Kemp Conrad Attends New Generation Seminar

City Councilman Kemp Conrad has returned from Honolulu, Hawaii, Korea and Vietnam where he attended the New Generation Seminar put on by the East-West Center. Conrad was nominated by the American Council of Young Political Leaders (ACYPL) to attend the seminar, a two-week intensive educational, dialogue and study tour travel program that provides participants with an opportunity to strengthen their understanding of Asia Pacific-U.S. developments and challenges, build a regional network and become leaders with a more international perspective. Conrad was one of only 13 participants are chosen to attend out of a pool of over 200.

From October 4-18, Conrad traveled from Honolulu, Hawaii to Seoul, North Korea and finally Hanoi, Vietnam. Through his travels, Conrad learned about the challenges and policy responses in two Asian countries to the global economic crisis. Through meetings and visits he was exposed to a wide range of perspectives from government, private sector, labor, academia, civil society and the media to better understand the causes, consequences and future implications of this unprecedented challenge to the global economy. He was even able to stand in the North Korea Demilitarized Zone and received a briefing from the Chief of Staff of the US Pacific Command, based in Honolulu.

“The trip enabled me to build relationships with emerging business and political leaders from America and Asia Pacific. We saw first hand the global effects of the financial crisis – but also how countries have responded to it. Visiting Vietnam and Korea also served as a stark reminder that we truly live in a global economy that is very competitive, and the stakes are high” states Conrad. “America must renew its commitment to educational excellence and economic competitiveness such as lower taxes to maintain or economic dominance in the world.”

Kemp Conrad is president of Commercial Alliance Management, a third-party real estate leasing and management commercial real estate firm in Memphis. In 2008, he was elected to the Memphis City Council. This is the second time he has traveled overseas as part of an educational program. In 2004, through the ACYPL, he was a part of the 25th Anniversary exchange between America and China - that started just after President Nixon made his trip to China.

Shelby Farms

A few years ago, who could have imagined the 4500 acre Shelby County Penal Farm would be placed in a 50 year-old land trust by a unanimous vote of the Shelby County Commission to be operated by a citizens' board-driven, not for profit called the Shelby Farms Conservancy?

Plans are being developed by the park board for a proposed $100 million improvement package to include an expansion of the existing Patriot Lake, hiking trail developments, horseback riding, bike trails, recreational areas along with picnic and family reunion areas. Shelby Farms will soon be expanded and transformed into a 'green' asset for the entire Memphis community.

Go to the website http://www.shelbyfarmspark.org/sfpc/front and review the proposed plans and available activities for recreation and exercise.

Located in the very center of the Memphis population, Shelby Farms will soon be connected from Midtown Memphis by a seven mile trail along the former CSX railroad bed and a new pedestrian bridge over the Wolf River to give bikers and pedestrians access from the Humphreys Blvd area.

Now called Shelby Farms, the user groups and stakeholders have been engaged all through the process and the design plans reflect that input and engagement. In the next few weeks, Starry Nights, after a 10 year absence, will return with a 20 exhibit show for the entire community to enjoy from Thanksgiving through New Years.

2009 REALTORS® Commercial Alliance National Award Recipients

The REALTORS® Commercial Alliance (RCA) National Awards Program acknowledges members of the National Association of REALTORS® and its Institute Affiliates who received an award from their state or local REALTOR® commercial group for their professional excellence. Congratulations to Wyatt Aiken who was chosen as a recipient!
For more information on the Program and it's recipients, click here.

Step Up for Down Syndrome!

Commercial Advisors' employees April Bauchmoyer, Cheri Benoit, Lisa Patton and Melissa Alexander participated in the Step Up for Down Syndrome walk Sunday, October 18th at the Memphis Botanic Gardens. Their team, "Christy's Caribbean Cruisers," walked with more than 4,200 people to raise awareness for Down Syndrome!


Christy's Caribbean Cruisers!! Pictured from left to right: Cheri Benoit, Christy Bates, Melissa Alexander, Lisa Patton and April (and Jacob) Bauchmoyer.


Look who we ran into!
Pictured above: Commercial Advisors employees chat with Memphis Mayor A.C. Wharton.

Railways and Expansions:

Sometime when you're not in a hurry pull off of Poplar by the railroad tracks and count the double-stacked, truck trailers on a Norfolk Southern train. You will get results of 200-225 truck trailers. So what?

Well, that means that 200-225 long-haul trucks and drivers are not driving and beating up the US highways plus the per mile costs for freight are dramatically lower and more 'green'. More than 80 percent of Norfolk Southern trains east bound out of Memphis are going to Harrisburg, PA where short- haul distribution occurs into the East Coast. When Norfolk Southern completes its planned Memphis expansion, more than 1.0 million trucks per year will be on rail rather than on Interstate 40 and Interstate 81 into the northeast.

In a recent editorial in the Memphis Business Journal entitled 'Major investments by railroads bode well for city's future', http://memphis.bizjournals.com/memphis/stories/2009/10/05/editorial1.html, there is a description of the current investments being made in Memphis today by the major US and Canadian railroads.

The attached map shows the Class 1 railroad system in the United States which indicates the robust position Memphis has in the intermodal freight network. As the federal government pushes to transform the trucking industry into a short-haul industry, more and more long-haul trucks will be off the road and on trains. Intermodal nodes like Memphis will greatly benefit from freight and value-added processes in our market.