FedEx Corp. Hikes Dividend 60 Percent

Less than a month after FedEx Corp. closed on its $4.8 billion acquisition of TNT Express, the Memphis-based logistics giant announced a hike in its dividend payout.

FedEx raised its quarterly cash dividend 60 percent to 40 cents a share from 25 cents a share. The dividend is payable July 1 to stockholders of record at the close of business on June 16.

– Madeline Faber

Chamber Seeks Proposals For Mentor Program

The Greater Memphis Chamber is seeking proposals to develop, implement and administer a mentor-protege program to boost the small-business economy in Memphis and Shelby County.

The mentor-protege program is part of the greater Supplier Diversity Plan that proposes greater incentives for companies contracting with minority- and women-owned businesses and promotes infrastructure to make local firms more accessible.

The goal of the mentor-protege program is to increase the capacity of small businesses to take on larger bids and grow their firms.

Proposals for the mentor-protege program will need to include criteria for participant eligibility, organization structure and progress benchmarks among other elements.

Copies of the written proposal are due to the Greater Memphis Chamber by June 17. The selected company will be notified on or before July 1.

– Madeline Faber

Memphis-Based Banc3 Makes First Acquisition

Memphis-based community bank holding company Banc3 Holdings Inc. has completed its acquisition of The Farmers Bank of Woodland Mills, Tenn.

The company also announced that Clay Billingsley will serve as northwest Tennessee area president for The Farmers Bank.

The Farmers Bank, which was founded in 1910, is a community bank serving individuals and businesses in northwest Tennessee and southwest Kentucky. It has $12 million in assets and serves customers from its office in Woodland Mills.

The Farmers Bank is the first member of the Banc3 Holdings group. The acquisition was approved by the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis on May 23.

– Andy Meek

Council Accepts Donations For Bridge LED Lighting

Two of the four bridges crossing the Mississippi River will be framed with LED lighting for a fall debut on the city’s riverfront with the October formal opening of the Big River Crossing.

The Memphis City Council approved Tuesday, June 7, accepting $12 million in private donations for the lighting of the Harahan Bridge as well as a conversion of the existing lighting on the Hernando DeSoto Bridge to LED lighting.

The new lightings are to be completed by the October opening of the pedestrian-bicycle boardwalk on the northern side of the Harahan.

The council also approved Strickland’s appointment of Maria Munoz-Blanco as the city’s new Parks and Neighborhoods Division director at a salary of $126,000 annually.

And the council approved the installation of SkyCop cameras at Christ United Methodist Church, 4488 Poplar Ave., and in the Chickasaw Gardens neighborhood with private money totaling $72,666 raised through the Memphis-Shelby County Law Enforcement Foundation.

– Bill Dries

Six Groups Inspect Mid-South Coliseum

Six groups from Memphis and elsewhere inspected the Mid-South Coliseum this week, taking the city of Memphis up on an offer of four hours each to look over the mothballed 12,000-seat arena.

The city made the offer after it allowed a tour of the arena by the Coliseum Coalition and architects as the group pursues a plan to possibly restore or renovate the coliseum for future use.

That tour and the others that followed were to get a better idea of the structural integrity of the structure, built in the mid-1960s.

The groups that took the tour this past week are:

• DSG Commercial Group, a Memphis commercial real estate development company

• Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame of Memphis

• Mitchell Hall Architects of Memphis

• Memphis Heritage

• Common Denominator Consulting LLC of Nashville

• CoreFire and Renaissance Group Inc., a Lakeland architect firm

The administration of Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland said in opening the building for the inspections that it has no pending plans for the coliseum at this point.

– Bill Dries

On Stage at the Halloran Centre’ Series Unveiled

Details of the inaugural “On Stage at the Halloran Centre” series lineup have been announced.

Ten music acts are slated to appear over 2016-2017 inside the Halloran Centre’s 361-seat auditorium starting in September, for a concert series that offers everything from a slice of Americana to Grammy winners.

This year’s series includes four-time Grammy-winning soul artist Booker T. Jones, ‘American Idol’ winner Taylor Hicks, Grand Ole Opry member Pam Tillis, Grammy-nominated saxophonist Mindi Abair and more. The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band is making a stop in Memphis on their 50th Anniversary Tour. Memphis songstress Marcella Simien will open for her two-time Grammy-winning father, Terrance Simien and his Zydeco Experience band, in March, and three-time Grammy-nominated Afro-Caribbean music group Tiempo Libre will close out the series in April with their fusion of jazz, contemporary and Latin rhythms.

Individual tickets are $25 or $35 and vary based on performer. Individuals can mix and match five or more of the shows to save $5 per ticket, equivalent to one free show.

The Halloran Centre for Performing Arts & Education is located at 225 S. Main St., next door to the historic Orpheum Theatre.

– Andy Meek

West Nile Virus Detected In Shelby County

The first mosquito pool of the year positive for West Nile Virus has been found in the Whitehaven ZIP code, according to the Shelby County Health Department.

The Health Department confirmed the presence Friday, June 3.

In response, the health department has scheduled truck mounted spraying of EPA-approved insecticides across several ZIP code areas.

The Vector Control program of the health department has been applying larvicides to standing bodies of water since March.

– Bill Dries

U of M Philosophy Dept. Excels in Female Doctorates

The University of Memphis Department of Philosophy graduates the highest percentage of women Ph.D.s in the country, according to a recent study.

From 2004 to 2014, 64 percent of philosophy doctorates earned at the U of M were awarded to women.

The study was conducted by Carolyn Dicey Jennings, assistant professor of philosophy and cognitive science at the University of California-Merced, and published online at New APPS. Jennings studied data from 86 graduate programs in philosophy.

Other schools that graduated more women than men during this period were Massachusetts Institute of Technology, California Institute of Integral Studies, University of Oregon, University of New Mexico and University of Minnesota.

The U of M Department of Philosophy also was recognized for its efforts to help diversify the field of philosophy in 2014. A study that year published in the journal Critical Philosophies of Race found that the U of M graduated more African-American Ph.D.s than any other graduate program in the U.S.

U of M has been committed to attracting and graduating a more diverse group of students as well as faculty.

“We work hard to create an intellectual environment in which all voices are heard and respected, and this effort is reflected in the demographic profile and scholarly interests of faculty and students alike,” said Stephan Blatti, chair and associate professor of philosophy. “We strive for diversity in areas of inquiry that are systematically underrepresented and understudied, including issues of race and gender.”

– Daily News staff

New York PR Firm Expands Into Memphis

Stryker-Munley Group, a New York-based marketing firm, has opened a Memphis office as part of a significant national expansion.

Sarah Stramel, president of Stramel PR & Social Media, will head up the new Memphis office as president of Stryker-Munley Group Memphis LLC.

With the expansion, SMG now has offices in New York; Chicago; Los Angeles; northern New Jersey; Pittsburgh, Penn.; Sacramento, Calif.; and St. Louis, Mo.

“The SMG process is streamlined for clients to work through their nearest local SMG office or with any of the nationwide offices based on specific needs and expertise,” said Mike Jamieson, founder of SMG and president of Stryker-Munley Group New York LLC.

– Madeline Faber

XQ ‘Super School’ Bus Tour Coming to Memphis

The education reform group offering a $10 million grant to launch a new type of school is coming to Memphis next Monday through Wednesday, June 13-15, to discuss public education.

The XQ Institute bus tour will be at the National Civil Rights Museum, 450 Mulberry St., on those three days to hear from the public about public education as well as share details of the institute’s effort to build what it calls “super schools.”

The XQ effort involves Laurene Powell Jobs, the widow of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs.

Leaders of the effort to establish a Crosstown High School have applied for the XQ grant, and the effort is a semifinalist in the competition

Crosstown High began as a move toward a Shelby County Schools high school in partnership with the Crosstown Concourse redevelopment project and Christian Brothers University.

Since then, the organization’s focus has shifted to a charter school.

– Bill Dries

Ridgeway Offices Sell for $1.1 Million

An office condo in the Ridge Bend office park has sold for $1.1 million.

Ridgebend Partnership, a Tennessee general partnership comprised of Steven Rudesill and Badger/SLR LLC, sold the office property at 5855 Ridge Bend Road to Nancy Knous in a May 27 warranty deed.

The Class A office condo was built in 1983 on a one-acre parcel near Ridgeway Road and Interstate 240. It bears 5,193 square feet, and the Shelby County Assessor of Property most recently appraised it at $592,000.

In conjunction with the sale, Knous filed a $1.1 million, 20-year mortgage with Landmark Community Bank.

– Madeline Faber

THDA Director Elected To National Board

Ralph Perrey, executive director of the Tennessee Housing Development Agency, has been elected to service on the National Housing Conference’s board of trustees by the nonprofit organization’s membership.

The National Housing Conference represents a diverse membership of housing stakeholders, including homebuilders, property managers, equity investors, Realtors, policy practitioners and tenant advocates. It is the nation’s oldest housing advocacy organization and has been dedicated to preserving affordable housing since its foundng in 1931.

Perrey is the first Tennessean to be selected for the NHC board. His two-year term began June 1.

– Madeline Faber

UTHSC's Wei Li Wins Grant To Study Cancer Cells

Dr. Wei Li, a researcher at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, has received a $1.9 million grant to study new ways to weaken cancer cells by targeting one of their components called survivin.

Li is a professor in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences in UTHSC’s College of Pharmacy. Central to Li’s work is apoptosis, the process by which most cells stop growing after they reach a certain point, and eventually die off.

Li and his team hope to make a compound that could make cancer cells more susceptible to anti-cancer therapies, among other things.

– Andy Meek

Economists Uncertain About US Growth This Year

Business economists are giving a more pessimistic outlook about U.S. economic growth this year for the third consecutive month, and uncertainty over the November presidential election has proven to be damaging.

The median estimate from economists surveyed by the National Association for Business Economics calls for gross domestic product growth of only 1.8 percent, down from the 2.2 percent forecast in March. The outlook for next year calls for 2.3 percent growth.

The survey released June 6 also shows the forecast for growth in corporate profits swinging from a 2 percent gain in March, to negative 2 percent in June.

– The Associated Press

Kroger Breaks Ground On Arlington Maketplace Store

Kroger Delta Division broke ground June 8 on its first Marketplace store in West Tennessee at the southeast corner of Milton Wilson Boulevard and Airline Road – the future site of the shops at Arlington Village. The current Kroger store in Arlington is being replaced by the new Marketplace design that features things like expanded grocery areas, home fashion and decor, bed and bath, kitchen and small appliances, apparel and shoes – and Arlington’s first Starbucks.

The groundbreaking for the first Marketplace store in the area comes at a busy time of expansion for the local Kroger division, which has been updating Kroger stores throughout the Memphis area and adding its online ClickList shopping option in select stores, among other things.

– Andy Meek

The Memphis News Garners Green Eyeshade Honors

The Memphis News took first-place honors for editorials and sports commentary in the 66th annual Green Eyeshade Awards, announced Thursday, June 2.

The awards are given by the Society of Professional Journalists region covering 11 southern states, including Tennessee..

The editorials that took first place in the competition category for non-daily newspapers covered government’s role in economic development, the city’s violent crime problem, police violence in Memphis and other cities, and redevelopment of the Mid-South Fairgrounds.

Reporter Don Wade took first-place honors for his sports commentary pieces on a variety of topics including the evolution of the Memphis Grizzlies grit ‘n’ grind persona, the exit of University of Memphis football coach Justin Fuente and the university’s decision to honor former Tigers basketball coach John Calipari that was later called off.

Wade also finished second in the non-dailies sports reporting category for his reporting on the Grizzlies’ “Dream Season” in the 2015 NBA playoffs, the arrival of new Tigers football coach Mike Norvell, Redbirds broadcaster Steve Selby and local country clubs offering more family activities.

Reporter Bill Dries took second-place honors for non-daily political reporting for his coverage of the 2015 city elections, including the role of business leaders in the campaigns for Memphis Mayor and City Council.

– Daily News staff

Ole Miss on Tigers' Hoops Schedule for Two Seasons

The University of Memphis men’s basketball team will play at Ole Miss on Dec. 3 as part of a two-year arrangement that will have the Rebels playing at Memphis the following season.

The game at Ole Miss came to light with the release of the Rebels’ nonconference schedule. Last season, the Rebels defeated the Tigers at FedExForum.

The home part of the Tigers’ nonconference schedule includes games with South Carolina and UAB. The Emerald Coast Classic in Destin, Fla., on Nov. 25-26, includes an opening game vs. Providence and then a game with either Iowa or Virginia, the latter being the landing place of former Tiger Austin Nichols.

– Don Wade

Real Estate Road Show Returns June 16

A primer on Shelby County property tax sales is June 16 at the Memphis Bioworks Foundation auditorium, 20 S. Dudley St., from 2:30 p.m. to 4 p.m.

The Real Estate Road Show session comes in advance of the three-day online tax sale June 22-24, which is expected to include about 400 properties – residential, commercial and vacant land.

Real estate information company Chandler Reports, which is owned by The Daily News Publishing Co., is a sponsor of the road show.

The road show is an explanation of how the sales work, with representatives from Chancery Court and the Shelby County Trustee’s office present to walk those interested through the steps and the conditions for buying property.

Opening bids include delinquent city and county taxes, accrued interest and penalty charges, court costs, attorney fees, and service and title costs.

The briefing will include an explanation of recent changes in the redemption period for properties.

The online sales began in January through CivicSource.com, and those attending the road show are encouraged to bring laptops or other mobile devices to test the new software.

Register for the road show at reroadshowmemphis.eventbrite.com.

– Bill Dries

Agricenter Holding Fundraiser June 17

Feast on the Farm, Agricenter International’s annual fundraiser, will be held on Friday, June 17, from 7 to 11 p.m. at ShowPlace Arena, 105 S. Germantown Parkway.

The evening will feature farm-to-table fare from local farmers and area chefs. There will be live entertainment, dancing, and live and silent auctions. All proceeds will support Agricenter’s educational programs, which are offered free to the public.

Guest chefs for Feast on the Farm include: Brian Thurmond, 148 North; Jeff Dunham, The Grove Grill; Kim Buchanan, LYFE Kitchen; Simpson Hughes, The Butcher Shop; Michael Francis, Heart and Soul; Logan Guleff, champion of MasterChef Junior; Michelle Campbell, Fork It Over; Allen Cain, Lone Oaks Farm; Elizabeth Blondis, Central BBQ; Babalu: Tacos & Tapas; Danial Johnson, Tart Memphis; and Ted Perkins, Paradise Seafood.

Tickets re $100 until June 13, then the price goes up to $150. A portion of each ticket is tax deductible.

– Don Wade

Tenn. Black Caucus to Hold Criminal Justice Forums

The Tennessee Black Caucus of State Legislators will hold forums at churches in Nashville and Memphis to discuss criminal justice reform.

In a press release, the organization said it was able to recently pass legislation that opens the door for broader changes in the system. New laws make it easier for some people to get their criminal histories wiped off their record. Another piece of legislation bars the state from asking job applicants about their criminal history early in the interview process.

The first meeting will be held in Nashville June 12. The Memphis forum will be held July 10 from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. at First Baptist Church-Broad, 2835 Broad Ave.

– The Associated Press

Loaded Gun Found At Memphis Airport

The Transportation Security Administration discovered a loaded firearm at the Memphis International Airport checkpoint Wednesday, June 8.

A loaded Smith & Wesson 9mm was discovered around 6 a.m. in a passenger’s carry-on bag. It is the 12th firearm discovered by TSA officers at Memphis International this year. A total of 28 were found at MEM last year.

TSA immediately alerted airport police, who took possession of the bag and cited the passenger on a state charge. The passenger’s name wasn’t revealed in a TSA press release.

In addition to potential criminal charges, the passenger will face civil penalties from TSA.

Firearms are prohibited in carry-on bags. They may be transported in checked baggage, provided they are declared to the airline, are stored in a proper carrying case and are not loaded.

“Passengers are responsible for the contents of bags they bring to the checkpoint,” said TSA regional spokesman Mark Howell. “Our advice is to look through bags thoroughly before coming to the airport to make sure there are no illegal or prohibited items.”

– Daily News staff

New Starbucks Planned For Lakeland on U.S. 64

Starbucks is opening a coffee shop in Lakeland. The company recently filed a $500,000 building permit for an infill store at 9050 U.S. 64.

The nearest Starbucks is inside a Kroger at 9025 U.S. 64. That location is a licensed store staffed by Kroger employees and is not a standalone corporate store.

Another Starbucks is planned for the Arlington area as part of the upcoming The Shops at Arlington development. On June 8, Kroger broke ground on a new Kroger Marketplace store that will anchor the shopping strip. Starbucks has signed a letter of intent for a bay near the Kroger.

– Madeline Faber

Cardinals Honor Redbirds Outfielder

David Washington was named the St. Louis Cardinals’ Minor League Player of the Month for May after hitting .287 (29-101) with 11 home runs and 25 RBI in 29 games between Double-A Springfield and Triple-A Memphis.

Washington, who bats left-handed, hit .309 with nine home runs and 21 runs batted in over 24 games after arriving in Memphis from Springfield on May 5. He also had a 12-game hitting streak from May 8-21, which was the second-longest active streak in the Pacific Coast League at the time it was snapped. He hit .340 (17-50) with four home runs during the stretch.

Through 47 games, Washington was hitting .293 with 15 home runs and 37 runs batted in. His home run and RBI totals led the Cardinals organization, and his batting average was tied for second.

Washington was a Cardinals non-roster invitee to spring training this year after being the franchise’s 15th-round selection in the June 2009 MLB First-Year Player Draft.

– Don Wade

U of M Research Foundation Earns Japanese Patent

The University of Memphis Research Foundation has received a Japanese patent for “Compositions and Methods for Delivering an Agent to a Wound.” The United States patent for the same invention was granted in 2015.

The patent issued last year was the 20th granted to UMRF. The biomedical technology covered by the patent was invented in the U of M Herff College of Engineering’s Department of Biomedical Engineering. The inventors are Warren Haggard and Joel Bumgardner, both professors of biomedical engineering, and Scott Noel of Bionova Medical, who earned his Ph.D. under Haggard’s supervision.

The patent is exclusively licensed to Bionova Medical, a privately held medical device company in Germantown. The company’s flagship product, Sentrex BioSponge MPD, which is covered by this new patent, has received two clearances from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for use as a local wound management device that is compatible with negative pressure wound therapy..

Since launching the Sentrex BioSponge in August 2014, it has been used in more than 1,100 clinical trauma cases at facilities across the country.

With funding support from the Military Infectious Diseases Research Program, Haggard and Bumgardner are developing a next-generation wound dressing to prevent infection and aid in wound healing for trauma patients.

Haggard’s team is investigating improved versions of the technology with the added functionality to deliver both antibiotic and antifungal agents directly to the wound.

– Don Wade

Saint Francis-Bartlett Earns Honor For Heart Care

Saint Francis Hospital-Bartlett has picked up an award for heart failure care.

The hospital received the Get With The Guidelines-Heart Failure Gold-Plus Quality Achievement Award for implementing quality improvement measures outlined by the American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology Foundation’s secondary prevention guidelines for patients with heart failure. This is the seventh consecutive year the hospital has been recognized with a quality achievement award.

Get With The Guidelines-Heart Failure is a quality improvement program that helps hospital teams follow up-to-date, research-based standards with the goal of speeding recovery and reducing hospital readmissions for heart failure patients. Saint Francis Hospital-Bartlett earned the award by meeting specific quality achievement measures for the diagnosis and treatment of heart failure patients.

The measures include evaluation of the patient, proper use of medications and aggressive risk-reduction therapies. According to the American Heart Association, about 5.7 million adults in the U.S. suffer from heart failure, with the number expected to rise to 8 million by 2030.

– Andy Meek

Grizzlies Hire Two Coaches For David Fizdale’s Staff

J.B. Bickerstaff has been hired as associate head coach and Nick Van Exel as an assistant coach for the Memphis Grizzlies, general manager Chris Wallace has announced.

Per team policy, terms of the deals were not disclosed.

Bickerstaff comes to Grizzlies head coach David Fizdale’s staff after spending five seasons (2011-16) on the sidelines with the Houston Rockets. First hired as an assistant coach, he was later named interim head coach in November 2015 and guided the Rockets to a 37-34 record and postseason berth to close the 2015-16 season.

Prior his time in Houston, Bickerstaff spent four seasons (2007-11) as an assistant coach with the Minnesota Timberwolves and three seasons (2004-07) as an assistant coach with the Charlotte Bobcats under his father, Bernie Bickerstaff. He was the youngest assistant coach in the NBA when he began with the Bobcats at age 25 in 2004-05.

Bickerstaff played two seasons with the Minnesota Golden Gophers (1999-2001) to complete his collegiate career after playing two seasons at Oregon State University, where he was the youngest NCAA Division I player as a 17-year-old freshman.

Van Exel joins the Grizzlies after spending the last two seasons (2014-16) with the NBA Development League’s Texas Legends, serving as head coach during the 2015-16 season. Before his time in the D-League, he spent one season (2013-14) as an assistant coach with the Milwaukee Bucks and three seasons (2010-13) as a player development instructor for the Atlanta Hawks.

Selected by the Los Angeles Lakers in the second round (37th overall) of the 1993 NBA Draft, Van Exel enjoyed a 13-year career as an NBA player (1993-2006), including 76 playoff games and one All-Star appearance (1998). He logged career averages of 14.4 points and 6.6 assists for the Lakers, Denver Nuggets, Dallas Mavericks, Golden State Warriors, Portland Trail Blazers and San Antonio Spurs.

Van Exel spent his final two collegiate seasons at the University of Cincinnati, where he led the Bearcats to the 1993 NCAA Final Four.

– Don Wade

Bankers Association Hosting Free Political Forum June 14

The Mortgage Bankers Association of Memphis will host a free political forum on June 14 at the Agricenter International Amphitheater.

The purpose of the event is to introduce the public to candidates running for office in the 8th Congressional District so individuals can learn more about each candidate’s position on various issues.

The following seven candidates are scheduled be present at this forum: George Flinn Jr., Brian Kelsey, David Kustoff, Tom Leatherwood, Mark Luttrell, David Maldonado and Lawrence Pivnik.

The public will be able to meet and talk with the candidates from 5:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. and then there will be a question-and-answer period from 6 p.m. to 7:45 p.m. moderated by Joe Birch, television anchor for WMC Action News 5.

– Daily News staff

Whitten Road Warehouse Sells for $2.6 Million

A Whitten Road flex warehouse has sold for $2.6 million.

George Winfield sold the property at 2740 Whitten Road to LMP Holdings LLC 2740 Whitten Road. The building contains both office and warehouse uses.

According to the Shelby County Assessor of Propety, the industrial building was built in 1999. It bears 30,120 square feet and was most recently appraised at at $690,000.

– Madeline Faber

Tennessee A Namesake For New Periodic Element

You'll soon see four new names on the periodic table of the elements, including three that honor Moscow, Japan and Tennessee.

The names are among four recommended Wednesday by an international scientific group. The fourth is named for a Russian scientist.

The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry, which rules on chemical element names, presented its proposal for public review. The names had been submitted by the element discoverers.

The four elements, known now by their numbers, completed the seventh row of the periodic table when the chemistry organization verified their discoveries last December.

Tennessee is the second U.S. state to be recognized with an element; California was the first. Element names can come from places, mythology, names of scientists or traits of the element. Other examples: americium, einsteinium and titanium.

Joining more familiar element names such as hydrogen, carbon and lead are:

– moscovium (mah-SKOH'-vee-um), symbol Mc, for element 115, and tennessine (TEH'-neh-seen), symbol Ts, for element 117. The discovery team is from the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research in Dubna, Russia, the Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Vanderbilt University in Tennessee, and the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California.

– nihonium (nee-HOH'-nee-um), symbol Nh, for element 113. The element was discovered in Japan, and Nihon is one way to say the country's name in Japanese. It's the first element to be discovered in an Asian country.

– oganesson (OH'-gah-NEH'-sun), symbol Og, for element 118. The name honors Russian physicist Yuri Oganessian.

The public comment period will end Nov. 8.

– The Associated Press

Vendors Chosen for Makers Event at City Hall June 21

Event organizers have secured a line-up of vendors for the Maker Fair, to be held on June 21 in front of City Hall.

The local vendors include Aunt Key's Apothecary, Dr. Bean Coffee, Meekie's Munchies, Jeanine Hill Ceramics, Grace Given Gifts, Gifts from Nature, Question the Answer, Lindsey Glenn Designs, Michelle Duckworth, Ekata Designs, ARCHd LLC, Prim Society, Mary Claire White, Aperel Fashion, Phillip Ashley Chocolates and Double Barrel Lights.

To kick off the fair, Mayor Jim Strickland will deliver at 10 a.m. the Mayor’s Maker Challenge, a pledge to further support the growth of small business and local industry.

The event is born out of the Made By Project, a collaboration of Little Bird Innovation and the EPIcenter organization. It is built around a survey of artisans, makers and micro-manufacturers from the Memphis area to better understand their operations and what support might help fuel their growth even more.

– Madeline Faber