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AT&T Provides $100,000 
to New Learning Resources School District to Help At-Risk Students
AT&T presents New Learning Resources School District with $100,000. Pictured are (from left) Rep. John Moore, House Education Chair, Dr. Nancy New, Executive Director NLRSD, Mayo Flynt, President AT&T Mississippi, Governor Phil Bryant and Susan Floyd, director of North New Summit School.

Contribution Part of the Nearly $10 Million 
AT&T Aspire Local Impact Initiative 

 

For 100 high school students in the Jackson area, this school year will mean additional resources to provide students with the tools and support they need to succeed in both school and future careers.  This is thanks to the work being done through the New Learning Resources School District (NLRSD). To help with this mission, AT&T today joined with Governor Phil Bryant to announce a $100,000 donation to NLRSD. Because of its solid record of proven results in helping high school students, NLRSD has been named as one of 47 recipients nationwide that will share in nearly $10 million from AT&T. 

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Last Call - Register Today 
Energy & Economic Development  
Summit to be Held October 4
at Jackson Convention Complex
 



Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani to Keynote Event


bryant
Gov. Bryant
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
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 Complete Agenda 

Mississippi Power safely completed a major construction milestone at its Kemper County energy facility as plant construction nears the halfway mark. Installed was a section of the plant's gasifier, which will be used to convert the plant's affordable fuel source, lignite, into a synthesis gas to generate electricity. Mississippi Power is an MEC member.

"Installation of the gasifier marks a pivotal point in the construction phase of our project and the advancement of 21st century coal technology," said Mississippi Power Vice President of Generation Development Tommy Anderson. "The electricity produced from this state-of-the art facility will have significant customer and environmental benefits."

 

An abundance of Mississippi lignite located adjacent to the plant site will be gasified to create clean, reliable and affordable energy for customers for the next 40 years. Emission controls are built into the coal gasification process. And, the project will capture at least 65 percent of the carbon dioxide produced, with resulting emissions comparable to a similarly sized natural gas plant. The company has signed long-term contracts to sell the byproducts from the gasification process.

 

  Click Here For More
Ingalls Shipbuilding Delivers  
Anchorage (LPD 23) To U.S. Navy 

 

Huntington Ingalls Industries announced that its Ingalls Shipbuilding division has delivered the amphibious transport dock Anchorage (LPD 23) to the U.S. Navy. It is the seventh ship of the San Antonio (LPD 17) class built at MEC-Member Ingalls Shipbuilding.  The ship recently completed U.S. Navy acceptance trials, with shipbuilders successfully accomplishing more than 200 tests on the ship during the sea trial period. Ingalls has now delivered seven ships in the class and has four more in various stages of development or construction.

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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  

Varney

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  

Peavey Electronics Opens Hollywood Showroom
Mississippi-Built Amplifiers, Guitars Fill Sunset Boulevard Location    

The Alex Skolnick Trio performed at the grand opening, which was a weeklong event.
Peavey Electronics celebrated the grand opening of the Peavey Hollywood showroom on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, Calif., on Sept. 1-5. The weeklong event at the heart of L.A.'s famed Guitar Row featured appearances from company founder Hartley Peavey as well as world-renowned musicians, celebrities and live performances. Musicians and music fans packed into the new showroom-lined with many of the Mississippi-built amplifiers, guitars and sound reinforcement gear that have made MEC-member Peavey Electronics a icon in music and audio.
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Ergon Refining, Inc. Expanding in Vicksburg
$147M Upgrade Includes Administrative, Laboratory Facilities    

Ergon Refining, Inc., has announced the planned expansion of its naphthenic specialty oil refinery in Vicksburg. The five-phase, $147 million expansion plan encompasses new administrative and laboratory facilities, a new technical development center and upgrades to the refining units to increase product diversity and quality control. Ergon, Inc. is a member of MEC. Phase one of the expansion is slated to begin in October, 2012, with all phases to be completed in 2015.

C Spire Honored for Technology Innovation
Company Ranks 49th on InformationWeek 500 List     

 

Members of C Spire's Information Technology team attending the InformationWeek 500 conference were, from left, Eric Jacobsen, David Parks, Carla Lewis and Ron Tisdale.
C Spire Wireless, the only U.S. wireless provider that offers consumers and businesses a suite of personalized wireless services, announced that it placed 49th on the 2012 InformationWeek 500 list - the most prestigious ranking of the nation's top technology innovators. The company's Information Technology group was recognized for its work on a web-based customer relationship management system and middleware for the development of personalized sales and services. Not only did C Spire break through the top 50 overall, but it ranked the best among all U.S. wireless carriers in the annual listing. InformationWeek 500 identifies and honors the nation's most innovative users of information technology with its annual 500 listing.
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Operation Shoestring's
'Conversation About Community'
Set for Nov. 12 in Jackson   
 

 

Event to Focus on Critical Community Issues 

 

To highlight and raise funds for its work with children and families in central Jackson, Operation Shoestring will host approximately 400 guests at its 2012 Conversation About Community luncheon on Monday, Nov. 12 from noon to 1:30 p.m., at the Jackson Convention Complex.

This year's Conversation About Community will feature nationally recognized leaders with experience engaging with critical community issues in innovative and effective ways. The topic of the discussion will be converting big ideas and models of success from other communities into real change in Jackson. Featured at the event will be Alma Powell, chair of America's Promise, Walter Isaacson, author of the hugely successful recent biography of Apple Computer founder Steve Jobs, and CEO of the Aspen Institute, and Jackson Native Jim Barksdale, renowned entrepreneur and ardent supporter of educational and economic development.   

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Officials Honor Roxul with Welcoming Reception
Company opening $130 Million Facility in Marshall County 

Governor Phil Bryant, Mississippi Development Authority and Marshall County officials recently hosted a welcoming reception honoring company leaders from Roxul, Inc., a Canadian-based company that will soon break ground on a new $130 million facility in the Chickasaw Trail Industrial Park in Byhalia. Roxul, Inc. is the North American division of Rockwool International, headquartered in Denmark.  The company is the leading manufacturer of stone wool insulation. The plant is expected to be complete in 2014 and anticipates bringing 150 new jobs to the area..
Ayrshire Expanding in Corinth, Adding 15 Jobs       

Officials from Ayrshire Electronics, a full-service, privately-held electronics manufacturing firm, have announced the company is expanding operations at its Corinth facility. The expansion, Ayrshire's second in four years in Mississippi, added 15 new jobs at the company's Alcorn County plant earlier this summer.
Greetings! 
Did You Know? 
In 2011 Mississippi's Community Colleges Awarded 14,074 Degrees - an Increase of 15% Over the Previous Year.   

Full Blueprint Mississippi Report Available Online

Bay BridgeFest Wins Event of the Year Honor  

The Mississippi Tourism Association recently named Bay BridgeFest the winner of Large Event of the Year Award at the 2012 Governor's Conference on Tourism in Tunica. Mississippi Tourism Association (MTA) awards this annual honor to a unique festival or event that is well attended, attracts a large variety of visitors, and is well publicized. The Mississippi Gulf Coast Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB) nominated Bay BridgeFest for the award which "highlights local businesses, talents, and artists celebrating their unique culture."


Click Here for Complete List of Mississippi Tourism Association Winners
SMARTbiz Set for Nov. 6 at ICC Belden Center      

Small-business owners seeking ways to grow their businesses and become more successful are invited to a free half-day conference Tuesday, Nov. 6 in the Tupelo area. Sponsored by the SMARTbiz program of MUW's Center for Creative Entrepreneurship, the 8 a.m.-noon event at the Belden Center of Itawamba Community College begins with a continental breakfast. For more information or to register, call 662-241-6277 or email [email protected].
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Hobnob to Salute Vital Economic Partnership
Between Mississippi and Canada

Greetings! 

It's officially fall in Mississippi and the temperature may not be falling but the excitement is rising over MEC's 11th annual Hobnob Mississippi.

Hobnob is set for Wednesday, Oct. 31, and it will once again be a fun-filled event. Governor Phil Bryant leads the list of statewide officials who will be speaking. He will be joined by Lt. Governor Tate Reeves and Speaker of the House Philip Gunn and many others on the stage under the "Big Top" tent at the Mississippi Agriculture and Forestry Museum in Jackson.

This year Hobnob will feature a Special Salute to Mississippi's partnership with Canada. Special guests of Gov. Bryant will be Canadian Ambassador Gary Doer and Canadian Consulate General Stephen Brereton. Canada is a vital trade partner for Mississippi as Canada is the top export destination for Mississippi businesses.

The top exported items are machinery, electrical machinery, vehicles, plastic, and furniture and bedding. The top Canadian market for Mississippi products is Alberta.

There is a strong economic relationship between the two counties and we are honored to have Ambassador Doer and Consulate General Brereton as our guests.

As a special treat, the 41st Army Band's bass quintet will perform. As always the Hobnob Highlighters will keep us entertained and we'll have a great buffet-style lunch featuring Mississippi favorites of bar-b-que chicken and pork, fried catfish and all the fixings.

We are looking forward to a great day, and already have a long list of sponsors who make this event possible. If you haven't signed up to sponsor, add your name to the list by clicking here.

I look forward to seeing you at Hobnob on Oct. 31

Keep the Faith

 

Blake Wilson
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.

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