It was like having a party and everybody wanted to attend. Earlier this year, the 15-year-old Crescent Club in Memphis, Tennessee, welcomed nearly 650 new members, who transferred from the city’s Summit Club after that facility discontinued operations as a private club. Located atop the Crescent Center along the Poplar Avenue corridor in fashionable East Memphis, the Crescent Club has become unchallenged as Memphis’ premier business and social club.

"The merger truly has created win/win relationships for everyone involved," says Larry Hommel, the Crescent Club’s chairman of the Board of Governors. "It has strengthened our membership and the Summit Club members can continue to live ‘private club’ lifestyles in a new, and equally sophisticated, environment."

So successful was the merger that ClubCorp’s Doug Howe, executive vice president of new business development, reported that ClubCorp would actively be seeking additional opportunities to merge clubs.

To accommodate the new members, the club has opened for additional nights of dining and added Sunday brunch to its schedule. The club also has created a weekly dinner and dance event.

The Crescent Club’s social calendar regularly includes wine tastings, special birthday events, and dinner specials, such as two-for-one entrées on Tuesdays. One of the most popular evenings at the club is Thursday, when members and guests enjoy tableside service. And few can resist the "Southern style" lunch each Wednesday.

The club is located in the heart of the major business corridor of Shelby County. And it is in the business arena that the club truly reflects the history, mystique, and musical roots of its hometown. In other words, this business club rocks ’n’ rolls.

The club’s "Inner Circle" is a monthly meeting of owners of small- to medium-sized businesses. Some say it’s the place for entrepreneurs to "think out loud." The "Business Network International" meets every Tuesday or Thursday for breakfast. Being active in this group is like having up to 40 salespeople working for you. In addition, the club plays host to a variety of timely business seminars and civic events.

"The club is the power lunch place," says Crescent Club manager Steve Alden, adding that visiting Associate members, too, take advantage of the club’s superb business location, environment, and amenities.

Alden, a newcomer to the community, says Memphis is not only an economic and socially thriving city, it’s also friendly and fun. Cotton farms and processing have long been high-dollar revenue producers for the Memphis economy, although it’s the city’s entertainment industry that has drawn visitors since the 1920s.

No doubt making the Memphis Convention and Visitors Bureau proud, Alden notes that Shelby County is one of the "16 Most Livable Communities in America," according to the Partners for Livable Communities.

All that, along with the blues and barbecue. What more could you want?

CRESCENT CLUB
Location: Crescent Center, 6075 Poplar Ave., 9th floor, Memphis, Tennessee.
Club manager: Steve Alden.
Membership director: Carrie Johnson.
Executive chef: Spencer McMillin.
Amenities: The club features a large main dining room and five private dining rooms, plus a pub for informal gatherings and all-day dining. Business facilities include e-lounge, high-speed Internet access, videoconferencing, and state-of-the-art audiovisual equipment. The club is open for breakfast and lunch Monday through Friday and dinner (with live music) Tuesday through Saturday. Sunday brunch.
Web site: www.crescent-club.com