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People
John A. Elkington, CCIM, Chairman and CEO
Under John Elkington’s leadership, Performa Entertainment Real Estate, Inc. has grown into one of the top companies in the urban redevelopment field. His expertise and vision are transforming entertainment districts around the country.
Beale Street
Since 1983, he has led the redevelopment of Beale Street in Memphis, Tennessee. Under his management, the Beale Street district has:
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been one of the top tourist attractions in Tennessee; |
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been called by ABC-TV’s Good Morning America “one of the greatest urban success stories in America”; |
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returned more than $50,000,000 in
sales and liquor tax to the State of
Tennessee and Shelby County; |
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been called the “best bar hopping
stretch in the land” by US News and
World Report. |
He began his career in 1974 as a homebuilder and developer. Recognized by Professional Builder Magazine as one of the top 300 builders for the years 1982-1994, Elkington has a number of professional distinctions. These include being ranked the 79th fastest growing company by Inc. Magazine in 1984 and as the developer of the first historical building under the 1982 National Economic Recovery Act. Between 1976 and 2006, he developed 40 properties with a total value in excess of $300 million. |
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Accolades and Appointments
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Board of National Civil Rights Museum |
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Board of National Slavery Museum |
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Board of Memphis Center City Commission |
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Board of Center City Development Corp. |
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Chairman of Downtown Parking Authority |
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Chairman, Memphis & Shelby County
Planning Commission |
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Recognized as one of Tennessee’s
Outstanding Young Men in 1980 |
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Listed as one of “America’s Future Leaders” by Esquire Magazine in 1985 |
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Named one of the “50 Leaders of
Tomorrow” in Real Estate Forum Magazine
in 1996 |
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Appointed by the Governor to serve on the
Tennessee State Board of Licensing
contractors as its chairman in 1991 and
the Film and Music Task Force in 1995 |
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CCIM designation from the National
Association of Realtors |
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Blue Note Award from the National Blues
Foundation for support of the blues musiccommunity |
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A.W. Willis preservation award from the
Memphis Heritage Foundation in 1999
EducationBachelor of Arts degree from Vanderbilt University
Law degree from University of Memphis Law School |
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Al James, President
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James has been a key player in the expansion of the company’s developments. He is responsible for Performa’s daily operations, which includes management of Beale Street. He serves as liaison with the technical staffs of various city departments and is responsible for all maintenance, security, contract service operations and capital improvements. After |
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graduating from Arkansas State University, James began his career as a technical adviser for Beale Street Development Corp. In 1983 he joined Performa (then Beale Street Management) as director of operations,
overseeing the 45-building Beale Street
Historic District. |
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Donna J. Williams, CPM-Chief Operating Officer
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Donna Williams has more than 15 years’ experience in real estate development and property management. She prepares financing packages, serves as liaison with lenders and contractors, and coordinates funding with city and state government entities. She is also involved in the day-to-day monitoring of Performa projects and oversees new apartment development and property management.
Before joining Performa in 2005, she was the Community Manager for Valley Ranch, a 2600 acre mixed-use |
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development in Irving, TX. She also served as Regional Vice President for Capital Consultants Management Corporation in Dallas, TX, overseeing a region that included 50 community associations and eight master planned communities. Williams attended Union University and the University of Memphis. She received the Certified Property Manager (CPM) certification in 1993 through the Institute of Real Estate Management and is a member of a number of industry organizations. |
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Darren Fant, Event Coordinator
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Darren Fant joined the Performa team in 2005 with over five years’ experience in marketing, advertising, and public relations. He has served as marketing coordinator for MTV-Music Television on two high-level productions, Sports and Music Festival and Spring Break ’99. Fant is responsible for managing and |
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coordinating events in W. C. Handy Performing Arts Park (Pepsi Pavilion). He has managed events such as Country on Beale, Jazz on Beale, ESPN 2 Tuesday Night Boxing and Good Morning America’s live broadcast from Beale. |
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L. Dianne Glasper, Leasing Coordinator
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Dianne Glasper is responsible for preparing leases for the Beale Street District and for tenants in Performa’s other developments. She will also be working on commercial leases for the Beale Street Historic District, sales and leasing of other commercial properties in the downtown area, and residential sales in Memphis and the surrounding areas. She joined Elkington & Keltner Properties in 1984 during the beginning days of Beale Street redevelopment, |
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working in the accounting department for the Beale Street District. She and a partner were among the street’s first tenants, opening a retail store in 1983. She returned to Performa in 1994 as executive assistant to the CEO. In 2004, she received her Affiliate Broker’s license from the Tennessee Real Estate Commission. She is a member of the Tennessee Association of Realtors. |
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