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Mississippi Economic Council
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Energy & Economic Development
Summit to be Held October 4
at Jackson Convention Complex
Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani to Keynote Event
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Gov. Bryant
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Governor Phil Bryant is hosting a summit on Energy and Economic Development in the 21st Century on Oct. 4 to highlight the vast energy related opportunities for Mississippi. Governor Bryant has made energy a major part of his economic development platform and will announce energy development initiatives during the event. The event, which is being organized by the Mississippi Energy Institute and the Mississippi Development Authority, will take place from 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. at the Jackson Convention Complex.  | |
Giuliani
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Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani will be the keynote speaker at lunch. Other speakers include Jeff Wadsworth, CEO of Battelle Memorial Institute, the world's largest non-profit research and development organization, and Dennis Cuneo, a premier site selection consultant. The event is open to business and economic development leaders, local and state government personnel and students. There is no cost to attend & lunch will be provided.
Click Here to Register
Click Here for Event Agenda
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Premier Entertainment Biloxi LLC and Hard Rock International announced a 154 room hotel tower addition at MEC-member Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Biloxi. The 12-story tower is slated to be built around the existing pool and is expected to be completed in 14 months, just in time to ring in the New Year - 2014. The estimated construction cost is $32.5 million.The tower will include 140 standard guest rooms and 14 suites. The design elements are in line with the property's Four Diamond Resort quality.
"This announcement is a true milestone for the property and shows Hard Rock Biloxi's commitment and confidence in the Gulf Coast," said Duncan McKenzie, President and General Manager of Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Biloxi. "The expansion is a result of the hard work of all of our team members as well as the resonance of the brand in the Biloxi market."
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Jim and Claiborne Barksdale
Receive Winter-Reed Partnership Award
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Claiborne and Jim Barksdale with Jack Reed Sr. and former Governor William Winter
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The C Spire Foundation 2012 Winter-Reed Partnership Award was presented to education leaders Jim and Claiborne Barksdale during an award dinner Sept. 10 at the Jackson Convention Complex.
The honorees were responsible for establishing and operating The Barksdale Reading Institute in Oxford, a joint venture with the Mississippi Department of Education and the state's public universities to improve reading skills among Mississippi children from birth to third grade.
Read More
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Mississippi Council for Economic Education
Luncheon to Feature Stuart Varney
U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran Forum on American Enterprise Set for Oct. 30 at Jackson Convention Center
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Veteran business journalist Stuart Varney of FOX News will deliver the keynote address at the U.S. Senator Thad Cochran Forum on American Enterprise, a fundraising luncheon for the Mississippi Council on Economic Education. The event will be held Tuesday, Oct. 30 at the Jackson Convention Complex. Enterprise education - good old-fashioned basic economics - is back in Mississippi classrooms, thanks to the enterprise initiative of the Mississippi Council on Economic Education. One semester of economics is now required for high school graduation. Click Here for Sponsorship and Ticket Information |
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Advance Mississippi Power Lunch Sept. 19
Advance Mississippi's Power Lunch "Pathways to Power: The Challenges in America's Wired World" will be held Wednesday, Sept. 19 at the Capital Club in Jackson. The Power Lunch will feature Tony Ingram Senior Director, Federal Regulatory Affairs, Edison Electric Institute. The lunch will be held from 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. The Capital Club is located at 125 South Congress Street in Jackson. To attend RSVP to Steven Carter at (662) 571-6846 or [email protected] by September 14th. |
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Elite Elastomers Celebrates 4th Expansion
Tippah County Company Opens Research & Development Center
 The Tippah County Development Foundation recently helped celebrate Elite Elastomers 4th expansion in the past 10 years. MEC-member Elite Elastomers is a rubber compound company that does business with almost all major automotive companies in the formulation of rubber compounds used in the gaskets, hoses, and belts used in automotive production. The new Research and Development Center will enable Elite Elastomers to better meet the needs of their customer base with quick and precise quality controlled products.
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C Spire Wireless Launches 4G LTE Network
Advanced Next-Generation Services Targeted for 31 Markets
 C Spire Wireless launched the next generation of mobile broadband services in four Mississippi markets beginning Sept. 10 with the activation of its 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) network offering consumers and businesses faster data speeds and advanced capabilities on the nation's only personalized network. McComb, Brookhaven, Meridian and Greenville are the first of 31 markets that are receiving C Spire's 4G LTE advanced next-generation services between now and the end of October. Another six markets will be activated by the end of 2012 as part of the company's multi-million dollar investment. Additional expansion of 4G LTE services in Mississippi and other states is planned in 2013. C Spire is a member of MEC.
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VT Halter Marine Receives Contract for OSV
Hornbeck Offshore Services, Inc., Exercised Options for Vessels
VT Halter Marine, Inc., a subsidiary of VT Systems, Inc., announced that Hornbeck Offshore Services, Inc. has exercised the options for two additional offshore supply vessels (OSV) valued at a total of $89 million, with deliveries expected in the fourth quarter of 2014 and first quarter of 2015. MEC-member VT Halter Marine announced on Nov. 18, 2011, that it had secured the contract to construct eight 319-foot long OSVs for about $353 million with options for up to 24 additional identical vessels. These vessels are constructed in its yards at Moss Point Marine and Halter Moss Point with deliveries of the first and eighth vessels planned for October 2013 and September 2014, respectively. |
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Nissan North America Receives Patriot Award
The Mississippi Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR), an agency of the U.S. Department of Defense, announced today that Nissan North America and Arree Williams, manager of product quality assurance at Nissan's Canton vehicle assembly plant, were honored with the Patriot Award in recognition of Nissan's extraordinary support for employees who serve in the Mississippi National Guard and Reserve. Nissan is a member of MEC Read More____________________________
Nissan Awards Education Grants to Local Schools
Nissan North America, in conjunction with BankPlus, recently awarded educational grants totaling more than $77,000 to local schools in Mississippi. More than 100 teachers and administrators from Madison County and Canton public school districts were recognized at a special awards reception held Aug. 27 at the Nissan vehicle assembly plant in Canton, Miss. The program, administered by the Community Foundation of Greater Jackson, distributed 68 grants supporting classroom projects that will be conducted during the 2012-2013 school year in the two districts. Read More |
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Lower Mississippi River Museum
& Interpretive Site Opens in Vicksburg
 | | Pictured from left are Henry A. Dulaney, Vicksburg District, Corps of Engineers, Christi Kilroy , Vicksburg-Warren County Chamber of Commerce, Linda Fondren, Shape Up Sisters, and J.E. "Brother" Blackburn, Blackburn Motor Company |
The Lower Mississippi River Museum & Riverfront Interpretive Site held its grand opening in Vicksburg. The construction of the museum was supervised by the Vicksburg District of the US Army Corps of Engineers and includes a fully restored, dry docked riverboat. The Motor Vessel Mississippi IV is the main attraction, housing a variety of historical memorabilia and interactive exhibits. The Lower Mississippi River Museum focuses on the life surrounding the lover Mississippi River and includes unique displays and interactive center. It also features an outdoor flood model of the main Mississippi River channel.
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AirGuide to Locate Operations in Clarksdale
Company to invest $720,000, Create 40 Manufacturing Jobs
On Aug. 14, Governor Phil Bryant and officials from AirGuide announced that the company is locating manufacturing operations in Clarksdale. The project represents a company investment of $720,000 and will create 40 full-time jobs. AirGuide, a manufacturer of aluminum grilles, registers and diffusers for the HVAC industry and energy efficient lighting products, is consolidating its Mexico and Houston, Texas, operations into the Clarksdale facility.
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Metso to Expand its Clarksdale Operations
Officials from Metso have announced the company is expanding operations at its Clarksdale facility. The expansion is the result of the company's decision to increase its conveyor component manufacturing operations at the Clarksdale facility. Metso, supplier of technology and services to customers in the process industries, is investing $4 million in the project and plans to create 30-50 new jobs. Tthe Clarksdale facility currently employs 61 workers. |
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Mississippi Organ Recovery Agency Opens Facility
 The Mississippi Organ Recovery Agency recently held a ribbon cutting and open house at the Agency's new facility located at 4400 Lakeland Drive in Flowood. The Mississippi Organ Recovery Agency, an MEC member, moved into the building in early May. The future plans are to add to the campus by building the Mississippi Gift of Life Center, which will be one of the nation's most technologically advanced organ and tissue recovery centers. It will also house a Donor Tribute Garden to honor those that gave so unselfishly of themselves.
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Tupelo-based Journal Inc. Acquires MBJ
Tupelo-based Journal Inc. has purchased the Mississippi Business Journal from The Dolan Company. The acquisition became effective with the Aug. 27 issue of the Mississippi Business Journal. MEC-member Journal Inc, which owns Tupelo-based Daily Journal, will now publish 20 weekly newspapers. The company is owned by the non-profit CREATE Foundation.
Mississippi Business Journal www.msbusiness.com |
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Comfort Revolution Locating in Belmont
Officials from Comfort Revolution, developer of high-end sleep products, have announced the company is locating manufacturing operations in Belmont in Tishomingo County. The company will locate in the 432,650-square-foot building formerly occupied by Schnadig Furniture Corporation. The project will create 200 jobs within three years. |
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Cruisin' the Coast Named as Best Event for 2013
The Mississippi Gulf Coast Convention & Visitors Bureau is proud to announce that the American Bus Association (ABA) named Cruisin' the Coast as one of North America's 100 Best Events for 2013 by an experienced expert tourism industry selection committee. This is the second year that Cruisin' the Coast has received this prestigious award.. |
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Bayou Innovations to Locate in Stone County
Bayou Innovations, LLC has chosen Stone County's Ten Mile Industrial Park, owned and managed by the Stone County Economic Development Partnership (EDP), as the location of its new facility. Bayou Innovations purchased a five-acre parcel in the park, located south of Perkinston, where it will build a new facility. William Purvis, Bayou Innovations' managing director, said the "pro-business attitude" of Stone County was one of the reasons the industrial park was selected.. |
Greetings!
Did You Know? Mississippi Ranks No. 4 for Bio Mass according to Forbes America's Best Places for Alternative Energy.
Full Blueprint Mississippi Report Available Online
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Norfolk Southern Gives $100,000 to Storm Relief
The Norfolk Southern Foundation is committing $100,000 in emergency funding to the American Red Cross in Louisiana and Mississippi to help residents recover from the flood damages and power and water outages inflicted by Hurricane Isaac. "While the damage overall was much less than we saw with Katrina, some areas were hit harder by Isaac this time," said Wick Moorman, CEO of MEC-member Norfolk Southern. "These funds will help the Red Cross do its vital work of helping victims of the storm cope with the damage and restore them to their homes. We want the people of Louisiana and Mississippi to know that we're with them and ready to assist." |
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Beneke Selects GodwinGroup for Marketing
Beneke Magnolia, a full-line manufacturer of molded wood, injection molded solid plastic, aircraft, healthcare, manufactured home, OEM and soft vinyl toilet seats, has selected MEC-member GodwinGroup as its branding and marketing agency. In March, Beneke Magnolia purchased Mississippi-based Sanderson Plumbing Products, manufacturer and marketer of the Beneke and Magnolia brands. |
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Camgian on Inc. List of Fastest Growing Firms
Inc. magazine named Camgian Microsystems to its annual Inc. 500|5000 list, an exclusive ranking of the nation's fastest-growing private companies, which includes past honorees such as Microsoft, Patagonia and Oracle. With a 3-year growth rate of 265%, Starkville-based Camgian ranked 10th nationally in the engineering industry sector and No. 1188 overall among the 5000 selected. |
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17 Counties Eligible for Disaster Assistance
People in 17 Mississippi counties affected by Hurricane Isaac can now register online or by phone for federal disaster assistance. Homeowners and renters who had losses in Adams, Amite, Clarke, Forrest, George, Hancock, Hinds, Harrison, Jackson, Lincoln, Marion, Pearl River, Pike, Stone, Walthall, Warren and Wilkinson counties may be eligible for aid. |
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Elite Elastomers One of Many Home-Grown Successes Worth Cheering About
Greetings!
You don't have to ask Steve Glidewell and Jim Miller if a technology-based company can thrive in rural Mississippi - because they'll show you their home-grown success story of Elite Elastomers in Tippah County, which has just posted its fourth expansion in 10 years with the opening of a new research and development facility, which will enable the company to better serve its customers, which are heavily automotive based.
Home-grown success - 80 employees - a huge impact on Tippah County. Can it be done in Mississippi? You bet! And the folks at Elite Elastomers have proven it - just as other homegrown success stories continue to make a huge difference in Mississippi in small towns all across the state. You don't have to look far to see them...and they are the cornerstones of our communities, locally grown, locally owned, locally focused...and very locally committed.
Blueprint Mississippi notes a Kauffman Foundation study that ranks Mississippi #3 in entrepreneurship activity among the 12 Blueprint States - and our leaders spent real time focusing on how to foster and grow our entrepreneurial economy. It's happening in Tippah County...and in other parts of the state as well. Home-grown businesses serve as a foundational bedrock in any community...and when teamed in an economic development mix with some of the outstanding multi-national corporations that have chosen Mississippi for operations because of our workforce, location and positive business climate, create a community vibrancy that when replicated over and over again across the state, gives us real competitive bench strength, as well as well-paying jobs for our people.
The folks at the Tippah County Economic Development Foundation are so proud of the success of Elite Elastomer's decade of growth and helped the company celebrate this newest achievement earlier this week. That was a particularly good thing, because as much as we enjoy the thrill of the hunt in landing a big economic development project in Mississippi when competing with other states, it is also gratifying to recognize the incredible success of a home-grown business. This is why it is particularly fitting that the Tippah County Economic Development Foundation has appropriately helped celebrate this achievement and spread the word...and we are happy to join the chorus. It's worth cheering about!
Hope to see y'all at MEC's Hobnob, October 31!
Keep the Faith.
Blake
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ABOUT US
The Mississippi Economic Council has been the voice of Mississippi business since 1949. MEC deals with broad issues that relate to businesses through advocacy, research, resources and leadership. MEC has 8,600 members from 1,100 member firms in 2,400 locations throughout Mississippi. |
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Mississippi Economic Council - The State Chamber of Commerce
248 E. Capitol Street, Suite 940 - Jackson, Mississippi 39201
P.O. Box 23276 - Jackson, Mississippi 39225-3276
Phone: 601-969-0022 - 1-800-748-7626
Fax: 601-353-0247 - 1-888-717-2809
www.mec.ms |
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