City of Memphis
With latest $50M gift, Smith family goes big
“... To receive a single $50-million-dollar commitment from a single family is just unheard of. Not just in Memphis, but anywhere.”
Samuel Hardiman
Reporter
Samuel Hardiman is an enterprise reporter who focuses on government and politics. He began his career at the Tulsa World where he covered business and K-12 education. Hardiman came to Memphis in 2018 to join the Memphis Business Journal, covering government and economic development.
There are 714 articles by Samuel Hardiman :
-
July 2026
-
Premium
City of Memphis -
Premium
City of MemphisFedEx founder’s family sets up office to manage fortune, donations
A little more than a year after the death of FedEx founder Frederick W. Smith, his family is becoming more strategic with their investments and philanthropy, said Richard Smith, FedEx executive, director and son of the late magnate.
-
Metro SpaceXAI has built another Memphis data center
Elon Musk appeared to acknowledge that the company had built a new data center, known as “Minihard.”
-
Metro SpaceXAI buys 10 acres in Southaven
The company’s sprawling campus stretches across the Tennessee-Mississippi state line and includes three data centers.
-
Metro SpaceXAI agrees to remove Mississippi turbines
SpaceXAI said Thursday, July 30, that it and the State of Mississippi had entered an agreement for winding down some of the company’s sprawling power plant operations in Southaven.
Related content:
-
Metro SpaceXAI agrees to emissions monitoring for MS power plant
SpaceXAI now has a clear regulatory roadmap for retiring the 69 natural gas turbines it operates without air emissions permits in Southaven.
Related content:
-
Metro SpaceXAI contractor said company owes it $570M
The CEO of an Ohio-based industrial contractor said SpaceXAI still owes his company about 40% of its roughly $1.5 billion total bill.
-
-
August 2026
-
Business Something big could become Colossus’ neighbor
A real estate company is looking into building something big on undeveloped land near SpaceXAI’s Colossus data center.
-
Premium
MetroSpaceXAI made a lot of news last week. Here’s a breakdown.
Two days last week brought a dizzying array of headlines about SpaceXAI’s operations in the Mid-South. So let’s catch up and break down why it all matters and how it fits into the bigger picture.
-
City of Memphis City of Memphis looks to save money on interest
The City of Memphis is looking to refinance about $150 million in debt.
-
City of Memphis SpaceXAI could have a lot more data centers this time next year, Musk says
The company operates four data centers in the Mid-South. Three of those data centers are powered, in part, by a controversial power plant the company built in Southaven.
-
2026 elections
ElectionsBrent Taylor wins Republican nomination for 9th District, will face Pearson
State Sen. Brent Taylor continued his political ascendance Thursday night, winning the 9th Congressional District Republican nomination.
-
2026 elections
ElectionsMolder to face Hatcher in 5th District
Also, two Memphians — Heidi Kuhn and Marquita Bradshaw — quickly secured Democratic nominations Thursday, Aug. 6.
-
Business SpaceXAI sues contractor, alleges overbilling and fraud
SpaceXAI alleges that Darana Hybrid and its CEO engaged in a practice of overbilling to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars.
-