By Brent Hooks, TSD Guest Contributor
My years in business leadership have taught me that gaining access to opportunity is only the beginning. The harder work is earning trust, turning vision into a practical plan and being accountable for what happens next. And working in finance, operations and executive leadership has shaped how I think about collaboration, community involvement and the responsibility of representation.
As a native Memphian, I also think about the people coming behind me. Who gets to build Memphis’ future, and who will be prepared to participate?
Stewardship is the thread connecting what I have learned about leading a business, building partnerships and helping others prepare for opportunity. It means taking care of what has been entrusted to me and considering who will benefit from my decisions. When someone trusts me with their time, money or an opportunity, I have a responsibility to honor that trust and help leave something stronger.
Vision requires a practical plan
As a builder and planner, my work is rooted in numbers. As the former chief administrative officer at Allworld Project Management and now a regional vice president at Cornerstone Engineering, I have managed the internal systems that support a business and the relationships that help it grow. Moving from one organization to another has challenged me to adapt what I know rather than assume the same approach will work everywhere.
My business law professor, Dr. Larry Moore at the University of Memphis, reinforced habits and methods that I still value: being prepared, understanding organizational structure and gathering evidence before making a decision. An ambitious goal needs a strategy people can carry out, with clear responsibilities and a realistic understanding of resources.
Losing prospective projects I had hoped would help build my firm’s presence in Memphis made me examine my own approach. Did we understand the opportunity early enough? Were we working with the right partners? Did we have a credible path to contributing? Those experiences have made me more deliberate about where I invest my time.
Partnerships are built through performance
When I evaluate a partnership I look for more than access. I want to understand whether our capabilities complement one another, whether expectations are aligned and how we will respond when circumstances change.
Real collaboration requires candor about limitations and the professional integrity to follow through — inside a leadership team and between firms. An introduction can start a relationship, but it is what you do afterward that determines whether people trust you with the next opportunity.
For Memphis, I believe those relationships matter beyond any single assignment. Businesses and community organizations bring different knowledge to the same challenges. Building alliances requires listening closely enough to understand where we can be useful to one another.
Preparing people to participate
I also carry that view of stewardship into my community work, which gives me a sense of belonging and a responsibility to help strengthen the institutions and relationships our city needs.
As inaugural chair of ACE Mentor Program of Memphis, I am helping establish opportunities for young people to explore architecture, construction and engineering. I want students to look at a building and recognize the range of people and skills required to bring it to life, including related careers in finance, operations and project management.
When we discuss economic development, workforce development belongs in that conversation. Who will have the knowledge, preparation and relationships to participate in the work? I value both skilled trades and professional careers. My own experience has given me a particular interest in making professional and executive pathways more visible and understandable.
Access carries responsibility
As my career has progressed, I have become more aware of being in professional spaces where relatively few peers look like me. I think more deeply about representation and meaningful participation. Whose judgment informs a decision? Whose capabilities are recognized? Who receives an opportunity to contribute?
For me, Black business leadership carries a responsibility to enhance my own expertise while learning from those who came before me. It also means sharing what I learn so someone coming behind me has a clearer path. I want young people to see possibilities that may not yet be visible from where they stand.
I have always wanted to become the best version of myself. Increasingly, that means being someone my family, colleagues and community can trust with responsibility.
The lessons I carry from executive leadership are still shaping how I work. A seat at the table gives me an opportunity to contribute. Still, what matters is the judgment I bring once I am there, whether I honor my commitments and what I do to help prepare others to enter those rooms. That is the stewardship I want to practice in business and in the community I call home.
— Business executive Brent Hooks earned national recognition in 2025 as part of Engineering News-Record’s Top Young Professionals “40 Under 40” and Building Design + Construction’s “40 Under 40.”
