Office Condo Owner Files $1.3 Million Loan

Collins Corner LLC, the owner of a 10,000-square-foot office condominium at 968 Civic Center Drive in Collierville, has filed a $1.3 million loan on the property.

The limited liability company filed the loan Nov. 15 through IberiaBank on the property’s suite 103.

It is home to the Collierville office of Prudential Collins-Maury Inc. Realtors and Sovereign Homes LLC homebuilders, two companies owned by local real estate and building professional Doug Collins.

Built in 2005, the Class A office space is condo in the Marketplace Professional Centre Condos at the northwest corner of Market Boulevard and West White Road.

The Shelby County Assessor of Property’s 2012 appraisal is $1.5 million.

Collins Corner acquired the property the same day via quitclaim from Collins, who has served as 2008 president of the Memphis Area Home Builders Association and is a past president of the Memphis Area Association of Realtors.

Collins bought the property in 2006 for $1.5 million.

Source: The Daily News Online & Chandler Reports

– Daily News staff

Electrolux Employees Report for Work in Memphis

A group of 50 Electrolux employees began moving Monday, Nov. 26, into the company’s Memphis manufacturing plant in the Frank C. Pidgeon Industrial Park.

The plant will make stoves and ranges starting in 2013 in a phased-in opening that will add product lines as it goes.

Those moving in this week are front office employees including plant management, construction management, staff support and human resources.

And with the move-in comes the installation of the hardware to be part of the company’s Memphis research and development center. At the center, which is part of a 750,000-square-foot facility, more than 300 products can be tested at one time. The testing is to map out and ultimately improve what happens to the products during their usage over a long period of time.

Earlier this month, prospective Electrolux employees began taking job training classes at Southwest Tennessee Community College as part of the application process. The classes, which Electrolux executives set the specifications and requirements for, are being coordinated and funded through the federally funded Workforce Investment Network.

The company plans to hire 200 more workers through the training process by May. Over the next five years, the plant’s goal is to hire 1,200 people.

– Bill Dries

Walker-Associates Wins 15 MarCom Creative Awards

The creative work of Walker-Associates Inc., a Memphis-based advertising, marketing and public relations firm, was recently recognized with 15 International MarCom Creative Awards, a competition administered and judged by the Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals.

Top awards, Platinum MarCom statuettes, were awarded to Walker-Associates for: “So Inspiring - Civil Rights,” a Web video for the DeSoto County Convention and Visitor’s Bureau that narrates the civil rights movement and its effect on the area; “Be Social,” a social media and PR campaign for Duncan-Williams Inc. that features a series of Web videos, internal and external events and PR; “Free Bird,” a Web video for Duncan-Williams; “Skip Poker Night,” a print ad for Gould’s Day Spa & Salon; and “Stonehenge,” a national trade print ad for Lucite International promoting the global acrylic manufacturer’s new colors for the spa/hot tub market.

Gold MarCom statuettes were awarded to the firm for: “Report to the Community,” the annual report for Arkansas Methodist Medical Center; “So Soulful - The Blues,” a Web video for the DeSoto County CVB that documents blues music in the area; “Faking It,” a print ad Gould’s Day Spa & Salon’s Mother’s Day campaign; and “Mother Nature,” a national trade print ad for Lucite International.

Honorable Mention Gold MarCom certificates were awarded to the firm for: “Dragon Trolley,” Memphis’ first-ever wrapped trolley for Duncan-Williams; “Girls on Film” and “Kissed by a Rose” Web videos for Duncan-Williams; “PCG Recruitment,” a direct mail campaign for Duncan-Williams; “Brand Identity,” a new logo for the Ovarian Cancer Awareness Foundation; and “TNStars launch event,” an event for the Tennessee Treasury Department to launch the state’s new college savings program.

– Sarah Baker

Paragon Bank Branches Accepting Food Donations

Paragon National Bank’s four bank branches are serving as donation centers for the fifth Annual Mid-South Food Bank Student Food Drive through the end of this week.

Donations of non-perishable food items can be made through Friday, Nov. 30, at Paragon Place, 6300 Poplar Ave.; Fountain Place, 5400 Poplar Ave.; Saddle Creek, 7600 Poplar Ave.; and Grove Park, 4515 Poplar Ave.

The Student Food Drive is conducted by Memphis area high school students to benefit the Mid-South Food Bank. The food goes to the Mid-South Food Bank for distribution to its member agencies throughout the area, including food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters, youth programs, rehabilitation and residential centers, senior programs, daycares and schools.

Last year, Paragon saw record levels of donations, collecting more than $11,000 in monetary donations and more than 1,000 food items.

– Andy Meek

Indie Memphis Festival Breaks Attendance Record

This year’s 15th annual Indie Memphis Film Festival, held Nov. 1 through Nov. 4, shattered its previous attendance record.

This year’s festival, presented by Duncan-Williams Inc., saw a nearly 38 percent rise in attendance, from 8,000 last year to 11,028 this year. Also, the festival’s ticket and pass sales grew by more than 60 percent.

Central to the festival’s growth was the new Innovation component, which presented a program of panel discussions and presentations by innovation and technology leaders. The festival also included a “48-Hour Hack” presented in collaboration with LaunchMemphis and sponsored by Microsoft, as well as a series of Microsoft education and training opportunities.

The 2012 festival was named a “Top 20 Event” by the Southeast Tourism Society, and it included 39 feature films and about 70 shorts. Also new this year was the festival’s award sculptures, designed and created by Yvonne Bobo and commissioned by Duncan-Williams.

– Andy Meek