Collierville Entity Buys 14.6 Acres on Byhalia Rd.

Halle Acquisition Fund has bought vacant land in Collierville from ECG Wolf River for $1.1 million.

No loan documents were filed with the Shelby County Register of Deeds at the time of sale.

The parcel is 14.6 acres at the southwest corner of Byhalia Road (to the north) and Wolf River Boulevard (to the east) in the Wolf River Ranch Planned Development Outline Plan. It is one of three Nashville-based ECG Wolf River acquired via quitclaim from SunTrust Bank in January.

The Shelby County Assessor of Property’s 2011 appraisal is $2.6 million.

Collierville-based Halle Acquisition Fund shares an address with Halle Investment Co.

Source: The Daily News Online & Chandler Reports

– Kate Simone

Dunavant Completes Move to Ridgeway Loop

Dunavant Enterprises has moved into a two-story office at 959 Ridgeway Loop Road after 40 years on Getwell Road.

The global logistics company made the move this week. The new location is the latest change for the company known for its past role in the global distribution of cotton.

Dunavant sold its cotton interests last year, making a shift to logistics.

Dunavant Enterprises president and CEO William B. Dunavant III said the move to Ridgeway Loop puts the company near its business partners.

“We have many fond memories from our company’s history on New Getwell,” he said in a written statement. “But this new space is in an ideal location for the main focus of our company, which is global logistics, as well as real estate and investment.”

– Bill Dries

Sales and Marketing Society to Hold 2011 Summit

The Sales and Marketing Society of the Mid-South will hold its Sales & Marketing Summit 2011 Tuesday, Aug. 30, from 7:45 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at the Racquet Club of Memphis, 5111 Sanderlin Ave.

Jane Applegate, author of four books about entrepreneurial success, will deliver the keynote address, titled “Seamless Marketing: How to Integrate All Your Promotions From Facebook to Group Coupons, Print Ads, Radio, TV and Direct Mail.”

Other speakers are Susan Stephenson, president of Independent Bank; and Susan Drake, author, marketing consultant and The Daily News weekly columnist, whose “Light Their Fire” column appears on Page 7 of the Wednesday, Aug. 24, edition.

A question-and-answer panel will follow.

Cost is $50 for SMS and Greater Memphis Chamber members and $75 for nonmembers.

Breakfast is included.

For more information or to register, visit www.sms-midsouth.org or call 866-290-4241.

– Taylor Shoptaw

UT Nursing College Grant to Help Disadvantaged Students

Tommie L. Norris, associate professor of nursing and director of the Clinical Nurse Leader Program at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) College of Nursing, has received an $814,100 grant to expand nursing education opportunities for disadvantaged students.

The grant was awarded by the Health Resources and Services Administration, an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The award will fund Norris’ project, called “Increasing Nursing Education Opportunities for Individuals from Disadvantaged Backgrounds.”

The grant will provide resources to improve the recruitment and retention of students from educationally or economically disadvantaged backgrounds, including racial and ethnic minorities, to meet the national goal to improve health care education access.

State and national data confirm a diversity gap in nursing students both in the state and the nation.

– Aisling Maki

Allie Prescott to Head U of M Alumni Association

Allie Prescott has been elected president of the University of Memphis Alumni Association national executive board of directors.

Prescott holds his bachelor’s and law degrees from the U of M, and he is a life member of the University of Memphis Alumni Association. As a former adviser to the executive director and former vice president for membership, Prescott is serving his fifth year on the national board.

He was named Outstanding Alumnus from the College of Arts & Sciences in 2002 and Distinguished Alumnus of the University in 2003. Prescott is a former baseball player for the U of M and is still active in the M Club; he was inducted into the M Club’s Hall of Fame in 1996.

A native Memphian, Prescott is the owner of consulting company Allie Prescott & Partners LLC, and is a senior adviser for Waddell & Associates Inc. Prescott was president and CEO of the Memphis Redbirds AAA baseball team from 1997 to 2001.

Serving on the board with Prescott will be Anita Vaughn, Wei Chen, Kim Barnett, Renee DeGutis, Butch Childers, Eric Robertson, Jim Strickland, Cathy Ross, Marla Johnson Norris, John Bobango, Theopolis Holeman, Roberto Young, Ben Watkins, David Kustoff, Dana Gabrion and Ron Hart. Advisers to the board president will be Mark Long, Diane Vescovo, John Koski, John Lawrence, Martin Zummach, Paul Jewell, Rob Evans, and Dr. Robert Wright.

Prescott succeeds Deanie Parker, who will remain on the board as immediate past president.

– Sarah Baker

Phoenix Entertainment Honored by MAHBA

Scott and Danis Fuelling of Memphis-based Phoenix Unequaled Home Entertainment were recently honored at the Memphis Area Home Builders Association’s 2011 annual general membership meeting.

Phoenix was presented with an award for its continued support of MAHBA, which includes its ongoing sponsorship of the spring Best of Home Expressions Show, as well as its dedication to meeting the electronic needs of the MAHBA organization.

Phoenix has had a strong presence at the annual MAHBA show for more than 10 years and has been the title sponsor of the show since 2005.

Phoenix specializes in providing solutions for all aspects of custom home electronics and systems integration.

– Andy Meek

Club Eclipse Nightclub Closed As Nuisance

The owner of Oakhaven nightspot Club Eclipse is due in Shelby County Environmental Court Wednesday, Aug. 24, after the business at 4532 Getwell Road was closed as a nuisance Friday night, Aug. 19, by the Shelby County District Attorney General’s office.

The legal action by the prosecutor’s office came after a one-year undercover investigation that included the FBI as well as the Shelby County Sheriff’s Department and the Memphis Police Department.

The legal petition seeking the closure at least until Wednesday’s hearing says undercover officers bought powder cocaine 11 times inside the club in the presence of club management and staff.

The club’s closure came with the arrest of seven people facing federal charges of conspiracy to distribute cocaine.

The closure order, which names the owner as Juvenal Perez, is a temporary injunction.

Prosecutors said they acted after complaints from neighbors about violence, drug sales and gang activity.

Environmental Court Judge Larry Potter will decide at Wednesday’s hearing whether the injunction should remain in place.

– Bill Dries

TVA Claims Success for Energy Efficiency

The Tennessee Valley Authority has logged 25,000 home energy evaluations since launching an in-home program in March 2009.

TVA vice president Bob Balzar said the steady growth came because power distributors strongly supported it.

Balzar said the recommendations from the audits help consumers save energy and also bring them up to $500 in reimbursements when they make the recommended improvements.

TVA estimates more than $54 million in home energy efficiency improvements have been made in the last two years.

– The Associated Press