The back story of the new Mitsubishi Electric Power Products Inc. plant that formally opened in Southwest Memphis last week includes a sewer pipe, the Mojave Desert and artificial lightning.

2. Mitsubishi Plant Opens in Southwest Memphis - Saturday, April 20, 2013

A group of 200 dignitaries marked the formal opening Friday, April 19, of the Mitsubishi Electric Power Products Inc. plant in Southwest Memphis.

3. Mitsubishi Debuts $200 Million Facility - Friday, April 19, 2013

One of the two biggest economic development prizes of recession-era Memphis has its formal opening Friday, April 19.

The Mitsubishi Electric Power Products Inc. plant is the company’s first North American manufacturing plant for large power transformers, some weighing in excess of 400 tons.

4. ‘Banner Year’ for Logistics Industry - Friday, December 28, 2012

Positive momentum far outweighed the negative in the local logistics and distribution industry during 2012, as city officials and business leaders continued elevating Memphis’s status as world logistics hub.

5. Good News - Tuesday, December 18, 2012

There’s something newly electric in the air. That’s how the editors of National Geographic Traveler describe Memphis, putting the city in the category of 20 must-see places in 2013.

It’s a description that came at the end of November in the form of something Memphians aren’t altogether used to – the editors of national publications nodding approvingly from afar at a city long relegated to one arbitrary ranking after another.

6. Electrolux Construction Reaches Milestone - Thursday, October 04, 2012

Construction on the Electrolux North America Cooking Products Memphis plant reached a milestone this week as workers put the company logo and name on the headquarters building in the Frank C. Pidgeon Industrial Park.

7. Building Business - Monday, September 17, 2012

Dr. Leonard Greenhalgh brought a wake-up call with him to Memphis at the end of August, when he came to the city as one of several featured speakers for the Memphis Minority Business Council Continuum’s 2012 Economic Development Forum.

8. New Plants Point to Infrastructure Needs - Friday, September 14, 2012

Greater Memphis Chamber leader Dexter Muller is fond of recounting how hard it was to sell the Frank C. Pidgeon Industrial Park to site consultants for manufacturing companies.

9. MEPPI Files $155M Permit App For Rivergate Plant, Office - Tuesday, June 12, 2012

2865 Riverport Road
Memphis, TN 38109

Permit Cost: $155 million

Permit Date: Applied June 2012

10. MEPPI Files $155M App to Build Production Facility - Tuesday, June 05, 2012

Mitsubishi Electric Power Products Inc. has filed a massive permit application for the manufacturing facility it is building on Rivergate Road in Memphis’ southwest industrial submarket.

11. Pickering Projects Show Activity on Upswing - Friday, May 18, 2012

If an uptick in engineering services is an economic indicator of recovery and stability, Memphis is progressing fairly well.

That’s the message Bob Pitts, principal at Pickering Firm Inc., shared to the Appraisal Institute of Memphis Wednesday, May 16, at Chickasaw Country Club. Pickering employs 150 engineers, scientists, architects and surveyors across six offices from its Memphis headquarters to the Gulf Coast.

12. Liddon Solves Problems for Relocating Companies - Thursday, March 29, 2012

When Robert Liddon began as a clerk at Heiskell Donelson after his second year in law school in 1974, there were about 25 attorneys.

Now the firm known as Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz PC is made up of about 600.

13. MC Ionic Continues Work on HQ, Plant - Friday, March 23, 2012

MC Ionic Solutions US Inc., a subsidiary of Mitsubishi Chemical Corp. that will produce an electrolyte solution used in lithium-ion batteries, is moving ahead with its North Memphis headquarters and production plant.

14. ‘Positive Message’ - Tuesday, March 13, 2012

The most recent figures from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development show a falling jobless rate for the Memphis metro area.

New, more current figures will be out later this month that show the area’s latest unemployment picture. But in the meantime, the Memphis area has played host to one job fair after another in recent days, while across the state there have been more than 20 such fairs in the past 15 months.

15. Job Fair Scheduled for MEPPI Plant - Monday, February 20, 2012

Mitsubishi Electric Power Products Inc. will start recruiting this month to fill positions for the company’s state-of-the-art power transformer plant in Memphis. A job fair is scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 23, from noon to 8 p.m. at the Embassy Suites Hotel at 1022 S. Shady Grove Road.

16. City Files $12M Permit Application For Mitsubishi Plant Infrastructure - Monday, January 16, 2012

2865 Riverport Road
Memphis, TN 38109

Permit Cost: $12.1 million

Permit Date: Applied January 2012

17. City Files Permit Application for Mitsubishi Infrastructure - Friday, January 13, 2012

A $12.1 million building permit application has been filed for the Mitsubishi Electric Power Products Inc. plant property at 2865 Riverport Road in southwest Memphis’ Rivergate Industrial Park. The application states it is for “deep foundation for manufacturing and office building.”

18. Council Weighs In on Electrolux Incentives - Thursday, January 05, 2012

Some Memphis City Council members want to at least slow the appropriation of local government funding to Electrolux North America Cooking Products if the company isn’t more responsive to hiring local for the construction of its Memphis manufacturing plant.

19. That's a Wrap - Monday, January 02, 2012

If the grand sweep of 2011 could be captured on celluloid and presented to an audience on the big screen, all the components of a great film would be readily apparent.

There was drama, in the form of a deluge and historic flooding that led the Mississippi River to crest at nearly 48 feet early in the year. One of the year’s big surprises saw President Barack Obama give the commencement address for the Booker T. Washington High School class of 2011 at the Memphis Cook Convention Center.

20. $125M Permit Application Filed for Mitsubishi Plant - Thursday, December 29, 2011

Mitsubishi Electric Power Products Inc. is moving forward with its plans for a transformer manufacturing facility at Rivergate Industrial Port.

21. $125M Permit Application Filed for Mitsubishi Plant - Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Mitsubishi Electric Power Products Inc. is moving forward with its plans for a transformer manufacturing facility at Rivergate Industrial Port.

22. Message of Hope - Thursday, December 15, 2011

Bruce Hopkins, First Tennessee Bank’s president of banking for West Tennessee, couldn’t attend last year’s Greater Memphis Chamber annual chairman’s luncheon.

23. Chamber Luncheon Highlights City’s ‘Medical Miracles’ - Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Bruce Hopkins, First Tennessee Bank’s president of banking for West Tennessee, couldn’t attend last year’s Greater Memphis Chamber annual chairman’s luncheon.

24. Pulling the Strings - Monday, December 12, 2011

Long before the first widgets roll off the assembly line, way back before the ribbon cutting and the first shovels break ground, and even before executives quietly slip in to scout out a prospective piece of land, someone like Mark Sweeney gets a phone call.

25. Airport CEO Larry Cox to Head Chamber Board - Thursday, December 01, 2011

The Greater Memphis Chamber has a new chairman of the board. Larry Cox, president and CEO of the Memphis-Shelby County Airport Authority, has been elected by the chamber board to succeed former Smith & Nephew executive Joe DeVivo.

26. Airport CEO Larry Cox to Head Chamber Board - Wednesday, November 30, 2011

The Greater Memphis Chamber has a new chairman of the board.

Larry Cox, president and CEO of the Memphis-Shelby County Airport Authority, has been elected by the chamber board to succeed former Smith & Nephew executive Joe DeVivo. DeVivo now works for Albany, N.Y.-based medical device provider AngioDynamics.

27. Successful Year - Tuesday, November 08, 2011

The Greater Memphis Chamber’s annual chairman’s luncheon next month is expected to draw more than 1,000 business leaders and elected officials to a celebration of the economic and cultural health of the city.

28. Shared Success - Monday, October 24, 2011

Talent acquisition and retention and an ongoing focus on sustainable workforce development are vital to the economic success of any city. And in Memphis – a city beleaguered by high rates of poverty and unemployment – long-term strategies aimed at building that workforce are now targeting future workers as young as middle school students.

29. Electrolux Plans to Break Ground Oct. 5 - Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Electrolux is breaking ground on its new Memphis plant Oct. 5.

The ceremony, scheduled for 10 a.m. at Frank C. Pidgeon Industrial Park, formally kicks off construction of the Swedish appliance maker’s nearly $200 million Memphis factory, which is expected to create more than 1,200 new jobs and support more than 2,200 secondary jobs in the form of suppliers and other related work.

30. Staying Afloat - Monday, September 19, 2011

Compared to the overall U.S. construction landscape, Memphis’ position appears to be managing fairly well.

Within the last 10 months, the city has landed several heavy manufacturing projects – Electrolux, Mitsubishi Electric Power Products Inc. and Kruger Inc., to name a few – in a time when, nationally, the manufacturing sector is stagnant.

31. Work Still Slow in Construction Sector - Monday, September 19, 2011

The Mid-South commercial construction market is still trying to gain traction following a steady downturn spanning the past couple of years.

Despite several large-scale and government-funded projects, a dearth of small- to mid-sized projects is keeping the market depressed.

32. Chamber Fires Up 2011 Membership Drive - Thursday, August 11, 2011

The Greater Memphis Chamber could not exist without the support of its members. That is why every year the nonprofit economic development organization holds a membership campaign with the aid of its current investors to encourage new membership and spark growth.

33. New Mileage Standards Aim for Less Fuel, Pollution - Monday, August 01, 2011

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama and automakers ushered in the largest cut in fuel consumption since the 1970s on Friday with a deal that will save drivers money at the pump and dramatically cut heat-trapping gases coming from tailpipes.

34. Mayoral Showdown Pits Wharton, Harvey - Tuesday, July 26, 2011

They filed for the Oct. 6 city elections one day apart. They served together in Shelby County government. Their campaigns are using different versions of the same basic computer software for targeting voters.

35. EDGE Keeps Memphis ‘In the Ball Game’ - Tuesday, July 26, 2011

For the longest time, elected leaders and local economic development officials have lamented a missing ingredient surrounding what Memphis and Shelby County can do to prime the pump for business investment in the area.

36. MC Ionic Solutions US Begins Work on Fite Rd. Site - Tuesday, July 19, 2011

2665 Fite Road
Memphis, TN 38127
Permit Amount: $1.3 million

Permit Date: Applied July 2011

37. MCIS Files $1.3M Permit For New Fite Road Facility - Tuesday, July 12, 2011

MC Ionic Solutions US Inc. has begun work on its 2665 Fite Road facility, after being awarded a 14-year payment-in-lieu-of-taxes agreement in April.

38. Biggs Erases Stumbling Blocks for Companies - Thursday, June 30, 2011

Before Lodie Biggs ever stepped foot into law school, he was coached on business ethics from his Depression-era grandfather.

Growing up in Millington with a dad who worked long hours, Biggs would spend the majority of his Saturdays learning about capitalism, the stock market and entrepreneurship.

39. Canada-Based Kruger Wins Tax Freeze - Thursday, June 30, 2011

Canada-based manufacturer Kruger Inc. is still weighing several choices of locales where the company would like to pursue a major capital investment.

40. Kruger Still Weighing Memphis Project, Wins Tax Freeze - Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Canada-based manufacturer Kruger Inc. is still weighing several choices of locales where the company would like to pursue a major capital investment.

41. Kruger Still Weighing Memphis Project, Wins Tax Freeze - Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Canada-based manufacturer Kruger Inc. is still weighing several choices of locales where the company would like to pursue a major capital investment.

42. Kruger Set for IDB Mtg. - Monday, June 27, 2011

Canada-based manufacturer Kruger Inc. is one step closer toward a major investment in its Memphis facility north of Downtown.

43. Mayor Wharton Shares Minority Biz Plans - Thursday, June 23, 2011

Memphis Mayor A C Wharton Jr. told a minority business forum his administration will begin questioning those who want to do business with the city about their use of minority and locally owned businesses in general.

44. MEPPI Funding Top Topic for City Council Agenda - Tuesday, June 21, 2011

The Memphis City Council’s Tuesday, June 21, agenda is dominated by the city budget proposal, but also includes a resolution to pass on $11 million in state funding for the Mitsubishi Electric Power Products Inc. plant in southwest Memphis.

45. MEPPI Buys Rivergate Park Acreage For Transformer Plant - Tuesday, June 07, 2011

186.2 Acres In Rivergate Industrial Park
Sale Amount: $3.7 million
Sale Date: May 31, 2011

Buyer: Mitsubishi Electric Power Products Inc.
Seller: Belz Investco GP
Details: Warrendale, Pa.-based Mitsubishi Electric Power Products Inc. has bought three parcels in Rivergate Industrial Park from Belz Investco GP for $3.7 million. The deal closed May 31. The first parcel is 9.3 acres on the north side of Riverport Road (listed in the deed as Rivergate Road). It backs McKellar Lake, and the Shelby County Assessor of Property’s 2011 appraisal is $419,000. The second parcel is 63 acres on the south side of Riverport Road, appraised at $604,600. The third parcel is 113.9 acres on the north side of Riverport Road, wrapping around the 9.3-acre parcel and including an offshoot of McKellar Lake. Its 2011 appraisal is $769,600.
MEPPI announced in mid-February it would build a $200 million transformer manufacturing plant in Belz Enterprises Inc.-owned Rivergate Industrial Park.
In March, the Shelby County Commission and Memphis City Council each put in $1 million toward infrastructure financing for the project.

46. Mitsubishi Buys Land for Transformer Plant - Friday, June 03, 2011

Warrendale, Pa.-based Mitsubishi Electric Power Products Inc. has bought three parcels in Rivergate Industrial Park from Belz Investco GP for $3.7 million. The deal closed May 31.

47. Special Coverage: Mid-South Flooding - Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Coverage of the rising waters in the Memphis area

The 2011 Flood, By the Numbers

After a few days of national media coverage, here are a few numbers that demonstrate part of the complex picture of the life of a city as it faces a flooding crisis.

48. Plant Follows Blueprint for Project Success - Tuesday, May 10, 2011

First come the months and years of deal-making and finger-crossing. After that, the big announcement.

Next up after all that hard work in the world of economic development is something now evident throughout Memphis: forward momentum on several big projects that promise to bring hundreds of jobs, a boost to the manufacturing base and a jolt to the local economy.

49. Electrolux Financing Clears Senate Finance Committee - Wednesday, May 04, 2011

The Tennessee State Senate Finance committee Tuesday approved two bills that represent the state’s investment of over $90 million in bringing the appliance manufacturing plant to Frank C. Pidgeon Industrial Park in southwest Memphis.

50. Electrolux Financing Clears Senate Finance Committee - Tuesday, May 03, 2011

The Tennessee State Senate Finance committee Tuesday approved two bills that represent the state’s investment of over $90 million in bringing the appliance manufacturing plant to Frank C. Pidgeon Industrial Park in southwest Memphis.

51. Memphis and Shelby County Getting an EDGE - Thursday, April 14, 2011

Shelby County Mayor Mark Luttrell told a gathering of area business leaders Tuesday night at the office of Glankler Brown PLLC that he hopes the new joint city-county economic development program gets rolling by this summer.

52. Events - Friday, April 08, 2011

Health Memphis Common Table will present a Community Partners Forum Friday from 8:30 a.m. to noon at St. Francis Hospital, 5959 Park Ave. Dr. Calvin Johnson, president of Altre Strategies Solutions Group LLC, will speak on the topic “Eliminating Health Disparities by Focusing on Quality.” For more information, contact Patti Tosti at 273-2665 or patti.tosti@healthmemphis.org.

53. Events - Thursday, April 07, 2011

The Mid-South Area Business Travelers Association will meet Thursday from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse, 6120 Poplar Ave. Laurie Rusin will present “Road Warrior Packing and Travel Secrets Revealed.” To register, visit www.msabta.org.

54. From Old to New - Thursday, April 07, 2011

This year marks Gene Woods’ 40th year of marketing industrial properties in the Memphis area for Colliers International.

55. Chamber Takes Trip to NYC for Media Tour - Thursday, March 31, 2011

Representatives from the Greater Memphis Chamber, the Memphis Convention and Visitors Bureau and Mayor A C Wharton Jr.’s office visited New York City Monday through Wednesday to meet with national publications and share information about the Memphis business community.

56. Fairs Scheduled for Local Construction Cos. - Monday, March 28, 2011

O’Neal Inc., general contractor for the facility Mitsubishi Electric Power Products Inc. is building in Memphis, is looking for local construction companies and contractors for the project.

57. City Kicked Into ‘Overdrive’ to Lure MEPPI - Monday, March 07, 2011

In February 2010, Memphis showed up in the No. 3 spot on that year’s ranking of “America’s Most Miserable Cities” by Forbes magazine.

It wasn’t publicly discussed at the time, but that undesirable attention also nearly spoiled Memphis’ effort to convince Mitsubishi Electric Power Products Inc. to build a transformer manufacturing plant here. Ultimately, Memphis won the plant. MEPPI announced in mid-February it would build the facility at Belz Enterprises Inc.-owned Rivergate Industrial Park.

58. Commission Approves Funds for Mitsubishi Infrastructure - Wednesday, March 02, 2011

The Shelby County Commission has approved $1 million in infrastructure funding for the Mitsubishi Electric plant to be built in southwest Memphis.

The transfer of funding to the city of Memphis, which has also put up $1 million, came at Monday’s commission session.

59. Dev. Race Procedures Draw Elected Officials’ Ire - Friday, February 25, 2011

When Mitsubishi Electric Power Products Inc. decided the facility in Ako, Japan, where the company produces large power transformers was approaching full capacity, it wasn’t long before the company decided it needed to build another plant.

60. County Commission Committee Recommends Mitsubishi Incentives - Thursday, February 24, 2011

The Shelby County Commission’s economic development & tourism committee has recommended approval of the county contributing $1 million to the financial incentives for Mitsubishi Electric Power Products Inc., which is building a new transformer manufacturing plant in Memphis.

61. Committee Recommends Mitsubishi Incentives - Thursday, February 24, 2011

The Shelby County Commission’s economic development & tourism committee has recommended approval of the county contributing $1 million to the financial incentives for Mitsubishi Electric Power Products Inc., which is building a new transformer manufacturing plant in Memphis.

62. County Commission Committee Recommends Mitsubishi Incentives - Wednesday, February 23, 2011

The Shelby County Commission’s economic development & tourism committee has recommended approval of the county contributing $1 million to the financial incentives for Mitsubishi Electric Power Products Inc., which is building a new transformer manufacturing plant in Memphis.

63. High Gear - Friday, February 18, 2011

The 2011 Memphis International Auto Show rolls into town Friday through Sunday, giving car enthusiasts a chance to check out more than 250 of the latest cars, trucks, SUVs and hybrids, along with many other special attractions at the automotive extravaganza.

64. IDB Grants Mitsubishi 15-Year Tax Freeze - Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Mitsubishi Electric Power Products Inc. has won a 15-year tax freeze from the Memphis-Shelby County Industrial Development Board for the manufacturing facility it’s developing at Rivergate Industrial Park.

65. IDB Grants Mitsubishi 15-Year Tax Freeze - Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Mitsubishi Electric Power Products Inc. has won a 15-year tax freeze from the Memphis-Shelby County Industrial Development Board for the manufacturing facility it’s developing at Rivergate Industrial Park.

66. IDB to Consider Tax Break for Mitsubishi - Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Twenty-four hours after Mitsubishi executives unveiled plans to build $200 million plant in Memphis that will manufacture electric transformers, the plans will go before the city-county Industrial Development Board to secure crucial tax incentives.

67. On a Roll - Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Mitsubishi Electric Power Products Inc. will build a $200 million, 350,000-square-foot facility in Memphis to serve as the headquarters of the company’s heavy electrical equipment production in North America, the company announced Monday.

68. Mitsubishi Announces $200M Memphis Investment - Monday, February 14, 2011

Mitsubishi Electric Power Products Inc. will build a $200 million, 350,000-square-foot facility in Memphis to serve as the headquarters of the company’s heavy electrical equipment production in North America, the company announced Monday.

69. New Electric Vehicle Chargers Dedicated in Tenn. - Wednesday, January 26, 2011

KNOXVILLE (AP) – Researchers in Knoxville have dedicated an electric vehicle charging station.

Right now its only for testing, but it can make electricity from sunlight and put electricity back in the power grid.

70. Fed is Expected to Leave Rates at Record Low - Wednesday, December 16, 2009

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Federal Reserve is expected to leave interest rates at a record low this week. The big question is whether Chairman Ben Bernanke and his colleagues will hint about when they will reverse course and start boosting rates.