A Deja Vu Moment Connects Back to Childhood
By Jane Allen
Several years ago, I had the honor of attending a Nashville ATHENA Awards nominee reception, where I met Beth Chase.
We were immediately met with a sense of mutual deja vu, the unmistakable feeling we had met previously and spent a few minutes trying to figure out whether it was through business or a charitable event that had brought us together.
Then it hit me, I realized that Beth Chase, the founder and successful entrepreneur in our Nashville community, was a girl I knew from middle school: Beth Rupert.
Over the course of our conversation, I learned her story from the point where our paths had diverged. A very talented tennis player, Beth had left Eastern Kentucky, where both of us were raised, and attended Bolatari Tennis Academy before going on to play tennis at Vanderbilt. She’d started a flourishing career at IBM, was co-founder of Infoworks, and then started C3/Consulting, which she sold to the burgeoning consulting firm to Ankura. She has always been active in Nashville’s business and philanthropic communities and has always been passionate about bettering our city.
In our youth, Beth was smart, well spoken and pretty – in short, she hadn’t changed a bit. She was the real deal, in middle school, and today.
Since that fateful reuniting, our stories have continued to intertwine.
When Beth was the Chair of the Nashville Entrepreneur Center board and called about my giving a donation, I didn’t question it for a minute. So many entrepreneurs had helped me and my husband on our journey, why shouldn’t we do the same? Plus, it was Beth who was asking!
When I was contacted about leading the EC, the fact that Beth was the board Chair coupled with the opportunity to work with her to make a significant impact for entrepreneurs and pay our success forward made it too exciting to say no.
Recognized for her impact in 2019, Beth was inducted into the Nashville Entrepreneur Hall of Fame. She has done so much for entrepreneurs inside and outside the EC, and our entrepreneurial community is so fortunate to have her actively involved. When our entrepreneurs told us they needed new ways to connect with customers and investors during COVID, Beth and Randy Chase funded the Chase Studio. When our entrepreneurs are looking for mentorship, Beth has always raised her hand. While they do so much for so many, they prefer to do it quietly without recognition.
I, for one, have learned a lot from Beth and look forward to continuing to learn from her—both in working together and through listening to her podcast on Circle Back, Season 1. We hope you enjoy.
