Scotts LawnService to Merge With TruGreen

Memphis-based TruGreen Holdings Inc. is merging in a joint venture with the Scotts LawnService division of Scotts Miracle-Gro Co. of Marysville, Ohio.

Scotts executives announced the joint venture Thursday, Dec. 10, during an analyst and investor day meeting in New York.

Under the terms, the combined business will operate as TruGreen and be based in Memphis, where TruGreen headquarters are presently.

Scotts will own a 30 percent equity stake in the business and a fund managed by Clayton, Dubilier & Rice, the private equity firm that controls TruGreen Holdings, will hold the controlling interest.

TruGreen CEO David Alexander will lead the new company and John Compton will remain as chairman of the new TruGreen board. Scotts president Jim Gimeson will be chief operating officer.

TruGreen arranges the debt financing with both sides saying they expect to close the deal in early 2016.

The Scotts Miracle-Gro business of consumer products under the Scotts, Miracle-Gro and Ortho brands – as well as Roundup – are not affected by the merger of its residential lawn care service business with TruGreen.

TruGreen was spun-off from Memphis-based ServiceMaster Co. in 2014. It employs about 300 locally.

Earlier this year, TruGreen inked a deal to move its more than 300 Memphis-area employees and its corporate headquarters to a 65,000-square-foot space at the Forum II office building in East Memphis, 1790 Kirby Parkway.

The new headquarters was designed to house up to 400 corporate associates; move in is set for January.

Company spokesperson Amy Simpson said TruGreen does expect to create new local jobs as a result of the merger, although she said the company doesn't yet know how many and what type of positions will be generated.

– Bill Dries

AutoZone, SouthernSun, Loeb Donate to Artspace Lofts

The Artspace South Main Artist Lofts development has three new supporters and made significant strides in its fundraising goal this week.

SouthernSun Asset Management and Loeb Properties Inc. each donated $10,000 to fund the affordable housing development, and AutoZone made a “major contribution” in line with donations made by The Assisi Foundation of Memphis, Pyramid Peak Foundation, the city of Memphis, Downtown Memphis Commission, Ford Foundation and the Hyde Family Foundations.

The three gifts will be matched dollar-for-dollar by an anonymous foundation that issued a $500,000 challenge grant for the project in September.

The 58-unit development is set to break ground in April. When complete, the complex at 138 St. Paul Ave. will be the only affordable housing development intended for artists and creatives in the greater Memphis area.

– Madeline Faber

MAA Board Hikes Dividend 6.5 Percent

MAA’s board of directors has approved a 6.5 percent hike in the company’s dividend for fiscal year 2016, the dividend’s sixth consecutive annual increase.

The quarterly reward to shareholders will grow from 77 cents to 82 cents per share of common stock and will be effective for quarterly dividends payable after Jan. 1. The increase also raises the annualized dividend payout to $3.28 per share of common stock, up 20 cents.

The MAA board made the dividend announcement in advance of MAA’s next quarterly earnings set for Feb. 3. MAA chairman and CEO Eric Bolton said the increase demonstrates the board’s confidence in the company’s performance and its ability to generate cash flow and produce value for shareholders.

“MAA’s dividend has grown by more than 25 percent over the past five years, and today’s announcement reflects MAA’s commitment to providing a consistent and growing dividend to our shareholders,” Bolton said.

The quarterly common dividend of 82 cents per share is payable on Jan. 29 to shareholders of record on Jan. 15.

MAA is a self-administered real estate investment trust and member of the S&P MidCap 400 index. MAA currently owns or has ownership interest in apartment communities throughout the Southeast and Southwest.

– Andy Meek

Memphis in May Festival Announces New Event

After announcing earlier this year that it would retire the annual Sunset Symphony, Memphis in May International Festival has revealed a new event to its month-long lineup.

The Great American River Run will be held Saturday, May 28. It will include a half marathon and 5K run with a course showcasing the Mississippi River and Downtown Memphis.

Live entertainment along the run route and post-race music, food and beverages also are planned for the event.

A second event for the festival finale will be announced in January.

Happening on Memorial Day weekend, the run will support the Wounded Warrior Project. Runners will have a platform to raise funds for the veterans’ service organization, and a portion of the registration fees will be donated to the nonprofit.

“Our city sits on America’s greatest river and we want to celebrate this tremendous local asset with a healthy lifestyle event for local participants and running enthusiasts from across the country,” said James L. Holt, Memphis in May president and CEO, in a statement. “We also want to honor our veterans and celebrate all they do, and have done, for our country, which is the true purpose of the Memorial Day Weekend holiday.”

– Jane A. Donahoe

Rhodes Prepares to Begin Briggs Hall Renovation

Rhodes College’s renovation of Briggs Hall into a computer science center is about to get underway in the latest phase of the college’s expansion.

Grinder, Taber & Grinder Inc. has applied for a $3.7 million construction permit with the city-county Office of Construction Code Enforcement for the project.

Briggs, which has served as a student life center, will be converted to classrooms and offices. The renovation work includes an exterior makeover as well.

The 20,000-square-foot structure is next to a new science building that is under construction following its groundbreaking this summer.

Rhodes president William E. Troutt announced in March the college had completed a $314 million capital campaign the exceeded its original goal. While the plan included some brick-and-mortar projects, most of the money is being used to increase scholarships, create and maintain more faculty chairs of excellence, and support teaching and research projects.

The science building completes the quadrangle of the campus, which was established in 1925 when Southwestern Presbyterian College moved to Memphis from Clarksville, Tenn.

– Bill Dries

AT&T Launching ‘Ultra Fast’ Internet in Memphis

AT&T is expanding the availability of “ultra-fast” Internet speeds to homes, apartments and small businesses in the Memphis area, part of a larger expansion that includes 38 additional U.S. metro areas.

The expansion of AT&T’s GigaPower service brings with it Internet speeds of up to 1 gigabit per second, which gives customers some of the fastest online speeds available. Online service that’s that fast, AT&T says, can allow customers to do things like download 25 songs in less than a second; download a TV show in about three seconds or an HD movie in less than a minute.

AT&T says it invested more than $1.2 billion in its wireless and wired networks in Tennessee between 2012 and 2014.

“All of us who are focused on driving economic development in Memphis are thrilled that AT&T GigaPower is coming to the city and bringing gigabit connections to residential customers,” said Phil Trenary, president and CEO of the Greater Memphis Chamber, in a release about the news. “These services have been available to business owners, hospitals and schools in the area for some time, and we are glad to see that the work being done at both the state and local levels is helping to create an environment that opens the door for greater investments in and deployments of these modern communications services.”

– Andy Meek

New Holiday Inn Express Rising Near Graceland

Holiday Inn Express and Suites is ready to shake up the Graceland area with a $4.8 million construction loan recently arranged by the Memphis office of Financial Federal Bank.

The four-story, 85-bedroom hotel at 3411 Elvis Presley Blvd. will be the first nationally franchised property to enter the Memphis International Airport and Graceland area in more than a decade.

The owners are planning on clientele ranging from Graceland tourists to Medtronic, Smith & Nephew and FedEx corporate guests.

“It’s no secret that the submarket has experienced a major void in quality hotels,” said Rick Wood, executive vice president of Financial Federal Bank, in a release.

Elvis Presley Enterprises currently is constructing the $90 million, 450-room Guest House at Graceland, which is scheduled to open in October. The Guest House is being built along Elvis Presley Boulevard, north of the Graceland mansion.

Hospitality Builders of America applied this month for a $14.2 million permit for the Whitehaven-area Holiday Inn. A representative told The Daily News Thursday, Dec. 10, that the figure was inaccurate, and the construction group is building on an earlier $3.5 million permit.

The hotel is along the west side of Elvis Presley Boulevard between Hernando and Winchester roads, just a few blocks north of Graceland.

– Madeline Faber

Jack Sammons Back At Airport Authority Board

The Memphis City Council confirmed it last week, and the Memphis-Shelby County Airport Authority made it official Thursday, Dec. 10.

Jack Sammons is returning to the airport authority board, beginning a new seven-year term on Jan. 1.

Sammons previously served on the MSCAA board from 2010 until May 2015, when he took on the role of outgoing Memphis Mayor A C Wharton’s chief administrative officer. He served as chairman of the MSCAA board from 2013 until he stepped down.

Sammons’ role as chairman of the airport authority made him the chief salesman and booster of Memphis International Airport as the airport began making the transition from a Delta Air Lines hub to an airport that primarily relies on origin-and-destination passenger traffic.

Sammons will fill J.W. Gibson’s expiring post.

– Madeline Faber

Local Institutions Win Grant To Improve Cancer Disparities

Methodist Healthcare Foundation, in partnership with the University of Memphis and West Cancer Center, has received a Eugene Washington PCORI Engagement Award by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) to create an innovative approach where patients, researchers and health care providers work together to improve cancer disparities.

The goal of the project is to build trust and lasting partnerships with hard-to-reach populations who have traditionally faced disparities in cancer care and outcomes. It’s also meant to engage those individuals in research efforts.

Dr. M. Paige Powell, assistant professor in the Division of Health Systems Management and Policy at the University of Memphis School of Public Health, and Cynthia Tankersley, director of care support services at West Cancer Center, will lead the engagement project in conjunction with Methodist Healthcare Foundation.

Patients, family members, health care providers and researchers will be involved in developing a counsel to study ways to improve the coordination and quality of health care required to reduce the prevalence of breast, colon, lung and prostate cancers in the target populations in Memphis and beyond.

– Andy Meek

Jeff Johnson Leases Midtown Restaurant Space

Jeff Johnson, the restaurateur behind Local, Oshi Burger Bar and Agave Maria, is bringing a new concept to a Midtown restaurant space.

Jeff Johnson Restaurant Group last month signed a 2,212-square-foot lease at 1545 Overton Park Ave. The property most recently housed the Evergreen Grill. Carson Claybrook, vice president of Cushman & Wakefield/Commercial Advisors, represented the tenant.

In other retail news, MidSouth Med LLC recently signed a 2,600-square-foot lease at 9160 Highway 64 in Lakeland. Carson Claybrook represented the tenant and Roger McLemore, vice president of commercial property services with Makowsky Ringel Greenberg, represented the landlord in the deal.

EZ Wireless of Memphis Inc. signed a lease for a 678-square-foot bay at 5865 Summer Ave. Carson Claybrook and Conner Walker, a senior associate at Commercial Advisors Asset Services, represented the landlord.

– Madeline Faber

Avison Young to Open Memphis Office

A new commercial real estate services firm has come to town.

Toronto, Canada-based Avison Young has hired principals Shane Soefker, who previously was an executive vice president and principal at Cushman & Wakefield/Commercial Advisors, and Jacob Biddle, who served as vice president at C&W/CA.

In addition to capital markets services in the Memphis, Mississippi and Arkansas markets, Soefker and Biddle will focus on growing the new office’s investor and occupier services for corporate, institutional and private clients.

Warren Smith, managing director of Avison Young’s Nashville and Knoxville offices, will oversee the new Memphis office.

This is Avison Young’s third office in Tennessee and its 50th nationally. It first opened in Nashville and Knoxville in September with 82 members joining the company from Cushman & Wakefield/Cornerstone.

The new Memphis office is located in the Clark Tower, 5100 Poplar Ave.

– Madeline Faber

Grizzlies Plan Gospel Night, Faith & Family Night

Memphis Grizzlies fans who purchase tickets to the Grizzlies matchups on either Feb. 19 or April 1 will also get a postgame concert as part of the Grizzlies’ annual Gospel Night and Faith & Family Night, respectively.

Discounted group tickets, starting at $12, are available to both Gospel Night and Faith & Family Night for parties of 15 or more and can be purchased by calling 901-888-HOOP. A limited number of hospitality suite packages are also available that include 16 suite tickets, four parking passes and 20 terrace-level tickets.

First on the calendar is Gospel Night on Friday, Feb. 19, when the Grizzlies face the Minnesota Timberwolves. Pastor Beverly Crawford, a standout on the gospel scene for more than 20 years, will give the concert that night.

Crawford is best known for her tenure with the New Life Singers on BET’s Bobby Jones Gospel, and she has received multiple Stellar Awards, and Dove and Grammy Award nominations.

Faith & Family Night will highlight the Grizzlies matchup against the Toronto Raptors on Friday, April 1, with a postgame concert from former Newsboys standout Peter Furler.

After 22 years as the main creative force behind Newsboys, Furler returned to the solo scene with the album “Sun and Shield.” The artist behind 27 No. 1 radio singles teamed with longtime producer/lyricist Steve Taylor to create a collection of new songs with a stronger, band-driven sound.

– Don Wade

Three Penguin Chicks Born at Memphis Zoo

Three African penguin chicks have hatched at the Memphis Zoo.

The three chicks, which were hatched between Oct. 17 and 21 to two sets of penguin parents, are the first penguin chicks to be reared at the zoo in two years, according to zoo leaders. The sexes of the chicks have not yet been determined.

After spending the first few weeks with their parents, the chicks are now being hand-reared off exhibit by the zoo’s penguin keepers. The chicks will grow to full size at about two months but aren’t fully mature until they shed their juvenile gray feathers at about a year old.

African penguins, which are considered “warm weather” penguins, have been part of the zoo’s collection since 1987. The zoo hatched its first chick in 1990 and has raised 37 additional chicks since then.

The new chicks, still wearing their juvenile plumage, will make their march into Penguin Rock next spring, where they will join the Memphis Zoo’s 21 adult penguins.

– Kate Simone

Valenti Management To Open New Office

New office space is coming to Germantown, as Valenti Management has filed a $1.2 million building permit application for a “new single-story corporate office” on Crestwyn Hills Drive.

Valenti owns and operates Wendy’s and Chili’s franchises across Alabama, Tennessee, Mississippi, Pennsylvania and Missouri and has more than 4,500 employees. The vacant site at 9185 Crestwyn Hills Drive is east of Forest Hill-Irene Road and south of Crestwyn Hills Drive.

According to the company website, Valenti has a Memphis office at 1775 Moriah Woods Blvd., which is at this point still operational.

– Madeline Faber

St. Jude Taps New Head Of International Outreach

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital has tapped Dr. Carlos Rodriguez-Galindo to lead its International Outreach Program.

The appointment comes as the institution broadens its global footprint through enhanced programs and collaborations. Rodriguez-Galindo also will chair the newly created Department of Global Pediatric Medicine and hold the Four Stars of Chicago Endowed Chair in International Pediatric Research.

He first came to St. Jude in 1994 as a postdoctoral fellow and served as a clinical researcher and faculty member for more than a decade. He returns to St. Jude from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Boston Children’s Hospital, where he was director of the Pediatric Solid Tumor Program, medical director of the Clinical and Translational Investigations Program, and director of the Global Health Initiative in Pediatric Cancer and Blood Disorders.

The St. Jude International Outreach Program now includes 24 partner sites in 17 countries.

– Andy Meek

Stanton Has Potential Challenger for Clerk

General Sessions Court Clerk Ed Stanton has a possible challenger in the March 1 Democratic primary for clerk.

William M. Stovall pulled a qualifying petition Dec. 4 in the Democratic primary. But he had not filed the petition as of late Tuesday, Dec. 8, with the Shelby County Election Commission, according to the election commission’s website.

The filing deadline for the only countywide partisan race on the 2016 Shelby County ballot is Thursday at noon. The withdrawal deadline is one week later.

The primaries for clerk share the March 1 ballot with the Tennessee presidential primaries.

Stanton has filed for re-election starting with the Democratic primary on March 1. Richard Morton, an employee of the Shelby County Probate Court Clerk’s office, has filed in the companion Republican primary and so far is unopposed.

The winners of the primaries advance to the August county general election.

– Bill Dries

Wholesale Car Dealer Pleads To Federal Fraud Charges

A Collierville man who owned ADLM Automotive Inc. of Mississippi has pleaded guilty to federal fraud charges in a pair of schemes that swindled his victims out of $2.2 million over a two-year period.

Anthony Davis, 44, admitted in the Tuesday, Dec. 8, guilty plea that he used his ADLM Automotive business as the basis for a complex scheme in which investors would pay a share of a car’s purchase price. Davis would then sell the cars, and whoever bought the cars would make monthly payments that went to his investors, according to Davis.

That’s not what happened. Prosecutors estimate he defrauded investors of $1.8 million between December 2012 and October 2014.

During that same period, Davis was creating bogus credit profiles using stolen Social Security numbers, and the profiles and the information were used to get financing to buy other cars. Prosecutors estimate losses to those defrauded in that scheme at $457,000.

Davis is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge John Fowlkes in March.

– Bill Dries

FedEx Institute of Technology Invests In Cybersecurity

As part of the University of Memphis’ push to develop strong research competencies in cybersecurity, the FedEx Institute of Technology has made research awards totaling $190,000 for 12 interdisciplinary projects in this area.

The 21 recipients involved include researchers from 11 academic departments in seven colleges and schools across the university, and the awards address a broad scope of cybersecurity areas such as protecting the power grid, citizen privacy, health care security and social engineering dimensions of cybersecurity.

The researchers received their awards Dec. 3 at the Cybersecurity Lightning Talks, where project leaders presented an overview of their research to the campus community and the public. They were designated as Cybersecurity Research Fellows of the FedEx Institute of Technology.

– Andy Meek

New Ballet Ensemble Receives NEA Grant

The National Endowment for the Arts has announced awards totaling more than $27.6 million in its first funding round of fiscal year 2016, including an Art Works award of $15,000 to New Ballet Ensemble & School.

The grant will go toward support of NBE’s continued work helping children and families at Dunbar Elementary School in the Orange Mound community.

The Art Works category supports the creation of work and presentation of both new and existing work, lifelong learning in the arts and public engagement with the arts through 13 arts disciplines or fields.

NEA Chairman Jane Chu said: “The arts are part of our everyday lives – no matter who you are or where you live – they have the power to transform individuals, spark economic vibrancy in communities and transcend the boundaries across diverse sectors of society. Supporting projects like the one from New Ballet offers more opportunities to engage in the arts every day.”

New Ballet Ensemble’s community partnerships in Orange Mound are centered on their “family resource center” inside Dunbar Elementary School. Launched earlier this year with the support of ArtsMemphis, the center allows parents and guardians of NBE students to build their computer proficiencies, attend finance and GED workshops, and find assistance in drafting resumes, filling out job applications, and developing other job-readiness skills.

This Art Works grants represents approximately one-fifth of the budget required to fully expand the program, according to NBE.

“New Ballet has enjoyed strong relationships with Orange Mound for years,” said NBE’s founder, CEO and artistic director Katie Smythe. “We are so grateful to be able to join with the NEA as part of the ongoing renaissance of this historically significant neighborhood.

– Don Wade

Forest Hill Heights Plan Seeks Community Follow-Up

Development and government leaders are in the process of crafting a broad development plan for Forest Hill Heights, an area located at the southwest corner of Forest Hill-Irene and Winchester roads.

The city of Germantown, Germantown Economic Development Commission and Forest Hill Associates are partnering to develop a long-term vision for the strategic area, which covers more than 300 of the 1,450 acres annexed by Germantown in 2000.

Last week, a public design charrette was conducted to uncover Forest Hill Heights’ uses and strengths. Now further community input is desired.

On Dec. 17, architects Looney Ricks Kiss, engineering firm Fisher Arnold Inc. and real estate market and economics group RCLCO will present their proposed plan. The public meeting will take place from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Fisher Arnold’s office, 9180 Crestwyn Hills Drive.

Property owners, residents and community groups are encouraged to attend and participate in breakout groups on topics such as land use, market opportunities, infrastructure needs, connectivity/transportation and development standards for the area.

Input from the post-charrette meeting will be incorporated into the proposed plan and recommendations for final review.

– Madeline Faber

Memphis Chamber Names 2016 Board of Directors

The Greater Memphis Chamber has announced its 2016 board of directors, which was unanimously approved by the current board of directors.

New board officers include Richard Smith, vice president of global trade services at FedEx Express, who will serve as vice chair; and Douglas Scarboro, vice president and regional executive of the Memphis branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, who will serve as vice chair of finance and treasurer.

Carolyn Hardy was announced as chairman and Lodie Biggs remains secretary and general counsel. Hardy is president and CEO of Chism Hardy Investments LLC, and Biggs is a shareholder at Baker Donelson.

“The chamber is fortunate to have this outstanding group of men and women serve on our board of directors. As we increase our efforts towards breaking the cycle of poverty and growing our middle class, we’re thankful to have these passionate Memphians helping us lead the charge towards a more prosperous Memphis,” said Phil Trenary, Greater Memphis Chamber president and CEO, in a statement.

– Don Wade

Union Avenue Kroger Will Close Jan. 4

The Kroger at 1761 Union Ave. is set to close Jan. 4 to make way for construction. The 36,000-square-foot store will be demolished and the new 54,000-square-foot store will open next fall.

All Kroger employees at the Union Avenue store will be offered their jobs back when the new one opens.

The updated Kroger will have many features new to Midtown grocery stores, including an interior Corky’s restaurant, a growler fill station, a juice bar, Murray’s Cheese Shop, a bike repair station and electric car charging station.

– Madeline Faber

Elvis’ Birthday Celebration To Focus on ‘56 Breakthrough

When local leaders cut a birthday cake on the steps of Graceland Jan. 8 to mark the anniversary of Elvis Presley’s birth, it will also set the stage for a year-long remembrance of the first year Presley was a national phenomenon.

The birthday events kick off a year of events tied to Presley’s 1956 achievements, including his national network television debut on the Dorsey Brothers’ Stage Show, his first gold record for “Heartbreak Hotel” and his first movie, “Love Me Tender.”

A new exhibit at Graceland that highlights Presley’s movie career opens Jan. 7.

“Love Me Tender” will be the theme of a Memphis Symphony Orchestra pops concert Jan. 9 at the Cannon Center for the Performing Arts featuring entertainer Terry Mike Jeffrey.

And the Graceland Archives Studio will host a Jan. 7 auction of 126 authenticated artifacts from third-party collectors, the latest in a series of auctions Elvis Presley Enterprises has hosted.

Among the items up for auction in January is a Gibson Ebony Dove guitar Presley played during his 1973 “Aloha from Hawaii” television special.

None of the items at the auction are from the Graceland archives.

– Bill Dries

$14.2M Construction Permit Filed for Central Station

Only days after City Council approved a 99-year lease of Central Station by private developers from the Memphis Area Transit Authority, the Turley Co. is moving forward with its $55 million revamp of the train station.

On Dec. 3, Montogomery Martin Contractors filed a $14.2 million construction permit for a “new apartment complex, foundation permit” at 608 S. Front Street.

Last month, Montgomery Martin Contractors filed a $1.5 million permit for footing and foundation for the vacant land at 608 S. Front.

The specific apartment plans call for about 200 units across nine three-story buildings. Six 24-unit buildings and one 12-unit building will go up on the vacant land between Front Street and the Central Station platform. The central entry plaza to the apartments will include a pool, fitness center and leasing office.

Later phases of the Central Station project call for a three-story, 18-unit building at Carolina Avenue and South Main Street, along with a 24-unit building with the same industrial design on the elevated railroad platform above South Main.

Developers said last month they were ready to begin construction as soon as possible on both the apartments and movie theater.

– Madeline Faber

Dickey Retained On Tigers Football Staff

New University of Memphis football coach Mike Norvell will keep assistant coach Darrell Dickey on his staff.

Dickey served as assistant head coach and co-offensive coordinator under Justin Fuente this season and was named interim coach after Fuente left for Virginia Tech. He will coach the Tigers in the Birmingham Bowl later this month against Auburn.

“I cannot think of a better first hire for this coaching staff,” Norvell said in a statement.

Dickey has been a long-time assistant in college football and also was head coach at North Texas from 1998 to 2006.

Meanwhile, Sports Illustrated has reported that David Johnson, tight ends and running backs coach at Tulane, will join Norvell’s staff. SI also reported that Paul Randolph, who is Arizona State’s associate athletic director for championship life, would be an assistant coach at Memphis. Norvell was deputy head coach and offensive coordinator at Arizona State before accepting the Memphis job.

Former Alabama graduate assistant Dan Lanning is also joining the Memphis staff, the university announced Tuesday, Dec. 8.

– Don Wade

Old Lamar Truck Stop Gets High-Tech Updates

The Quick Fuel station at 4589 Old Lamar Ave. is bringing new innovations to Memphis: an automatic self-cleaning restroom and an automatic convenience store.

The self-cleaning restroom at the Memphis station will be the first of its kind installed at a U.S. fuel station, according to Quick Fuel.

After fueling, a code is printed on the receipt. To enter the restroom, the driver has to key in the code. The unit is then cleaned “literally from top to bottom” automatically after each use, according to the company.

The automated convenience store is like a high-tech vending machine stocked with refreshments and other necessities.

Quick Fuel was an early proponent of standalone automated fuel systems and one of the first to offer advanced fueling through radio frequency identification, which does away with the need for plastic cards. There currently are 53 Quick Fuel locations across the South and Midwest, including locations in Nashville and Knoxville.

– Madeline Faber

Collierville Hotel Sells for $2.6M

A Collierville Days Inn & Suites has sold for $2.6 million.

Kapil Lodging LLC, which lists an address in Oxford, Miss., purchased the hotel at 1230 W. Poplar Ave. from HIM Inc., according to a Dec. 4 warranty deed. HIM had purchased the property in 2000 for $2.3 million.

Built in 1985, the 32,784-square-foot hotel is situated on 2.6 acres on the north side of West Poplar between Bray Station Road and Poplar View Parkway. The Shelby County Assessor’s 2015 appraisal is $1.4 million.

In conjunction with the sale, Kapil Lodging filed a five-year, $2.2 million mortgage through Commercial Bank and Trust Co. Sanjay Hira signed the loan documents as member of Kapil.

– Madeline Faber

Orion Federal Credit Union Files $1.5M Building Permit

Orion Federal Credit Union has filed a $1.5 million building permit for work at 821 Poplar Ave., where the institution is building a new branch.

The move extends Orion’s presence Downtown to a Medical District site east of Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital.

Orion, formerly the Memphis Area Teachers’ Credit Union, acquired the old gas station on the property earlier this year for $1.3 million from Georgia Commercial Stores Inc.

– Andy Meek

Retail Chain Roses Adds Store in Memphis

The retail chain Roses is expanding in Memphis.

Owned and operated by Variety Wholesalers Inc., the chain said Monday that it’s opening another Roses store – at 6990 Shelby Drive this spring – which will complement three other existing Roses stores in Memphis.

Roses operates stores throughout the Southeast offering products like apparel and shoes, accessories, home furnishings and decor, toys, health and beauty products and other household needs.

Roses was founded in 1915 and is headquartered in Henderson, N.C.

– Andy Meek

Baptist Memorial Health Care Taps New Finance Chief

Baptist Memorial Health Care Corp. has tapped Bill Griffin to replace the organization’s current chief financial officer, Don Pounds, who’s retiring at year’s end.

Griffin has worked for Baptist for 23 years and already served as CFO for two Baptist hospitals as well as corporate system director of finance. He was promoted to vice president of corporate finance in 2000.

Baptist CEO Jason Little said Griffin has “excelled in every position he has held at Baptist.” The organization is one of the largest nonprofit health care systems in the country, with 13 affiliate hospitals in Tennessee, Mississippi and Arkansas.

The Baptist system also includes more than 4,000 affiliated physicians; Baptist Medical Group; home, hospice and psychiatric care; minor medical centers and clinics; a network of surgery, rehabilitation and other outpatient centers; and Baptist College of Health Sciences.

– Andy Meek

‘Stomp’ Coming Back To Orpheum in February

“Stomp” is coming back to the Orpheum in February, the venue announced this week.

The international percussion sensation returns Feb. 20 for two performances.

The show’s performers use a combination of percussion, movement and visual comedy that results in a journey through sound. The show uses things like dustbins, tea chests, boots, hub caps – everything but conventional percussion instruments.

“Stomp” goes on sale to the public Dec. 11 at 10 a.m. Visit orpheum-memphis.com for ticket sales information.

– Andy Meek

Slive to be Honored by AutoZone Liberty Bowl

Former Southeastern Conference commissioner Mike Slive will receive the AutoZone Liberty Bowl’s Spirit of 1776 Award.

Slive will be honored at the Players & Coaches Luncheon on Thursday, Dec. 31, at the Hilton Memphis Hotel. The luncheon will begin at noon. Tickets can be purchased by calling the AutoZone Liberty Bowl offices at 901-795-7700.

Slive was the SEC’s seventh commissioner, serving from 2002 until his retirement in 2015. It was a period of great success for the league that included seven straight football national championships from 2006 through 2012.

The AutoZone Liberty Bowl will be played at 2:20 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 2.

– Don Wade

Memphis Slim Collaboratory Launching Loan Program for Musicians

The Memphis Slim Collaboratory, also known as "Slim House," is launching a pilot music loan program.

The pilot will be administered by River City Capital Investment, the lending arm of Community LIFT. It will lend musicians funds for touring, recording and merchandise, and the program, in its pilot phase, will deploy $25,000 from now through next May to artists across Memphis’ music spectrum.

Loan terms range from three to 12 months with a flat interest rate of 5 percent. Applicants will be assessed on their work history, credit, music industry income streams and their proposed repayment plan.

Artists can apply for a maximum of $5,000, and as funds are repaid from the pilot phase, those dollars will be re-loaned to other artists. Applicants must be members of Slim House to qualify.

Membership to Slim House is $75 per year and provides access to the Slim House studio, as well as access to special events, space rental and equipment rental.

– Andy Meek

Tigers’ Fallin Selected for East-West Shrine Game

Senior University of Memphis offensive lineman Taylor Fallin has accepted an invitation to play in the 91st East-West Shrine Game at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla., on Jan. 23.

Fallin, who was named an American Athletic Conference first team honoree, has started 34 games, including 32 over the past three seasons, in his Tiger career. He has played 2,509 career offensive snaps, including 735 plays in 2015. This year, he was part of an offense that set a school record with 6,125 total yards of offense. Memphis ranks 12th nationally in total offense, averaging 510 yards per game. The Tigers’ 42.7 points per game ranks seventh in the NCAA.

This is the second consecutive year the Tigers have had a representative in the East-West Shrine Game. Last year, three Tigers played in the event – defensive lineman Martin Ifedi, safety Fritz Etienne and corner Bobby McCain.

The East-West Shrine Game is a showcase for prospective NFL talent as scouts from every professional team spend the week in St. Petersburg around the players. More than 100 players from last year’s game were invited to NFL training camps, and more than 70 made NFL rosters. The game also raises money and awareness for Shriners Hospitals for Children.

– Don Wade