(From left) Former Gov. Ronnie Musgrove, Former Gov. William Winter, Civil Rights Leader Myrlie Evers, Former Gov. Haley Barbour and Gov. Phil Bryant at the groundbreaking of the Museum of Mississippi History and the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum in Jackson.

Mississippi officials, civil rights leaders and school children broke ground recently on the landmark Museum of Mississippi History and the first Mississippi Civil Rights Museum.

"Mississippi has a rich history. Thanks to these two museums, generations to follow will see and hear those stories," said Gov. Phil Bryant, adding, "They will see that Mississippi is much more about the future than the past."

Myrlie Evers, former chair of the NAACP and widow of civil rights leader Medgar Evers, said, "I could not help but think about how far we have come to this point. And how proud I am of Mississippi and how proud I am that these two buildings are going to show the world-not only the state of Mississippi, not only other states, but the world-who we are, where we have been, where we are today and where we are going."

(From Left) Anthony Woodard, General Manager, Rolls-Royce Outdoor Jet Engine Testing Facility; James Guyette, President and CEO, Rolls-Royce North America; Brent Christensen, Executive Director, Mississippi Development Authority; Fred Haise, Apollo 13 Astronaut and Gary Moore, Operations Director for Civil Large Engines at the ribbon cutting for the second Rolls-Royce jet engine test stand at Stennis Space Center.

Officials from Rolls-Royce and state and local leaders gathered recently in Hancock County to officially open the company's second jet engine test stand. Located at the Rolls-Royce Outdoor Jet Engine Test Facility at NASA's John C. Stennis Space Center, the test stand represents a $50 million corporate investment and will create 35 new jobs.

The Outdoor Jet Engine Test Facility performs jet engine testing on the latest, most advanced Rolls-Royce civil aircraft engines, including the Trent 1000, which powers the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, and the Trent XWB, which powers the Airbus 350XWB.

Rolls-Royce North America is an MEC member.

Bonnie Amos talks with Ingalls Shipfitter Charles Evans.

Huntington Ingalls Industries'  Ingalls Shipbuilding division hosted Gen. James Amos, commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps, and Bonnie Amos recently to meet with shipbuilders on the amphibious transport dock Portland (LPD 27). Mrs. Amos is the ship's sponsor.

"Today, I thanked the Ingalls shipbuilders who are building LPD 27, and I got a promise from every one of them that this will be the very best ship in the fleet," said Mrs. Amos, who visited Ingalls for the ship's keel-laying ceremony in August. "The fact this ship is going to carry our Marines and sailors and perform vital missions for the nation is pretty remarkable. When you add that component of Marines being able to do the nation's bidding off this ship, it is even more impressive."

Ingalls Shipbuilding is an MEC member.

William Bynum shares the stage with Anne McNulty and former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright during the finalist announcement ceremony.

Burdened with the highest poverty rates in the nation, individuals, businesses and communities in the U.S. Mid South have long suffered from a lack of access to traditional financial services. Bynum, an advisor to Presidents Clinton, Bush and Obama on community development issues and Henry Crown Fellow of the Aspen Institute, founded HOPE to provide financial services that support jobs, housing, access to health care and other critical needs in the region's most distressed communities. 

Hope Community Credit Union is an MEC member.

The Molpus Woodlands Group, LLC (Molpus), a timberland investment management organization headquartered in Jackson, has, on behalf of a client, entered into an agreement to purchase approximately 73,000 acres of timberland located north, east, and west of Birmingham, Ala. The close of the purchase is set to occur in installments starting in October 2013.

The timberland, located in thirteen counties, consists of well-stocked loblolly pine plantations distributed among all age classes. Molpus currently maintains an office in Hoover, Ala., to oversee the management of approximately 161,000 acres purchased earlier in the Birmingham area. 

The Molpus Woodlands Group is an MEC member.

Gov. Phil Bryant and officials from Metso cut the ribbon recently on the company's expanded operations in Clarksdale. Metso announced in September 2012 it would increase its conveyor component operations at the Clarksdale location. The project represents a $4 million company investment, and it created 30 new jobs and retained 61 jobs.

"Today is a great day for the Clarksdale community as Metso officially opens its expanded manufacturing operations, which have provided new job opportunities for the area's workforce," Gov. Bryant said. "We are proud of our longstanding relationship with Metso, and I appreciate the Metso team for choosing to invest in its Mississippi operations. I congratulate the company on this milestone event."

Metso Paper is an MEC member.

HORNE LLP will host the 2013 HORNE Annual Construction Forum on November 19 in Jackson.  The forum will feature construction industry expert Charles Vander Kooi, President of Vander Kooi & Assoc., presenting "Determining Financial Success."

The 2013 HORNE Annual Construction Forum will address critical issues facing the construction industry while educating attendees on recent tax law changes, ways to determine a company's financial success, and the latest BP settlement news. Additionally, a panel discussion will address the pressing questions related to surviving today's economy and understanding the changes that affect one's business.

Horne LLP is an MEC member.

Keep the Faith,