MLGW Awarded TVA Solar Capacity

Memphis Light, Gas and Water Division is one of seven power companies awarded a total of 10 megawatts of solar capacity by the Tennessee Valley Authority.

MLGW applied for the capacity as part of the TVA’s Distributed Solar Solutions pilot program.

The MLGW project will be a solar array to be built at Nike Inc.’s North American Distribution Center in Frayser.

The site will be built, owned and operated by Silicon Ranch Corp. of Nashville.

Once completed, the Nike array will generate about 3.7 million kilowatt hours of electricity per year, or enough for 242 average households. Overall, the solar projects announced by TVA will generate enough power to supply more than 900 average homes.

– Bill Dries

Grizzlies File $1.8M Permit For FedExForum Renovations

The Memphis Grizzlies have filed a $1.8 million building permit application for interior renovations to the FedExForum with the city-county Office of Construction Code Enforcement.

The Memphis Grizzlies are listed as both the owner and tenant on the 191 Beale St. application.

Design Shop PLLC was listed as the architect for the project, while Montgomery Martin Contractors was listed as the contractor.

The multimillion-dollar improvements, which the Grizzlies announced in March, include several digital enhancements, including a high-definition scoreboard roughly four times the size of the current board as well as indoor and outdoor HD video displays, ribbon boards and LED lighting systems.

Other changes include several upgraded areas, including an updated courtside club and a terrace-level sports bar.

– Patrick Lantrip

Port Alliance Sponsoring Chamber Council, New Series

Port Alliance/H.Saga International, a member of the Greater Memphis Chamber, has become the title sponsor of the chamber’s Small Business Council and title sponsor for a new chamber leadership series called Listen, Learn & Lead.

Port Alliance/H.Saga International provides global, integrated trade and logistics solutions.

The chamber’s Small Business Council is made up of more than 80 percent of chamber members, which are businesses that employ 100 or fewer people. The council assists businesses through the Advice on Tap program and educational programming throughout the year.

With the sponsorships, the chamber will be able to provide the tools and resources Memphis businesses need to be successful, “which helps grow the economy locally for everyone,” said Amy Daniels, senior vice president of communications and programming at the chamber.

“The great work of the GMC’s Small Business Council helps good companies become great,” said Bob Wilson, CEO and partner at Port Alliance/H.Saga International. “As a small-business owner, I appreciate and benefit from my association with the Small Business Council, and am pleased to be a title sponsor this year.”

Wilson said he wanted to support an initiative that gives growing companies an opportunity to learn from and form relationships and mentorships with larger companies that have already reached the pinnacle of growth.

“It is imperative that we share best practices with each other to foster further growth in the Memphis area,” Wilson said.

The Listen, Learn & Lead series launches Wednesday, May 10, and is open to members and nonmembers. This series is designed to help businesses form or enhance an intentional, focused culture that will provide future growth and help attract and retain quality talent.

– Daily News staff

MAM’s Odom a Semi-Finalist For Jr. NBA Coach of the Year

Memphis Athletic Ministries president and CEO Randy Odom, the Memphis Grizzlies’ first-ever Youth Basketball Coach of the Year, has been named one of eight semi-finalists for the national Jr. NBA Coach of the Year Award.

After advancing from a pool of 30 youth basketball coaches representing their respective NBA teams, Odom now vies to win a financial grant up to $5,000 to go to Memphis Athletic Ministries. As a top three finalist, he also would be awarded an all-expenses-paid trip to attend the inaugural NBA Awards Show on June 26, where the Jr. NBA Coach of the Year winner will be announced.

The top three finalists are determined based on fan vote and a review by an executive panel comprised of retired NBA player Dell Curry, NBA vice president of basketball operations Kiki VanDeWeghe, former WNBA chief of basketball operations Renee Brown and other esteemed figures in the sports industry.

Fans are encouraged to vote for Odom on Twitter through May 22 using #JRNBACOYMEM. Retweets will count as votes, and fans are allowed to vote an unlimited number of times per day.

– Don Wade

MLGW Urges Conservation During Peak Water Use Hours

Memphis Light, Gas and Water Division is voluntarily requesting commercial, industrial and residential customers, primarily in southwest Memphis, to conserve water during the peak water usage hours of 5 a.m. to 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. as maintenance work continues at its Davis Water Treatment Plant this week.

MLGW is asking customers within the affected area – bordered by Stateline Road to the south, Airways/East Parkway to the east, North Parkway to the north, and the Mississippi River to the west – to voluntarily limit water consumption to help keep system pressures stable during those peak times.

Residential customers can conserve by not washing vehicles or watering lawns during those hours, for example, and delaying the filling of pools during the peak hours, according to MLGW.

The Davis Water Treatment Plant has been temporarily shut down since May 2 for the maintenance work.

– Daily News staff

International Paper Declares Dividend

Memphis-based International Paper Co. has declared a quarterly dividend of $0.4625 per share on common stock owned from April 1 to June 30.

The dividend is payable June 15 to holders of record at the close of business May 26, according to the announcement made Tuesday, May 9.

The paper products and packaging giant also declared a regular quarterly dividend of $1 per share for April 1 to June 30 in the cumulative $4 preferred stock of the company. That dividend is also payable June 15 to holders of record at the close of business May 26.

– Bill Dries