Economic downturn stokes home-cleaning services

Feature story for The Memphis Daily News

Aug. 2, 2010

For many people, having someone else to sweep floors and mop bathrooms might be considered a luxury, and possibly the first item crossed off any budget when the economy spirals downward and times get tough.

Kip Uhlhorn, co-owner of 2 Chicks and a Broom, has a different take, however. “If you’re working a lot more, I guess your personal time becomes more precious.”

“People are working two jobs or more hours, so instead of me going home at lunchtime to let the dog out, could you add that to the time allotted,” Kip’s wife, Kelly, said people ask her. “Also, people don’t want to spend their time on weekends cleaning their house.”

The Uhlhorns purchased the eco-friendly home-cleaning business 2 Chicks and a Broom, where Kelly had worked in the past, from Candace Mills in September 2008. They have managed in nearly two years to grow their client base to about 2,000 clients and have expanded their reach further east.

“We tripled the client base,” Kip said. “Everything is pretty comfortable now, as far as the flow of new clients, but for a while there we were just too slammed for the amount of people we have.” ... (read more)

Love of running inspires unique tour company

Small Business Spotlight for The Memphis Daily News

July 26, 2010

John Lintner loves to run.

“I run about four to six miles a day, and nine to 10 miles on the weekends,” he said. “I’ve run four marathons.”

A certified personal trainer and head of sales for Breakaway Running’s bulk embroidery division, Lintner recently trained his wife, Crissy, for her first major race, the 13.1-mile Germantown Half Marathon.

“Whenever we weren’t fighting, it was fun,” John Lintner said.

The two newlyweds – married last September – have recently taken their love of running, the outdoors and a healthy lifestyle to a new level by starting Rockin’ Running Tours.

The idea is simple: take visitors to the city on a three- or six-mile tour of Downtown Memphis at their own pace, at street level, where they can take the time to see all there is to see.

There are several ways to see the sights of Downtown, including horse and carriage tours, a riverboat ride on the Mississippi River and Backbeat Tours, a music-themed tour company ... (read more)

A new trail, and a path forward

Feature story for the Summer 2010 Memphis Crossroads magazine

Long-awaited greenline links city neighborhoods with parks - exactly the type of asset employers say they need to make Memphis more attractive for workers.

Jurex's Rudolph unites nursing and legal professions

Memphis Standout story for The Memphis Daily News

July 16, 2010

Elizabeth Rudolph used her training as a nurse and an attorney to found Jurex, a Memphis-based company that trains nurses to be expert witnesses, review medical records in legal cases and become legal nurse consultants.

She developed the course in four formats: live, which is usually two full days of instruction, and by video, audio or an online e-course.

“What the course teaches is the legal and the marketing knowledge, and that’s combined with the nurse’s nursing knowledge,” Rudolph said. “The course comes with 15 accredited continuing education credits.” ... (read more)

Jim's Place East finds new home on Perkins

Spot news story for The Memphis Daily News

(with Eric Smith)

July 15, 2010

Jim’s Place East – a Memphis tradition since its founding nearly 90 years ago – is opening a location at Poplar Avenue and Perkins Road, having signed a 10-year lease for the 5,900-square-foot space that recently housed Harold’s women’s boutique.

The restaurant, a popular site for events such as wedding receptions, parties, business meetings and intimate dinners, has operated at 5560 Shelby Oaks Drive since 1976.

The move is a relocation from Shelby Oaks, yet the current location will remain open until the doors open this fall at 518 Perkins Road Extended.

“We want people with special memories to know that we’ll continue to operate the current location and that people should come back and visit,” said Sam Taras, son of co-owner, Dimitri Taras ... (read more)

Development partners reunite on Midtown project

Spot news story for The Memphis Daily News

July 13, 2010

Community Capital and Architecture Inc. have teamed up again, this time to build Community Capital’s new headquarters at 1708 Monroe Ave. between South Belvedere Boulevard and South Evergreen Street.

Located just behind Outdoors Inc. and half a block from Idlewild Presbyterian Church, the area is zoned commercial, although the new office space of Community Capital is designed to look like homes in the area and will keep the integrity and feel of the Midtown neighborhood.

“It’s primarily commercial use in there, but many of the buildings are converted residential structures, so in talking to OPD (the city-county Office of Planning and Development), they felt that going into that area with an office-type building would be inappropriate and they asked us to design a building that would be more residential in appearance, so that’s what we did,” said David Schuermann, lead architect on the project and co-owner of Architecture Inc.

Community Capital, whose president is Archie Willis III, is a boutique firm offering real estate financing, development prospectus packages, financial and affordable housing advising to municipalities and private companies alike. The firm also develops real estate ... (read more)

Ewing Carruthers, insurance agent

My Profession story for The Commercial Appeal

July 6, 2010

Ewing Carruthers shows up at his office 5 1/2 days, each and every week.

Nothing remarkable about that -- except Carruthers is 93 years old and he has been at it a long time.

"I've been working since I was 12 years old," Carruthers said. "I enjoy it. It's rewarding. And it pays well."

Since 1939, Carruthers has sold insurance for Mass Mutual and recently was inducted into the Estate Planning Hall of Fame by the National Association of Estate Planners & Councils.

Born in 1917, he grew up in Evergreen in a house built by his grandparents at the corner of Evergreen and Autumn, near Overton Park where his grandfather, A.B. Carruthers, tethered a black bear named "Natch" to a tree, the beginning of what would later become the Memphis Zoo. Nearby is a small street named for his family of land developers who also had a hand in developing the Evergreen neighborhood ... (read more)

First Tennessee Foundation

Corporate giving story for The Commercial Appeal

June 2, 2010

The First Tennessee Foundation recently spread good fortune across its namesake state with grants totaling more than $80,000 to 95 nonprofit groups through the foundation's Leadership Grants program. Memphis area organizations received $33,500.

The Leadership Grants program also encourages bank employees to serve on the boards of nonprofit groups and offers amounts of $500 to board members and $1,000 to board officers to be contributed to the nonprofit organizations of their choice.

In 2009, 72 First Tennessee employees participated in board service.

"If you went around our state and looked at the market presence in each of our major markets, for the most part they (employees) have been chairpersons of United Way, the chambers and involved with the universities," said Charles Burkett, president of banking with First Tennessee ... (read more)

Flying high

Memphis in May festivities end with air show

Spot news story for The Memphis Daily News

May 21, 2010

Airplanes seen flying through the skies is a part of the daily tableau for Memphians. Odds are they are FedEx or Delta planes lining up for landing or beginning an ascent into the clouds at any hour of the day.

But anyone who looked closely this weekend might have seen the bright red stunt plane of Fagen Inc. turning loops and performing corkscrew maneuvers over the Downtown skyline.

Saturday’s Memphis in May Sunset Symphony and air show this Saturday ended the month-long festivities.

The air show has been part of the Sunset Symphony, the longest-running program for Memphis in May, since 2007. Diane Hampton, executive vice president of Memphis in May, said it usually draws some 25,000 spectators.

“It’s part of a whole day of family entertainment,” Hampton said of the air show ... (read more)

Cockadoos brings southern spirit to downtown

Small business spotlight for The Memphis Daily News

May 31, 2010

Between John Bradley Wells and his wife, Lana, the two have nearly 40 years of experience in the restaurant business.

He owned Como Steak House in Como, Miss., for 10 years, worked for B.B. Kings for six years and has been general manager of Huey’s Downtown for the past four years. Lana was a nationwide corporate trainer for Ruby Tuesday and general manager of the Wolfchase location.

Their latest foray into the restaurant business brings them to the intersection of Union Avenue and Second Street, just steps from the Huey’s John Wells managed, and a place called Cockadoos.

“Being Downtown for the last 10 years or so, I always had people asking me where they could get breakfast and with nothing right here on this main drag that did breakfast, we just felt like it was a great opportunity,” he said.

Breakfast at Cockadoos includes Belgium waffles, Texas French toast, buttermilk pancakes and, of course, grits, as well as cathead biscuits and gravy, and catfish and grits. In addition to the traditional fare, a coffee bar is also on site for caffeine fiends.

“We have the full array of the lattes and cappuccinos,” Wells said. “We wanted to make sure that we covered the whole gambit as it pertained to breakfast, so we wanted to offer all the coffees as well. Our coffee is a small roaster out of St. Louis called Mississippi Mud Coffee.”

The restaurant is only three doors south of Union on Second, in the building that used to house Café 61. The walls have been painted a light yellow, with some left bare brick, and bright floral patterns adorn the tablecloths and throw pillows in the two seating areas filling the two large bay windows looking out on the foot traffic. A mezzanine balcony overlooks the main floor of the dining room ... (read more)

Health partnership sights poor

Spot business news for The Commercial Appeal

May 22, 2010

Baptist Memorial Healthcare Corp. kicked off its partnership with one of America's leading vision benefits companies, Davis Vision of Plainview, N.Y., to provide eye screenings to the homeless and underserved of Memphis.

"The Focus on America program targets children and adults underinsured or not insured at all," said Laura Dyer of Davis Vision. "This is not a one-time thing. This is the kickoff of a partnership that will provide glasses on a monthly basis."

Those who failed eye exams were either given vouchers for reduced-cost eyeglasses from any local retailers who work with Davis Vision, or free glasses in cases of homelessness. An average pair of glasses, according to George Yanoshik Jr. of Davis Vision, is $293.

"If you can't see, it's hard to fill out a job application or find your way out in the community," said Baptist Memorial Healthcare president and CEO Stephen Reynolds ... (read more)

Technology takes Ridgeway Middle music to new level

Spot news story for The Memphis Daily News

May 21, 2010

The walls of a cinderblock city school classroom in East Memphis are hung with posters of John Coltrane, King Oliver, Otis Redding, Elvis Presley, Billie Holiday and a 78-inch interactive whiteboard called an ActivBoard.

In a medium whose foundation is built on the bar chords of the blues and sound of the sax, technology has been introduced to engage children and introduce them to those a world away in Ken Greene’s music class.

Greene, music teacher and choir director at Ridgeway Middle School, recently demonstrated how technology is used to teach students and connect with other programs.

“Do you mind if we jam with you?” Greene asked his counterpart from Weyanoke Elementary School in Fairfax, Va ... (read more)

Strategy for growth: Jackson builds on strong corporate, federal business to expand nationally

My Profession story for The Commercial Appeal

May 19, 2010

After years away for college and work, Laurita Jackson returned to Memphis to be closer to family and raise her children in the South.

She moved home in 2003 to work for the family business, Memphis Chemical & Janitorial Supply Company, and took over as president in the beginning of May, bringing aboard a commitment to her employees and community.

"It's great working for a family business," Jackson said. "One of the things that allows us to make it work is we have a saying, 'We do what's best for the enterprise,' and that allows us to make the right decisions for the company, and also maintain our family relationships."

Memphis Chemical is a distributor of janitorial supplies, cleaning chemicals and cleaning equipment, in addition to servicing that cleaning equipment. Distribution ranges from throughout the city to nationally for some FedEx facilities and customers in the federal government such as the departments of Energy and Veterans Affairs.

"We are locally based but we do have the capability to ship nationwide, and we do that," she said ... (read more)

'Change is inevitable'

Spot news reporting for The Memphis Daily News

May 14, 2010

Expo encourages job seekers to adapt -- even when discouraged

“They aren’t making buggy whips anymore.”

That’s what Tom Wilson, career counselor for careerhands.com, tells people who have lost or left jobs and are looking for something else in the workplace.

He then brings it around to the 21st century: “They aren’t making electric typewriters anymore, either.”

The message he conveyed at Thursday’s Second Annual Opportunity Expo at The Pink Palace Museum was one conveyed throughout the day-long event’s seminars and by speakers and company representatives on hand to talk to job seekers about potential opportunities.

OppCity.com, a job-listing site for the Memphis area currently attracting 250,000 hits a week from all over the country, put on the expo, which was sponsored by the local Talent Trust Foundation ... (read more)

Boys & Girls Clubs investing in children

Corporate giving story for The Commercial Appeal

May 10, 2010

Service Assurance, a Memphis-based information technology support and outsourcing company for the region, has teamed up with Monogram Food Solutions, maker of King Cotton products, to donate $7,500 to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Memphis.

"This was our first engagement with Monogram so we thought what a great way to start a relationship by giving all the revenue back to the community," said Mark Giannini, founder and CEO of Service Assurance. "Monogram's values are very much in line with ours in that they love supporting the community, and they love children and nonprofits that help children.

"It was the absolute perfect way to start what we both hope is going to be a long-term business relationship."

The Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Memphis was founded in 1955 and serves more than 5,000 youths between the ages of six and 18 through academic and recreational programs. The local Boys & Girls Clubs operates six full-service clubs, a technical training center and Camp Phoenix.

"Service Assurance and Monogram Foods made an investment," said Vincent Borello, president of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Memphis. "They didn't really make a donation because in the long run these are the kids that are going to be working in the facilities, these are the families that are going to be buying their products, the families that make up our city." ... (read more)

Ritchey, MED Foundation get gritty for hospital

Memphis Standout Profile for The Memphis Daily News

April 30, 2010

When Memphians and those in the surrounding areas are faced with the trauma of a gunshot wound, life-threatening burn or car crash, chances are good that they’ll end up at The Regional Medical Center at Memphis.

For most of them, that visit is the difference between life and death.

Because of this, there is a scant degree of separation between most Memphians and The MED, said Tap into millions of public records, notices and articles on The Daily News.

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“There are not too many people who haven’t been touched by The MED in Shelby County,” she said.

To do the work the doctors and nurses of the trauma unit perform, tending to patients in what is known as “the golden hour” – those 60 minutes when critical care is at its most urgent – a certain “grittiness,” as Ritchey put it, is needed ... (read more)

Restaurateurs find opportunities in new technology

Feature story for The Memphis Daily News

April 22, 2010

Nowadays there’s a cell phone app for nearly everything – and restaurant reservations are no exception.

That’s not been lost on local restaurateurs, who are embracing online reservations and finding that they are weathering the struggling economy better as a result.

“In an economy like this, we can’t leave any stone unturned, especially when people are cutting costs on dining,” said Josh Spotts, catering sales and conference service manager for The Madison Hotel, which operates Grill 83.

“You can get full off a hamburger at McDonald’s, but is that the experience that you want?”

Among the most popular apps available is OpenTable.com, a Web-based program offering reservation and table management services in real time for more than 12,000 restaurants worldwide.

Founded in 1998, OpenTable now seats about 4 million diners per month and has done so for more than 130 million since its inception.

The mobile app was launched in November 2008, and has been used by more than 2 million, a number that represents about $100 million to restaurant partners, according to OpenTable ... (read more)

Economist to address influence of big banks

Business news story for The Commercial Appeal

April 10, 2010

Is a financial system dominated by giant banking institutions good for business?

Dr. Paul Merski says that's a question that deserves an answer, and he plans to offer his insights next week in Memphis.

The Rhodes Chapter of the Financial Management Association and the Department of Economics and Business will host Merski's lecture, "Financial and Economic Outlook: A View from Washington," on Wednesday.

Merski is the senior vice president and chief economist for the Independent Community Bankers of America, an organization representing 5,000 community banks of all sizes throughout the United States.

"I'll be looking at where we've come from in the past few years with the large financial crisis and the meltdown in the financial sector largely caused by the too-big-to-fail Wall Street banks," Merski said recently by phone from his office in Washington ... (read more)

Autism center provides intense therapy to transform childrens' behavior

Business news story for The Commercial Appeal

April 9, 2010

Tracy Palm, executive director of Transformations Autism Treatment Center, simply wants the parents of children with autism spectrum disorders to have hope.

"I get so many families that come into my office who have completely lost their hope that their child will ever be able to do anything, even speak," she said.

"What I want them to know and understand is that these kids make progress ... they just need the right therapy to be happening in their life at that time."

Palm, a board-certified behavior analyst, began Transformations in 2007 and moved into a new facility on the edge of Bartlett in Memphis last January. The center, at 2535 Whitten Road, is just off Interstate 40 and is accessible to clients who come from as far away as Forrest City, Ark. The one-story, brick building is 2,500 square feet sectioned into rooms for group activities such as music and art, as well as private rooms where counselors can work with clients one on one ... (read more)

Art infusion: local artists look to beef up market in Midtown

Small business spotlight for The Memphis Daily News

April 6, 2010

Frank Roberts, the owner of nine businesses in six buildings known collectively as The Palladio Group, understands the way to best use retail space.

When his tenant at 2256 Central Ave., Artists on Central, with its various art vendors and flea market feel, fell on difficult times in 2008, Roberts felt that the century-old house could be used better. He wanted to upgrade the offerings and inject the Cooper-Young area with fine art.

“Artists on Central had an image that was not consistent, nor could it be made consistent with our vision, and where there’s no vision, people perish,” said Roberts, whose background is in architecture and home building. “So we wanted to be sure there was a very clear vision and a deliberately chosen and focused point to reach that vision: a true fine art gallery, a sophisticated gallery, not intimidating and stuffy.” ... (read more)