$14M Building Permit Filed For Thomas & Betts Move

A $14 million building permit application has been filed with the Office of Construction Code Enforcement for renovations to an office building at 860 Ridge Lake Blvd. in East Memphis for Thomas & Betts Corp.

The application lists ABB as the tenant and Boyle Investment Co. as the owner, but it does not list a contractor.

The building is located within Boyle’s Ridgeway Center office development off Poplar Avenue, just east of Interstate 240.

ABB bought Thomas & Betts in early 2012 for $3.9 billion.

Thomas & Betts, which now operates as a business unit within ABB’s $10 billion Electrification Products division, is preparing to move its headquarters from Southwind to the building in Ridgeway Center that has been occupied by ServiceMaster Global Holdings, which is wrapping up a move of its corporate headquarters from 860 Ridge Lake Blvd. to the former Peabody Place Mall Downtown.

Memphis-based Thomas & Betts was awarded a 15-year payment-in-lieu-of-taxes, or PILOT, incentive to relocate its corporate headquarters from Southwind to the Ridgeway Center and consolidate its regional research and development functions.

The tax incentives approved last July by the Economic Development Growth Engine for Memphis and Shelby County allow T&B to retain 523 jobs and create 75 net new jobs with an average salary of $86,788.

Officials with EDGE estimate the expansion project will generate $45 million in local tax revenues during the term of the PILOT, while resulting in a $3.1 million benefit to T&B.

The low-voltage electrical components and products manufacturer is investing $20.7 million in the headquarters relocation and consolidation of operations.

The PILOT requires T&B to spend at least $2.3 million with Memphis and Shelby County certified minority and women business enterprises (MWBEs).

– Daily News staff

UTHSC Addiction Center To Host Opioid Forums

The Center for Addiction Science at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center and the Memphis Area Prevention Coalition will present forums April 18 and 19 to educate health care providers, first responders and the public on recognizing and treating opioid use disorder.

The Medical Forum on Addiction and Overdose will be held April 18 at 11:30 a.m. (includes lunch), and repeats April 19 at 8:30 a.m. (includes breakfast).

Both sessions are free and open to the public and will be held in the Freeman Auditorium at UTHSC’s Hamilton Eye Institute, 930 Madison Ave., third floor.

The forums aim to educate participants on the signs and symptoms of opioid use disorder, provide an overview of the science of addiction, assist practitioners in diagnosing and treating patients with opioid use disorder, and to discuss the use of Narcan, the drug used to resuscitate an individual who has overdosed on opioids.

The panel will also discuss issues surrounding the trafficking of opioids in West Tennessee.

The speakers are:

• Dr. Shawn Hamm, associate professor and physician in the Center for Addiction Science at UTHSC

• Dr. Drew Blackstock, a board-certified family medicine physician and an addiction medicine fellow at UTHSC

• Jack Wyatt, executive director of the Memphis Area Prevention Coalition

• Joseph Griffith, special assistant U.S. attorney

According to the Tennessee Department of Health, 1,631 Tennesseans died from drug overdoses in 2016, the highest annual number in state history and an increase from 1,451 overdose deaths recorded among Tennessee residents in 2015.

The Center for Addiction Science at UTHSC was launched to combat the addiction epidemic in Tennessee. The center was named the first Center of Excellence in Addiction Medicine in the country by The Addiction Medicine Foundation in 2016. It seeks to bring together clinical care, research, education and community outreach to address addiction and deadly substance use.

The upcoming forums stem from its education and outreach missions.

The Memphis Area Prevention Coalition is a nonprofit group aimed at supporting substance abuse prevention efforts in Shelby County.

Registration is requested by April 17. For more information or to register, email yashica.moody@uthsc.edu or call the UTHSC Center for Addiction Science at 901-866-8630.

– Daily News staff

AutoZone Liberty Bowl To Honor Priscilla Presley

The annual Distinguished Citizen Award given out by the AutoZone Liberty Bowl will this year go to Priscilla Presley in ceremonies on Sunday, June 24.

Presley, who is an entrepreneur and philanthropist as well as an actress, author and producer, also was a driving force behind opening Graceland to the public.

She will receive the award at the Memphis Hilton Hotel on June 24; cocktail reception begins at 5:30 p.m., followed by dinner and the award presentation at 6:30 p.m.

A live auction and silent auction will be part of the evening, with 100 percent of the proceeds going to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

Previous Distinguished Citizen Award winners include St. Jude founder Danny Thomas, FedEx founder Fred Smith, AutoZone founder Pitt Hyde, and sports legends such as Paul “Bear” Bryant, Lou Holtz, Tony Dungy and Archie Manning.

Individual seats for the dinner are $100 and a table of 10 may be purchased for $1,000. To make a reservation, call the AutoZone Liberty Bowl at 901-795-7700.

– Don Wade

Uber, Lyft Add Programs At Memphis International

Ride-share companies Lyft and Uber have introduced a new “Rematch” program at Memphis International Airport designed to reduce wait times and provide drivers with more flexibility.

Rematch allows drivers to accept ride requests immediately after dropping off a customer. Previously, drivers were required to return to the airport’s cellphone lot after drop-off, and be placed in a queue for ride requests.

Now, the ride-share companies will notify drivers of pickup requests at the time of drop-off, allowing for quicker service for Lyft and Uber customers, more convenience for drivers, and a reduction of curbside and road congestion.

The Lyft and Uber pickup/drop-off area can be found on the upper-level commercial drive outside of the A, B and C ticketing areas.

Representatives from Uber and Lyft said features like Rematch improve the pickup experience for drivers and passengers.

Scott Brockman, president and CEO of the Memphis-Shelby County Airport Authority, said the airport is always looking for ways to improve the passenger experience.

“‘Rematch’ is one way we can cut down on wait times,” Brockman said. “We are grateful to Uber and Lyft for offering this customer-friendly feature.”

– Daily News staff

Third Tigers Basketball Player Transferring

Guard Malik Rhodes has joined David Nickelberry and Jamal Johnson in announcing his intention to transfer out of the University of Memphis basketball program.

Former coach Tubby Smith suspended Rhodes for three games during the season for unspecified reasons, but then reinstated him.

Rhodes got more playing time after leading scorer Jeremiah Martin’s season was ended by injury.

In 26 games, Rhodes averaged 2.5 points, 1.2 assists and shot 33 percent from the floor, 27 percent from 3-point range.

New coach Penny Hardaway has commitments from Alex Lomax and his son Jayden Hardaway. Memphis has four scholarships available for the 2018-19 season.

– Don Wade

Memphis’ CityCURRENT Expands to Nashville

Memphis-based cityCURRENT is expanding its operations to Nashville.

The privately owned organization is a set of businesses that work in philanthropy and volunteerism across the city and host events such as a Signature Breakfast.

The Nashville expansion will include the networking events like the breakfast and a lunch series – all featuring a national guest speaker.

Memphis will remain the corporate office for cityCURRENT LLC.

Jeremy Park, who currently is the president of the organization, will become CEO over both markets with the expansion.

– Bill Dries