A matter of style. (Roger Group Investments Inc.'s Ben Rechter) (company profile)

A Matter of Style

If there is one common thread that weaves unity into the life of Ben Rechter, it is diversity.

As a businessman, Rechter oversees a dozen diverse companies in the portfolio of Rogers Group Investments Inc., a holding company that generates over $250 million in revenues a year. In his personal life, Rechter's interests run the gamut of sailing, diving, tennis, golf and skiing. And his civic involvements represent virtually every aspect of the community, from the arts to bringing professional sports to town to promoting the interests of minorities in business. Everywhere you look, there is diversity.

Rechter is a doer, a recognized leader whose name is bantered about every time a leadership slot in Nashville becomes vacant. Thoughtful and reflective, Rechter's well-measured responses to questions concerning the city he has served so untiringly command attention.

Born in Bloomington, Ind., in 1937, Rechter's influence and expertise have touched nearly the entire spectrum of Nashville's civic and cultural life. Through its ups and downs, Rechter is a committed booster of Nashville, who believes any problem can be solved through concern and involvement. Yet, for all his achievement, Rechter does very little boosting of himself.

In a corner of his offices are enough plaques, certificates and awards to fill a shrine, yet Rechter has them modestly tucked away, hidden from the public eye. The way he displays his achievements says nearly as much about the man as the achievements themselves.

While many Nashvillians have participated in recriminations and fault-finding during the city's current economic slump, Rechter has been in the trenches fighting to see things improved. And from that perspective, he sees a bright future for Nashville. He finds very little fault with the city. If Ben Rechter sees one chink in the armor of Music City, it is its lack of political leadership. But even in that, Rechter sees an opportunity.