Lexington, KY - Paige Shumate Short loves her blackberries - both the one she carries in her purse and the ones she tends in the fields. In fact, she loves the juicy blackberry so much, she lobbied in 2004 to have it designated the official state fruit of Kentucky. These days, however, Short is busy growing Four Tigers, LLC, a cancer research company exploring the possible berryceutical and medical applications of the blackberry.
Daughter of Windstone Farms founder, Wayne Shumate, Short said she learned about the potential health benefits of the blackberry while researching it in preparation for its official designation as the state fruit. "You have to understand," she laughs, "that my favorite word is 'hypothesis.' I was very influenced by my 7th grade science teacher, Ms. Basha Clay, who explained that an hypothesis was nothing more than an educated guess. That stuck with me and created this strong interest I have in research. " Short has pursued this interest in various ways: her first job, right out of Georgetown College, was in new product development, working for her father, who at the time was president of Kentucky Textiles in Paris.
"It's always been a family-oriented business. My husband Dan runs our textile licensing company, Ionx International, and our son Bryan works with new product development for both of us," Short said.
When Short isn't trimming blackberries in the field, listening to Cold Play's Viva la Vida on her Blackberry, she oversees the cancer research lab at Coldstream and explores agreements with various companies having an interest in medical applications of the berry. "This really is a case of following the research and testing the hypothesis that the berry brings a positive life-changing benefit to people. I love it," Short told me.
Asked what she does in her spare time, Short quickly exclaimed, "I just read a book! It was awesome." Her lifestyle doesn't allow much time for reading, she told me me - other than contracts and regulations - but she admits she read George Friedman's The Next 100 Years while at the hospital where her husband was undergoing surgery. "He's doing great; the book was a good distraction for me!"
Another distraction is a dappled gray 3-year-old named Praetorian Storm, grandson of Storm Cat. Short reaches for the other Blackberry and pulls up a picture, telling me she hopes to get down to Tampa soon to watch him race. Her dog Hank, an English Golden Retriever, demands her time too. "I'm taking him to a dog whisperer in Winchester. Can you believe it?"
Paige Short is also a strong believer in supporting good causes. A Trustee at Georgetown College, she serves on various boards: Traditional Bank, Women Leading Kentucky, EKU and UK. In 2007, she created a legacy scholarship to honor her grandmother, Carrie Shumate. This award is presented to an entering freshman each year through the Women Leading Kentucky Scholarship Fund. "We've got to make sure our young people get an education. I'm concerned because so many young people these days don't seem to want to grow up. They're our leaders; they're our future," she emphasized. "We need them to get serious!"
Like many business owners, Short also has serious concerns about the economy and the challenge for small businesses to stay strong. "Small businesses have to have incentives to grow and create jobs and stimulate this economy. Too often, state and federal government officials talk about creating jobs, but they don't do enough to make it a priority."