Marketing Firm Moving Ahead With New Downtown HQ

Oden & Associates Inc., a locally owned marketing firm, has filed a pair of permits totaling $3.6 million to renovate its future headquarters at 158 Vance Ave. in Downtown Memphis.

Both permits call for renovations to convert the former Capital Pictures building into offices and list Montgomery Martin as the contractor.

In April, the Center City Revenue Finance Corp. approved an eight-year payment-in-lieu-of-taxes incentive for Oden & Associates to turn the vacant 77-year-old warehouse two blocks from FedExForum into its headquarters.

According to its PILOT application, the redevelopment will activate a 50,000-square-foot site at a prominent intersection on the border of the South Main Historic Arts District and the South City neighborhood.

Since the site is comprised of two adjacent parcels, the adjoining warehouse at Vance Avenue and B.B. King Boulevard will be adapted into an employee parking garage with 32 spaces.

The main building also will include 17,250 square feet of leasable space, and a front-facing loading dock will be remade into a landscaped courtyard facing Vance.

– Patrick Lantrip

Hopdoddy Construction Nearing Completion

Hopdoddy, an Austin, Texas-based burger bar, has filed a $700,000 building permit application with construction code officials for tenant improvements at its new location in Overton Square.

In March, property owners Loeb Properties Inc. announced the new restaurant would move into an expanded 3,500-square-foot site at 6 S. Cooper St. that previously was occupied by YoLo Frozen Yogurt & Gelato, with a tentative opening date this fall.

Founded in 2010, the popular burger chain primarily operates out of Texas, Arizona, California and Colorado. Memphis will be the restaurant’s first location east of the Mississippi River.

– Patrick Lantrip

Redbirds’ Patrick Wisdom Named to All-PCL Team

Memphis Redbirds third baseman Patrick Wisdom has been named to the All-Pacific Coast League Team as voted by league managers and media representatives, the league office announced.

Through games of Sunday, Aug. 27, Wisdom had set career highs with 29 home runs and 84 RBI. Those totals led all St. Louis Cardinals minor leaguers, and the 29 homers were tied for fourth-most in the PCL this season with the 84 RBI sixth-most in the league.

On the season, Wisdom had 30 multi-hit games and 27 multi-RBI games.

With one more home run, Wisdom would become the seventh Redbird to hit 30 in a season and first since Josh Phelps in 2008. His 2017 season comes after missing 53 games last year due to injury.

– Don Wade

Reynolds Bone & Griesbeck Unveils New Branding

Memphis accounting firm Reynolds Bone & Griesbeck PLC is refreshing its brand, website and office design shortly after celebrating its 100th year in business.

The re-branding project includes a new logo; a streamlined, user-friendly website; and updates to business and recruitment collateral. An office renovation is still in the works, but it will be consistent with the new brand, according to the firm.

RBG touts its involvement with rising stars in the accounting world, and it helps groom students interested in the field through its involvement with the University of Memphis and the Accounting Careers of Tomorrow program. Additionally, RBG has a regular presence on local and regional campuses, including Rhodes College, Christian Brothers University, the University of Mississippi, and Mississippi State University. Creating an identity that better connects with these key recruits is one strategy behind the rebrand.

Another strategy is to better communicate RBG’s approachable expertise and the firm’s style, which it describes as “professional but not stuffy.” RBG seeks to create lasting relationships with clients, offer sound business strategies and become a trusted partner, and the new branding reinforces that message.

RBG specializes in accounting and auditing, taxes and consulting for financial institutions, manufacturers and distributors, not-for-profit entities, auto dealerships and employee benefit plans. For more information, visit rbgcpa.com.

– Daily News staff

‘Light It Gold Memphis’ Raises Childhood Cancer Awareness

The Chris Hope Foundation plans to flood the city of Memphis with a sea of gold in September in recognition of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.

The foundation, along with families affected by childhood cancer, city of Memphis officials and the community will gather Saturday, Sept. 2, at Tiger Lane for the Light It Gold Memphis kickoff. The evening of awareness, games, entertainment, food and more takes place under the glow of the Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium, which will be lit up in gold for the occasion.

Guest speakers will briefly discuss the seriousness of the disease and how it impacts children and their families. Afterward, a variety of activities for all ages will be available, including bouncers, a game truck, live entertainment and food trucks.

The free, family-friendly event is open to the public and runs from 7:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.

An estimated 300,000 children are diagnosed with cancer worldwide each year, according to the American Childhood Organization’s 2016 report. Nearly 16,000 of those are diagnosed in the United States, but only 4 percent of the National Cancer Institute’s budget goes to childhood cancer research.

In an effort to enhance awareness, the Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium, Memphis International Airport, Bass Pro Shops at the Pyramid, the Hard Rock Café and the Crowne Plaza Hotel will change their exterior colors to gold. Other businesses and individuals are encouraged to participate as well.

– Daily News staff

Stax Museum Plans Anniversary Events

The Stax Museum of American Soul Music is planning to host a slate of concerts and education programs this fall to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Stax Records.

The museum will host three concerts that highlight the post-1968 catalog of Stax Records. On Sept. 21, Memphis’ Booker T. & the MGs tribute band, The MDs, will cover the entire “McLemore Avenue” album, which is patterned after the Beatles’ masterpiece “Abbey Road.”

On Oct. 3, the Stax Music Academy will pay tribute to retiring Bar-Kays front man Larry Dodson and founding bassist James Alexander, while on Oct. 12, Hope Clayburn and Soul Scrimmage will hit the stage with Joyce Cobb to highlight the early ’70s era of funk and soul.

Both shows will begin at 7 p.m. with an artist conversation and brief audience Q&A, and all three concerts are free and open to the public.

Also in October, the Stax Museum will host music writer and critic Stanley Booth for a lecture and discussion on the Stax legacy. Additional fall programs include a concert with punk legend Jon Langford and his new band, Four Lost Souls, on Oct. 16. The Stax Museum’s Soul Cinema series returns in November with free showings of “Superfly” Nov. 6 and “Cooley High” Nov. 13. The concert and movies are free and will begin at 7 p.m.

– Andy Meek

U of M Inks Partnership With Volunteer Odyssey

The University of Memphis has entered into an official partnership with Volunteer Odyssey as the U of M’s official service partner. The partnership will give the university the ability to provide vetted service opportunities to students that contribute to community needs.

In February, Sarah Petschonek, a four-time U of M alum and founder and CEO of Volunteer Odyssey, unveiled a citywide volunteer engagement platform called VolunteerCompass. The platform is a comprehensive volunteer management system that houses information for individuals, nonprofits and businesses to mobilize and match volunteers with Memphis organizations and track volunteer data in real time.

“Through targeted volunteering, we can better equip our nonprofits to tackle social issues while also enriching the lives of the university’s students,” Petschonek said in a release.

VolunteerCompass provides an easy way for students, student organizations and campus partners to find volunteer opportunities that match their skills and interests, and for nonprofits to recruit student volunteers. In addition, students can instantly reflect on their experience while keeping a verified record of their service experience.

– Don Wade