College Of Optometry Taps Lewis Reich as President

After serving as interim president at Southern College of Optometry since March 2015, professor Lewis Reich is now the institution’s new president.

That’s a result of the college’s board tapping him for the job in a unanimous vote. Reich, the seventh president in the college’s 85-year history, joined the faculty in 2008 and served as executive vice president for academic affairs prior to being named interim president.

– Andy Meek

Patrick Accounting Moving HQ to East Memphis

Patrick Accounting and Tax Services PLLC and Patrick Payroll LLC have purchased an East Memphis office building for their new headquarters.

The businesses will relocate from their 4,500-square-foot space at 9045 Forest Centre Drive to a 10,454-square-foot building at 1064 Oakhaven Road.

Patrick Real Estate LLC purchased the office building for $970,000, or $92.79 per square foot, on Dec. 22.

The relocation will occur after the tax season, said Matthew Patrick, managing member of Patrick Accounting and Tax Services PLLC and Patrick Payroll LLC.

“We are so excited about the new office as it allows both Patrick Accounting and Patrick Payroll to continue to grow for years to come,” he said.

Landon Williams and Kemp Conrad with Cushman & Wakefield/Commercial Advisors represented the buyers. Don Drinkard with CBRE Memphis represented the seller, RPK Investments LLC.

The Oakhaven Road office building was built in 1975 and last sold for $660,000 in 2009, according to the Shelby County Assessor of Property.

– Madeline Faber

Triumph Bank Names Chief Banking Officer

Triumph Bank has tapped Britin “Brit” Boatright as executive vice president and chief banking officer.

He’ll also serve as chief lending officer, and his portfolio of responsibilities includes helping increase core deposits at the bank.

Boatright spent the last 14 years with FirstBank in Nashville, holding several leadership roles. One of them was as commercial real estate division executive, where he managed the growth and development of the bank’s commercial real estate portfolio across Tennessee.

– Andy Meek

Terminix, CDS to Hold Job Fairs Wednesday

A pair of job fairs on Wednesday, Jan. 20, is giving Memphis-area job seekers two chances to meet with potential employers.

Memphis-based pest-control company Terminix will hold its job event Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. at 6399 Shelby Oaks Drive. The company, a division of ServiceMaster Global Holdings, is seeking to fill 120 positions at its Memphis call center over the next six months, with new hire classes starting at the beginning of each month. The full-time customer service positions pay $11 an hour.

Interested candidates must bring a resume and wear professional attire. Individuals who can’t attend can learn more about the position and apply at jobs.terminix.com.

Meanwhile, Central Defense Staffing will host a recruitment fair from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Landers Center, 4560 Venture Drive in Southaven.

CDS is seeking candidates for a variety of positions with companies in Memphis and North Mississippi. Immediate work is available for qualified Crown Reach Drivers, and other positions include shipping and receiving, quality inspection and light industrial, among other things.

Applicants must be at least 18 years old and have a high school diploma or GED. Resumes are recommended but not required, and attendees should be prepared for an informational interview.

For more information on available positions with CDS, call 901-473-6385.

– Kate Simone

Optional Schools Applications Available Jan. 25

Parents enrolling their children in Shelby County Schools’ optional program for the 2016-2017 school year can begin picking up applications Monday, Jan. 25, at the school system’s Division of Optional Schools and Advanced Academics, 160 N. Hollywood St.

The bar-coded applications will be available starting at 6:30 a.m. Monday and will continue daily from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Thursday, Jan. 28.

The 6:30 a.m. start is an acknowledgement by the school system that some parents will camp outside the headquarters overnight, as they have in past years. That’s despite school officials’ attempts to discourage the practice as unnecessary.

“I want to reassure parents that lining up days in advance of the application process isn’t required for acceptance,” said Linda Sklar, director of optional schools and advanced academics. “We have a great system in place that ensures the integrity of the process and also provides parents with several convenient options for submitting applications.”

During the 2015 application process, 99.9 percent of qualified students whose parents turned in a bar-coded application were offered positions in an optional school of their choice.

The bar-coded applications must be turned in by 5 p.m. on Jan. 29 and can be submitted online, by mail or in person.The online option is only for current SCS students.

There are 47 tuition-free optional schools in the Shelby County Schools system. And each optional school has a specialized area of learning.

– Bill Dries

Shaq Goodwin, Dedric Lawson Honored by The American

Senior University of Memphis forward Shaq Goodwin was selected as American Athletic Conference Player of the Week, and freshman forward Dedric Lawson was named the league’s Rookie of the Week.

It’s the fifth time Lawson has been chosen AAC’s Rookie of the Week.

Goodwin averaged 17.5 points and 8.0 rebounds in victories last week over Temple University and the University of South Florida at FedExForum. Goodwin had a game-high 22 points and 10 rebounds in the 67-65 win over Temple. Lawson posted double-doubles in each game, averaging 17 points and 12 rebounds. He made 13 of 15 free throws (87 percent) in the two games.

– Don Wade

Exeter Property Group Transfers 13 Properties

Exeter Property Group has sold 13 Memphis industrial properties for a combined $143.3 million – all part of the massive deal in which Exeter sold its U.S. industrial portfolio for $3.2 billion.

The 58 million-square-foot portfolio, which includes 209 properties in 25 key distribution markets, was acquired by a joint venture of Henley Holding Company, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, and the Public Sector Pension Investment Board, one of the largest Canadian pension investment managers.

The Memphis properties and their sale prices are: 3955 Holmes Road ($26.5 million), 6005 Freeport Ave. ($20.2 million), 3399 E. Raines Road ($22.9 million), 3461 E. Raines Road ($14.5 million), 4550 Swinnea Road ($15 million), 4480 Swinnea Road ($14 million), 4550 Quality Drive ($8.5 million), 3630 E. Raines Road ($5.7 million), 4289 Concorde Road ($4.9 million), 4403 Delp St. ($3.6 million), 4006 Air Park Street ($3.4 million), 4132 New Getwell Road ($3 million) and 4841 Cromwell Ave. ($1.1 million).

Exeter invested in the joint venture and will continue to manage all the properties.

– Madeline Faber

Walmart Foundation Seeks Tennessee Grant Applicants

The Walmart Foundation’s State Giving Program is now accepting applications from Tennessee nonprofits with programs that focus on hunger relief, healthy eating or career opportunities. Grants through the program begin at $25,000 and can go up to $200,000.

Launched in 2008, employee-led State Advisory Councils work with the foundation to identify needs within each state, review grant requests from eligible 501(c)3 organizations and make funding recommendations.

“The Walmart Foundation’s State Giving Program is another way we extend our mission to help people live better,” Walmart regional general manager Kate Mora said in a statement. “In addition to the thousands of community service hours our associates perform and the in-kind donations that are spread throughout the communities we serve, these State Giving grants allow us to help nonprofit organizations fulfill their mission and continue on their path of service.”

Grant submissions are only accepted online at walmartfoundation.org/stategiving, and the deadline is Jan. 29.

– Kate Simone