March 31-April 6, 2012, Vol. 5, Issue 14 SPECIAL EMPHASIS: OFFICE & INDUSTRIAL REAL ESTATE INDUSTRIAL MARKET TURNS THE CORNER Special coverage on industrial sector’s recovery, office market’s struggles PAGE 16 TOWERING QUESTIONS Businesses seek answers as health care reform looms PAGE 26 Bill Courtney and the Manassas football team have the nation cheering. Illustration: Emily Morrow 28 Sports On a nightly basis it’s hard to predict which member of the Memphis Grizzlies will be the hero, but the chameleon approach is working for the team. WEEKLY DIGEST: PAGE 2 FINANCIAL SERVICES: PAGE 8 real EState: PAGES 30-31 artS AND FOOD: PAGES 38-39 EDITORIAL: PAGE 42 A Publication of The Daily News Publishing Co. | www.thememphisnews.com 2 March 31-April 6, 2012 www.thememphisnews.com weekly digest Get news daily from The Daily News, www.memphisdailynews.com. EEOC Accuses AutoZone Prudential’s Ware Receives Of Disability Discrimination Corporate Services Award A federal agency is accusing Memphis- Angie Ware of Prudential Collins-Maury based auto-parts retailer AutoZone Inc. of Inc. Realtors was honored with the 2011 illegally firing an employee because of her North American Corporate Services/Relo- disability. cation Director of the Year Award at Pruden- The U.S. Equal Employment Oppor- tial Real Estate’s recent sales convention. tunity Commission filed a federal lawsuit The honor is awarded for outstand- against AutoZone this week. ing facilitation of new corporate business The EEOC says the company fired a development and consistent service excel- manager in its Cudahy store in 2009. The lence in relocation and referral operations, agency says the woman had just received as well as participation in activities contrib- a doctor’s clearance to return to work with uting to network excellence. a lifting restriction, following an injury to Ware joined Prudential Collins-Maury her shoulder two years earlier. in 2005, and in 2008 was promoted to di- The EEOC says AutoZone failed to rector of corporate relocation and business provide reasonable accommodation to her development. injury and fired her. Ware manages the Relocation Division The AP reports a phone listing for Au- of Prudential Collins-Maury. Her depart- toZone hung up without taking a message. ment specializes in marketing assistance, An email sent to the company was not im- destination services, corporate inventory mediately returned. management, short- and long-term rental The lawsuit seeks back pay and com- assistance and e-commerce lead develop- pensatory and punitive damages. ment. Baker Donelson Honored Cleaborn Homes Officially For Legal Services Website Becomes Cleaborn Pointe Memphis-based Baker, Donelson, Memphis Mayor A C Wharton Jr. made Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz PC has the renaming of the Cleaborn Homes pub- received the Tennessee Bar Association’s lic housing development official Friday, 2012 Corporate Counsel Pro Bono Law Firm March 30. Award in recognition of the firm’s role in the With the ceremony at St. Paul and Lau- development of OnlineTNJustice.org. derdale streets, Cleaborn Homes became OnlineTNJustice.org is a website that Cleaborn Pointe at Heritage Landing, a makes it possible for Tennesseans to seek mixed use, mixed-income development free legal advice from volunteer lawyers. taking shape on the grounds of what is a The site was developed with financial public housing project in transition. support and the technical expertise of the With Federal HOPE VI funding, the information technology team in the Mem- public housing units have been demolished phis office of Baker Donelson. It’s designed to be replaced by newer housing that will to be a “virtual walk-in clinic” where lawyers include rental housing as well as homes for provide information and basic legal advice ownership. without any expectation of long-term rep- The Cleaborn development will include resentation. a mix of residents including those paying More than 100 low-income Tennesseans fair market value and those with federal currently are receiving free legal assistance rent subsidies. every month through the website, which Cleaborn Homes is one of the last two is a joint project of the Tennessee Alliance of the city’s large public housing develop- for Legal Services and the Tennessee Bar ments still standing. The other is Foote Association. Homes, which is adjacent to Cleaborn. Analyst Upgrades Memphis Arts Advocates First Horizon Shares Convene in Nashville A Sterne, Agee & Leach analyst on More than 30 representatives from Wednesday upgraded shares of First Ho- Memphis arts organizations convened rizon National Corp., parent company of in Nashville to help raise awareness for First Tennessee Bank, saying the regional arts advocacy and support the state’s arts bank’s loan portfolio is stabilizing and it funding program through specialty license may return more money to shareholders plate sales. this year. On Tuesday, March 27, Memphis arts Todd Hagerman lifted his rating on leaders divided into four groups and met First Horizon’s shares to “Neutral” from with state senators and state representa- “Underperform.” tives as part of Tennessee Arts Advocacy Shares of the Memphis-based bank Day 2012. closed at $10.48 on Tuesday, and have Tennessee’s specialty license plate pro- nearly doubled since hitting a 52-week low gram is a major source of funding for the of $5.38 on Oct. 4. Tennessee Arts Commission. Still, Hagerman sees limited potential TAC advocates development of the for the shares to rise significantly. program through local arts organizations The benefit to the bank from improving and encourages all Tennesseans to support credit trends will moderate this year and the arts through the purchase of specialty next year, he said. He kept intact his 2012 license plates. and 2013 earnings estimates. www.thememphisnews.com March 31-April 6, 2012 3 Get news daily from The Daily News, www.memphisdailynews.com. weekly digest Clinics Planned to Help will succeed Joseph “Jay” Trungale, who worked with the U.S. State Department to Saf-T-Cart Announces Delinquent Taxpayers has been with the company for eight resettle more than 7,000 refugees who have Mississippi Expansion years. fled persecution in their homelands to the The first of four planned tax clinics to Warne is the former president and West Tennessee area. Saf-T-Cart, a manufacturer of steel weld- help delinquent Memphis taxpayers pay CEO of restaurant chain O’Charley’s Inc. ing carts and storage products for various their city property tax bills will be held He has more than 13 years of experience commercial and industrial applications, from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, March 31, in casual dining. is expanding its operations in Clarksdale, at the Hickory Hill Community Center, Perkins operates 428 restaurants in 34 St. Jude’s Evans Receives Miss., for the second time in five years to 3910 Ridgeway Road. states and Canada. Pharmacists Assn. Award accommodate an increase in production. The three future clinics will be held The project represents a company May 19 at the Benjamin L. Hooks Central Dr. William Edward Evans, director and investment of $240,000 and will create 20 Library, Aug. 25 at the Whitehaven Branch chief executive officer of St. Jude Children’s jobs. Library and Nov. 10 at the Orange Mound Catholic Charities Hosts Research Hospital, has received the 2012 Privately held Saf-T-Cart was established Community Center. Refugee Food Distribution Remington Honor Medal, the highest in 1986 and currently employs 55 workers. The clinics are sponsored by Linebarg- honor bestowed by the American Pharma- The Mississippi Development Authority er Goggan Blair & Sampson LLP, the law Catholic Charities of West Tennessee cists Association. provided funding for improvements to the firm that collects delinquent taxes for the will host its second annual Holy Thursday Evans was selected in recognition of county-owned building the company occu- city, and the City of Memphis Treasurer’s Rice Distribution for Refugee Families his research with anticancer agents and pies. Coahoma County provided assistance Office. The clinics are to help property Thursday, April 5, at 10 a.m. in the com- pharmacogenomics, as well as his work for the project, as well. owners better understand the tax process mon area of the Woodcrest Apartments, with the advancement of St. Jude. and develop a plan to pay their taxes. 170 N. Hollywood. The Remington Honor Medal – named Anyone interested in attending should Bags of rice and other food staples, for eminent community pharmacist, call 260-4058 to reserve a seat, which also which have been donated by students of manufacturer and educator Joseph P. Radians Files Permit App will allow the law firm’s staff to research St. Francis of Assisi Catholic School in Cor- Remington – was established in 1918 to For Distriplex Warehouse accounts prior to the clinic. dova and St. Agnes Academy in Memphis, recognize distinguished service on behalf will be presented to Catholic Charities of American pharmacy. JSR Properties LLC, an entity related to refugee clients. A professor at the University of Tennes- Radians Inc., has filed a $1.4 million build- Catholic Charities of West Tennessee see Colleges of Pharmacy and Medicine, ing permit application with the city-county Perkins Chain is the social services arm of the Catholic Evans earned his bachelor of science in Office of Construction Code Enforcement Hires New CEO Diocese of Memphis. pharmacy and doctorate of pharmacy for construction of a 36,085-square-foot It is one of the largest nonprofit, multi- degrees from the University of Tennessee warehouse addition to an existing Radians Memphis-based restaurant chain Per- social service providers in the Mid-South, Health Science Center. facility, according to The Daily News Online, kins & Marie Callender’s says its new CEO with a special emphasis on homelessness, Evans has served as the hospital’s direc- www.memphisdailynews.com.