Lake District Selects Homebuilding Team

After months of vetting, the developers of the Lake District have announced the massive mixed-use project’s residential development team, which consists of exclusive builder Keith Allen of The Walker-Collinsworth Co., broker Billy Rodgers of Crye-Leike Real Estate Brokerage, and lead architect Looney Ricks Kiss.

Residents will select from a wide variety of home styles, ranging from 19th-century Tudor style to contemporary/modern homes with expansive windows and clean lines, developer Yehuda Netanel said in statement.

Lake District director of development Maggie Gallagher said home prices will start in the upper $300,000 range and will be built to individual specifications.

Interested parties will be able to contact Rodgers about housing inquiries Aug.1.

“I have a deep connection with Lakeland, I love the community and am honored to serve on the board of directors for the Lakeland Chamber of Commerce,” Rodgers said in a statement. “The Lake District will be a crown jewel of Lakeland and the greater Memphis community, I eagerly look forward to helping future residents own the home of their dreams.”

– Patrick Lantrip

St. Jude Tops List Of Gen Z ‘Dream Employers’

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is the No. 1 dream employer among high-achieving high school and college students, taking the spot from Google, according to the National Society of High School Scholars’ 2018 Career Interest Survey.

The survey, which is the 11th of its kind, reflects a higher level of interest in health care, versus the technology focus seen in previous years. Joining St. Jude are other highly regarded health care organizations, including Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta (No. 9), Health Care Service Corporation (10), Mayo Clinic (13) and Atlantic Health Systems (22). The top 25 also included a “local hospital” catch-all coming in at No. 3.

Newcomers to the list in 2018 included NASA (12) and SpaceX (18). Couple those new additions with Amazon’s jump from No. 11 to No. 4, and Google (2) and Apple (6) remaining steady in the top 10, and there is an understanding of why close to three-quarters of recent college graduates report having majored in a STEM-related field.

Chick-fil-A (24) was also new to the top 25, making it Generation Z’s first choice among food establishments.

Entertainment companies like Walt Disney Co. (6), BuzzFeed (8), Netflix (14), DreamWorks Animation SKG (17), Universal Studios (20) and the New York Times (21), all remained in the 2018 top 25.

NSHSS is an academic honor society for high-achieving students that offers member-exclusive scholarships and connects outstanding scholars with colleges and universities around the globe. All survey respondents are NSHSS members, and all are part of Generation Z and millennials. The survey was performed during the spring of 2018 and represents the voices of more than 16,000 high school and college-aged individuals.

– Don Wade

Nicholls Becomes CFO At International Paper

Long-time International Paper executive Tim Nicholls is the Memphis-based company’s new chief financial officer, the company announced Wednesday, June 20.

Nicholls, who has been senior vice president of industrial packaging for the Americas since November 2014, succeeds Glenn R. Landau as CFO. Landau is leaving the company for personal reasons, according to the IP statement.

Jean-Michel Ribieras takes Nicholls position, coming from being senior vice president of Global Cellulose Fibers.

And Catherine Slater takes the position Ribieras had, coming to that job from being a senior vice president.

– Bill Dries

Sprint Triathlons Saturday At Shelby Farms Park

The 3rd Annual Annie Oakley & Buffalo Bill Super Sprint and Sprint Triathlons will be Saturday, June 23, at Shelby Farms Park (south of the intersection of Farm Road and Walnut Grove Road). The event includes four races: an all-women super sprint triathlon, an all-women sprint triathlon, an all-men super sprint triathlon, and an all-men sprint triathlon.

The first race begins at 6:30 a.m. and the other runs will follow back to back, all on the same day. Bikes Plus and Bike World are sponsoring the event, which benefits Shelby Farms.

Event participants will receive a chance to win either a LIV bike (women) or a Giant bike (men). Additionally, helmets and bike shoes will also be awarded. Participants must be present to win.

The super sprint races are a 1/4-mile swim, 8-mile road bike ride and 2-mile paved-trail run. The sprint races are 1/2-mile swim, 16-mile road bike ride and a 4-mile paved-trail run. The swim will be in the lake on the south side of Walnut Grove Road, next to the Greenline Trail, near the former shooting range and paint ball park.

“The very short distances of the Super Sprint and Sprint are easier to train for and gives athletes an opportunity to try multisport events,” said Pam Routh, race director and partner in P.R. Event Management, the race presenter.

The event name is a nod to the buffalos that graze at Shelby Farms and its proximity to a shooting range. Annie Oakley was an American sharpshooter and became a renowned international star who entertained and traveled with Buffalo Bill’s Wild West show from 1885 through the turn of the century.

“Running triathlons builds great confidence,” Routh said. “Our goal is to promote the sport of triathlon and present local opportunities for athletes to challenge themselves in new ways. We encourage relay teams, especially with family members.”

For information or to volunteer for the event, visit pr-eventmanagement.net or contact Pam Routh at 901-550-2114 or pamrunsraces@gmail.com.

– Don Wade

Fitch Upgrades City Bond Rating to AA

The city’s bond rating has been upgraded by Fitch Ratings to AA, Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland said Wednesday, June 20.

The city’s rating had been AA-.

Fitch upgraded the bond rating just past the end of the city’s budget season with city council passage of a $685 million operating budget and an adjusted city property tax rate of $3.19 – all of which takes effect with the start of the fiscal year July 1.

The Fitch report received by the city Tuesday cites “the city’s continued operational stability while continuing on its track to fully fund actuarially determined pension requirements by fiscal 2020.”

Fitch also said increasing home values and the city’s financial reserves as well as announcements of expansions by FedEx Corp. and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital – each at dollar amounts over $1 billion – were factors.

In a written statement, Strickland said the higher bond rating, which translates to the ability to borrow money at a lower rate or cost, is confirmation that his administration’s emphasis on core services is working.

The city uses bonds to finance most of its large capital projects, paying off the debt over 20 to 30 years in most cases.

“Our increasingly positive financial situation is an indicator that we’re doing things the right way at City Hall: being efficient with spending, prioritizing core services, being frank about our challenges, and working together to find solutions,” Strickland said.

– Bill Dries

Cabot Creamery Brings Gratitude Grille to Memphis

Cabot Creamery Co-operative, the maker of Cabot Cheese, has brought its traveling food truck, known as the Gratitude Grille, to Memphis to serve complimentary meals to volunteers at Mid-South Food Bank, MIFA’s Meals on Wheels, the Humane Society of Memphis & Shelby County, and WKNO.

Cabot Creamery is owned by 1,000 farm families in the New England and New York area, and its Gratitude Grille is the farmers’ way thanking volunteers across the country for their hard work and service.

The roaming food truck visited the Mid-South Food Bank Wednesday and MIFA on Thursday. It will be at the Humane Society on Friday and wrap up its local tour Saturday at WKNO.

– Patrick Lantrip