News

The Economic Development Growth Engine (EDGE) Board of Directors approved a twelve-year Payment-In-Lieu-of-Tax (PILOT) project for NouriTech, Inc. located on Presidents Island.  

The Economic Development Growth Engine (EDGE) Board of Directors approved a 15-year Community Builder Payment-In-Lieu-of-Tax (PILOT) project for Neighborhood Docs.  Neighborhood Docs plans to provide state-of-the-art healthcare services to the surrounding neighborhoods of Cherokee, Bethel Grove, and Orange Mound. 

The EDGE Board of Directors authorized EDGE to move forward to prepare the appropriate policies and procedures for a PILOT test program for developers of multifamily residential.   If these proposed policies and procedures are approved by the EDGE Board, the EDGE Residential PILOT test program will help encourage new and affordable multifamily housing within the City of Memphis and unincorporated areas of Shelby County.  

Situated on the edge of the newly revitalized University District, The Choo is a family-owned and operated casual dining restaurant housed in the former Buntyn Rail Station. 

The Economic Development Growth Engine (EDGE) Board of Directors approved two Jobs Payment-in-Lieu-of-Tax (PILOT) requests from Ebrofrost North America, Inc., and Nucor Steel Memphis, Inc.  Currently, both facilities are vacant. These PILOTs will help put vacant buildings back in use while introducing a combined total of 31 new jobs. 

Economic Development Growth Engine (EDGE) Board of Directors voted unanimously to accept the Greater Memphis Alliance for a Competitive Workforce (GMACWorkforce) proposal to align itself with EDGE.

The Economic Development Growth Engine (EDGE) Board of Directors approved two Jobs Payment-in-Lieu-of-Tax (PILOT) requests from Ebrofrost North America, Inc., and Nucor Steel Memphis, Inc.

Champion’s Pharmacy & Herb Store (2369 Elvis Presley Boulevard), a family-owned business started by Dr. Charles Champion in 1981 and now owned by his daughter, Dr. Carol Champion, was approved for a $20,000 EDGE Inner City Economic Development (ICED) Loan.  The ICED Loan Program’s purpose is to spark revitalization of Memphis inner-city neighborhood business districts through small forgivable loans to assist with building improvements and business expansion. 

River, road, rail and runway have long been recognized as strategic advantages for Memphis based companies. But now, several innovative manufacturers, including Sharp Manufacturing, Cummins, and Brother Industries, are using another source to maximize their presence in the world marketplace – Foreign Trade Zones.

Approved by the Memphis City Council, Shelby County Commission and EDGE Board of Directors, nearly 600 parcels of land surrounding the University of Memphis and the Highland Strip will be included in a tax increment-financing district that will raise an estimated $19 million across a 20-year term to help fund public improvements within the area, including safety, road, and public infrastructure.

Tucked away between a vacant warehouse and a busy retail strip is Social Suds Resource Center, a bustling Laundromat operated by the South Memphis Alliance.  Just a mile away at Knowledge Quest, school-aged children busy themselves at the after-school urban garden while exploring possibilities within the culinary arts through the Jay Uiberall Culinary Academy. EDGE is proud to have assisted both programs as they work tirelessly to strengthen and revitalize South Memphis. 

In November, EDGE approved a 10-year Fast Track PILOT for International Distributors USA (IDUSA) that resulted in bringing 40 new full-time jobs to Memphis. Previously based in Mississippi, IDUSA, an international supplier of auto parts distributed under the name Premium Guard, will spend nearly $6.5 million at the Memphis facility and generate nearly $2 million in local total tax revenues across the lifetime of the PILOT. 

Across the next few years, a brand new $7 million retail center anchored by a national grocery store and home goods retailer will replace a once derelict, delinquent apartment complex situated on a busy urban corner in a USDA-classified food desert.  The Binghampton Development Corporation was able to create this urban oasis in-part through EDGE’s Community Builder Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) program.

Graceland, the third most famous home in the United States next to the White House and the Biltmore and one of Memphis’ most powerful economic engines, is the centerpiece to a $137 million, three-phase redevelopment project.  The massive undertaking will also serve as the catalyst to the redevelopment of Memphis’s Whitehaven neighborhood. 

Quietly operating from a small space on South Barksdale, Camy Archer had been serving a loyal Midtown and Downtown clientele tasty sandwiches, pizzas, and desserts for the past 23 years.  However, after her lease was set to expire, Ms. Archer found herself without a location.  Ms. Archer quickly reestablished Camy’s in a small 800 square foot commercial kitchen space at 2886 Walnut Grove, just a few miles east of the old location.  The new location would enable Ms. Archer to continue serving her existing clientele along with expanding into the more eastern areas of Memphis.  

In Fall 2016, EDGE helped W.M. Barr reshore manufacturing operations from China, which will result in 40 new full-time jobs.  A manufacturer of specialty cleaning and home improvement products, Memphis-based W.M. Barr will invest nearly $12 million at its Presidents Island facilities.

On Wednesday, March 2, local dignitaries and hundreds of Elvis fans alike joined together to celebrate the opening of Elvis Presley’s Memphis, a 200,000 SF entertainment complex featuring museums, restaurants, gift shops, and more.  Just part of a $137 million, three-phase development project for Graceland, collectively this project will serve as the catalyst to the redevelopment of Memphis’ Whitehaven neighborhood. 

Mr. Fred Spikner never really considered himself an environmentalist.  Since college, Spikner has been working as a commercial screen printer and embroiderer and opening his own facility in Midtown Memphis.  It was not until a choice turn down the street in South Memphis in 2014 that Spikner became interested in cardboard recycling.

Memphis is home to 47 medical device companies that employ more than 16,800 employees according to the Greater Memphis Medical Device Council.  Employment at medical device manufacturers ranges from assembly work to industrial engineering to sales representatives (TheMemphisEconomy.com, 2017) Collectively, these companies provide a $2.6 billion economic impact to Memphis and Shelby County. 

Construction for the Binghampton Gateway Center broke ground on February 22.  The Binghampton Gateway Center project is the first recipient of the EDGE Community Builder Payment-in-Lieu-of-Taxes (PILOT).  The EDGE Community Builder PILOT’s intent is to spark investment and job creation in distressed areas of Memphis and unincorporated Shelby County and tailored specifically to aid community development groups looking to tackle larger projects. 

A recent report issued by government and corporate accountability watchdog, Good Jobs First, identified EDGE (identified as Memphis-Shelby County in the report) as one of the top ten organizations for transparency in incentive disclosures.  EDGE scored 85 out of 100 points – tying for fourth place with Nassau and Suffolk Counties (NY) and Franklin County (OH) for incentive program transparency (http://www.goodjobsfirst.org/sites/default/files/docs/pdf/showusthelocalsubsidies2.pdf).  EDGE was recognized for its accessible disclosure of incentive information and “robust company-specific disclosure site” (database.growth-engine.org). 

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) launched recruitment for its 2017 Emerging Leaders executive-level training initiative, formerly known as e200, in the Memphis area. The SBA Emerging Leaders Initiative is a federal training initiative that specifically focuses on executives of businesses poised for growth in historically challenged communities. The initiative provides these executives with the organizational framework, resource network, and motivation required to build sustainable businesses and promote the economic development within urban communities.

The University of Memphis and the Economic Development Growth Engine for Memphis and Shelby County are pleased to announce the formation of a joint venture between the Sparks Bureau of Business and Economic Research (SBBER) at the University of Memphis and EDGE to develop a data warehouse, web portal, and associated editorial content.