Hackmeyer Properties Finances Lamb Place Prpty.
Memphis-based Hackmeyer Properties has financed a 9.7-acre parcel at 2850 Lamb Place through Financial Federal Savings Bank for $1.3 million. The property contains a 97,250-square-foot flex-space warehouse built in 1974. The loan matures in May 2016.
The site is on the north side of the dead end of Lamb Place in Lambcrest subdivision. The Shelby County Assessor’s 2011 appraisal is $1.3 million.
In conjunction with the financing, Regions Bank released Hackmeyer Properties from a March 2004 loan for $1.4 million.
Source: The Daily News Online Chandler Reports
– Kate Simone
ARS/Rescue Rooter Expands With Acquisition
Memphis-based ARS/Rescue Rooter, a privately held provider of air conditioning, heating, plumbing and energy efficiency services, has acquired Columbus Worthington Air in Columbus, Ohio.
Before the acquisition, ARS/Rescue Rooter only provided plumbing, drain cleaning and sewer line services to the Columbus market through the Rescue Rooter brand.
Columbus Worthington Air, which has been in business since 1936, provides air conditioning, heating and indoor air-quality services to both residential and commercial customers. It’s one of the largest and most established premium service providers in Central Ohio.
Existing Columbus Worthington Air management and staff will remain in place.
– Andy Meek
University Place Becomes TN’s 1st LEED Neighborhood
University Place – a multifamily community designed by Memphis-based Architecture Inc. and developed by St. Louis, Mo.-based McCormack Baron Salazar – has achieved its certification in the U.S. Green Building Council Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design for Neighborhood Development pilot program.
The mixed-income neighborhood, a Hope VI redevelopment of the Lamar Terrace Housing project, is the first completed LEED-ND certified development in Tennessee and one of about a dozen completed LEED-ND sites worldwide.
University Place received outstanding LEED-ND scores in the areas of “Smart Location and Linkages” and “Neighborhood Pattern and Design,” rising from its connections to amenities in the surrounding community – a variety of stores, institutions and recreational options – all accessible within a half-mile’s walking distance or convenient bus transit lines.
University Place also met its “Green Construction and Technology” targets by using environmentally sensitive construction techniques and by ensuring that brownfield contamination, storm water runoff and pollution from construction activities were significantly reduced or completely abated.
Prior to this neighborhood certification, more than 13 homes designed by Architecture Inc. have been awarded USGBC LEED Silver Certification for achievement in green homebuilding through the LEED for Homes program.
“The LEED-ND certification has been a milestone in our efforts to create a better and more beautiful Memphis,” principal of Architecture Inc. David Scheurmann said in a statement. “We hope that this accomplishment will be one of many in our quest to help build a sustainable city through the design of green communities and energy-efficient homes.”
– Sarah Baker
PETA Names AutoZone Park on Vegetarian-Friendly List
AutoZone Park, home of the Memphis Redbirds, has grabbed the No. 6 spot in PETA’s Top 10 vegetarian-friendly minor league ballparks.
The park’s veggie dogs, veggie sausage and grilled spicy black-bean burgers are three of the vegetarian-friendly food options offered and a few of the reasons why AutoZone Park was named part of the Top 10. Redbirds fans are also offered a baked-potato bar, a fresh fruit medley and a grilled Caesar salad wrap with fish-friendly, anchovy-free salad dressing.
– Sarah Baker
Orpheum to Host High School Theater Awards
The Second Annual Orpheum High School Musical Theatre Awards will be hosted by actress and country artist Laura Bell Bundy Thursday, May 26, at the Orpheum Theatre, 203 S. Main St.
The awards program recognizes outstanding achievement in all areas of high school theater programs in the region. Twenty-eight area schools from Tennessee, Mississippi and Arkansas will be represented at the awards this year and more than 200 students will perform on stage.
Bundy originated the lead role of Elle Woods in the Broadway musical “Legally Blonde,” for which she received a Tony Award nomination.
She has also performed in “Hairspray,” “Ruthless, The Musical!” and “Wicked,” and is currently performing in a recurring role on the sitcom “How I Met Your Mother.”
The Orpheum High School Musical Theatre Awards begin at 7 p.m. and tickets range from $15 to $50. For tickets, call 525-3000 or visit www.orpheum-memphis.com.
– Taylor Shoptaw
Governor Signs Bill On Anti-Discrimination Laws
Gov. Bill Haslam has signed into law a measure that prohibits local governments from creating anti-discrimination laws that are stricter than the state’s.
The law voids a Nashville ordinance barring companies that discriminate against gays and lesbians from doing business with the city.
Under state law it is illegal to discriminate against a person because of race, creed, color, religion, sex, age or national origin.
The Nashville ordinance prohibited companies that discriminate because of sexual orientation or gender identity from receiving city contracts. It didn’t apply to local governments’ hiring policies for their own workers.
An amendment by Democratic Rep. Brenda Gilmore of Nashville to exclude Davidson County failed during the legislative session. She said Tuesday she wished the Republican governor had vetoed the legislation.
– The Associated Press
GDP Challenged As Main Progress Indicator
An international agency known for its number crunching is offering a new way to measure how good life in your country is compared with others.
The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development said Tuesday, May 24, it is launching an online tool that will let people select priorities in life and compare how their country measures up internationally.
The Paris-based OECD said its “better life index” is an attempt to measure social progress without relying only on traditional economic benchmarks such as gross domestic product.
GDP reflects the total economic output of a country by adding up the monetary value of all goods and services produced during a given period. Critics say this doesn’t allow for qualitative differences – a costly medical bill boosts GDP figures more than timely prevention measures, for example.
“The idea is to be able to capture what people want,” said OECD chief Angel Gurria. “At the same time we’re looking at measuring governments, to be able to see what governments are delivering to the people.”
It isn’t the first time an alternative measure of progress has been proposed.
The small Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan introduced a policy of Gross National Happiness more than 20 years ago.
Around the same time, the United Nations first published its Human Development Index that ranks countries according to life expectancy, educational attainment and income.
And recently British Prime Minister David Cameron said he wants more focus on GWB – “general well-being” – over purely economic criteria.
Gurria told The Associated Press that even if other factors are given greater weight by governments, academics and business, gross domestic product will likely remain a key yardstick of progress.
“I think GDP is important and has a long life,” he said.
OECD is scheduled to release its twice-yearly economic outlook on Wednesday. The report relies heavily on GDP for its assessment of current conditions and future prospects.
Past efforts by the OECD to compare countries haven’t always been welcomed.
– The Associated Press
Article source: http://www.memphisdailynews.com/editorial/Article.aspx?id=58927
