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Mississippi Economic Council
| MEC Snapshot
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MEC Insight Tour Going Strong
Large Crowds Attend Meetings in Gulfport,
Olive Branch, Greenville & Meridian
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Attending the MEC Insight Tour in Gulfport were Blake Wilson, President & CEO of MEC, Carl Chaney, CEO of Hancock Bank, and Dave Dennis, President of Specialty Contractors
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Meetings set for Corinth, Ripley and Tupelo on Thursday and Friday
The MEC Insight Tour began in Gulfport on Thursday, Jan. 24. The tour will be held in a total of 14 Mississippi cities through March 1, ending with a meeting Hattiesburg. The tour is sponsored by Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Mississippi. Mississippi continues its progress in becoming one of the most competitive states for doing business.
Tour stops are scheduled for Corinth on Thursday, Feb. 14 at 11:30 a.m., in Ripley on Friday Feb. 15 at 7:30 a.m. and Tupelo on Friday, Feb. 15 at 11:30 a.m.
Click Here for Details, Times and Locations
MEC will seek the input of business and community leaders to help our state's business climate become even stronger. This tour is a great opportunity to network with fellow business leaders from across the state.
Click here to Register for Upcoming Tour Stops
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MEC Legislative Scrambler on Transportation Set for
Wednesday, Feb. 20
The Second MEC Legislative Scrambler of the 2013 legislative session will be held on Feb. 20 at the Mississippi Museum of Art. The session focus on transportation, and featured Senator Willie Simmons, Chair of the Senate Transportation Committee, and Representative Robert Johnson, Chair of the House Transportation Committee.
The Scrambler will be sponsored by the Mississippi Road Builders' Association.
First Scrambler Focuses on Finances, Taxes
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Pictured are Rep. Jeff Smith, House Ways and Means Chairman, Ashley Buckman and Dennis Miller, both of Jones Walker, and Sen. Joey Fillingane, Senate Finance Chairman.
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The first MEC Legislative Scrambler of the 2013 legislative session was held on Jan. 23 at the Mississippi Museum of Art. The session focused on finance and taxes, and featured Senator Joey Fillingane, Chair of the Senate Finance Committee, and Representative Jeff Smith, Chair of the House Ways and Means Committee. Click Here to Listen to recording of First MEC Scrambler
The Scrambler was sponsored by Jones Walker.
MARK YOUR CALENDAR FOR FUTURE SCRAMBLERS
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
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Lt. Gov. Reeves, Speaker Gunn Announce Support for Early Childhood Education
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Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves and House Speaker Philip Gunn have announced their support for legislation to aid the existing network of early childhood education classes statewide and add additional classes through public-private partnerships.  | | Gunn |
Senate Bill 2395 and House Bill 781 provides matching funds to local early childhood education programs through school districts, private and parochial schools, private childcare centers, and Head Start. Communities that have participated in programs like Excel by 5, Mississippi Building Blocks, and other proven education programs will be given special consideration to receive state funds. Individuals and companies also may donate to local programs. Senate Bill 2395 has passed the full Senate, and House Bill 781 has passed committee and is expected to be voted on by the full House this week.
"The earlier a child can say his ABCs, pick up a book, and name his colors - the better that child will perform when he starts kindergarten or first grade," Lt. Gov. Reeves said. "Through a collaborative approach to early childhood education, we can support those communities that want prekindergarten and help those children become better, more successful students."
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MSU and UM Announce Joint Mississippi Excellence in Teaching Program
Mississippi's two largest universities have joined forces to create an innovative program designed to attract the state's best and brightest students into the field of education through a private gift totaling more than $12.9 million.
The Mississippi Excellence in Teaching Program, or MET, is a joint effort by the School of Education at the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) and the College of Education at Mississippi State University (MSU) and is funded by the Robert M. Hearin Support Foundation in Jackson.
"For years, our foundation has been focused on education as the best pathway to economic prosperity for Mississippi," said foundation chairman Bob Hearin. "We believe this program, which is focused on attracting the best and brightest to the profession of teaching, will help fulfill that idea. It is appealing to our board that the program is a joint effort between two of Mississippi's leading universities."
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C Spire Wireless Celebrates
25th Anniversary
 C Spire Wireless is celebrating a quarter century of service as the nation's longest continuously owned and operated wireless communications provider. The Ridgeland-based company, which changed its brand name from Cellular South to C Spire Wireless in 2011, was launched 25 years ago in Gulfport on the Mississippi Gulf Coast with completion of the first call on its network between former Ole Miss and New Orleans Saints quarterback Archie Manning and then U.S. Rep. Trent Lott. C Spire is a member of MEC.
"While we opened our doors 25 years ago as a pure-play wireless provider, our dedication to putting the customer first and discovering new ways to improve their lives with technology has never wavered," said Hu Meena, president and CEO of C Spire Wireless. Read More |
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Google Ranks Community Foundation of
Northwest Mississippi's Education Site No. 1
Google ranks a Mississippi website No. 1 for educational videos. Among the 380 million possibilities identified by Google, www.WatchKnowLearn.org ranks first with page views totaling 6 million each month. Wikipedia co-founder Dr. Larry Sanger worked for the Community Foundation of Northwest Mississippi for more than a year to develop the site that launched in 2009. It catalogues, describes and rates more than 50,000 short educational videos and makes them available free to teachers, students, parents and other learners. Videos for kindergarten through sixth grade are arranged according to the Common Core standards recently adopted by schools throughout the nation, including Mississippi. The Community Foundation of Northwest Mississippi is a member of MEC.
"Teachers use our website to introduce, explain or reinforce their lessons," said Community Foundation of Northwest Mississippi president Tom Pittman.
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Meridian Leaders Hear Plans for the Mississippi Arts and Entertainment Center
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Among those attending the informational meeting on the Mississippi Arts and Entertainment Center are (front row, from left) Laura Gidden, Mississippi Arts and Entertainment Center, Office Manager; Paul Rosenthal, Gallagher & Associates; Ann Alexander, MAEC Board; Cybelle Jones, Gallagher & Associates: and Betty Lou Jones, MAEC Board; (second Row, from left) Paul Ott, Vice-President, MAEC Board; Steve Davis, Canizaro/Cawthon/Davis Architects; Bob Luke, LPK Architects; Tommy Dulaney, President, MAEC Board; and Marty Gamblin, Executive Director MAEC.
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A group of Meridian's corporate and community leaders got an "up close and personal" look at the new plans for the Mississippi Arts and Entertainment Center in an early morning meeting on Feb. 12. Many of the area leaders attended the breakfast hosted by the MAEC Board of Directors and Chairman Tommy Dulaney. "This was a great opportunity to bring the MAEC leadership together with a group of Meridian's leaders to unveil the new plans for the Center," Dulaney said. "We were excited to have Cybelle Jones, principal and studio director at Gallagher & Associates, our Washington, D.C,. museum exhibition design firm who are part of the MAEC Architectural Team, in town to present the new plans and answer questions about the Center." |
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von Drehle Corp. to Locate
Operations in Adams County
Officials from von Drehle Corporation announced Jan. 23 that the company is locating manufacturing operations in Natchez. The company, which provides paper products to commercial and industrial consumers nationwide, will create at least 100 new jobs, will make investments in additional converting equipment and subsequently will install a paper machine.
"I am pleased to welcome von Drehle to Mississippi," Gov. Bryant said. "I know Mississippi's dedicated workforce and supportive business climate will serve von Drehle well, and I thank company officials for investing in our state and in our people."
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McCullouch Named Associate Dean
of University of Mississippi School of Law
 The University of Mississippi School of Law is pleased to announce the hire of John McCullouch, who joins the UM Law team as associate dean for outreach, overseeing the school's placement, recruiting and outreach efforts in the Jackson Metro Area. McCullouch, a Louisville. native and past chair of MEC, previously had a 28-year career with BellSouth, ultimately serving as state general counsel and then as president of the company's operations.
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Ashley Furniture Locating
New Facility in Verona
Officials from Ashley Furniture Industries have announced the company is locating operations in a 275,000-square-foot facility in Verona, Miss., and will create 60 jobs at its new facility. MEC-member Ashley Furniture maintains manufacturing operations in Ecru and Ripley, Miss. The company will use its new Verona facility, which is located on a 35-acre site in the Tupelo-Lee Industrial Park South and was formerly occupied by Morgan Fabrics, to manufacture sleepers and mattresses. The facility will also serve as a state-of-the-art replacement part and customer support center. "Ashley Furniture Industries has been a valued business in Mississippi for nearly two decades and has created thousands of jobs for our workers and contributed significantly to our state's economy," Governor Phil Bryant said. "I am grateful to Ashley officials for once again expanding their Mississippi operations." |
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Adams and Reese Elects
McNamara Partner in Charge
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Adams and Reese is pleased to announce the appointment of Jim McNamara to Partner in Charge of the firm's Jackson office. The firm has 14 Partners in Charge, one for each of its offices across the southern United States and Washington DC. McNamara joined MEC-member Adams and Reese in 2002 and is a Partner practicing in the areas of corporate transactions and commercial litigation as well as growing the real estate, bankruptcy and timber practices of the firm.
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Adams and Reese Elects Partners
Adams and Reese is pleased to announce that its Jackson office attorneys Scott Jones, Mindi Robinson and Laura Rose have been elected to Partner, effective January 1, 2013.
Scott Jones has made a successful transition to the practice of law in the Adams and Reese Jackson office, after serving as a pricing and revenue analyst in the technology sector of a Fortune 500 company.
Mindi Robinson has practiced law since 1996, focused primarily on consumer finance litigation and the representation of mortgage loan originators, servicers, and investors in litigation throughout the Southeast.
Laura Rose joined Adams and Reese in 2006 after graduating from Vanderbilt University Law School, and she practices in the Jackson office. She focuses her practice on commercial and employment litigation. She is licensed to practice law in Mississippi and Tennessee. Laura received her B.S. from Mississippi College in 2004.
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Millsaps Names Vice President of Enrollment
 Robert J. Alexander, an administrator who spearheaded Tulane University's celebrated and successful student recruitment efforts after Hurricane Katrina, has been named vice president for enrollment and communications at Millsaps College. Alexander joins MEC-member Millsaps from University of the Pacific in Stockton, Ca., where he currently serves as associate provost for enrollment. The appointment completes a national search for the position. Alexander will assume his post in April. |
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Recovery from Tornado Begins in Pine Belt Region, Leaders from Across Mississippi Urged to Help
Greetings!
As clean up continues from the damage caused by the weekend tornado in the Hattiesburg area, resources are being put in place to help those impacted.
Chad Newell of the Area Development Partnership in Hattiesburg reports that more than 1,500 homes were damaged in the storm in Lamar and Forrest County. About 300 homes were completely destroyed. There was also extensive damage on the campus of the University of Southern Mississippi and to area businesses.
When natural disaster strikes, one thing is for certain -- Mississippians are quick to respond to help those in need. ADP is key community resource for information. For more go to www.theadp.com. Chad has sent information to ADP members listing resources that are available to assist in the recovery efforts.
The American Red Cross and the Salvation Army are always first on the scene ready to help. What makes this even more amazing is the Hattiesburg location of the Red Cross suffered substantial damage to its office.
If you would like to make a contribution to the American Red Cross call 1-800-RED CROSS, donate online at www.mississippi-redcross.org or text REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation; charges will be applied to the cell phone bill. To make a contribution to the Salvation Army go to salvationarmyalm.org or call 1-800-SAL-ARMY. Donors may text "STORM" to 80888 to make a $10 donation.
The USM Foundation has established the Southern Miss Emergency Relief Fund for alumni and friends to support emergency relief for the University. For more information on donating or how to help the University of Southern Mississippi go to www.usmfoundation.com/relief.
The Small Business Administration is providing resources, tips and advice to help business owners impacted by the tornado get safely back on their feet. For additional information go to www.sba.gov/content/disaster-cleanup.
Mississippi continues to show its resilience when natural disaster strikes. Please remember those affected by the tornado as they begin the difficult task of rebuilding.
Keep the faith. 
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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. |
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
Click Here for MEC Web Site
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