Staley Cates profiled in the Commercial Appeal

Staley Cates is profiled by the Memphis Commercial Appeal on his becoming a member in The Society of Entrepreneurs:

"Our competitive advantage is that we do kind of pick the undervalued commodity here, which is the person," said Cates, president of Southeastern Asset Management, "and what they can do to build the value in ways you can't crunch on your spread sheet."

Cates, 43, a new member of The Society of Entrepreneurs, takes the same approach when he's deciding how to invest his philanthropic time and money.

"It's who the partner is," he said. "It's more important than the theme or the concept or idea. It's the person. That's the thing about The Society of Entrepreneurs.

"It's ironic that I'm getting in there. All I've done is bet on far better entrepreneurs."