NEWSBITS April 7, 2009

The annual CyberStates report is out, with Tennessee having barely moved the needle from a year earlier. That's probably good news in this environment, even though it shows us still lagging by most indicators, despite a little bump-up in jobs in 2007 over '06. Here's the latest report (pdf page 81 has TN summary), and here's our writeup on last year. A year from now, the TechAmerica report will doubtless be more telling. Elsewhere, the latest Challenge Grey & Christmas report shows the national downturn in tech employment, and the Business Roundtable CEO Outlook remains negative for next six months.

The KNS reports today on locals' views of the potential of the Bredesen Administration's proposed tax credit for emerging industries. Read that in context of our report yesterday on proposed CAPCO legislation.

There are at least $34 million for the Memphis life sciences community in U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen's (D-9) latest earmark request, according to the CA, including $24MM for a regional biocontainment lab at the UT Health Science Center, and $10MM for a Memphis BioWorks "vivarium" facility for animal-based testing of the sort needed by Pharma and Med Devices companies.

Naomi Snyder reports on Franklin-based VeggieTales' being once again owned by a company now known as Boomerang Media, in which GTCR Golder Rauner has a stake. The TSN's story is here.

Payment and financial processing firms will be the focus of Greg Smith, who was recently hired by Memphis-based Duncan-Williams Inc. as managing director for equity capital markets. He previously was a senior analyst with Merrill Lynch, following Computer Services and IT Consulting Companies. DW is a full-service brokerage and investment-banking firm. The firm has made other additions, released here.

Memphis-based RemitData, a software and services firm targeting the healthcare payment cycle, has entered the cardiology practice market, through an alliance with Neptune Bea., Fla.-based MedAxiom. ♦