Discover St. Jude highlights the power of long-term partnership

Dr. Joann Massey recently joined community leaders, including Memphis Mayor Paul Young and MPD Chief C.J. Davis, for Discover St. Jude, an evening hosted by St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital Office of Government Affairs to share the latest developments across its growing Memphis campus. The open-house gathering offered an opportunity for civic and business leaders to connect directly with the St. Jude senior leadership team and learn more about the institution’s continued investment in research, patient care, and the future of Memphis.

The evening also served as a powerful reminder that transformational growth is built over time through strategic partnerships.

The momentum that was visible on the St. Jude campus is deeply connected to infrastructure investments made possible through the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development, the City of Memphis, TVA, and EDGE. In 2015, a TNECD FastTrack grant administered by EDGE helped fund critical utility and infrastructure improvements in and around the Pinch District adjacent to campus. Those upgrades, including electric, sewer, gas, telecommunications, and stormwater improvements, helped create the conditions for one of the most ambitious expansion periods in St. Jude’s history.

Over the past decade, St. Jude has invested more than $11 billion into its campus, exceeding its original commitment of 1,800 new jobs by creating 2,473 positions from 2015 to 2024. Looking ahead, the recently announced Advanced Research Center II will continue that momentum, with infrastructure upgrades already helping ensure the project can move forward on schedule.

For EDGE, this progress reflects the long-term value of powering progress through partnerships. When public resources, infrastructure planning, and institutional vision align, the result is job creation, neighborhood revitalization, and a stronger future for Memphis.

Discover St. Jude was a meaningful opportunity to see that progress firsthand and celebrate the partnerships that continue to move our city forward.