Civil Rights Museum, Redbirds Enter Partnership

The Memphis Redbirds and the National Civil Rights Museum have announced a partnership that will feature a celebration of the museum’s 25th anniversary at the Redbirds’ game on Friday, Aug. 12, at 7:05 p.m. at AutoZone Park.

The two Memphis institutions intend to make this year the beginning of an expanded partnership. This year’s game will be focused on celebrating the museum’s 25th anniversary and will feature videos, introductions of important people in the civil rights movement and other recognitions. The Redbirds and the Tacoma Rainiers will wear uniforms honoring the Memphis Red Sox and Homestead Grays of the Negro leagues.

The Redbirds will donate $4 of every field box and dugout ticket purchased with the promo code “NCRM” back to the museum, which can be done online at MemphisRedbirds.com or in-person at the box office on the day of the game.

“We are proud to partner with another great part of the fabric of Memphis like the National Civil Rights Museum,” Redbirds president and general manager Craig Unger said. “There is a long history of baseball in Memphis, and baseball is a great unifier.”

In addition to events surrounding the game on Aug. 12, the Redbirds and the museum have made arrangements for executives who are attending the Triple-A National Championship Game, played in Memphis on Sept. 20, to tour the museum as part of excursions to get to know the city of Memphis during their visit.

AutoZone Park and Memphis played host to the first two Major League Baseball Civil Rights Games, contested between the St. Louis Cardinals and Cleveland Indians in 2007 and the New York Mets and Chicago White Sox in 2008. Major League Baseball presented its Beacon Awards in conjunction with the game, which honored three pioneers of civil rights with the Beacon of Life Award, Beacon of Change Award and Beacon of Hope Award.

– Don Wade

Huckabee Campaigns For Kustoff in Memphis

Former Arkansas governor and one-time Republican presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee campaigned with 8th Congressional District contender David Kustoff Wednesday, July 27, in Memphis, Dyersburg and Jackson in advance of the Aug. 4 GOP primary.

Huckabee, who has appeared in television ads for Kustoff, touted the former U.S. attorney and Shelby County Republican Party chairman as the most conservative and most consistent of the 13 candidates for the seat Republican incumbent Stephen Fincher is giving up.

The day-long swing through parts of the district that covers 15 counties, including parts of Shelby County, is one Kustoff and the six major contenders in the field have made repeatedly since the spring.

The candidates have also relied heavily on television advertising to cover the geographically large district that takes in parts of Memphis as well as most of rural West Tennessee.

– Bill Dries

MIFA Hosts Neighborhood Clean-Up Event on Aug. 20

In keeping with its vision to unite the community through service, the Metropolitan Inter-Faith Association is sponsoring “Taking It to the Streets,” a community clean-up in the neighborhood around its Midtown headquarters at 910 Vance Ave.

The event will take place Aug. 20 from 9 a.m. to noon.

Participants will meet at MIFA at 9 a.m. for a rally and then go out in teams to pick up trash and help beautify the streets in 38126, Memphis’ poorest ZIP code. Bags and gloves will be provided by Memphis City Beautiful, and bottled water will be available.

“Taking It to the Streets” is part of a program initiated in 2015 by the Memphis Department of Public Works to clean up blight. Interested participants should contact Isaiah Swanson at 901-529-4521 or iswanson@mifa.org.

– Don Wade

Memphis Habitat to Hold Benefit Dinner With Carters

Habitat for Humanity of Greater Memphis is hosting a benefit dinner Aug. 25 that will give attendees a chance to mingle with a former U.S. president.

SheetRock ‘n’ Roll is part of Habitat for Humanity’s Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Work Project, which will take place in Uptown’s Bearwater Park beginning Aug. 22.

Guests will join the Carters and Habitat for Humanity at Minglewood Hall, 1555 Madison Ave., to celebrate the Carter Work Project and Habitat’s life-changing work while enjoying food from a team of chefs led by Memphians Andrew Ticer and Michael Hudman, and a musical lineup curated by Grammy Award-winning producer Boo Mitchell.

Ticer and Hudman will be joined by Kelly English from Restaurant Iris, as well as James Beard winners from around the South. Chef Phillip Ashley Rix of Phillip Ashley Chocolates will treat guests to an exclusive flavor inspired by former President Carter.

Following dinner, guests will rock to the sounds of the North Mississippi Allstars, William Bell featuring the Hi Rhythm Section, and local American Idol season five semifinalist Gedeon Luke and his sister, Evvie McKinney.

Funds raised at the event will support Memphis Habitat’s continued work in Uptown, where it has focused its Neighborhood Revitalization program that features new home construction along with critical repairs on owner-occupied, single-family homes and commercial and historic properties.

Individual tickets for SheetRock n’ Roll are $650 and tables for eight are available for $5,200. Visit memphishabitat.com/dinner for details.

– Daily News staff

Y&R Memphis Opens Downtown Office

Marketing and communications company Young & Rubicam has opened its Downtown Memphis office.

Young & Rubicam specializes in advertising, digital and social media, sales promotion, direct marketing and brand identity consulting.

Y&R Memphis secured a $457 million, five-year contract with the U.S. Navy and will hire 50 people initially for the office, with plans to expand in the future.

– Daily News staff

Memphis Medical District Launches Grant Program

The Memphis Medical District Collaborative has launched a grant program to support public events in the area.

The events grant program is open to students, employees, residents and other people in the Memphis Medical District who have an idea for an event that would activate a public space and promote neighborhood assets.

Grants of $1,000, $2,500 and $5,000 will be awarded on a rolling basis beginning Aug. 1 until funds are depleted.

– Madeline Faber

Construction Begins On Millington Retail Center

Construction has begun on the Shops at Millington Farms.

Developed by Ryan Commercial Properties, the retail strip will bring 136,000 square feet of new commercial space to Millington at 8540 U.S. Highway 51 North.

A handful of building permits recently approved by the Memphis-Shelby County Office of Construction Code Enforcement kicked off tenant improvements to the building.

Linkous Construction Co. filed a $96,2985 permit for construction of Ross Dress for Less; a $899,339 building permit for Dunham Sports; a $766,771 permit for PetCo Animal Supplies Store; and a $501,000 permit for Rack Room Shoes.

– Madeline Faber

Bartlett-based Health Care Provider Relocating HQ

Orianna Health Systems LLC, which operates 48 skilled nursing centers with almost 5,000 beds in 11 states, is moving its corporate headquarters from Bartlett to Nashville.

Orianna, which recently changed its name from Covenant Dove, is in the midst of a rebranding initiative and said the move is part of those efforts.

Company president Craig Robinson attributed the desire to move to Nashville to the city’s larger geographic footprint and said Nashville also provides the company “with more convenient access for travel to different parts of the country.”

– Andy Meek

Trustmark Sees $21.5M Profit in Second Quarter

Trustmark Corp. has reported net income of $21.5 million for the second quarter of 2016.

That’s down from a little more than $30 million in the year-ago period.

Among the highlights for the quarter, the bank said loans held for investment increased $137.2 million from the prior quarter and $958.1 million year-over-year. The bank also is continuing to see declines in nonperforming assets.

Trustmark president and CEO Gerard Host said the bank continues to grow loans across its five-state franchise in addition to maintaining solid credit quality.

– Andy Meek

U-Haul Giving Facelift To Former Rawleigh Building

U-Haul is making progress on its facelift of the Rawleigh Building in Downtown Memphis, the company has announced.

Built in 1912, the 125,000-square-foot building once housed local operations for the W.T. Rawleigh Co., which manufactured items such as medicines and soaps.

U-Haul Moving & Storage of South Bluffs at 137 W. Illinois Ave. was acquired in November and began offering truck and trailer rentals and moving supplies from a temporary showroom.

"We are moving slowly with construction in order to preserve as much of the original building as possible," U-Haul Company of Memphis president Carol George said in a statement. "Buildings like this were built well and should be reused if possible."

AMERCO Real Estate Co., which provides real estate and development services to the U-Haul system, paid $383,100 for the property in November.

The building is situated on about 1.8 acres near the southwest corner of West Illinois Avenue and Kansas Street, south of Crump Boulevard.

While no date has been set for completion of the building's self-storage construction, once it is finished, the facility will have 24-hour electronic access and state-of-the-art security for its indoor climate-controlled and non-climate-controlled units.

George said the company was trying to find the right location for U-Haul services in that area.

"We drove by this fabulous building for years, only to see it wasting away,” she said. “We are thrilled to have the opportunity to save this building. The community and the city are behind us completely."

By reusing the Rawleigh Building, U-Haul says it prevented 1,078 tons of metal manufacturing and transportation from being used, avoided 15,406 tons of new concrete pours, kept 16,528 tons of construction and demolition debris out of landfills, and stopped 10.5 million pounds of greenhouse gas emissions from entering the atmosphere.

– Daily News staff

Germantown Gets Grant To Close Greenway Gap

The city of Germantown is getting a $588,501 grant from the Tennessee Department of Transportation to close a gap in its Germantown Greenway system of trails.

The state grant announced Tuesday, July 26, will be used to complete the Neshoba Trail Connector, a 10-foot-wide asphalt stretching between Neshoba Park and a trailhead to the east at the new section of Wolf River Boulevard.

The city puts up a match of $147,125 to the state funding.

– Bill Dries

Grizzlies Open Preseason Oct. 3 at FedExForum

The Memphis Grizzlies announced their complete six-game 2016 preseason schedule, starting with three straight home contests against the Orlando Magic on Oct. 3, the Atlanta Hawks on Oct. 6 and the Philadelphia 76ers on Oct. 11.

All home preseason games will tip off at 7 p.m. at FedExForum.

Following the home exhibition schedule, the Grizzlies will travel to play the Oklahoma City Thunder on Oct. 13 at the BOK Center in Tulsa, Okla., the Houston Rockets on Oct. 15 at the Toyota Center and the Minnesota Timberwolves on Oct. 19 at the Target Center.

– Don Wade

Boyle Promotes Hayden to CFO

Matt Hayden has been promoted to treasurer and chief financial officer of Boyle Investment Co.

Hayden joined the Memphis-based real estate company in 2014 as deputy treasurer. Prior to joining Boyle, he worked as senior vice president of Wunderlich Securities Inc. and first vice president of Morgan Keegan & Co. Inc.

With Boyle, Hayden will be responsible for financial accounting and reporting as well as tax planning and compliance.

Hayden is taking an executive position previously held by Charles Claiborne for the past 33 years. Claiborne will remain at Boyle to work on special projects.

– Madeline Faber

Peabody in Running For ‘Best Historic Hotel’

The Peabody Memphis is poised for another honor.

It has been nominated for “Best Historic Hotel” in USA Today’s 10 Best Readers’ Choice Awards.

The “South’s Grand Hotel” is currently in second place in the ranking.

Voters can make a choice once per day until polls close Aug. 1 at 11 a.m. Visit www.10best.com/awards/travel/best-historic-hotel-2016 to cast a vote.

– Andy Meek

FHN Adds to Board, Approves Dividend

First Tennessee Bank’s parent company has elected a FedEx executive to its board of directors.

Rajesh Subramaniam, the recent addition to First Horizon National Corp., is executive vice president of marketing and communications for FedEx Services Inc. and FedEx Corp. From 2003 to 2006 he was president of FedEx Canada, and prior to that he served as vice president of marketing for FedEx’s Asia Pacific business.

In other First Horizon news, the board has approved payment of a quarterly cash dividend on its common stock of $.07 per share. The dividend is payable on Oct. 3 to the common shareholders of record on Sept. 9.

– Andy Meek

Left Turns Coming To Union-McLean Intersection

The 30,000 drivers a day on the Midtown stretch of Union Avenue will be able to make left turns from Union Avenue onto McLean Boulevard starting Monday, Aug. 1.

The city of Memphis is installing the signals for eastbound and westbound traffic as a follow-up to plans for the $43 million Midtown Market development on the southwest corner of Union and McLean.

The mixed-use development by Belz Enterprises and Harbor Retail Partners includes a supermarket on the Union face of the corner and an apartment building on the McLean side, marking the first new apartment construction in Midtown in a decade.

The developers had proposed a gate across Idlewild Street south of Union where the Midtown Market development ends and the new Midtown Kroger development begins. It was a traffic control measure, and some homeowners opposed the gate. Memphis City Council members in December worked out a compromise to get the Midtown Market development moving again.

The compromise was a left-turn signal off Union onto McLean and closing Idlewild to two-way traffic along one section to prevent traffic from cutting through the residential area.

The traffic signal will be a first of its kind in Memphis.

In addition to the left turn arrow for eastbound and westbound traffic, the signal will also have a flashing yellow arrow that allows drivers to make a left turn when there are no pedestrians crossing or vehicles coming from the other direction.

– Bill Dries

Another Broken Egg Ready For August Opening

Another Broken Egg Cafe will open its second location on Aug. 8. The brunch restaurant will open at 65 S. Highland St. in a Poplar Plaza outparcel formerly occupied by El Mezcal.

The 4,100-square-foot restaurant will have seating for 130 patrons inside and 48 patrons outside, and will operate from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily.

Restaurant owner and operator George Gouras of Gouras Restaurant Group LLC will host two fundraising events as part of the grand opening. On Aug. 5, the public can dine for free at Another Broken Egg, with donations going to the Ronald McDonald House. On Aug. 6, donations will go to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

Seating at the two fundraising events is limited, so patrons are asked to book reservations at newatabe.com.

The brunch restaurant opened its first Memphis location at 6063 Park Ave. in the spring of 2015.

– Madeline Faber

Relevant Roasters Moves To Crosstown, Rebrands

Small-batch coffee roaster Relevant Roasters is now French Truck Coffee.

Memphis-based Relevant Roasters has formed a partnership with New Orleans-based French Truck Coffee.

The newly branded company will move into a 3,200-square-foot space in Crosstown Concourse next spring. French Truck Coffee will operate a cafe and roaster in the main atrium of the 1.5 million-square-foot building.

Relevant Roasters opened in 2014 at 584 Tillman Road.

– Madeline Faber

Moore Tech Graduates Record-Setting Class

The 2016 class of the William R. Moore College of Technology will graduate 121 students Thursday, July 28, in a ceremony at Lindenwood Christian Church.

The class is the largest ever to graduate from the nonprofit vocational school in its 77-year history.

The Moore Tech graduating class includes 47 students with diplomas or certificates in air conditioning, refrigeration and heating; 35 with certification in welding; a dozen in industrial electricity; 15 in machining technology, which includes training in making medical devices; and nine in property maintenance.

Moore Tech also will award diplomas to the first three graduates of its plumbing program, which began three years ago.

The school touts an 84 percent graduation rate and a 95 percent job placement rate.

– Bill Dries

Memphis Football Blue Lot Parking Sells Out

The University of Memphis announced that season football parking in the blue lot has sold out, the earliest that the blue lot has ever sold out.

Season parking in the tan lot is still available and can be purchased for $70 each online at gotigersgotix.com, by calling 901-678-2331, or by visiting the ticket office at the corner of Southern Avenue and Normal Street on campus.

Single-game parking is available only in the purple and tan lots and is priced at $15 per game.

– Don Wade

Jones Files for Re-Election As Millington Mayor

Millington Mayor Terry Jones on Monday, July 25, filed for re-election to another four-year term on the Nov. 8 ballot.

Millington faces a possible challenge on the November ballot from alderman Chris Ford, who has a qualifying petition out.

Another potential challenger, Roger Henderson, opted instead to run for one of the aldermen positions also on the ballot in Millington.

The November ballot topped by the presidential general election between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump also features nonpartisan municipal elections in Bartlett, Collierville, Germantown and Millington for aldermen and positions on their respective school boards.

The Collierville elections also feature a race for mayor, with incumbent mayor Stan Joyner facing a challenge from alderman Tom Allen.

If Jones wins re-election in Millington, it would be his second consecutive four-year term but his third term as mayor overall. Jones served as mayor from 2004 to 2008.

– Bill Dries

Memphis Airport, FedEx To Receive TVA Incentives

The Tennessee Valley Authority says it is joining forces with four airports and FedEx to replace some of their diesel-powered ground support equipment with more environmentally friendly gear.

TVA said Monday that the FedEx World Hub in Memphis, the Bowling Green-Warren County Regional Airport, the Memphis-Shelby County Airport Authority, Tri-Cities Regional Airport and Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority are receiving TVA cash incentives based on the type and amount of equipment purchased.

TVA says more than 55 pieces of diesel-powered gate equipment will be replaced over the next few months with no-emission, all-electric equipment to help reduce fossil fuel consumption and emissions.

– The Associated Press

Graceland Auctions Opens Online Bidding

Online bidding in Graceland Auctions’ fifth auction of Elvis Presley artifacts opened Monday, July 25, in advance of the on-site auction Aug. 13, at the Graceland Archives Studio.

The 197 lots are all items owned by third-party and private collectors and authenticated by Graceland. None of the items are from the Graceland Archives, which are owned by Lisa Marie Presley, the late entertainer’s daughter.

Among the items up for auction are birth record documents for Elvis Presley and details of the birth of his twin brother, Jesse, who died at birth.

There is also a 1973-1974 American Express card in Presley’s name and an almost five-minute 8-millimeter silent film of Presley performing in 1957 at the Chicago Amphitheater in his famous gold lame suit.

And the auction offers a 43-photo portfolio from Presley’s 1956 Tupelo, Miss., concert by photographer Terry Wood.

– Bill Dries

Two Apartment Properties Sell for Combined $16.6M

Los Angeles-based Latitude Management Real Estate Investors Inc. has unloaded two apartment communities in separate deals.

LMREC CDO I REO XI Inc., an affiliate of Latitude Management, sold the 300-unit Highland Chateau Apartments at 5246 Raleigh LaGrange Road to New York-based Highland Chateau 5776 LLC for $8.8 million, or $29,464 per unit, according to a July 21 warranty deed.

The Highland Chateau apartments were built in 1975 and are situated on 20 acres on the east side of Raleigh LaGrange Road north of Elmore Road. The Shelby County Assessor of Property’s 2016 appraisal of the property is $4 million.

In a separate July 21 transaction, LMREC CDO I REO XI sold its 260-unit apartment complex at 5959 Mount Moriah Road Extended to New York-based Highland Hills 5776 LLC for $7.7 million, or $29,464 per unit.

The Class C complex was built in 1974 and is situated on 15.3 acres on the eastern corner of Mount Moriah and Hickory Hill Road. The assessor’s 2016 appraisal is $4.3 million.

Latitude Management Real Estate Investors purchased both properties in February 2015 for a combined $17 million.

In conjunction with the most recent purchase, the two buying entities filed a $15.3 million mortgage through Arbor Realty SR Inc., secured by both properties. Brooklyn-based investor Pinchos D. Shemano signed the mortgage as sole member of Highland Chateau 5776 and Highland Hills 5776.

– Madeline Faber

U of M Athletics to Sell Tickets Via Text Message

The University of Memphis Athletics Department has announced a new partnership with sales technology company ReplyBuy, a global sales platform that combines mobile messaging, payments and digital commerce.

Through ReplyBuy, fans can instantly purchase event tickets by responding to a text message. Fans who register for the program will receive customized notifications when tickets become available, enabling them to purchase tickets on demand in a matter of seconds via text message. The faster fans respond, the better their seat locations will be. Electronic tickets will be delivered to a buyer’s phone instantly upon purchase and can be scanned at the event.

Fans can register by visiting replybuy.com/memphisathletics/welcome or texting MEMPHIS to 20123.

– Don Wade

WDIA Fund to Donate $45K To Junior Achievement

Junior Achievement of Memphis and the Mid-South is set to receive $45,000 from the WDIA Goodwill Fund.

The fund’s board recently approved donating $9,000 per year for the next five years, which will enable children from three inner-city schools to participate in JA BizTown, a model city run by elementary students.

JA BizTown is a five-week curriculum that teaches children the skills necessary for workforce readiness, entrepreneurship and financial literacy. The first four weeks of the curriculum are taught in the classroom, followed by a visit to JA BizTown during the final week, where students use the skills they learned.

At JA BizTown, the children hold jobs, receive paychecks, save and spend the money they earn.

“Both Junior Achievement of Memphis and the WDIA Goodwill Fund were established in the 1950s, so we are thrilled that another organization with such a rich history has seen fit to provide the gift of financial literacy to inner-city children through JA BizTown,” Morgan Bohannon, board chair for Junior Achievement of Memphis, said in a statement.

– Daily News staff

The Daily News Claims Tenn. Press Assoc. Honors

The Daily News claimed two first-place awards in the annual Tennessee Press Association newspaper contest, co-sponsored by the University of Tennessee.

The Daily News claimed first-place honors in its division for best business coverage, based on the newspaper’s overall coverage as judged by a review of 10 editions of the paper during 2015.

The Daily News was judged the best in its division in news reporting for the newspaper’s coverage of the Darrius Stewart shooting in 2015. Stewart was shot and killed by Memphis Police officer Conner Schilling in July 2015 during a traffic stop in Hickory Hill. The Daily News’ coverage include the investigation into Stewart’s death and public reaction to the incident.

The Daily News also placed second for make-up and appearance. The award is based on the layout, design and display of the printed newspaper as judged from four complete newspapers spread throughout 2015.

And The Daily News took fourth-place honors in the best single feature category for an entry from senior reporter Andy Meek’s “Beating The Odds” series on Memphis-owned businesses that have survived and persevered for decades.

– Daily News staff

Chamber Launches Mentor Program for Small Business

The Greater Memphis Chamber has launched a mentorship program that puts fledgling businesses in conversation with the region’s leading professionals. As part of the Advice on Tap program, small to mid-sized businesses can be mentored by experts in sectors including finance and accounting, human resources, public relations, IT, business law, marketing and sales. The 30-minute phone consultation is free and only available to chamber members. The majority of the program’s 40 advisers have more than 25 years of experience in their professions.

"We have all experienced challenges when it comes to business ownership, whether from a strategic or tactical level,” said Jeff Weintraub, Memphis regional managing partner for Fisher Phillips and chairman of the chamber’s Small Business Council, in a statement. “This program allows us to support one another by sharing ideas and solutions, while providing our members with an extended network of business professionals,”

– Madeline Faber

Shea Moskovitz Law Firm Extends Practice Areas

Shea Moskovitz & McGhee has added seasoned trial attorney John A. “Jack” Irvine Jr. to its team, allowing the Memphis law firm to expand its practice areas to include personal injury, commercial litigation and complex criminal defense.

The firm, which was founded in 1989, historically has been dedicated exclusively to family law litigation, mediation and collaborative law services.

Irvine’s trial practice is a diverse mix of civil and criminal cases in both state and federal court.

His civil practice focuses on representing plaintiffs in personal injury and wrongful death cases; commercial litigation including breach of contract and business torts; and representing policyholders in insurance disputes.

As a former prosecutor, Irvine has tried criminal cases ranging from DUIs to first-degree murder.

His criminal practice currently is focused on complex criminal defense, including serious felonies and federal crimes.

For the last five years, Irvine has been an owner and founding member of McWhirter & Irvine PLLC.

His hire brings Shea Moskovitz & McGhee to a total of 13 attorneys and seven support staff.

– Daily News staff

Tennessee Unemployment Flat at 4.1 Percent

Tennessee’s preliminary unemployment rate for June was 4.1 percent, unchanged from the May revised rate of 4.1 percent, Tennessee Labor & Workforce Development Commissioner Burns Phillips announced.

The U.S. preliminary rate for June was 4.9 percent, up two-tenths of a percentage point from the previous month.

Over the past year, Tennessee's unemployment rate has decreased from 5.7 percent to 4.1 percent while the national rate declined less significantly from 5.3 percent to 4.9 percent.

Total nonfarm employment increased 11,200 jobs from May to June. The largest increases occurred in leisure/hospitality, local government and other services.

Over the year, nonfarm employment increased 66,800 jobs. The largest increases occurred in education/health services, trade/transportation/utilities and manufacturing.

– Daily News staff