Calkins: As NBA season tips off, FedEx’s Richard Smith says it’s a ‘desperate’ moment for Downtown
Richard Smith, CEO of FedEx Airline and International, believes this is a critical moment for Downtown. (Ziggy Mack/Special to The Daily Memphian)
Geoff Calkins
Geoff Calkins has been chronicling Memphis and Memphis sports for more than two decades. He is host of "The Geoff Calkins Show" from 9-11 a.m. M-F on 92.9 FM. Calkins has been named the best sports columnist in the country five times by the Associated Press sports editors, but still figures his best columns are about the people who make Memphis what it is.
Richard Smith is sitting in his office overlooking the entrance of FedExForum and discussing the future of Downtown Memphis.
I ask him if he is hopeful.
Smith — the CEO of FedEx Airline and International — considers the adjective.
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“I think desperate is the better word,” he said. “If we can’t use this moment and this opportunity to get Downtown going again, then Downtown is just, I’m not going to say it’s going to wither and die, but ...”
But it might well wither and die.
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Memphis Grizzlies Richard Smith Downtown Memphis FedEx Geoff Calkins FedExForum Beale Street Subscriber OnlyAre you enjoying your subscription?
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