As President of Kemmons Wilson, Inc., Spence Wilson knows entrepreneurship quite well, having spent a lifetime with one of the city’s most well known - his father. He understands and embodies the importance of blending creative energy and vision, initiative and innovation, and he has worked to turn Kemmons Wilson, Inc. into a leading hospitality development and management company, focusing on hotels, resort time sharing, real estate development, home building, aviation services, and entrepreneurial and venture capital opportunities.
Spence Wilson is extremely generous with his time in numerous civic and cultural interests in Memphis. His commitments include the Thomas W. Briggs Foundation, Rhodes College, and Baptist Memorial Health Care System.
Description of Business: Hotel development/management, real estate development/home building, resort timesharing, financial services, entrepreneurial and venture capital opportunities.
Kemmons Wilson, Inc. is part of a group of about 75 different entities engaged in the businesses mentioned above, oriented to capitalize on the opportunities in those businesses and to recognize and invest in other businesses where it can achieve significant competitive advantages.
Year Business Founded: 1950
Year Inducted: 1996
Thoughts on Entrepreneurship:
"'Entrepreneurship is at its best when the entrepreneur supplies creative energy and vision to some activity or product and then …associates with him professionals who can help execute and implement his plans. The entrepreneur is the initiator and the innovator; the professional is the implementer. Both talents are crucial to success, and the synergy generated by the two is immensely powerful. But the entrepreneur starts it all. My dad, who is an entrepreneur in the classical sense, always reminded me that nothing happens until someone sells something. That’s very true, and I think it is equally correct to say that nothing happens until the entrepreneur appears and begins his pioneering activities."
