Dr. Amber R. Phipps has joined American Esoteric Laboratories, the Mid-South division of Sonic Healthcare USA, as vice president and chief operations officer. In her new role, Phipps will oversee all operations for AEL, which includes nine laboratories and more than 800 employees in six states. A captain in the U.S. Army Reserves, Phipps most recently served as a medical operations officer stationed at Fort Sam Houston, Texas.

2. Alas, Poor Henry and the Problem - Wednesday, February 27, 2013

According to legend, Henry Ford scoffed at market research and what we now call Consumer Insights, proclaiming, “If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses.” While there is a certain degree of wisdom in this statement, it has been misquoted to justify bad, hubris-inspired product failures by too many corporate egos.

3. Turley: ‘You Can Be Somebody in Memphis’ - Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Years after Henry Turley experienced the Memphis sanitation workers’ strike and the aftermath of Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination, took advantage of the Community Reinvestment Act and persuaded banks to reinvest in the Downtown core, not to mention spearheaded revitalization in the Harbor Town and Uptown areas, he’s making a “micro bet” on building nice neighborhoods around excellent schools.

4. Senate Votes to Place Income Tax Ban on Ballot - Saturday, February 16, 2013

The Senate voted Thursday to place a proposed constitutional amendment to ban a state income tax before Tennessee voters.

The chamber approved the measure on a 26-4 vote, and if the House concurs, it would be placed on the ballot in next year’s general election.

5. Senate Votes to Place Income Tax Ban on Ballot - Friday, February 15, 2013

The Senate voted Thursday to place a proposed constitutional amendment to ban a state income tax before Tennessee voters.

The chamber approved the measure on a 26-4 vote, and if the House concurs, it would be placed on the ballot in next year’s general election.

6. Apple to Produce Line of Macs in the US Next Year - Friday, December 07, 2012

NEW YORK (AP) – Apple CEO Tim Cook says the company will move production of one of its existing lines of Mac computers to the United States next year.

7. Labor Heads Say Obama Backs Them on 'Fiscal Cliff' - Wednesday, November 14, 2012

WASHINGTON (AP) – Labor leaders said Tuesday that President Barack Obama remains committed to preserving tax cuts for middle class families and ensuring the wealthy pay more in taxes, outlining plans for a public campaign to pressure Republican lawmakers.

8. A Simple Question - Monday, June 18, 2012

Recently I read something that prompted a very simple but important question: Who are the 10 most important people in my business life? Do you know who they are in your life? It’s a simple question, but I realized I didn’t know the answer.

9. Irving Leads Research Co. Animal Cell Therapies - Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Adam M. Irving is chief executive officer of San Diego-based Animal Cell Therapies Inc., a company that develops stem cell treatments to treat a variety of ailments for animals. Irving is based in Memphis.

10. County Commission - Luttrell Clash on Urgency of School Transfer Rules - Monday, February 13, 2012

Shelby County Commissioners approved Friday, Feb. 10, a resolution authorizing Shelby County Mayor Mark Luttrell to negotiate with the countywide school board on the terms of a transfer of school buildings in the event suburban municipal school districts are formed.

11. Voters Decide District 7 Runoff Thursday - Thursday, November 10, 2011

Voters in Memphis City Council District 7 on Thursday, Nov. 10, will settle the last election of 2011 as they select the only new member of the 13-member council.

Lee Harris, a professor in the University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law, faces actress Kemba Ford in the runoff election that grew more intense toward the end of the early-voting period.

12. The Day Before Vacation - Tuesday, June 28, 2011

It’s that time of year for many of us, time for summer vacation. Many people do something highly unusual as their vacation time approaches. You might think they would prematurely shift into island time and slack off a bit. But that is not what most people do. They do just the opposite. They get hyper-focused, organized and productive. They, as they say, “Bring their A-game to work,” especially on the day before their vacation begins. What is going on? Why don’t they do this all the time?

13. Businesses Hiring in 2011 Face a Buyers' Market - Thursday, January 13, 2011

WASHINGTON (AP) – Companies planning to ramp up hiring this year will have an added luxury: their choice from a flood of applicants, without having to pay a premium for top talent.

Unemployment remains near double digits, and there are nearly five unemployed workers competing for each available job. That is giving employers more confidence, while at the same time enabling them to keep wages low.

14. Joe Ford Awarded $747 Monthly Pension - Wednesday, September 08, 2010

The Shelby County Retirement Board has awarded former interim mayor Joe Ford a monthly pension of a little more than $747.

The award is $450 less than the roughly $1,200 amount Ford believes he’s entitled to when his years as a Memphis City Council member are included with his service in county government.

15. Ford’s Pension: $747 a Month - Tuesday, September 07, 2010

The Shelby County Retirement Board has awarded former interim mayor Joe Ford a monthly pension of a little more than $747.

16. FedEx CIO Carter to Highlight Leadership Academy Luncheon - Tuesday, August 31, 2010

In May, longtime FedEx CIO and executive vice president of information services Rob Carter joined the likes of pop star Lady Gaga, fashion designer Tom Ford and Oscar-winning director James Cameron on Fast Company’s 2010 list of the 100 Most Creative People in Business.

17. Deimund Named Clinical Director of Methodist Wound Centers - Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Sandy Deimund has been named clinical director for the Methodist North and Methodist South Hospital Comprehensive Wound Healing Centers.

Hometown: Cape Girardeau, Mo.
Education: Certified Wound Specialist (CWS) and a member of the American Academy of Wound Management
Work Experience: Nurse manager, Methodist South Comprehensive Wound Healing Center; registered nurse, Southeast Hospital in Cape Girardeau, Mo.
Favorite quote: “Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you’re right.” Henry Ford
Last book read: “Love ’Em or Lose ’Em” by Beverly L. Kaye
Favorite music: I like a variety of music, from country to classical.
Favorite movie: “African Queen”
Sports team: Tennessee Titans
Activities you enjoy outside of work: Spending time with friends, sudoku puzzles, traveling, reading
What talent do you wish you had? I wish I could pick stocks like Warren Buffet.
Who has had the greatest influence on you? All of the patients who have overcome obstacles in their lives, yet continue to persevere.
Why did you pursue a career in health care? I have always had an innate curiosity about medicine and people. As a child, my dolls were always sick or injured and needed “health care.”
What drew you to Methodist? The Christian atmosphere and multiple opportunities available for nurses.
What do you consider your greatest professional accomplishments? Any time a patient hugs me or shakes my hand and tells me how much they appreciate my efforts is the greatest feeling.
What do you most enjoy about your work? Working with patients to facilitate their healing process.

18. CEO Sees Ford Continuing to Improve Into 2011 - Friday, May 14, 2010

WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) — Ford's chief executive told shareholders that the second-largest U.S. automaker will see "continuing improvement" into 2011 but wouldn't say when the company might reinstate a dividend.

19. Life or Death for The MED - Monday, March 01, 2010

A hand as tiny as a budding leaf punched at the air inside a baby incubator.

Kelley Smith, the head nurse of the neonatal intensive care unit at The Regional Medical Center at Memphis, checked on the little fighter.

20. FBI Wants Public’s Help in Civil Rights Killings - Tuesday, November 24, 2009

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) – Over the past three years, the FBI scoured faded documents, interviewed aging lawmen and tracked down witnesses from killings that occurred decades ago, many of them involving white police officers who shot black men or teenagers.

21. YLD President Wiggins Joins Baker Donelson as Associate - Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Kyle M. Wiggins has joined Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz PC as an associate in the Health Services & Products group. He will concentrate his practice on litigation surrounding medical malpractice defense, personal injury defense and general civil litigation.

22. 39-Year Sen. Douglas Henry to Face Dem Challenge - Wednesday, September 30, 2009

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Nashville lawyer Jeff Yarbro announced Tuesday he will mount a Democratic primary challenge to state Sen. Douglas Henry, the chamber's longest serving member.

23. A Mayor’s Race to Remember: Candidates pump up the drama as election nears - Monday, September 21, 2009

The field is set at 25 candidates and Memphians start voting Sept. 25 in a mayor’s race that has been neither a surprise nor the expected.

But there’s no guarantee the election will settle what the post-Willie Herenton era will look like. Too many other events still have to be decided.

24. Mayor’s Race Gets ‘Crazy’ As Election Day Approaches - Tuesday, August 25, 2009

“It’s crazy now,” Memphis Mayor Pro Tem Myron Lowery told members of the Downtown Neighborhood Association last week.

Lowery was contemplating the possibility of more than 30 candidates in the Oct. 15 special election for mayor. He described it as “the circus that’s getting ready to happen in this city.”

25. Need for ‘Greener’ Vehicles Echoes Earliest Innovations - Wednesday, May 13, 2009

It’s been more than 100 years since Henry Ford rolled out the first Model T automobile, a mass-produced, gas-powered wonder.

26. Sisson Remembered For Spunk, Humor - Wednesday, February 04, 2009

Thomas E. “Pete” Sisson’s political career in Memphis and Shelby County spanned more than 50 years in which he witnessed more change than most politicians.

Sisson, who died last week at age 81, was remembered this week at a funeral service in Cordova.

27. Bailout Approved: Automakers Get $17.4B - Monday, December 22, 2008

WASHINGTON (AP) – Citing danger to the national economy, President Bush approved an emergency bailout of the U.S. auto industry Friday, offering $17.4 billion in rescue loans in exchange for tough concessions from the deeply troubled carmakers and their workers.

28. Employers Cut 533K Jobs in November - Monday, December 08, 2008

WASHINGTON (AP) – Skittish employers slashed 533,000 jobs in November, the most in 34 years, catapulting the unemployment rate to 6.7 percent, dramatic proof the country is careening deeper into recession.

29. Automakers Pitch Congress Anew on Rescue - Friday, December 05, 2008

WASHINGTON (AP) - Humbled U.S. automakers pleaded with Congress on Thursday for an expanded $34 billion rescue package, but heard fresh skepticism in a bumpy encore appearance.

"We're here today because we made mistakes," General Motors chief executive Rick Wagoner told the Senate Banking Committee in prepared testimony.

30. Council Again Rejects Lee Legal Fees - Tuesday, December 02, 2008

The Memphis City Council this evening affirmed its vote in Oct. to reject paying the legal fees of former Memphis Light Gas & Water Division president Joseph Lee.

The bill for Lee’s legal defense in a grand jury probe that led to his indictment as well as a hearing before the council came to $426,422. The corruption charges were later dropped by federal prosecutors.

The 7-6 vote came at the end of a day in which MLGW president Jerry Collins told council members talks between the utility and Lee’s attorney, Robert Spence, failed to reach any terms for a lesser amount.

Council members voting against the proposed settlement were: Bill Boyd, Kemp Conrad, Shea Flinn, Reid Hedgepeth, Myron Lowery, Bill Morrison and Jim Strickland. Those voting for it were: Joe Brown, Harold Collins, Edmund Ford Jr., Janis Fullilove, Wanda Halbert and Barbara Swearengen Ware.

Spence told The Daily News an announcement on a decision by Lee about pursuing the legal fees in a lawsuit against the city could be made as early as Tuesday.

The council has also given final approval this evening to an ordinance regulating the location of financial services, payday loan and title loan businesses.

The council vote was unanimous on third and final reading. Third and final vote before the Shelby County Commission is scheduled for Dec. 8.

The council passed an amended version that emerged as a compromise during today’s council session.

The ordinance bans the businesses from being with 1,000 feet of each other. The compromise worked out by council member Bill Morrison, with agreement from the payday loan industry, deals with a 90 day grace period for existing businesses to apply for a waiver.

Council member Barbara Swearengen Ware argued the location of the businesses isn’t the problem. It’s the high interest rates the companies charge – up to 264 percent annually.

“We need to deal with the root of the problem,” she said. “And if we could regulate how much (of an) interest rate is charged or how much the fees are, then we would be doing a service to the community,” Ware said. “I know we mean well here, but it’s supply and demand that is driving these businesses.”

But usery rates are regulated by the state and not the city council.

Morrison said the businesses cluster in his district which covers Frayser and Raleigh. Frayser is among the areas of the city hardest hit by home foreclosures.

Council member Harold Collins, whose district includes Hickory Hill – also hit hard by home foreclosures – said there is a connection. He counted at least 20 pay day lenders along one stretch of Winchester.

“Maybe they’re not contributing to the fact that many of the people in my district are losing their homes. But they are sure out there,” he said. “There needs to be some kind of line drawn that will keep the people in Hickory Hill from losing their homes.”

Steve Lockwood, head of the Frayser Community Development Corporation, said the close proximity of the lenders allows people in desperate financial straits to get around a limit of two loans totaling $500 from a particular lender by simply going to the payday lender next door.

He termed the location limits “an opening shot across the bow.” He said his organization’s financial counselors see a connection between the lenders and foreclosures.

“I think that the neighborhoods that are really going to benefit from this are in Cordova,” Lockwood said. “If you want Cordova to look like Winchester or Frayser, don’t pass this.”

In other action, a Fairgrounds development agreement is tentatively set to have the first of three Memphis City Council votes in two weeks.

The city picked Fair Ground LLC to develop a master plan for the property that includes the Mid-South Coliseum, The Liberty Bowl and The Children’s Museum of Memphis. What is still being worked out is a contract with the terms for drawing up that master plan.

There are still several formidable obstacles to putting a development agreement in writing.

Shelby County government owns some of the Fairgrounds land including some of the land under The Liberty Bowl.

City Housing & Community Development director Robert Lipscomb told City Council members he will again pursue an agreement in which the county would sell its share in The Fairgrounds as well as The Pyramid.

The Shelby County Commission rejected such a sell-off by the county during consideration of a development agreement for The Pyramid involving Bass Pro Shops.

The commission eventually approved the development agreement after the agreement won approval from the city council.

Without a sell-off, the Fairgrounds development agreement appears on its way to the same dual track debate and voting process.

Lipscomb also told The Daily News there are conflicting legal opinions on the amount of public infrastructure financing the city would have to put up to leverage private investment.

He said the amounts vary from $75 million to $200 million. The city is seeking legal opinions on the public amount required under terms of Tourism Development Zone (TDZ) financing. If the amount is $200 million or close to it, Lipscomb said it makes the Fairgrounds renovation much harder to accomplish.

Henry Turley, one of several developer partners in Fair Ground LLC, said he considers the city’s contribution to be $75 million. Turley was instrumental in drafting the state legislation that allowed for the Tourism Development Zones.

The TDZs allow for financing of bonds through sales tax revenue generated in the designated area or zone.

Turley wants to include a big box retail store on the site and possibly a hotel according to tentative plans that are fluid on the location of those and other parts of an overall plan. The sales tax revenue from the store would go to pay off the TDZ bonds. No local government general fund revenue would be used.

31. Democrats at Work to Tap Bailout for Automakers - Friday, November 14, 2008

WASHINGTON (AP) – Congressional Democrats are marshaling support for a rescue package to pump $25 billion in emergency loans to U.S. automakers in exchange for a government ownership stake in Detroit's car companies.

32. Wall Street Turns to Consumers To Gauge Economy - Tuesday, November 11, 2008

NEW YORK (AP) – Wall Street heads into another turbulent week with investors set to pore over a government report on retail sales and earnings from Wal-Mart Stores Inc. to get a better reading on consumers.

33. Pyramid Decision Sets Stage For Further Debate - Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Shelby County government will stay in The Pyramid business for now.

A move to sell the county’s share of The Pyramid, The Mid-South Coliseum and Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium to the city of Memphis for $5 million failed this week on a 5-6 vote of the Shelby County Board of Commissioners.

34. Alexander, Tuke Campaign With Velvet Gloves - Friday, October 17, 2008

The only statewide election on the Nov. 4 ballot hasn’t featured any of the television attack ads that have saturated the local airwaves since last year’s congressional primary campaigns in North Mississippi. The wave crossed the state line and continued in the race to the August GOP congressional primary in Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District.

35. Amid Economic Turmoil, Fed Chief Consulted With Major Players in Financial World - Monday, February 18, 2008

WASHINGTON (AP) - Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke consulted with predecessor Alan Greenspan, major financial players and even a speech consultant as he grappled with growing economic turmoil.

36. Moving Day Approaches For Nine Council Members - Friday, December 14, 2007

Nine Memphis City Council members will begin a transition starting next week. Their pictures will go from one side of the City Council chambers at City Hall to the other side.

The nine are leaving the council in what is the largest turnover of seats in the 40-year history of the 13-member body. Current council members have their pictures on the wall on one side of the chamber. The portraits of former council members line the wall on the other side.

37. Fairgrounds Redevelopment Now In Three Flavors - Thursday, December 06, 2007

Memphis Mayor Willie Herenton this week unveiled to the City Council three options for redeveloping the Mid-South Fairgrounds.

Herenton told council members the fate of Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium will depend on a pending decision from the U.S. Department of Justice about what improvements the city must make to the stadium to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

38. Council Hustles On Tying Loose Ends - Thursday, October 18, 2007

Memphis City Council members, most of them leaving office with the New Year, took several steps this week toward shaping the four-year term of their successors as well as the fifth term of Mayor Willie Herenton.

39. Council Passes Buck On 'Disgusting' Warehouse Proposal - Thursday, September 06, 2007

A familiar and decidedly unwelcome name confronted City Council members on Tuesday's agenda. And the council reacted by sending the project for a warehouse near Memphis International Airport back to the Land Use Control Board (LUCB).

40. City Council Races Overflow With 83 Candidates Filing - Monday, July 23, 2007

It's the year of the open seat on the Memphis City Council.

With seven incumbents not running for re-election and the resignation last month of an eighth, it is already the biggest turnover of council seats in the 40-year history of the mayor-council form of government.

41. Things Go From Hot To Smoking Hot In Election Contests - Thursday, July 12, 2007

With one week to the filing deadline for the Oct. 4 Memphis city elections, 124 citizens have thought seriously enough about running for the 15 offices on the ballot to check out qualifying petitions. Nearly 40 had filed by the end of the first week.

42. Hooper Takes Peete's Council Seat - At Least for Now - Thursday, June 21, 2007

The newest member of the Memphis City Council has had plenty of experience handling politicians. Henry Hooper is a retired Secret Service agent assigned to protect four U.S. presidents during his tenure.

43. City Council Looks Ahead To Biggest New-Blood Transfusion In Almost 40 Years - Tuesday, June 19, 2007

A year after voters shuffled the County Commission, it appears the City Council is about to be dealt the same hand.

With a month until the filing deadline for the October ballot, the city election year already promises more change than the council has seen in 36 years.

44. Dollar Signs Point South - Friday, March 09, 2007

For the first time in its 130-year history, Commercial Bank and Trust Co. has ventured across the Tennessee state line.

Following an industry trend of setting up shop in booming DeSoto County, the Paris, Tenn.-based bank recently opened a loan production office in Southaven at 5740 Getwell Road.

45. On the Spry - Wednesday, December 27, 2006

Doctors, health care professionals, trainers and nutritionists of all stripes probably have found themselves imploring someone to "Watch what you eat" and "Exercise more" at least once in the course of promoting a healthy lifestyle.

46. Grinder Haizlip Aims for Steady Growth - Tuesday, November 01, 2005

For the two men who run Grinder Haizlip Construction Co. Inc., the job of building their company's future is done brick by brick, one employee at a time.

The low-key construction business has been around since 1992, and co-owners Greg Grinder and Henry Haizlip - perhaps now more than ever - are thinking big. Not just in the size of their business, but also in the imagination with which they and their next generation of project managers tackle new jobs.

47. Memphis Leaders Consider Living Wage Issue - Friday, September 23, 2005

Should companies that are given contracts by the city of Memphis be required to pay workers at least $10 an hour with benefits?

For David Ciscel, an economics professor at the University of Memphis, that answer is a resounding 'yes.' Ciscel has written several documents in support of a minimum wage that is higher than the federal minimum, an idea commonly referred to as a living wage.

48. Archived Article: Newsmakers - Wednesday, November 17, 2004
Senior Armstrong Allen attorney named managing partner

Armstrong Allen Names New Managing Partner

James McLaren Jr., a senior member of Armstrong Allen PLLC, has been elected managing partner of the firm. Members of the firms 2005 management c...

49. Archived Article: Newsmakers - Wednesday, November 10, 2004
Armstrong Allen attorneys chosen for Best Lawyers

Memphis Estate Planning Council Elects Officers

The Memphis Estate Planning Council announced the following 2004-2005 officers: Mike Wood, president; David B. Jones, vice president; Frank E. Da...

50. Archived Article: Newsmakers - Wednesday, August 04, 2004
Tennessee Press Association elects vice president

Pitts Named Principal Owner at Pickering

Robert J. Pitts was named principal owner of Pickering Inc. Pitts is the companys civil engineering team leader. He received a bachelors degree from the...

51. Archived Article: Memos - Wednesday, October 14, 1998
Cherie Ganesh and Nithan Ganesh have joined Crye-Leike Commercial Cherie Ganesh and Nithan Ganesh have joined Crye-Leike Commercial. Mary Whitaker has been promoted to vice president of legal affairs for the Regional Medical Center. She previously w...

52. Archived Article: Bondsigning - Monday, September 30, 1996
09/30 notes BoltonKirk.gs Delegation signs $70 million bond issue, seeks funding By GABRIELLE C.L. SONGE The Daily News A delegation of top-level Shelby County officials hit the Big Apple at the end of last week to finalize a $70 million bond issue ...

53. Archived Article: Memos - Wednesday, January 03, 1996
1/3 memos John T. Moga has been named exhibits coordinator for The Childrens Museum of Memphis. Prior to joining the museum, Moga was an exhibit designer and graphic coordinator in Michigan for the Henry Ford Museum & Greenfield Village and for ...

54. Archived Article: Memos - Wednesday, December 27, 1995
12/27 Memos Linden Wright recently was named the 1995 recipient of the YMCAs Red Triangle Award, given to the individual who renders unselfish work and devotion to accomplish YMCA goals. Wright has worked with the YMCA since 1932 and served as finan...