$39 Million Permit Filed for UT Health Science Ctr.

A building permit application has been filed with the city-county Office of Construction Code Enforcement for 71 S. Manassas St.

The $39 million permit application states it is for a four-story research laboratory building with a connector bridge to an existing facility. The owner and tenant are listed simply as University of Tennessee.

No architect, contractor or completion date was listed on the permit application, and a call to the University of Tennessee Health Science Center was not returned by press time.

UT Health Science Center’s main Memphis campus is in the Medical District, in close proximity to The Regional Medical Center at Memphis, Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital, Veterans Affairs Medical Center and the Memphis Bioworks Foundation.

Source: The Daily News Online & Chandler Reports

– Kate Simone

Cheffies Cafe to Host Grand Opening Saturday

Cheffie’s Cafe is holding its grand opening Saturday, featuring Jeremy Shrader’s jazz duo and Memphis-based bluegrass string band 2 Mule Plow.

Cheffie’s, 483 High Point Terrace, earlier this month filled the 4,000-square-foot space formerly occupied by Gild the Lily, on the northern bay of the High Point Terrace strip. The concept is a collaboration between cookbook author Jennifer Chandler and Matt Wilson, founder and owner of Swanky’s Taco Shop.

The menu features house-made salad dressings, freshly baked pastries, yogurts, fresh fruits, artisan-style breads, 14 flavors of gelato and a selection of boutique wines and handcrafted beers, including beers from locally brewed Ghost River Brewing Co.

The grand opening will run from 11:30 a.m. until 6 p.m.

For more information, check out Cheffie’s Facebook event page.

– Sarah Baker

Cohen to Address the State of Housing Monday

The Memphis Chapter of National Association of Real Estate Brokers will present a panel discussion on the “State of Housing” Monday.

U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Memphis, will kick off the discussion, followed by an panel covering an array of subjects from legislative acts to mortgages to state-funded programs that stop foreclosure proceedings.

Panelists include Shelby County Trustee David Lenoir, Shelby County Assessor of Property Cheyenne Johnson, Director of Housing and Community Development Robert Lipscomb, Community Mortgage President and CEO Pat Sandlin, Director of Business Development at the Tennessee Housing Development Agency Debbie Reeves, Memphis Area Association of Realtors Immediate Past President Glenn Moore, Field Office Director for the Memphis office of HUD John Gemmill, and Margie George with the Tennessee Housing and Development Agency.

This event – sponsored by Community Mortgage Corp. – is slated for Monday from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at MAAR, 6393 Poplar Ave. RSVPs can be made at www.memphishomeownership.eventbrite.com.

– Sarah Baker

Morgan Keegan Awards Employees

Three Memphis-based employees of Morgan Keegan & Co. Inc have received the firm’s annual Circle of Excellence Employee Award.

Lesley Dillon, Amanda Jones and Myna Bradley have received the award, which is the highest honor awarded annually at Morgan Keegan to employees who show dedication to their jobs, coworkers and community.

Jones and Dillon were given the Circle of Excellence Award for Distinguished Service, which, according to the company, recognizes outstanding Morgan Keegan employees who demonstrate a commitment to client service and a willingness to go the extra mile.

Jones is a margin specialist in the firm’s operations department, has been with the firm for 11 years. Dillon, a paralegal in the firm’s legal department, has been with Morgan Keegan for 19 years.

Bradley was presented the Circle of Excellence Award for Outstanding Support for demonstrating a commitment to client service and dedication to fellow employees.

Bradley is a travel consultant in Morgan Keegan’s corporate travel department and has been with Morgan Keegan for eight years.

– Andy Meek

Crye-Leike Honors Top Performers, Longevity

Crye-Leike Realtors Inc. honored its brokers working in the residential and commercial sectors Tuesday at its annual awards gala.

First-year inductees to the Multi-Million Dollar Club were awarded to Scott Wilbanks, Cathy Anderson and Jerry Modesto.

Second-year awards were picked up by C. Lauren Jones and Melissa Hayes.

Danny Buke, David Ernst, Vicki Gandee and Curtis Ward all received third-year awards.

Lifetime awards were presented to Lila Mehdian, Kevin Figg and Crystal Mitchell.

Meanwhile, Crye-Leike also honored its long-term employees in five-year increments. Five-year awards were presented to Judy Scruggs, Tonda Thomas, Curtis Ward, Cindy Waters, Karl Steelman, Jessica Dickson, Rhiannon Mauck, Scott Bettis, Vicki Shelby and Suzanna Nehilla.

Ten-year awards were given to Carmen Brown, Sue Cotton, Anita Frase, Betty Sulmer, Angie Vandengerg, Christie Jones, Mike Vaughn and Jeff Burress.

Recognized for 15 years of service were Felix Bishop, Vicki Blackwell and Crystal Mitchell. Twenty-year awards were given to Mark Bradley, Margaret Fletcher and Louise Jordan, while 25-year awards were presented to Betty Radford and Chet Whitsitt.

Finally, 30-year awards were presented to Steve Brown and Charles Callis.

– Sarah Baker

Memphis Presto-X Wins Branch of the Year Award

Danny Brown, service center manager from the Memphis-based branch of Presto-X Pest Control, was the recipient of the Rentokil Global Branch of the Year award.

“The award was completely unexpected. It reflects the dedication and hard work that the Memphis team put forth in servicing our clients in 2010,” Brown said.

To be eligible for the award, the branch must achieve 100 percent of the profit they predicted in 2010. Additionally, the award is based on the highest combined score from three key elements: customer service, relationship and teamwork.

– Allison Buckley

Hollywood Casino Raises Money for St. Jude

Hollywood Casino has presented a $64,254 check to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

The check was the result of Hollywood Casino/St. Jude Red Carpet Bash’s annual event held Jan. 22 at the casino.

Since 2001, the annual dinner, auction and live music evening has raised more than half a million dollars for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

– Taylor Shoptaw