Podcast: Speaking of Quality
Season 6 Episode 8
Title: Collective Voices of Philadelphia Leadership

Episode Transcript:

Maxine Cuffe 00:03 

You’re listening to “Speaking of Quality” with Hank Smith, a podcast by The Haverford Trust Company. On “Speaking of Quality,” Hank features authors, business leaders and wealth management experts who share stories from their careers and insights on topics that impact financial wellness. And now, here’s your host, Hank Smith. 

Hank Smith 00:24 

Hello, and welcome to a special edition of “Speaking of Quality.” I’m your host, Hank Smith, Director and Head of Investment Strategy at The Haverford Trust Company. On this podcast, we explore topics ranging from leadership and economics to civic engagement and community building. Today, I’m honored to have the opportunity to speak with members of the Philadelphia Business Journal‘s “Power 100,” who represent some of the most influential people in our community, from Fortune 500 CEOs to healthcare and higher education executives, to world-renowned chefs and entrepreneurs. These folks are making waves across the Philadelphia region and beyond. Let’s see what they have to say about the future of our city. Joining us today, you’ll hear from Leslie Smallwood-Lewis from Mosaic Partners, Mike Bowman from Valley Forge Tourism, Kevin Mahoney from Penn Medicine and Dr. Rev. Lorina Marshall-Blake from Independence Blue Cross Foundation. To all of our “Power 100” guests, welcome to “Speaking of Quality.” 

Let’s just jump right in. What makes you most optimistic about Philadelphia’s region and the future right now? 

Leslie Smallwood-Lewis 01:40 

I think we’re in a moment right now. There’s a great sense of collaboration in the city. You have alignment between the Mayor and City Council, and I think to really move things forward, they have to work in tandem and really work very closely together to really make strategic difference and moves within the city. 

Hank Smith 02:03 

And would you say that perhaps in a previous generation, you didn’t have that collaboration at a functioning level? 

Leslie Smallwood-Lewis 02:13 

Absolutely. I mean, I think they try, but I think that this time right now is a special moment. I think that the Mayor and City Council President Kenyatta Johnson have done a really, really good job to try to create alignment. And it’s not an easy thing to do because everyone has their own wants and their wish lists. But I think that they all see the potential and that we are at a real, like I said, a moment. And we’re coming out of COVID; we’re bringing ourselves out of the pandemic and the long-term effects of that. And I just think that there’s just a real great sense of alignment right now. 

Mike Bowman 02:55 

There’s several things. So, when I look at the city itself, there’s a lot of construction going on right now. There’s a lot of development. There’s big-picture things coming to sports areas, where in South Philadelphia, there’s a lot of infrastructure that’s taken place. When you look at the suburbs right now and the capital going into SEPTA stations and the development, for example, the King of Prussia mall leads the nation right now in revenue per square foot for high-end shopping. The development that’s taking place there alone. When I look at the quality of life with the trails, the amount of money going in the trails. Events, big events come to the city. Right now, of course, it’s the biggest year we’ll ever see with events taking place in the region for the region, for the Semiquincentennial. But when you look at the future and right now, Philadelphia, for example, is going after the Democratic National Convention for ‘28. It’s big. There’s a lot of very smart people right now that are being very strategic in three-, five-, seven-year plows. 

Kevin Mahoney 04:09 

I think we are so well-positioned. I was born in Boston. I hear about breakthroughs in Boston. Love to go to New York, but man, we are at the right location at the right time. And I think if we pull together as a community, I’m really optimistic that we can just push forward. We talk a lot about meds and eds. There’s a lot more to Philadelphia than meds and eds. We’re down at the Naval Yard getting that restarted. Manufacturing. Bill Gates’ company just moved in, TerraPower Isotopes, into the Bellwether District. So, that was a heady, difficult competition, but we won. And that makes me optimistic that if we pull together as a city, there’s nothing we can’t do. 

Rev. Dr. Lorina Marshall-Blake 04:54 

I love that question. I have been referred to on more than one occasion as an “RO,” a radical optimist. So, no matter what, I’m going to be optimistic. And when I look at the leadership, I would be remiss if I did not say Mayor Cherelle Parker is doing a great job, working hard at it every day. Every day, people don’t applaud what she does, but I think she’s giving her best in all of it. So, I’m excited about that. And I think again, when I look at her enthusiasm, and I’m probably one of those folks that I’m often referred to as the “Energizer Bunny.” I think she has more energy than me, but I’m just enthusiastic about her leadership. And again, owning when it even … We’d be remiss if we didn’t look at the snow removal. That wasn’t a win for her. However, she, what, owned it? Let’s move forward, and let’s make it right. So, I think that also is that course correction. When you got to do something, I think not only her, but her whole team were working at it. 

Hank Smith 06:00 

Let’s give them a pass. It’s been so long since we’ve had a major snowstorm. Everyone forgot how to deal with it. 

Rev. Dr. Lorina Marshall-Blake 06:06 

Exactly. Look, I didn’t even know how to deal with it. I called somebody, “Can you shovel my walkway?” 

Hank Smith 06:12 

Yeah, exactly. Now look, we share something in common because I am an “RO”, too, and I end every podcast with this conclusion: “stay bullish.” 

Rev. Dr. Lorina Marshall-Blake 06:26 

I love it. 

Hank Smith 06:28 

What are the challenges that Philadelphia must address to continue that momentum you just described? 

Leslie Smallwood-Lewis 06:39 

Well, being a real estate developer, you kind of see where the growth is and the large projects that are coming down the pike. Obviously, the Navy Yard, which is one that I’m very close to, has significant potential. Creating a whole new neighborhood in the city is a very exciting prospect for Philadelphia. Bellwether is, I think, an enormous improvement to the gateway to our city. When you’re coming over that bridge, it used to be just a horrible eyesore, but now with them coming in and tackling a very tough project with all the environmental issues that come, I think that that’s a highlight for the city. The stadium district with now Comcast and the Sixers working collaboratively, I think there’s potential for some significant development there as well. And then most of all, the Mayor having such a huge initiative for affordable housing, which is not just a problem here in Philadelphia, but it’s a problem across the nation. And she’s trying to tackle it in a really big way. 

Hank Smith 07:53 

But it sounds as though you’re very optimistic. 

Leslie Smallwood-Lewis 07:56 

I am. I am. I am. 

Mike Bowman 07:58 

I would say, in my opinion, the number one challenge and opportunity for Philadelphia and the region would be transportation. Transportation has to be addressed, and it’s starting to take place, but I think you’d agree with me, it hasn’t been easy. We have to figure out how to move people around safe, fast, efficient and certainly tied to share of wallet, not charging a lot, but transportation is something that has to continuously be addressed weekly, monthly, yearly, and we need to all own it. 

Kevin Mahoney 08:39 

I think there are a couple. We need to continue to work to make the public school system in Philadelphia the very best. Families are moving here. They rightfully want to have their kids the best education. Dr. Watlington’s doing a great job, but it’s tough. I mean, the budget facilities, but as a community, even in the suburbs, I think we have to look at the Philadelphia School District and make it better. I think that’s job one, maybe one, two and three. The second, and I spent a lot of time with the Chamber of Commerce on this, which is economic mobility for all. And how do we … I grew up where my parents wanted me to do better than them, and I want my kids to do better than me. How do we instill that into our community so that it’s not just, I got a job. I got a good job. I can take care of my family and just keep that generation and generation moving. 

Rev. Dr. Lorina Marshall-Blake 09:36 

When you think about keeping the momentum going forward, you have to also realize that Philadelphia is a city of neighborhoods. There are a lot of neighborhoods, so it means you have a lot of opinions. You have a lot of folks, “This is what I want. I want this now. Can you do it?” But finding a way to, what I’ll say, level set and balance it to the degree that you can. But I think here I go again, being the radical optimist, that it is a win-win. And even when you lose, you don’t necessarily lose because you may still gain. So, I think again, it’s trying to … I think a big thing is listen. What are the people saying? And you may not be able to do everything, but you may be able to do some things and then to point to those wins that you are able to do. 

Hank Smith 10:22 

Now, as a lifelong Philadelphian, both growing up here, working here, how do you see the definition of the workplace changing over the next five years? We’re now post COVID, post lockdown. Are we going to return to exactly the way it was pre COVID, or are we in a new hybrid world? 

Leslie Smallwood-Lewis 10:50 

Yeah. Yes. Excellent question. And I’m in a unique situation where we’re a pretty small company. It’s only about 13 employees. And for us to keep overhead down, even from the inception of our company, we have worked primarily remote. We do have an office, and we appreciate it. And I can see with a lot of younger employees that need to be mentored, having an office space is imperative. You need that interaction amongst employees. But I will also say that it has proven that they can be effective and efficient working remotely. We even have one employee who lives in Jordan. She’s on our marketing team, and she’s spectacular. So, I think people are looking for a healthy lifestyle and balance. And I think hybrid provides that to everyone. So, I know that’s where we are at this point. We don’t even have standard days in the office, but I see employees coming in because they’re looking for that interaction, they’re looking for that socialization, but yet the freedom of being able to work from home also just gives that balance. So for me, I think that’s where we will remain. I don’t think we’ll ever go to a five-day work week. I don’t even want to do that. And I do a lot of work on my three screens at home. I’m very effective. I’m very efficient. So, I think for even company morale by keeping it hybrid is an ideal place. I think for us, and I think a lot of companies are going to probably decide to do the same. 

Kevin Mahoney 12:33 

I love the question, and I spent a lot of time talking about it. I don’t want to sound as old as I am. I worry that Zoom is destroying so much of the culture of American business. Humans need to be together. You need to belong to something. You need to have a community. You need to have someone you can talk to. Maybe you had a little spat with your wife in the morning. You need someone to talk to about that. And Zoom is just not where that takes place, the mentorship. How do you conduct yourself in a meeting? How do you build relationships and connections? And so, I think the biggest change in the business culture has been empty buildings and virtual meetings and work. And again, I don’t want to be old fashioned. There’s so much benefit having a day at home. I’m not saying we should get rid of that, but we need more business back together again, working, solving problems together. 

Hank Smith 13:35 

Our leadership team, almost word for word, is saying exactly what you just expressed. And the need to recognize that we have the technology for flexibility, but we need to be together and the mentorship. And as you just said, we work best as human beings when we’re together. 

Kevin Mahoney 14:00 

And I think there are bad habits in Zoom that are also impacting the culture. People won’t have their camera on. Well, you wouldn’t come to a meeting and put a brown bag over your head. So, I think we’re changing the way we do business, which is what we need to do. I just want to make sure we’re changing it, keeping the human-centered approach. 

Hank Smith 14:23 

What responsibilities do business leaders have to give back to the communities they serve? 

Leslie Smallwood-Lewis 14:30 

We give back every day. And I’m saying that for the reason that when we even created the company, it was with a certain mission behind it. Give you a little bit of background just on my work experience. I gained all of my experience really at the Goldenberg Group. I rose from an associate director to a senior VP there because I was really a sponge. But what I noticed while I was there is that there weren’t other companies that looked like us and looked like me. And there have been lots of neighborhoods in the city that have been marginalized and not really no investment in them. So those are the neighborhoods that my partner and I thought were important for us to spend time in and really improve, but also not displace those that have really been there and have suffered through it. So, for us, that’s how we lead with our company. We’re always thinking about how do we give back? How do we expand the circle of influence, of making sure that people that aren’t always and small companies that aren’t always included, that they are, and they’re a part of our team. So, we are forward-thinking in that regard in everything that we do. 

Hank Smith 15:50 

Congratulations, because to me, philanthropy and giving back is the secret sauce of what makes this country so great. 

Leslie Smallwood-Lewis 15:58 

It is. 

Kevin Mahoney 15:59 

We get an enormous tax break as a nonprofit, but we try to make sure that we’re giving back more. So, a couple years ago, $100 million for the school district to take asbestos out of the buildings that we try to do, that’s a big headline. Federally qualified health clinic treating about 31,000 patients in Philadelphia was going out of business. We gave them a $10 million bridge to keep them going. What I worry about in terms of healthcare, whether it’s Temple, Jefferson, Penn, whomever, there are hundreds of nonprofits that surround us, NGOs that do important work. We’re strong enough that we can survive a lot of the buffets right now. The smaller guys are falling away. When they fall away, either the government or the nonprofits are going to have to step in and help them. So, I’m hoping that we can take a look at the ecosystem surrounding healthcare and do our very best to keep them going. Even if it’s not helping our financial statement, it’s helping our community. And I think it’s an important part of what we need to do. 

Hank Smith 17:15 

Your peer, if you will, Madeline Bell at Children’s Hospital is doing the same thing. And it is remarkable the tentacles they have out in the community, and it’s about health and support. 

Kevin Mahoney 17:31 

No, I mean, the work CHOP is doing under Madeline’s leadership is phenomenal. Whether it’s asthma and households, the charter school that they’ve worked out with, the Bloomberg Academy, we have many parallel things. It’s really critical. One of the things that I also think is important in that is financial literacy. So, we both have programs who are trying to help our employees. It’s great you have a 403(b), but how do you invest it so you can retire with some money? How do we get your taxes done? And I think those are important parts of giving back to the community. 

Hank Smith 18:12 

That goes back to your previous comment that we must improve our education or public education in Philadelphia. And I think we can, but it’s job one, two and three, as you put that. 

Rev. Dr. Lorina Marshall-Blake 18:28 

I’m glad you asked me that. I grew up in West Philly, so I’m a community kid. I grew up on a little street with neighbors, the village that were all there. So, I think when I think of, again, going back to your question with regard to the leadership, I think they have to be accountable, and we have to hold them accountable. And whether they’re political, whether they’re corporate, whether it’s business, whether it’s faith-based, everybody needs to be accountable for what they do or what they didn’t do. And if they didn’t do, didn’t do it, have the opportunity, can we talk? This is what was not met. This was not. And again, not as a criticism, but as a, I call it an opportunity, when it’s an adverse situation, looking for an opportunity to see how we can resolve this. It’s almost like let us commune together. Okay? 

Mike Bowman 19:22 

Well, we do a lot. We do a lot from a community standpoint, philanthropy standpoint. I’ll give you an example of some things we do. Arts and culture, we’re in the process of continuously supporting, paying for, arts murals. We’re putting a lot into the arts-theater world in the Montgomery County region with theater. We sponsor the best run in the nation at the Valley Forge Historic National Park, which is called the “Rev Run.” And that takes place in April. And that’ll sell out. There’ll be 1,200 runners. It’s a five-mile run, which is brutally hard because of hills and cannons and huts and weather and wind and things. And we’ll hand the park a hundred thousand dollar check this year. That will support close to a million. Next year we’ll break the million-dollar mark. We also do an event every year that I’m very passionate about. It’s called “Freedom From Hunger.” And when the Pope was here in Philadelphia, the Pope was very conscious and very focused on the poor and the needy with food and homelessness. So, every year we go into a food bank, food area, shoulder area, and I’m a trained chef back in my career from the Culinary Institute of America. So, I go in, and I cook a gourmet meal for all the homeless. We fill it every year, and it’s more of awareness. We bring a team together, and we push that emotional connection. So, a lot more, but we’re very, very connected to the region. 

Hank Smith 21:06 

What skills do you think matter most for the next generation of leaders? We have come through a very unanticipated period called COVID that has changed how we do business, how we interact. So does that mean we need new skills for the next generation of leaders? 

Rev. Dr. Lorina Marshall-Blake 21:33 

Yeah. Well, I think there’s some values that are consistent. In other words, I think when we look at leaders, you need to be able to have a conversation. I think one of the things that COVID did, if I never do another Zoom, it’ll be too soon. All right. However, it is a great tool. So, I won’t negate that. But I think for the future, especially for those emerging leaders, they need to know how to have a conversation, how to socialize. I think COVID kind of isolated everybody. And so, as we come together, how do we talk to each other? That’s another one in that it’s not what you say, but how you say it. And the tone. I think one of the things COVID did, people, their tones are very different. So, I think one of the old things that we need to renew is how do we have a conversation with one another? I love technology, AI, all those things are wonderful, but at some point in time, how do you look me in the eye, and how do we talk about things? How do we, again, listen? And unfortunately, we don’t listen well all the time, but we cut people off before they finish. I think, again, when I think about the future, hard work. It doesn’t happen overnight. I think again, we’re in a situation where, and I have children where they think, “Well, mom, I want to be the president.” Well, guess what? It took 20 years to get there. It didn’t happen overnight. And guess what? You got to do the work. I don’t know how you get around that. You got to do it. And more importantly, you got to be present. You got to be there. I call it the present, P-R-E-S-E-N-T of your presence. It’s a gift for you to be present with one another and to have someone’s total attention. 

Hank Smith 23:23 

It sounds like just getting back to the basics. 

Rev. Dr. Lorina Marshall-Blake 23:26 

There you go. 

Hank Smith 23:27 

And mentorship, so important, much more challenging in this virtual world as opposed to being together every single day. 

Rev. Dr. Lorina Marshall-Blake 23:40 

Exactly. I look at Independence, and we are in Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday. And if you look at many major corporations, they’re not in five days. Hey, I remember when I was at work five days a week. So, you try to compact all that into one thing, but I think … And that mentorship, see, it’s hard when you’re on Zoom to mentor. You can do it. However, it’s not. I had an individual that I hired while we were out on COVID. I never met her, and she left. So, we just had a Zoom. I guess we had a Zoom relationship, which was really quick. No, but that mentorship piece I think is so important. I love quotes. One of my favorite quotes is by Michelle Obama who says that you should have three good friends: one you aspire to like, two, one who can check you, people that can get in your world and say, “That wasn’t a good idea.” But three, always pulling someone behind you. So I think we as corporate leaders, business, whether it’s business, again, faith-based, government, always pulling someone behind us because we won’t always be here, but also training them and giving them an input. I am probably the mentor’s mentor. Okay. I have so many mentees that I’ve lost track, but it’s okay, but they come in my life for different reasons and really for different seasons. But shame on us. If someone asks us if we have the time, can you mentor me, or can you? And really when I think about that mentorship, walking with that person, it’s like, no, you don’t need to go in that pothole. I’ve been there. All right, so you don’t need to do that. So, it really is really in its own way, running interference, but also allowing them to grow in the process. 

Hank Smith 25:28 

I want to conclude and put you on the spot, and please finish this sentence with one word. Philadelphia’s future will be defined by … 

Leslie Smallwood-Lewis 25:39 

All of us. 

Mike Bowman 25:41 

Quality. 

Kevin Mahoney 25:42 

Us. 

Rev. Dr. Lorina Marshall-Blake 25:43 

Grit. 

Hank Smith 25:40 

Wow. What an amazing, collective voice these leaders shared with us today. Thank you to our “Power 100” guests for a tremendous conversation. It was both inspiring and enlightening. I’m looking forward to seeing how each of them impacts the future of Philadelphia. To our listeners, we hope you enjoyed this special edition of “Speaking of Quality.” Our next episode will be released shortly. In the meantime, please send suggestions or questions for me or the Haverford Trust team to podcast@haverfordquality.com. And don’t forget to subscribe, rate, review and share this podcast. Until next time, I’m Hank Smith. Stay bullish. 

Maxine Cuffe 26:30 

Thank you for listening to this episode of “Speaking of Quality” with Hank Smith. To hear future episodes of “Speaking of Quality,” please subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts. To learn more about The Haverford Trust Company, please visit https://haverfordquality.com/. This podcast is provided as general commentary and market overview, and should not be relied upon as research, a forecast or investment advice, and is not a recommendation, offer or solicitation to buy or sell any securities or to adopt an investment strategy. Any opinions expressed are as of the date this podcast was recorded and may change at any time and are the opinions of that commentator, not Haverford. Any opinion or information provided are believed by Haverford to be reliable at the time of this podcast’s recording but are not necessarily all-inclusive or guaranteed for accuracy. Before making any financial decisions, please consult with an investment professional.