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Mississippi Economic Council
| MEC Snapshot
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GRAMMY Museum� Mississippi Groundbreaking Held at Delta State
The sound of shovels digging into the Mississippi Delta soil earlier this month was music to the ears of the diverse team of visionaries who are making GRAMMY Museum� Mississippi a reality.
Groundbreaking at the Cleveland, Mississippi, site of the only official GRAMMY� museum outside of Los Angeles was held Tuesday, June 11, at Delta State University. The 20,000+ square-foot museum targets early summer 2015 for its opening.
The ceremony is the latest milestone in a five-year process that has raised $12.5 million of the $18-million project. GRAMMY Museum� Mississippi is planned to be the most technologically advanced music-themed museum in the world, according to the project design team supervised by Bob Santelli, executive director of the GRAMMY Museum� at L.A. Live.
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Entergy Mississippi Donates $50,000 to Community Foundation of Washington County
 | | Entergy Mississippi President Haley Fisackerly (left) presents a $50,000 check for the Community Foundation of Washington County to retired Entergy board member Billy Percy and his wife Lisa Percy. |
On June 11, MEC member Entergy Mississippi celebrated 90 years in business with a luncheon held in Greenville, one of the Mississippi communities where Entergy got its start. At the event, Entergy Mississippi President Haley Fisackerly honored outgoing board member Billy Percy for his 14 years of service on the Entergy board. Fisackerly noted that Percy's father had also served on the board when the company was known as Mississippi Power & Light and that out of 90 years in business, the Percys had collectively served 42 years on the board.
In his salute, Fisackerly presented a check for $50,000 to the newly-formed Community Foundation of Washington County, of which Percy and his wife, Lisa are very much involved. |
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GodwinGroup Announces Executive Changes
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New GodwinGroup
President Jeff Russell |
Ad agency restructures to advance expansion plans and digital integration
GodwinGroup recently announced major changes to the firm's management structure as a key step in a national expansion initiative. GodwinGroup is an MEC member.
Chairman and CEO Philip Shirley said, "Over the past five years, we have transformed our company from a regional ad agency into an integrated national specialty firm with clients whose markets reach coast to coast and beyond. This business model demands detailed management of our network of affiliated companies, subsidiaries, operating divisions and multiple offices that provide our clients with nationally recognized digital marketing, advertising, public relations, reputation management, branding and change management services."
Jeff Russell, a long-time senior agency partner, has been named president. Donna Ritchey, formerly executive vice president and senior partner in charge of reputation management, has been promoted to chief strategy officer for the corporation. John McKie has been named chief integrated marketing officer in addition to retaining his duties as managing partner. Susan Graves, chief financial officer and executive vice president of Godwin, has also been named chief network officer. Tal McNeill, a 28-year veteran of the Jackson advertising industry, has been named executive creative director.
The new Godwin corporate structure, effective immediately, was developed in response to market demands for greater national expertise and complete digital integration without increasing marketing costs.
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Sanderson Farms Championship to Bring Big Names to Pro-Am
 The Sanderson Farms Championship is bringing big names to the Trustmark Wealth Management Pro-Am that will be held on July 17th. Individuals that will be playing in the Pro-Am include: New Orleans Saints Coach Sean Peyton; New Orleans Saints Executive Vice President and General Manager Mickey Loomis; Ole Miss Head Football Coach Hugh Freeze; and former NFL star and Mississippi native Archie Manning.
Additionally, a few of the Saints Cheerleaders, the Saintsations, will be in attendance.
Pro-Ams give amateur golfers, more so than any other sport, the opportunity to play with professional players. By incorporating local celebrities into the tournament, Mississippi golf enthusiasts get a chance to play like a pro.
Sanderson Farms, Inc., is an MEC member.
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Butler Snow Law Firm Announces Opening of London Office
 Butler, Snow, O'Mara, Stevens & Cannada, PLLC announced its international expansion and opening of the firm's London office during a panel discussion on the emerging global economic landscape - featuring government leaders from the United Kingdom and the United States.
Parliament Members Hugh Bayley of the Labour Party, and Tobias Ellwood of the Conservative Party, were joined by former U.S. Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott, former Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour and former U.S. Rep. John Tanner for the event at The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn.
Butler Snow's new London office will provide practical, solution driven U.S. tax advice for high net worth families, their businesses and their advisors. The office will also focus on cross-border U.S. tax issues, particularly in the interplay between the U.S. and the U.K. tax systems. Butler Snow is an MEC member.
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Perkins Named Ingalls Shipbuilding's Vice President of Contracts and Pricing
 Huntington Ingalls Industries announced today that Don Perkins has been named vice president of contracts and pricing for the company's Ingalls Shipbuilding division.
Operationally, Perkins' organization is responsible for contract administration, proposal formulation, estimating, pricing, negotiations, contract awards and change orders, as well as management of contractual risks and mitigation strategies. Perkins' shipbuilding experience began with an apprenticeship program and comprises more than 30 years of his career, including seven years as contracts director at Ingalls from 2002 to 2009.
Ingalls Shipbuilding is an MEC member.
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Blumenthal & Good Named Mississippi's 2013 Small Buisness Persons of the Year
 | | Dan Blumenthal (left) and Jeff Good, Owners of Sal & Mookie's New York Pizza & Ice Cream Joint. |
Jeff E. Good and Daniel J. Blumenthal, Owners of Sal & Mookie's New York Pizza & Ice Cream Joint of Jackson, MS have been named the SBA 2013 Mississippi Small Business Persons of the Year by the Mississippi District Office of the U.S. Small Business Administration.
Small Business Person of the Year winners from 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and Guam converged on Washington, D.C. in June during the SBA's celebration of National Small Business Week.
The state small business winners represent a broad range of business products, services and innovations. While in D.C., the winners had the opportunity to meet with top administration officials, congressional representatives and national business leaders. Jeff Good and Daniel Blumenthal will represent Mississippi during this event.
In addition, at an awards ceremony being planned for mid-July, the Mississippi SBA District Office will honor Jeff and Dan along with seven other Small Business Week winners. Mangia Bene Restaurant Management Group, Inc. is an MEC member.
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2013 Mississippi SBA Small Business Week Award Winners Announced
MEC would like to extend special congratulations to the 2013 Mississippi SBA Small Business Week Award Winners:
Small Business Persons of the Year
Daniel J. Blumenthal, Owner
Jeff E. Good, Owner
Sal & Mookie's New York Pizza & Ice Cream Joint (MEC member)
Jackson
Young Entrepreneur
Danielle Hope Blankenship, Owner
To The Rescue Bookkeeping, LLC
Biloxi
Small Business Exporter
David Moore, Owner
Navagis
Jackson
Small Business Journalist
Jim Tabor
Reporter
WLOX-TV (MEC member)
Biloxi
Veteran Small Business Champion
Trudi Dixon
Business Development Specialist
Chevron Pascagoula Refinery (MEC member)
Pascagoula
Women in Business Champion
Judith Jeanne Redshaw, Owner
Giclee Fine Arts
Kiln
Minority Small Business Champion
Christopher Bernard Hinton
Project Manager
Natchez, Inc. (MEC member)
Natchez
Financial Services
Debra McGee
Sr. Vice President
BankPlus (MEC member)
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BP Reports Extraordinary Progress in Shoreline Cleanup
Following the extensive three-year cleanup effort, the U.S. Coast Guard is ending active cleanup operations in Mississippi, Alabama and Florida and recently announced that the three states are expected to complete the transition back to the National Response Center (NRC) reporting system by mid June 2013. The announcement is the result of the extraordinary progress made cleaning the Gulf of Mexico shoreline.
Working under the direction of the Coast Guard, and in cooperation with state agencies and local governments, MEC member BP has spent more than $14 billion and 70 million personnel hours on response and cleanup activities. Due to the extensive cleanup effort, early restoration projects and natural recovery processes, the Gulf is returning to its baseline condition, which is the condition it would be in if the accident had not occurred.
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Adams and Reese Celebrates 25 Years of Community Service
 | | This month, Adams and Reese celebrated the 25th Anniversary of the HUGS Program. At the celebration were (Front row) - Attorney Laura Rose and Vickie Neely; (Second row) - Chuck Adams (Managing Partner), Lu Poole, Jeannie Canterbury and attorney Jim McNamara. |
The law firm of MEC member Adams and Reese celebrated this month the 25th Anniversary of the firm's HUGS (Hope, Understanding, Giving and Support) Program which, founded in 1988, has generously supported financially and through countless hours of hands-on community service to more than 200 different organizations and thousands of needy individuals across the firm's 16 offices nationwide. The Adams and Reese Jackson office treated employees to a luncheon and birthday cake on June 14th to commemorate the achievement.
The Jackson office has helped several local organizations and initiatives, including: Canton Boys/Girls Club, Bailey Magnet Art Program, Stewpot Food Drive, Back Packs for Kids, Pink Day for Susan G. Komen, Cara Food Drive, Shoes That Fit, School Supply Drive, Coats for Kids, Key Elementary and Liberty's Kitchen.
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Nissan Honors Vice-Presidents Bednarzyk and Aldana at Canton Plant
 | | Nissan North America, Inc. Vice Presidents Dan Bednarzyk (left) and David Aldana were honored at a reception at the Nissan plant in Canton, as Bednarzyk moves to a new role in Franklin, TN and Aldana takes over at the Mississippi plant in Canton. |
On Tuesday, June 25, Nissan North America, Inc. held a reception honoring MEC Board Member Dan Bednarzyk who moves to Franklin, TN as Vice President, Total Delivered Cost and welcoming to Mississippi David Aldana, the new Vice President, Manufacturing-Canton.
Bednarzyk joined Nissan in 1985 in Manufacturing Engineering and has since held extensive rotational assignments including a Foreign Service assignment with NML, engineering, trim/chassis, body, stamping and maintenance facilities. From his position in Franklin, TN he leads efforts to maximize Nissan's total delivered cost efficiency across all model lines produced here in the Americas.
Aldana joined Nissan in 1985 in paint process engineering at the Cuernavaca Plant. He has since held a number of management positions in manufacturing in Mexico and the U.S. where he established processes for improved vehicle production and was a key part of the manufacturing growth of Nissan. Aldana was formerly the director in Aguascalientes, Mexico.
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PROFILE Products Celebrates 1 Million Consecutive Safe Hours
Officials from PROFILE Products and state and local officials gathered to celebrate 1 million consecutive hours without a lost-time accident at the company's facility in Blue Mountain. The company reached the milestone on April 8, following a streak that began more than 11 years ago in March 2002.
MEC member PROFILE Products provides environmentally-sound, site-specific solutions, including soil modification, erosion control and plant establishment.
"This is truly a milestone to celebrate. It's rare for any company to achieve 1 million safe hours, and I commend PROFILE Products and its employees in Blue Mountain for their commitment to safety," said Brent Christensen, Mississippi Development Authority executive director. "This achievement is a great example of employees working together to do a job well while doing it safely, and I hope today's celebration encourages other companies throughout the state to follow in PROFILE Products' footsteps."
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CEO Magazine Ranks Millsaps' M.B.A. Program in Top Tier
The most recent issue of CEO Magazine has ranked the Else School of Management at MEC member Millsaps College in its top tier of North American M.B.A. programs. The Else School is the only Mississippi business school listed in the top tier, which includes 20 programs.
Developed by the International Graduate Forum for CEO Magazine, the rankings are based on the quality of an M.B.A. program's in-class experience and teaching faculty. Smaller class sizes, student work experience, international diversity within the classroom, faculty to student ratios and faculty qualifications, both academic and professional, are important in the rankings.
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United Furniture Industries Expanding Operations at Nettleton Manufacturing Facility
Officials from United Furniture Industries have announced the company is expanding operations at its manufacturing facility in Nettleton, Miss. The project represents a company investment of $277,000 and will create a minimum of 100 new jobs. The company currently has 400 employees at the Nettleton facility.
United Furniture is a manufacturer of upholstered furniture including chairs, recliners, sofas and loveseats, sectionals and more. The company also has two manufacturing facilities in Okolona, Miss., and one manufacturing facility and one distribution center in Amory, Miss. Currently, the company employs 1,800 in the state.
"Job creation is crucial to economic development, and I appreciate United Furniture Industries for continuing to invest in its Mississippi operations and for creating these new jobs for the residents of Nettleton," Governor Phil Bryant said. "United Furniture is a valued business partner to the State of Mississippi, and I am proud we have the business infrastructure in place that allows our existing businesses to grow and succeed here."
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Officials Cut Ribbon on Five Below Distribution Center
State and local officials and officials from Five Below, a merchandise retailer to the teen and pre-teen markets, gathered to cut the ribbon on Five Below's new distribution operations in the former Mazda building in Olive Branch, Miss., in DeSoto County. The project represents a $2 million company investment and will create more than 100 new jobs.
"This is a great day for DeSoto County and north Mississippi as Five Below opens its distribution facility and creates new job opportunities for the area's workers," Governor Bryant said. "North Mississippi is a prime location for companies that need easy distribution access to markets around the country, and I am pleased to officially welcome Five Below to our state."
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Governor Bryant's Health Care Economic Driver Summit Set for August 15, 2013
Greetings!
This summer marks an important milestone in the overall vision for Blueprint Mississippi. On August 15, Governor Phil Bryant will host a Health Care Economic Development Summit, focusing on moving forward with the plan Blueprint Mississippi Health Care has outlined. The summit will be held from 8:30 a.m. until 2 p.m., followed by a special bonus "Economic Development Magnifier" from 2-4 p.m. and a Governor's reception from 4-5 p.m.
The summit will play an integral part in the efforts to implement the Blueprint Mississippi Health Care Economic Development Plan, outlined last fall. Co-sponsoring the summit are MEC, the Mississippi Economic Development Council and the Mississippi State Medical Association.
If you are able, please mark your calendar and plan to attend the Governor's Health Care Economic Development Summit on August 15 at the Jackson Convention Complex. It will be an interesting and insightful look into an effective and successful way of improving the state's economy by using health care as an economic driver. Watch for upcoming information and details in your email right after the July 4th holiday.
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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