July 12, 2016

Profile: Mark Halperin Executive vice president, Boyle Investment Co.


By Kate Miller Morton
– The Memphis Business Journal –

When Boyle Investment Co. executive vice president Mark Halperin was awarded the Aaron Brenner Distinguished Service Award from the Memphis Jewish Home in 1997, the award read, “The world is divided into people who do things and people who get the credit. Try to belong to the first class, there’s far less competition.”

It’s a lesson Halperin learned at home. His mother, Pola Halperin, transcribed books into Braille. His father, Lawrence Halperin, was involved in Jewish education and served as president of the National Federation of Temple Brotherhoods.

“I think it’s important when you’ve been blessed with a certain amount of success, with great family and good friends, it’s important to try to give back to the community,” says Halperin, who has served on the home’s board since 1989 and was president between 1998 and 2000.

The Memphis Jewish Home was one of Halperin’s first causes and he remains actively involved. Neither of his parents, both deceased, ever lived in a nursing home; but he saw a need for volunteers.

His real estate skills proved valuable when the organization built a new facility in Cordova, but it is his skills as a salesman that have helped most. Halperin has co-chaired a golf tournament benefiting the home for a decade, in recent years netting more than $100,000 each year.

“Mark seems to have built the relationships with people that when he asks they respond,” says Mary Anna Kaplan, executive director of the Memphis Jewish Home. “I think that says a lot about him as a person.”

Halperin says his personality is well-suited for sales.

“From my perspective, a good salesman is somebody who’s pretty persistent, that shows empathy for other people’s perspective and has a natural tendency to pretty quickly establish trust and confidence with people,” he says.

“From my perspective, a good salesman is somebody who’s pretty persistent, that shows empathy for other people’s perspective and has a natural tendency to pretty quickly establish trust and confidence with people,” he says.

Kaplan says there’s more to it.

“He really believes in the causes that he supports,” she says. “I think he has kind of a genuineness about him. When he asks for help that makes them respond.”

Perry Dement, director of development at Memphis University School, agrees.

“He is a consummate fundraiser.” Dement says. “I think part of it has to do with his passion for the organizations that he’s involved in.”

A 1967 graduate of MUS, Halperin is a trustee and served on a steering committee for the school’s New Opportunities Campaign. The campaign raised $15.2 million in three years and an additional $6.2 million in planned gifts, bequests and insurance policies. The money was used to build a new upper school and campus center.

“He can convey that passion and mission of an organization that he loves and that he’s involved in,” Dement says. “He probably couldn’t do the same thing for a school in South Dakota that he’s not involved in.”

“I guess I have put emphasis on the seniors and the kids because the seniors led us to where we are and the kids are the future,” Halperin says.

The civic work is time consuming but Halperin isn’t one to sit back and relax.

Halperin says he generally gets to the office between 7:30 and 8 a.m. and works until 6:30 or 7 p.m. on weekdays and half a day on Saturday.

Halperin and his wife enjoy traveling to places like California, Colorado and Florida but he still checks into the office every day.

“I’m probably not the best relaxer in the world,” Halperin says. “I need to work on that.”

As for why he works so hard for the causes he supports, Halperin says the biggest beneficiary is himself.

“It’s pretty selfish,” Halperin says. “When you do that stuff it makes you feel good.”