Kelly D. Price has spent his entire adult life in service of something bigger than himself. He just never stopped to call it that.

He gave the Army 21 years, rising to First Sergeant and earning a chest full of decorations most of us will never fully understand the weight of. When he came home to Memphis in 2009, he didn’t slow down — he went looking for the next mission. He found it in people.

Price co-founded Networking International and Firewolf Marketing. In 2012 he joined JustMyMemphis, and a year later he founded the Memphis Entrepreneur Academy, building it into a real engine for local business owners who needed someone in their corner. He co-founded STEM Memphis to pull kids toward science and technology before the world could talk them out of it. Along the way, the city noticed: recognition from the mayors of Memphis and Shelby County, a nod from Congressman Steve Cohen, a 2011 “Man of Excellence” honor from the Tri-State Defender, a seat on the Bartlett Industrial Development Board. He ran for office, because when you’ve spent your life serving, sitting on the sidelines never feels like an option.

Underneath all of it is a family that’s just as service-minded as he is. His wife, Starlette, is a veteran too. Together they’re raising five children, watching three more join the family as in-laws, and spoiling eight grandchildren. On the rare weekend when nobody needs him for anything, you’ll find Kelly Price in the woods, rifle or bow in hand, doing the one thing that’s just for him.

Here’s the thing about First Sergeants: their job was never their own glory. It was making sure everyone under them came home sharper, stronger, and ready for what’s next. That’s exactly what Kelly’s done in every chapter since — MEA, STEM Memphis, the boards, the causes. He’s not chasing a spotlight. He’s building people.

Why now

Kelly’s not running the old networking events anymore. But the instinct that built them — the pull toward government accountability, personal responsibility, and showing up as the example your community needs — never left. If anything, it’s gotten louder. He’s got three decades of hard-won wisdom about leadership, service, and what it actually takes to build something that lasts, and he’s ready to put his voice behind it directly instead of through a program.

That’s where this partnership starts. The Kelly Price Project for 2027 is Kelly stepping forward as a voice — on government, on responsibility, on what it means for men to actually show up as men in their families and communities — backed by AskSKY! as the online guide that helps everyday people in Memphis do the same thing he’s spent his life doing: step into networking, step into service, and step into leadership.

This isn’t a comeback. Kelly Price never left formation. This is just the first time the mission has his name on it.

Follow along as we build this out in public over the next few months — new site, new content, and Kelly’s voice front and center — heading into 2027.