VOL. TMN-6 | NO. 12 | Saturday, March 16, 2013
Growth, relocation boost LaunchYourCity’s entrepreneurial efforts
Eric Mathews sounded a little emotional in early February as he described what was about to happen to the organization he leads that’s at the vanguard of spurring entrepreneurship and startup activity in Memphis.
In recent years, there has been a civic pushback against the relentless downing of Memphis that over a long period of time came to dominate any attempt to have a purposeful discussion about the city’s future.
EMPHASIS Commercial Real Estate
Canal expansion should spark more cargo, CRE demand in Memphis
The expansion of the Panama Canal will affect the supply chain of businesses across the country, including those involved in Memphis industrial real estate.
For the first time in history, the property value of the once-every-four-year reappraisal is going down, and it has some commercial real estate property owners concerned.
Anna Holtzclaw’s footprint is on property all over Memphis.
Boyle Investment Co. turns 80 this year, and has partnered with the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art to celebrate.
For Walter Wills III, taking care of his neighborhood and the surrounding area is one of his life tasks.
Memphis’ oldest continuously practicing law firm is expanding its presence in Triad III.
THE MEMPHIS NEWS ALMANAC
1993: Construction on the $9.1 million Wonders cultural series exhibit on Napoleon was under way at the Memphis Cook Convention Center, opening to the public in April. The construction was on the settings for 175 objects from the reign of Napoleon Bonaparte.
City center’s housing market experiencing uptick
Downtown’s housing market is seeing more sales, less time on the market, lower price points and inventory shortages.
Shelby County Commissioners advanced in Wednesday, March 13, committee sessions a general plan to restructure the countywide school board.
Harrison McIver has entered his 15th year as executive director of Memphis Area Legal Services Inc. with a daunting challenge that’s as constant as it is acute.
Musicians for Le Bonheur raises money for children’s hospital
Just as Jim Jaggers, meteorologist for WREG News Channel 3, uses the power of his bike pedals to raise money and awareness for Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital through Go Jim Go, his son Justin is using guitar pedals to do the same.
New home permits were flat in February compared to the same month last year.
Beginning in October, millions of Americans will be able to shop for health insurance through newly created health care exchanges dubbed the Health Insurance Marketplace.
Stax Museum of American Soul Music turns 10 in May
John Fry, the venerable founder of the Memphis-based Ardent record label and accompanying studio facility, still remembers wandering into the Satellite Record Shop, the music store that once operated in front of Stax Records.
Shelby County Commissioners are about to consider another change to the terms of the ongoing reformation of public education in Shelby County.
About a year after the Tennessee legislature set new district lines for itself and the state’s nine members of Congress, it is about to set the district lines for civil and criminal trial court judges at the state level.
For several weeks, it has been an undercurrent feeding the roots of the various branches of the tree that is the Shelby County schools merger.
Full-service branding agency Loaded for Bear joins local landscape
The old adage “loaded for bear” is fitting for a new full-service branding agency that’s emerged on the Memphis advertising landscape.
The special master in the schools merger federal court case says his first order of business is to look at the paperwork and other documents of the case and what has been done so far in the merger.
The chairman of the Shelby County Republican Party will seek another term at the March 24 party convention.
Tigers coach Josh Pastner likes to talk about how there are three parts to the college basketball season. The University of Memphis aced their final run through the Conference USA regular season (going 16-0 in Part 1).
When Rudy Gay talked to Yahoo Sports about needing a change, about the trade from Memphis to Toronto being good for him, all the focus fell on the following quote about Memphis’s new ownership group:
MEMPHIS STANDOUT
Wade Hartsfield’s career plan to become a nurse took a detour when he took a part-time job with a catering company to help pay for nursing school.
MEMPHIS LAW TALK
Shayla Purifoy majored in urban studies – a mixture of history, political science and sociology – at Rhodes College. Her senior seminar was on community policing.
MEMPHIS NEWSMAKERS
Rick Masson has joined Caissa Public Strategy as senior director. Masson, former chief administrative office for the city of Memphis, was also recently named special master to oversee the city-county schools merger. (For details, see the Monday, March 11, edition of The Daily News.) In his new role at Caissa, Masson will provide consultation and leadership on business development and project management.
942 S. Shady Grove Road Memphis, TN 38119
Memphis-based Southern Growth Studio is getting ready to bring some of the spirit of innovation, sunny optimism and can-do attitude to Memphis that its principals found on a recent trip to Las Vegas.
LOCAL COLUMNISTS
OF KATZ AND RATS, DADS AND DONUTS. Howard and I were having breakfast. It was supposed to be about business. Turns out it was about monkeys and parakeets and donuts and dawns and day-olds, about his Memphis and mine, about ours.
Sheryl Sandberg, the chief operating officer of Facebook has a new book out. “Lean In” has generated a lot of media attention. It’s all about women and leadership in the business world. Bottom line: she encourages women to seek leadership-level positions. Listening to the news stories we asked ourselves, “what about the nonprofit sector?”
Ray’s Take Let’s assume you’ve done the right thing and have a will in place. That is a good start, but it’s not enough. You need to regularly review your will to make sure it stays in line with your intentions and the law. Congress continues to kick the can down the road on important income tax and transfer payments, but we now have pretty good guidance on estate tax laws both federally and in Tennessee.
“My wife and I enjoy your sense of humor,” the note began. “You write the funniest things!!” Double exclamation point? I like that!! “We read your column in the Memphis paper!! The voice mail one was a scream. The Mrs. has a question. Since you are a judge, professor and wordsmith with your columns, where do you get all this time?”
Many small businesses devote time and resources to social media presence. Utilizing social media platforms to connect with your market is no longer “savvy.” It’s expected by today’s consumer. Used effectively, it is a dream come true for marketers. Brands can increase their messaging frequency while leveraging their audience to share content virally among their own connections, creating possibilities unheard of by traditional media channels.
Technology like that imagined by Star Trek and the futuristic cartoon The Jetsons is becoming reality with 3-D printing. Also known as additive manufacturing, it creates customized solid three-dimensional objects from digital schematics. It has arrived – and it is disruptive.
Last week we highlighted the Dorothy Day House of Hospitality, which is focused on keeping homeless families together by providing free, temporary housing and the means to re-establish their independence. This week, following the recent loss of two of my family members, let us explore the importance of a legacy statement.
Most people have no problem accepting that it’s possible to receive wireless signals with their computers. However, the fact that similar wireless-like communication occurs between human beings often seems mysterious to the same people. Interestingly, it is a proven fact that humans communicate with each other wirelessly all the time.
Offering employees a say in the decisions that affect them is one of the best tools for engaging their hearts, minds and souls so they are motivated to give their all – and to make better choices as a company.
STATE GOVERNMENT