Month: December 2016

Accelerators/Incubators, Companies/Startups, CREATIVES, Funding, Innovation, OPPORTUNITIES, Quality of Life, TechnologyLeave a comment

MBJ: New Delta fund offers $50,000 to would-be entrepreneurs

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MBJ: New Delta fund offers $50,000 to would-be entrepreneurs A new fund aims to provide local entrepreneurs with the same sort of resources they would have in hot spots such as Boston, New York or San Francisco. The Delta Regional Authority (DRA) and Winrock International have joined forces to launch a multimillion-dollar investment fund targeting early stage entrepreneurs in eight states. The goal of the Delta I-Fund is to provide entrepreneurs in the Mississippi Delta region the same sort of access to capital, resources, mentors, investors and technical assistance that they would receive in larger markets. “This is about creating … Continue reading MBJ: New Delta fund offers $50,000 to would-be entrepreneurs

By Memphis Companies, COMPANIES, Expansions, Outside MemphisLeave a comment

CA: Rite Aid, Walgreens to sell stores to Fred’s Inc.

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CA: Rite Aid, Walgreens to sell stores to Fred’s Inc. In a bid to bolster its chances to buy Rite Aid, Walgreens Boots Alliance and Rite Aid said Tuesday that they plan to sell hundreds of Rite Aid locations to Fred’s Inc. for $950 million. USA TODAY Memphis-based Fred’s Inc. will be the nation’s third-largest drugstore chain with an agreement announced Tuesday to buy 865 Rite Aid stores, a transaction designed to pave the way for Walgreens’ bid to buy Rite Aid. Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc. and the Rite Aid Corp. agreed to sell the stores to ease federal officials’ concerns about a … Continue reading CA: Rite Aid, Walgreens to sell stores to Fred’s Inc.

COMPANIES, CREATIVES, Food, Lists, Quality of Life, RestaurantsLeave a comment

CA: Holidays are cashew crunch time at Dinstuhl’s

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CA: Holidays are cashew crunch time at Dinstuhl’s The holidays are a busy time of year for the folks at Dinstuhl’s, a locally owned candy shop more than 100 years old. And one of the most popular items, along with fudge, marzipan (seasonal only) and chocolate holiday houses, is the beloved cashew crunch. “We do 40 percent of our annual sales in six weeks,” said Dinstuhl’s president Rebecca Dinstuhl. That’s a lot of cashew crunch, which is similar to peanut brittle, though much better. A brittle is made, cashews are added, and each 22-pound batch is poured from a big mixer onto … Continue reading CA: Holidays are cashew crunch time at Dinstuhl’s

Funding, Non-profits, Quality of Life, Quality of LifeLeave a comment

MBJ: GiVE 365 grant applications open

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MBJ: GiVE 365 grant applications open GiVE 365, a philanthropy initiative of the Community Foundation of Greater Memphis, is now accepting grant applications on the theme of “Foundations for the Future.” “GiVE 365 is a unique way for nonprofits to get introduced to a group of charitably inclined Mid-Southerners who are looking for new, unique ways to invest in our community,” said Sutton Mora Hayes, executive vice president and chief operating officer of the Community Foundation of Greater Memphis. “It gives organizations a way to demonstrate, to a captive audience, their impact and their potential. Over 70 percent of our … Continue reading MBJ: GiVE 365 grant applications open

Accelerators/Incubators, Companies/Startups, CREATIVES, Education, Funding, Innovation, TechnologyLeave a comment

LaunchTN: University Venture Challenge Bridging the Gap

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LaunchTN: University Venture Challenge Bridging the Gap Tennessee is well stocked with colleges and universities from one end of the state to the other, and all of them are hotbeds of innovation and ideas. However, too often those ideas don’t get the exposure they deserve, because students are busy with the demands of their academic programs to consider bringing their work to the commercial market. To help bridge that gap, many Tennessee schools have created programs to help connect on-campus innovators with mentors and financial backers from the state’s business community. Even so, many of those programs hit roadblocks around … Continue reading LaunchTN: University Venture Challenge Bridging the Gap

By Memphis Companies, COMPANIES, Expansions, Outside MemphisLeave a comment

MBJ: Fred’s to become third-largest drug store chain in country

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MBJ: Fred’s to become third-largest drug store chain in country Memphis-based Fred’s Inc. just agreed to an acquisition that would make it the third-largest drug store chain in the U.S. Fred’s Pharmacy (NASDAQ: FRED) will acquire 865 Rite Aid stores as part of a $950 million cash deal with Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc. (NASDAQ: WBA) and Rite Aid Corp. (NYSE: RAD). The stores will be located across parts of the eastern and western U.S. “This will be a transformative event for Fred’s Pharmacy that will accelerate our health care growth strategy through our acquisition of 865 new stores located in … Continue reading MBJ: Fred’s to become third-largest drug store chain in country

Lists, Quality of LifeLeave a comment

CA: International Paper seeks growth culture

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CA: International Paper seeks growth culture International Paper Co. would rarely  fire someone for making a simple mistake. That’s not how the biggest manufacturer based in Tennessee is run. The company employs 53,000 worldwide from 1,600 people in Svetogorsk, a town in Russia, to 2,431 at its headquarters, which opened in 2006 in East Memphis. An employer this big can’t offer the feel of a family-owned small business, but that doesn’t mean IP doesn’t try to maintain an extended-family-like culture as a way to foster professional growth. Mark Sutton, Chairman and CEO of International Paper, “Employees are not something to be … Continue reading CA: International Paper seeks growth culture

Art, CREATIVES, Film, Lists, Music, Quality of LifeLeave a comment

MDN: New Video Pays Homage to Local Side of Memphis

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MDN: New Video Pays Homage to Local Side of Memphis “Do you see it?” That’s what a new video created by local filmmaker Edward Valibus asks about the new Memphis that we’re living in. Filmmaker Edward Valibus wanted to capture the sights and sounds of Memphis that might not make it in a traditional tourism video by focusing on local artists and small businesses. Valibus was tapped for the project by the New Memphis Institute, a nonprofit organization whose goal is to attract, develop, activate and retain young talent in the Bluff City. The video was created to both inspire … Continue reading MDN: New Video Pays Homage to Local Side of Memphis

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MDN: $950M Deal Would Make Fred’s No. 3 Nationwide

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MDN: $950M Deal Would Make Fred’s No. 3 Nationwide Memphis-based Fred’s Inc. has agreed to buy 865 Rite Aid stores from Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc. and Rite Aid Corp. for $950 million, which will make Fred’s the third-largest drugstore chain nationwide. The move comes as Deerfield, Ill.-based Walgreens works to close its $9.4 billion purchase of Rite Aid, which would give the combined company 12,000 U.S. locations – several thousand more than the nearest competitor, CVS Health Corp. Consequently, federal anti-trust regulators have raised concerns about the deal. Meanwhile, Fred’s is looking to make quick progress on its strategy of … Continue reading MDN: $950M Deal Would Make Fred’s No. 3 Nationwide

Education, EDUCATION/RESEARCH, Funding, University of MemphisLeave a comment

MDN: U of M Receives Grant To Improve Science Education

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MDN: U of M Receives Grant To Improve Science Education The University of Memphis has been awarded a $1.5 million federal grant to help improve science instruction for English learners. The five-year grant from the U.S. Education Department’s Office of English Language Acquisition was awarded to the U of M’s Center for Research in Educational Policy for “LASER Focused: A Model for Teaching Inquiry-Based Science to English Learners.” According to information from the U of M, research shows that inquiry-based science instruction is particularly effective for English learners because the hands-on method can make science more accessible while also helping … Continue reading MDN: U of M Receives Grant To Improve Science Education