Carolyn Chism Hardy is a trailblazer, a success story, an advocate for the poor and middle class, and now she’s one of the most influential people in the private sector.

2. Last Word: TN(not)Ready, Hatiloo Expands and Tax Season Advice - Tuesday, February 09, 2016

So what do you do when the test-makers fail the test?

You go back to the old test in the case of the Tennessee Education Department and the TNReady tests.
These were the new tests for the new statewide student achievement standards that replaced Common Core standards.
They can only be taken online.
But the system crashed Monday, which was the day that all of the preparation in the last year was geared toward. That included two tests locally of the on-line capacity and other technical standards necessary to make this go smoothly.
Here is a good account of what happened statewide and locally with a few other stops across the state to take in the scope of how big a failure this was and what failed.

3. Hardy Pushes Intermodal Sites for New Jobs - Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Carolyn Hardy admits she pushed hard to get the intermodal container yard that opened this week in Hickory Hill completed faster than the two years many contractors told her it would take.

4. Tribute Symposium Honors Six Local Women - Wednesday, May 01, 2013

The Women’s Foundation for a Greater Memphis paid tribute to six local women at a sold-out luncheon of more than 1,600 attendees on Friday, April 26.

The Legends Awards honor women whose work embodies the mission of the foundation – to support women and children throughout Shelby County.

5. Chism Hardy Moves Deeper Into Logistics - Monday, January 28, 2013

The certified public accountant who bought the old Coors Belle brewery in Hickory Hill seven years ago and turned it into Hardy Bottling Co. has taken the supply chain lessons from the business into the logistics industry.

6. Global Connections - Monday, May 07, 2012

Although the Memphis in May International Festival is widely known for its Beale Street Music Festival and World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest, the festival’s focus on developing international economic trade and fostering Memphis companies’ global business relationships remains central to its mission.

7. The Belle to Reopen at Blues City Brewery - Thursday, August 11, 2011

A landmark in the local banquet facility industry reopens Saturday, Aug. 13, in Hickory Hill.

The Belle, a banquet hall with riverboat décor, is being reopened by Maxx Management LLC at what is becoming Blues City Brewery at 5241 E. Raines Road.

8. Hardy’s Perseverance Runs in The Family - Monday, July 25, 2011

Carolyn Chism Hardy initially thought owning her own business would be as a business consultant. She was a certified public accountant with a comfortable position and a specialty in cost efficiency at the Memphis Coors brewery in 2006 when Molson-Coors Brewing Co. put the Memphis plant up for sale.

9. Bloomberg Grant Highlights Big City Challenges - Monday, July 18, 2011

When the nonprofit foundation of New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg went looking for cities to award grants for innovation, foundation leaders didn’t just give out an address and wait for applications.

10. Girls Inc. Celebrates 65 Years of Empowerment - Monday, June 13, 2011

Many of the city’s most influential citizens gathered Thursday, June 9, to celebrate the Memphis girls and women who embody the “Strong, Smart and Bold” motto of Girls Inc. of Memphis.

11. Blues City Brewery Buys Hardy Bottling - Tuesday, May 17, 2011

5151 E. Raines Road
Memphis, TN 38118
Sale Amount: $10 million

Sale Date: May 2, 2011
Buyer: Blues City Brewery LLC
Seller: Chism Hardy Enterprises LLC

12. Hardy Bottling Plant Sells for $10 Million - Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Blues City Brewery LLC, an affiliate of La Crosse, Wis.-based City Brewing Co., has bought the former Hardy Bottling plant, a 40-year-old Memphis beer brewery at 5151 E. Raines Road, from Chism Hardy Enterprises LLC for $10 million. It is part of a $30 million dollar deal between City Brewing and Chism Hardy Enterprises that will bring beer brewing back to the Memphis plant.

13. Brewery Traveled Long, Winding Road - Friday, April 01, 2011

Memphis Mayor A C Wharton Jr. made it clear this week that his latest economic development announcement wasn’t like the others he’s made in the last four months.

The move of City Brewing Co. into the Hardy Bottling Co. in Hickory Hill starting this summer isn’t a company starting from the ground up in Memphis or an existing company expanding in Memphis.

14. Road to Blues City Brewery Rough - Thursday, March 31, 2011

The plan by City Brewing Co. of La Crosse, Wis., to buy the 40-year-old Memphis beer brewery that is now Hardy Bottling Co. didn’t begin this year.

15. Buyer Set To Acquire Hardy Bottling Plant - Wednesday, March 30, 2011

City Brewing Co. LLC, which has production facilities in La Crosse, Wis., and Latrobe, Pa., is planning to buy the assets of Hardy Bottling Co. in Memphis for $30 million and to invest additional money in the facility over the next five years.

16. Buyer Poised to Acquire Plant From Hardy Bottling - Tuesday, March 29, 2011

City Brewing Co. LLC, which has production facilities in La Crosse, Wis., and Latrobe, Pa., is planning to buy the assets of Hardy Bottling Co. in Memphis for $30 million and to invest additional money in the facility over the next five years.

17. Cargill $72 M PILOT Gets IDB Green Light - Thursday, October 21, 2010

The Industrial Development Board of Memphis and Shelby County has unanimously granted Cargill Inc. a $72 million retention payment-in-lieu-of-taxes (PILOT) to renovate and expand its Presidents Island corn-milling facility.

18. Yuengling Expansion Could Bring Tourism, Wider Beer Distribution - Monday, October 18, 2010

A brewery in Memphis will allow D.G. Yuengling & Son Inc. to introduce its beer to new markets in the South and Midwest, said David Casinelli, the company’s chief operating officer.

19. Yuengling Eyes Memphis for Expansion - Friday, October 15, 2010

A major U.S. brewer is on the verge of making Memphis a key production and distribution center for its increasingly popular line of beers.

The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday that D.G. Yuengling & Son Inc., the Pottsville, Pa.-based brewer of Yuengling beer, has signed a letter of intent to buy the Hardy Bottling Co. at 5151 E. Raines Road.

20. 3 Local Projects OK’d for Recovery Zone Bonds - Friday, September 17, 2010

Three Memphis projects have the green light from the state of Tennessee to get $17 million in federal recovery zone facility bonds. And the Memphis-Shelby County Industrial Development Board is watching closely as the projects close in on financing to secure the bonds before a Dec. 31 federal deadline.

21. IDB Approves Kirby Parkway PILOT - Thursday, September 16, 2010

The Memphis-Shelby County Industrial Development Board has approved an eight-year, $3 million tax break for the Nashville developers of a long-term acute-care hospital and outpatient center on Kirby Parkway north of Bill Morris Parkway.

22. $17.5M in Projects Approved by IDB - Friday, June 18, 2010

A bottling plant, a luxury hotel and a research laboratory will soon see a combined $17.5 million in funding that Shelby County received through federal stimulus recovery zone facility bonds.

The stage is now set for an additional six projects to receive money through the program if the state reallocates unused funds to the area from other counties.

23. Commission to Resolve Budget Debate - Monday, June 07, 2010

Shelby County Commissioners vote Monday on a budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1 and take the first of three votes on a county property tax rate.

The vote is certain to come after a continuation of a lengthy budget debate that began last Wednesday in committee sessions.

24. Black Business Assn. Names Benny Award Winners - Thursday, February 25, 2010

The Black Business Association has announced the recipients of the 2010 Benny Awards.

Taylor Brown Apothecary received the Business of the Year award. Total Control Logistics received the New Business of the Year award. Charles Whitsy, an accountant, was honored with the Business Professional award.

25. Storm Recovery Crucial At Hardy Bottling - Monday, February 18, 2008

The power is back on in Hickory Hill. More than 200 people applied for aid from the Federal Emergency Management Agency office on its first full day of operation at the Hickory Hill Community Center. And some homeowners already have received their checks to begin repair work on homes, according to the FEMA spokesman in Memphis.

26. Naked Lion Owner Hopes to Go National - Thursday, January 03, 2008

When Molson Coors Brewing Co. decided to close its Memphis facility in 2006, some employees were left to make life-altering decisions.

For former Coors international brewmaster Tony Vieira, the decision was whether to pick up his family and move to another city or remain in Memphis.

27. Coors Caps Deal With Hardy Bottling - Tuesday, September 19, 2006

5151 E. Raines Road
Memphis, TN 38118
Sale Amount: $6 million

Sale Date: Aug. 31, 2006

Buyer: Chism Hardy Enterprises LLC