Mississippi is one of only three Blueprint Mississippi states to see its economy recover at 100 percent of it's pre-recession levels. A report released this week by State Economist Darrin Webb shows the Mississippi Index of Coincident Indicators continues to climb and has now reached the pre-recession peak of February 2008. According to Webb, the real recovery for Mississippi has been over the last 12-13 months.

The MEC-driven Blueprint Mississippi is providing a road map for boosting the state's economy. MEC's business leaders are joining with other state and local officials to make Mississippi's economy more competitive through the implementation of the Blueprint goals and recommendations. The Blueprint Mississippi Report was released in January of 2012.

"Today's report from State Economist Darren Webb that Mississippi's economy continues to improve brings to the forefront our aggressive growth strategy to retain our existing industry base and recruit new global business investment," said Gov. Phil Bryant. "So far in 2013, we have announced the creation of 4,827 new jobs. This is a testament to Mississippi's workforce and to our efforts in fostering a strong business climate.  Economic development is a dynamic team sport, and I appreciate the work of Mississippi Development Authority Executive Director Brent Christensen and the entire MDA team for their hard work and dedication."

States that reach 100 percent of their peak have fully recovered from the "Great Recession" at least as measured by the Coincident Index, according to Mississippi Business, a publication of the University Research Center, Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning.

Mississippi's focus on educational improvements, championed by MEC and other leaders, is paying major dividends as schools across Mississippi showed major gains in the Mississippi Department of Education's accountability ratings.

The biggest gains were in school districts that received an A or B rankings. The report shows 18 school districts achieved an A rating, while 40 percent of all districts were either B or higher. Only 10 percent of the state's districts received an F ranking.

Increasing educational standards and accountability has long been a priority issue for MEC. Working with state educational leaders, MEC's business leadership has promoted these new standards, which are designed to raise accountability and improve the graduation rate. The feedback from the MEC annual road shows - provided by thousands of MEC members across the state - has helped focus attention on the issue and chart a course for improvement.  

"The dedication of educational leaders and the unwavering support of MEC's membership is helping Mississippi make great strides in improving educational achievement," said Blake Wilson, President and CEO of MEC.

This focus has resulted in more A-B districts and schools than there are D-F districts and schools. In 2013, 64% of districts ranked C or above, up from 61% in 2012 and 54% in 2011. There are 92 schools statewide that received a failing rating.

Entergy Corporation has been named one of the nation's Top 10 utilities in economic development by Site Selection magazine for its 2012 efforts to help attract more than $26 billion in projects that could create up to 10,000 jobs in its service region.

 It is the sixth straight year Entergy's utilities have been named to the magazine's list, which appears in the September 2013 edition and online at www.siteselection.com.

The magazine also praised Entergy for its Site Selection Center website, which saw a 20 percent increase in visitors in 2012.

In addition, the publication credits Entergy's work to qualify new sites for development, including the 2,000-acre Panther Creek Commerce Center in Madison, not far from Nissan's plant near Canton.

Entergy is an MEC member.

For the second year in a row, C Spire has been named one of the nation's top technology innovators by InformationWeek 500.  

The company's Information Technology group was recognized for its work on PERCS, a ground-breaking consumer engagement-based rewards and loyalty program.  Last year, the company was recognized for development of a web-based customer relationship management system and middleware to support personalized sales and services.

In 2012, C Spire placed 49th overall and ranked the best among all U.S. wireless communications providers. This year, the company placed 160th on the annual list.  InformationWeek 500, the most prestigious business technology ranking, identifies and honors the nation's most innovative users of information technology with its annual 500 listing.  Each year, 500 companies and projects across the U.S. are selected for this honor.

C SPIRE is an MEC member.

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Leading ad industry trade magazine AdWeek named GodwinGroup to its list of the top agency in each of the 50 states in the United States. Only one agency in each state was selected for what they called, "The one that, more often than not, just gets it right."

"It's certainly an honor just to be named on a list with names like Fallon, The Martin Agency, Crispin Porter + Bogusky, BBDO and Wieden + Kennedy," said Philip Shirley, chairman and CEO of GodwinGroup.

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