Simmons Bank Names Southwest Tenn. President

Simmons Bank has added Brandon Cooper as community president for the southwest Tennessee area, encompassing Shelby, Tipton and Fayette counties.

Cooper comes to Arkansas-based Simmons with more than 20 years’ experience in banking in southwest Tennessee, most recently as senior vice president and commercial relationship manager for Iberiabank.

“As a community bank, it’s very important that we have the best people leading our associates and making decisions at the local level,” Tony Gregory, Tennessee regional chairman for Simmons Bank, said in a statement. “Brandon has a proven record of leading teams that build great relationships and manage significant loan portfolios.”

Within the community, Cooper has served as the board chair for the University of Memphis Christian Student Center, is a past president and board member for the Rotary Club of Northeast Shelby County, a fellows advisory board member of Leadership Academy of Memphis and past president of Leadership Bartlett.

Simmons Bank is a subsidiary of Simmons First National Corp. (Nasdaq: SFNC), a publicly traded bank holding company headquartered in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. The bank entered the Memphis market in 2014 with the acquisition of First State Bank.

– Daily News staff

MERI, Genesis Foundation Announce Rebrand

Memphis-based Medical Education and Research Institute and Genesis Legacy of Life have announced a rebrand of their services and spaces.

Serving medical professionals across the country, MERI is a nonprofit educational bioskills lab and service provider. Genesis Legacy of Life is MERI’s willed whole-body donor program and will now be known as the Genesis Legacy Whole Body Donation Foundation.

The rebranding effort includes a joint logo and new color scheme, and it impacts everything from signage to vehicles to scrubs. The entities’ new shared positioning statement – “Advancing knowledge. Honoring life.” – also exemplifies the relationship between the nonprofit facilities and donation foundation.

MERI was founded in 1994 by Memphis neurosurgeon Dr. Kevin Foley, and it continues to serve as an industry leader for medical knowledge and practical advancement with state-of-the-art equipment, event management capabilities, and customized amenities.

MERI’s new website (meri.org) showcases its onsite and offsite bioskills event management services, including a new, state-of-the-art mobile bioskills lab for surgical training.

– Andy Meek

Grizzlies Lose 14th-Straight Game

The Memphis Grizzlies lost another close one, this time 100-98 at San Antonio on Monday, March 5.

Marc Gasol played despite a left ankle injury and scored 23 points with 10 rebounds and four assists. JaMychal Green finished with 14 points, 15 rebounds and five assists.

Rookie Kobi Simmons made his first NBA start at point guard and scored 13 points with three assists and one turnover.

Tony Parker paced the Spurs (37-27) with 24 points. The Grizzlies (18-45) have not won since late January.

Beset with injuries in their backcourt, Memphis signed guard Xavier Rathan-Mayes to a 10-day contract as a call-up from the NBA G League’s Westchester Knicks.

Rathan-Mayes made his Grizzlies debut at San Antonio and scored eight points with five assists, three turnovers and two steals.

The Grizzlies next play at Chicago on Wednesday, March 7.

– Don Wade