VOL. TMN-6 | NO. 5 | Saturday, January 26, 2013

Specifics of sweeping reform at local Juvenile Court become clearer
One at a time. That is the most noticeable change so far at Memphis-Shelby County Juvenile Court as a result of a landmark settlement in November with the U.S. Justice Department. The children before the court come before the court magistrates one at a time. No more groups of juvenile defendants waiting for their case to come up as other cases are being heard.
It is not the luck of the draw that the two major funding challenges for Shelby County government in the coming budget season involve the development of our young people.
EMPHASIS Distribution & Logistics

Memphis International Airport seeks friendlier skies in 2013
Despite struggling through a 2012 of decreased air service and sky-high airfares, officials at Memphis International Airport continue to work hard to improve the facilities and make it a more comfortable and enjoyable place for travelers.
The Traffic Club of Memphis is kick-starting its 100-year celebration with the introduction of its 2013 officers, led for the second straight year by president Mason Wilson.
Planes, trains and automobiles aren’t necessarily the main components of the logistics industry.
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.

Nonprofit health care organizations face funding challenges
The Herb Kosten Foundation and the International Children’s Heart Foundation (ICHF) are two of many local health care-related nonprofit organizations that face ongoing funding challenges.
Memphis-based Pinnacle Airlines Corp. is moving its headquarters to Minneapolis by May as part of its bankruptcy reorganization.
BenchMark at Southwind Realtors LLC will soon relocate its Southeast Memphis office, add agents, integrate technology into its business practices and go paperless in one fell swoop.
Keith Norman has heard the discussions about the generation gap and the nation’s oldest and largest civil rights organization, the NAACP.
Countywide school board chairman Billy Orgel noticed lots of parents of school children from the county outside of Memphis at the annual camp-out for optional school enrollment over the long weekend.
A referendum on a half-percent city sales tax hike to fund a city pre-kindergarten expansion and roll back the city property tax rate by 20 cents would happen in August or September instead of May.

Xtreme Xperience brings interactive auto show to Memphis
Next month, a siren song in the form of a 420-plus horsepower engine roar will beckon all manner of car enthusiasts, speed demons and adrenaline junkies to Memphis International Raceway in Millington.
Many have heard of a pub crawl, but a dish crawl – maybe not so much.
Memphis immigration lawyer Greg Siskind is feeling optimistic at the moment that an immigration reform bill is closer than it’s been in awhile to materializing in and passing through Congress.
The Dyersburg Mall has fetched $4.35 million after hitting the online auction block in November.
The Metropolitan Memphis Hotel & Lodging Association recently elected its slate of officers to serve in 2013, and the group now ramps up for a busy year, including the 14th annual MMHLA Lodging Industry Update on Feb. 22 at the Hilton Memphis.

Area where King assassinated continues impressive transformation
Tuesday, Jan. 15, would have been the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s 84th birthday.
The employee benefits attorneys at Bass, Berry & Sims PLC hope their new free Affordable Care Act webinar series will educate employers and employees about the upcoming health care reform.
Memphis-based First Horizon National Corp. booked a profit of $41 million in the fourth quarter and generated earnings in line with Wall Street expectations of 17 cents a share.
The bill to come in the Tennessee Legislature that permits school vouchers will be built around the more than $9,000 in state funding per school child, in the case of Memphis, and the ability of parents to use it to move their child to a private school.
The supreme talents – the All-Americans, the All-Stars – can take possessions off and still score their 25 or 30 points a night. They can pick their spots to play defense, which in reality means going for a steal here and there, and then mostly defer on the hard work. You know, staying with their man step-for-step, cleaning the glass – sorry, I don’t do windows – or risking humiliation by contesting potential dunks – sorry, I’m not ending up on somebody’s poster.
Trade 40 percent of your bench to Cleveland, play the Lakers the next night, and everything will be just fine. The Fakers are so bad they might not beat El Segundo Middle School at their gym.
The Memphis campus of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University is preparing to expand its number of degree programs in the first part of this year, with classes tailored specifically for working adults.
1 A.W. Willis Memphis, TN 38105
MEMPHIS NEWSMAKERS
Nancy Imre has joined Makowsky Ringel Greenberg LLC as assistant controller. Imre is responsible for the real estate management company’s accounting department, overseeing investor reporting and preparation of corporate financial statements.
MEMPHIS LAW TALK
As a student at Central High School and the University of Miami, Tiffany Johnson enjoyed writing more than anything.
MEMPHIS STANDOUT
As Memphis-Shelby County Airport Authority President Larry Cox heads into the final 17 months leading up to his retirement in July 2014, he is hoping to cap off more than 40 years of service at Memphis International Airport with a big year.
LOCAL COLUMNISTS
THE POOL’S CLOSED. My first date was Ann Wiggs. I took her to a dance in the cafeteria at White Station at the beginning of the seventh grade. She was tall and all elbows and angles. I was short and dumpy and all nervous. We didn’t so much dance as run into each other to music. I was 11. She was 12.
Part one of a two-part series Successful fundraising for a nonprofit requires the full commitment of board members, the executive director, staff and volunteer leadership. Without this commitment, it is very difficult to meet fundraising goals. People may say they are committed and that is good. What is more important is the extent to which people embody that commitment.
Ray’s Take It may feel as if those gray hairs are multiplying faster than your 401(k). Or maybe your career or other life experience has thrown you curve balls that ate through your savings. Either way, it’s not too late to save for a more comfortable future!
Oh, baby! Russell was screaming. At the top of his lungs. Whisked quickly to a distant room, he continued his vocal displeasure. The wailing persisted through the first necessary task. It showed no sign of abatement.
Last week we shared the success story of a high school student who overcame tremendous adversity to recently be awarded a $200,000 full-ride scholarship to Brown University. This week let us discuss an organization that is working to assist women of all backgrounds and cultures in learning the skills needed to make positive choices for themselves and their families: DeNeuville Learning Center.
Despite their considerable marketing budgets and extensive teams, some of the world’s most well-known brands made significant marketing missteps in 2012. Learn from these epic fails to protect your brand.
When you break it down to the simplest definition, a brand can be defined by how others see your product, service, and organization. Branding is a sum of perceptions. How well your organization manages the perceptions defines the brand.
For most of you, it’s about that time of the year again. It’s about the time that you have completely abandoned all those New Year’s resolutions you felt so strongly about a few weeks ago. If this is the case, two of the main reasons the resolutions didn’t work out for you are: 1) You forget to define some sort of specific behavior that supports the resolution and/or, 2) You didn’t hang in there and repeat the specific behavior related to the new belief long enough.
Holiday Retail Sales: Ho Ho Hum or Ho-Ho-Ho? National retail results are in and, according to the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC), when all was bought and wrapped, year-over-year sales increased by 4.5 percent in December and 3.1 percent for the overall holiday season. While that’s pretty much on target with projections, it was the pace of sales that made this year a bit different.