Liz Rincon: Why I've Chosen To Stay In Memphis

From time to time, we'll give space to people who live here and, for myriad reasons and with myriad opportunities to do otherwise, have stuck around. From time to time, we'll also be doing "exit interviews" with people who love Memphis but, for whatever reason, are leaving, SO THAT WE MAY BOO AND HISS AT THEM ON THE WAY OUT. No, just kidding. But when people leave, we want to hear from them too. Liz Rincon has lived here long enough to call herself a default native, and has become a familiar face both in politics and the nonprofit world. She's run campaigns all over the country, and she's had ample opportunity to pick and leave. Instead, she just started her own political/nonprofit consulting firm in Cooper-Young. Here, she explains why she's sticking around.

by Liz Rincon

Memphis has always been a weird, artistic and somewhat complicated city. Maybe this is why I fell in love with it so many years ago. It was on a field trip with my 4th grade class in 1990 when I first visited the "Bluff City," a trip which would change my life. At the time I had no idea that only a few short years later, I would officially call Memphis my home.

That short class trip from Northwest Arkansas was designed to teach the students about the American musical legacy born out of Memphis. I remember coming across the Hernando Desoto Bridge and seeing the Memphis skyline and it took my breath away. To this day, I do not believe that anyone else on that trip had the same reaction. As soon as we checked into our hotel rooms, I was the first one unpacked and ready to explore this place. I came home to tell my parents what an amazing trip it had been, and that one day I planned on moving to Memphis. I told them about Beale Street (back then, kids could walk it at night), the Mud Island River Museum and all the interesting people that I ended up talking to on the street. I am sure that my mother was not too thrilled about the talking to strangers part. Regardless, the people that I met then were some of the most fascinating folks I had ever had the privilege to talk to. Memphis had a dark but intriguing quality about it that has stuck with me since my feet hit the bluff. Darkness is not necessarily a bad thing; it can fuel imagination and drive. Where do you think the Blues comes from?

A few years later my mother sat me down at the dining room table to tell me that my dad had been offered a job in Memphis. It had been some time since I came home from that class trip and she was worried that I would not handle the news too well. I looked at her and started to jump up and down. Yes! We were moving to my hometown!

Twenty-one years later, I am lucky that I have been able to make a career for myself here. I have heard for years and years, "get out and make something of yourself" as if moving away is some sort of badge of honor. While it is true that I am a political strategist and have lived all over this great nation working on campaigns, I have managed to keep my home here the entire time. I've worked in amazing cities that have a lot to offer. Chicago with its progressive communities, artistic flair, amazing food and, of course, the Cubs. Pittsburgh with its grit, its weird Steeler Sunday traditions and rich labor history. I've been lucky to work in these and other cities, but strangely enough, working in those cities also solidified my love of Memphis. Whenever I would come home after a campaign, I would throw myself into Memphis culture. BBQ, music, going to Overton Park or just having a good glass of wine on a patio with friends. This is a city that gets in you and does not let go. I consider it a badge of honor that I am here, that I did not leave.

I have worked twenty-two campaigns, been the executive director of a national nonprofit, worked on Capitol Hill and lobbied on many different organizations' behalf. I am honored to take all that experience and start my own political strategy firm based right here in Memphis. We are a Memphis-centric firm that works with organizations to improve the quality of our city, to encourage people to make their home here and to then invest back into the community. Our candidates for office want to see Memphis improve and move forward, our clients are invested in the city and my team is committed to staying here to make Memphis work. I look forward to contributing to Effin' Memphis, because Memphis is weird and so am I.

And dammit, I wouldn't have it any other way.

Liz Rincon is also a Midtown mom, and her three year-old daughter has started to pick up Liz's catchphrase, which is "Make it happen!" Like the Facebook page for Liz's new firm, Elizabeth Rincon and Associates, right here.