TOKYO (AP) — One of Japan's busiest airports remained closed indefinitely, a day after the strongest typhoon to hit Japan in at least 25 years flooded a runway, toppled huge cranes, flipped cars on their side, damaged historic shrines and caused at least 11 deaths as it swept across part of Japan's main island.

2. Office Vacancy, Asking Rents Both Rise - Wednesday, May 23, 2018

Despite an uptick in the vacancy rate, direct asking prices continued to rise in the Memphis office market during the first quarter of 2018, according to research complied by commercial real estate firm Avison Young.

3. Faropoint, Belz Sell of Part of Retail Portfolio - Monday, May 21, 2018

7501 Goodman Road, Olive Branch, MS 38654 and 7685 Hacks Cross Road, Olive Branch, MS 38654:  Faropoint Ventures continues to remain active in the Greater Memphis Area with the sale of two Olive Branch retail centers for a combined $9.24 million.

4. Gestalt Purchases Shopping Center from Belz Enterprises - Saturday, May 19, 2018

A Belz-owned shopping center in southeast Memphis has been purchased by a longtime tenant in a multimillion-dollar deal.

Gestalt Community Schools, a charter school organization, purchased Mendenhall Square Shopping Center, located on the northeast corner of Mendenhall and Winchester roads, for $8.9 million.

5. Last Word: Bar-B-Foo, Grizz Draft Prospects and The Hampline - Friday, May 18, 2018

Alleged sightings of Dave Grohl at the barbecue contest Thursday in Tom Lee Park and a photograph from a distance that might or might not be the head Foo Fighter. This does happen at the barbecue contest – celebrities quietly coming in with a team. Sometimes not so quietly as when Vice President Al Gore returned in the 1990s to a contest he had a booth at during his time as a U.S. Senator.

6. Gestalt Purchases Mendenhall Square Shopping Center from Belz - Monday, May 14, 2018

A Belz-owned shopping center in southeast Memphis has been purchased by a longtime tenant in a multimillion-dollar deal.

Gestalt Community Schools, a charter school organization, purchased the Mendenhall Square Shopping Center, located on the northeast corner of Mendenhall and Winchester roads, from Belz for $8.9 million.

7. Gibson Building Owners to Partner with Orgel Family - Monday, April 30, 2018

The new owners of the Gibson Guitar Factory building in Downtown Memphis have partnered with a prominent local family to bring the prime parcel of land back to life. 

On Monday, April 30, New York-based real estate investment firm Somera Road Inc., which purchased the 150,000-plus-square-foot building and showroom located at 145 Lt. George W. Lee Ave. for $14.4 million in January, announced it would be partnering with Billy and Benjamin Orgel’s Orgel Family LP to redevelop the guitar factory.

8. Memphis Army Depot, CA Building Get New Owners - Monday, April 30, 2018

2028 Memphis Depot Pkwy.
Memphis, TN 38114

Sale Amount: $50 million

9. Nonprofit Inks Lease For New HQ Downtown - Saturday, April 28, 2018

Campaign for School Equity will have a new home in Downtown Memphis, as the local nonprofit has inked a 2,959-square-foot sublease at 100 Peabody Place.

10. Nonprofit Inks Lease For New HQ Downtown - Thursday, April 26, 2018

Campaign for School Equity will have a new home in Downtown Memphis, as the local nonprofit has inked a 2,959-square-foot sublease at 100 Peabody Place.

11. Monuments Moment Spans Generational Lines - Tuesday, December 26, 2017

Van Turner Sr. celebrated his 73rd birthday Wednesday, Dec. 20, as his son, county commissioner Van Turner Jr., was somewhere near the epicenter of the most significant chapter of the city’s long-running controversy over Confederate monuments.

12. Last Word: Fairgrounds Surprises, Aquarium Reprise and Six Open Commission Seats - Tuesday, November 7, 2017

There are lots of renderings and blueprints floating around this city of ours these days. Land opening up, locations changing, possibilities revealed, new uses for old places and old places giving way to new. So it’s not surprising to see some smaller changes that are nevertheless highly visible. Thus comes word with the new week that Spin City, the corner tenant at Poplar and Highland in Poplar Plaza, will close with the new year and Spaghetti Warehouse, on Huling Downtown, will close later this month in the week before Thanksgiving.

13. City Council Eyes Hotel-Motel Tax to Fund Pre-K - Tuesday, November 7, 2017

Memphis City Council members will discuss a still-forming proposal Tuesday, Nov. 7, to fund universal prekindergarten in Memphis public schools by hiking the hotel-motel, or bed tax rate.

The 2:15 p.m. executive session discussion is around a proposal by council member Kemp Conrad that would increase the hotel-motel tax from 3.5 percent to 5 percent, which is the state’s cap on the tourism tax. The estimated $3.5 million that would generate would go toward a $7.9 million loss of funding for pre-K in 2019 when a federal pre-K grant runs out.

14. Crosstown Crossroads - Saturday, September 30, 2017

For the past 90 years, Crosstown has seen its share of ups and downs. In the beginning, it was a shining beacon for the city’s eastward expansion; at its height, it anchored several vibrant and diverse neighborhoods; and at its lowest, Crosstown became the poster child for once-great inner-city areas of Memphis that had deteriorated.

15. South City Redevelopment Activity Heating Up - Tuesday, August 22, 2017

The up-and-coming South City neighborhood is enjoying a resurgence of redevelopment activity lately, with the restoration of several historic properties, new multifamily construction and talk of bringing in a grocery store. The city and the Downtown Memphis Commission have been instrumental in the renewed interest, with noteworthy projects including the Clayborn Temple, the Universal Life Building and the demolition of Foote Homes.

16. South City Redevelopment Heats Up With Renovations, New Construction - Saturday, August 19, 2017

The up-and-coming South City neighborhood is enjoying a resurgence of redevelopment activity lately, with the restoration of several historic properties, new multifamily construction and talk of bringing in a grocery store. The city and the Downtown Memphis Commission have been instrumental in the renewed interest, with noteworthy projects including the Clayborn Temple, the Universal Life Building and the demolition of Foote Homes.

17. Memphis Music Initiative To Occupy Old Downtown Firehouse - Thursday, July 27, 2017

198 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Ave., Memphis, TN 38103

Tenant: Memphis Music Initiative

18. Atlanta Retail Investor Makes $29M Purchase - Thursday, July 20, 2017

In this week’s Real Estate Recap, an 18-acre shopping center in the heart of Bartlett sells for $28.8 million, Ulta Beauty prepares to build out its space in Poplar Commons, and Dave & Buster’s continues work on its first Memphis location...

19. Memphis Music Initiative to Occupy Old Downtown Firehouse - Thursday, July 20, 2017

The old firehouse at the corner of B.B. King Boulevard and Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue has gone through many incarnations since the 1800s, including stints as a recording studio, nightclub and pop-up beer garden.

20. Memphis Music Initiative to Occupy Old Downtown Firehouse - Wednesday, July 19, 2017

The old firehouse at the corner of Linden Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue has gone through many incarnations since the 1800s, including stints as a recording studio, nightclub and pop-up beer garden.

21. Workplace Law Firm Signs Downtown Memphis Lease - Wednesday, July 19, 2017

Constangy, Brooks, Smith & Prophete LLP, an Atlanta-based workplace law firm, has signed a 3,000-square-foot lease in the Peabody Place Office Tower in Downtown Memphis.

22. Whitehaven Unveils New Development Direction - Friday, June 16, 2017

It’s been 10 months since Rev. Earle Fisher was among the individuals turned away from Graceland’s annual candlelight vigil by Memphis police in a reaction to possible protests at the event.

23. Whitehaven Leaders Unveil New Economic Development Group - Thursday, June 15, 2017

It’s been 10 months since Rev. Earle Fisher was among those turned away from Graceland’s annual candlelight vigil by Memphis Police in a reaction to possible protests at the vigil commemorating the anniversary of Elvis Presley’s death.

24. Seay Leading Raleigh UPP In Parental Coaching Efforts - Wednesday, June 7, 2017

The ACE Awareness Foundation’s fourth Universal Parenting Place recently opened at Christ Community Health Services in Raleigh, with Tara Seay serving as site director/parenting coach. Seay is a licensed professional counselor–mental health service provider.
In her new role at the Raleigh UPP, she’ll provide parents and caregivers with individual therapy and give clinical insight in group therapy programs. In addition, she will develop new programs over time to cater to the needs of the population that we serve in the Raleigh area.

25. Chuck Berry's Influence on Rock ‘n’ Roll Was Incalculable - Tuesday, March 21, 2017

Rock n' roll was more than a new kind of music, but a new story to tell, one for kids with transistor radios in their hands and money in their pockets, beginning to raise questions their parents never had the luxury to ask.

26. Last Word: Gas Tax Conflict, Redbirds Changes and Hidden Office Space - Tuesday, February 28, 2017

The CEO of Memphis-based AutoZone, Bill Rhodes, among the corporate leaders meeting with President Donald Trump recently to urge him to abandon plans for a border tax. This is the tax on goods imported to the U.S. from other countries that U.S. Rep. David Kustoff says also has some opposition among Republicans in D.C.

27. The Week Ahead: February 28-March 6 - Monday, February 27, 2017

It's Monday, Memphis – time to peek at this week's (very busy) dance card, from the opening of Graceland's $45 million entertainment complex to a showcase of the latest high-tech ag innovations to a celebration of some local "hidden figures." Check out what else you need to know about in The Week Ahead...  

28. Panel OKs Downtown Project, Midtown Changes - Wednesday, February 15, 2017

The Center City Revenue Finance Corp. approved two Downtown projects and changes for Belz Enterprises mixed-use development at Union Avenue and McLean Boulevard in Midtown on Tuesday, Feb. 14.

29. Midtown Market Developers Scale Back Plans - Thursday, February 9, 2017

The proposed Midtown Market mixed-use development at Union Avenue and McLean Boulevard has changed as its developers continue to seek financing and adjust more than a year after they unveiled the ambitious but tentative plan.

30. Rerouting Regulations - Saturday, January 14, 2017

With every new administration comes some degree of uncertainty when it comes to federal regulations.

But after an especially unpredictable campaign season, all eyes are now on the president-elect to see what he’ll do next. 

31. Increasing Firms Eligible for Contracts Could Propel More Minority Businesses - Tuesday, October 25, 2016

City Hall’s effort to improve the level of business Memphis does with minority-owned firms has to meet up with the broader local effort to improve the growth of minority businesses in private, business-to-business contracts, says one of the leaders of the 2-year-old renewed push on both fronts.

32. Last Word: Big River Weekend, Buying Local and The Rehabilitation of Lane Kiffin - Friday, October 21, 2016

The city’s riverfront will be a very busy place Saturday with several events – the one getting the most attention is the opening of the Big River Crossing – the bicycle and pedestrian boardwalk across the Mississippi River on the north side of the Harahan Bridge.

33. Hawes Takes on New Role At ACE Awareness Foundation - Wednesday, October 19, 2016

Kiersten Hawes has been promoted to task force liaison and education coordinator at the Memphis-based ACE Awareness Foundation, which works to inform the community about the negative impact of adverse childhood experiences, or ACEs. Hawes will also continue to serve as a therapist at Universal Parenting Place’s Knowledge Quest location.
As the task force liaison, Hawes will engage the foundation board and task force in ongoing dialogue to build awareness around ACEs. Operating in a dual role as a therapist and education coordinator, she says, allows her the opportunity to speak to the impact that toxic stress and intergenerational ACEs have on a family system if not mitigated.

34. Study Leads to Broader Call for Business Ties - Tuesday, August 30, 2016

Rodney Strong, CEO of the Atlanta law and public policy firm Griffin and Strong that authored city government’s latest disparity study on minority contracting, didn’t come to talk about the study last week when he spoke to a room of 40 African-American civic and business leaders.

35. Memphis Symposium Aims to Connect MWBEs With Opportunities - Monday, July 25, 2016

In an effort to increase transparency in public spending, The city of Memphis will put department heads in conversation with minority- and women-owned businesses as part of the inaugural We Mean Business symposium.

36. Last Word: Conley Makes It Official, No "Figure Heads" and Early Voting Opens - Friday, July 15, 2016

Mike Conley signed on the dotted line about an hour before the press conference confirming that he and the Grizz front office have closed on the deal that makes him the highest paid player in NBA history… for now.

37. Baptist Executive Vaughn Receives U of M’s Highest Alumni Award - Friday, May 20, 2016

Anita Vaughn’s notable 43-year career with Baptist Memorial Hospital started on a whim.

“I went to University of Memphis for a year thinking I was going to be a commercial artist,” Vaughn said. “Then a friend just happened to say, ‘You know what? I’m going down to Baptist School of Nursing,’ and I said, ‘Well, OK. Me too!’

38. BancorpSouth Adds Universal Banker Model at New Memphis Branch - Wednesday, April 27, 2016

When new bank branches are built and opened in Memphis, they increasingly resemble not the traditional branches of yesterday, but something new.

Case in point is BancorpSouth’s new branch at 40 N. Pauline, serving Downtown and Midtown, which opened a few weeks ago. The model it’s built around is the buzzy “universal banker” trend that’s now popular around the city and beyond.

39. MWBE Taskforce Searching for Concrete Plan - Wednesday, March 16, 2016

The Memphis City Council is the latest group to address the disparity of business secured by women- and minority-owned businesses in the city and county.

On March 14, the MWBE Taskforce held its inaugural meeting. Organized by council member Janis Fullilove, it will propose realistic and and sustainable approaches that the city could take to increase the participation of MWBEs.

40. Memphis Lags on State Minority Contracts - Tuesday, March 8, 2016

The state of Tennessee did $400 million in business with minority- and women-owned businesses in 2015. It’s a share local minority business and civic leaders judge as a good number, considering the state spends $2.5 billion in contracts a year.

41. Fenced Out - Saturday, January 30, 2016

There’s a major problem in Memphis when it comes to minorities: African-Americans make up 63 percent of the population but garner less than 1 percent of total business receipts within Memphis, according to the most recent U.S. Census data.

42. Black-Owned Business Revenue Drops in Memphis - Friday, January 29, 2016

Bad has turned to worse, according to the latest data from the U.S. Census Bureau's Survey of Business Owners.

Memphis’ population is majority African-American, but black-owned establishments earn only 0.83 percent of business revenue citywide.

43. Four Beale Street Proposals Feature Different Backgrounds - Monday, January 18, 2016

Jeff Sanford fielded inquiries from 17 or 18 companies, local and out of town, expressing some level of interest in the contract to manage the Beale Street entertainment district.

44. Poor Performance - Friday, August 21, 2015

OUR POOR KIDS ARE GETTING THE BIRD. During political seasons – that’s pretty much all the time – I’m often reminded of what my first boss once told me, “You know that beautiful, almost iridescent, blue-gray dot in the middle of chicken (crap)? That’s chicken (crap), too.”

45. Iberiabank Building New Memphis Branch - Monday, August 10, 2015

Iberiabank is expanding its Memphis footprint with another full-service branch in the works along Poplar Avenue east of Overton Park.

The Louisiana-based bank filed a $750,000 building permit in April for 2504 Poplar Ave., where Iberiabank Tennessee market president Greg Smithers said a standalone branch is planned. Set to open in the fourth quarter, it will mark the bank’s eighth branch in the Memphis area, not counting 10 other offsite ATMs included in the bank’s Memphis footprint.

46. Artist Set to Unveil Cooper-Young Festival Poster - Tuesday, July 21, 2015

Memphis artist Gino Barzizza says the inspiration that guided his creation of this year’s Cooper-Young Festival poster – which will be unveiled at a party Aug. 6 at CoWork Memphis – is the long-running Midtown festival itself.

47. Business in Politics - Saturday, June 27, 2015

One of the first things Shea Flinn noticed when he left the Memphis City Council this year was that benches for audience members in the council chamber are less comfortable than council members’ seats.

48. GE Pares Off Financial Unit and Returns to Industrial Roots - Monday, April 13, 2015

General Electric is leaving the lending business, a major source of both profit and risk, as it continues to whittle its focus down to an industrial core.

The company said Friday that it will sell most of its GE Capital assets over the next two years, shedding businesses in a sector where it has had a tough time generating acceptable returns. GE also plans to repurchase as much as $50 billion of its own stock.

49. UAM's Keri Wright to Keynote Women & Business Seminar - Thursday, February 12, 2015

At age 18, she had her flight instructor’s certification. By 23, she was a corporate vice president and by 25 a chief operating officer.

Now 32, Keri Wright is chairman and CEO of Universal Asset Management, which buys, sells, leases, manages, disassembles and recycles a variety of commercial aviation assets from all over the world.

50. Fresh Approach - Saturday, February 7, 2015

Go from one bank to the next, and the offerings aren’t always that different: banks not only generally present similar products to customers, but rates – being as low as they are –aren’t always all that dissimilar, either.

51. One Percent - Saturday, January 24, 2015

Majority and minority are volatile terms in Memphis.

Using them in a context outside race requires an explanation because without that, the assumption is the terms are being used in a racial context.

52. Tanger Outlets Confirms Southaven Involvement - Friday, January 9, 2015

Tanger Factory Outlet Centers Inc. has confirmed what The Daily News first reported in December: It will play a key role in the development of a massive outlet mall in Southaven.

53. Building a Framework - Friday, December 5, 2014

Moving the needle on minority business growth in Memphis is in a phase of knitting and prodding six months after a renewed call for a larger share of business for minority businesses in a city whose population is majority African-American.

54. Push for Broader Minority Business Participation Grows - Wednesday, September 3, 2014

A larger share of business for minority- and women-owned local businesses should begin with an inventory that matches existing businesses with existing opportunities.

And three leaders of the recently revived effort to build that share of business say from there the local Memphis economy overall can grow.

55. Tubbs Joins Humane Society as Development and Marketing Director - Wednesday, August 13, 2014

Nikki Tubbs has joined the Humane Society of Memphis & Shelby County as director of development and marketing, responsible for developing and executing the humane society’s fundraising plan, overseeing special events and securing sponsorships, and supervising supplemental development programs and the development team.

56. City Mulls Plan to Buy Former State Building - Tuesday, August 5, 2014

It would be cheaper and more efficient for the city of Memphis to lease and then buy the vacant Donnelley J. Hill state office building across Main Street from Memphis City Hall than to continue leasing multiple properties spread across town, consultants and city officials told City Council members Tuesday.

57. Wright Taking UAM to New Heights - Monday, July 14, 2014

When Keri Wright was a little girl, her dad built an airplane out of plywood and fitted it with controls and switches, and she and her brother would play in the plane next to their sandbox.

As she grew older, the family went to an airshow every summer in Oshkosh, Wis., and Wright loved watching the F-16 fighter jets zoom overhead.

58. Hollingsworth Buys Mississippi Industrial Property - Friday, June 27, 2014

The Hollingsworth Cos., which operates a prominent industrial development company with holdings across the South, has acquired an industrial building in Senatobia, Miss.

Clinton, Tenn.-based Hollingsworth recently acquired the 198,450-square-foot building at 795 Shands Bottom Road in Senatobia from BMW.

59. Real Estate Veteran Jan Phillips Rejoins Crye-Leike - Wednesday, June 25, 2014

Jan O’Kelly Phillips has joined Crye-Leike Realtors’ Germantown-Poplar branch office, marking her return to real estate sales.

60. Gestalt Schools Signs Lease in Hickory Hill - Friday, June 20, 2014

A charter school operator has inked a lease for space on Winchester Road in Hickory Hill.

Gestalt Community Schools has leased 57,000 square feet of space at 5360 Winchester Road inside the Mendenhall Square shopping center.

61. Coalition Vows Push for Minority Business Gains - Wednesday, June 11, 2014

For decades, goals and percentages have been set for minority business participation in city and county governments.

Both governments have compliance offices. Elected officials look at percentages and ask questions about participation on particular projects.

62. New Memphis Institute Unveils Exec. Committee - Saturday, February 22, 2014

The New Memphis Institute has announced Baptist Memorial Health Care Corp. CEO Jason Little as its board of trustees chair for 2014.

63. New Memphis Institute Unveils Executive Committee - Tuesday, February 18, 2014

The New Memphis Institute has announced Baptist Memorial Health Care Corp. CEO Jason Little as its board of trustees chair for 2014.

64. Sutton Reid Advertising Nominated for Award - Saturday, February 1, 2014

Political campaigns journal Campaigns & Elections has chosen Memphis advertising agency Sutton Reid Advertising as a finalist for the 2014 Reed Awards, honoring the firm for being among the nation’s best creative agencies in political advertising and public affairs.

65. Sutton Reid Advertising Nominated for Award - Friday, January 31, 2014

Political campaigns journal Campaigns & Elections has chosen Memphis advertising agency Sutton Reid Advertising as a finalist for the 2014 Reed Awards, honoring the firm for being among the nation’s best creative agencies in political advertising and public affairs.

66. Shankman-Cohn to Lead Interior Design Coalition - Wednesday, January 15, 2014

Leslie Shankman-Cohn has been elected the 2014 president of the Tennessee Interior Design Coalition, a statewide coalition committed, through legislative and regulatory endeavors, to enhance and protect the right to practice interior design. Shankman-Cohn is a partner in Jill Hertz Interior Design, a division of Eclectic Interiors. She specializes in custom-designed furniture, space planning, furnishings and finishes specifications, universal design, Aging in Style and sustainable design issues.

67. Universal Asset Mgmt. Gets New Owner - Saturday, October 12, 2013

Memphis-based Universal Asset Management Inc., a global leader in aviation asset management, aircraft disassembly and commercial aviation aftermarket component sales, has a new owner.

68. MEMFix Goes South - Thursday, October 10, 2013

Of the neighborhoods in which the Mayor’s Innovation Delivery Team has been working to build retail and commercial trade, none has the amount of history, turmoil, potential and perception problems found in the two blocks east and west of Mississippi Boulevard and Walker Avenue.

69. Universal Asset Management Gets New Owner - Wednesday, October 9, 2013

Memphis-based Universal Asset Management Inc., a global leader in aviation asset management, aircraft disassembly and commercial aviation aftermarket component sales, has a new owner.

70. Rock’n Dough Pizza Opening in Jackson - Friday, September 20, 2013

The little Memphis pizzeria that could will soon be opening a new location in Jackson, Tenn.

The Rock’n Dough Pizza Co., owned by Jeremy and Amanda Denno, is slated to open a new restaurant and microbrewery at the Jackson Walk development in Jackson in October. The Dennos will team up with veteran local brewer Ben Pugh to create signature suds at the 4,100-square-foot restaurant.

71. Daniels Takes on New Role at Greater Memphis Chamber - Wednesday, July 10, 2013

The Greater Memphis Chamber has promoted Amy Daniels to the newly created position of senior vice president, membership and communications. Daniels, who has worked at the chamber for 17 years, will now oversee the membership department while continuing in her prior role, leading the communications and programming department.

72. Reality TV's New Stars: Small Businesses - Thursday, May 9, 2013

NEW YORK (AP) – There's no business like small business.

Mix the high stakes of running a small business with a dash of family drama and throw in a camera crew and you get hit reality television shows such as "Pawn Stars," ''Welcome to Sweetie Pie's" and "Duck Dynasty."

73. Masson Named Senior Director at Caissa - Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Rick Masson has joined Caissa Public Strategy as senior director. Masson, former chief administrative office for the city of Memphis, was also recently named special master to oversee the city-county schools merger. (For details, see the Monday, March 11, edition of The Daily News.) In his new role at Caissa, Masson will provide consultation and leadership on business development and project management.

74. Creative Space - Thursday, January 31, 2013

By the time Crosstown Arts occupies space in the 1.5 million-square-foot Sears Crosstown building, it will have completed a solid test run of promoting arts-based community and economic development in Midtown.

75. Atlantic Track Grows Local Operations - Friday, January 11, 2013

Bloomfield, N.J.-based Atlantic Track & Turnout Co. is expanding its Memphis operations with a 12,900-square-foot pre-engineered metal building addition with a bridge crane at 363 E. Bodley Ave.

76. Rekindling Crosstown - Monday, November 5, 2012

Video artist Chris Miner says one way to explain the redevelopment of the Sears Crosstown building is likening it to the process of creating art.

“You get into it with a general idea of what you want to do, but then you kind of let it take you wherever you are going to go or wherever the piece wants to go,” he said.

77. Universal Commercial to Host Networking Breakfast - Monday, October 29, 2012

Universal Commercial Real Estate LLC will host its monthly Regional Minority Business Entrepreneur Power Breakfast Friday, Nov. 2, with the topic, “Launching Memphis Entrepreneurs.”

78. Crosstown Stakeholder Pleased With Development’s Direction - Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Todd Richardson gave some schemes – albeit changing ones – of the redeveloped Sears Crosstown building in Midtown Friday, Oct. 5, at Universal Commercial Real Estate’s Regional Minority Business Entrepreneur Power Breakfast.

79. Additional Board Members Named at LaunchYourCity - Thursday, June 21, 2012

LaunchYourCity Inc. has announced new board members.

They are Kevin Adams, CEO, CB Richard Ellis Memphis; Darrell Cobbins, CEO, Universal Commercial; and social entrepreneur Chris Williams.

80. Three Local Real Estate Agents Disciplined by State - Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Three Memphis real estate professionals have been disciplined by the Tennessee Real Estate Commission, according to the Department of Commerce & Insurance April 2012 Disciplinary Action Report.

81. Green Cos., Orgs Seek ‘Lorax’ Tie-Ins - Thursday, February 9, 2012

LOS ANGELES (AP) – The Lorax, perhaps the most famous anti-industrial crusader from children's literature, is getting support from companies that are willing to go green.

With a host of commercial tie-ins – albeit for eco-friendly products – Universal Pictures will begin promoting "Dr. Seuss' The Lorax" this month. The animated movie, set for release March 2 in North America, is about a creature who "speaks for the trees" and fights rampant industrialism in a retelling of the Dr. Seuss children's book first published in 1971.

82. Crye-Leike Inks Car Dealership, Industrial Deals - Friday, October 14, 2011

Bill Caller with Crye-Leike Commercial has brokered a pair of sales in recent weeks that enable the new users to occupy second-generation space.

Nihal Khwaja with Best Deal Motors purchased the 2-acre former car lot at 5648 Summer Ave. for $150,000.

83. Leadership Academy Announces Graduates - Tuesday, October 11, 2011

The Leadership Academy has announced its September 2011 Fellows Program graduates.

They are Mary Elizabeth Anthony of Smith & Nephew; Gene Baker of Smith & Nephew; TaKeisha Butler of Smith & Nephew; Brenda Caldwell of Dr. B Empowerment Services; Donnell Cobbins Jr. of Universal Commercial Real Estate LLC; Jonathan Cross II of Jonathan Cross Venture & Holdings Corp.; Reggie F. Davis of Street Ministries; Shenenka Davis of Baptist Memorial Hospital-Memphis; Jeb Fields of Commercial Advisors; Jonathan Flynt of Bryce Corp.; Lori Guy of First Horizon National Corp.; Channa Halmon of Le Bonheur Center for Children and Parents; Ursala Holmes of Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz PC; Shannon Izquierdo of FedEx Corp.; Jared Johnson of Pier 1 Imports; Ken Kimble III of Boy Scouts of America – Chickasaw Council; Joy Lockridge of Spherion Staffing Services; Nathan Martin of the University of Memphis; Shawn McCutcheon of Regions Bank; Katie Midgley of the Urban Child Institute; Tanner Mueller of First Tennessee Bank; Bettina Kurtz Pearson of First Tennessee Bank; Robin Poston of the University of Memphis; Kerra Saine of First Tennessee Bank; Joy Stephens of Joy Factor Consulting; Colby Stough of Youth Villages; Carrie Strehlau of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital; Marvin Todd of FedEx Corp.; Brittney Rogers of Duncan-Williams Inc.; Lindsey Waugh of Medtronic Inc.; Carsett Webber of Wright Medical Technology; Josh White of MAA (formerly Mid-America Apartment Communities); and McLean Wilson of Kemmons Wilson Cos.

84. Universal Commercial Built On Deep Family Legacy - Tuesday, September 6, 2011

For some people, the prospect of working with one’s brother, wife and mother on a daily basis would be a less than enticing proposition.

But as far as Darrell Cobbins, the owner, president and CEO of Memphis-based Universal Commercial LLC, is concerned, there’s no other way he’d rather do business.

85. Small Firms Find Footing In Competitive CRE Market - Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Darrell Cobbins got started in commercial real estate in June 2001, three months before the 9/11 terrorist attacks wreaked havoc on the economy.

86. Memphis Pride Signs Lease At Trinity Ridge - Friday, May 6, 2011

An up-and-coming Mid-South cheer and tumbling company has signed a new lease to expand its business, a move that will benefit the facility’s students and parents alike.

Memphis Pride is relocating from a 5,000-square-foot space in Cordova Industrial Park to 16,080-square-foot lease at 7740 B Trinity Road, suite 126.

87. CRE Sales Up, Outlook Still Dour - Tuesday, March 29, 2011

February’s mixed bag of commercial real estate sales serve as evidence of the sluggish speculative market, which doesn’t appear to be staging a comeback in the foreseeable future.

Shelby County saw 48 CRE sales last month, a 41 percent increase from 34 sales in February 2010, but also a 16 percent decrease from 57 in January, according to the latest information from real estate information company Chandler Reports, www.chandlerreports.com.

88. Electrolux Officials Sign Downtown Office Lease - Friday, March 4, 2011

Before it builds a new manufacturing plant at Frank C. Pidgeon Industrial Park, Electrolux will set up shop in Memphis with a Downtown office.

The Swedish appliance maker has signed a 14,000-square-foot lease at One Commerce Square, 40 S. Main St., where it will occupy the building’s entire 24th floor.

89. ULI Conference to Tackle Emerging Trends - Tuesday, December 7, 2010

As real estate professionals gather this week to take a look at the latest numbers and trends, they will also get a broader economic view of the recession’s effect on the industry.

They will get a glimpse into the current market Wednesday when the Urban Land Institute (ULI) District Council Memphis holds its annual Real Estate Outlook for the Mid-South.

90. Brownstone Lands First Tenant In Radiological and Vascular Center - Tuesday, June 15, 2010

7695 Poplar Pike
Germantown, TN 38138
Sale Amount: $1.6 Million

Sale Date: May 28, 2010
Buyer: MRPC Building LLC
Seller: Salvaggio Group LLC
Loan Amount: $1.2 million
Loan Date: May 28, 2010
Maturity Date: Aug. 21, 2011
Lender: MedArm Inc.

91. City Mayoral Transition Yields Crowded To-Do List - Tuesday, October 20, 2009
 

Memphis Mayor-elect A C Wharton Jr. will be appointing a new city attorney once he takes office next week.

Elbert Jefferson, the city attorney Mayor Pro Tem Myron Lowery tried to fire just minutes after taking the oath of office on July 31, Friday sent a second resignation letter to Lowery. The two met for an hour Sunday evening at City Hall and Lowery accepted Jefferson’s resignation.

Jefferson’s attorney, Ted Hansom, and city Chief Administrative Officer Jack Sammons were also present. Jefferson turned in his key card, the keys to his city car and his laptop.

“The drama is over,” Lowery said Monday. “For my part, I wish it had never happened.”

Dramatis personae

In a resignation letter last week to Wharton, Jefferson had expressed hope that he would be hired for some position in the new administration. Over the weekend, he used the same text in the new letter but addressed it to Lowery instead. He requested the city pay his legal fees as well.

The resignation letter to Lowery made moot an ouster suit filed by Shelby County District Attorney General Bill Gibbons. Criminal Court Judge James Lammey, who was to hear the case, reset a final report to Oct. 27, citing Jefferson’s departure.

“A hearing on the issue of suspension would be an inefficient use of judicial resources, of the state of Tennessee and of the resources of the city of Memphis, and considering (Jefferson’s) current health status, would be an unnecessary tax on (Jefferson’s) well-being and a possible threat to his health,” Lammey wrote in the court order.

Jefferson was scheduled to return to City Hall from sick leave Monday. He apparently believed the new mayor would be in office by the time he returned.

An audit of city financial affairs is standard procedure in a change of administrations. Wharton is naming team members to review the offices of the city attorney, human resources and finance and administration. He was also to name members of his transition team Monday.

Time-, battle-tested

Shelby County Commissioner Mike Carpenter and Methodist Healthcare executive Cato Johnson will head the team.

The other members are:

- Herman Morris, attorney and 2007 candidate for Memphis Mayor.

- Tomeka Hart, Memphis Urban League CEO and Memphis school board member.

- Jim Strickland, attorney and Memphis City Council member.

- Rev. Dwight Montgomery, Southern Christian Leadership Conference Memphis chapter President.

- Jose Velasquez, Latino Memphis former executive director.

- Nisha Powers, Powers Hill Design Inc. President.

- Paul Morris, attorney and former chairman Center City Commission.

- Douglas Scarboro, The Leadership Academy vice president.

- Steve Reynolds, Baptist Memorial Health Care Corp. CEO.

- Diane Rudner, Plough Foundation chairman.

- Darrell Cobbins, Universal Commercial CEO.

Johnson has more experience serving on such task forces and ad hoc committees than any other leader in the city’s corporate community. Most recently, Johnson was one of two business leaders on the ad hoc committee exploring single-source local funding for education. He also served as a leader of the Mid-South Fairgrounds renovation committee and has been involved in similar capacities with every major construction project for a civic use in the past 15 years.

Carpenter’s appointment is certain to fuel speculation that he might be tapped for some role in the new administration. However, Carpenter has already been holding fundraisers in anticipation of a bid for re-election to his commission seat in the 2010 county elections.

Wharton is tentatively scheduled to take the oath of office Oct. 26.

The Shelby County Commission also meets that same day and could receive Wharton’s resignation and declare a vacancy in the county mayor’s office with a vote to appoint Wharton’s successor-to-come in November. Until that vote, County Commission Chairwoman Joyce Avery will serve as interim mayor.

“It will be a day in which I come to work at one place and leave work from another place,” Wharton told The Daily News.

But the Shelby County Election Commission will meet earlier than expected -- Thursday afternoon -- to certify the Oct. 15 election results. Once the results are certified, Wharton is free to resign as Shelby County mayor and take the oath as Memphis mayor.

Cooperative efforts

Meanwhile, Wharton has asked City Council Chairman Harold Collins to consider delaying a council vote today on the five appointees the city mayor is to make to a metro charter commission. The council set today’s vote with the intention of having whomever won the Oct. 15 special election appoint members of the panel.

“I won’t be there on the 20th. … I’m seeing if they are in a position to put it off until I’m actually over there,” Wharton told The Daily News, as he has had attorneys researching if a council vote in November would meet timelines for such an effort set out in state law.

“I believe that they may be able to meet on Nov. 3,” Wharton said.

Wharton has already named the 10 appointees to be made by the Shelby County mayor to the panel. The County Commission approved all 10 earlier this month.

While it appears he will make the other five, Wharton said he will ask the council, through Collins, to effectively pick the five nominees, whom Wharton would then send to the council as his appointees.

“I chose all 10 over here, which I had to do by law. If I could find some way around it that passed legal muster, then I would do that,” he said. “But we’ve researched it and I know of no way in which the city mayor can say … ‘I’m not going to do that.’ You can’t transfer it.”

Wharton and Lowery were to discuss the matter at a meeting Monday afternoon. Lowery told The Daily News he had received no suggested appointees from council members, but would be willing to submit names the council wants on the charter commission.

92. Update: Wharton Names Transition Team - Monday, October 19, 2009
 

Memphis Mayor-elect A C Wharton Jr. has named eleven more people to his transition team.

Shelby County Commissioner Mike Carpenter and Methodist Healthcare executive Cato Johnson will chair the group. The others include:

- Herman Morris, attorney, former president of Memphis Light, Gas and Water Division and 2007 Memphis mayoral candidate;

- The Rev. Dwight Montgomery, president of the Memphis chapter of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference;

- Nisha Powers, president of Powers Hill Design Inc.;

- Tomeka Hart, Memphis school board member and Memphis Urban League president and CEO;

- Darrell Cobbins, Universal Commercial President and CEO;

- Jim Strickland, attorney and Memphis City Councilmember;

- Jose Velasquez, Latino Memphis’ former executive director.

- Paul Morris, attorney and former chairman Center City Commission.

- Diane Rudner, Poplar Foundation chairman.

- Steve Reynolds, Baptist Memorial Health Care President & CEO.

- Douglas Scarboro, The Leadership Academy vice president.

In other transition developments, the Shelby County Election Commission will meet Thursday afternoon to certify the results of the Oct. 15 special mayoral election.

The meeting is earlier than Wharton had expected. Once the results are certified, Wharton can resign his post as Shelby County mayor at any point and take the oath of office at City Hall. The Shelby County Commission will then declare a vacancy in the county mayor’s office and commission chairwoman Joyce Avery will become acting mayor until the commission appoints someone to serve the year remaining in Wharton’s county term of office.

93. Obama Challenges GOP Critics on Health Care - Tuesday, July 21, 2009

WASHINGTON (AP) - President Barack Obama pushed back hard against Republican critics of his health care overhaul plan Monday, vowing to fight "the politics of the moment" but gave ground on his tight timetable for passage of legislation.

94. Former FedEx Employee Starts Logistics Business - Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Like it was for hundreds of other Memphians, April 3 proved to be a watershed date for Terica Lamb. She lost her job at FedEx Express that day when the company laid off 1,000 salaried managers and professionals, half of whom came from the Memphis area.

95. Commercial Real Estate Sales Bleak in October - Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Commercial real estate’s downward spiral continued in October, with sales falling by a third compared to the same month a year ago.

Just 64 commercial deals occurred in Shelby County last month, a 33.3 percent decline from 96 in October 2007, according to the latest data from real estate information company Chandler Reports, www.chandlerreports.com.

96. New Binghampton Senior Facility Planned - Friday, August 8, 2008

Two generations ago, Darrell Cobbins’ grandfather developed one of Memphis’ first black middle-income communities called Lakeview Gardens.

Over the next couple of years, Cobbins, a commercial real estate developer and broker, will bring a 133-unit senior housing facility to Binghampton, and he’ll pay homage to his real estate lineage by calling it Lakeview Estates.

97. June Commercial Sales Down 31 Percent - Thursday, July 31, 2008

New month, same story for Shelby County’s commercial real estate market.

Following a recent trend, June’s sales total was salvaged by a high-profile, high-dollar multifamily transaction that kept the commercial numbers afloat while other property types foundered.

98. Cobbins TappedTo Fill Spot on MLGW Board - Thursday, February 7, 2008
     Darrell T. Cobbins, co-founder of the local political group New Path, is Memphis Mayor Willie Herenton's choice to replace Dr. Phillip Bowden on the Memphis Light, Gas and Water Division board. Bowden resigned abruptly f

99. Jones Receives Welcome Home Memphis Designation - Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Crye-Leike affiliate broker C. Lauren Jones was the first Realtor in the Memphis market to receive the Welcome Home Memphis designation when she recently earned the honor.

The designation recently was created by the Memphis Area Association of Realtors and is designed to increase affordable housing expertise.

100. Dr. Lendel Joins Memphis Heart Clinic - Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Dr. Vasili Lendel has joined Memphis Heart Clinic. Lendel is board certified in internal medicine and cardiology. A native of Siberia, Lendel received the Russian Government Award for Academic Excellence. He did his cardiology fellowship at Penn State's medical center in Hershey, Penn., where he received the Chief Cardiology Fellow award.