VOL. 128 | NO. 28 | Monday, February 11, 2013
EMPHASIS Economic Development
City center a microcosm of economic development activity
With its own tax incentives, a narrowly focused group of development boards, a variety of neighborhood demographics and development clusters that run the gamut from commercial to residential, Downtown Memphis is a veritable petri dish of economic development.
Jim Clifton, CEO of the Gallup organization since 1998, believes the stakes are extraordinarily high in the global arms race for jobs.
It might be said that John Lawrence has a background made to order for looking at the big picture – one of real estate, urban planning, marketing and organization management. Through the course of various career moves, he’s developed the tools necessary for the use in his position as manager of strategic economic development planning for Memphis and Shelby County’s Economic Development Growth Engine (EDGE).
Memphis City Council member Jim Strickland and Shelby County Jury Commissioner Clyde ‘Kit’ Carson have been named the winners of the 2013 Bobby Dunavant Public Service Awards.
Shelby County Commissioners agree on an issue having to do with the coming merger of schools in Shelby County.
Memphis area commercial real estate brokers were not only brought up to speed on the latest numbers and trends Thursday, Feb. 7, at the Memphis Area Association of Realtors Commercial Property Forecast Summit – they were also briefed on how to tweak their marketing strategy to recruit business by a former executive with the Federal Reserve.
First Tennessee Bank’s capital markets subsidiary has been on a tear lately. FTN Financial has grown on several fronts, including with the addition of a public finance department as it expands into the general market municipal bond sector and with the opening of new offices as part of that expansion. The company also has opened additional new offices around the country and added employees in other areas to handle general growth.
GOVERNMENT AGENDA
The Shelby County Commission will meet Monday, Feb. 11, at 1:30 p.m. in the Shelby County Administration Building, 160 N. Main St. Click on the meeting icon for an agenda.
New businesses are beginning to blossom as the post-recession economy recovers, but some may fall victim to their own lack of business experience.
LOCAL COLUMNISTS
Here’s a statement that is worth pondering: Among a group of people, the most successful person is usually the person whose beliefs correspond most closely with reality.
STATEWIDE
NASHVILLE (AP) – The state's largest teachers union has hired a new chief lobbyist.
STATE GOVERNMENT
NASHVILLE (AP) – During the early weeks of deadly fungal meningitis outbreak, the Tennessee Health Department was rushing to collect details about a rarely seen infection. State workers had to visit multiple hospitals, pick up pages of printed patient records and enter it into databases by hand.
NASHVILLE (AP) – Thomas Frierson has been appointed judge for the Tennessee Court of Appeals, Eastern Section.
REGIONAL
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) – An Arkansas House panel has approved a measure allowing state employees to receive an award if they expose waste and inefficiencies that lead to savings for the state.
NATIONAL GOVERNMENT
WASHINGTON (AP) – The U.S. Postal Service lost $1.3 billion in the final three months of last year, despite a blizzard of campaign advertising for the fall political elections and a big holiday mail and shipping season.
TECHNOLOGY
Apple Inc. has recently come under attack for its practice of stockpiling cash. At the end of last year, the company was sitting on $137 billion – and the heap keeps growing.