Germantown United Methodist Church and Habitat for Humanity are enjoying a fruitful, longstanding partnership that has resulted in the construction of 45 homes for families over the past 32 years.

In an effort to support local artists, ArtMemphis is drawing inspiration from the concept of community supported agriculture to bring in funding. But instead of shares of whatever’s in season, stakeholders will get a share of local artists’ work.

Facing a sore lack of later-stage capital in Memphis, startups that matriculate through local accelerator programs often have to look outside of the Mid-South to scale. 

Students at Rhodes College can now enjoy state-of-the-art 21^st century facilities for biology and chemistry research with the opening of the new $34 million, 54,674-square-foot Robertson Hall on the historic campus. A recent grand opening ceremony also included the debut of the newly renovated Briggs Hall and the Bill & Carole Troutt Quadrangle.

While Puerto Rico recovers from the devastation wrought by Hurricane Maria, several Mid-South residents with ties to the island are initiating relief efforts to help their people get on their feet.

After seeing two of its hotel projects stall for many years due to the Great Recession, Mississippi-based JVD Enterprises and Vibrant Hotels Inc. President Vince Vaghela is thrilled with the upturn in the local economy over the past several years. His development company now has two hotel projects in various stages of development, with one to be completed next spring and another on the way by early 2019.

Gourmet pizza complements regular community gatherings including comedy shows, neighborhood watch meetings and popup artisan markets. 

With the mission of assisting at-risk children and families of Shelby County, Porter-Leath has consolidated many of its administrative functions into a new Early Childhood Development Center in Southeast Memphis. The organization also recently announced a merger with Books from Birth, which provides free books in the mail to children across Shelby County.

Airbnb represents an alternative income source for property owners and an expansion of options for tourists, local officials say. The site saw the number of hosts in Memphis double over the past 12 months, at the same time the local hotel industry also saw above-average growth.