I’m getting real tired of writing about people I care about passing away, y’all.
But here we are again.
This time with another one beloved by local foodies and food industry folk alike that reminded me more than a little bit of my brother, Beau.
Tom Ferguson was the founder of Durham Catering Co., Only Burger, and RISE Southern Biscuits & Righteous Chicken. He was an Army Airborne Ranger. He was a Dallas Cowboys fan and a lover of local music.
But he was also my friend.
In the past five years, we went from acquaintances to collaborators to quasi-colleagues to the type of friends that hug each other when they leave and say “Love you, brother.”
Tom was a man of vision. He dreamt huge dreams and had bold visions. And if you were bold enough to believe with him and roll along for the ride, you were part of his inner circle forever. I might not hear from him for a while, but then all of a sudden, he’d text telling me he had something brewing that he wanted me to be a part of.
If we had pursued all of those things he brought up, we would have been building something new every day for the rest of our lives, probably.
So instead, we focused where the work that we both loved individually—him creating amazing southern comfort food and me telling poignant stories of beautiful humans—aligned with our mutual passion for using our work as a platform to help people find themselves.
What Tom was doing with Rise was incredible. Not the part where he was taking his little biscuit and donut shop from Durham and franchising it all across the country. Don’t get me wrong, that part is pretty dang cool. But what’s most impressive to me is how Tom’s purpose was helping people (most often his Rise staff but also anyone who would listen) believe in themselves, no matter how outcast they felt.
I think he empathized with that type of individual because he was that type of individual. He struggled with dyslexia his whole life but he only struggled because historically our systems have not been set up to help neurodivergent folks. But what we often see is that if those folks can break out of traditional systems and find their own ways, they often shine. Tom found his own way and he wanted to help others do the same.
Fortunately, I think that society is starting to shift in how we view and support those folks and I believe people like Tom are the reason that is happening.
I have helped capture Tom’s stories three different times. Each time was a privilege and I am grateful for them all. But more than any other, I’m grateful for the day we spent together this past December, recording what he called Rise’s “Cultural Manifesto.”
It was a training video for his new team members—not about how to butter them biscuits the right way, but how they could expect Rise to embrace who they are as individuals and set them up for success, in whatever way they defined it.
“I was a punk rock loving kid with bleach blond hair and no interest in conforming to anyone’s cookie cutter ways. Not only didn’t I conform, but I’ve also gone out of my way to build a company culture that promotes and celebrates individuality. At Rise, you do and will always have the respect to be YOU.”
This last video was so important to him to get done. He called on me to help because he knew I could tap into the heart of his story and get the emotion out of him that he wanted to display.
For that trust, I will forever be honored.
For four hours, we stood there in a studio telling the story of his vision for Rise in an effort to inspire his employees—but not just to inspire them with his story, but rather to embrace them and give them the tools to craft their stories. His passion poured out of him with every take.
“Rise was built on a foundation of love.” he said to my camera with tears in his eyes.
“We built it on the core values of Responsibility, Connection, Trust, Pride, Respect, and Love. We are a diverse group of people striving to fulfill a mission, and that mission is Happiness—not just for us, but for everyone that comes into contact with Rise.”
The video hasn’t been released yet. But I hope we can soon because y’all deserve to see it.
And Tom wanted you to.
Rain Bennett is a two-time Emmy-nominated filmmaker, writer, and competitive storyteller with over a decade of experience producing documentary films that focus on health and wellness. His mission is simple: to make the world happier and healthier by sharing stories of change.
You can read the rest of “Right as Rain” here, and check back every Wednesday on Chapelboro for a new column!
Comments on Chapelboro are moderated according to our Community Guidelines