VOL. TMN-7 | NO. 22 | Saturday, May 24, 2014

Economic development agencies fine-tune incentive process
Not too long ago, Dudley Boyd, president and CEO of National Bankers Trust, entered a conference room at the Greater Memphis Chamber’s office at the Falls Building Downtown.
The Greater Memphis Chamber is once again venturing into political waters and taking stands on issues like the proposed move of city employees to a defined contributions pension plan.
EMPHASIS Health Care & Biotech
Medical Center transforming with $1.4 billion in investments
After suffering from years of benign neglect, a new, more invigorated Memphis Medical Center is finally beginning to take shape.
One grant is good. Two grants are better.
When U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander came to Bartlett in March to talk with leaders of several local biotech companies, he had a specific issue in mind – the medical device tax that is part of the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare.
THE MEMPHIS NEWS ALMANAC
2013: The Memphis Grizzlies lost to the San Antonio Spurs ending the NBA team’s historic run in the playoffs after having defeated the Los Angeles Clippers and Oklahoma City Thunder in the first two rounds.
The Overton Park greensward will be used for overflow parking at the Memphis Zoo for one more weekend under a compromise announced Friday, May 23, by the Overton Park Conservancy.

Public housing overhaul nears end with newest development
A small group of people gathered last week in the front room of a new Southwest Memphis housing development for senior citizens.
ProLogis has landed a major renewal at one of its industrial parks.
The closest race in the May Shelby County primary elections turned into a tale of the tape Wednesday, May 21, as the Shelby County Election Commission certified the results of that and all of the other races on the ballot.
A three-day conference for Memphis’ creative community is launching in the city later this year that includes a speaking roster of design, illustration, typography and other creative heavy-hitters from around the country.
It was the first thing Memphis Fire Director Alvin Benson told Memphis City Council members Tuesday, May 20, during budget committee hearings.

Memphis International showcases students’ works
Several years ago Richard White, vice president of properties and business development at the Memphis-Shelby County Airport Authority, noticed what he thought was a troubling trend.
When the Memphis Zoo pulled its funding of a free trial shuttle Tuesday, May 20, the Overton Park Conservancy moved up the start date two weeks from June 7 to this Saturday, May 24.
Samantha Crespo has written her first book with a simple goal: to make readers fall in love with Memphis.
Ricky Wilkins is promising to match U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen’s energy level and be more of a presence in the district than Cohen if he upsets the incumbent in the August Democratic primary for the 9th Congressional District.

Stern Cardiovascular doctors using new catheter technology
It started with ice cream 25 years ago, probably vanilla with chocolate sauce, because that’s his favorite. Or maybe it was pure coincidence, except that over the years Tim Lyles noticed a pattern.
There’s an energy in the Broad Avenue Arts District that Chantal Johnson insists “you just can’t bottle.”
The owner of Ashlar Hall says he would like to pursue renovation of the Midtown mansion and hopes he can find multiple tenants to fill the rehabilitated building, which would help offset the cost of repairs.

Jim Steffen bets on new mobile retail truck The Bikesmith
The bicycles aren’t the only thing with wheels in Jim Steffen’s new shop.
Memphis International Airport is gaining another nonstop daily flight.
The superintendents of the Lakeland Schools and Arlington Community Schools systems admit they haven’t been in the spotlight much in the coming schools demerger.
A report from Fitch Ratings May 14 declared that going forward the U.S. economy will have to grow without the help it has enjoyed in recent years from things such as low interest rates and government spending.

New Graceland hotel resort signals neighborhood’s evolution
Elvis Presley Enterprises CEO Jack Soden described his job last week as conveying the excitement he feels about the coming of a 450-room hotel next door to Graceland, while tempering that with the reality that while he wants to get it done as quickly as possible, it might be done in phases.
At the end of a turbulent week, Shelby County Commissioner Henri Brooks offered several alternate explanations for her remarks about Hispanics and their experience as minorities in Memphis.
Joel Tracy has been named the first chief information officer at IMC Cos., a national logistics company focused on international shipments. In his new role, Tracy will be responsible for delivering a broad range of IT initiatives in support of IMC’s logistics business.
REAL ESTATE RECAP
756 Ridge Lake Blvd., Memphis, TN 38120, Sale Amount: $2.9 million -
The 38,472-square-foot Ridge Lake Office Building at 756 Ridge Lake Blvd. in East Memphis has sold back to the lender for $2.9 million following a foreclosure.
Mind Over Data is one of those Memphis companies that tends to fly under the radar, even though its high-tech handiwork can be found across the country and easily touches the imagination of people who encounter it.
Hard as it is to believe now, it was only May 3 when the Grizzlies last played a basketball game. Less than three weeks later, that Game 7 loss at Oklahoma City stands as the franchise’s last normal moment.
Until recently, I figured if I ever won a huge lottery and became a gazillionaire, I would indulge my sports fantasy of owning a horse in the Kentucky Derby.
LOCAL COLUMNISTS
ALL IN HOW YOU LOOK AT IT. “What do you see in that?” she asked, pointing up.
One of the most exciting career transitions job seekers make is changing industries. You may want to move from nonprofit to corporate or from a large organization to a small business. These moves expose you to a new workplace and can reenergize you if you’re feeling burnt out in your current environment.
Ray’s take: A typical job interview question is “Where do you see yourself in five years?” So should you be asking yourself this question in general? Is a five-year plan a must to your fiscal future?
“I will not be venomous!” This is what I imagined to be the mantra of the reptile written about in Frankie Frisco’s “Second thoughts” sports column in the May 10 Arkansas Democrat-Gazette: “A Spurs official said the snake was determined to be non-poisonous ….”
Boosting workplace morale may be as easy as leveraging your team’s talents outside the office via volunteer efforts.
First in a two-part series. The buying experience has been completely reinvented over the last decade, and companies slow to adapt are losing revenue and market share as a result.
Diabetic retinopathy is the leading cause of blindness within the working population (age 20-65 years old). It’s estimated that 20.8 million people in the U.S. have diabetes and of those, 6.2 million are unaware they even have it.
Happy graduation! You did it! This column is for graduates and their families.
Perspective is everything. In life and work life this adage proves true time and time again.
It was a gathering of eagles. You know, the people who like to soar, and, more importantly, they like to push eaglets out of the nest so that they can also learn to soar.