Taking part in the Governor's Energy Summit were (from left) Jim Sheble, Vice President/General Manager of Nucor Steel Jackson, Inc., Governor Phil Bryant, and Dan DiMicco, Executive Chairman of Nucor Corporation.

Speaking to more than 800 attendees at the Governor's Energy Summit, Gov. Bryant announced the Fraser Institute has again ranked Mississippi among the world's most attractive places for oil and gas investment. Mississippi ranks number two globally for energy policy and is first in its tier when energy policy is considered along with proven oil and gas reserves.

The Fraser Institute developed the rankings by surveying petroleum industry executives about barriers to investment in 157 oil-and-gas-producing regions throughout the world. According to the report, barriers to investment can include high taxes, cost of regulatory compliance, uncertainty over environmental regulations and the interpretation and administration of regulations.

Mississippi's number two ranking with regard to energy policy bested other top performing locations including, Saskatchewan, Texas, Arkansas, Kansas, Alabama, North Dakota, Manitoba and the North Sea region of the Netherlands. 

Attending the Pathway to Progress Tour in Southaven were (from left) Varina Hopper, Executive Director, Horn Lake Chamber of Commerce; Blake Wilson, President and CEO, Mississippi Economic Council; Susan Fernandez, Executive Director, Hernando Main Street/Chamber of Commerce; Tim Climer, Executive Director, Tate County Economic Development Foundation; Southaven Rotary President Chris Canoy; Pete Erber, 2014 President-Elect of the Tate County Economic Development Foundation; Tom Pittman, President, Community Foundation of Northwest Mississippi; and Brian Hicks, Director, DeSoto County Museum.

Tour Continues With Stops in Jackson & Vicksburg

Education, industry and transportation have been the major talking points as MEC's 19-city Blueprint Mississippi Pathway to Progress Tour has gotten off to a fast start.

The Blueprint Mississippi Pathway to Progress Tour continues next week on Tuesday, Dec. 17 in Jackson and Wednesday Dec. 18 in Vicksburg.  The tour stop in Jackson will be held at the Hilton Jackson Hotel, located at 1001 E County Line Road, from 7:30 a.m.-9:00 a.m.  In Vicksburg, the tour will stop at the Vicksburg Convention Center, located at 1600 Mulberry St, from 12:00 p.m.-1:00 p.m.  Click Here to Register.  

The Tour kicked off in the Golden Triangle with stops in Columbus and West Point in November and in Southaven, Cleveland and Greenville earlier this month.  

Throughout the tour, attendees were informed about Mississippi's progress and were polled throughout the session on topics such as industry, education, transportation and economic growth.  

Education has been a hot topic, with voters naming it their top priority among Blueprint Goals.  Transportation Infrastructure was rated highly, with 87%  of attendees ranking it as very important to economic development, with West Point voters ranking it at a Tour-high 92.45%.  The majority of voters on the tour had a positive outlook for Mississippi's future, with 60% voting that it would be a hot economic development location 10 years from now.

The MEC Pathway to Progress Tour will continue its 19 city tour across Mississippi and focus on ways Mississippi can sharpen its competitive edge by implementing the goals and recommendations of Blueprint Mississippi.  The sessions will be 90 minutes long and include lunch or breakfast. There is no cost to attend thanks to a generous sponsorship from Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Mississippi. The event is open to the public, however, pre-registration is required. 

The Sanderson Farms Championship is pleased to announce the official tournament dates of November 6-9, 2014. The date change will allow the tournament to compete at the front end of the PGA TOUR's 2014-2015 official schedule, the same week as the World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions in China. By doing so, it will not be contested during the 2013-2014 season.

The move to a fall date is just one among several exciting changes for the Championship. In addition to the date change and cooler weather, Sanderson Farms expanded its commitment with the PGA TOUR through a three-year renewal as title sponsor of the Sanderson Farms Championship. The purse is anticipated to increase from $3 million to a record-high $4 million for the 2014 event, and the tournament recently announced the hiring of new Tournament Director Steve Jent.

Sanderson Farms, Inc. is an MEC member.

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Gov. Bryant recently proclaimed 2014 as the "Year of the Creative Economy: Mississippi Homecoming" during a ceremony with renowned pianist Bruce Levingston, a Mississippi native.

The "Year of the Creative Economy" will feature both ongoing events and new activities throughout the year and will highlight the state's vast talent across the creative spectrum and the impact it has on the local economy.

"Our creative economy is one of the state's true economic drivers. We are the birthplace of blues, rock 'n' roll and country music. But more than that, Mississippi's creative economy is a job producer. In fact, job growth in Mississippi's creative economy has outpaced national creative economy growth in recent years," Gov. Bryant said. "This 12-month celebration, known as 'Year of the Creative Economy: Mississippi Homecoming,' provides an unmatched opportunity to showcase the people, communities and enterprises that are moving Mississippi's economy forward."

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Reeves

Republican lieutenant governors recently elected Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves chairman of the Republican Lieutenant Governors Association. Reeves will shape policy and guide the organization through the significant 2014 election cycle.

"Shaping strong, conservative policies to move states forward is an essential role of lieutenant governors, and I look forward to helping elect more leaders into office," Lt. Gov. Reeves said. "I appreciate the support and confidence of my fellow Republican lieutenant governors who are working hard to create jobs for their constituents and control wasteful spending."

There are 30 lieutenant governor seats up for election in 2014. The RLGA currently claims 30 of the 45 Lieutenant Governor offices nationwide, a record number for the organization.

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VT Halter Marine, Inc., a subsidiary of VT Systems, Inc., today announced that it has secured a contract with Crowley Maritime Corporation to build two Container Roll-On/Roll-Off ships. The value of this contract is in the region of $350m.

The containerships measure 219.5m long and 32.3m wide, with a depth of 10m featuring the latest systems technology for maximum safety, reliability, and will be powered by environmentally-friendly liquefied natural gas, setting a new standard for responsible shipping. The vessels will be built at the Pascagoula facility with construction beginning in the first half of 2014, with deliveries in mid and late 2017. The vessel design is provided by Wartsila Ship Design.  

VT Halter Marine, Inc. is an MEC member.

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Merchants Foodservice celebrated today as this year's recipient of the International Foodservice Manufacturers Association (IFMA) Excellence in Distribution Award. This prestigious honor recognizes a corporate or independent foodservice distribution organization that has demonstrated excellence in the categories of management and leadership, customer relations, supplier relations and industry/community contributions.

"Receiving the seventh annual Excellence in Distribution Award is a tremendous honor," said Andy Mercier, President/CEO, Merchants Foodservice. "We're so proud to attribute much of our success to the integrity and hard work of Merchants' team of professionals. Their 'get it done' attitude and 'whatever it takes' commitment to finding a way to say 'yes' to meet customers' needs continues to spur growth and new achievements for our company."

Merchants Foodservice is an MEC member.

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Pearl River Community College has again been recognized as one of the country's best.

The Create a Career website ranks PRCC as 23rd on its list of the 25 Best Community Colleges in the United States.  PRCC is the only Mississippi community college on the list.

The website cites PRCC's recognition as 20th in the 2012 CNN Money list of top community colleges, its ranking in 2013 by the Aspen Institute in the top 10 percent of U.S. community colleges and its membership in the National Collegiate Honors Council.

PRCC also was ranked in the top 10 percent by the Aspen Institute in 2012, was listed 28th by TheBestSchools.org in 2013 and is on the 2014 Military Friendly Schools list.  Such recognition increases PRCC's visibility to high school students using the Internet to research college opportunities.

Pearl River Community College is an MEC member.

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Click Here for Full List

On Nov. 20, Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College president Dr. Mary S. Graham, joined by Gov. Phil Bryant and other state and local leaders, announced that the college had approved building a new Nursing and Simulation Complex at the health care zone located on Hwy. 67 at Tradition. This new complex, once completed, will double the number of nurses who will graduate from MGCCC's Associate Degree Nursing program and will provide an easy transition to both the School of Nursing programs at The University of Southern Mississippi and William Carey University through articulation agreements already in place between the institutions. 

It will be MGCCC's 10th location within its four-county district.

Governor Phil Bryant said, "As I have said before we must heal together, research together and find better ways to serve our citizens together. Today's announcement continues that vision as we spur the development of health care jobs and expand access to health care in Mississippi. This state-of-the-art expansion will allow us to provide better training to even more students and quality medical care to our residents and to those patients from other states who seek outstanding care in Mississippi."

Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College is an MEC member.

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Gov. Phil Bryant and officials from BSP Filing Solutions/Finally, LLC, manufacturer of filing and folder products, announced today the company is expanding operations to the city of Starkville in the South Hangar building on Airport Road. BSP will create at least 25 new jobs and represents a company investment of at least $750,000.

"I want to thank the team at BSP Filing Solutions/Finally, LLC for expanding to Starkville and creating these new jobs for residents of the Golden Triangle region," said Gov. Phil Bryant. "I know our dedicated, skilled workforce, combined with our supportive business climate, will help ensure the company's continued success in Mississippi."

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Manufacturer of motion and stationary furniture Jackson Furniture, is investing $2 million and creating 250 jobs over three years at two different locations.

Tennessee-based Jackson Furniture will manufacture motion furniture under its Catnapper reclining products brand and stationary furniture under its Jackson brand. Jackson Furniture will have production facilities in Mantachie, in Itawamba County and in Myrtle, in Union County.

"I welcome Jackson Furniture as the newest member of the Mississippi business community, and I appreciate the company for investing in our state and providing these job opportunities for the residents of Itawamba and Union counties," Gov. Phil Bryant said.

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Gov. Phil Bryant, officials from ALUMA-FORM and local leaders broke ground recently on the company's new manufacturing facility in the Walnut Industrial Park in Walnut. The project represents a company investment of $6.7 million and will create 125 new jobs.

From the Walnut location, ALUMA-FORM will manufacture and distribute its overhead power distribution products to its domestic and international customer base. 

"I am grateful to the team at ALUMA-FORM for selecting a Mississippi location for its new manufacturing facility and for placing their confidence in our business climate and creating so many new job opportunities for the area's workers. Mississippi is always pleased to welcome new businesses to the state, and it is especially exciting to welcome a company that plays an important role in the energy industry," Gov. Bryant said.  

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Officials from Customized Distribution LLC, distributor of food products to quick service restaurants, have announced the company is locating a distribution center in Jackson and creating 60 new jobs. Customized Distribution LLC will locate in the 138,000-square-foot facility previously used by U.S. Foods. This project represents a $1 million corporate investment.

"It is great to welcome Customized Distribution as the newest member of the Jackson business community and newest business partner to the state of Mississippi," Gov. Phil Bryant said. "I know the centralized location of this facility and our excellent transportation network will help the company effectively and efficiently serve its customers throughout the southeast. I thank the company for choosing to locate this center in Hinds County and for creating these new job opportunities for the residents of central Mississippi."

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Officials from Industrial Timber, manufacturer of wood furniture frames, have announced the company is expanding operations at its facilities in Shannon, in Lee County and Ripley, in Tippah County. The expansions represent a $1.5 million corporate investment and will create 80 new jobs.

Industrial Timber is adding a new manufacturing line at both facilities to meet the needs of Jackson Furniture, a motion and stationary furniture manufacturer that recently located operations in two existing northeast Mississippi facilities. Jackson Furniture will enlist Industrial Timber as its preferred vendor.

"Mississippi works hard to build a positive business climate, and it is always good to see existing companies grow and create new jobs," Gov. Phil Bryant said.

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