A shopping center in the heart of East Memphis will soon undergo a renovation.

More feet on the street has long been a mantra in the Downtown Memphis Commission’s effort to attract development and improve quality of life Downtown.

Editor’s note: Memphis stands at the threshold of incredible possibility. In this series, New Memphis introduces innovative Memphians who are driving our city forward and forging its future success.

Ray’s Take

Amazon’s emerging presence in Memphis – as an employer instead of an online seller – is hitting full stride with the announcement Thursday that the world’s largest online retailer wants to hire 1,500 people at two Memphis facilities.

Bridge Builders vice president Dana Wilson has been named the next president and chief executive officer-in-waiting of BRIDGES, a Memphis youth leadership development organization.

Bringing comfort and joy to patients at St. Francis Hospital-Memphis is what Lily, an 8-year-old Coton du Tulear breed, does best. Lily is a part of St. Francis’ newly expanded volunteer program consisting of 11 new members, including her handler, Richard Herbert. The first pet therapy dog at the hospital, she made her public debut on Wednesday, Sept. 26.

In about a month’s time, three native Memphians plan to open a version of their upscale Nashville bar in the former Raiford’s Hollywood Disco on Vance Avenue.

When it comes to curing pediatric cancer on a global scale, treatment is just one piece of the puzzle.

A developer proposes to build a new urban-style mix of 25 apartment units and some commercial spaces on five empty Uptown lots that had been developed for single-family houses.

If you look at some of the biggest and most successful companies of our time (think Amazon, Google and Apple), one thing they all have in common is their commitment to properly budgeting for technology. IT departments handle an increasing amount of responsibility as we rely on technology to carry out many day-to-day business functions. In order to remain on the competitive edge of your industry, it’s important to allocate proper dollars, staff and resources to ensure your organization continues running smoothly and efficiently. Here are several tips for creating and maintaining an IT budget:

“Just as tapping into an artesian aquifer helped restore the city of Memphis back to health after the yellow fever epidemic in the late 1880s, Artesian Schools Inc. will be the catalyst to restore vibrancy to post-secondary opportunities for students in our community.”

The Memphis area’s third Urban Air, which bills itself as an “indoor adventure park,’’ is coming to Southaven.

FedEx’s free tuition offering for hub workers has reached Indianapolis, where more than 3,500 employees are eligible to pursue degrees at the University of Memphis' online offering, U of M Global.

When 9-year-old Sydney Ives attended her first piano lesson, she put her hands on the keys and when she attempted to play a note, her right hand fell flat to her side, as if she’d had a stroke.

Paced by $10 million from FedEx, Epicenter Memphis has raised $40 million to support emerging businesses and is pushing toward a $100 million war chest.

It’s official. It’s less than 60 days until Thanksgiving. Although you shouldn’t stop your job search when the turkey has been served, hiring will slow down as the holidays heat up. It’s just a fact of life. If you’ve been thinking of finding a new job, this is the time.

Tripp Thompson has been named president of FirstBank Investment Partners, a bank investment division with offices in Tennessee and North Alabama. He succeeds president Bill Reid, who's retiring next year. Thompson comes from First Tennessee Bank, where his 31-year career included managing FTB Advisors since 1999. FirstBank's new regional headquarters will be based at the TraVure office complex in East Memphis.

Attorneys are often asked, “Should I have a will?” The simple answer is yes. Every adult, regardless of their financial worth, should have a will and estate plan.

Pinnacle Financial Partners, the official bank of the Memphis Grizzlies and FedExForum, has signed a representation deal with the Grizzlies’ top draft pick, Jaren Jackson Jr.

Work-life balance is the reason Stephanie Cummings started a tech-enabled personal assistance service, Please Assist Me.

Amber Hayes and Marterrious McClain decided to begin their startup, SecondKeys, in Memphis for two main reasons.

Custom-wrapped Nissan Versas loaded with pet food and supplies rolled out Monday, Sept. 24, as part of Hollywood Feed's same-day delivery pilot program in the Memphis area. Hollywood Feed president Shawn McGhee said the Memphis-grown chain is offering deliveries as a convenience for customers.

There are a jaw-dropping 2.3 million internet search queries per minute. How does Google decide which results you see? How can you get your business to the top of the list? While there’s no free “easy button” for improving your rank overnight, a little knowledge about how PageRank and TrustRank work can take you a long way in your quest for a coveted spot in the first ten results.

Part two of a four-part series