Inside Memphis Business, June/July 2017

J U N E /J U LY 2 0 1 7 | V O L U M E X I | N U M B E R 5

downtownrising Groundbreaking Developments at ◗ St. Jude

◗ ServiceMaster ◗ South Main

Supplement to Memphis magazine

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05 2017

project location size project type

Methodist South Hospital- Emergency Department Memphis, TN 104,334 sf Healthcare

100 Peabody Place, Memphis, TN 38103 • 901.260.7370 • www.belzconstruction.com

CONSTRUCTION

Photography: ©Timothy Hursley

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MOST FINANCIAL COMPANIES FOCUS ON YOUR INCOME. WE FOCUS ON YOUR OUTCOME.

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JUNE / JULY 2017 VOLUME XI | NUMBER 5

COLUMNS 4

FROM THE EDITOR ••• BY JON W. SPARKS

6

CREATIVE COMMUNICATION ••• BY ANDREA WILEY

8

FINANCE & INVESTMENT ••• BY DAVID S. WADDELL

f e a t u r e s

downtownrising Groundbreaking Developments at ◗ St. Jude p22

Expansion plan and jobs boost economic impact

10 N O N P R O F I T S

The Art of Nonprofits

••• BY JON W. SPARKS

◗ ServiceMaster p28

••• BY NED CANTY

Prepares for its move to Peabody Place

12 A R C H I T E C T U R E

Designing a Better Memphis.

••• BY MAYA SMI TH

••• BY JIMMIE TUCKER

◗ South Main p32

14 R E P U R P O S I N G

Making the old new again is the secret sauce of the booming neighborhood.

No Crane Envy Here ••• BY DOUG CARPENTER

••• BY TOBY SELLS

DEPARTMENTS

+Urban Savvy p35

17 L E A D E R S H I P

Q&A with Ray Brown

Alex Turley Vice President of Real Estate at Henry Turley Company.

••• B Y F R A N K M U R TAU G H

58 T H E H O T S H E E T 58 M A K I N G I T W O R K

Phil Trenary on the role of the Greater Memphis Chamber 61 C O M M U N I T Y P A R T N E R S H I P S

We Can Work It Out First Tennessee and Junior Achievement have joined forces for 25 years.

••• B Y EMILY A DA M S K EPL IN GER

62 T H E O F F I C E

Rick Gardner & Terri Struminger hbg design.

••• BY SAM CICCI

64 F R O M T H E A R C H I V E S

The Elks Club A fraternal headquarters changed the look of the Memphis skyline.

••• BY VANCE LAUDERDALE

• • •

P H O T O G R A P H Y B Y K A R E N P U L F E R F O C H T

SPECIAL PROMOTION

2017

FACES OF THE

MID-SOUTH

17

58

61

62

64

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F R O M

T H E

E D I T O R

• • •

B Y

J O N

W.

S PA R K S

Downtown Development From futuristic science to adaptive reuse.

INSIDEMEMPHISBUSINESS.COM EDITOR

Jon W. Sparks

CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Brian Groppe

MANAGING EDITOR EDITORIAL ASSISTANT COPY EDITOR EDITORIAL CONTRIBUTORS

ADVERTISING ART DIRECTOR GRAPHIC DESIGNERS

Frank Murtaugh Sam Cicci Michael Finger Ned Canty, Doug Carpenter, Emily Adams Keplinger, Jimmie Tucker, David S. Waddell, Andrea Wiley Christopher Myers Jeremiah Matthews, Bryan Rollins

PHOTOGRAPHY

Karen Pulfer Focht, Larry Kuzniewski

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR

Jeffrey A. Goldberg

PRODUCTION OPERATIONS DIRECTOR

Margie Neal

PUBLISHED BY CONTEMPOR ARY MEDIA , INC .

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

Kenneth Neill

CHIEF OPERATIONS OFFICER

Molly Willmott

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR CONTROLLER EDITORIAL DIRECTOR

Jeffrey A. Goldberg Ashley Haeger Bruce VanWyngarden

MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER

Kendrea Collins

EMAIL MARKETING MANAGER

Britt Ervin

DISTRIBUTION MANAGER

Lynn Sparagowski

IT DIRECTOR

Joseph Carey

OFFICE MANAGER

Celeste Dixon

RECEPTIONIST

Kalena McKinney

The way Downtown is getting gussied up, you’d think there’s a bicentennial on the way. In fact, the 200th anniversary of the founding of Memphis by John Overton, James Winchester, and Andrew Jackson is coming in 2019 and if they could see it today, the old entrepreneurs would be astonished at what’s on the bluff. In this issue, we look at three aspects of Downtown development and what the impact is going to be.

First is the expansion of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital a third of the way into its ambitious six-year strategic plan to conquer pediatric cancer. Work that has been done, is underway, and is planned, both on and off campus, is changing everything from nearby neighborhoods to genetics on a global scale.

A bit further south, the once lively but lately moribund Peabody Place is coming back stronger than ever as headquarters to ServiceMaster. The move into one building from various properties out east brings some 1,200 employees to liven up the Downtown scene every day.

Then we have the South Main area, which can’t seem to stop building apartments, condos, and lofts to meet the demands of millennials as well as empty nesters. But is it growing too fast?

All this activity gets a look from Ray Brown, an urban designer who would like to see Memphis work harder to make the public realm one we can all live in and love.

And as Doug Carpenter notes, our city has taken a shine to adaptive reuse as a way to grow while keeping the character of Memphis alive and well.

Other renovations and reboots, meanwhile, are going on all over the place. One of the primary projects

proposed by the city and St. Jude is the Bicentennial Gateway Project, which would co-ordinate a revamp of the Memphis Cook Convention Center, a redo of Mud Island River Park and the riverfront, and revitalization of neighborhoods around St. Jude.

Andrea Wiley notes that while we see a lot of interest from millennials in Downtown, they’re actually following a path blazed by creative firms who have seen the virtues of being near the river for some time.

There’s a lot going on and it’s exciting to see Downtown becoming a more and more desirable destination for visitors and residents. That said, there’s an assumption that come the bicentennial, the economy will still be robust enough to keep the Downtown dynamic going. And that we can improve the transit system. And step up the fight against blight. Oh, and get that grocery store.

Next Up Our next issue is a guide to meeting and special event venues, from private rooms in restaurants to The Peabody’s Grand Ballroom to the Memphis Cook Convention Center. Anyone planning an event will want to check out this useful reference.

The annual Innovation Awards call for nominations

Inside Memphis Business is published six times a year

by Contemporary Media, Inc., P.O. Box 1738, Memphis, TN 38101 © 2017, telephone: 901-521-9000.

For subscription information, call 901-575-9470. All rights reserved.

Periodicals postage paid at Memphis, TN. Postmaster: send address changes to Inside Memphis Business, P.O. Box 1738, Memphis, TN 38101. Opinions and perspectives expressed in the magazine are those of the authors, and do not necessarily represent the views of the ownership or management.

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You’re an Inside Memphis Business reader, so you’re savvy about Memphis’ business, philanthropic, and cultural communities. Because of your informed perspective and knowledge of the city’s cutting edge, we’re asking for your help in seeking nominees for our Fifth Annual Innovation Awards.

Keep in mind that, as much as we all value business acumen and financial success, this celebration is not necessarily about entrepreneurship and profitability.

The Innovation Awards salute vision and endurance and, most of all, they celebrate real breakthroughs.

If you have an Innovation Awards candidate in mind, please take a moment to include the information below and send it to me at sparks@ insidememphisbusiness.com:

◗◗ Name of individual or company ◗◗ Innovation ◗◗ Explanation of why this person/ organization should be considered Deadline for nominations is July 14th. Stay tuned for the announcement of winners in our October/November 2017 issue, and for information on attending the awards breakfast.

— Jon W. Sparks

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W H AT

M A K E S

A

DOWNTOWN? Tall buildings. Shops and

Dreamers and doers. Planners

restaurants. Small parks

and builders. Merchants and

and fountains.

residents. It’s a commitment to create change and foster growth,

SURE , THEY’RE ALL COR N ERSTON ES OF THE

cultivate an environment where culture

B L U E P R I N T. But what makes

and commerce flourish alongside each

a downtown more than a place?

other – B R I N G I N G T O L I F E

What gives it life? It’s more than

T H E B E AT I NG H E A R T

brick and mortar. More than public

T H AT I S E S S E N T I A L T O A

transportation and even a pretty skyline.

T H R I V I N G C I T Y . What makes

I T ’ S A V I S I O N . One shared

a downtown? In Memphis, that answer

by a collective of forward thinkers.

is cr ystal clear. E V E R Y B O D Y .

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CREATI V E COMMUNICATION

• • •

B Y

A N D R E A

W I L E Y

A Creatively Fueled Investment Today creative millennials want to be Downtown, where they can easily walk from home to work, get a coffee or a bite to eat, with access to the arts, live music and sporting events, and mix and mingle with multicultural peers who range in diverse mindsets.

TV Shows • Columns • Radio Show • Books • Podcast

Who can blame them? These desired environments encourage exploration and provide inspiration, which are key ingredients in creativity.

While this seems like a new idea to some, the creative firms in Memphis were early adopters to this notion, with several locating downtown in the 1990s or sooner, and they are still advocates today. Through branding and promoting our city’s most valued amenities and attractions, investment in real estate and talent acquisition, the advertising and marketing groups are supporting the development of downtown Memphis in a big way, and have been for a long time.

Archer Malmo, the largest independent agency in the Mid-South, advocates for being intentional in making Downtown attractive to the creative and technology talent necessary for the Memphis advertising industry to compete in today’s digital economy.

“We believe the best way for us to contribute to that strategy is to grow our own firm and create jobs,” says Archer Malmo CEO Russ Williams. “Since 2009, our Downtown Memphis staff has grown from 80 to 175, so we’ve created 95 new jobs in that time. We are also a long-term strategic partner of Start Co. and deeply committed to their efforts to build a strong community of entrepreneurs downtown.”

Stinson Liles and Martin Wilford, principals at Red Deluxe Brand Development, have been agency owners for more than 20 years and worked with several Downtown clients including Riverfront Development Corporation on the new RiverLine downtown trail system and Old Dominick Distillery on Front Street. “Probably the biggest impact we’ve made on the Downtown brand is in our 10-plus years of work with the Grizzlies,” explains Liles.

“Together, we realized that the Memphis and Grizzlies brands should be deeply intertwined. And today ‘Believe Memphis’ is a crucial and undeniable part of the Downtown brand. In the end, that’s really all a brand is — a compelling and irresistible invitation to believe.”

Hemline Creative Marketing, all female-owned and operated, was established in 2004 and has called South Main home ever since. Owners Kelley Morice and Cynthia Saatkamp have always been intentional about supporting clients that bring vitality to the area, such as the Memphis Farmers Market, RiverArtsFest, and the newly renovated 409 South Main, an event space and food hall concept.

Doug Carpenter, owner of DCA, believes that any metropolis is only as strong as its downtown core.

“From our engagements with clients like Big River Crossing to our activation of Loflin Yard and Explore Bike Share, we have successfully advanced our clients’ causes while adding to the landscape of Downtown Memphis,” he says. “Our recent acquisition of the historic Nabisco warehouse building for our DCA headquarters is a pretty

good indication of our investment.”

Another firm that will be relocating soon is Oden, which has been Downtown for 21 years and headquartered in two historic structures — the Falls and the Pembroke Buildings. Now Oden is driving an even deeper stake in Downtown, as they purchase and renovate another landmark building at the corner of Vance and B.B. King Boulevard. “We are genuinely excited about the chance to bring that corner to life,” says Bill Carkeet, principal at Oden. “Our hope is that our investment serves as a catalyst for further growth in that area.”

Inferno has called Downtown and South Main home for 17 years, ADVERTISING geography that is a vital AND MARKETING part of the agency’s DNA. GROUPS ARE “From the beginning, we wanted to be a deliberate SUPPORTING THE part of the area’s develDEVELOPMENT opment efforts,” says Tim Sellers, principal at Inferno.

OF DOWNTOWN “When we renovated the MEMPHIS IN A abandoned cargo holding BIG WAY. bays in the Central Train Station and first opened our doors, we were truly a part of the southern frontier of Downtown development.”

While a number of creative firms have moved downtown in more recent years, the most significant is Y&R, one of the largest marketing and communications firms in the world, who selected Downtown Memphis as its newest location.

Ken Dowling, Global Client Leader at Y&R, says, “From day one, Downtown Memphis was the only place we considered locating our new office. We felt it was important to integrate ourselves into the heart of the business community and become part of the cultural fabric of Memphis. Y&R is committed to establishing and growing our footprint in Memphis and we felt a kindred spirit with the city around its revitalization. To that end, we have made a major commitment to the Memphis Brand Initiative to support brand development and marketing communications for the city.”

It’s no wonder Downtown development is booming and millennials, not to mention established businesses and startups alike, want to be a part of what our marketing and advertising firms have been invested in for decades. The bottom line is that the creative inspiration that is fueled by our city’s grit, grind, and historical bluesy ways is worth every penny.

Andrea Wiley is an adjunct professor teaching advertising at the University of Memphis and was the 2015-2016 President of the Memphis Chapter of the American Advertising Federation.

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FI NA NCE & I N V ESTMENT

••• BY DAVID S. WADDELL

Citynomics I remember flying into Shanghai in 2007 over vast agricultural fields punctuated with six- to twelve-lane highway bridges spanning irrigation canals but without connected highways on either side! Confused as to their purpose, I asked a government official why these bridges existed. He explained that China’s development plan included moving the Chinese population into cities connected by vast networks of highways and high-speed rail. On course, China has now urbanized 56 percent of its total population, up from 26 percent in 1990, which prompts the question: What’s so great about cities?

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Cities are simply defined as higher density population clusters, but something economically magical happens when populations congregate.

For starters, the establishment and growth of urban clusters rapidly increases investment activity. Consider Nashville: Of the 190 development projects now under way in Nashville, 40 exceed $100 million according to the Nashville Business Journal. This capital deployment drives new business formations, lower unemployment, and higher personal incomes.

Overall, urban environments also greatly increase labor productivity. Reductions in transportation costs, higher specialization, and hive-like communication networks lead to vast improvements in per capita GDP levels compared with less dynamic rural environments.

Today, 25 percent of the world’s population lives in the 600 largest cities (populations of 1 million or more) that contribute more than 60 percent of global economic growth.

The rapid economic growth TODAY, 25 PERCENT across Asia corresponds to the largest urbanization OF THE WORLD’S migration in human POPULATION history. Inelegantly stated, a worker in a factory adds LIVES IN THE 600 much more economic LARGEST CITIES. value than a worker in a field, and a worker in an office adds much more economic value than a worker in a factory. This economic evolution simply does not occur without the structural advantages of city dwelling.

City life provides a host of non-economic benefits as well. Not only do urban areas provide more diverse academic options, 33 percent of urbanites hold bachelor’s degrees compared with just 19 percent for ruralites. Urban life expectancies also outpace rural life expectancies

by more than two years. Most of this divergence comes from higher accident rates, higher lung cancer rates, more cardiovascular afflictions, and less access to healthcare services in rural areas.

Environmentally, cities are actually “greener” than suburbs. This may seem counterintuitive, but farms deforest much more than skyscrapers and relative environmental impacts per person decrease significantly as populations become more dense.

Additionally, urban density also increases public transportation use, reducing vehicle emissions per capita.

Lastly, while the criteria for happiness lends itself to variance and interpretation, there are numerous studies that associate more social engagement with higher levels of overall happiness. That being said, noisy and busy cities can also create higher levels of stress and anxiety. Try driving in Washington, DC, for example. Overall, however, the benefits of city dwelling must exceed the benefits of country living or 82 percent of Americans wouldn’t reside in cities.

The bottom line is that increasing the livability and density of Memphis’ inner city could improve economic, educational, and health outcomes for citizens within our MSA. Development strategies for our urban core should accompany growth strategies for the Memphis economy.

The development of St. Jude, the inclusion of ServiceMaster, and the expansion of downtown residential and hospitality options bodes well for our inner city, which bodes well for Greater Memphis.

David S. Waddell is CEO of Waddell and Associates.

He has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Business Week, and other local, national, and global resources.

Visit waddellandassociates.com for more.

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The Art of Nonprofits • • •

B Y

N E D

C A N T Y

Before becoming general director of Opera Memphis in 2011, I spent five years as festival director of the New York Television Festival. Founded in 2005, the NYTVF aimed to be the “Sundance of Television,” leveraging advances in technology to help uncover a new generation of storytellers. It debuted in October 2005, to great success. Two months later, YouTube launched, and instead of the marginal expansion of traditional talent pipelines we were aiming for, we found ourselves in the midst of a massive shift in how content was created, consumed, and paid for.

I have a vivid memory of sitting in a diner with a highly placed TV executive who was convinced his entire world was disappearing before his eyes.

TV would be dead within three years, he said. In many ways he was right. Eleven years later, the traditional television business model is a distant memory, torn to shreds by webisodes, streaming services, and a universe of nearly infinite choice. His world is gone, no question. But what 10 |

replaced it is a new golden age of television. I don’t know about you, but my DVR is bursting with absolutely amazing art right now. If the DVR is empty Amazon, Netflix, and Hulu are standing by to deliver a century of amazing storytelling.

TV is dead; long live TV. I think about this a lot when I meet with colleagues from opera companies in other cities. All of us are watching a slow-motion version of what happened to TV a decade ago. Business models that were stable for years are crumbling. Subscriptions, long the backbone of any arts organization, are declining. Audiences are buying tickets later and later, and in the case of millennials, often waiting until the day of

commit to a subscription. Choose what to do on a Saturday night 10 months from now? Not likely.

So we find ourselves facing a time of change, where adaptability and nimbleness need to replace outmoded ideas of “stability.”

In an age of rapid technological change and disruption, “stable” means “static,” which too often means “out of business.” Our goal, then, as a nonprofit arts organization, must be to adapt to the needs of our future audience.

We need to continue questioning what creates value for an audience member, and not rely on old models. AT&T was sure that the most important thing to a phone customer was a clear, reliable signal. Many fortunes were made by the people who bet that convenience would trump reliability.

I wish I knew what the future business model of opera (or orchestral music or ballet, or whatever) looked like, but I don’t.

All I know is that the human the event to decide what to do on need for music, for stories, for a Saturday night. More people shared communal experiences today are cultural omnivores, atis not going anywhere. Opera tending a wide variety of events, has been around for centuries rather than committing to a full precisely because it has adapted season of one genre — someto the times. If we embrace this thing that makes perfect sense disruption and use it as a chance given the abundance of choices. to forge a new These shifts are model, we can happening quickly create the same enough that THE HUMAN NEED FOR sort of golden age decades of data on MUSIC, FOR STORIES, we see with TV audience behavior are being rendered FOR SHARED COMMUNAL today. The business or production less and less EXPERIENCES IS NOT model of opera useful each year. in 2030 might Sounds a bit GOING ANYWHERE. look completely gloomy, I know. different from that of today, or Like the TV industry a decade of 30 years ago, but the art will ago, assumptions about what be better, more relevant, and works are being exploded, one more vital than ever before. after another. Luckily there is plentiful good news as well.

Ned Canty has directed productions Opera companies across the at dozens of companies, including The nation (Opera Memphis among Glimmerglass Festival, Wolf Trap them) are breaking records Opera, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, when it comes to attracting The Santa Fe Opera, and New York new audiences. Between our City Opera. Canty has spoken before “30 Days of Opera” program, the National Endowment for the Arts, our Masterworks series and our the Alliance for Nonprofit Excellence, Midtown Opera Festival, we and dozens of civic groups in Memphis. reach thousands of people each He was recently appointed to the year who are new to opera. The board of Opera America, the national challenge is that, compared to service organization for opera, and was their parents, someone who had named a CEO of the Year in January a great experience at their first

by Inside Memphis Business. opera is not nearly as likely to

PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OPERA MEMPHIS

N O N P R O F I T S

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RENDERING COURTESY SELF + TUCKER ARCHITECTS

A R C H I T E C T U R E

A rendering of the Universal Life Insurance Building renovation headed up by Jimmie Tucker of Self + Tucker Architects.

Designing with a Mission in Memphis • • • B Y

J I M M I E

T U C K E R

This is an exciting time for cities. Innovative leaders, policies, and strategies are driving progress in metropolitan areas and regions across the world.

Memphis is no exception, and I am glad to be engaged in projects that are creating a positive impact on our communities and helping local residents reimagine a vibrant city.

What gets me most excited about our work as architects is the potential for equitable transformation — that even the most underserved areas have the possibility of becoming vibrant neighborhoods. I firmly believe that each building we design should enhance the quality of the life of its occupants and enrich the architectural fabric of the community.

Through first-hand experience I understand the challenges of engaging in community revitalization from multiple perspectives. For the past 10 years I have been architect and developer of the Universal Life Insurance Building. It is a project that has spanned the recession and three city administrations. It has been a challenging project but one that has taught me about the importance of tenacity and partnerships, as well as creative 12 |

financing and community engagement. Through an innovative partnership with the City of Memphis and with the last amount of critical funding from First Alliance Bank, the project will move forward in June 2017.

Our slogan at Self + Tucker Architects is Designing a Better Memphis. Design has the capacity to help create a healthier, equitable and just world. Recently, I have been working with various communities with a focus toward community engaged design, which is a strategy to empower local residents to be more engaged in the design process and to ultimately lead the planning and design process in their communities.

For example, the residents of Orange Mound have enlightened us about the rich history of their community as we documented the cultural

assets and gained a greater understanding of the local networks that can be leveraged to create a greater community engagement.

Mentoring and youth engagement are also critical aspects of our approach to community redevelopment.

As we engage the young people the parent may also be drawn to participate in the planning process.

Essential knowledge of project financing tools as well as an understanding of

EACH BUILDING WE DESIGN SHOULD ENHANCE THE QUALITY OF THE LIFE OF ITS OCCUPANTS AND ENRICH THE ARCHITECTURAL FABRIC OF THE COMMUNITY. environmental and social impact strategies and solutions can be crucial to an architect successfully executing projects in underserved communities.

Through our initiative and partnership, Knowledge Quest was able to secure a Qualified Energy Conservation Bond funding of nearly $400,000 for the Residences at Green Leaf, a project to renovate a long-vacant 10unit apartment building.

We focus on civic leadership

strategies that place the architect at the center of creative place-making initiatives, effectively extending our influence and impact into branding, technology, public art selection and funding.

However, our process has a major distinction in that we endeavor to design with the community not impose a solution based on limited information and limited engagement.

As Memphis has transitioned from commodity-based economies to one driven by knowledge, quality of place has become a key differentiator in recruiting and retaining talent.

Increasingly, funding goes to projects that demonstrate highly sustainable planning strategies such as green buildings, quality urban design, transportation choices, and community benefits.

Therefore, architects must gain a greater understanding of the integrated strategies required to both design and assist their clients with funding the development. They may then pursue benefits from development and place-making as a strategy for economic growth. These are the efforts that improve our hometown and help it prosper.

Jimmie Tucker is a founding principal of Self + Tucker Architects.

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B Y

D O U G

C A R P E N T E R

It’s common to hear even the proudest Memphis residents express a bit of envy over the cranes dotting Nashville’s skyline, visual proof of that city’s progress. It doesn’t take much looking, though, to realize we’ve got a fair share of crane activity happening in our own city, from Downtown to the suburbs.

In the Medical District, established tenants like Methodist Healthcare, UT Health Science Center, and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital are all expanding their presence.

In light of International Paper’s new tower, Saddle Creek’s expansion and the new TraVure project, Germantown is adding significant mixed-use development. Overton Square’s faded French Quarter Inn is being replaced with Ballet Memphis’ state-of-the-art facility.

New construction is certainly a sign of progress, new energy, and vitality, and it’s not foreign to Memphis. What makes Memphis distinct, however, is that we’re seeing cranes sitting by historic buildings, structures that were once dormant and are now expected to thrive as family living, economic centers, and retail hubs. You likely

know the popular chorus by now — the Tennessee Brewery, Crosstown Concourse, and Hotel Chisca are consistently (and justifiably) mentioned as examples of our penchant for adaptive reuse, but the list is even longer. The Hickman Building is getting new life as residential, retail, and office space; Hotel Napoleon is welcoming guests to the 115-year-old former Scimitar Building; and Old Dominick Distillery will send Memphis’ first local whiskey out of a renovated machinery shop.

Even Big River Crossing represents an innovative reimagining of a historic property for modern use.

Memphis’ deep talent for making the best with what we have is shown over and over again in our clever reuse of assets.

Cranes illustrate Memphis’ ability to reimagine and reconstruct

while maintaining the history and culture of the past for those in the future.

Our cranes are restoring romantic, historic, captivating pieces of architecture, and combining them with new construction to meet the demands of Memphis’ core growth.

We’re lucky to have the gifts of many talented architects who are designing from the ground up on progressive, award-winning projects, and our landscape will continue to be shaped by their vision. But we have not forgotten the value of our past.

When you walk through our city 10 years from now, you’ll see the by-products of growth, both in the context of our history and the concrete manifestation of our plans for the future.

Doug Carpenter is principal of DCA, a creative communications consulting firm.

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L E A D E R S H I P

Alex Turley

PHOTOGRAPHS BY LARRY KUZNIEWSKI

Vice President of Real Estate at Henry Turley Company

Alex Turley

• • •

B Y

F R A N K

M U R TA U G H

Alex Turley is a Memphian. But a Memphian with perspective sharpened by his days in Washington, D.C., and Chicago, not to mention a college semester in Ireland (where he happened to meet his wife, a native of Phoenix). A city’s dynamics — how it breathes, functions, and grows — are now Turley’s tool kit as vice president of real estate at Henry Turley Company. His understanding of how other cities thrive, though, has come to enhance Turley’s skills with that tool kit.

“I spent my childhood back-and-forth, between Memphis [where his dad lives] and D.C. [his mom’s home],” says Turley. “I’m glad I had that experience, living in different places. I actually spent my sophomore year of high school in D.C. [before graduating from Christian Brothers High School in 1997]. Those experiences made me who I am today.

“It was a very different time, my childhood in Memphis,” continues Turley. “I lived in the Evergreen district, in the 1980s. All those homes had been demolished to make way for the interstate, which was going to go through Overton Park. It was all fields.

There was an abandoned quality to it, which is a pretty fun place to be as a kid. We’d pull up manhole covers and walk through the tunnels under the city. There was always a band of us on bikes. I remember riding from Evergreen to Downtown when I was 11 years old. It was abandoned, too.

Pre-Harbor Town.

“WHEN WE Nobody was living EVALUATE HOW down here. Beale WE’RE SPENDING Street was just beginning to capture OUR TIME, WE attention as a tourist FIRST ASK, ‘WILL destination.”

Turley embraced IT MAKE THE life in D.C. every bit CITY BETTER?’” as much as his Memphis adventures, cultivating his talents as a hip-hop deejay (“Capital A”) in the nation’s capital. As though two distinct regions weren’t enough to shape him as a young adult, Turley attended college at DePaul where he studied political science in the heart of the Windy City. “Chicago continued my educational process,” says Turley.

“My friends from college were locals. I got to really immerse myself in that city and its culture. It’s the quintessential American city. The neighborhoods were changing, so I got to see the gentrification, the phasing out of public housing. My studies being focused on urban politics and urban sociology, I learned a lot. I had the benefit of leaving Memphis, to appreciate the opportunities we have in this city.”

Before joining Henry Turley Company in 2014 (Henry is Alex’s uncle), Turley spent a decade with CBRE Memphis as a retail broker. He managed the brokerage and asset services for the likes of Kroger, Target, Walgreens, Starbucks, and First Tennessee.

You’ve heard of the final account Turley handled for CBRE. “I thought IKEA was a good account to transition on,” says Turley.

“There’s not a better retailer, as far as I’m concerned. I didn’t want to miss out on that opportunity for our city.”

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Turley is now tasked with overseeing the acquisition, development, sales, and leasing of Henry Turley Company’s commercial portfolio. It’s more than connecting businesses with buildings, or buildings with street corners. Fundamentally, Turley emphasizes, his role is that of nurturing community.

“Everything we do takes five, seven, ten years,” says Turley. “As a broker, it was how many deals are you working at any given time? How many contracts are you executing? Here, we’re playing long ball. I want to make a difference in our city. Growing up, I was always inspired by Henry’s work.

Seeing what Henry was doing with Harbor Town and South Bluf fs and South Main was inspiring.

When we evaluate how we’re spending our time, we f irst ask, ‘Will it make the city better?’”

St. Jude’s ongoing expansion and the move downtown by ServiceMaster are signif icant opportunities for further development of the “IF A CITY city’s most distincDOESN’T HAVE tive sector. “St. Jude creates every kind A HEALTHY of job you can think AND THRIVING of,” notes Turley.

DOWNTOWN, YOU “We have an opportunity to develop inDON’T HAVE A clusively. Uptown’s HEALTHY CITY.” our closest model for what we can see occurring on a larger scale. We have an opportunity to seamlessly connect downtown, Uptown, South City, and the Medical District. Think about that.

We have the benefit of affordability, so we can build a different kind of city. Neighborhoods thrive around these economic generators.”

The possibilities invigorate Turley, and call to mind the leadership qualities he most admires in his uncle. “Henry set out to repopulate downtown,” says Turley. “If a city doesn’t have a healthy and thriving downtown, you don’t have a healthy city. He’s a thoughtful and very perceptive person.

Seeing how relentless he’s been in the pursuit to make our city better has inspired me.

He keeps his eye on the ball. And Henry has a financial sixth sense. Our developments have to be something a bank would finance, but that’s not what drives us or motivates us. We develop communities, and continue to manage beyond property lines. That’s what separates us from others.”

Turley and his wife, Mindy, live in Mid-

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town with their two children. Fatherhood tends to reshape one’s definition of leadership, but for Turley, it remains a matter of community outreach. “I’ve been trying to be a connector,” he says. “It’s about helping others in their questions and pursuits around civic endeavors and development.

Being a resource for people, and doing the small things well. The South End Improvement Alliance is an example. You can’t rebuild a neighborhood by yourself. You have to collaborate.”

Memphis is not Washington, D.C. It’s not Chicago. The ripple effect of visionary development can be greater here, if for no other reason than the city’s relatively small population. “The scale of our city invites people to really make a difference,” says Turley. “We’ve seen that in action over the last few years.”

A nd i mp act is n e e d e d . Tu r l e y notes the pervasive challenge Memphis faces, the factor that weighs, to some degree, on every development, however “THE SCALE visionary it may be.

“We have a high povOF OUR CITY erty rate,” he says.

INVITES PEOPLE “If we don’t change TO REALLY MAKE the trajector y by improving people’s A DIFFERENCE.” lives, connecting them to these economic opportunities . . . .

“Schools are the biggest factor in realizing sustainable neighborhood redevelopment,” says Turley. “And with all the positives, we’re still a poor city. But we see that as an opportunity. It goes back to inclusive development. We can rebuild our city — from the river to Crosstown, from Chelsea to Crump — where we intentionally set out to rebuild for everyone. The economic drivers are St. Jude and the Medical District, along with the convention center and our hospitality industry.”

In gazing forward, Turley acknowledges the challenge of attracting young leaders to the Bluff City. “In recruiting millennials,” he says, “we’re competing with Austin, Texas, and Brooklyn, New York. We have the opportunity to heal from within as a city.

Considering all the positive opportunities we have today, if we don’t use that to reverse our trends in regard to poverty, access, and inclusivity . . . well, we don’t have a choice.”

So the development of a new Memphis continues, with a downtown unlike any other in the United States. As it turns out, the vision requires more than one Turley.

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downtown

St. Jude Expansion plan and jobs boost economic impact

• • •

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S T O R Y

B Y J O N W. S PA R K S

• • •

P H O T O G R A P H Y B Y K A R E N P U LF E R F O C H T

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St. Jude’s 2016-2021 Strategic Plan would have shocked Danny Thomas.

So says Dr. James Downing, the institution’s president and CEO, who observes that the founder of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital had an extraordinarily expansive vision to fulfill and cultivated smart people to bring it about. One of those people — Dr. Donald Pinkel — was chosen in 1961 as the first director and CEO of St. Jude. Downing says he had an opportunity to sit with Pinkel who told him he couldn’t believe what it looks like today and that Danny wouldn’t have believed it either.

It is, after all, a plan that has ambitions on a global scale that emanate from its campus Downtown.

The Plan

Dr. James Downing, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital president and CEO, is guiding the institution through a sixyear strategic plan that will strengthen the campus in

Memphis and push treatment for pediatric cancer to all corners of the globe, a multi-billion dollar effort that will signifi cantly affect Memphis’ economy.

There will be a

28 percent increase in faculty over the six years of the plan and a

25 percent increase in overall employees.

“Our strategic plan started out as my vision,” Downing says, “but it was really developed as a massive effort across the institution with 180 people involved over a seven-month period, including board leadership, members of ALSAC, faculty, and staff leadership across the institution.”

The feeling was that in the previous decade, significant strides had been made in the institution and in research with, for example, the pediatric cancer genome project.

“Our fundraising was going very well,” Downing says.

“It was a time to look at the world at large where the voids were in leadership in pediatric catastrophic diseases and what we might be able to contribute to that.”

That, Downing says, would require not only strengthening the campus — Downing calls it “the mother ship” — but amping up the effort globally.

When Pinkel started at the helm of St. Jude, the survival rate in

pediatric cancer was poor. Now there is an 80 percent overall cure rate, and Downing says, “That’s great, except it still means almost one in five kids that walk through the door are going to die.”

St. Jude has always looked beyond its doors, but it had reached limits. Its international outreach program had done all it could do with its organizational structure, Downing says, and only reaching about 3 percent of the kids in the world with cancer. “If one honestly looked at the data and looked at the lack of data, one could estimate that perhaps nine in ten kids with cancer are actually dying of the disease. What were we going to do about it?”

The strategic plan was constructed with that in mind by calling for new programs on campus and expanding the number of patients it could treat. “We had to invest in infrastructure, we had to invest in basic research and clinical and support structures, and we had to look globally and develop

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New construction and improvements at the “mother ship,” as Dr. James Downing describes the St. Jude campus, will amount to about $1.5 billion as part of a $9 billion strategic plan for expansion and its mission to lead the way in combating pediatric cancer.

the right kind of program that could actually impact globally,” Downing says.

The Impact On Memphis The organization is two years into the ambitious plan and its effect on Memphis is being felt. “We’re bringing incredible people into the organization,”

Money to improve infrastructure around St. Jude is coming from the state and city, with

$37 million promised to that end. An additional

$12 million from the state is hoped for.

24 |

Downing says. “They’re becoming part of this community, and they will influence this community.” There will be a 28 percent increase in faculty over the six years of the plan and a 25 percent increase in overall employees. “Many of those are coming from outside the area, so that’s going to have a big impact,” he says.

There are also St. Jude’s connections with other institutions in town, such as the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, the University of Memphis, and Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital. Beyond the medical areas, it also works on different levels with tech and other corporate firms.

As the plan continues, Downing has brought in a significant amount of new leadership. Some have come up through the ranks at St. Jude and many are new to Memphis.

“For most of them, Memphis is not an obstacle,” Downing says. They like the city, he says, and its neighborhoods. They’re sometimes surprised that what they’ve heard about schools and the city’s crime is not accurate. “They come for St. Jude,” he says. “They see it and they think, ‘Wow, wait a minute — this is something different and I can make a difference.’”

St. Jude is also increasing the number of patients it sees.

It’s expanded the idea of the patient experience with new in-patient floors geared to the patient, family, and staff.

“It’s somewhere between a children’s museum and a pediatric hospital,” Downing says. The family experience office has Zip cars for the families, babysitting services, a concierge service. “And we’re

going to build out a town square concept in the patient care center that will be a place for the patients and families with a school, a church, a store, a bank, a bakery, a coffee shop, and a place for them just to sit and relax in private to get away from things.”

At the heart of what St. Jude does, of course, is the science.

“It sits as the foundation of all future discoveries,” Downing says. “We’re strengthening our basic science. We’re building a research building, the largest building ever built on campus, about 600,000 square feet. It’ll cost about half a billion dollars.” Construction is expected to begin by next April and the process will involve tearing down a building, relocating departments, and renovating elsewhere on campus. The plan includes expanding several departments, including cell molecular biology, structural biology, and chemical biology.

“Developmental neurobiology will be in there,” Downing says. “Immunology will be in there with some expansion, and we have the new graduate program.” The program’s first class will arrive in August. “It’s an incredible group of individuals coming from around the United States to get their PhDs here on the St. Jude campus,” he says.

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And there’s much more beyond the research center.

Genome sequencing is crucial to understanding pediatric cancer and identifying patients who are at risk. Handling that will be a new data center scheduled for completion this June although it will take six months to move in.

“It’ll be a large data center really dedicated to research,” Downing says. “The building is somewhere around $50 million.

It’s a massive tool for us to use to advance our work in our department of computational biology and our imaging facilities across the campus.

Now everyone is using big data

and analytical approaches to analyze that data.”

Also on the major construction to-do list is a new clinical office building and out-patient building, now in the planning stages. “The idea is to have an office building where all the clinical faculty and clinical support services are,” Downing says, “and to have an out-patient clinic building that would include the routine follow-up of our patients, the long-term follow-up of our patients, St. Jude Life, and for non-malignant hemologic and HIV patients. It’s likely going to be a relatively tall building.”

Some of the work is done,

ABOVE: Work is ongoing at St. Jude’s data center, a $50 million project dedicated to research and the crucial work in genome sequencing.

LEFT: St. Jude’s proton therapy machine offers better tumor control while decreasing toxicities — a key goal for St. Jude cancer treatment programs.

Shadyac says that the St. Jude operation has an overall economic impact of about

$2.5 billion annually. some just being planned. It all requires some dazzling choreography to juggle new construction, renovations, moving of offices and departments, and keeping the campus running smoothly for patients, families, and staff.

The Neighborhood St. Jude’s direct impact on neighborhoods comes from acquisition of land near the campus and securing housing around the city for families,

graduate students, and visitors.

That’s the job of Richard Shadyac, CEO of ALSAC, the companion organization charged with keeping contributions coming in for St. Jude. “We’ve been busy acquiring the additional pieces of real estate that are around our campus,” he says, “so that we can fully define the campus and then make strategic decisions about which of these parcels are most important from a development perspective, and then, which

ones might be strategic pieces for the community.”

One such acquisition is east of Danny Thomas Blvd. for St. Jude’s three-story data center.

Shadyac says there is other property in that area they want to acquire.

Property purchased in recent months in the Pinch District is likely to be used for residences and office space.

Downing stressed that St. Jude isn’t developing the adjacent Pinch District.

“We’re not taking out money that comes from donors and developing Pinch. We’re just working in partnership with others to use it. The property that we’ve acquired, the vast majority of it is for our future growth.”

Money to improve infrastructure around St. Jude is coming from the state and city, with $37 million promised to that end. An additional $12 million from the state is hoped for.

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Jobs The strategic plan is looking for an estimated 1,800 jobs to be created with the expansion, some to St. Jude and some to ALSAC. “The majority of the jobs will be on the St. Jude side, because it’s obviously bigger than ALSAC,” Shadyac says. “These are good jobs, middle-income jobs. I think the numbers that I’ve seen between both organizations, the average is around $65,000, so these are significant jobs and I’m hopeful that many of our employees are going to decide that they want to live Downtown. It’s why I think development in the Pinch district needs to happen sooner rather than later so that we can keep some of our employees and some of these new employees even closer to our campus.”

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An estimated

1,800 jobs will be created. I’m hopeful that many of our employees are going to decide that they want to

live Downtown.

Shadyac says that the St. Jude operation has an overall economic impact of about $2.5 billion annually. “I think that that is a conservative number, in all candor, but we expect that to grow to at least $3.5 billion or $4 billion by the end of this six-year strategic plan, and we’re two years into that plan.”

He says that it’s important for the economy to remain stable for the plan to stay on track. “If there was an economic downturn, obviously that would have a significant impact on our ability to raise the money that’s necessary, but we’re hopeful that we’ll continue to see at least a period of stability, if not growth, so that we can successfully execute this plan and impact more and more kids.”

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downtown

ServiceMaster Prepares for its move to Peabody Place • • • B Y M AYA S M I T H

ServiceMaster at a glance ServiceMaster, originally based

in Downers Grove, Illinois, moved its headquarters to Memphis in 2007 and has been operating out of five buildings near the Ridgeway loop in East Memphis.

The parent company of Terminix and American Home Shield, ServiceMaster is a Fortune 1000 company that provides residential and commercial services in areas of pest control, disaster damage repair, cleaning services, furniture repair, and mold inspection. It visits more than 7,000 homes and businesses a day.

The company has more than 7,000 franchise locations worldwide with nearly 13,000 corporate employees and 33,000 employees at franchises, with about 2,200 of those living and working in Memphis.

The new office, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certified, will house 1,200 ServiceMaster

employees in a four-level, 328,000-square-foot office

ServiceMaster was drawn to Peabody Place for its prime location and size. The company is one of the city’s biggest leasers and needed enough space to fit all of its operations under one roof.

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space. The atrium style office will house offices on the top levels with the bottom level being reserved for the Innovation Hub.

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r

Where do Millenials Prefer to Live?

8%

25

% other parts of memphis

suburbs

35%

downtown

42%

ServiceMaster Global Holdings, Inc. has begun bringing life to the vacant Peabody Place structure as it moves its global headquarters from East Memphis to the heart of Downtown.

With the repurposing of a once booming mall and the presence of more than 1,000 employees being added to the neighborhood, the aesthetics and economy alike of Downtown Memphis are being impacted.

In June 2016, the company announced the signing of a 15year lease to occupy the space that stands adjacent to The Peabody, a block from bustling Beale Street to its south and the Redbirds’ home at AutoZone Park to its north.

The company is in the process of renovating and

midtown

transforming Peabody Place from an empty mall into a state-of-the-art office space that will house all three of its business segments: American Home Shield, Terminix, and its Franchise Services Group, which includes the brands AmeriSpec, Furniture Medic, Merry Maids, ServiceMaster Clean, and

Peabody Place is morphing to a sleek office space.

ServiceMaster CEO Rob Gillette (LEFT) says he’s thrilled to join the Downtown business community.

ServiceMaster Restore.

The $35 million renovation is expected to wrap up this year, with 1,200 employees moving into the building by the end of 2017.

Mark Herbison, senior vice president of the Greater Memphis Chamber, says that ServiceMaster’s move “is going to be transformative. The city has not seen anything of this magnitude in years.”

The Chamber has played a significant role in bringing about the changes. Herbison’s economic development team coordinated with partner agen-

cies to persuade ServiceMaster to stay in Shelby County.

He says the addition of more than a thousand well-paid employees working Downtown will stimulate the entertainment and food industries, from Beale Street to the Bass Pro Shop at the Pyramid, to the South Main area, and possibly reaching as far as Overton Square.

Coupled with the expansion of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Herbison says Downtown will, in the next decade, be barely recognizable with the addition of condos, apartments,

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high performance, encourage innovation, and attract and retain great talent.

It’s designed with a wall of windows for pedestrians passing by to peek in on the innovation and there will be an event space in which ServiceMaster hopes to host a variety of technical events for the general public as well as local schools, such as hackathons, technology presenters, and technology meet-ups.

ServiceMaster’s move to Peabody Place gives it a four-level, 340,000-square-foot structure to house all of its divisions.

BELOW: An informal survey by Inside Memphis Business of 100 millennials gives a clue to the lure of Downtown.

restaurants, and shops.

There are plans to redo the nine blocks between Bass Pro and St. Jude, which includes street re-pavings, better street lighting, and improved sidewalks. Additionally, Foote Homes is set to be redeveloped into single-family homes, condos, and apartments.

Because of the increasing professional opportunities and improvements in the city, Herbison feels that more and more young people will choose to stay in or move to Memphis.

“Every time we redevelop something, it helps our ability to bring new young, educated people here,” he says.

“Memphis is a tremendously affordable, cool city with rich history, a nice vibe, and hip places. And it’s a place you can make a difference.”

Why live Downtown?

15%

potential growth

12%

urban environment

30%

convenience to bars/ restaurants

16%

memphis grizzlies

27%

character/ aesthetic

30 |

The pull to Peabody Place “We’re steps away from famous Beale Street and within a few blocks of the Mississippi River,” says Michael Wassmer, ServiceMaster communications manager. “Employees won’t be able to walk far from the office without tripping over multiple restaurants and shops.”

Why Peabody Place? Wassmer says other than its prime location, the sheer size of the building was very attractive, as ServiceMaster is one of the biggest leasers in Memphis and needed a space large enough to fit all of its employees under one roof.

Peabody Place Mall, owned

by Belz Enterprises, currently spreads an entire city block, from Second Street to B.B. King Boulevard, between Gayoso Avenue and Peabody Place.

“Peabody Place is a four-level, 340,000-square-foot structure in the heart of Downtown that perfectly suited our needs,” says Wassmer.

He says the high priority to find a space large enough for all of ServiceMaster’s employees is rooted in the company’s desire to enter into a new era of innovation, customer service, and performance, in which collaboration is crucial.

The new office space will now allow for employees from all of ServiceMaster’s different business segments to work under the same roof, which will increase collaboration and practice sharing across the business.

“We wanted to create an

The group behind the space environment that would help accelerate our digital transformation and spark the company’s growth for years to come,” says Wassmer. “It was the right time and Memphis was the right place.”

Innovation Hub The Innovation hub, a 20,000-square-foot space, will serve as a collaborative workspace to showcase the company’s businesses and serve as an incubator for local entrepreneurs and internet technology developers. The idea is to create an innovation magnet that can attract high-tech talent and investment to Memphis, and possibly to ServiceMaster.

The space, opening midyear, is the first part of the project to go live.

Inside, workshops will be held for innovators within the organization to provide opportunities for employees to explore their ideas, empowering them to pick apart internal processes and search for smarter ways to work.

“If an idea garners support, we’ll provide workspace and treat the group like a lean startup so they can quickly research and determine the next steps,” says Wassmer.

The space will also be available for external home service brands, startups, and entrepreneurs. The goal is for internal and external groups to work side-by-side — providing a unique crossover opportunity that leaders at ServiceMaster think will drive

Flintco, the construction company that built FedExForum and renovated and expanded the National Civil Rights Museum in 2014, is the general contractor for the $35 million in renovations at ServiceMaster’s new space.

Chris Chastain, who is responsible for business development at Flintco, says the company is proud of its history in Memphis and when the opportunity to work with ServiceMaster came along, Flintco felt honored to jump on the project.

“It just makes sense that a local firm would be the construction manager and general contractor on a project that means so much to Memphis and Downtown,” says Chastain. “The ServiceMaster project is special because it will transform not only the corner of Peabody Place and B.B. King Boulevard, but the landscape of Downtown.”

Chastain says Flintco is committed to hiring local subcontractors and vendors, which has created several jobs for local workers in the Peabody Place project.

“The men and women working on site are from here,” he says. “There’s a lot of pride knowing that this project means a lot to Memphis and we are putting Memphians to work.”

Yea or Nay? Terence Patterson, president and CEO of the Downtown Memphis Commission, says

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after ServiceMaster was courted by multiple markets around the United States, it was a huge win for Memphis to retain them.

“To have them become an anchor in the Downtown Core is something the Downtown Memphis Commission doesn’t take lightly,” says Patterson. “We believe we are building the most employee-friendly, amenity-heavy office campus in the region and having ServiceMaster here really pushes us to continue to create an even better experience for everyone working and living in Downtown Memphis.”

Patterson adds that the additional 1,000-plus employees that ServiceMaster will bring Downtown daily will be a boost for the economy.

“Adding another thousand people to the daytime population will be great for the Downtown economy,” says Patterson. “Our restaurants, retailers, and service providers are all excited for the opportunity to serve their community. And our real estate agents and apartment communities are more than ready to put out the welcome mats.”

Ken Taylor, the executive director of the Beale Street Merchants Association, says he along with

The

$35 million

renovation is expected to wrap up this year, with

1,200 employees moving into the building by the end of 2017. other members of the association are excited to have ServiceMaster as their soon-to-be neighbors.

Taylor says Downtown will continue to grow and thrive, and with the addition of ServiceMaster more people are expected to move to the area.

“People like to live where they work, especially millennials. More people will move Downtown and shop and better the city’s economy,” says Taylor.

Additionally, Taylor says the new space, being transformed from an empty building, looks great and works well for the Downtown aesthetic.

Millennials As the area continues to develop and grow, adding new bars and restaurants, more young people, millennials specifically are moving Downtown.

ServiceMaster is not specifically interested in attracting millennials, but hopes to attract the best talent. But with the new location and technology-advanced new office space, millennials seem likely to gravitate toward the company.

Wassmer believes that a modern, unique workspace will help attract and retain talent.

The new office space will be a “digital-first workspace,” according to Wassmer.

“Attracting best-in-class talent is always part of our strategy. Between the location, the office space, the unique innovation, and technology center, we feel the move will support our diverse recruitment efforts,” says Wassmer.

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South Main

Making the old new again is the secret sauce of the booming neighborhood.

South Main projects planned, under construction, or recently completed: Planned: South City

$250 million Medical Arts Building

PHOTOGRAPH BY BG

downtown

$16.3 million South Main Artspace Lofts

$16 million Arrive Hotel

$14.2 million Patterson Flats

$14 million Homewood Suites

$12 million Oden Headquarters

$3 million • • •

B Y T O B Y S E L L S

South Main Market

$1.5 million TOTAL: $327 MILLION

Under construction: Central Station

$55 million Tennessee Brewery

$28.1 million 266 Memphis Lofts

$17.8 million Printers Alley Lofts & Annex

$6.2 million Old Dominick Distillery

$5 million TOTAL: $112.1 MILLION

Recently completed: The Artesian

$47 million National Civil Rights Museum

$27.5 million Chisca on Main

$27 million South Junction Apartments

$26.1 million Crescent Bluffs II

$14 million 2nd Street Flats

$5.8 million Blues Hall of Fame

$2.8 million Ghost River Tap Room Tennessee Brewery owner Billy Orgel talks construction with a worker on the site of the $28.1 million project on Tennessee Street that will bring 151 apartment units to Downtown.

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$382,000 Loflin Yard

$880,000 TOTAL: $151.4 MILLION

Source: Downtown Memphis Commission

5/9/17 1:36 PM

PHOTOGRAPH BY BG

Loflin Yard is near the South Junction apartments (in background). BELOW: Repurposing, renovation and new construction at the Tennessee Brewery.

Dozens of young faces happily huddled close to the glowing campfires of Loflin Yard.

A bluegrass mandolin tinkled softly just above the rowdy din of their conversations that hovered over the yard. The Saturdayevening air was breezy, chilly. But the young revelers just inched closer to the ringed (and L.L.-Bean-perfect) camp fires, and dug their hands farther into their trendy jackets and vests.

Now, about

$590 million in projects have been built recently in South Main, are under construction, or are being planned there.

A glance over a craft beer and across the yard itself revealed the white facades and landscaped edges of the brand new condos at South Junction, where many of the revelers likely lived. Cars lined Carolina Avenue. The bar was busy, the energy was high, and the whole scene was — without a doubt — vibrant. No one could have imagined this three years ago.

“When I was in high school, I never would’ve thought in a

million years that Florida and Carolina and Georgia would be a residential area,” Josh Whitehead, director of the Memphis and Shelby County Office of Planning and Development, told the Memphis Flyer last year.

“It was one-story, kind-of-cool brick warehouses. But at night, it was, you know, spooky. The street lights were always out, and it was all these dark brick warehouses from a thousand years ago.”

About a year ago, investors spent about $880,000 to create Loflin Yard. They transformed a former key shop into a bar and light restaurant. They transformed a former barn into an event space. They transformed a small grazing pasture (the barn used to house horses for Downtown carriages) into that Saturday-night gathering spot for all of those new faces.

That transformation process — that turning of a former X into a new Y — is the equation, the road map, the playbook, the sure-fire no-brainer and, yes, the secret sauce of the massive comeback of the entire South Main Historic District.

“You know, we’re recycling an entire abandoned neighborhood,” said Henry Turley, founder and CEO of Henry Turley Company. “[South Main] was industrial. Then it was nothing.

So, it’s the ultimate in recycling, when you take the whole neighborhood and bring it back to vibrancy.”

Turley gave me that quote in 2014 and it’s still true.

Back then, I wrote about the booming South Main district for the Flyer. At that time, $100 million in private investment was flowing into the area. It was enough money that we headlined the story “$outh Main.”

Two years after my story ran, the investment figure ballooned to around $500 million in total investment in the neighborhood. Now, about $590 million in projects have been built recently in South Main, are under construction,

or are being planned there, according to new figures from the Downtown Memphis Commission (DMC).

Why? The economy has recovered, construction loans are flowing again, and downtowns are more attractive to developers than ever. City planners say people are craving vibrant, walkable, urban communities with an authentic feel. Who are these people? The easiest answer is millennials.

Millennials are now the largest living generational group, bigger than baby boomers.

They are entering the workforce and are moving to urban centers across the country. It’s why the Financial Times said 50 companies have relocated their corporate headquarters to downtown Chicago in the last decade. It’s why there’s a population boom in downtown Miami, according to the Miami Herald. But it’s also why many poor, inner-city residents are being pushed out of their homes, according to Scientific American.

Turley’s South Junction and some new town homes planned for the area have brought a population density back to South Main. The affordable apartments and condos are attracting that new, younger millennial crowd to the area, the campfires of Loflin Yard, and beyond.

And beyond Loflin Yard, those Downtown millennials in Memphis will soon have a bustling urban workplace and playground just steps from their doors. New deals are regularly

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the crumbling, institutional housing project with South City, a set of suburban-looking apartment buildings, green space, common areas, and some retail. South City will include 230 apartments, 263 town homes, 99 live/work spaces, and 120 units for senior citizens, according to the South City plan.

That mix of living spaces is hoped to reduce poverty in the area. The South City plan also aims to reduce blight, create affordable housing in Memphis, increase the tax base here, rebuild neighborhood services in the area (with a child-care center and a grocery store), grow the population, and create jobs.

The $250 million price tag for the project is paid for largely with government grants and tax credits although it does include about $25 million in private investment.

The first phase of the project — 120 apartment units — must be complete by 2018. South City officials say the entire project will be complete by 2021.

Tennessee Brewery $28.1 MILLION Construction is in full swing along Tennessee Street as an army of hard-hatted workers transform the 127-year-old Tennessee Brewery building

South Main is chock full of building projects — $590 million worth of them — that are bringing business and residential opportunities. RIGHT: South Line apartments at Central Station.

being inked in South Main. New projects are being born. Hammers are swinging constantly.

And there are few signs that the development boom will slow any time soon.

Here are just a few of the big projects that will soon come online in South Main and forever change the neighborhood:

Central Station $55 MILLION Developers are still working to get final city approvals for every part of their $55 million project to transform an eight-story apartment building and its campus into a new hotel and more. But some of their vision has already come to be.

Henry Turley Co. and 34 |

Community Capital unveiled the massive plan for the 1912 building and the area around it in 2015. That plan will bring a new six-screen Malco movie theater close to the corner of G.E. Patterson and Front (using the old Power House building as a box office). The plan will reconfigure and upgrade the space for the Memphis Farmers Market. The idea for a grocery store somewhere close to the development has been floated.

Perhaps the highest-profile piece of the project, though, is converting the tower there into a 123-room hotel and commercial space. Kemmons Wilson Co. will lead the development of the hotel, though no brand for the hotel or the restaurant

inside it has been made public.

Under construction now are three apartment buildings with more than 200 units — Main Street Apartments (one, three-story building at Carolina and Main), Front Street Apartments (seven, three-story buildings on vacant land between South Front and the Central Station train platforms), and Railroad Platform Apartments (a three-story building on the elevated platform above Main Street).

South City $250 MILLION The wrecking ball is scheduled to visit Foote Homes this year.

Planners hope to replace

into an upscale living space with 151 apartment units and a four-story parking garage.

Billy Orgel, a cell phone tower developer and Shelby County Schools board member, purchased the long-abandoned Tennessee Brewery building in 2014 for $825,000. Prior to the purchase, the building seemed destined for the wrecking ball.

Leasing agent James Rasberry says that the building’s previous owner would have had the building torn down by the end of the summer 2014 if no one stepped up to save it. Orgel said that 2014’s Brewery Untapped event “really opened my eyes” to the possibilities with the Brewery building.

The four-story tower that once housed the Tennessee Brewery will be converted into 46 apartments. Next to that, a six-story building called The Wash House is coming out of the ground. That building will house 90 apartments. Across Tennessee Street, a 339-space parking garage has been built.

That building will also house 15 apartments in the Bottle Shop.

The entire project will also include 4,000 square feet of retail space.

Originally, Orgel said the building would be ready for tenants in late 2016. The project’s website now says “re-established in 2017.”

But other, smaller projects will also continue South Main’s transformation.

Old Dominick will soon open its $5 million distillery and tasting room in a renovated warehouse on Front. Work is under way to open South Main Market, a food hall, in a $1.5 million renovation project at 409 Main. Investors are working to transform the former Memphis College of Art building at 477 Main into a 62-room boutique hotel called Arrive Hotel in a $14.2 million project.

The DMC put a laser focus on South Main for years, giving grants and loans for projects to stir development there.

DMC president Terrence Patterson says he’s glad to see so much energy in the neighborhood but “we know we are not done.”

“To build that kind of 18hour vibrant atmosphere, and to attract further amenities, we need to increase population density,” Patterson says.

“That density will come from a mix of single and multi-family developments, and that is exactly what we are seeing in South Main.”

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Urban Savvy • • •

B Y J O N W. S PA R K S

•

In a recent meeting of the Downtown Memphis Commission’s Design Review Board, Chairman Ray Brown issued a warning: “If we don’t start getting serious about how we are going to attract people back to this city, this city is going to die.

And one of those ways is the quality of the public realm and public art.”

His work on the Design Review Board involves review and approval of projects that have been given incentives by the DMC. (For a list of projects, see Page 32).

Brown is principal of Ray Brown Urban Design, a practice that focuses on how people engage with cities. For years, he has called for a more focused and consistent approach to the way that Memphis grows and develops.

PHOTOGRAPHS BY KAREN PULFER FOCHT

BELOW: Downtown’s Court Square is where people can engage with each other, a key goal in good urban design.

“Memphis has got such a great history and such a great spirit and yet we seem to have a difficult time communicating that in our public realm,” says urban designer Ray Brown.

Are we making the best design decisions we can?

Inside Memphis Business: Where is Memphis winning and where is it failing?

RAY BROWN: If you look at cities that are the places that people love to go to and love to live in, they all have a sense of design for the delight of the people in them. They’re aesthetically pleasing, beautiful in some cases. The design is about beauty. The design is also about function and how things work.

Successful cities pay attention to how things work, as well as how beautiful they are, and such cities have a degree of civility, of conviviality. People have places to sit and talk and engage with each other and good public squares and streets that are interesting to be on and walk along and that you can engage with other people on.

Memphis has some places that have been specifically and

carefully designed to create those conditions that make for that kind of delight and that kind of civic engagement.

Overton Square has that kind of ambiance that allows all of that to happen.

On the other hand, you have Poplar Avenue, which is about as suburbanized as a city street can be. It’s a highspeed traffic area and doesn’t pretend to be anything else.

For most of its length, it’s unwalkable, or very difficult to walk. For most of its length, the buildings don’t engage with the street. They’re set back behind parking lots, and so you have little for a pedestrian to look at or be entertained by or engaged by, and it’s a dehumanized environment.

A good chunk of Union Avenue has turned into the same sort of thing. I have a couple of photographs I’ve taken that show utility poles in the middle of a four-and-a-half-foot sidewalk. Well, who can walk along the sidewalk with a utility pole smack dab in the middle of it, let alone try to negotiate that with a wheelchair?

Memphis has got such a great history and such a great spirit and yet we seem to have a difficult time communicating that in our public realm. A lot of that is because we don’t have a lot of money to spend, but a lot of it is that we haven’t made a priority out of creating a lovable city and out of loving the city and making the city a place that people can feel comfortable and welcome in.

If you don’t make the city a place where people want to be, we’ll end up continuing to lose more people than we gain. The people we call the talented people, by which I mean they have some college attainment, those

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people that we need, and who, by virtue of their skills and abilities, can choose to live wherever they wish, will go elsewhere, and they do in some numbers. We’re getting more of those young people, but we’re losing a lot of middle-class families as well.

We haven’t paid enough attention to the public realm.

That’s something that seems to get left to the tail end of development and thinking, as we pursue whatever we pursue in the name of progress and more jobs and more economic development, but

36 |

at what cost? At the cost of making a city that’s lovable.

Our corridors — Union, Poplar, Summer Avenue — those are the places that show, unfortunately, where our priorities lie. There are bright spots. People of Midtown put up quite a fuss about the new Kroger on Union Avenue, and as a result, they got a store that does engage the street, to a degree. It’s a lot better than it would have been, if people hadn’t risen up and said, “Listen, we want something better than the norm.”

IMB: What solutions could the city pursue?

RB: The biggest thing the Design Review Board had an impact on was Bass Pro. Their original intention was to put up four giant oval signs, one on each façade of the Pyramid. We asked them politely to reconsider. As a result, we have the one sign on the one façade that is a much better way to do it.

[On a larger scale] I’m waiting to see the outcome of the Memphis 3.0 process [the strategic plan being put together now to guide the city’s

planning and development due to be in place by the city’s bicentennial in 2019]. I’m hoping that it will promote better design thinking, not just Downtown, but throughout the city. I’m hoping that it will result in a process that creates design guidelines, if not standards, something that will guide developers and architects and store owners and building owners and anybody else who is in the business of dealing with the public realm, and the city itself.

It takes creative people to look at best practices in other places and say, this is what we want Memphis to look like, to feel like. This is our vision for Memphis. That public policy would influence MLGW and the way they do things, so they don’t put poles in the middle of the sidewalk. It would influence traffic engineering, so that not every street turns into an expressway. It would influence everything that’s done in the public realm, by the city and by the private sector.

IMB: This issue of Inside Memphis Business takes a look at three areas of downtown development: ServiceMaster moving into Peabody Place, South Main, and St. Jude’s expansion. How is ServiceMaster doing?

RB: The ServiceMaster project is delightful. I think they’ve really done a terrific job taking a building that essentially was a big closed blank box and turning it into something that has life and vitality and openness.

It’s a quality design that they’ve done, given that they had an existing building to work with that really wasn’t an office building at all. They’ve given it a new purpose and a new life. It remains to be seen what they’re going to do around it with the sidewalks and so forth, but given what they’ve done to the building, I can imagine that they will help enliven and animate the sidewalks in a way that will be an asset to pedestrians who c on tin u ed on page 3 8

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contin u ed from page 3 6 are walking in the area, and certainly an asset to the surrounding businesses. That’s the function part of design. It’s putting the right thing in the right place so that it can add to the synergy of what’s there.

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IMB: How about the growth around South Main?

RB: South Main is having growing pains. I don’t think anybody knew just how popular that area was going to be for young people who wanted the downtown lifestyle and experience, and for empty-nesters, as well. Henry Turley went in there years ago and created some lofts and everybody thought he was crazy and was going to lose his shirt. Then the lofts kind of kicked off that whole South Main revolution.

Then the Tennessee Brewery stood vacant and everybody kept saying it’s too expensive, you can’t do anything with it, it’s in too bad a shape, but Billy Orgel came in and is turning it into this great place to live.

That success kind of overwhelmed, in my view, the quality of what’s being built now. It’s not up to the same standard of what was being done because the economy is different, and in order to make the numbers work, to make any kind of profit, developers are having to find less expensive ways to build the products that they’re building, and I sometimes think that we’re moving a little too fast.

We really need to ask ourselves, in 20 years or 30 years or 40 years, what is this place going to look like? Looking at it today, a lot of what’s going up around the train station, for example is, in my view, kind of suburbanized and not at the same standard that some of Henry’s earlier work has been, and I understand it. It’s a question of economics.

But at the same time, it doesn’t rise to the level that I think is lasting quality in an urban way. You could practically pick that up and move it to the suburbs and it wouldn’t look out of place at all. In my view, that’s not the most appropriate way to develop in the city.

Civic life takes place in between the buildings, so the buildings have to frame and form the public realm, and create a public realm people enjoy being in. The buildings are almost backdrop to that, and if the buildings aren’t sensitive to that, and if the developer is not sensitive to the importance of creating a public realm, well, mistakes get made. Unfortunately, they last a long, long time. Decades.

IMB: How about the effect of the St. Jude expansion on nearby neighborhoods?

RB: I think the jury’s out on that. I would dearly love to see The Pinch redeveloped. St. Jude is going to be a tremendous force for good in that whole area around the campus, not only The Pinch but also the lower Uptown area, and the area to the east of campus.

The [city/county] Pinch plan floating out there is awfully ambitious. I don’t think that it’s going to happen in that form, but something’s going to happen. If they’re able to get even a quarter of what it is that they’re proposing for the retail and residential development, that would spur a lot of other private development.

I do think that St. Jude has a clear understanding of the difference between good urban development and poor urban development. They have a clear understanding of what a good public realm is, and the importance of having that to having a good, attractive city that will bring the people they want to bring to St. Jude. So I have high hopes for what they do.

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CATASTROPHIC INJURY & WRONGFUL DEATH LAW PEEL LAW FIRM >>> David B. Peel, injury attorney

ATTORNEY PEEL DEMONSTRATES THAT THOSE DASHES IN THE CENTER OF THE ROAD ARE ACTUALLY 10 FEET LONG. Injury lawyer David B. Peel chooses to maintain Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum. He has also been named “Best of the Best Attorney” in local a small law practice. "I work closely with my Readers' Choice Awards for several years. He has clients," he says. "People don't like feeling like a claim number." For over 20 years, Peel has used been inducted into the “Top 100 Trial Lawyers" his personal approach to assist those with serious and has long been recognized by his peers as "AVinjuries, deaths, and disability from auto accidents, Preeminent" which is the highest rating possible.

Peel serves on boards including that of Love Worth malpractice, and tractor-trailer crashes. His articles have been published in several newspapers and Finding Ministries and is a deacon at Bellevue he often speaks to churches and organizations.

Baptist Church. "Keeping my practice small allows me to personally serve my clients, while still being Attorney Peel has been recognized as a Mid-South Super Lawyer since 2013, as well as being named an involved father and husband," he says. "I have a life member of both the Million Dollar and the been blessed."

8582 U.S. Highway 51 North, Millington, TN 38053 | 901.872.4229 | DavidPeel@PeelLawFirm.com | PeelLawFirm.com SPECIAL PROMOTION

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2017

FACES OF THE

MID-SOUTH

THE FACE OF

CONSTRUCTION

FLINTCO >>> Left to right: Don Hutcherson, Jeremy Given, Danny Moeschle, and Tim Weatherford Flintco is honored to be celebrating over 30 years of delivering construction services in Memphis. We have consistently been ranked as the largest provider of construction in the Mid-South. With more than 115 full-time, local employees, we are proud of the relationships we have built and the reputation we have earned.

We welcome the responsibility that comes with building and contributing to the Memphis community – our community! Construction is a

‘people’ business and our team of construction professionals are the best in the industry.

We are large enough to provide construction services for any size project while still retaining the personalized service our clients have come to expect. We don’t just build buildings; we have the expertise to bring your vision to life. We consider all of our clients, architects, subcontractors and vendors our partners and thank them for their continued support.

2179 Hillshire Circle, Memphis, TN 38133 | 901.372.9600 SPECIAL PROMOTION

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2017

FACES OF THE

MID-SOUTH

THE FACE OF

DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS

EBIZ SOLUTIONS, LLC >>> Sridhar and Poornima Sunkara

Sridhar and Poornima Sunkara are founders of eBiz Solutions, a global digital technology company focusing on digital transformation services, technology innovation, and digital marketing services with clients around the world. At eBiz we are driven by a passion to help our clients in their digital transformation by enabling businesses to address two main areas: one, to make their existing processes as efficient and cost-effective as possible,

and two, to collaborate and innovate to unleash new business models for future growth and success. To accomplish this, our staff of 100-plus strategists, engineers, user-experience specialists, and technical professionals around the globe strive to communicate in an elegant, simplistic, and effective manner. eBiz consistently offers high quality, professional, and effective solutions with excellent customer service.

1255 Lynnfield Road, Suite 226, Memphis, TN 38119 | 901.492.1389 | ThinkeBiz.net SPECIAL PROMOTION

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5/9/17 11:39 AM

2017

FACES OF THE

MID-SOUTH

THE FACE OF

EMPLOYMENT LAW

THE CRONE LAW FIRM >>> Attorney Alan Crone, Founder

There may be two sides to every dispute, but there are an endless number of angles.

For business people who find themselves in the middle of an employment disagreement, having attorney Alan Crone and The Crone Law Firm on their side could be the best hiring decision they will ever make. The firm’s practice areas include business partnerships and business divorces; non-compete and trade secret issues; business contracts and disputes; wrongful termination, severance, and discrimination.

Alan Crone and his team help clients find solutions to complex legal challenges that go beyond just winning a lawsuit.

88 Union Avenue, 14th Floor Memphis, TN 38103 901.737.7740 CroneLawFirmPLC.com SPECIAL PROMOTION

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2017

FACES OF THE

MID-SOUTH

THE FACE OF

ENVIRONMENTAL CONSULTING

ENSAFE INC. >>> Pictured are: (seated, left to right) Corey Coleman (Environmental Scientist), Don Bradford (President & CEO), Griffin Heard (Environmental Scientist), and Dana Miller (Chemist); (standing, left to right) Mike Wood (CFO), Jennifer Pappin (Systems Analyst), Erik Heider (Environmental Scientist), Claire Barnett (Engineering Lead), David Hilgeman (Environmental Engineer), Laura Patton (Environmental Engineer), and Amy McCaffery (Geologist) Founded and headquartered in Memphis since 1980, EnSafe has grown to a nationwide consultancy specializing in Environmental Management & Planning, Environmental Restoration, Design Engineering, Natural and Water Resources, Health & Safety and Technology. With nearly 400 professionals

from New Hampshire to California and more than 100 in Memphis, EnSafe has made significant contributions to Mid-South economic development through employment, revitalization and redevelopment projects and community organizations. We are proud to call Memphis home!

CORPORATE HEADQUARTERS: 5724 Summer Trees Drive, Memphis, TN 38134 | 901.372.7962 | EnSafe.com SPECIAL PROMOTION

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2017

FACES OF THE

MID-SOUTH

THE FACE OF

FRIED CHICKEN JACK PIRTLE'S CHICKEN >>> Cordell and Tawanda Pirtle

Celebrating our 60th year in Memphis. 2014 Memphis Distinguished Restaurateur of the Year. Since 1957, Jack Pirtle's Chicken has been serving the “Best Fried Chicken, Homemade Gravy, and Delicious Old Fashion Steak Sandwiches in the Mid South Market.” Founders Jack and Orva Pirtle turned the operation over to their only child, Cordell Pirtle, in 1979. At that time Cordell had been the manager of their Jack Pirtle Highland Store for 17 years. Today, Cordell and his wife, Tawanda, together with devoted team employees, enjoy the business of making

people happy by serving them great southern food at a reasonable price. Over the years, the Pirtles have loved sharing laughs, stories, and great food with their customers. Jack Pirtle’s has eight Memphis locations and is proud to say “Business is GREAT in MEMPHIS.” The Pirtles are very thankful for growing sales year after year and are also very proud to call Memphis home.

The owners of Jack Pirtle’s believe in treating customers with loving care. Being active and giving back to the community is one of the major keys to success.

901.372.9897 | Visit the Web...JackPirtlesChicken.com | See us on Facebook…Jack Pirtles Chicken SPECIAL PROMOTION

2017

FACES OF THE

MID-SOUTH

THE FACE OF

HVAC

S.M. LAWRENCE >>> Jimmy Vetetro, LEED AP From humble beginnings as an apprentice to the vice president, Jimmy Veteto has worked in all aspects of the commercial HVAC business over the last 20 years.

Presently he oversees the service division of S.M. Lawrence, a CSUSA company, with offices in Collierville, Jackson and Nashville.

When asked about success he had this to say: “Understanding that building comfort is more than just a desired thermostat setting, we strive to become a trusted advisor to our clients who truly care about their building, business and bottom line. The people and resources we have allow us that privilege.�

MEMPHIS | JACKSON | NASHVILLE | 800.627.0775 | smlawrence.com SPECIAL PROMOTION

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2017

FACES OF THE

MID-SOUTH

THE FACE OF

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

GANT SYSTEMS >>> Nick Gant, President & Founder

Our team loves to Design, Build, Deploy, and Manage business technology.

• For small-sized businesses: We are your IT Department • For medium-sized businesses: We assist your IT Department • For all-sized businesses: We help you leverage the Cloud MEMPHIS: 901.881.5087 | NASHVILLE: 615.647.9145 | GantSystems.com SPECIAL PROMOTION

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5/10/17 9:33 AM

2017

FACES OF THE

MID-SOUTH

THE FACE OF

LASALLIAN HIGHER EDUCATION

CHRISTIAN BROTHERS UNIVERSITY >>> Dr. John Smarrelli Jr. As president of Christian Brothers University, Dr. John Smarrelli Jr. leads the city's oldest baccalaureate-granting institution. Deeply rooted in the Lasallian educational tradition, CBU's faculty invest their time in fostering the growth of our students as whole persons, preparing them for life, work, and service to society. By combining its historical emphasis on providing practical, real-world experience with student-centered teaching, inventive technology, and creative scholarship, CBU is uniquely positioned to be an agent of change within the Mid-South of the 21st-century. Under Dr. Smarrelli’s leadership, CBU is partnering with Memphis educational institutions and the nonproďŹ t and business communities, especially in the STEM and healthcare industries, to build a more innovative, just, and prosperous Memphis.

CBU.edu

SPECIAL PROMOTION

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2017

FACES OF THE

MID-SOUTH

THE FACE OF

PAIN MANAGEMENT

MAYS AND SCHNAPP PAIN CLINIC AND REHABILITATION CENTER >>> Left to right: Moacir Schnapp, MD and Kit S. Mays, MD Kit S. Mays, MD, and Moacir Schnapp, MD, have been pioneers in the management of chronic pain for over 30 years. The physicians at Mays and Schnapp Pain Clinic and Rehabilitation Center are dedicated to providing state-of-the-art care for patients suffering from chronic pain.

Continually certified by the Commission for Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities since its inception, it is still the only certified pain clinic within 500 miles of Memphis.

The physicians' philosophy of care is to treat the whole patient by relieving

pain, restoring function and improving quality of life. That approach starts with taking a comprehensive and fresh look at each suffering individual. This unique multidisciplinary approach may include nerve blocks, physical therapy, and medical management, as well as psychological support when needed. Every patient is evaluated personally by a physician during each office visit.

"When the problem is pain, we're here to help, offering world-class care in the heart of the Mid-South."

55 Humphreys Drive, Suite 200, Memphis, TN 38120 | 901.747.0040 | MaysAndSchnapp.com SPECIAL PROMOTION

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2017

FACES OF THE

MID-SOUTH

THE FACE OF

PIZZA

BROADWAY PIZZA >>> Legendary Broadway Pizza, one of Memphis’ favorite family-owned-and-operated restaurants, was opened by Lana Jeanette Cox in 1977 at 2581 Broad. Third-generation family members now offer Broadway East at 629 S. Mendenhall.

Elder family members raised in extreme poverty

find it important that faithful friends “get their money’s worth and don't leave hungry.” Not just a pizzeria, Broadway offers salads, whole wings, fish, spaghetti, chicken parmesan, burgers; homestyle plate-lunch specials. Cakes made in-house daily.

Call-in orders welcomed.

2581 Broad Ave., Memphis, TN 38112 | 901.454.7930 629 S. Mendenhall, Memphis, TN 38117 | 901.207.1546 BroadwayPizzaMemphis.com SPECIAL PROMOTION

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2017

FACES OF THE

MID-SOUTH

THE FACE OF

RESIDENTIAL CONSTRUCTION

ELKINGTON GREEN >>> Brian Green and Griffin Elkington

We aim to leave our mark on the greater Memphis area through timeless residential design and quality home construction.

We offer the rare combination of newly constructed and remodeled homes with the latest amenities and high-end finishes, all within established Memphis

neighborhoods. Whether we’re building a new home, renovating an existing one, or providing new opportunities for home construction through infill development, we hold ourselves to the highest standard of excellence in our work and client satisfaction.

4928 William Arnold Road, Memphis, TN 38117 | 901.414.3344 | ElkingtonGreen.com SPECIAL PROMOTION

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2017

FACES OF THE

MID-SOUTH

THE FACE OF

RESIDENTIAL REAL ESTATE JOSHUA SPOTTS >>>

Joshua Spotts, a premier Memphis real estate specialist ranked as a top producing RealtorÂŽ with Crye-Leike, Realtors, specializes in residential real estate. Spotts uses his unique high-touch, personal service style by accepting a limited number of listings and working diligently to ensure efficient results are produced for each client. Spotts uses years of market knowledge, the latest technology, a well-defined marketing plan, a cohesive network, energy, enthusiasm, and the excitement of a job well done to achieve great results.

Crye-Leike, Realtors 6525 N. Quail Hollow Road Memphis, TN 38120 Josh@JoshuaSpotts.com (E) JoshuaSpotts.com (W) 901.361.4211 (C) 901.756.8900 (O)

SPECIAL PROMOTION

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2017

FACES OF THE

MID-SOUTH

THE FACE OF

RETIREMENT LIVING

VILLAGE AT GERMANTOWN>>> Front Row: Carolyn Tyler, Julie Klein, Lew Cross, CEO, Rebecca Cullison Back Row: Dr. Jerry Francisco, Rev. Jack Henton, Martha Ann Corlew, Jim Moore, and Walter Howard Opened in October 2005, The Village has flourished, in no small part due to the guidance of our elected Resident Council pictured above. More important is the Village’s dedication to resident satisfaction. This passion for meeting and exceeding both resident and visitor satisfaction has been a key component to The Village’s success, maintaining an average

occupancy of over 96%. We now have a newly opened state-of-the-art Assisted Living / Memory Care Building, along with an Adult Day Care center and the recently completed additional Skilled Nursing area. In April, we will be opening our new Independent Living Building. Come and experience “the difference” at The Village at Germantown.

7820 Walking Horse Circle, Germantown, TN 38138 | 901.737.4242 | Village-Germantown.com SPECIAL PROMOTION

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2017

FACES OF THE

MID-SOUTH

THE FACE OF

SECURITY

AVISION INC. >>> Stanley Zitron, CFO

Entrepreneur Stanley Zitron and AVISION Inc. have been providing SURVEILLANCE SOLUTIONS to Memphis and Mid-South businesses and industry since 1995. Avision focuses on protection of educational facilities, distribution centers, medical complexes, and infrastructure. Zitron, CFO of AVISION, selected AVIGILON, a North American manufacturer of innovative highdefinition surveillance systems and software that has raised the bar for the surveillance industry. In the past surveillance systems were reactive but today they need to be pro-active. The biggest game-changer in our industry is analytics — software providing the ability to program a system

that proactively prevents theft or accidents.

Examples: Imagine a child enters the zoo with a parent and gets lost. That child’s identity on entering can immediately be recognized on every camera on the premises. If a dangerous package is left in an off-limits area, analytics software can email alerts, or activate alarms. Today Megapixel cameras see every detail live or recorded. New 360-degree fisheye cameras that see every detail are our choice for securing warehouses and retail stores that sell valuables such as jewelry, drugs, or guns. Demos of these systems can be seen at Avisionsecurity.com or Avigilon.com. Call for Free Estimate 901.682.0202.

SPECIAL PROMOTION

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5/5/17 11:00 AM

2017

FACES OF THE

MID-SOUTH

THE FACE OF

WEALTH MANAGEMENT

WADDELL AND ASSOCIATES, LLC >>> Not pictured: Caroline Kelly, Phyllis Scruggs, and Stacie M. Waddell The mission of Waddell and Associates is to improve the quality of life for their clients by providing financial clarity and confidence. W&A's 19 associates are highly qualified with 9 masters degrees and 25 professional designations across the firm. Each client's unique financial situation, combined with W&A's experience, leads to the construction of a personalized financial strategy and a targeted rate of investment return. This process is dynamic and supported by a deliberate communication

strategy to keep efforts synchronized. And W&A's associates' interests are aligned with their clients’ interests, investing their own personal assets in the same investment models recommended to clients. They use the same financial planning systems to plan for their own families, and the same investment vehicles to achieve their goals.

In today’s treacherous and chaotic financial environment, W&A strives to provide a safe harbor of integrity, experience and clarity.

WaddellAndAssociates.com | 901.767.9187 | Locations in Memphis and Nashville SPECIAL PROMOTION

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2017

FACES OF THE

MID-SOUTH

THE FACE OF

WOMEN-OWNED BUSINESSES MEDICAL INSURANCE FILING SERVICES, INC. >>> Medical Insurance Filing Services, INC was formed in 1978 by Marlene Wright and has grown from a one-woman operation helping out a few clinics with their billing out of her home to what it is now contracting with 60 clinics all over the U.S. and employing 49 dedicated hard working employees. MIFS, as the company has come to be known, sets its office apart from other billing services by having a dedicated staff of individuals who know coding, billing and collecting of medical claims from the inside out and who go the extra mile to get claims processed correctly and accurately the first time.

MIFS gets the job done by focusing on heavy follow-up on every aspect of the billing cycle from charge entry, payment posting, and follow-up of unpaid claims, appeals and patient contact. MIFS also offers Electronic Medical Record services and imaging.

Located in Cordova Tennessee, MIFS is proud to say that we have progressed as one of the top women-owned businesses in the Mid-South area. MIFS is run by the best of the best women professionals in our field and dedicates itself to proper work ethic and patient and physician satisfaction.

275 S. Walnut Bend Road #200 Memphis, TN 38018 901.821.0338 medbillinc.com SPECIAL PROMOTION

ceived a grant totaling $375,00

The HOT Sheet Advancement Paulette Patterson, RN, has recently been promoted director of nursing for Trezevant’s assisted living facility, Trezevant Terrace.

Shawna Engel has joined Financial Federal Bank as business development officer.

Zachary E. Webb has recently joined Allen & Hoshall as an architectural intern.

Obsidian PR has announced several promotions in 2017: Taylor Jolley and Murray Lace are now account specialists while Gracie Lee moves from intern to account assistant. Christina Babu has also joined the firm from A2H Architects as an account executive.

Kathy Bradshaw has joined Trezevant as director of human resources.

Diversified Trust has promoted four in its Memphis office: Brad Crawford (principal), Hadley Miller (senior vice president), and Carolyn Hicks and Megan Mayhew (vice president). In addition, S. Morrow Bailey has been hired as a senior vice president.

Katherine Stanifer has joined Hollywood Feed as graphic art manager.

Garner Lesley recently joined inferno as project coordinator, while Susan Waggoner has been promoted to digital marketing and advertising specialist.

Neal Ann Chamblee has joined The Crone Law Firm as marketing and client relations coordinator.

RKA Construction has hired Hans Bauer as project manager.

DCA recently made two additions to its staff: Elizabeth Ansbro (account manager) and Henry Morris (public relations coordinator).

IMC Companies has announced Donna Lemm as its first executive vice president.

Junior Achievement of Memphis has promoted Amy Cain (program recruitment and retention manager) and Steven Fox (program manager).

Christ Community Health Services recently hired Shantelle Leatherwood as its chief executive officer.

Robert Griffin has joined the Memphis in May International Festival as director of marketing.

58 |

Make Yourself At Home

Appointment Jamie Smith, senior vice president and chief information officer at ServiceMaster, has joined the Junior Achievement of Memphis and the Mid-South’s board of directors.

Dr. Rajiv Grover, dean of the Fogelman College of Business, has recently been named to the Peer Power Foundation board of directors.

Kevin Williams, of Greystone Servicing Corporation, has been named board chair of Agape Child & Family Services.

Trezevant has named four new officers to its board of directors: David L. Bowlman (chairman), Merilyn G. Mangum (secretary), John D. Ivy (vice-chairman), and Bruce B. Hopkins (immediate past chairman). Estella Mayhue Greer joins as a new member.

Altha Stewart, MD, associate professor of psychiatry at UTHSC, was recently named president-elect of the American Psychiatric Association.

Michael Bollinger has been named as the new director of the Bartlett Performing Arts Center.

Association for Women Attorneys (AWA) has named Diana Comes, an attorney at Butler Snow LLP, as its new president.

Awards Lifesigns, a full-service, prevention-focused primary care clinic, celebrates its 25th anniversary this year.

Fisher Phillips’ website has won multiple awards for layout, design, interface, and overall functionality.

Pinnacle Financial Partners has been labeled the seventh best firm in the country to work for by Fortune magazine. In addition, the firm has been named on People magazine’s inaugural “50 Companies That Care” list.

Junior Achievement of Memphis and the MidSouth’s 32nd Annual Bowlin’ on the River Bowl-A-Thon raised about $300,000 for the organization (See page 61).

At the 2017 Addy Awards, inferno received a total of 22 awards (nine gold and 13 silver) in the categories of elements of advertising, film, video & sound, cross-platform, sales & marketing, and print advertising.

Junior League of Memphis was the recipient of the “Outstanding Mentoring Organization/Non-Profit” award at the 2017 NEXUS Leadership Luncheon.

Rick Moore, chairman of Lehman-Roberts Co., was named Man of the Year by the National Asphalt Pavement Association (NAPA).

Paradigm Marketing & Creative recently celebrated 25 years of business in Memphis.

Eighty-two attorneys from Baker Donelson have been recognized in the 2017 edition of Chambers USA as leading practitioners in 22 areas.

Suntrust Foundation recently donated $15,000 to Junior Achievement of Memphis and the Mid-South.

FASTSIGNS of Memphis received the Pinnacle Club Award as a top performing center in the country at the 2017 FASTSIGNS Convention.

Phil Trenary, president and CEO of the Greater Memphis Chamber, wants a job. Actually, multiple jobs.

He’s glad to see St. Jude bringing new ones Downtown, but he’s equally happy when any jobs come into Shelby County.

“The Chamber doesn’t care where a company is as long as it remains in Shelby County,” he says. “We want it to be here because it’s our tax base, our community. That’s what determines how we look going forward.”

So as far as the Chamber was concerned, it wasn’t about getting ServiceMaster to relocate Downtown, it was about keeping it in the community.

That said, Trenary was glad to see the company’s decision to take the long-dormant Peabody Place mall and repurpose it into an office space that would bring some 1,200 employees Downtown to work (and eat and play).

“A vibrant Downtown and a growing Downtown — especially one that attracts millennials — is a key ingredient of economic development because there’s a race to attract the millennials, the talented young creative class out there,” he says.

Trenary says they don’t want to live in the suburbs, but rather in a lively and growing Downtown, or at least be able to get there easily and have a good time. “When you think about the fun things to do here, we’re becoming a very walkable, a very attractive community,” he says. “Kids are moving here from Austin and Nashville, but a few years ago folks said that can’t happen. But it’s happening now.

This is Memphis’ time and without a vibrant Downtown, we wouldn’t be successful doing that.”

The Chamber is the voice of business and, he says, “It’s our job to make sure we have an environment conducive to development.” On one level, it works to retain and recruit.

“We want to keep what we have and also attract companies — and their jobs — to move to Memphis.”

It’s an operation that’s ready to go into action at the drop of a suggestion that somebody wants to come here — or leave.

“It’s our job to make sure everyone is aware of the circumstances,” he says. “The state, the county, the Robert J. Kaplan, MD, a Memphis dermatologist, received the Jim and Natalie Haslam Presidential Medal during the 2017 University of Tennessee President’s Council Awards Dinner.

Rhodes College has received a $600,000 grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to support a partnership with the National Civil Rights Museum.

BTI Consulting Group named Baker Donelson attorney Eugene J. Podesta, Jr. on its 2017 Client Service All-Star List.

Inked Premier Flowers held its grand opening with a ribbon-cutting Downtown on April 20th.

Pinnacle Financial Partners, Inc. has received approval of its application to merge with BNC Bancorp.

The Mary Galloway Home, which has provided residence, comfort, and support to retirement-aged women with financial needs, recently signed a five-year lease extension with Trezevant.

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city, everyone that has a role in economic development was on board to make sure we were able to not only retain ServiceMaster but let them grow and contribute to Memphis. Same thing with St. Jude. We took extraordinary efforts in both of those to make sure those projects remained in Memphis.

That included all levels and all players in economic development. That’s the role we play.”

Trenary describes how the Chamber plays the game, runs the business, and makes the music: “Economic development is a great team sport. You have Mayor Jim Strickland and Mayor Mark Luttrell, who are like co-CEOs. They’re really at the head of this. Then the Chamber is like the conductor of the orchestra. We bring everything together, get the parties to the table, make sure that everything that needs to be there is there and do everything we can to make sure we don’t lose one.”

The Chamber also gets involved in policy, pushing for favorable legislation and fighting what it sees as bad ideas.

“Think about deannexation,” Trenary says. “You may remember we were told the train had left the station last year and that it was a done deal. Had that happened, we would have had a devastating increase in taxes. We would have had public services go down in quality and something like that would have stifled development throughout Shelby County and especially Downtown.” The city and the Chamber pushed back and the proposed bill died, allowing time for further discussions and refinements.

The Chamber also has a legislative agenda that addresses tax issues (including favoring Gov. Bill Haslam’s proposed gas tax that was passed), infrastructure, job creation, and support for relevant funding, such as that for the St. Jude expansion. “That’s an ongoing item in our legislative agenda that we have pushed on every year, looking for three-year funding on that. We’ve been very public about that as far as getting funding for the St. Jude expansion so we’ve had a direct role on that and lobbied very hard for it at the state and local level.” — By Jon W. Sparks

LOCAL ADVANTAGE.

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For more information contact or visit: +1 901 528 1000 cbre.com/memphis

The Seam recently held a ribbon-cutting and open house to celebrate the expansion of its agritech and fintech operations.

Atlanta-based Core5 Industrial Partners recently acquired 173 acres of land in Desoto County, and will soon begin construction on the 2.5 million-squarefoot Desoto 55 Logistics Center.

Saint Francis Hospital – Memphis hosted a ribbon-cutting and open house to showcase a new Electrophysiology Lab as part of the hospital’s Heart and Vascular Center expansion.

The Memphis Convention and Visitors Bureau recently expanded with an office in Australia, a location that will also service New Zealand.

Memphis-based law firm McNabb, Bragorgos & Burgess, PLLC has changed its name to McNabb, Bragorgos & Burgess and Sorin, PLLC.

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C O M M U N I T Y

P A R T N E R S H I P S

We Can Work It Out

First Tennessee and Junior Achievement have joined forces for 25 years.

• • •

B Y

E M I LY

A D A M S

K E P L I N G E R

For 25 years, a partnership between First Tennessee and Junior Achievement of Memphis and the Mid-South, Inc. has been making an impact on young people in the Greater Memphis area.

“Junior Achievement is a notfor-profit organization financed by businesses, foundations, and individuals,” says Larry Colbert, JA’s president and CEO. “Our organization’s mission statement is focused on economic edLarry Colbert ucation, work readiness, entrepreneurship, and financial literacy. Our purpose is to educate and inspire young people to value free enterprise, business, and economics to improve the quality of their lives.”

Simply put, Junior Achievement teaches children “how business works.”

“First Tennessee is a great corporate partner,” Colbert says, “and has been a supporter of us for years. Back in 2000, JA was looking to open up our capstone program, Exchange City.

The idea was to create a little city where children could learn by doing.”

Exchange City opened in 2002 and Colbert said First Tennessee was the first company to step up and support it.

“They relished the idea that a bank was going to be the cornerstone of this mini city, and they wanted their name on that bank,”

Colbert says. “This positioned First Tennessee to not only be our first sponsor for this endeavor, but to give them an outreach

JA BizTown instructional coordinator Cliff Kelly assists Landerson Young in her role as a teller in the simulated city’s First Tennessee Bank.

venue to help teach kids about financial literacy.”

Colbert says Terry Lee, senior vice president of corporate communications for First Tennessee, saw the value of the program. “He said it would address a long-term, ongoing need for the younger generation and that they wanted to support Exchange City because they really believed that it could make a difference in the

lives of our youth.”

Prior to Exchange City, now known as JA BizTown, Colbert says his organization already had a great relationship with First Tennessee.

“First Tennessee has supported JA in so many ways,” says Colbert. “Our LPGA tournament at Southwind, which was our second largest annual fundraiser at the time, brought in lady pros and matched them with local teams. First Tennessee was always a sponsor and sent participating teams. Overall, this fundraiser brought in approximately $100K in revenue for us on an annual basis.”

Now the organization’s largest fundraiser is its annual Bowl-AThon.

“The Bowl-A-Thon, with 3,500 to 4,000 people participating each year, keeps our doors open,” says Colbert. “We have close to 100 companies involved, and for the last seven years First Tennessee has been the co-title sponsor, along with Power & Tel, for the event. Additionally, First Tennessee has consistently been one of the top three companies, both in terms of dollars raised and numbers of employees (over 200 each year) participating in the event.”

As much as that impact contributes to the financial health of Junior Achievement as an organization, there’s another way that First Tennessee shows its support year-round.

Kim Cherry, immediate past

board chairman of Junior Achievement and Executive Vice President of Corporate Communications for First Tennessee, says, “For years, First Tennessee has provided hundreds of employees to serve as volunteers to teach Junior Achievement programs. Our people work directly with students in local elementary, middle, and high schools.

First they go through their own training in order to teach Kim Cherry the programs, then they make a personal commitment that can span six to eight weeks to teach on a weekly basis.”

“The work JA does for this community is invaluable to its future,” says Cherry. “It’s important to business, because a f i n a n c i a l l y e mp owe r e d com mu nit y g ives us more p otentia l customers and p o te nt i a l e mp l oye e s . It ’s important to the long-term success of Memphis. Who knows?

The entrepreneurship JA fosters in students may just give us the next Pat Lawler or Carolyn Hardy or Bill Courtney or Pitt Hyde. If we don’t encourage our young people to think big, we’ll never know for sure what they can accomplish.”

Junior Achievement has been in Memphis since 1955. For more information: jamemphis.org and 901-366-7800.

First Tennessee and First Horizon team members prepare for a day at the lanes as part of their support of Junior Achievement at its annual Bowlin’ on the River Bowl-A-Thon, held in February.

The bowling event is Junior Achievement’s largest fundraiser of the year.

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The Office Rick Gardner & Terri Struminger hbg design

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Sometimes, all the dominos fall in the right direction. Last year, the architecture and design firm formerly known as Hnedak Bobo Group successfully stabilized its new San Diego branch and took over the reins from founder Kirk Bobo. Of course, it doesn’t hurt to have two industry veterans at the helm when change is afoot. Principals Rick Gardner and Terri Struminger have both been in the business for more than 25 years, and learned leadership on the job as Bobo eased into retirement.

When they took over, Gardner and Struminger felt as if it were time for the firm to head in a fresh direction.

One of the keys words driving the new space’s design was collaboration. “Before,” says Gardner, “the cubicles were about five feet high. You could get lost in them, and in fact hide from people. I want senior members out in the middle of the environment, teaching young people about our practice. We’re all learning something from someone else and it’s really important that the people who have been working here for over 30 years are able to impart their knowledge.” To help with the team dynamic, current projects are displayed publicly on a wall in the studio space. Now, each

team member can know what anyone else is working on at any given moment, with ideas and tips exchanged freely.

Members of HBG Design who spot one of the firm’s completed projects around town will feel as if they contributed.

In addition to a community feel, the new headquarters brighten up the workspace.

“Our old location was a great warehouse space,” says Struminger, who also acts as the firm’s chief operating officer, “but it didn’t have a lot of natural light flooding in, and no views.” Located on the 23rd and 24th floors of One Commerce Square, the office offers

stellar views of the city in every cardinal direction, with the Bass Pro Pyramid, Mississippi River, and FedExForum as prominent Memphis landmarks. Most meeting rooms are surrounded by full glass windows so pristine you could walk into them. The break room has the appearance of a chic, modern cafe complete with drink machines you’d find at a restaurant, and the whole office has an inviting ambience. “It really is amazing now to feel the energy,” Struminger says. “This space is great, especially on nice days, and it has some of the best views in the city.”

1. Rick Gardner, AIA, principal/ practice leader of HBG Design, sits in his office with principal/ chief operating officer Terri Struminger. Both have worked in the industry for over 20 years, and lead the firm after the recent retirement of founder Kirk Bobo.

2. Riverview Conference Room: Gardner’s aim was to produce a more transparent office space, with glass windows being a feature of many offices and conference rooms in the building. “One thing we did with this design, we minimized the use of partitions.

A stark contrast between our old space and the new space is the open, interactive, and collaborative environment we have in our current studio.”

3. Central Staircase: “The stairs were very important to us,” says Gardner, “as we wanted to connect the two floors. In most offices with two stories you have to go back and take the elevator, and that’s not really something we wanted to do with our new space.”

4. Studio Space on Floor 24: The studio spaces on each floor were designed to be completely identical and create a spacious environment. Employees can

easily interact with each other while working on projects, and HBG Design was able to purchase entirely new furnishings for the office. “When we moved on a Friday afternoon from our offices on Front Street and came in here Monday morning, we walked into a brand-new, readyto-use space,” says Gardner.

During the course of a project, some team members can expect to move to a nearby desk or space, or even sometimes all the way to another floor.

5. Lobby: “We have two floors here, the 23rd and 24th. Functionally on this half, this floor is basically the lobby and meeting spaces. On the other side of one wall is the break room, and on the other side is the founder’s room, which acts as our client meeting room,” says Gardner. From the central area in the front lobby, every room is visible through glass windows. Those in front of the extra conference rooms can be pushed back into the wall to create extra space for events such as company parties. The table in the founder’s room is one of the few objects to survive the transition to HBG Design’s new space.

6. St. Louis Cardinals vs.

Chicago Cubs Baseball: A huge baseball fan, Gardner attended the Cardinal’s season opener against the Chicago Cubs on April 2nd with his son. “I’m a diehard Cardinal fan from birth,” he says.

“My mother tells me I sat on her knee at 18 months old watching Stan Musial [Cardinals’ outfielder and first baseman from the 1940s-’60s].”

7. To usher in a new age for the firm, HBG Design went with a complete logo redesign. While the HBG pays homage to the original founders Greg Hnedak and Kirk Bobo, the redesigned logo is a symbol of the firm’s new look and path forward.

8. Painting: The artwork, done in-house by an employee of HBG Design, combines many elements of Bluff City culture to create a fitting tribute to Memphis.

9. Floor 23 Decor: As soon as the elevator doors open onto the 23rd floor of One Commerce Square, HBG Design’s new direction jumps out at both visitors and prospective clients.

The clean and vibrant orange and white aesthetic is emblazoned upon the walls.

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The Elks Club

A fraternal headquarters changed the look of the Memphis skyline.

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indoor swimming pool with “crystal clear waters”; a “spacious, airy, and inviting” six-lane bowling alley; a handball court “pulsing with life and action”; and “one of the most attractive ballrooms in the city.” All that was in addition to the Club Grille, the coffee shop, the library, the lounge, and the Turkish baths, where Elks members “may receive the expert attention of trained masseurs, and sally forth thence refreshed and invigorated.”

ON THE MORNING OF APRIL 29, 1984, THE KING COTTON CAME TUMBLING DOWN WITH A BLAST OF DYNAMITE TO MAKE WAY FOR THE MORGAN KEEGAN TOWER.

In 1926, the Benevolent and Protective Order of the Elks constructed one of the most impressive structures ever erected in our city — the 12-story tower at Jefferson and Main (shown here) they would call, quite simply and logically, the Elks Club Building.

Crafted by the Memphis firm of Mahan and Broadwell, this was a combination lodge and hotel that was, according to a promotional brochure, “attractive in design, mammoth in size, and furnished luxuriously and in excellent taste — simple dignity without in any way losing the informal, homelike air of a true club.” Erected at a cost of some $1.3 million (an enormous sum in the 1920s), the new Elks Club featured “150 delightful rooms with bath and outside 64 |

exposure, circulating ice water, free electrical fan service, and a new and sanitary coffee shop.”

That was just the hotel portion of the building, which was open to the public.

The Elks themselves enjoyed considerably fancier amenities.

The building included a complete gymnasium that would allow members to “enter the day’s work with new zest, boyish vim, and vigor”; a billiards room with “first-quality tables, balls, cues, and scoring equipment”; a huge

Unfortunately for half of this city’s population, all these wonders were reserved for the men.

But the new Elks Club did have a Ladies Writing Room, with fancy desks and comfy chairs, “an ideal retreat, where feminine correspondence may receive its proper attention.”

This stunning structure — all brightly colored terra-cotta and spires, with four stone griffins perched at the top corners — was called the Elks Club Building for only a few years. When Clarence DeVoy, the Elk’s Exalted Ruler, died in 1931, the name of the building was changed to the Hotel DeVoy — a classy name indeed. In 1945, however, the name was changed again, to the one most Memphians remember today — the Hotel King Cotton.

That’s right. One of downtown’s most memorable hotels actually began life as an Elks Club.

But the grand building turned out to be a burden. Over the years, the tremendous cost of construction and upkeep be-

came too much for the members to handle. In 1937, Memphis Elks Lodge #27, one of the oldest and largest in the country, surrendered its charter and moved out of its fancy headquarters, holding their meetings in rented space in various locations over the years.

The million-dollar-plus building was sold at a foreclosure auction for just $200,000.

The King Cotton joined the other grand hotels downtown: the Peabody, Gayoso, Claridge, Wm. Len, and Chisca. Times were good for a while. But in the late 1960s and early 1970s, with the others, it struggled to survive as businesses — and hotel visitors — joined the move eastward. In the mid-1970s, the Elks actually returned to their former home, this time renting out meeting space in the old hotel.

It must have been a bittersweet experience, looking around and thinking, “At one time, all this was ours.”

They didn’t have to feel sad for very long. On the morning of April 29, 1984, the King Cotton came tumbling down with a blast of dynamite to make way for the Morgan Keegan Tower, the most impressive addition to the Memphis skyline since Commerce Square opened in 1970. The magnificent stone griffins that once guarded the top four corners of the old hotel grace the lobby of the new tower, now called the Raymond James Tower.

When the Elks Club Building first opened, a promotional booklet gushed, “The new building will be a monument to the finest American ideals of physical expression and the fullest expression of true Elk fellowship.”

The Elks are still quite active in this area, but they probably never realized the impact their headquarters would have on the Memphis skyline.

PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY ???

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