VOL. 127 | NO. 237 | Wednesday, December 5, 2012
AutoZone Inc. reported lower-than-expected sales during its fiscal first quarter ended Nov. 17, partly the result of a warmer-than-expected winter that resulted in less of a need to replace car components because of parts wearing out.
Momtrepreneurs creating own ways to business success
In 2009, Charity Helvie, 35, left a successful career in the investment industry to start a home-based business, MadiBella, a custom clothing boutique featuring her handmade children’s clothes and women’s accessories.
A year ago, Loeb Properties Inc. was granted the green light from Memphis City Council for the funds necessary to construct a parking lot and detention pond west of Cooper Street – the last component in the more than $30 million public/private partnership to revitalize the once thriving Overton Square district.
As suburban mayors were scheduled to meet this week to talk over their options, the consolidation of all public schools in Shelby County that begins in August began to show signs of a shift.
Four golf courses owned and run by the city of Memphis are closed for the winter season as the Memphis City Council continues to debate the fate of the Whitehaven golf course, one of the four, which was to be closed permanently starting this month.
A week after they won a major argument in the federal court fight over municipal school districts, Shelby County Commissioners approved Monday, Dec. 3, an additional $473,549 from its contingency fund to pay its legal fees in the lawsuit.
Dr. Jon McCullers unveiled plans for a Center for Excellence in Pediatric Obesity at Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital at the recent Healthy Memphis Common Table Let’s Change Summit.
MEMPHIS NEWSMAKERS
Myra Gammon has joined Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare as a business development account manager for Community Care Associates. In her new role, Gammon is responsible for the development and management of the Occupational Health and Wellness Services program.
LOCAL COLUMNISTS
Author, motivational speaker and consummate salesman Zig Ziglar died in late November at the age of 86. Heralding from Yazoo City, Miss., Ziglar impacted the lives of salespeople worldwide. His influence was undeniable and his legacy, long lasting. This compilation of “Zigisms” is in celebration of his life’s work. May they bring you inspiration.
Business banter talks a lot about “the process for innovation,” which is usually referenced in the singular and stated definitively, leaving most business leaders scratching their heads. It makes us think that there is one correct process, the secret sauce that top companies have and follow. There are actually thousands of innovation processes, none of which have been quantified or proven to be the most effective. There is no one size fits all.
Beneath the “fiscal cliff” debate is a fundamental battle of philosophy. Liberal economics prioritizes equality, while conservative economics prioritizes efficiency. Migration toward either of these polls contains costs and benefits. Below is an excerpt from a tax study of developed nations commissioned by the Paris based OECD:
STATE GOVERNMENT
FRANKLIN, Tenn. (AP) – Gov. Bill Haslam says Tennessee's long experience in running an expanded Medicaid program is the reason it's taking longer than most other states to decide how to comply with the new federal health care law requirements on insurance exchanges.
REGIONAL
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) – The state finance department said Tuesday that Arkansas' revenues in November were slightly ahead of last year's figures and its expectations, numbers that the state's fiscal chief said show Arkansas can't afford more tax cuts next year.
NATIONAL BUSINESS
WASHINGTON (AP) – U.S. banks earned more from July through September than in any other quarter over the past six years. The increase is further evidence that the industry is strengthening four years after the 2008 financial crisis.
REAL ESTATE
WASHINGTON (AP) – A measure of U.S. home prices rose 6.3 percent in October compared with a year ago, the largest yearly gain since July 2006. The jump adds to signs of a comeback in the once-battered housing market.
HEALTH CARE
WASHINGTON (AP) – A new study says basic prescription drug coverage could vary dramatically from state to state under President Barack Obama's health care overhaul.