Nonprofit CoreFire pitches buying Commercial Appeal building to train up to 10,000 youth weekly

Ty Cobb, president of the Have A Standard Foundation and founder of a youth program named CoreFire, asked the Memphis City Council’s Public Service, Arts and Youth Initiative Committee on Jan. 7 for help rallying private funding to buy the Commercial Appeal building at a planned January auction.

Cobb told the committee he and supporters seek $1,100,000 to secure the downtown building and convert it into a year‑round training campus that combines paid high‑school internships, live shows, escape‑room experiences, and vocational training. He told the committee: “If we're able to purchase this building at the auction on January 27th … we can create momentum that will become the most effective way to train 10,000 youth.”

Why it matters: Cobb described a hybrid nonprofit model in which income from ticketed events and tourist attractions would subsidize paid interns who would deliver no‑cost programs at city community centers. Proponents said the model is intended to provide hands‑on trade and leadership training for youths who do not thrive in traditional lecture‑based programs.

Key details from the presentation and public remarks - Fundraising ask: Cobb said he and backers have one known commitment of $250,000 and need roughly $850,000 more before the Jan. 27 auction. Mark Lovell, a long‑time private donor, publicly confirmed a $250,000 commitment. - Program model: CoreFire proposes using experiential education (escape rooms, live shows, robotics and drone competitions) and 1:8 paid mentor‑to‑student ratios. Interns would be high‑school students paid to run programming and lead after‑school offerings at the city’s 24 community centers; when not serving community centers, the facility would sell tickets to tourists and locals to generate operating revenue. - Questions from councilmembers and staff: Councilmembers asked for square footage (applicant stated ~124,000 sq ft), utility‑cost estimates (applicant said he had not obtained averages), transportation plans for bringing underserved youth to a downtown site and program outcome data (number of students served, job placement rates). Council members and the committee asked Cobb to return with performance data and a clearer operating plan.

Supporters and next steps: Mark Lovell and several community members spoke in favor. Lovell said he has personally invested more than $500,000 in CoreFire over the years. Committee members asked Cobb to follow up with detailed budgeting, proof of existing program outcomes and a plan to address transportation barriers for participants. Cobb said if the downtown opportunity is missed he will explore other sites.

Ending: Committee members praised the ambition but repeatedly requested concrete outcome data and operational detail before asking the council for funding or formal city involvement.