It’s past time to rethink the old 60/40 notion of investing, say a wide range of Memphis financial professionals, as the ground continues to shift beneath the feet of investors in this low-yield world of investing dominated by unprecedented action from the Federal Reserve.

2. City Council Approves Amended Property Registry - Wednesday, April 03, 2013

Memphis Mayor A C Wharton Jr. won a partial victory in his emphasis on fighting blight with final Memphis City Council approval Tuesday, April 2, of a property registration ordinance.

But the council amended out a provision in the ordinance that would have required the registration of all property. What is left is a registry of vacant and abandoned property where property taxes are delinquent and code enforcement finds violations.

3. Hagan Named President of Memphis Heritage Board - Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Joey Hagan, principal of Architecture Inc., has been named the 2013-2014 board president for Memphis Heritage Inc. after being nominated and elected by the previous board. Hagan’s primary responsibilities as one of two principals at Architecture Inc. include running the organization, marketing, design and project management. As MHI president, he will strive to continue to make preservation of important properties a priority for Memphians.

4. Hargett Warns of Real Estate Scam - Monday, March 18, 2013

Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett is warning home buyers and sellers about a scam involving real estate titles.

According to the office’s business services division, letters have been sent to at least eight real estate companies suggesting that there are claims against titles of more than two dozen residential properties.

5. Legislation Propels Parks Controversy to New Level - Thursday, February 07, 2013

As Shelby County suburban leaders were meeting in Nashville Tuesday, Feb. 5, with Tennessee legislators about possible moves toward some version of suburban school districts, the Memphis City Council was reacting to a pending bill in the state Legislature.

6. Loeb: City Should Increase Investment in Urban Core - Thursday, January 31, 2013

The relevance of Overton Square is that it’s one of many initiatives the city has in place to make Memphis a better place and a city of choice for the millennial generation.

Seventy-seven percent of those born from the early 1980s to the early 2000s want to live in the urban core and to drive less.

7. Dyersburg Mall Sells for $4.4 Million - Thursday, January 24, 2013

The Dyersburg Mall has fetched $4.35 million after hitting the online auction block in November.

Yazoo, Miss.-based Action Properties LLC purchased the 191,038-square-foot regional shopping mall at 2700 Lake Road in Dyersburg, Tenn., under the entity Action Dyersburg LLC. The seller, Jackson, Miss.-based Mattiace Properties Inc., disposed of the asset under the entity Dyersburg Mall Co. LLC.

8. Memphis Hotel & Lodging Association Elects 2013 Officers - Wednesday, January 23, 2013

The Metropolitan Memphis Hotel & Lodging Association recently elected its slate of officers to serve in 2013, and the group now ramps up for a busy year, including the 14th annual MMHLA Lodging Industry Update on Feb. 22 at the Hilton Memphis.

9. Battling Blight - Monday, January 07, 2013

The kickoff date to the Downtown Memphis Commission’s anti-blight initiative on April 1, 2011, is embedded in president Paul Morris’ memory.

10. Reardon Speaks Out Against City’s Approach to Housing - Tuesday, November 27, 2012

The University of Memphis professor leading the resistance to a still-forming plan to demolish the city’s last large public housing project says the city’s approach to transforming public housing since the late 1990s hasn’t worked.

11. Expert: Investors Confound Housing - Monday, November 12, 2012

The role of investor-driven neighborhoods in Memphis is growing, and the impact on different kinds of neighborhoods is largely unstudied and unknown.

For instance, what does it mean that going into 2012, 54 percent of residential property sales were accounted for by investor purchases from the Real Estate Owned (REO) inventory of foreclosing lenders?

12. Rise of House Flipping Focus Of Seminar - Wednesday, October 31, 2012

The impact of the foreclosure crisis on Shelby County home values is intricate and far-reaching.

Recent estimates by real estate information company Chandler Reports suggest that nearly a quarter of Memphis’ total housing stock are non-owner occupied.

13. Grassroots Effort - Thursday, October 04, 2012

Approaching the second anniversary of “New Face for an Old Broad” and the Historic Broad Avenue Business Association’s painting of its own bike lanes, the Binghampton district has seen activity increase exponentially on several fronts.

14. August Home Sales up 21 Percent - Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Home sales in August were up 21 percent year over year, representing the eighth consecutive monthly increase from 2011.

Shelby County saw 1,487 home sales last month compared to the 1,228 homes sold in August 2011, according to real estate information company Chandler Reports, www.chandlerreports.com.

15. District, US Attorneys Pooling Efforts - Thursday, September 06, 2012

Shelby County District Attorney General Amy Weirich and U.S. Attorney Ed Stanton are working together on cases that cross the state-federal boundary for prosecution.

16. Committee to Disband as Board Considers Next Step - Thursday, July 26, 2012

The countywide school board’s ad hoc committee to review the schools consolidation plan is about to disband without acting on the plan sent to the board by the schools consolidation planning commission.

17. Council Approves Overton Square Land Acquisition - Friday, July 06, 2012

The Memphis City Council has approved the resolution key to the construction of an Overton Square parking garage and a new Hattiloo Theater on what is now an open parking lot for the Midtown entertainment district.

18. Council Tests Auto Inspection Rules - Wednesday, July 04, 2012

Memphis City Council members have approved a financial hardship waiver that allows Memphis motorists who flunk the emissions part of their auto inspection to claim the repairs will cost them too much and get a one-year one-time-only waiver on the inspection.

19. Assessor Race Looks To Battle Lines - Tuesday, June 12, 2012

In an election year with a lot of transitions, the race on the Aug. 2 ballot for Shelby County Assessor of Property crosses paths with those transitions more than any other race on the busy ballot.

20. Memphis-Based EdR Wins Four Innovator Awards - Wednesday, June 06, 2012

EdR – a Memphis-based developer, owner and manager of collegiate housing – recently received four Innovator Awards at the 2012 Interface Conference sponsored by Student Housing Business magazine.

21. US Sales of Foreclosure Homes Rose in Q1 - Friday, June 01, 2012

LOS ANGELES (AP) – Homes in some stage of the foreclosure process saw their share of overall U.S. home sales grow in the first quarter even as sales of bank-owned homes fell.

The increase was driven by a spike in short sales, or homes that sell for less than what the owner owed on their mortgage, foreclosure listing firm RealtyTrac Inc. said Thursday.

22. Foreclosures Dip in April - Friday, May 18, 2012

LOS ANGELES (AP) – National foreclosure trends took a positive turn in April, as the number of homes seized by banks declined and fewer properties entered into the foreclosure process.

23. Market Value - Monday, May 14, 2012

Investor Warren Buffett admitted in his annual letter to shareholders recently that he was “dead wrong” in his early 2011 prediction that the housing market would have begun recovery by now.

24. Foreclosures Comprised Smaller Slice of 2011 Sales - Friday, March 02, 2012

LOS ANGELES (AP) – Bank-owned homes and short sales last year accounted for the smallest slice of overall sales in three years but still made up nearly a quarter of all U.S. homes sold in 2011.

25. IP Rights Protect Business’s Assets - Thursday, February 23, 2012

Intellectual property rights fall into three categories: copyrights, trademarks and patents. Each is protected by federal statute while trademarks also are protected by state law.

Intellectual property rights are acquired by filing an application with the relevant federal or state agency and the issued certificate is normally received following regulatory examination for compliance.

26. Council to Weigh Pink Palace Funding - Tuesday, February 21, 2012

A $20 million upgrade of the Memphis Pink Palace Museum tops the Tuesday, Feb. 21, Memphis City Council agenda that also includes two items key to Overton Square redevelopment and $510,000 in capital appropriations for the Memphis Area Transit Authority.

27. City, D.A. File More Suits, Legal Action to Fight Blight - Friday, February 10, 2012

Memphis Mayor A C Wharton Jr.’s administration is keeping the gloves off in the city’s fight against blight.

On Wednesday, Feb. 8, the mayor and Shelby County District Attorney General Amy Weirich jointly announced the filing of 86 lawsuits and 11 nuisance petitions against the owners of blighted property.

28. Loeb Tells Rotary About Overton Square Plans - Thursday, January 12, 2012

Among the first of Bob Loeb’s comments when he addressed the Memphis Rotary Club Tuesday, Jan. 10, was that when his firm finishes the redevelopment of Overton Square, the hope is to pass the Rotarian Four-Way Test.

29. Thomison Joins PGM/Trumbull - Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Dr. John Thomison has joined Pathology Group of the Mid-South/Trumbull Labs LLC.

Hometown: Nashville

30. School Building Sale Still Unresolved - Thursday, December 15, 2011

The countywide school board member who thought about having a set of rules in place to specifically set the terms of selling or transferring school buildings to a separate suburban school district called off the move this week.

31. Jones Talks Court Challenge Depending on School Sale Terms - Wednesday, December 14, 2011

A move by countywide school board member Martavius Jones to set ground rules for any transfer of school buildings to a suburban school district ended abruptly Tuesday, Dec. 13, as Jones pulled the resolution at a school board work session.

32. Gunn Admits to More Than $1M Embezzlement - Monday, October 31, 2011

U.S. Attorney Ed Stanton said his office will pursue whoever else is involved in the embezzlement scandal in the Shelby County Chancery Court Clerk’s office.

Stanton made the vow Friday, Oct. 28, as former clerk’s office accountant Brandon Gunn pleaded guilty to three charges in a criminal information.

33. Obama Offers Mortgage Relief on Western Trip - Tuesday, October 25, 2011

LAS VEGAS (AP) — The Obama administration offered mortgage relief on Monday to hundreds of thousands of Americans in the latest attempt to ease the economic and political fallout of a housing crisis that has bedeviled President Barack Obama as he seeks a second term.

34. New Façades - Monday, October 03, 2011

Local architecture firms have run the gamut with realignment strategies in combating the economic downturn, from reduction of footprints and overhead to reorganizing and rebranding.

In late 2009, Memphis-based Looney Ricks Kiss Architects Inc. filed a Chapter 11 bankruptcy petition. The news sent shockwaves throughout the industry, as one of the city’s most prominent firms – behind landmark projects like AutoZone Park and AutoZone corporate headquarters, Riverside Drive, FedExForum, Harbor Town and the Benjamin L. Hooks Central Library, to name a few – was being forced to reorganize.

35. 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.

36. City Council Gives Final Nod to Schools Consolidation Settlement - Wednesday, September 07, 2011

With no debate, Memphis City Council members Tuesday, Sept. 6, gave the final approval necessary for the schools consolidation settlement to become a consent decree.

The council voted 12-0 to approve the settlement worked out by all sides in the federal lawsuit over schools consolidation. The settlement emerged from mediation sessions in court last month.

37. Orion Hits ‘Home Run’ With REO Placement Program - Tuesday, July 26, 2011

A Memphis woman is getting a second chance at owning her own home, thanks to a rare program that takes hard work into account over credit scores. For Blondell Phillips, it’s the American Dream, Take 2.

38. Renting Can Coexist With Ownership - Monday, June 20, 2011

Memphis has for quite some time had an unusually high percentage of renters when compared with other cities.

And fears about changing the pattern of where those renters live has put the trend at odds with the long held goal of home ownership as a goal for every adult.

39. Housing Gap - Monday, June 20, 2011

The push for home ownership has been a fundamental element of the American Dream since the 1960s.

And because a home is typically a person’s most valuable asset, research indicates home ownership stabilizes neighborhoods while also contributing positively to the overall economy. Leading this promotional effort is the National Association of Realtors, which regularly links a healthy housing market to job creation.

40. Raging River, Watchful City - Friday, May 13, 2011

As the Mississippi River crested at a historic level last week, most Memphians went to their jobs as usual.

The Memphis Grizzlies continued their NBA playoff run at FedExForum with a sellout crowd the same night that the river approached its crest less than a mile away.

41. Memphians Come Together in Flood Response - Friday, May 13, 2011

At first glance, the Great Flood of 2011 has been a tale of two cities. Hundreds evacuated their homes, and the rising water caused millions of dollars worth of damage to property and infrastructure throughout the city.

42. Shelby Forest Residents Wait, Watch - Tuesday, May 10, 2011

As the region prepared for the Mississippi River to crest, it was pretty much business as usual Monday morning at Shelby Forest General Store, 7729 Benjestown Road, near Meeman-Shelby Forest State Park, as regulars stopped in for breakfast and exchanged neighborhood news on the front porch.

43. Flood Scenario Become More Specific As River Crest Nears - Monday, May 09, 2011

The rise of the Mississippi River at Memphis continued Sunday to within a few inches of a crest of 48 feet.

And emergency responders Sunday locked in on dealing with a 48 foot crest sometime early Tuesday morning.

44. Opinion: Foreclosure Bill Unjust To Homeowners, Community - Tuesday, May 03, 2011

As an attorney that has spent a great deal of my time over the last decade assisting consumers with mortgage lending and foreclosure problems, I cannot think of a worse idea for the Tennessee General Assembly to consider than further streamlining the foreclosure process in Tennessee. This is precisely what is currently contemplated in the bills that will be considered by the Judiciary Committees in the coming week.

45. Opinion: Foreclosure Bill Unjust To Homeowners, Community - Monday, May 02, 2011

As an attorney that has spent a great deal of my time over the last decade assisting consumers with mortgage lending and foreclosure problems, I cannot think of a worse idea for the Tennessee General Assembly to consider than further streamlining the foreclosure process in Tennessee. This is precisely what is currently contemplated in the bills that will be considered by the Judiciary Committees in the coming week.

46. Home Prices Falling in Most Major US Cities - Wednesday, April 27, 2011

WASHINGTON (AP) – Home prices are falling in most major U.S. cities, and at least 10 major markets are at their lowest point since the housing bubble burst.

The Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller 20-city index shows price declines in 19 cities from January to February. The index fell for the seventh straight month. Prices fell at a faster rate in 11 markets in February compared with the previous month.

47. Foreclosure Activity Slows Sharply in February - Friday, March 11, 2011

LOS ANGELES (AP) – The number of U.S. homes receiving a foreclosure-related notice fell to a 36-month low last month, as lenders delayed taking action against homeowners amid heightened scrutiny over banks' handling of home repossessions.

48. Elvis’ Reach Wide in Realm of Law - Thursday, February 17, 2011

Elvis Presley’s manager Col. Tom Parker never let too many lawyers around the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll.

Which is ironic, considering the way the music legend’s career is fueling a robust practice of intellectual property law among attorneys around the country and has done so since Presley’s death in 1977.

49. Ongoing Foreclosure Crisis Far From Over - Friday, January 28, 2011

The foreclosure crisis will get worse before it gets better – with 1 million homes foreclosed in 2010 and even more projected for default in 2011.

That was the message a room full of real estate professionals received this week when real estate information company Chandler Reports hosted its quarterly seminar on Shelby County Market trends, “Master Your Market: Year-in-Review.”

50. Court Rules Against Banks in Pivotal Mortgage Case - Monday, January 10, 2011

BOSTON (AP) — The highest court in Massachusetts ruled against U.S. Bancorp and Wells Fargo & Co. Friday in a widely watched mortgage foreclosure case that could have serious implications for the nation's largest banks.

51. ‘Hundreds More’ Blight Suits on the Way - Thursday, December 23, 2010

A few hundred lawsuits targeting the owners of run-down properties are likely to be filed by the city of Memphis not long after 2011 rolls around, according to one estimate of the city’s timetable.

52. Number of Homes Taken Back by Lenders Tumbles - Friday, December 17, 2010

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The number of U.S. homes taken back by lenders dropped to the lowest level in 18 months in November, the result of foreclosure freezes enacted by several banks following allegations that evictions were handled improperly.

53. Foreclosure Class Actions Pile Up Against Banks - Thursday, November 18, 2010

NEW YORK (AP) – Foreclosure-fraud class action lawsuits are starting to pile up against major banks across the country, threatening a besieged industry with billions more in potential losses.

54. Opening Move - Tuesday, November 02, 2010

The owners of 138 run-down properties sued by the city on the recommendation of code enforcement officials will soon be due in court for a series of hearings that start later this month.

The targets of those lawsuits own everything from a collection of townhouses east of Memphis International Airport to Southern Funeral Home at 440 Vance Ave. The trait they share is the public nuisance the city believes they present.

55. Wharton Files Blight Suits - Wednesday, October 27, 2010

For months, Memphis Mayor A C Wharton Jr. has been standing outside old homes and warning owners of the vacant decaying properties that the city is coming with attorneys and legal papers.

On Tuesday he launched the first wave of lawsuits under the state’s Neighborhood Preservation Act.

56. Despite Foreclosure Halt, Mortgage Crisis Not Over - Wednesday, October 13, 2010

MIAMI (AP) – For most Americans at risk of losing their homes, the brutal business of foreclosure goes on.

Bank of America halted foreclosures across the country to address paperwork problems, but three other banks did so only in 23 states. Other banks holding millions of mortgages have not suspended any foreclosures.

57. Foreclosure Freeze Could Undermine Housing Market - Tuesday, October 12, 2010

NEW YORK (AP) – Karl Case, the co-creator of a widely watched housing market index, was upbeat three weeks ago. Mulling the economy while at a meeting at a resort near the Berkshires, Case thought the makings of a recovery were finally falling into place.

58. Baltimore’s Wells Fargo Suit Could Affect Memphis - Thursday, September 23, 2010

Lawyers for the city of Baltimore are preparing to reload in their two-year court fight against Wells Fargo over its lending practices in the city.

Baltimore is planning to file a new complaint against the lender after a federal judge last week dismissed the city’s second amended complaint. The city was given until Oct. 22 to try again in its effort to prove Wells broadly discriminated against black borrowers in its mortgage lending.

59. Bestselling Author Returns Home for MIG Appearances - Thursday, September 09, 2010

You would think a guy who goes on to become a multimillionaire, speak all over the world and write best-selling books would have been voted “most likely to succeed” in school.

In the case of Robert Shemin, author of “How Come that Idiot’s Rich and I’m Not?,” a New York Times’ bestseller, not exactly.

60. Midtown CVS Approved By Council - Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Memphis City Council member approved a CVS drug store at Union Ave and Cooper St. on a 10-2 vote that followed a two hour debate.

The council also approved an amendment calling on the developers of the store to get as close as they can in their plans to requirements of the advisory Midtown overlay. The two exceptions to that are restrictions on a drive through window for the pharmacy and how far from the street the building can be.

61. Close to Home - Tuesday, July 20, 2010

U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Memphis, met last week with representatives of Wells Fargo, the nationwide lender Memphis and Shelby County governments are suing over its local lending practices.

62. Foreclosure Woes Discussed at House Subcommittee Hearing in Memphis - Monday, July 19, 2010

U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Memphis, met last week with representatives of Wells Fargo, the nationwide lender Memphis and Shelby County governments are suing over its local lending practices.

63. Attorney Takes On Urban Blight - Thursday, July 01, 2010

Down a side road in the Medical Center neighborhood, past tire piles, trash-strewn lots and a makeshift sign announcing a church “coming soon to save souls,” there’s an empty, slightly overgrown field.

64. Midtown Target - Tuesday, June 01, 2010

Two years ago this month, awed silence greeted real estate developer Tom Marsh as he clicked through slides and walked a neighborhood group through his team’s plan.

65. Glankler Brown's Humphreys Named Real Estate SuperLawyer - Thursday, May 27, 2010

Glankler Brown attorney and real estate chairman Hunter Humphreys has been named a Real Estate SuperLawyer by Corporate Counsel Magazine.

Humphreys’ designation means he’s honored as a Top 100 Lawyer in Tennessee and a Top 50 Lawyer in Memphis.

66. Changes to Federal Foreclosure Program Announced - Monday, April 05, 2010

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) - The federal government announced Friday that it is relaxing some rules to make it easier for communities to spend funds on redeveloping abandoned and foreclosed properties.

67. Wooddale Condos’ Future Uncertain After Nuisance Action - Wednesday, February 24, 2010

A 43-year old set of decaying condominiums in Fox Meadows got a new crop of plywood and fresh signs this week warning people to keep out.

The Wooddale Condominiums, 4876 Winchester Road, also got a court order from the Shelby County District Attorney General’s office declaring the complex a nuisance under state law.

68. UofM-Area Residents Work to Salvage 38111 - Wednesday, February 17, 2010

For Tk Buchanan, community development specialist for the University of Memphis Center for Community Building and Neighborhood Action (CBANA), the 587 foreclosures last year in the 38111 ZIP code are more than a statistic.

69. Builder Firm Zips Through Downturn - Thursday, January 28, 2010

The economy has brought new commercial construction to a standstill, but the current financial climate is no match for the natural disasters that force a different type of project to move ahead.

Whenever a tornado, flood or fire damages a structure, insurance companies are obligated to pay for renovating or rebuilding, which means general contractors that specialize in disaster recovery are staying busy despite the dearth of new construction.

70. Downtown Businesses Brace for Year Of Change - Wednesday, January 20, 2010

2009 was a less-than-stellar year for Downtown Memphis based on several measures of business and financial activity.

During the past 12 months, the area saw a slump in business license and residential sales activity, rising bankruptcies and a spike in foreclosures.

71. State Revokes Appraiser’s License - Thursday, December 17, 2009

The Tennessee Real Estate Appraisers Commission has permanently revoked the license of Alvin R. Torrance for allegedly inflating property values at six Memphis area locations with “highly misleading or fraudulent” appraisals.

72. Madoff's Longtime Auditor Pleads Guilty to Fraud - Wednesday, November 04, 2009

NEW YORK (AP) - Bernard Madoff's longtime auditor pleaded guilty to securities fraud charges Tuesday, saying he failed to do his job to verify the disgraced money manager's financial records but did not know Madoff was running history's biggest Ponzi scheme.

73. Commission to Appeal Second Juvenile Court Judgeship - Wednesday, October 14, 2009

The battle over more than one Juvenile Court judge is on its way to the Tennessee Supreme Court.

Shelby County Commissioners voted this week to appeal an earlier ruling by the Tennessee Appeals Court to the high court. The Supreme Court could choose to hear the case or deny the request for an appeal, which would leave the appeals court ruling in place.

74. Not So Fast For Buehler Proposal - Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Shelby County Commissioners delayed action this week on the transfer of 140 parcels of tax delinquent property to developer Harold Buehler.

75. Metal, Military Parts Makers Could Add 250 Jobs - Wednesday, September 23, 2009
 

SFI of Tennessee and Steel Warehouse, sister companies operating from a manufacturing campus at 4768 Hungerford Road, are making plans to spend millions of dollars beefing up their facility and creating at least 250 jobs.

Steel Warehouse is a steel service company that provides raw material steel to companies like SFI, which manufactures, fabricates and processes steel and other metals. Both companies are subsidiaries of Indiana-based Lerman Enterprises.

The expansion the companies are considering for their South Memphis plant is significant for reasons including its impact on the local employment picture. As part of a tax break they’ve requested for the project, the companies would commit to creating at least 250 jobs with an average wage of $42,000 a year with benefits.

The 250 new jobs would produce almost $11 million in new payroll expenses for the companies, boosting their annual payrolls in Shelby County to between $41 million and $46 million.

Point of origin

Meanwhile, the companies also are involved in producing armor plating and other devices used to protect members of the U.S. military.

The Hungerford Road facility produces armor used to outfit the military’s Mine-Resistant Ambush-Protected (MRAP) vehicles, a class of armored vehicles designed to withstand attacks from improvised explosive devices. Among other things, the Memphis expansion would allow the companies to be involved in making parts for MRAP all-terrain vehicles (M-ATVs) designed for use in rugged places like Afghanistan.

Local officials were told in documents the companies provided to the city-county Industrial Development Board that SFI and Steel Warehouse have been heavily involved for the past few years in crafting armor plating for the military.

Most MRAPs have armor parts fabricated at the Memphis plant, and SFI would be a major supplier of armor for the new M-ATVs, according to the companies’ IDB application in support of the requested tax break.

“The project will consist of a general capital expansion project and major increases to applicant’s work force for general operational purposes and also to fulfill new contractual obligations,” reads the companies’ IDB application. “Applicant is proposing the project in order to continue to meet the demands of its current customer base and also to meet the demands of new, substantial orders and contracts.”

Wartime production

A specially called IDB meeting has been scheduled today to take action on the nine-year payment-in-lieu-of-taxes (PILOT) freeze the companies are seeking on their real and personal properties.

The companies are flying below the radar locally but “are producing great results in our county with the assistance of local authorities including the IDB,” wrote Lodie Biggs, a shareholder at the Memphis office of Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz PC, to the IDB.

He added they have gone to the mat for employees and made tough sacrifices for them since the beginning of the current recession.

“In very early 2009, applicant voluntarily made across-the-board wage and hours reductions (including management) in order to maintain as many of the current positions as possible,” Biggs wrote. “One of the major reasons behind this decision was to keep employees and their dependants under medical insurance coverage.”

Business is humming along at the Hungerford Road facility, where the companies plan to buy and install new equipment and where more and larger orders from customers are anticipated. Since 2002, revenue generated at the Memphis facility has grown from approximately $60 million to a projected $182 million for 2009.

Parts made at the SFI plant include 15-millimeter-thick v-shaped belly plates and 1-inch-thick armored doors. A video on the company’s Web site says it produces enough of that armor to outfit about 500 vehicles per month.

The Memphis City Council last year passed a resolution honoring SFI, noting its multimillion-dollar contract with the U.S. government to provide armor for bomb-proof vehicles in Iraq and Afghanistan. The council’s resolution called SFI a “sterling example of integrity in industry, whose deeds have shown exemplary citizenship and loyalty to Memphis and to this country.”

76. Developer Files For Chapter 7 Protection - Friday, August 28, 2009

Robert G. “Bob” Williams Jr., the developer of numerous Downtown condominium and mixed-use projects, has filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection after amassing a host of business debts.

Williams, who lists an address of 429 N. Main St., filed his voluntary bankruptcy petition in U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Tennessee in June, according to The Daily News Online, www.memphisdailynews.com.

77. Lawsuit Filed to Clean Up Medical District Property - Thursday, August 13, 2009

A state public nuisance law is being used to force the owners of a dilapidated, two-story apartment complex at 267 Ayers St. in the Medical Center District to clean it up.

78. Trying to Sell? Clean Up Any Neighborhood Eyesores - Tuesday, July 28, 2009

When Vicky Black's one-story home in Port Richey, Fla., was on the market, prospective buyers told her they liked it. Unfortunately, they made negative comments about her neighbor's home, which has a stone lawn and little curb appeal.

79. State Fines Appraiser, Suspends Certification - Thursday, June 18, 2009

Alan R. Price, a real estate appraiser based in Olive Branch, committed legal violations “indicative of fraudulent or intentionally misleading conduct,” according to a judgment handed down by the Tennessee Real Estate Appraiser Commission.

80. Stanford, SEC Talk Down Receiver’s Fee Requests - Tuesday, June 09, 2009

It may be the only time Allen Stanford and the federal agency that helped dismantle his financial empire find something they can agree on.

81. Decaying Heritage: Historic preservation reaches ‘tipping point’ - Monday, June 08, 2009

Historic Memphis is rotting faster than the deteriorating economy.

Tight credit markets, long foreclosure lists, frequent mortgage flipping and financially struggling property owners have proven to be bigger threats to the city’s landmark structures than bulldozers. Demolition by neglect is rampant, and preservation leaders don’t yet know what to do about it.

82. Why the Struggle to Control Beale Street Continues - Monday, June 01, 2009

Eight blocks lie between the Shelby County Courthouse and Beale Street.

The courthouse’s seated representations of wisdom, justice, liberty and authority look southward toward the entertainment district. Sometimes, if the wind is blowing in the right direction, you can hear the band in Handy Park from the courthouse steps.

83. Scrap-Metal Dealers to Make Case in City Court - Thursday, May 07, 2009

Another round in the battle against scrap-metal theft is set for today, when the Memphis City Court hears protests from companies that haven’t complied with an ordinance requiring them to obtain a permit to recycle scrap metals such as copper and also to “tag and hold” purchased metals before processing them.

84. August Trial Date Set in Forrest Hill Cemeteries Case - Thursday, March 05, 2009

Former Forrest Hill cemeteries owner Clayton Smart is scheduled to go on trial on fraud charges starting Aug. 24.

85. Appraisers Can’t Be Tracked In Tennessee - Thursday, February 19, 2009

Tennessee has no tracking system for citizens to see the names of the appraisers setting home values in their neighborhoods, including the artificially high appraisals for properties used in mortgage frauds.

86. Appraiser Surrenders License In Fraud Case - Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Thomas W. Farris Sr. permanently surrendered his license as an appraiser last month after a state investigation determined he engaged in “fraudulent conduct.”

87. JPMorgan, Citi Halt Foreclosures - Monday, February 16, 2009

JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Citigroup Inc. are halting home foreclosures while the Obama administration develops its plans to help the U.S. housing market.

88. January Housing Numbers Say It All - Friday, February 06, 2009

Real estate professionals hoping for a good start to 2009 were greeted with a dose of bad news to kick off the new year: Home sales in January declined 32 percent compared to the same month in 2008.

89. Council Amends Rental Energy Efficiency Standards - Wednesday, February 04, 2009

The Memphis City Council has given final approval to an ordinance that sets minimum energy efficiency standards for rental property.

The ordinance, approved Tuesday on third reading with a unanimous council vote, came with some amendments. They were worked out in talks between Memphis Light, Gas and Water Division officials and representatives of apartment complex owners as well as owners of smaller and single-family rental properties.

90. Council Approves Apartment Energy Efficiency Standards - Tuesday, February 03, 2009

The Memphis City Council has given final approval to an ordinance that sets minimum energy efficiency standards for rental property.

The ordinance, approved today on third reading with a unanimous council vote, came with some amendments. They were worked out in talks between Memphis Light, Gas and Water Division officials and representatives of apartment complex owners as well as owners of smaller and single-family rental properties.

91. Fed Moves to Help Distressed Homeowners - Thursday, January 29, 2009

WASHINGTON (AP) – With foreclosures spiking, the Federal Reserve is taking steps to try to keep some distressed borrowers in their homes.

Under the program, the Fed has a number of options to provide relief, including lowering the amount the homeowner owes on the mortgage, reducing the interest rate or lengthening the term of the loan.

92. Former FedEx HQ Recast as Aerotropolis - Tuesday, December 30, 2008

The building that served as FedEx Corp.’s initial corporate headquarters is at the center of a rebranding campaign designed to tap into the city’s growing aerotropolis concept.

93. Developers Ask for Bailout as Massive Debt Looms - Tuesday, December 23, 2008

With a record amount of commercial real-estate debt coming due, some of the country's biggest property developers have become the latest to go hat-in-hand to the government for assistance.

They're warning policymakers that thousands of office complexes, hotels, shopping centers and other commercial buildings are headed into defaults, foreclosures and bankruptcies. The reason: according to research firm Foresight Analytics LCC, $530 billion of commercial mortgages will be coming due for refinancing in the next three years – with about $160 billion maturing in the next year. Credit, meanwhile, is practically nonexistent and cash flows from commercial property are siphoning off.

94. Southland’s Business Volume Up 35 Percent - Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Troy Keeping is doing something right at Southland Park Gaming & Racing, or maybe he’s just “lucky that way,” as a company slogan says.

The “racino,” or combined racetrack and casino in West Memphis, has continued to post gains at a time when revenues are plunging at most casinos.

95. City Foresees $8.8M Deficit - Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Memphis Mayor Willie Herenton already has promised no tax increase will be forthcoming next year, a pledge he made to Memphis City Council members during a mayor-council retreat last month at the University of Memphis.

96. Lipscomb Addresses Foreclosure Crisis With Triage - Thursday, November 20, 2008

Robert Lipscomb thinks the way to fight the foreclosure crisis in Memphis and Shelby County is to view it as part of a triage program.

97. State Supreme Court To Hear Cases In Memphis - Thursday, October 30, 2008

The Tennessee Supreme Court is coming to Memphis on election day.

The five-member court will be hearing three oral arguments in three cases at the Shelby County Courthouse on Tuesday afternoon.

98. Local Foreclosures Reflect National Crisis - Thursday, October 16, 2008

On the presidential campaign trail, it’s an issue raised as part of daily talking points, economic proposals and stinging attacks against the opposing party’s record.

But in Memphis and Shelby County, the growing number of home foreclosures is more than an abstract concept. It is a drama that threatens to upset the area’s economic structure when it comes to property tax revenue and next year’s countywide property reappraisal, among other things.

99. Settlement Funds To Honor Cauley - Thursday, September 18, 2008

It was the kind of gathering you normally wouldn’t associate with the settlement of a class action case involving urethane.

Several hours in advance of the hearing before Circuit Court Judge Jerry Stokes last week, some of those who would benefit from the settlement gathered at the Glassman, Edwards, Wade & Wyatt PC law firm across from Court Square in Downtown.

100. Home Sales Slip in Southern Cities in July - Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Sales of existing homes in the South tumbled 18 percent in July from a year ago, while the median price fell 3.5 percent to $179,300, the National Association of Realtors said Monday.

Compared to the rest of the country, sales in the South were weaker, although prices held up better. Nationwide, July sales fell 13 percent from a year ago, while the median price slid 7.1 percent to $212,000.