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Mississippi Economic Council MEC Snapshot
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Mississippi Power Presented Top
Industry Safety Performance Awards
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Transmission General Manager Steve Craig (center) accepts Mississippi Power's 2014 S.E.E. Awards from S.E.E. Executive Director Jim Collins (left) and S.E.E. Assistant Director Scott Smith.
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Mississippi Power received two major industry awards at the annual meeting of the Southeastern Electric Exchange (S.E.E.) - Top Total Company Safety Performance and Top Transmission and Distribution (T&D) Safety Performance.
For the second year in a row, Mississippi Power ranked first in Top Total Company Safety Performance, which is awarded to the company achieving the best (lowest) Occupational Safety and Health Administration recordable incidence rate in reporting categories during 2013. In fact, last year's safety performance was so good, it was the company's second best OSHA recordable incidence rate ever.
Mississippi Power is an MEC member.
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Nissan Canton Plant Celebrates Diversity,
50th Anniversary of Freedom Summer
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Participants in the panel discussion at Nissan included Neddie Winters of Mission Mississippi; Jerry Mitchell of The Clarion-Ledger; Myrlie Evers, Medgar & Myrlie Evers Institute; and former Mississippi Governor William Winter.
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The events of the summer of 1964 changed Mississippi and our nation forever. Efforts to register African Americans to vote raised awareness nationally about injustices in the south and pushed for landmark legislation, such as the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The heroic efforts of civil rights activists during Freedom Summer ultimately paved the way for companies like Nissan to enjoy the diverse, successful workforce it has today.
To commemorate Freedom Summer, Nissan Canton hosted a reflective panel discussion at the plant on Monday, June 23. The discussion was themed Together We Rise and provided employees and invited members of the community the unique opportunity to hear from prominent community leaders that were impacted by the events of 1964. Participants included Neddie Winters, Mission Mississippi; Jerry Mitchell, Clarion Ledger; Myrlie Evers, Medgar & Myrlie Evers Institute; and William Winter, Mississippi Governor 1980-1984.
Nissan North America, Inc. is an MEC member.
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Entergy Corporation Listed as One of America's 100 Best Corporate Citizens
Entergy Corporation's responsible and sustainable actions in the areas of corporate governance and finance, environment, employee relations and philanthropy gained the company recognition by Corporate Responsibility Magazine as one of the country's 100 best corporate citizens.
The publication's recently released 100 Best Corporate Citizens List is the result of an annual assessment of nearly 300 performance indicators of public companies across the United States. Entergy's top rankings included the areas of climate change and philanthropy, with a first-place ranking in corporate governance. This is the fifth year Entergy has been named to the list.
Entergy Mississippi, Inc. is an MEC member.
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MS Department of Public Safety Receives Helicopter from Airbus Helicopters, Inc.
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Earl Walker (left), Senior Director of Government Affairs at Airbus Helicopters, Inc., presents the new MSDPS helicopter to Gov. Phil Bryant along with Sam Adcock, Vice President & General Manager of Airbus Helicopters, Inc.
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Captain Ron Kelley of the Mississippi Highway Patrol Air Wing recently accepted delivery of an Airbus Helicopters, Inc. AS350 B3e AStar produced for the Mississippi Department of Public Safety (DPS). The new law enforcement-equipped helicopter is a Mississippi-built product.
Kelley, commander of the Highway Patrol Air Wing, said the AS350 B3e was clearly the best aircraft for the department's missions. "We considered price first, and Airbus had the best. Equally as important, we considered the functionality of the aircraft. Airbus' cockpit design is better for our mission-specific operation. We also considered performance and payload capability, and this model beat the competition."
Airbus Helicopters, Inc. (AHI) operates a helicopter assembly plant in Columbus and employs a workforce of nearly 300 people, nearly fifty percent of whom are military veterans.
Airbus Helicopters, Inc. is an MEC member.
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Chambers Ranks 34 Butler Snow Attorneys
 Thirty-four Butler Snow attorneys have been named leaders in their fields in the Chambers USA 2014 rankings.
"Chambers USA is one of the most credible and respected sources of information for the legal community, and we are proud to be included in this directory," said Donald Clark Jr., Chairman of Butler Snow.
Chambers USA 2014, an independent and objective publication that recognizes only the most respected legal leaders and firms throughout the country, also ranked the firm in the following categories: Corporate/Commercial, Environment, Labor & Employment, Litigation, General Commercial, Real Estate, Product Liability & Mass Torts and Healthcare. Rankings are assessed by evaluating technical legal ability, professional conduct, client service, commercial astuteness, diligence, commitment and other qualities most valued by the client.
Butler Snow is an MEC member.
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Peavey Electronics Recognized as Mississippi's "Most Archetypal Corporate Brand"
Music and audio innovator Peavey Electronics continues to receive national attention for being recognized as the brand that best represents Mississippi, according to artist Steve Lovelace's highly-buzzed "Corporate States of America" map.
Lovelace's map of all 50 states portrays the artwork of brands that best represent the state in which they originated. With countless shares on Facebook and Twitter and features on a number of prominent sites such as IndustryWeek, Mental Floss, Slate and Huffington Post, the map has become a viral phenomenon.
View the map here: http://steve-lovelace.com/the-corporate-states-of-america/
Peavey is recognized along with the likes of Apple� in California, Starbucks� in Washington and other highly recognizable corporations and brands, and is the only music industry company to be recognized for any state.
Peavey Electronics Corporation is an MEC member.
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Miskelly Furniture Named
Top Independent Furniture Retailer in USA
 Miskelly Furniture was named the #1 Independent Furniture Retailer in the country by Home Furnishings Business, a national trade magazine.
Each year the publication puts together their Power 50 rankings and Miskelly topped their list of independent stores. Retailers were judged on market share, social media footprint, reputation and sales volume.
"This is a huge honor for Miskelly and for the Jackson market", said Oscar Miskelly. "We have always believed in treating the customer fairly and giving back to the community. It's nice to be recognized for the job we do."
Independent retailers make up a large portion of the furniture retailing community. Stores from around the country were recognized in markets as far away as Los Angeles and Anchorage, Alaska, but the Jackson retailer topped the list.
"Miskelly will continue to do business as usual. As long as our customers are happy, we are happy."
Miskelly Furniture is an MEC member.
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Mississippi Children's Museum Opens
The Literacy Garden
The Mississippi Children's Museum (MCM) recently opened its much-anticipated outdoor gallery, The Literacy Garden.
The Literacy Garden increases the museum's exhibit space by over 40 percent and provides children with a unique, innovative learning experience that integrates the arts, literacy, health and nature.
"The Literacy Garden will be a one-of-a-kind experience for children to cultivate early childhood literacy skills in an exciting, imaginative outdoor environment," said Susan Garrard, MCM President/CEO. "The garden has been a statewide collaborative effort between renowned education and design partners, and is furthering our mission to provide unparalleled experiences to all of Mississippi's children while growing our impact."
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CNN Money Ranks PRCC 17th in USA
Pearl River Community College ranks among the country's top 20 in providing students a solid academic foundation on which to build continued education, CNN Money recently reported.
The report shows 68 percent of PRCC students transfer to a four-year college or university.
PRCC is tied at number 17 with Rend Lake College in Illinois and Ellsworth Community College in Iowa.
"The focus for all of our efforts at Pearl River Community College is to ensure the success of our students," said Dr. William Lewis, president. "There are many indicators that suggest we are succeeding in this pursuit. One of the foundational building blocks of our institutional philosophy is to focus on the success of every student."
Pearl River Community College is an MEC member.
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ROXUL Inc. Begins Production in United States
ROXUL Inc., the leading manufacturer of stone wool insulation products in North America, officially begins production on its first manufacturing facility located in the United States.
The $160 million plant encompasses 600,000 square feet and is located on a 100 acre site in the Chickasaw Trail Industrial Park, approximately 30 miles south of Memphis. ROXUL continues to experience growth throughout North America, and the new facility will ensure it can meet its customers' growing demands. This location will help ROXUL maintain its strong growth in key insulation markets such as residential, commercial building, flat roof, and industrial applications, in the mid and southern USA and Mexico. ROXUL will employ approximately 150 workers on-site once the plant is fully operational.
The company officially broke ground on May 8, 2013, on the state-of-the art facility. With more than 750,000 man hours and as many as 500 workers on site in the past few months, this significant project was constructed in just over a year with no lost time accidents.
ROXUL, Inc. is an MEC member.
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Ayrshire Electronics to Invest $100,000,
Add 25 Jobs in Corinth
Officials from Ayrshire Electronics, a full-service electronics manufacturing company, announced recently the company is expanding operations at its facility in Corinth to accommodate an increase in production. The project represents a $100,000 corporate investment and will create 25 new jobs.
In 2008, Ayrshire acquired the former ACT Electronics' Corinth plant after ACT announced its plans to close the facility. Ayrshire retained all of ACT's full-time employees, and this announcement marks the company's third expansion in Corinth in the last six years.
"When our existing businesses like Ayrshire Electronics continue to invest in their operations and create jobs for Mississippi's workers, it speaks volumes about our strong, supportive business climate and our dedicated workforce," Gov. Phil Bryant said. "We value our relationship with Ayrshire, and I thank their team for once again helping us show the world that great things are taking place in Mississippi."
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Brooks and Dehart Furniture Xpress,
Eaton Custom Seating Adding Jobs in Pontotoc
State and local officials gathered recently as representatives from Brooks and Dehart Furniture Xpress, Inc. and Eaton Custom Seating announced they were investing in new and existing operations, respectively, in Pontotoc, Miss. The two companies are creating a total of 55 new jobs.
Headquartered in North Carolina, Brooks and Dehart Furniture Xpress is a furniture-only logistics and delivery company. The company is opening a terminal in Pontotoc County to serve furniture manufacturers in northeast Mississippi. The project represents a corporate investment of $2.8 million and will create 35 new jobs.
Officials from Eaton Custom Seating also announced the company is expanding its operations in Pontotoc. Eaton Custom Seating manufactures seating products used primarily in hospitality and health care environments. The expansion involves the addition of 12,825 square feet of manufacturing space at its existing 110,000-square-foot facility, as well as the addition of a new parking area. The project represents a corporate investment of $500,000 and will create 20 new jobs.
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Pre-K Tax Credit Available Through
Early Childhood Development Act
A new tax credit is available for businesses and individuals through donations to collaboratives created by The Early Learning Collaborative Act of 2013. The Act is designed to expand Pre-K education for low income children throughout Mississippi. Individuals or businesses that make a donation are eligible for a state tax credit up to $1 million.
To learn more about the new MS state Pre-K tax credit, Click Here. To read through frequently asked questions and answers, Click Here.
The Mississippi Department of Education has selected 11 community collaboratives to offer Pre-K, but these organizations are required to provide one-to-one matching funds. Businesses can donate to a specific collaborative or to a specific program in the service delivery area of a collaborative. Each collaborative's "wish list" may vary depending upon community needs. Any unused portion of the tax credit can be carried over for 3 years. The overall level of contributions is capped at the amount appropriated by the Legislature. Currently, $3 million is appropriated for Pre-K and therefore, contributions cannot exceed that level.
Business support for Pre-K expansion is critical to ensure that low income children throughout Mississippi have access to early learning. Studies show quality Pre-K improves a child's school readiness and ultimate school performance.
Click Here for More Information on the MS State Pre-K Tax Credit
Click Here for Frequently Asked Questions
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Excellence in Business
Drives Mississippi Economy
When Mississippians come together to reach a goal, we not only celebrate the achievement but also celebrate the means by which we accomplished it. Diligence and quality are not simply two distinctions that we wish to achieve but are qualities that define the way we work and do business in Mississippi.
Simply scroll through this communique and you will see evidence of the quality of employers throughout our state - Mississippi Power, Entergy Mississippi, Peavey Electronics, Butler Snow and Miskelly Furniture - our excellence in education - Pearl River Community College - and excellence in celebrating our past accomplishments and growth - Nissan.
As evidenced by the awards mentioned above, in everything we do as Mississippians, we display grace and excellence in accomplishing the task at hand. It defines us as a state, and is a prime reason that so many companies want to bring their business to Mississippi.
As we continue on throughout the year, join me in following the lead of these exemplary organizations as we carry out our tradition of excellence in Mississippi.
I wish you a safe and happy Independence Day.
Keep the faith
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You are receiving this newsletter because of your past involvement with the Mississippi Economic Council. For more information about MEC, please visit our website at www.msmec.com.
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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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