pull you down, what Henry Ford once said: the airplane
takes off against the wind, not with it.
You have to use that criticism, use that doubt, to build yourself
ABOUT THE COVERS
S T Y L E
into something better. Remember that snide
comment about your growing waistline when
you’re crushing reps at the gym. Hang onto
your boss’ brutally honest assessment of your
output when you’re burning the midnight oil
and working towards getting promoted over
them.
When you hear criticism, give thanks to
your critic. They just fueled your journey.
And you’ll need that fuel, since nothing
worth doing was done overnight. No one
ever started their week in the mail room and
ended it in the board room. There are years of
hard work and endless effort between points
A and B.
Greg Marini is a great example of hard
work paying off. At one point, he owned one
of the first restaurants on Broughton street, a
place called COOPs that had the best turkey
burger in town and did a heck of a business.
And then he sold his restaurant to start
career in banking, an industry he’d never
worked in before. He started out at the
bottom. Ten years later, Marini was named
market president of Ameris Bank. It’s not
an overnight success story. It’s a ten-year
epic of a guy whose boundless drive and
incomparable ethics inevitably pulled him
upward to the very top. Those ten years were
filled with late nights, tough decisions and
tireless hustle – of course they paid off.
Talent will take you far. But without hard
work and the dedication to putting in the
hours, it won’t take you far enough.
The fact is, there are no shortcuts. You can
tell that to every person in line buying lottery
tickets. Odds are you’ll lose, and even if you
win, you’ll have missed out on the necessary
struggle that success demands. Without
that struggle, you wind up like the countless
lottery winners who wind up destitute
because they couldn’t respect the victory
enough to earn it.
Get out there and earn yours. And along
the way, do what you can to lift others up. If
they don’t respond in kind, thank them for
their honesty. Then prove them wrong. •
MICHAEL BROOKS
PUBLISHER/CREATIVE DIRECTOR
O F
SOUTH
June | July 2019
N E W
S O U T H
MONEY
GREATEST
MAGNETS
LAWERS
S O U T H ' S
G R E A T E S T
A T T O R N E Y S
F I N E S T F I N A N C I A L
P R O F E S S I O N A L S
I N T H E S O U T H
FUELING FUTURE
ONE MAN'S RISE TO THE TOP OF THE FOOD CHAIN
Page 68
JUNE-JULY 2019 ★ ISSUE #79
SOUTHMAGAZINE.COM ★ $4.95
(Display until AUGUST 1)
It’s not hyperbole to say that Greg Parker is
revolutionizing the convenience story indus-
try, rolling out loyalty clubs and high-tech
solutions that changed everything. Find out
his thoughts on the future on page 68
2019
GREAT
LAWYERS
HOW BEN
BLUEMLE'S
DYNAMIC
IDEAS ARE
TURNING THE
TIDE OF REAL
ESTATE IN
THE SOUTH
LAWYERS
GUNS&
MONEY
GREATEST LAWYERS
UNDERCOVER OPS
FINANCIAL PROS
JUNE-JULY 2019 ★ ISSUE #79
CONFEDERATE
MOTORCYLES,
PARKER'S
KITCHEN,
KESSLER
PROPERTIES,
GORUCK AND
OTHER GREAT
AMERICAN
COMPANIES
PAGE 58
SOUTHMAGAZINE.COM ★ $4.95
(Display until AUGUST 1)
Ben Bluemle of Seaport Real Estate has
electrified Savannah real estate with his
fresh ideas. We’re featuring him our Young
Guns feature on page 102
79
YOUNG GUNS
L A W Y E R S, B O O N E P H I L L I P S
A N D J O H N CAR
R S O N A R E A I M I N G
F O R T H E T O P O F O N E O F T H E
M O S T F I E R CLY
Y C O M P E T I T I V E
I N D U S T R IE
ES I N T H E S O U T H .
JUNE-JULY 2019 ★ ISSUE #79
SOUTHMAGAZINE.COM ★ $4.95
(Display until AUGUST 1)
John Carson and Boone Phillips of Phillips
Carson Phillips represent the next generation
of great Southern lawyers. Read about them
in our Young Guns feature on page 102
publisher & creative director Michael Brooks editor at large Barry Kaufman office manager/circulation Kat Winkenwerder art director
Julius Woodard design assistant Madeleine Beyer, Caroline Molony contributing writers Justin Jarrett, Barry Kaufman, Kelly Harley, Mark Anderson,
Molly Clancy, Michele Roldán-Shaw, Jim Reed, Connor Judson Garrett, Michael Schottey, contributing photographers D. Paul Graham, Angela Hopper-Lee,
Colin Gray, Blake Crosby, John Alexander, Cedric Smith, Kevin Garrett, John Hillin, Miranda Osborn, Zoe Christou Welsh, Mark Staff, James Patrick, Agnes Lopez
contributing illustrator Britt Spencer editorial intern Skyler Allen South magazine is published bimonthly by Bad Ink, (Brooks Advertising Design,
Inc.). Views expressed in the editorial pages do not imply our endorsement. Please forward inquiries to Editor, South magazine, 116 Bull Street, Savannah, Georgia
31401. We cannot be responsible for unsolicited product samples. Subscription rates: U.S.: $19 for one year; $28 for two years; single copies: $4.95. Change of address
notice: six to eight weeks prior to moving, please clip the mailing label from the most recent issue and send it along with your new address to: South magazine,
Change of Address Notice, 116 Bull Street, Savannah, GA 31401, attn: Circulation | South magazine: A Division of Bad Ink, phone: [phone] fax: [phone],
southmag.com. Copyright © 2019 South magazine. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or any part without express written permission is prohibited.
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PHOTO BY D. PAUL GRAHAM