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Welcome back to Bluff City Biz, where every Monday we speak with someone in the know about our top stories from the previous week. Follow along for insight into key developments and analysis of all things Memphis business.
Kevin Woods, the Memphis market president for BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee, has had a big week. First, his team’s bid was chosen by the Downtown Memphis Commission for the massive 100 N. Main adaptive reuse project.
Then, Woods shared with The Daily Memphian that he is likely to become an investor in the revitalization of the Carrefour at Kirby Woods shopping center, along with his 100 N. Main development partners Billy Orgel and Adam Slovis.
Woods joined us this week to talk both projects, as well as Memphis International Airport’s newly renovated concourse.
Woods, Orgel, DMC’s Paul Young discuss future of 100 N. Main
 The Downtown Memphis Commission’s staff made its final recommendation to its affiliate Downtown Mobility Authority Wednesday, Jan. 19, selecting 100 N. Main Development Partners. (Courtesy 100 North Main Development Partners)
The Downtown Mobility Authority voted Wednesday, Jan. 19, to confirm the partnership led by Woods and Billy Orgel for the redevelopment of 100 N. Main, Memphis’ tallest building and a symbol of investment opportunity for many.
In an earlier interview with The Daily Memphian, Woods talked about watching from his office as the Downtown tower turned vacant, waiting for the opportunity to assemble a team capable of transforming the neglected high-rise into a mixed-use facility suited for the 21st century.
“We knew the clear pathway to success was a team that could deliver an outcome that we felt the DMC and the City of Memphis would want,” Woods said.
Woods’ team includes fellow Shelby County School Board member and longtime Downtown developer Billy Orgel, as well as Jay Lindy, Adam Slovis and Michael McLaughlin.
100 N. Main Development Partners plan to invest around $267 million to repurpose the tower into a “revitalized retail, office, hotel and multi-family apartment property.”
Carrefour sold to prominent local developers; mixed-use project to move forward
 Carrefour at Kirby Woods sold last week, and the new owners are planning to build a mixed-use development on the 17-acre site. (Abigail Warren/The Daily Memphian)
Members of the same development group behind 100 N. Main are moving forward with the revitalization of the Carrefour at Kirby Woods shopping center.
Last week, the property sold for $17 million to a group including Slovis and Orgel. Woods told The Daily Memphian he will likely become an investor in the project as well.
“You can’t get a better 10 acres in the City of Germantown that touches so many people,” Woods said of the busy corridor at the border of East Memphis and Germantown.
Former owners of Carrefour, Henry and Nelson Cannon with Cannon, Austin & Cannon, got approval from the Germantown Board of Mayor and Aldermen for a mixed-use development in 2019.
Slovis told suburbs reporter Abigail Warren that tweaks to the current plans are possible, but he doesn’t anticipate major changes.
The initial plans called for 320,000 square feet of office space and 320 apartment units, as well as 100,000 square feet of retail space and 174 hotel rooms.
“We are thrilled to see the mixed-use project that the Cannons started and the alley-oop they gave to Adam Slovis and his team to finish the work,” Woods said. “It’s already been approved by the City of Germantown, and it’s definitely an example of the right teams coming together for the right project.”
‘B’ the change: Airport to open modernized concourse next month
 Memphis International Airport will open a modernized Concourse B on Tuesday, Feb. 15. (Brad Vest/Special to The Daily Memphian)
Part of a $245 million renovation project, Memphis International Airport will open a modernized Concourse B on Tuesday, Feb. 15.
“It’s often the first gateway into our city,” Woods said of the airport. “When you’re traveling, the airport can determine that first impression and how you feel about a city, so I definitely feel like this was a wise investment.”
Renovations included seismic upgrades, wider corridors, larger gate areas and higher ceilings.
The B concourse will be able to handle 50% more traffic than Terminals A and C combined, both of which will be closed when B opens.
“As a frequent traveler, I’m thrilled to see this investment,” Woods said. “Much like a development project, the increased density is going to make the airport feel more active.”
More Bluff City Biz:
 Construction crews have just started creating access to the construction site of the future Springs at Buckingham Farms apartments off E. Shelby Drive. (Tom Bailey/Daily Memphian)
“It’s amazing that almost every commercial real estate developer has driven by this site for years, but nobody looked underneath the hood,” broker Barry Maynard said.
According to a term sheet related from EDGE, Memphis would become home to three manufacturing lines running multiple shifts with capacity to annually produce approximately 22,500 containers and 30,000 chassis.
The former Macy’s space at Carriage Crossing in Collierville has a new tenant, filling a major vacancy in the center at Houston Levee and Tenn. 385.
 An early rendering for Victory Lane BBQ at The Lake District. The design has not been finalized. (Credit: LRK)
The restaurant will be located on a site where Malco once considered building a theater.
The $40,000 2022 Small Business Exterior Improvement Grant Fund, supported by the Memphis City Council Community Grant Program, will match up to $5,000 for commercial property owners in Whitehaven, allowing them to make high-quality exterior improvements to their buildings.
Dr. Peter Buckley joins the University of Tennessee Health Sciences Center from Virginia Commonwealth University.
The company signed on for the Advantage Jobs rebate program offered by the state of Mississippi, and Olive Branch officials expect to offer a tax incentive, too.
But FedEx World Hub could be affected, Memphis-Shelby County Airport Authority officials said.
Blight Authority of Memphis (BAM) recently announced Nyshi Taylor as BAM’s new community development programs manager.
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