I poured a second cup of coffee, walked to the kitchen table and opened my iPad, revealing the home screen photo of St. Kitts with the waves of the Atlantic crashing in from the east and the gentle bath of the Caribbean lapping ashore from the west. A road bisects the island, heading south over gently rolling hills toward the southern coast. In the distance, a cloud hovers along the top of Nevis, the sister isle of this two-island nation.

Ray’s Take: According to the IRS, Americans gave more than $390 billion to charity last year and people in the middle to lower income brackets gave the most. You may find this surprising, but research has actually shown that the less someone earns, the more likely they are to give their money away to help others. 

The holiday hiring season is in full swing in Memphis, where thousands of people work to distribute products around the nation and world.

Memphis native Victoria Young, 27, wants to inspire other young entrepreneurs to act now, and figure the how out later.

IKEA will cut its operating hours in Memphis, the retailer’s only U.S. store to reduce store hours.

The University of Memphis president is at it again, pushing for big, iconic structures to define the campus and its surrounding neighborhoods.

In June, the FTC, other law enforcement agencies and the BBB announced the results of Operation Main Street: Stopping Small Business Scams, a law enforcement and education initiative targeting scammers who victimize businesses. The other agencies include the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, two U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and eight state attorneys general.

The title of my column today may sound a bit confusing. It comes from one of my own mentors. Years ago, when I was finishing graduate school in California, I spent a significant amount of time searching for the right job. I would go to job fairs and networking events as if it were my full-time job. I would interview for anything and everything.

Editor’s note: Part one of a four-part series. We were asked to speak to the Memphis Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) on Sept. 13. The following is part one of our remarks. We share these as we believe they are important to all of us who care about Memphis. Remarks were written by Melvin and Pearl Shaw and delivered by Pearl Shaw.

It is a heroic adventure being an innovation practitioner. To lead an organization to where it is ready to flex its culture, business model, practices and management style requires the types of talents and skills that only metaphors can describe: the hunting instincts of a lion, the fortitude of a buffalo, the wisdom of an owl and the patience of a turtle.

When the Mississippi River rose to historic levels in 2011, local officials observed water seeping under the levee that protects the Frank C. Pidgeon Industrial Park near Presidents Island.