McNeill Seeks Permits for Germantown Office Park

A developer planning a mixed use development in Germantown has applied for two building permits for a medical office center.

McNeill Commercial Real Estate, operating as Wolf River Kimbrough Partnership, applied through the city-county Office of Construction Code Enforcement for two building permits totaling $2.4 million.

A 12,000-square-foot building and a 10,000-square-foot building will be built on the southeast corner of Wolf River Boulevard and Kimbrough Road.

Linkous Construction Co. is the contractor and The Reaves Firm is the engineer. The Renaissance Group is the architect.

Wolf River Kimbrough acquired the 2.7-acre site in January for $851,851 from Catherine O. Wilcheck and Agnes O. Brooks, according to the Shelby County Register of Deeds. The Shelby County Assessor of Property’s 2014 appraisal of the site is $205,100.

Earlier in September, McNeill, operating as Neshoba Exeter Real Estate Partners, purchased two properties at the northeast corner of Neshoba Road and South Germantown Road for $6.6 million for a mixed-use project that will include condominiums, 60,000 square feet of retail space and a Hampton Inn & Suites.

Source: The Daily News Online & Chandler Reports
– Amos Maki

AutoZone Sued by Federal Equal Employment Agency

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has charged Memphis-based AutoZone in a lawsuit with violating federal law by allowing a store manager to subject several female employees to sexual harassment.

According to the suit, shortly after the manager transferred to the Cordova AutoZone store around August 2012, he began making “unwelcome lewd and offensive comments of a sexual nature and requesting sexual favors of three female employees.”

The EEOC says one employee complained to another store manager, but her complaint was ignored. The suit goes on to claim that when another female employee complained to a district manager, her complaint was also ignored.

“Despite these complaints, the harassment continued for months, until one of the employees finally complained to AutoZone’s human resources office,” the EEOC said.

The EEOC filed suit in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee, alleging conduct that violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

– Andy Meek

VESTA Home Show Kicks Off Oct. 4

The 2014 VESTA Home Show, presented by West Tennessee Home Builders Association, will be held at Shaw’s Creek Reserve in Piperton and will run from Saturday, Oct. 4, through Oct. 26.

Five local home builders – Kevin Yoon Construction, Taylor Brothers Construction, John Duke, Bryce Homes and Price Hays Construction – have spent the past seven months building houses in the subdivision near Tenn. 196 and Raleigh LaGrange Road.

This year, the show will focus on the lifestyle of country living in a metro area, the peace that comes with living away from a city but with access to larger areas for work, shopping and other activities.

Each home is unique, but they do follow a few common trends, such as including areas like patios and outdoor kitchens that are conducive to family gatherings and entertaining or incorporating natural elements like wood beams, brick, stone and muted earth tones in interior and exterior spaces.

Hours for the show are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Sunday. General admission tickets are $12, with seniors at $10 and youth at $5. A portion of the proceeds will benefit Fayette Cares, an interdenominational agency that works with churches, businesses, service agencies and individuals to provide aid for Fayette County residents in need. Visit vestashow.com for more information.

– Amos Maki

Jones Elected Chair of Shelby County Schools Board

Teresa Jones is the new chairman of the Shelby County Schools board.

Jones was elected without opposition Tuesday, Sept. 30, at the first meeting of the nine-member school board elected to four-year terms in August. She serves as chairwoman of the board for the next year.

She succeeds Kevin Woods, who nominated her for the leadership position.

Meanwhile, Woods was elected vice chairman and ran for the position unopposed. He joked that he had been “demoted.”

Woods was chairman for much of the one and only year of the schools merger as well as the negotiations that led to a federal court settlement on the terms of the demerger that began in August.

– Bill Dries

Fieldstone Apartments Owner Files Loan

The owner of the 324-unit Fieldstone Apartments in the Southwind area has filed a loan on the property.

Fieldstone Apartments I LLC acquired a $13.5 million loan from Magna Bank for the apartment community at 3333 Hacks Cross Road, according to a Sept. 29 multifamily deed of trust. Michael A. Lightman is the registered agent for Fieldstone Apartments I LLC.

The apartment community built in 1997 sits on 22 acres on Hacks Cross between Players Club Parkway and Tournament Drive in Southeast Memphis. The Shelby County Assessor of Property’s 2014 appraisal is $18.1 million.

Fieldstone Apartments LP acquired the land in 1996 for $1.6 million and transferred the apartment community to Fieldstone Apartments of Tenn. LLC in 1999 for $22.3 million.

– Amos Maki

Archer-Malmo Makes Another Round of Hires

Memphis-based marketing communications agency archer-malmo has made another batch of hires.

The firm has added Mike Annear and Jason Jones to its account service team; Josh Harper, Blaine Lloyd and Drew Fleming to its creative team; and Sarah Brown, Carmen Butts, Carlee Hill, Michael DeVry, Ben Hooper and Addie McGowan to its digital team.

The agency also has made a hire, Emily Brueck, in its venture development practice, a-m ventures.

In addition to the hires, archer-malmo has promoted others. Bora Baser is now web animation lead in addition to senior digital developer; Liz Cunningham was promoted to account supervisor from senior account executive; Amanda Dent was promoted to associate creative director/copywriter from senior copywriter; Justin Dobbs to creative director from associate creative director; Emily Long to senior account executive from account executive; Dan Price to senior copywriter from copywriter; and Kong Wee Pang and Ronny Scholz to senior digital art directors from digital art directors.

– Andy Meek

Lipscomb & Pitts Retains Industry Designation

Memphis-based Lipscomb & Pitts Insurance has retained its status as part of an elite group of independent insurance agencies around the U.S. participating in the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America “Best Practices” study group.

Each year since 1993, IIABA and Atlanta-based management consulting firm Reagan Consulting join forces to study the country’s leading insurance agencies in six revenue categories.

Last year, more than 1,100 independent agencies throughout the U.S. were nominated to take part in the annual study, and 217 agencies qualified for the honor. To be chosen, the agency had to be among the 35 to 45 top-performing agencies in one of six revenue categories.

– Andy Meek