Memphis and Mid-South News

[VSRJ]

56 minutes ago, JTM1 said:

There is no way, this count is accurate. Shelby County only grew by 2000 people over 10 years? 

It could have grown by a larger number, but the number of people leaving likely offset that growth.

[MDC26]

12 hours ago, JTM1 said:

There is no way, this count is accurate. Shelby County only grew by 2000 people over 10 years? 

Who knows.  There could have been a large number of people that didn't return their census survey and because of COVID, the census takers weren't as aggressive in following up on those.  Also, a large number of non-citizens that reside in Shelby County could have been too scared to fill out a census.  

[MDC26]

With renewed discussions of a Memphis/Shelby County government merger, this could have interesting impact on population numbers. Nashville/Davidson County merged in the 60’s and Nashville’s population is the whole Davidson county population minus a few, small incorporated communities. If you subtract the other 6 incorporated cities (Millington, Bartlett, Arlington, Lakeland, Collierville, Germantown) from Shelby County’s population, this would give a population around 750k. This would make Memphis the largest city in Tennessee again, and the 18th largest in the nation. 

[dxfret]

Facts and data clearly show that the city of Memphis, along with the mid south region, are stagnant.  The population growth is just not there.  Memphis in particular has been steadily losing population for years and that’s a trend that will likely continue for the foreseeable future.  Nashville remains one of America’s boom cities and the contrast with Memphis is absolutely stark. 

[DRG901]

 

Ford, SK Innovation to invest $5.6B in Memphis Regional Megasite

 

Ford to invest $5.6B in Memphis Regional Megasite - Memphis Local, Sports, Business & Food News | Daily Memphian

"Ford Motor Company has selected the Memphis Regional Megasite for an electric vehicle and battery manufacturing campus, bringing nearly 6,000 jobs to West Tennessee. 

Partnering with a South Korean company, SK Innovation, Ford announced a $5.6 billion investment and 5,800 direct jobs at the Haywood County site, between Memphis and Jackson."

At a press conference Monday, Sept. 27, Gov. Bill Lee said it was “the largest single investment in this state’s history.” Lee, along with executives from Ford and SK Innovation, will be in Memphis Tuesday morning to make the announcement and share more details. 

“West Tennessee will lead the future of the automotive industry,” Lee said. “We are excited about what this means for the people of Tennessee.”

The state is providing $500 million in incentives, which state Economic and Community Development Commissioner Bob Rolfe said was an appropriate investment.

Rolfe said the incentives will take the form of grants rather than tax breaks. The state expects the project to contribute $3.5 billion each year to the gross state product, creating 27,000 jobs directly and indirectly, not including construction. Those jobs are expected to bring in more than $1 billion in annual earnings.

“I don’t think in our wildest dreams we could have identified a greater global brand,” Rolfe said.

[MLBrumby]

That seems like huge news! 

[MDC26]

15 hours ago, MLBrumby said:

That seems like huge news! 

That's because it is huge news.  Both a battery factory and auto assembly plant.  5700 jobs between the two.  Will also create a bunch of construction jobs, then there will be indirect jobs created through support and other vendors.  It could also bring in another factory to the site.  It keeps getting mentioned that its 50 miles from Memphis, but that is from downtown.  It's only 20 miles to Arlington, 28 miles to Lakeland, 14 miles to Brownsville, 18 miles to Somerville, 28 miles to Oakland and 44 miles to Jackson.  I think Arlington and Lakeland will probably benefit the most with people living there that work at the factories, since it will be an easy drive without much traffic.  But, all of these cities will probably have residents that work there as well as Memphis and its other suburbs.   There's still a megasite in West Memphis, so hopefully will be able to land something there soon too. 

[MLBrumby]

I wrote that before I saw it anywhere. So that was breaking news at the time. And yes... huge.  Do you think this will help downtown Memphis?  

[DRG901]

Yep. This is incredible news that I was not expecting.   I think as MDC said this is going to benefit the whole region.  The entire Memphis area and West TN as a whole has needed something like this for a long time if it really wants to grow and compete.   Just as all of Middle Tennessee has benefited from the many factories and everything that was built in Spring Hill etc 30 years ago has only helped the whole Nashville area experience incredible growth... I am hopeful for the same here and this will hopefully lead to many more companies that feed into the plants locating here and other companies will give the area a better look than they would have in the past.    As far as Downtown Memphis, I don't see how it could hurt it 

[MDC26]

3 hours ago, MLBrumby said:

I wrote that before I saw it anywhere. So that was breaking news at the time. And yes... huge.  Do you think this will help downtown Memphis?  

Definitely.  Downtown Memphis supports the whole region, and is the heartbeat of the metro area.  A huge project like this that adds thousands of direct jobs as well as thousands of construction jobs, and untold number of indirect jobs.  All of these jobs will bring people to move to the region, and a larger population will always benefit downtown.  

[Wayward Memphian]

On 9/28/2021 at 5:30 PM, MDC26 said:

Definitely.  Downtown Memphis supports the whole region, and is the heartbeat of the metro area.  A huge project like this that adds thousands of direct jobs as well as thousands of construction jobs, and untold number of indirect jobs.  All of these jobs will bring people to move to the region, and a larger population will always benefit downtown.  

It will help the Airport as well, look for Delta's DTW flights go Mainline some of the time vs. The CRJs. Lot's of folks will be flying in and out to call upon the site.

 

[VSRJ]

5 hours ago, Wayward Memphian said:

It will help the Airport as well, look for Delta's DTW flights go Mainline some of the time vs. The CRJs. Lot's of folks will be flying in and out to call upon the site.

 

And it's only a 45 minute drive. I wish the site was a bit closer to Memphis, but it will no doubt benefit the city and region.

[James Owen]

Per the MBJ this morning, the City of Jackson is now anticipating Great Wolf Lodge to break ground by this time next year:

https://www.bizjournals.com/memphis/news/2021/10/11/jackson-great-wolf-lodge-set-to-break-ground.html?cx_testId=40&cx_testVariant=cx_32&cx_artPos=0#cxrecs_s

[Wayward Memphian]

1 hour ago, James Owen said:

Per the MBJ this morning, the City of Jackson is now anticipating Great Wolf Lodge to break ground by this time next year:

https://www.bizjournals.com/memphis/news/2021/10/11/jackson-great-wolf-lodge-set-to-break-ground.html?cx_testId=40&cx_testVariant=cx_32&cx_artPos=0#cxrecs_s

The area is still very ripe for a large scale outdoor waterpark which this isn't.  The trick is it being in the right place without it becoming a daily baby sitter for AP holders.  A smaller, dry ride amusment/ theme park could do well. Along with the Zoo it would make Memphis a much more marketable extended weekend getaway.

I still think the best plan for Mud Island would be Tivoli in Copenhagen Denmark style park

Small selection of quality rides, aquarium, park like setting to mix with the existing teeming. Like the Museum, River Walk and Amp.  Friday or Sat night fireworks during the summer, Fall Crafts festival and Winter /Christmas Market with lights and theming. Paid parking and location downtown discourages it being a baby sitter along with  adult needed age requirements . 

Edited October 12, 2021 by Wayward Memphian

[Memphis4ever]

For some reason people in our city leadership are afraid of water and as  hot as memphis is i just cant fathom a waterpark being unreasonable, when places like texarkana can have one.

[dxfret]

State of TN drops “Memphis” from name of West Tennessee Megasite.  

 

https://dailymemphian.com/subscriber/article/25285/megasite-memphis-west-tennessee-ford-blue-oval-city
 

 

[VSRJ]

I'm interested to see how this plays out, but it seems (at least for now), 

Memphis-based Terminix to be acquired by British co. Rentokil Initial in $6.7B deal

https://www.bizjournals.com/memphis/news/2021/12/14/terminix-to-merge-rentokil-billion-dollar-deal.html
 

Quote

 

In September 2020, Terminix revealed that it would sell one of its business segments, ServiceMaster Brands, for $1.55 billion. Now, over a year later, the company has another major announcement — it’s being acquired. 

The combined company is expected to have about 56,000 global employees and 4.9 million customers.

Terminix will get to keep its name, according to a company spokesperson, who noted that Rentokil has also “made clear their commitment to a significant presence in Memphis.”

 

 

Edited December 14, 2021 by VSRJ

[DRG901]

University of Memphis attains highest level of research status after big push for R1

University of Memphis gains R1 research status from the Carnegie Classifications of Institutions of Higher Education. - Memphis Business Journal (bizjournals.com)

“The attainment of top-tier Carnegie R1 status demonstrates not only the remarkable talent of our faculty and staff, but also our capacity to compete at a national level and succeed,” said U of M president M. David Rudd, in a press release. “This is a truly remarkable accomplishment that will stand forever as a moment of great significance in the history of our wonderful university.” 

New Carnegie rankings are made every three years, with schools having to re-earn the distinction each cycle. The status designates U of M as a doctoral university with “very high research activity;” previously, it was a tier down, with an R2 listing that means it has “high research activity.” U of M now joins Vanderbilt University and the University of Tennessee at Knoxville as the only other Tennessee schools with R1 status. 

In the tri-state area, University of Arkansas, University of Mississippi, Mississippi State University, and University of Southern Mississippi have it as well. 

U of M was one of only three schools to successfully move up from R2 to R1 status this year, and it comes after a major research push by faculty and staff. In FY 2021, the institution eclipsed $50 million in research awards for the first time. In FY 2019, that number was $32.59 million. 

 

Beyond a distinguished title, R1 status could bring tangible benefits to both U of M and the surrounding community, as a 2020 economic impact report from the university estimated that gaining R1 status could have an economic impact of $218 million each year, provide $98 million in labor income, and create about 1,550 jobs. 

“Knowing the impact that R1 institutions have on their local and state economy … rankings do matter,” Ted Townsend, then U of M’s chief economic development and government relations officer, said in June 2020. “It attracts the top talent, and it attracts the top students."

[DRG901]

Grocery store chain Hy-Vee plans to open Memphis store, one of four in Tennessee expansion

 

 

Corinne S Kennedy, Memphis Commercial Appeal

Grocery store chain Hy-Vee plans to open Memphis store, one of four in Tennessee expansion (yahoo.com)

[DRG901]

MATA looks at light rail option in Memphis to transport Ford workers (commercialappeal.com)

[TheKernel91]

1 hour ago, DRG901 said:

MATA looks at light rail option in Memphis to transport Ford workers (commercialappeal.com)

The possibility of light rail wasn't the card I was expected to hear for Memphis Development this year. Pretty interesting.

[TheKernel91]

On 4/13/2021 at 1:06 PM, VSRJ said:

This is a bit of an unexpected development for the Malco Majestic theater in Southeast Memphis, which I hadn't realized had closed.

Movie Studio, Hotel and Mixed-Use Entertainment Complex Opening in the Mid-South

  Additional info at MBJ: https://www.bizjournals.com/memphis/news/2021/04/13/former-malco-majestic-proposed-renovation.html

 

UPDATE: It's no longer going forward. 

Sad. It's ending before it started. Whoever have access, please infill what's the reason why and if there's any plans. 

 

https://www.commercialappeal.com/story/money/business/development/2022/03/04/mvp-3-studios-memphis-entertainment-complex-property-closed/9374547002/

[VSRJ]

Sadly I'm not surprised. It just seemed way too ambitious.

[MDC26]

24 minutes ago, VSRJ said:

Sadly I'm not surprised. It just seemed way too ambitious.

Yeah, it seemed like they were going to do a lot of cool stuff, but it didn't seem like it was going to be financially viable and self supporting.  It also had the competition from the other film studio project.  

[MDC26]

On 9/2/2021 at 10:08 PM, JTM1 said:

There is no way, this count is accurate. Shelby County only grew by 2000 people over 10 years? 

It didn’t make sense to me either. Now we know our doubt was justified.

https://www.commercialappeal.com/story/news/politics/2022/05/21/census-2020-tennessee-and-arkansas-1-20-residents-missed/9864160002/
 

Being reported now that Tennessee & Arkansas were largely undercounted (4.8%/5%) in the 2020 census. If Memphis & Shelby County have the same undercounted rate as the state, Memphis population would be 663,493 and Shelby County at 974,372. That would be huge.