About

A North Nashville native with what most deem a rough start in life, Robert Sherrill is a true testament to the age-old adage ‘we don’t look like what we’ve been through’.  As a young man swayed by his environment, Robert’s chosen path led him to the federal penitentiary where he vowed to make a change for his family and himself. Upon his release,  he opened Imperial Cleaning Systems (ICS), a growing commercial cleaning, restoration, and janitorial company based in Nashville, Tennessee where he serves as President and CEO. With over 16 years of experience in the industry, Robert is certified as an MBE/DBE with the Governor’s Office of Diversity, Tristate Minority Supplier Development Council, and several other governing and certifying organizations across the region. He works to educate others on the necessary processes to grow businesses and obtain contracts through various speaking engagements.  His work as an entrepreneur, influencer, and community figure has been recognized in his wins of “Stay On The Go’s 40 Under 40”, Nashville’s Black Chamber of Commerce’s “Rising Star”, Power Moves’ “Best in Entrepreneurship 2018”, Varnell Foundation’s 2018 Community Leader of the Year, Nashville Minority Business Center’s 2018 Minority Man of the Year and Nashville Business Journal’s “Most Admired CEO 2018”, Nashville Business Journal’s 2022 40 Under 40, and is a graduate and member of Cohort 5 of the Entrepreneurs’ Organization’s Catalyst Program.

 

As a nod to the Greater Nashville community, his past experiences, and a desire to help those in a familiar situation, he launched “Imperial Cares” to provide jobs and internships to area residents who are displaced or enrolled in a post-incarceration community re-entry program. In addition to his work with ICS, Robert is the Chief Executive Officer of The DREAM (Decreasing Recidivism through Education And Mentorship) Initiative, a company geared towards the empowerment, betterment, and transition of returning citizens, reentry educational technology, and resource development; the President of Impact Youth Outreach, a non-profit organization working to combat youth crime by fostering positive relationships and supportive experiences with a focus on mentorship, community service, and motivational opportunities; the CEO of RCS Holdings, a real estate investment and management company; and the founder of iStudio Nashville, an entrepreneurship co-op located in Madison.  Ever the evolving entrepreneur and business owner and with a deep passion for seeing others succeed, he was, also,  the co-founder of theLAB Nashville, the first black-owned collaborative members-only space that catered to local creatives and entrepreneurs in Tennessee.  

 

He is a board of trustees member for Nashville State Community College Foundation, a board of directors member for BEST (Building Entrepreneurs for Success in Tennessee), and was appointed by Mayor John Cooper to sit on the Metropolitan Nashville Policing Policy Commission. He is also a member fo the 2023 Leadership Nashville class.

 

An advocate for reentry as a returned citizen, Robert was pardoned in 2019 by Tennessee’s Governor Bill Haslam and in 2021 by President Donald Trump. Fully aware that he should be the standard and not the exception, Robert co-founded The DREAM (Decreasing Recidivism through Education And Mentorship) Initiative in 2020.  DREAMi is a reentry education tech development and resource provider geared towards reentry, returning citizens, and their families.  

 

Robert continues to educate the world on youth advocacy, reentry, redemption, and second chances by sitting on panels and delivering keynotes for Big Brother Big Sister of Middle Tennessee, Leadership Nashville’s Criminal Justice Day, the State of Tennessee’s Second Chance celebration, LendConnect, Dismas House’s annual fundraiser, Music City Center’s 2019 Small and Diverse Business Forum, Lebanon’s Rotary, and many more.  His objectives through these endeavors are to increase the awareness surrounding recidivism, desistance, and the impact of the inequities that returning citizens face.

 

In 2018, Robert became a best-selling author with the release of his first book, The Journey Back to Now, chronicling his life and telling how losing everything was the catalyst he needed to gain the world. His second book, Quid Pro Quo: The Laws of Reciprocity, was released in 2022.