Here's a look at promotions, hirings and other noteworthy business events in the Memphis area:
The Victor, located in St. Louis’ Downtown West/City Commons neighborhood, has been named a winner of the Urban Land Institute’s 2026 Americas Awards for Excellence, one of the real estate industry’s most prestigious honors.
The $130 million adaptive reuse of the former Butler Brothers Building was developed by Memphis-based Development Services Group Inc., in collaboration with St. Louis-based architecture, planning, urban design and interiors firm Trivers. The Victor was one of only nine projects selected to receive the Americas Award for Excellence from entries across North and South America.
Winners are selected by a jury of ULI members and industry
leaders representing a broad range of professional disciplines and geographic regions. The honored projects reflect the highest standards of achievement in land use and development and encompass a wide range of property types, project sizes, investment levels and locations.
Bank of America last month announced Michael Gonzalez was promoted to Business Banking Relationship Manager where he will help small and mid-sized businesses grow by providing financial guidance, managing cash flow and connecting business clients with solutions and resources. Gonzalez joined Bank of America in 2022 as a Relationship Banker and was selected to help open and staff the new financial center. He has a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Rhodes College.
Paragon Bank recently promoted Chris Miller to Senior Vice President-Manager of Commercial Lending. He joined the bank in 2023 and leads a team that specializes in commercial and industrial lending. Miller attended the University of Memphis.
Rhodes College is among the 500 colleges in America that shine, according to Forbes, which recently released its "America’s Top Colleges List.” The school also made Forbes’ College Financial Grades assessment released in May. It reports the financial health of more than 900 private colleges and universities in the United States. Rhodes received a financial grade of A.
Brenda Blunt has been promoted to Senior Vice President of Financial Federal Bank. Since joining Financial Federal in 1998, she has directed the loan processing and closing department for the Capital Markets Group and has been awarded several national accolades for her dedication, professionalism, and expertise in commercial real estate transactions, most recently being voted 2025 Closer of the year by a Life Insurance Company.
The Institute for Public Service Reporting Memphis staff writer Erika Konig won first place in student audio journalism in the 2026 Green Eyeshade Awards. The Green Eyeshades is the nation’s largest and oldest regional journalism contest, covering 12 Southeastern states as well as Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Konig won for her three-part radio series “An American Nightmare’’ about a hardworking Central American couple that settled in Memphis, worked multiple jobs, raised a family, paid taxes and worshipped with neighbors on Sundays only to be torn apart when the father was arrested and deported following a minor traffic stop. The series was produced in partnership with WKNO-FM public radio.
The Lewis Thomason law firm announced the addition of Lydia Cates as an Associate in its Memphis office. Cates focuses her practice on health care and general civil litigation. While in law school, she served as an Executive Articles Editor for the Mississippi Law Journal and as a student attorney in the University of Mississippi School of Law’s Low-Income Housing Clinic. Cates is a member of the Memphis Bar Association.
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This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Memphis People in Business for Sept. 17, 2026
