“With no easy comparisons, we didn’t really know what kind of response there would be to Graceland,” Jack told students during a 2005 visit to Regis University. “Imagine starting a job and your employers have no expectations of you. What Graceland has become exceeded all of our expectations.”
He credits his time at Regis University with setting the foundation for his professional success. Serving on the student government board, planning Ranger Day, attending math classes with Rev. Fred Daly, SJ, and immersing himself in the liberal arts curriculum were just some of the defining aspects of his Regis story.
Today, Jack oversees a multi-million dollar company that has become one of the nation’s premier tourist attractions. Beyond Graceland, Elvis Presley Enterprises includes a worldwide entertainment, licensing, merchandising and music publishing enterprise.
In 2001, Jack collaborated with Lisa Marie Presley to open Presley Place, an organization owned by Metropolitan Inter-Faith Association that provides homeless families with assistance to help them break the cycle of poverty. Services they receive include rent-free housing for up to one year, childcare, and career and financial counseling.
“There’s a culture at a Jesuit school that challenges you to grow,” says Jack. “Jesuit education doesn’t teach you what to think, but how to think, to make decisions and to lead.”
Soden, who earned a Bachelor of Arts from Regis University in 1968, was recognized with the Alumni Achievement award in 2009 by the University’s Alumni Board and Spirit of Loretto Committee for his outstanding contributions and exceptional achievements.
Soden also takes the Regis University mission of service of others to heart, donating his time to several organizations. That involvement includes having served on boards of the Memphis Development Foundation (Orpheum Theatre), National Civil Rights Museum, Memphis Area Chamber of Commerce, Memphis Convention and Visitors Bureau, Regional Medical Center at Memphis, Professional Advisory Board of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Society of Entrepreneurs and LifeBlood Foundation.
