My principle business is construction. I started my business, Premiere Contractors, Inc., as a Historic Restoration Contractor in 1989. I am a lifetime community activist, and was President of the Cooper-young Neighborhood from '89 thru 91'. Its' renaissance began to come to fruition in '91 with the creation of the Cooper-Young Festival, which is now the largest community festival in the U.S. The Cooper Young Neighborhood is now in "The Top 10 Inner-city Neighborhoods in the country". (If you're in town in late September you must check it out, less than 5 miles from your loft). My love for old buildings brought me Downtown. I began purchasing property in the rundown commercial area in 1994, which had been ravaged by "white-flight" after Dr. King's shooting here in 1968. This eclectic community once hosted the early 20th century auto industry, and was known as "Automobile Row". It is rumored that Johnny Cash once worked at the Hudson dealership, which was my first purchase, located at 629 Monroe. The retro 30's showroom, Premiere Palace Ballroom, is where we now house events every weekend. (Our custom cabinetry and furniture shop is located in the old service department, and there is a funky-cool artist live/work space in the old parts department). In the late 90's, through an unlikely partnership of artists, car service businesses, and our lone watering hole we formed "The Edge District", which I coined the name and tagline "The Heart of Memphis, at the Edge of Downtown". I became its' first President, a position I hold now in rotation, and the neighborhood began to ignite. I went thru some tough times in the recession, as the neighborhood and we all did, and we lost some momentum. However, through Blessings and hard work, we survived. We now own (8) buildings in the neighborhood. I passionately work to maintain and improve them. "The Edge" is definitely on the rise. Perseverance in times of adversity brings strength, wisdom, and insight. Embrace It!
