Embassy Suites Memphis On the Market

Embassy Suites Memphis, 1022 S. Shady Grove Road, is on the market, according to HREC Investment Advisors.

Built in 1989 and renovated in 2015, the five-story, 173,000-square-foot building sits on nearly four acres near the busy intersection of Poplar Avenue and Ridgeway Road in East Memphis.

In addition to 220 rooms, Embassy Suites Memphis has 8,200 square feet of meeting space and is home to Frank Grisanti’s Restaurant, which is leased until 2019.

Embassy Suites Memphis was most recently appraised at $24.4 million in 2017, according to the Shelby County Assessor.

– Patrick Lantrip

New Pizza Place Coming To Crosstown Concourse

Two local restaurateurs are looking to carve out their own slice of the Crosstown Concourse.

Elemento’s Neapolitan Pizza, founded by Adrian Accury and Justin Dorah, will soon begin construction on a new location at 1350 Concourse Ave., according to a $350,000 building permit application filed with the Office of Construction Code Enforcement on Monday, Jan. 29.

Ybos & Sons Construction Inc. was listed as the contractor, while Looney Ricks Kiss was tapped to handle the design work.

Crosstown Concourse was represented by Shawn Massey with The Shopping Center Group in the lease.

Accury is also the owner of Ciao Baby Pizza, located at 890 W. Poplar Ave. in Collierville.

– Patrick Lantrip

Smiley, Pakis-Gillon, Durham File in County Primaries

Potential contenders in the May county primaries continue to file their qualifying petitions for a spot on the ballot two weeks ahead of the filing deadline.

J.B. Smiley Jr. is the second contender to file in what could be a crowded Democratic primary for County Commission District 8. In addition to Smiley and Mickell Lowery, six other potential contenders have pulled petitions for the primary. No one has pulled a petition in the Republican primary.

The seat is currently held by Democrat Walter Bailey, who is term-limited.

In County Commission District 10, Vontyna Durham has filed in the Democratic primary to challenge incumbent Democrat Reginald Milton. No one has pulled in the Republican primary.

Adrienne Pakis-Gillon has filed in the Democratic primary for Register of Deeds, the first Democrat to file, joining Republican contender Wayne Mashburn on the May ballot in the separate contests for the same office. Mashburn, who is term-limited in his current role as county clerk, is seeking the office now held by Republican Tom Leatherwood. Leatherwood is also term-limited and is running for Circuit Court clerk in the Republican primary.

The deadline for candidates to file petitions in the May county primaries is Feb. 15 at noon. The deadline to file in the August state and federal primaries and county nonpartisan races is April 5.

– Bill Dries

Explore Bike Share Seeks Volunteers to Unpack Bikes

Explore Bike Share is set to receive seven truckloads of bike-share equipment Thursday and Friday, Feb. 1-2, at its Uptown staging warehouse, 61 Keel Ave., in anticipation of the system’s spring launch in Memphis.

“Six hundred state-of-the-art BCycle Dash bikes, which collectively make up the largest system of this technology caliber in the country, will be arriving this week in over 600 boxes,” said Rajah Brown, Explore Bike Share’s operations director. “And those 600 boxes need to be unpacked.”

The shipments will be staged in Explore Bike Share’s warehouse – donated by Benjamin Orgel, Billy Orgel, Adam Slovis, and Tom Marsh – through a partnership with Advance Memphis, whose forklift trainees will offload and organize boxes for community volunteers to unpack next week.

Explore Bike Share is welcoming the entire community to volunteer in two-hour shifts to unpack each bike from its box – no bike skills required – between Tuesday, Feb. 6 and Thursday, Feb. 8. Volunteers can enjoy drinks, snacks and a free month of bike-share membership in exchange for their time.

“This is a system designed by Memphians for Memphis and, as such, we are always seeking opportunities to get more people involved,” said Sara Studdard, community engagement & marketing director of Explore Bike Share.

For more information and volunteer registration, visit explorebikeshare.com.

– Don Wade

FedEx Europe President To Retire in June

David Binks, president of FedEx Europe and CEO of TNT, will retire at the end of June, FedEx Corp. has announced.

Binks has been with FedEx since 1983 and was instrumental in the Memphis-based company’s acquisition of TNT in 2016.

Ben Nappier, FedEx senior vice president of finance-international, will succeed Binks in the Europe-TNT position effective June 1. As co-chairman of the FedEx Integration Leadership Council, Nappier was involved in the integration of TNT into FedEx. Helena Jansson, a 20-year FedEx veteran, will succeed Nappier as SVP of finance-international.

– Bill Dries

Lyft Launches Fundraising Initiative for St. Jude

Rideshare company Lyft has teamed up with country music star Brett Eldredge to support St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital through a new fundraising initiative.

An in-app feature called Round Up & Donate will allow Lyft riders to round up their fare to the nearest dollar and donate the difference to St. Jude.

The new initiative already has been spotlighted on the daytime TV show “The Ellen Show,” and it was announced in Memphis at St. Jude on Monday, Jan. 29.

Eldredge is supporting the new initiative after recently hosting a special concert for St. Jude patients that was sponsored by Lyft.

– Andy Meek

FedEx Training Drivers To Spot Human Trafficking

FedEx Corp. is launching an educational training program on Truckers Against Trafficking for team members at FedEx Freight, its less-than-truckload unit. The education program coincides with National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month.

Truckers Against Trafficking is a nonprofit that educates, equips, empowers and mobilizes members of the trucking and travel plaza industry to combat human trafficking.

Truckers Against Trafficking also announced FedEx Corp. as a platinum-level sponsor in support of the organization’s work with the trucking industry to combat human trafficking.

“The American trucking industry has proven time and again that they are working alongside law enforcement to disrupt trafficking networks and aid in the recovery of victims,” Truckers Against Trafficking executive director Kendis Paris said in a statement. “The partnership between TAT and FedEx will significantly increase the trained ‘eyes and ears’ along our nation’s roadways, and we are thrilled to be working with such an industry leader.”

– Daily News staff