VOL. 128 | NO. 40 | Wednesday, February 27, 2013
The ServiceMaster Co. reported an unaudited operating loss of $532.8 million in 2012 on operating revenue of $3.1 billion.
AutoZone blames slower sales on tax refund delay, winter weather
No company is completely immune to the effects of political squabbling in Washington, the stakes of which have intensified lately for the average taxpayer.
Every year, FedEx Corp. brings in 50 of the nation’s leading MBA students to try and recruit them to Memphis.
Countywide school board members had plenty to say Tuesday, Feb. 26, about a Memphis Federal Court status conference a day earlier that included the idea of Judge Samuel “Hardy” Mays appointing a special master to oversee some aspects of the schools merger.
Memphis City Council member Jim Strickland remembers putting on his tie in front of a mirror this month after learning he won the Bobby Dunavant Public Service Award.
When U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee Judge Samuel “Hardy” Mays summoned attorneys from all sides in the schools merger case to his conference room Monday, Feb. 25, there was someone else in the room.
Years after Henry Turley experienced the Memphis sanitation workers’ strike and the aftermath of Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination, took advantage of the Community Reinvestment Act and persuaded banks to reinvest in the Downtown core, not to mention spearheaded revitalization in the Harbor Town and Uptown areas, he’s making a “micro bet” on building nice neighborhoods around excellent schools.
To cap off Healthy Heart Month, the new 100,000-square-foot Kroc Center held its open house and ribbon-cutting ceremony last weekend.
The Memphis VA Medical Center at 1030 Jefferson Ave. recently held an open house and ribbon-cutting ceremony to announce the opening of its new $5.3 million Women’s Center, which should help to meet increased demand for services for returning female military personnel.
MEMPHIS NEWSMAKERS
Melanie A. Keller has been named president of Meritan Inc. Keller, who joined the nonprofit social services agency in 2006, previously served as its executive vice president. In her new role, she is responsible for oversight of more than 500 employees and contractors as well as the agency’s $21 million annual budget. Keller also manages its quality improvement and strategic planning efforts.
LOCAL COLUMNISTS
For more than a decade, companies have slowly shifted their focus to fit an era of deep consumer engagement. They have begun to embrace social media management, and they are better integrating print and TV campaigns with their online and social media presence. Unfortunately, it’s not enough.
According to legend, Henry Ford scoffed at market research and what we now call Consumer Insights, proclaiming, “If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses.” While there is a certain degree of wisdom in this statement, it has been misquoted to justify bad, hubris-inspired product failures by too many corporate egos.
MEMPHIS AREA
MEMPHIS (AP) – A Ku Klux Klan chapter has been granted a demonstration permit to protest the renaming of three Memphis parks that honored the Confederacy and two of its most prominent figures.
MEMPHIS (AP) – The search is on for a new judge in Shelby County after the death of W. Otis Higgs.
STATEWIDE
NASHVILLE (AP) – A proposal to allow wine to be sold in Tennessee supermarkets and convenience stores scored its first legislative victory on Tuesday after years of frustration.
NATIONAL BUSINESS
NEW YORK (AP) – JPMorgan is trimming about 4,000 jobs, or about 1.5 percent of its work force, becoming the latest big bank to shrink its staff.
NEW YORK (AP) – Americans seem to be more confident in the economy than they have been in the past few months. But that doesn't mean they're willing to spend more money.
SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) – Apple has agreed to give more than $100 million in iTunes store credits to settle a lawsuit alleging that the iPhone and iPad maker improperly charged kids for playing games on their mobile devices.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) – Beer lovers across the country have filed $5 million class-action lawsuits accusing Anheuser-Busch of watering down its Budweiser, Michelob and other brands.
CINCINNATI (AP) – The E.W. Scripps Co. reported sharply higher earnings and revenue for the fourth quarter on Tuesday, helped by higher political advertising revenue ahead of the elections last November. The results were also aided by contributions from TV stations the company bought in 2011.