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Mississippi Economic Council MEC Snapshot
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MEC Legislative Scramblers Kick Off With Appropriations on Feb. 5
The Mississippi Economic Council will host its first Legislative Scrambler of 2014 focusing on Appropriations on Wednesday, Feb. 5 at the Mississippi Museum of Art. The breakfast will begin at 7:30 a.m., and attendees will hear from Senator Buck Clarke, Chair, Senate Appropriations Committee and Representative Herb Frierson, Chair, House Appropriations Committee.
There is no cost to attend MEC's first Legislative Scrambler
thanks to the generous sponsorship by Jones Walker LLP.
You can attend in person or dial in by calling 800-771-7943.
MEC's Legislative Scramblers are a great way to have a voice at the Capitol without ever leaving your desk.
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AT&T Donates $30,000 for Expansion of Jobs for Mississippi Graduates
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Gov. Phil Bryant (left) stands with Ken Smith, CEO and President of Jobs for America's Graduates and Ramona Williams, Executive Director of Jobs for Mississippi Graduates as Mayo Flynt, President of AT&T Mississippi (right) presents a sponsorship check.
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Gov. Phil Bryant joined officials from Jobs for America's Graduates and AT&T Mississippi to highlight the importance of education and workforce development for Mississippi's economic future.
Jobs for America's Graduates (JAG) and AT&T are working together to help raise the high school graduation rate in Mississippi by expanding mentoring, tutoring and other academic support for students at risk of dropping out of high school. Jobs for Mississippi Graduates received $30,000 in funding as part of a $1 million contribution from AT&T to allow the national non-profit to add new schools and/or expand existing programs with proven records of success in keeping kids in school.
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GRAMMER Inc. to Create 650 Jobs at New U.S. Headquarters in Lee County
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Gov. Phil Bryant (center), along with state and local leaders and GRAMMER Inc. officials, broke ground on GRAMMER Inc.'s new U.S. manufacturing headquarters.
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Gov. Phil Bryant and officials from vehicle supplier GRAMMER Inc. held an announcement and groundbreaking ceremony recently in the Tupelo Lee Industrial Park South in Lee County, at the future site of the company's newest U.S. manufacturing operations. The entire project represents a total funding of $30 million over the next 5 years and will create up to 650 new jobs in two phases.
GRAMMER Inc. is the U.S. subsidiary of GRAMMER AG, leading supplier of automotive interiors and seating systems for commercial vehicles. The Lee County location, which will serve as the company's new official U.S. headquarters, is scheduled to be operational by the end of 2014.
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Mississippi Launches Cutting-Edge Website and Mobile App to Connect Employers and Job Seekers
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Gov. Phil Bryant unveiled www.mississippiworks.org, an interactive resource that pairs employers and job seekers in order for Mississippians to find jobs.
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Gov. Phil Bryant recently unveiled a first-of-its-kind interactive resource that pairs employers and job seekers through both a website and a mobile application. Gov. Bryant first announced the new effort in his 2014 State of the State Address.
The website, www.mississippiworks.org, along with integrated iPhone and Android mobile applications, is a real-time, web-based system that puts cutting edge technology at the fingertips of Mississippians job seekers and employers.
The site and app function as a one-stop shop, allowing job seekers to search for openings based on job type, location or academic degree required and allowing employers to post openings at no cost and make connections with qualified candidates.
The system can also advise job seekers how completely their qualifications match a particular job opening, helping them understand what additional education, training or experience they may need to further qualify.
Once job seekers create a profile, they can receive automatic text or email notifications when new jobs that match their qualifications are posted.
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MEC's Blueprint Mississippi Pathway To Progress Tour Continues
Road Show Makes Next Stop in Picayune Feb. 18
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Attending the Blueprint Mississippi Pathway to Progress Tour stop in Tupelo were (from left to right) former MEC Chair Lewis Whitfield; Dan Rollins, CEO of BancorpSouth; Robin McGraw, Chairman and CEO, Renasant Bank; former MEC Chair Jack Reed, Sr.; former MEC Chair Jack Reed, Jr.; and Congressman Alan Nunnelee.
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The Blueprint Mississippi Pathway to Progress Tour will make its next stop in Picayune on Tuesday, Feb. 18, after visiting Corinth, Ripley, Tupelo, Natchez, Brookhaven and Hattiesburg in January.
The tour will stop in Picayune at Paul's Pastry, located at 1 Sycamore Road, from 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. The Picayune tour stop will be held in conjunction with Rotary.
The Blueprint Mississippi Pathway to Progress Tour will continue in February with stops in Bay St. Louis, Gulfport, Meridian and Gautier.
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. 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.
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Positioned for Progress Conference Set for April 29-30 in Jackson
Strengthening Mississippi's Charitable and Creative Economies
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SAVE THE DATE!
April 29-30, 2014
Jackson Convention Center
Jackson, Mississippi
Positioned for Progress is a statewide conference focused on aligning the work of the volunteer, nonprofit, corporate, and government sectors to maximize the social, health, and economic well-being of all Mississippians. The conference is focused on identifying, promoting, and recognizing collaborative efforts that better the lives of Mississippi citizens.
Through plenary sessions, interactive workshops, exhibits, networking, and more, you will learn about and participate in efforts to leverage Mississippi's POWER FOR GOOD, and strengthen your ability to be part of Mississippi's Charitable and Creative Economies. By attending the Positioned for Progress Conference, you will be learn how to leverage multiple resources - financial, personal and intellectual - to build a better, stronger Mississippi TOGETHER!
Click Here for More Information
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MDA to Sponsor Western Europe Multi Sector Business Development Mission
The Mississippi Development Authority recently announced their sponsorship of a Multi Sector Business Development Mission to Western Europe from March 31 to April 4, 2014. The trip will include stops in the United Kingdom and France. Participating companies will also have the opportunity to make a third stop if they have business prospects in a neighboring market.
The preliminary market research is completely free. In addition, for STEP eligible companies, the Mississippi Development Authority and U.S. Small Business Administration will provide financial and administrative support and will subsidize 75% of the business matchmaking service (4 to 6 meetings with prospective partners/buyers in each market) and reimburse up to 50% of their travel/airfare expenses, hotel accommodations, and meal per diem rates.
If interested in participating, please contact European Trade Specialist Aggie Sikora no later than Feb. 14, 2014. She can be reached at [email protected] or by telephone at (601) 359-2952 (office).
Click Here for More Information
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Cold Weather Can't Stop Mississippi's Progress
As the decorated actor Carl Reiner once said "A lot of people like snow. I find it to be an unnecessary freezing of water."
Mississippi is unique in that we can experience weather from each of the four seasons over the span of one week. Despite the recent wintry weather that froze most of the southern part of our state, as well as major hubs of our neighbors, we were able to press on and announce major growth projects as if nothing had happened.
In northern Mississippi, the announcement of GRAMMER Inc.'s new U.S. headquarters is great business for that area of the state, with the new manufacturing and operations building project bringing in more than 650 jobs.
The focus this past week may have been cold weather for some, but for AT&T, the focus remained on Mississippi's future. Their announcement of a $30,000 sponsorship for Jobs for Mississippi Graduates to increase the graduation rate in our state is a huge investment in students statewide.
MEC has pioneered this focus on our students for years, with entities such as Mississippi Scholars and the newly-announced Tech Master program leading the way for scholastic achievement. Click Here for more information on those programs.
Don't forget our first Legislative Scrambler on Wednesday, Feb. 5 at the Mississippi Museum of Art. Initially postponed by the cold, we have moved our discussion on Appropriations with Senator Buck Clarke and Representative Herb Frierson to this week.
We hope to see you there!
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.
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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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