Second Pres Files Renovation Permit
Second Presbyterian Church has filed a $4.6 million permit application with the city-county Department of Construction Code Enforcement to renovate one building for the church and multiple buildings for Presbyterian Day School, which operates from the church’s campus at 4052 Central Ave. in East Memphis.
The renovation comes on the heels of a $20 million expansion to Second Pres and PDS, most of which concluded before the start of the school year, said Harold Ware, executive administrator for the church.
“We’re through building buildings, but we are going to do a pretty major renovation of one of our older (church) buildings,” Ware said. “The majority will be the renovation of Presbyterian Day School, some of their existing facilities.”
Ware said the permit was filed well in advance of the work, which is expected to begin next year. The overall project is slated for completion in fall 2010. The Crump Firm Inc. is the architect for the project, and Grinder, Taber & Grinder Inc. is the building contractor.
“We’re pricing it out right now,” Ware said. “More than likely it would be something we start after school ends in May. It would be spring and next summer.”
The expansion brought a new early childhood center, gymnasium, “lifestyles” room, music room and dining hall for the school. The project wasn’t designed to accommodate more students, but instead to update the school’s aging infrastructure. PDS hadn’t undergone a major renovation since the school opened in the 1950s.
Also included in the construction was a recreation field on the west end of the campus and a few new parking spaces. Traffic flow through the campus also has been improved.
“That was really a good project,” Ware said. “We finished on time and within budget, so we’re very, very happy.”
Source: The Daily News Online & Chandler Reports
Wal-Mart to Pay $3M To Settle Meals Claims
The Massachusetts attorney general said Wal-Mart has agreed to pay $3 million to settle complaints that it didn’t give some employees proper meal breaks.
The attorney general’s office said Thursday it launched a probe after some Wal-Mart employees said they were forced to work through their meal breaks or take fewer than the minimum 30 minutes. Others said they were not allowed to take a meal break until after they had worked six hours. That’s also a violation of state labor laws.
A spokeswoman for Bentonville, Ark.-based Wal-Mart Stores Inc. said the company was pleased to have resolved the matter and is committed to providing proper rest and meal breaks for its workers.
The attorney general’s office said Wal-Mart cooperated fully in the investigation.
Consumer Loan Program Still Needed, Says Fed Chair
Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said Friday a government program intended to spark lending to consumers and businesses is still necessary even with other emergency lending programs winding down as the economy recovers.
“An ongoing need still clearly exists” for the program, which also is designed to make sure loans flow to the troubled commercial real estate market, Bernanke said in brief remarks to a Washington, D.C., conference sponsored by the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation.
The Term Asset-Backed Securities Loan Facility goes to the heart of efforts by the Fed and Obama administration to get credit flowing more normally again, a key ingredient to a lasting economic recovery. The Fed has extended the TALF – which has the potential to generate up to a $1 trillion in lending for households and businesses – into next year. It was originally set to expire at the end of this year.
Under the program, which got off to a slow start in March, the Fed provides loans to investors. They use the money to buy newly issued securities backed by auto and student loans, credit cards, business equipment, commercial real estate and loans guaranteed by the U.S. Small Business Administration.
The program has attracted 121 borrowers so far, including investors of all sizes, Bernanke said.
Tactical Magic Provides Logo for Access to Justice
Access to Justice, which provides free legal services through volunteers, now has its own logo courtesy of the branding firm Tactical Magic.
The new logo is a combination of typography and imagery, using the organization’s initials to depict the “Scales of Justice” symbol.
The Access to Justice Committee of the Memphis Bar Association works with Memphis Area Legal Services and the Memphis Debt Collaborative to present free legal clinics at the Memphis Benjamin L. Hooks Central Library on the second Saturday of every month from 9:30 a.m. to noon. Volunteer attorneys and paralegals see individuals on a first-come, first-served basis.
First Horizon Gets Technology Nod
The enterprise technology division of Memphis-based First Horizon National Corp. scored a ranking of 48 on the InformationWeek 500 list released this month, a 22-year-old roster of the information technology practices at businesses around the country.
First Horizon won its spot on the list for technology developed around product offerings in First Horizon’s Msaver Health Savings Account group, one of the nation’s leading health savings account.
Monogram Makes Inc. Magazine List
Memphis-based Monogram Food Solutions has been named to the annual Inc. 5000, a ranking of the nation’s fastest-growing companies. The company ranked No. 856 on this year’s list following a three-year sales growth rate of more than 350 percent.
“This recognition is a testament to all of the hard work and dedication of our Monogram team over the last several years,” Karl Schledwitz, chairman and CEO of Monogram, said in a statement. “Even more remarkable, Monogram has announced three acquisitions during the summer of 2009, meaning we are poised for more success and growth, and perhaps even more recognition of this kind.”
Monogram was formed in 2004 when a group of Memphis investors bought King Cotton and Circle B foods from Sara Lee Corp. The company’s food brands include King Cotton, Circle B, Jeff Foxworthy Jerky, Bass Pro Uncle Buck’s Licensed Products, Trail’s Best Meat Snacks, Pete’s Pride Meats, Bull’s, Hannah’s, O’Brien’s and Dakota and the Intimidator/NASCAR Jerky and Steak Strips.
Monogram, whose company headquarters is in Memphis, has facilities in Chandler, Minn., Muncie, Ind., and Martinsville, Va.
Habitat Wants VESTA Volunteers
Habitat for Humanity of Greater Memphis is seeking volunteers for the 2009 VESTA Home Show.
Volunteers are needed to help with the annual event’s preview party, ticket booth, welcome center and parking; and directing traffic on the grounds.
About 250 volunteers are needed for the duration of the event, during the week and on weekends. Opportunities are available for individuals as well as corporate groups.
Interested volunteers should contact Crystel Hardin at 761-4771, Ext. 210, or chardin@memphishabitat.com.
The VESTA Home Show will run from Oct. 9-Nov. 1 at The Villages at White Oak in Arlington. A dollar from every ticket sold will benefit Memphis Habitat.