Ray’s Take Hopefully you have a financial plan to guide you to your goals, whether they are college for the kids, a vacation home or a secure retirement. However, one of the key indicators as to whether you will be able to achieve those goals is your ability to avoid distractions from your plan.

2. Rhodes Honors Gray for Outstanding Research - Wednesday, May 08, 2013

Dr. Patrick Gray, an associate professor in Rhodes College’s department of religious studies, has received the college’s Clarence Day Award for Outstanding Research. Gray’s research centers on biblical studies, specifically the history and literature of early Christianity and the Greco-Roman context.

3. Evolve Chairman Joins MED Board of Directors - Saturday, April 20, 2013

Scot Lenoir, Evolve Bank & Trust chairman, has been appointed to the board of The Regional Medical Center at Memphis.

4. Just Cause - Friday, April 19, 2013

The concept of environmental justice is joining the issue of sustainability in new discussions about planning and the way cities like Memphis should work.

Local and regional planners meet Friday, April 19, at the University of Memphis to talk about “just sustainability” with the Tufts University planner who has been writing about it for the last decade.

5. Evolve Chairman Joins MED Board of Directors - Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Scot Lenoir, Evolve Bank & Trust chairman, has been appointed to the board of The Regional Medical Center at Memphis.

6. Facebook Unveils 'Home' for Android Phones - Friday, April 05, 2013

MENLO PARK, Calif. (AP) – With its new "Home" on Android gadgets, Facebook aims to put its social network at the center of people's mobile experiences.

If users choose to download Facebook's Home software starting on April 12, the social network will become the hub of their Android smartphones. A phone from HTC that comes pre-loaded with Home will also be available starting that day, with AT&T Inc. as the carrier.

7. Fresh Focus - Wednesday, March 27, 2013

For family-owned Mosa Asian Bistro in East Memphis, freshness is the key to success.

The neighborhood restaurant creatively blends different styles of Asian cooking into customizable dishes, and it has grown steadily over the years thanks to repeat business from satisfied customers.

8. Purifoy’s Police Aspirations Evolve Into Legal Career - Thursday, March 14, 2013

Shayla Purifoy majored in urban studies – a mixture of history, political science and sociology – at Rhodes College. Her senior seminar was on community policing.

“It was so much fun, it was so exciting,” she said about her time spent shadowing police officers on the job. “They were helping people and they really were impacting that area, which was the Madison Heights area.”

9. Dunavant Grows Logistics, Transportation Divisions - Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Dunavant Enterprises Inc. continues its transformation into a purely third-party logistics and asset-based transportation firm.

10. Breaking the Mold - Saturday, February 23, 2013

When Rosemarie Fair was named Broker of the Year in investment sales at last year’s Pinnacle Awards, she became the first woman ever to do so.

Before Fair founded One Source Commercial Inc. in 1993, she worked with Carlisle Corp. in the early 1980s on Beale Street Landing Downtown. She remembers often what her mentor Gene Carlisle taught her – “Somebody will take care of the big stuff, it’s the nickels and dimes that make the difference.”

11. Evolve Bank Opening Branch in Marion - Saturday, February 16, 2013

Evolve Bank & Trust is opening a full-service branch in Marion, Ark., in March.

Evolve bought and is currently renovating a 7,000-square-foot SunTrust Banks Inc. building in Marion, and once completed it will be Evolve’s fifth branch in eastern Arkansas. It currently operates branches in Arkansas and Tennessee and mortgage production offices around the U.S.

12. Evolve Bank Opening Branch in Marion - Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Evolve Bank & Trust is opening a full-service branch in Marion, Ark., in March.

Evolve bought and is currently renovating a 7,000-square-foot SunTrust Banks Inc. building in Marion, and once completed it will be Evolve’s fifth branch in eastern Arkansas.

13. Banks Showcase Artwork, Local Artists - Monday, January 07, 2013

Since December, Paragon National Bank has been showcasing art pieces from Dogwood Elementary School students at its Saddle Creek bank branch at 7600 Poplar Ave.

14. County’s Mortgage Market Up 7 Percent - Monday, December 24, 2012

If they had any worries about next year’s taxes, the fiscal cliff and economic uncertainty, the local mortgage market saw borrowers brush them aside during November.

Continuing a pattern that’s been more the rule than the exception this year, Shelby County’s mortgage market keeps growing at a steady clip, and continued doing so through last month. Total mortgage volume countywide in November was up 7 percent over November 2011, climbing to almost $93 million in November 2012 from about $87 million during the same period last year, according to real estate information company Chandler Reports, www.chandlerreports.com.

15. Midtown Momentum - Saturday, December 22, 2012

The Midtown real estate market has long been an anomaly compared to its Bluff City counterparts, with fundamentals as diverse as its demographics.

“The types of real estate that you’ll find in Midtown can be some of the most expensive or some of the most modest when it comes to prices and facility,” said Gary Myers of Gary Myers Co. “Retail in particular.”

16. Invest in Your Career - Thursday, December 13, 2012

Ray’s Take The days of lifetime employment until retirement are gone for good – just like that traditional gold watch. Today, companies merge and splinter or boom and bust constantly. It’s no longer enough to be well prepared at the start of your career with a good education, you have to keep up your skills to remain valuable.

17. Label Watchers - Thursday, December 06, 2012

Two organizations are combating the area’s obesity crisis and promoting healthier lifestyles by placing an emphasis on food label education.

Baptist Memorial Health Care Corp. has partnered with Memphis Pink Palace Museum to create a new interactive lab session called “Learning Labels” that teaches kids about how to read serving sizes on food and beverage labels. Raising nutritional awareness is not only being targeted toward children in the Mid-South. Leadership Memphis recently became a participant in the Healthy Memphis Common Table’s Million Calorie Reduction Match project, and guests at the organization’s recent holiday party at the Mercedes-Benz of Memphis Showroom were provided with nutritional information about the evening’s food, which was catered by several area restaurants.

18. The Evolution of Black Thursday - Wednesday, November 28, 2012

If some of the big retailers had it their way, Thanksgiving would evolve from a day of thanks with one’s family to a full-day shopping extravaganza. And based on consumer response this year and last, that’s just where we’re headed.

19. Economic East vs. West - Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Yin and Yang Since Election Day, stock indices have fallen sharply, reflecting the Washington non-consensus. As we enter another legislative sausage session, investors can’t help but recall the 20 percent drawdown that marked the last high-stakes negotiation.

20. Evolve Bank & Trust Reports Third-Quarter Earnings - Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Evolve Bank & Trust grew its income before taxes 170 percent in the third quarter, from almost $1.4 million during the third quarter of 2011. The third-quarter income was almost $3.8 million.

21. Optimism Finds Way Into Local Banks, Financial Institutions - Monday, November 12, 2012

Here’s a look at what’s going on in the world of finance, and the ways it’s all affecting Memphis.

First up, to quote the Bard, “But soft: what light through yonder window breaks?”

22. EdR’s Net Income Rises in Third Quarter - Monday, October 29, 2012

EdR reported a net income of $489,000 in the third quarter, the Memphis-based collegiate housing real estate investment trust reported after market close Thursday, Oct. 25.

That compared to a $6.5 million loss during 2011’s third quarter. EdR attributed its year-over-year net increase to improvements in same-community net operating income, operating profits of new communities, lower interest expense and a $5.2 million gain on sale of assets in 2012.

23. EdR’s Net Income Rises in Q3 - Friday, October 26, 2012

EdR reported a net income of $489,000 in the third quarter, the Memphis-based collegiate housing real estate investment trust reported after market close on Thursday, Oct. 25.

That compared to a $6.5 million loss during 2011’s third quarter. EdR attributed its year-over-year net increase to improvements in same-community net operating income, operating profits of new communities, lower interest expense and a $5.2 million gain on sale of assets in 2012.

24. Luttrell’s Executive Assistant Moving to Evolve Bank & Trust - Friday, October 26, 2012

Shelby County Mayor Mark Luttrell’s executive assistant is leaving his position soon to become director of communications for Evolve Bank & Trust.

25. Integrity Oncology Adapts to Rapidly Changing Industry - Monday, October 15, 2012

Integrity Oncology PLLC continues to evolve within an ever-changing health care landscape.

Last month the practice, which operates four area locations, moved its West Memphis office to a new 2,500-square-foot, freestanding location, and it anticipates a future move of its East Memphis office into the new Baptist Memorial Health Care Corp.’s $65 million comprehensive cancer treatment center that will be built by 2015.

26. Counterfeit Air Bags Called ‘Extreme Safety Risk’ - Thursday, October 11, 2012

WASHINGTON (AP) – Thousands of motorists may be driving cars and trucks installed with dangerous counterfeit bags and they should have them replaced at their own expense, the Obama administration warned Wednesday.

27. Flinn’s Challenge - Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Dr. George Flinn has been running for office for 10 years now and running in a style that continues to evolve.

28. Easy Money - Monday, October 08, 2012

When the Federal Reserve announced a few weeks ago its newest – i.e., third – round of quantitative easing intended to once again try to juice a sluggish economy, an employee of FTN Financial couldn’t resist a metaphor for the Fed’s open-ended commitment.

29. Self Reform Can’t Come Soon Enough - Thursday, October 04, 2012

We Have Seen the Face of Reform In 2008, a prolonged lack of credit scrutiny led to a financial crisis. While the clean-up of the financial system continues, the bulk of the rationalization happened very quickly. Massive institutions failed, while remainder institutions began internal austerity programs to reconstruct rotten balance sheets.

30. Logistics Background Helps Stewart Thrive as Attorney - Thursday, October 04, 2012

Paul W. Stewart not only represents third-party logistics companies in his law practice, but he has even served as chief legal officer to three national logistics companies and CEO of a fourth logistics company.

31. Midtown Utopia - Monday, September 24, 2012

Of Memphis’ tales of humble beginnings, of which there are many, the fluctuating renaissance of the Cooper-Young neighborhood is certainly compelling throughout.

The area has cycled from its 19th century roots to 1970s crime and neglect to its present-day status as one of the largest historic districts in the Southeast, a magnet of all ages and walks of life. All thanks to individuals and organizations that wouldn’t settle for sub-par quality in their tiny town within the bustling Bluff City.

32. Financial Industry Continues to Evolve - Monday, September 24, 2012

Here’s a roundup of what some of the city’s banks and bankers, investment professionals, and other financial services shops have been up to in recent weeks.

On the personnel front, Financial Federal recently appointed bank president William Tayloe to the board. Tayloe will be responsible for repositioning and expanding the company’s presence locally and elsewhere.

33. Daily News Seminar Looks at Health Care Reform Impact - Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Changes in the model and delivery of health care and its potential impact on businesses and their employees will take center stage Thursday, Sept. 20, at the latest seminar presented by The Daily News.

34. Local Mortgage Market Up 22 Percent - Wednesday, September 19, 2012

It’s been an old story for several quarters – for a few years now, in fact: Rates are low, and homebuyers keep tiptoeing back into the market.

That’s especially liable to be the case going forward, in light of the Federal Reserve’s steps last week to keep interest rates low for an indefinite period of time. Indeed, the local mortgage market continues to feel the effects of those low rates.

35. Trade Group Honors Evolve Bank & Trust - Thursday, September 06, 2012

Memphis-based Evolve Bank & Trust has hit a big milestone as a member of the Independent Community Bankers of America.

36. Women Groups to Elevate Business at Seminar - Wednesday, September 05, 2012

Three years ago, three national women’s organizations began to gather in Memphis with a vision of preparing and excelling women in business.

The third annual “When Great Women Gather” event will be held Wednesday, Sept. 12, at the Holiday Inn University of Memphis, 3700 Central Ave. It is being co-hosted by Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW), the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO), and the Women Business Enterprise Council South (WBEC South).

37. Gilbert Joins Campbell Clinic As Marketing Director - Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Chad Gilbert has joined Campbell Clinic as director of marketing. In his new role, Gilbert manages external marketing, advertising and public relations for Campbell’s four Mid-South offices and serves as liaison for the organization, managing several sports medicine partnerships.

38. Prospective Grizz Owner, Ubiquiti Look Ahead - Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Robert Pera, the California businessman who’s in the process of buying the Memphis Grizzlies, was probably ready to turn the page on a new day and a new week.

39. Evolve Bank ‘Hitting on All Cylinders’ - Monday, August 06, 2012

Scott Stafford, president and CEO of Evolve Bank and Trust, said his bank is forecasting a strong second half of the year, and it’s not hard to see where that optimism comes from.

40. Q2 Court Filings Remain Consistent - Monday, July 23, 2012

Court filings in Chancery, Circuit and Probate courts remained constant for the most part in the second quarter of 2012.

The consistency came as Circuit and Chancery began a shift to an e-filing system that should change the way both offices process filings.

41. More Tenn. Lawyers Doing Pro Bono Work - Thursday, July 12, 2012

More attorneys in Tennessee are performing free, or pro bono, work for clients. That’s according to new data from the state Board of Professional Responsibility, which show that more than 46 percent of Tennessee attorneys reported performing pro bono work for deserving clients.

42. A Battle for Internet Freedom as UN Meeting Nears - Monday, June 25, 2012

WASHINGTON (AP) – A year after the Internet helped fuel the Arab Spring uprisings, the role cyberspace plays in launching revolutions is being threatened by proposed changes to a United Nations telecommunications treaty that could allow countries to clamp down on the free flow of information.

43. Churchill Mortgage Growth Highlights Industry News - Monday, May 21, 2012

Here’s a roundup of what some of the city’s banks and bankers, investment professionals, accountants and other financial services shops have been up to in recent weeks.

* Brentwood, Tenn.-based Churchill Mortgage, which has a retail office at 5384 Poplar Ave. that opened a little more than two years ago, is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year.

44. Fast Forward - Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Local economic development leaders have been talking for a while now about a transition from one five-year strategy – a plan that’s helped guide the addition of thousands of new local jobs to the local economy – to a new vision that carries things forward.

45. Iberiabank Relocates Cordova Bank Branch - Monday, April 23, 2012

Iberiabank is moving its Cordova branch out from behind the shadow of a rival – literally.

The Iberiabank branch at 1605 Germantown Parkway is being relocated a little more than a mile south of that location into a vacant space formerly occupied by Trust One Bank, which closed several of its locations recently.

46. Cybercrime on the Rise - Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Despite increased awareness of cybercrime, cyber-attacks continue to plague companies from Memphis to Brussels to Subic Bay.

Cyber attacks are typically defined as criminal activities that are conducted by means of the Internet. With more and more companies relying on the Internet to do business, the frequency of cybercrime is certain to increase. These technology-based attacks can include stealing an organization’s intellectual property, gaining access to online bank accounts, creating and distributing viruses, and posting confidential business information on the Internet.

47. Q1 Mortgages Up 12 Percent - Tuesday, April 17, 2012

As the new year got under way, it didn’t look like Shelby County’s mortgage market was going to be ringing in 2012 with a bang.

By the end of January, the market was in pretty much the same place as it was one year earlier, with total mortgage volume barely budging (to $67 million, barely up from January 2011’s mortgage volume of $65.3 million).

48. New Chapters - Tuesday, April 10, 2012

It’s a new day at prominent investment firms in Memphis. Different degrees of change are on tap at Morgan Keegan & Co. Inc., Duncan-Williams Inc. and Wunderlich Securities Inc. And though it’s reshaping the inner workings of those firms at the moment, some of those changes also could have an impact on the city around them.

49. Wunderlich Securities Inc. Expands Private Client Group in Houston - Monday, March 26, 2012

Memphis-based Wunderlich Securities Inc. has expanded its private client group in Houston.

A financial group comprised of three people in Houston with $65 million in assets under administration has joined the firm.

50. Evolve Designated Preferred Lender - Friday, March 16, 2012

Evolve Bank & Trust has been designated a preferred lender within the U.S. Small Business Administration Preferred Lender Program.

51. Drug Jury Must Choose ‘Whose Truth’ - Thursday, March 15, 2012

Someone has been lying during the trial of two alleged hit men in the Craig Petties drug organization – a trial now ending its sixth week in Memphis federal court.

52. Mistrial Motion Denied In Petties Drug Org Trial - Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Memphis Federal Court Judge Hardy Mays has denied a motion by defense attorneys for a mistrial in the Petties drug organization trial.

The decision by Mays in a 15-page written ruling, clears the way for the defense in the drug conspiracy, racketeering and murder for hire case to begin telling its side of the story Wednesday, March 14.

53. Worldly View - Monday, March 12, 2012

Ron Paul would feel right at home in the Economic Club of Memphis audience next week.

Duke University professor Bruce Caldwell will speak to the club Thursday, March 15, to make a presentation titled “Some (mostly) Austrian insights for these trying times.” That’s Austrian, as in the Austrian school of economic thought represented by a particular brand of deficit hawkishness, bailout-ballyhooing and bristling against big government that Paul the perennial Republican presidential candidate loudly champions.

54. Evolve Names Jenkins President of Ark. Markets - Wednesday, March 07, 2012

Evolve Bank & Trust has named Joe Jenkins president of its Arkansas markets. A member of Evolve Bank & Trust’s board of directors since 2009, Jenkins has more than 40 years of banking experience and was chairman and president of the former Citizens Bank in Marion, Ark.

55. Calvary Kicks Off Lenten Festivities - Tuesday, February 28, 2012

In a Memphis tradition dating back to 1928, locals from all walks of life gather each weekday during Lent at Calvary Episcopal Church to nourish their bodies with warm, home-cooked meals and their souls with the word of God and the fellowship of neighbors.

56. ‘If Only’ Answer Is Balance - Monday, February 27, 2012

A lot of you probably have to manage your fair share of “if only” employees. People who love to constantly and vocally proclaim, “I could do a better job if only I had this, or if only I had that. If only I had more people, or more time, or more money, or more whatever – I could make big things happen around here.”

57. Evolve Bank & Trust Announces Additions - Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Marty Ferguson has joined Evolve Bank & Trust as CEO of the bank’s Small Business Administration Division.

58. Client Satisfaction Key To Linkous’ Success - Monday, February 13, 2012

Since its grand opening on May 2, 2010, Highland Church of Christ on Houston Levee Road in Cordova has been a special source of inspiration and promise for congregation member Rusty Linkous, owner and director of business development for Linkous Construction Co. Inc.

59. CRE Activity Stays Strong During 2011 - Friday, December 30, 2011

Despite hard times, local commercial real estate firms were able to ink plenty of deals in the past 12 months.

Memphis’ industrial leasing activity kicked off in January when Buena Park, Calif.-based Pacific Logistics Corp. signed a 60,000-square-foot lease in ProLogis Park DeSoto for its first Memphis-area location.

60. Key Storylines Emerge in 2011 Banking - Monday, December 26, 2011

Much of the news that came out of the local banking and financial services sectors in 2011 fell into one of three buckets.

No new fees, please.

Smaller names are doing bigger business.

And, two heads are better than one.

61. Beyond Square One - Monday, December 26, 2011

Memphis City Council’s approval for spending $16 million to improve Midtown’s Overton Square marked a milestone for neighborhood supporters, grassroots leaders and financial stakeholders – especially Loeb Properties Inc.

62. Eighty3 Brings New Dining to Madison - Thursday, November 17, 2011

The Madison Hotel’s Grill 83 has received a major face-lift, aiming to lure customers in its doors on a regular basis versus merely for special occasions.

After two weeks of renovations, the rebranded eatery opened its doors Wednesday, Nov. 16, under the name Eighty3, with two new chefs and more urban architecture.

63. Industry Growth - Tuesday, November 15, 2011

The local banking and finance industries have proven to be a temporary boon of late to a group of people hit hard by contractions in banking and housing: architects and construction workers.

At the moment, a handful of new branches or office locations are either in some phase of construction or are preparing to open for companies that include Independent Bank, Evolve Bank & Trust, Metropolitan Bank, Iberiabank and Shoemaker Financial.

64. Community Driven - Friday, November 04, 2011

The long anticipated opening of bleu restaurant & lounge in Downtown’s The Westin Memphis Beale Street was shaped from the ground up, starting with community input.

The new eatery replaces the former Sole Restaurant & Raw Bar across from FedExForum at 221 S. Third St.

65. Intermodal Cartage Sees 30 Years of Steady Growth - Monday, October 17, 2011

Founded by Mark George in Memphis with one truck driver in 1982, Intermodal Cartage Co. Inc. has grown steadily for nearly 30 years and now has locations in 26 cities nationwide.

66. Community Banks Resist Fees For Debit Cards - Monday, October 10, 2011

Community banks have always possessed a certain charm among American financial institutions, one embodied by personal touches, friendly service and fewer headaches and hassles than their bigger brethren.

67. Leadership Group Expands to Memphis - Friday, October 07, 2011

A business leadership program started by former Tractor Supply Co. CEO Joe Scarlett and run for the last several years in Nashville is going so well the program is expanding to Memphis.

68. Three-in-One - Wednesday, October 05, 2011

Highwoods Properties Inc. is about two weeks away from completing more than $1 million in parking lot renovations and building improvements at the East Memphis office complex Triad Centre, bringing its three developments into a cohesive, campus-style environment.

69. Landmark Bank Receives Small Business Funding - Friday, September 30, 2011

Landmark Community Bank of Collierville is the latest local community bank to get a chunk of funding through the Small Business Lending Fund.

70. Scripps Networks Opens Government Affairs Office in Washington - Tuesday, September 13, 2011

The rapidly evolving-media market has prompted Scripps Networks Interactive Inc. to ramp up its presence in Washington, D.C.

71. Evolve Bank Moving Into Triad Centre III - Monday, August 29, 2011

Evolve Bank & Trust is preparing to move into a new branch location next month at 6070 Poplar Ave. in the Triad Centre III office building.

72. Local Banks Get Small Biz Lending Boost - Friday, August 19, 2011

Small businesses in Memphis – as well as across Tennessee – stand to benefit from a pair of announcements unveiled this week regarding targeted federal investment in the area.

First, Independent Bank is getting almost $35 million to make available as loans to businesses with sales of up to $50 million, for agricultural loans and for owner-occupied real estate.

73. CRE Shows Q2 Improvement - Monday, July 25, 2011

Memphis’ commercial real estate landscape may be inching closer to recovery, as evidenced by the latest CB Richard Ellis MarketView report.

In the second quarter of 2011, Memphis’ office market saw continued signs of growth from existing tenants, and improved investment sale activity.

74. MAA Targets New Acquisitions - Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Seventeen years ago, when Mid-America Apartment Communities became publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange, it was among 34 apartment real estate investment trusts.

Company chairman and CEO Eric Bolton said only 12 remain, and he said MAA’s performance per shareholder has been better than any other apartment REIT over the last 10 years, with an annual compounded shareholder return of 18.4 percent.

75. DuBois Pioneer In Biz Media - Friday, June 17, 2011

When Barney DuBois helped spearhead the launch of the Memphis Business Journal in 1979, he had no way of knowing that his efforts would forever change the media landscape in the Mid-South.

76. Dollar General Building Store On Jackson In N. Memphis - Friday, June 10, 2011

Plans for a new Dollar General store in the city’s North submarket are under way. Ware Properties LLC purchased 9,100 square feet of vacant land at 3433 Jackson Ave. from Hector Tejeda in May for $140,000, according to the Shelby County Register of Deeds. The Shelby County Assessor of Property’s 2011 appraisal of the parcel was $109,200.

77. Evolve Bank & Trust Names New Board Member - Thursday, June 02, 2011

Evolve Bank & Trust has a new member on its board of directors.

Lon Magness, principal of Reliant Investment Management LLC, has joined the Evolve board. Magness, whose responsibilities at Reliant include portfolio management, investment strategy, regulatory compliance and client service, is a graduate of Tulane University and has previously worked as president of a bank-affiliated registered investment advisory firm.

78. Evolve Bank Gets New Board Member - Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Memphis native John Pitts Jr. has joined the board of directors of Evolve Bank & Trust.

Pitts brings vast experience to the bank, having begun his career in commercial real estate in 1989 as a sales executive for Ladd’s Commercial Real Estate Investors. He then went into the same role at First Union Properties.

79. Evolve Announces New Hires - Thursday, April 14, 2011

Dick Wittenberg has been hired as a senior vice president and private banking officer in the private banking division of Evolve Bank & Trust.

80. Local Students Design Future Record Stores - Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Record stores may evolve into community gathering centers, according to middle school students and those in the business.

Students at Ridgeway Middle School made surprisingly astute predictions about the future of a product with which most are largely unfamiliar.

81. Lenders See Mortgage Counts Drop - Wednesday, April 13, 2011

As far as mortgage activity is concerned, the local housing market was still stuck in reverse during the first quarter of 2011.

Total purchase mortgage activity in Shelby County between Jan. 1 and March 31 was down about 10 percent when compared to Q1 2010, according to the latest data from real estate information company Chandler Reports, www.chandlerreports.com (Data for this report included purchase mortgages only, not refinances.)

82. Dish's Blockbuster Buy May Mean Brand's Survival - Thursday, April 07, 2011

NEW YORK (AP) – Dish Network Corp.'s agreement to buy Blockbuster Inc.'s assets out of bankruptcy could keep the movie-rental chain and its blue-and-gold logo from disappearing.

83. New CFO Latest Sign Of Growth At Evolve - Wednesday, April 06, 2011

Memphis-based Evolve Financial Group has brought a new chief financial officer on board.

Howard Lasley, who has more than 30 years’ experience in financial services and has worked in the banking, thrift, investment and mortgage banking spheres, has joined a company with three primary business divisions, 220 employees at year-end, 22 mortgage offices and five full-service bank branches in Arkansas and Tennessee.

84. Weatherington Pens New Chapter at Summerall Electric - Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Holli Weatherington has joined Summerall Electric Co. Inc. as president and chief executive officer.

85. Evolve Bank & Trust Adds SBA Division - Friday, March 25, 2011

Evolve Bank & Trust has added a Small Business Administration division with a nationwide platform to its portfolio of service offerings.

86. Shelby Drive Apartments Sell for $1.4 Million - Tuesday, March 22, 2011

1500 E. Shelby Drive
Memphis, TN 38116
Sale Amount: $1.4 million

Sale Date: Feb. 25, 2011
Buyer: Saddle Vineyards LP
Seller: Everbank
Loan Amount: $2.5 million
Loan Date: Feb. 28, 2011
Maturity Date: March 10, 2016
Lender: Triumph Bank

87. Recovery Roadblock - Monday, March 21, 2011

As the housing market inches closer to correction, the potential elimination of government-controlled housing institutions Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac could bring the recovery to a screeching halt.

In 2008, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were pushed to the verge of collapse, partially because both failed to charge enough for the guarantees they sold to protect lenders and investors, which for decades were fully backed by the government.

88. Evolve Bank Buys Vacant Collierville Land - Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Evolve Bank & Trust has bought a 1.1-acre parcel on the east side of South Houston Levee Road north of West Poplar Avenue in Collierville from Fusion Worldwide LLC for $820,000. The site is an outparcel of Ballard Property Planned Development.

89. Body and Soul - Monday, March 14, 2011

From now through April 15, a cross-section of Memphians will pour into Calvary Episcopal Church each weekday at lunchtime to nourish their bodies with warm, home-cooked meals and their souls with the word of God and the fellowship of neighbors.

90. Wal-Mart Expands Online Order Pickup Program - Friday, March 11, 2011

NEW YORK (AP) – As competition grows from Amazon.com, Wal-Mart is battling back by expanding a program offering the convenience of shopping online along with same-day gratification.

91. Local Office Latest Proof Of M&P’s Growth Mode - Thursday, February 24, 2011

Merchants & Planters Bank has something in common with a few of its local lending peers like BankTennessee and Evolve Bank & Trust.

92. ‘Radical Painter’ on Display at Dixon - Monday, February 14, 2011

The Dixon Gallery and Gardens continues its foray into the major schools of American art with a look at the loaded compositions of a worker artist with a simple name.

“Joe Jones: Radical Painter of the American Scene” opened at the Dixon last month and runs through April 17. It is the latest in a string of American exhibits to fill the galleries of Memphis’ hub for French Impressionism.

93. Wright Medical Posts Strong Fourth Quarter Sales, Income - Monday, February 14, 2011

Wright Medical Group, Inc. Thursday reported increased net sales and net income for the fourth quarter ended Dec. 31.

94. Wright Medical Posts Strong Fourth Quarter Sales, Income - Friday, February 11, 2011

Wright Medical Group, Inc. Thursday reported increased net sales and net income for the fourth quarter ended Dec. 31.

95. CRE Market’s Transition Fitting Parable for City - Monday, February 07, 2011

A city’s commercial real estate market tends to mirror the local economy.

CRE, as the market is often abbreviated, can serve as barometer of sorts for an area’s business climate and also play a critical role in enhancing its economic development efforts.

96. Hemline Creative Receives Three MarCom Awards - Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Memphis-based communications firm, Hemline Creative Marketing LLC, received three MarCom Awards on Jan. 20, which were presented by the Association of Marketing and Communications Professionals.

97. Mortgages Drop 11 Percent in 2010 - Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Banks and mortgage lenders made 7,493 purchase mortgages in Shelby County during 2010, a year in which the housing market saw the expiration of a homebuyer tax credit but was helped by continued record-low rates.

98. Life Savers - Wednesday, December 22, 2010

In a city beleaguered by pet overpopulation, Memphis Animal Services employees last week prepared to euthanize a female Rottweiler whose heartworm-positive status in the kill-shelter had initially deemed her unadoptable.

99. 100 Years of Medicine - Monday, December 06, 2010

The University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis is kicking off its 100th anniversary celebration with the publication of a commemorative hardcover book.

“The Legacy The Future: A Centennial Portrait of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center” will be available for sale this week at the campus bookstore, 930 Madison Ave.

100. What is a Restaurant? A Place ‘To Restore’ Patrons with Food - Monday, November 29, 2010

Since the season of conviviality and cheer is upon us, let me ask: What is a restaurant? Or, rather, because this is what I’m really after: What is the idea of a restaurant?

For thousands of years, from cave to castle, people ate at home. Travelers usually took their meals at inns along the wayside; laborers could snatch a bite at taverns or pubs with their pints. In the mid-18th century, soup shops sprang up in Paris selling bowls of “restaurant,” a restorative concoction of hearty beef broth. That’s the direct ancestor of the word restaurant – present participle of the French restorer, “to restore” – a place where we are restored to strength and vigor by refueling, as it were, with food.