Greenwood Soul Mates – Cyndi Long
For us, “soul” represents that unique essence each person contributes to their community, weaving a colorful tapestry of stories, talents, cultural experiences, and more. In Greenwood, this tapestry is formed by numerous unique individuals whose captivating stories and deep connections to the region’s food, music and history define our identity as a town and make Greenwood such an extraordinary place to visit. These remarkable individuals are our “Soul Mates.”
The possible definitions seem endless when it comes to the word soul. The Oxford Language defines soul as “emotional or intellectual energy of intensity, especially as revealed in a work of art or an artistic performance.”
Read that three or four times, as it perfectly describes our latest Soulmate, Cyndi Long. Although her official title at her day job is Site Operations Manager at AerCap Holdings, the industry leader across all areas of aviation leasing – aircraft, engines and helicopters, Cyndi also makes time to express her greatest passion—art. Along with her love for family and for her adopted home of 13 years, Greenwood, Mississippi, she has become quite successful with her artistic mastery in creating one-of-a-kind, colorful vases, which she sells in local shops in downtown Greenwood.
Cyndi’s story began in Knoxville, Tennessee, where she spent most of her early life and where much of her family still resides. After a short stint in Memphis, where she attended high school, she quickly returned to Knoxville for college. As she states with a big smile, “My blood will always be Tennessee Volunteer orange.”
Cyndi majored in psychology at the University of Tennessee. Although she never practiced psychology in a clinical setting, she has used its methodologies daily for more than 36 years, traveling to over 40 countries while handling international commercial aviation sales at AerCap.
Now you’re probably wondering, how in the world did she land in Greenwood?
It happened like it always does for Cyndi—she simply raised her hand. A little over a decade ago, Cyndi and her team at AerCap’s Memphis regional office were searching for a site manager to oversee Greenwood. Cyndi distinctly remembers her mind racing to decide who could be the best person for the job.
“I remember sitting there, viewing life’s changes in my mind, and thought, my son just graduated high school, so we don’t have anything to keep us in Memphis, and I’ve always wanted to be in operations. So, I said, I’ll do it!”
Once the words left her mouth, Cyndi recalls the group swiftly turning around and looking at her like she was crazy, stating, “You do realize you will have to live in Greenwood?” But that didn’t stop her. The wear and tear of traveling had grown excessive, and she was ready for a change. Cyndi earnestly replied back, “I would love to move to Greenwood!”
After completing the interview process, she accepted the job, packed up her family and headed to Greenwood, Mississippi, which happens to be in the Heart of the Delta.
“I feel in my heart that I was led to Greenwood, and 13 years later, I’m still here and still happy.”
Upon arriving in Greenwood, Cyndi immediately knew she wanted to be an active part of the community and invest in its past and future. Without hesitation, she began searching for a place to live. Her deep passion for history and the arts led her to purchase and renovate Greenwood’s original city hall, which included the jail cells and courthouse once occupied by the city’s founding fathers.
“It hadn’t been used in almost 100 years, so to me, it was important to preserve that building,” she said, mentioning that the downstairs is now an event venue available for rent. “It’s really cool because it’s decorated with historical antique pieces, including a cigarette machine that came out of a Greenwood juke joint in 1904.”
With a background in psychology and her southern upbringing in Tennessee, Cyndi understood the inner workings of a small town. She quickly found her role as an ambassador for the city by literally walking the streets of Greenwood to learn about everything and everyone she could.
“I love everything about Greenwood. On Friday nights, I go to random places and strike up conversations with people to see where they are from and their interests. During those interactions, I brag about all the things they can do in Greenwood.”
This ambassadorship came full circle when she began serving on the Greenwood Convention and Visitor’s Bureau board.
“The two CVB objectives are to increase tourism and to improve the quality of life for our citizens,” she said. “That’s why I volunteer and help make decisions to improve the town’s appearance and opportunities for everyone.”
Cyndi (who happens to be an avid baseball fan), alongside her fellow CVB board members, truly knocked it out of the park when they partnered with the Major League Baseball Players Association to make the sport more accessible in rural and lower-income communities. Together, they established the Stone Street Baseball League and invested in state-of-the-art playing fields. Cyndi described how this project became the equivalent of a double-header sweep for Greenwood, as it allowed the city to host travel ball tournaments, which brought in tax revenue—revenue that, in part, helps cover the expenses of local players whose families more often couldn’t afford.
“If we host a baseball tournament, it draws people to our hotels and restaurants, boosting our tourism revenue even more while providing our local kids legitimate fields and equipment to play. This shows that one percent of the sales tax really goes to the people of Greenwood.”
Cyndi believes growth doesn’t always have to be about money but creativity.
Flipping through Cyndi’s diverse rolodex of interests brings us to another passion of hers – art. This came to fruition when she served as president of the Greenwood Garden Club, even though she admits that her talents “do not flourish in flower design.” Instead, she channels her creative talent into what holds flowers, the vases.
Recently, she chose to create a vase inspired by the “Van Gogh for All” traveling exhibit, which stopped in Greenwood at the Museum of the Mississippi Delta to showcase the colorful world of Vincent Van Gogh.
“I tried to dazzle the other Garden Club members with my art skills so they wouldn’t notice that all I did was buy a dozen white roses for my arrangement,” she said, laughing. “My family has many artists, so we grew up crafting all kinds of things, and that’s how I learned to decoupage. Since it was all the rage back in the day, I incorporated it into my vases.”
Surprisingly, Cyndi’s diversion worked—so much so that it grew very quickly into a successful business. “All my friends saw the Van Gogh vase and wanted me to make them one,” she said.
Word spread quickly, and with orders piling in, she decided it was time to reap the benefits of her hard work. “Now, when people ask me, I tell them to go see my friends at our local shop, Howard & Marsh, and they have plenty to choose from.”
If Cyndi were to describe Greenwood in one word, it would be: “Diverse.”
“Diversity of life is Greenwood’s biggest asset. We’re not like anywhere else—we’re diverse in our culture, in our food and in our music. We have so many things to offer, including different genres and aspects of history. So, if you don’t want to listen to the blues, that’s okay. Go enjoy our great restaurants and scenery and vice versa.”
When asked what the word “Soul” means to her, she replied,
“Soul is spiritual, not physical,” she said. “Soul is what drives us to do everything, and I truly believe it’s what brought me to Greenwood. I love it here and can’t imagine I’m supposed to be anywhere else.”
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