VOL. TMN-5 | NO. 51 | Saturday, December 15, 2012
IP deal underscores incentive measures cities take to attract, retain companies
At week’s end, International Paper Co. appeared ready to move forward with officially applying for a package of tax incentives as part of a plan to expand the company’s headquarters in the city.
We are in the midst of one of those tough and necessary civic debates – no, not the one about schools in our community.
SPECIAL EMPHASIS: Regional Business
Work continues on I-269 loop
The Interstate 269 bypass loop is moving closer to completion as work continues on sections running through Collierville, Fayette County and into Mississippi.
With Norfolk Southern Corp.’s Memphis Regional Intermodal Terminal now operational in Rossville and a pair of large-scale industrial manufacturing buildings under way in the area, stakeholders say the future is bright for the region.
It’s hard to make an impression on a stream of speeding cars and trucks, but Ward Wimbish, the man responsible for growing West Memphis’ economic development, hopes to divert drive-thru traffic into town.
Paradigm Marketing & Creative celebrates 20 years in business
The freshly painted walls at Paradigm Marketing & Creative include the definition of creativity spelled out to serve as a constant reminder of the 20-year old firm’s mantra.
A major effort to help people buy and keep homes in Memphis and Shelby County has launched, thanks to funding received by Memphis and Shelby County from Wells Fargo.
Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam may or may not push directly for some kind of move to school vouchers next year on Capital Hill.
The Shelby County housing market continued to improve last month with year-over-year increases in home sales and average prices, and industry experts say those are just two of the signs that local residential real estate has stabilized.
Tennessee Shakespeare Co. leading ‘a wonderful life’
The latest production from Tennessee Shakespeare Co. is a stage version of one of the silver screen’s most beloved morality tales – the one about an angel on a mission, the magic of Christmas and the futility of worrying over what might have been.
For the last year and a half, bookkeeping has been on Kevin Dean’s mind as much as books.
Tennessee Education Commissioner Kevin Huffman would bring lots of political leverage with him should he mediate the coming merger of schools in Shelby County.
The University of Memphis’ Crews Ventures Lab program, a business start-up facilitator and incubator, is well on its way toward launching in 2013.
Nonprofit organization assists Tennessee’s military veterans
In November 2006, then-U.S. Army Spc. Susan Downes was serving as a military police officer in Afghanistan’s Logar Province when her Humvee drove over an improvised explosive device.
Shelby County officials have reservations about plans to create a tax increment financing zone for the city’s proposed Heritage Trails development area.
Cushman & Wakefield/Commercial Advisors LLC celebrates 20 years of serving clients in the Memphis community this year and has recently expanded its East Memphis office.
The Regional Medical Center at Memphis is in the midst of extensive rehabbing of its Downtown campus at 877 Jefferson Ave., providing a much-needed face-lift for many of its dilapidated buildings.
After earning accreditation, The MED’s hyperbaric chamber to be upgraded
As it passes 20 years of service in the Mid-South, the hyperbaric facility within the Regional Medical Center at Memphis’ Wound Care Center recently received a full three-year accreditation from the Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society, and the hospital plans to perform upgrades next year that will increase efficiencies and improve patient experiences.
An $8.5 million public housing project called Fairway Manor soon will break ground in Westwood’s 38109 ZIP code.
The Association for Women Attorneys is holding its annual banquet next month, and it will include a silent auction, cocktail reception, dinner and program as well as an honor presented to a Memphis judge.
Seventeen-year-old Lexie Davis was an outgoing, caring teenager who tried to see the good in everyone she met.
Blues Trail latest connector to city’s rich music history
There was a moment at the Greater Memphis Chamber’s annual luncheon Wednesday, Dec. 12, when the large crowd at The Peabody hotel got a sense for how much depth the city’s musical heritage has and what a complex story it can be.
On the heels of agreeing to buy a 49 percent stake in Virgin Atlantic from Singapore Airlines for $360 million on Tuesday, Delta Air Lines Inc. held its annual investor day conference on Wednesday, Dec. 12, in Atlanta and detailed the restructuring of its fleet, which will affect flights between Memphis and Birmingham.
Next year, Grace-St. Luke’s Episcopal School will welcome a new group of students onto its Midtown Memphis campus: 2-year-olds.
There are several ways to measure the magnitude of a college basketball game. First, will the outcome echo through the rest of the season and resonate with the NCAA Tournament Committee come March?
A lot of people have good ideas that could change the world, or at a little piece of it. But often those ideas never quite turn into action.
Blu Logistics has made its move into Memphis and hopes to fill a niche in the local logistics market.
BancorpSouth Inc. may have new leadership, but the Tupelo, Miss.-based company likes to say it still has an old way of doing business.
6380 Holmes Road Memphis, TN 38141
MEMPHIS NEWSMAKERS
Andria Brown has joined doug carpenter & associates llc as copywriter, responsible for creating concepts and copy for online, print, broadcast, direct mail and other forms of communication for client communication. Brown has more than 15 years’ experience as a professional writer and editor.
MEMPHIS LAW TALK
Marcy Dodds Magee, a partner with Thomason Hendrix Harvey Johnson & Mitchell, PLLC, has been awarded the Sam A. Myar Jr. Memorial Award.
MEMPHIS STANDOUT
The first time Jason Levien visited Memphis, it was the summer of 1996. He was here to help his friend and law school classmate Harold Ford Jr. run for Congress, so Levien helped him campaign – and slept on Ford’s sofa.
LOCAL COLUMNISTS
So you’ve got this guy who shows up every year wearing a funny outfit, smoking a pipe and apparently fond of consuming mass quantities of milk and cookies. He’s not really what you might consider a great role model for rational and healthy behavior.
Last week we shared more ways you can celebrate the holidays while giving back at the same time. This week let us explore an easy way we can start planning ahead to make 2013 a Year of Books by working with Shelby County Books from Birth to plant the seeds of literacy and help build a stronger foundation for our future.
When you own or operate a small or mid-sized company, you likely have an innate sense of self-reliance. It’s that desire to get things done on your own that probably got you to where you are today. That same drive to maintain unencumbered control, however, may be inhibiting your growth when it comes to the development and execution of your marketing strategy. While seemingly counterintuitive, here’s why this is often the case.
You are biased. Chances are very good that your team is also biased, no matter how talented or experienced they are in your industry. Human bias can blind you to real market demand and open opportunity.
Please recognize that the “fiscal cliff” debate will not end with current compromise. This debate has just begun so get used to it. Our long-term fiscal situation is toxic and entirely a function of Medicare and Medicaid. Today, Medicare and Medicaid expenditures approximate 5 percent of U.S. GDP. According to the Congressional Budget Office, public health expenditures will rise to over 10 percent of U.S. GDP by 2037.
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.
“A nickname, because it’s custom-made, rather than installed at the factory, can seem like a better reflection of one’s true self.” – David Owen
REBOOTS FOR EVERYBODY. As I sat there on hold – again – listening to synthesizer Gap crap, or a good beat slowly beat to death, or Barry Manilow at the Copa, the Copacabana – I was reminded of a Lily Tomlin line from years ago, “I had a terrible dream last night. I dreamed that the man who invented Muzak invented something else.”
What do you give someone who has everything? It’s the holiday season, time for us to reach out to those we know, love and respect offering gifts as a token of our feelings. Some of us get creative, finding the perfect gift. Others of us struggle, uncertain as to what would be the right gift. Some of us are fortunate enough to have the challenge of finding the right gift for the person who has everything.