Graphic Provided by Mississippi Development Authority
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MEC's Regional Round-Up
Kicks off Oct. 22
Upcoming Meetings
McComb, Oct. 22, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.
Brookhaven, Oct. 24, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.
Harrison County, Nov. 5, 7:30-9 a.m.
Hancock County, Nov. 5, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.
Highlighting the strengths of regions throughout Mississippi is the goal of the Mississippi Economic Council's Regional Round-Up meetings, which are set to kick off Wednesday, Oct. 22 at Southwest Mississippi Community College in Summit. Brookhaven will be held at Poppa's Fish House on Friday, Oct. 24. On Nov. 5, Regional Round-Up meetings will take place in Harrison County and Hancock County.
Over the next few months MEC will travel to approximately 30 communities throughout the state, discussing opportunities for those communities and regions to help grow Mississippi's economic competitiveness. During the Regional Round-Up meetings, which are sponsored by Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Mississippi, MEC will focus on how the nine regions across the state can work together to build on their strengthens and how each region is vital in helping Mississippi grow and prosper.
There is no cost to attend the meetings but pre-registration is required.
Learn More
Click Here to Register
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National Attention Gives State Chance To Shine
Greetings!
The national spotlight has shone brightly on Mississippi over the past few weeks, and what a wonderful opportunity this is creating for us to make sure others are learning about all of the great things happening in Mississippi.
With No. 1 Mississippi State and No. 3 Ole Miss sitting atop the national rankings midway through the college football season, there has never been a bigger buzz about the Magnolia State. Add to this an undefeated Delta State team, which is ranked in the Top 10 of Division II, and the long-successful tradition among our community colleges, and it's easy to see why things are at a fever pitch over our football teams.
But a closer look shows us football isn't the only thing that has people excited throughout Mississippi. Last week, Crusin' the Coast celebrated its 19th annual event with record crowds. The festival, which features antique, classic and hot rod vehicles, creates a major economic impact for the Mississippi Gulf Coast through tourism and has become one of the biggest special events in the state. The Mississippi State Fair also wrapped up this week in Jackson and continues to draw large crowds.
So what does all of this attention mean for Mississippi? It's simple, all of these things help us position our state to be in the place of greatest opportunity. It is a chance to tell our story that might otherwise go untold.
Brent Christensen at the Mississippi Development Authority and his team are doing just that. In addition to creating the One Mississippi, Two Mississippi, Three Mississippi banner at the top of this Snapshot, MDA put together a Top 10 of Economic Development accomplishments for the state. Did you know we're No. 1 in Best State to Practice Medicine? Mississippi is No. 3 in the Competitive Labor Cost. In the category of Overall Cost of Doing Business, we're No. 6.
Click Here to see the complete Economic Development Top 10 Listing.
The attention that our top-ranked football teams are getting is well deserved. This is truly an opportunity to pound our chests with pride - but is also an opportunity to remind the rest of the nation Mississippi is a leader in so many other areas and that our leadership is working hard every day to continue to sharpen the edge on the economic competitiveness sword.
Keep the faith,
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C Spire Completes Acquisition of MegaGate Broadband
C Spire recently announced that it has completed the acquisition of MegaGate Broadband, a regional provider of phone and Internet services to businesses.
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Innovate Mississippi's Presents 15th Annual Conference Nov. 4-5
The 15th Annual Conference on Technology Innovation will be held November 4-5 at the Jackson Convention Complex.
Marina Bers, Ph.D. of Tufts University a Researcher and Designer of Innovative Learning Technologies, will be the Luncheon Keynote speaker for the event.
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Newpark Will Locate Facility in Summit
Recently at an announcement that followed the meeting of the Mississippi Oil and Gas Board at Southwest Mississippi Community College in Summit, Newpark Drilling Fluids LLC, a subsidiary of Newpark Resources, Inc. announced it would establish a new facility in Summit that would warehouse and eventually manufacture drilling fluids for oil drillers in the Tuscaloosa Marine Shale Play and that it would create 40 new direct jobs. The company will make a sizeable investment into the project.
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Excel By 5 Celebrates 10th Anniversary
Celebrating 10 years of early learning advocacy and community engagement, Excel By 5 continues to advance its family and community-focused approach to improve early learning opportunities for children ages 0 to 5. From four pilot cities in 2004, Excel By 5 has expanded to 34 communities statewide where parents, care givers, educators, healthcare providers and business and community leaders work together and promote the importance of early learning.
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'Ready to Run' Offers Women Advice on Running for Office
Mississippi women interested in running for political office can learn the ins and outs of campaigning on Oct. 23 at "Ready to Run," a seminar by the Commission on the Status of Women. The event will be from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 23 in Room 113 of the State Capitol. For more information, contact the Commission on the Status of Women at (601) 359-3044 or visit www.msstatusofwomen.org.
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'Mississippi's Greatest Athletes' Book Sales to Benefit Hall of Fame
Corporate Discounts Available
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Hobnob Mississippi
Wednesday, Oct. 29
Major changes will enhance experience under the 'Big Top'
 Governor Phil Bryant, Lt. Governor Tate Reeves and Speaker of the House Philip Gunn will highlight the 13th Annual Hobnob Mississippi held on Wednesday, October 29 from 8:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Held less than one week before the general election, this year's Hobnob will feature U.S. Senator Thad Cochran, the Republican nominee and Travis Childers, the Democratic nominee. There will be a special welcome from recently elected Jackson Mayor Tony Yarber and special entertainment from Miss Mississippi Jasmine Murray, a Top 10 Miss America finalist and finalist for Quality of Life.
Hobnob regulars will also see some major improvements to the overall atmosphere of Hobnob and the experience under the "Big Top" at the Mississippi Agriculture and Forestry Museum in Jackson. Improvements include:
- Doubling the number of serving lines so we can feed the crowd a sumptuous buffet lunch with a minimal wait.
- Reconfiguring the MEC Hobnob layout to increase the traffic, visibility and participation by corporate booth sponsors.
- Dramatically increasing the number of audio speakers inside and outside the tent so that those who Hobnob outside can still hear the speakers -- and those who Hobnob inside won't be disturbed by the Hobnobbers.
Join Business and Community Leaders from across Mississippi, as well as statewide elected officials at this year's Hobnob.
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MEC's Tech Master
Graduates Honored
at Governor's Energy Summit
 | | MEC's Tech Master Grads were recognized at the 2014 Governor's Energy Summit. Featured are Brighton Roskelley of Ridgeland High School (left), John Michael Miksa of Germantown High School, Texas Governor Rick Perry, Gov. Phil Bryant, Daja Hoard of Madison Central High School, Bailey Madigan of Ridgeland High School and Vickie Powell, MEC's Senior Vice President of Foundations. |
MEC's Mississippi Scholars Tech Master program was highlighted as part of the Governor's Energy Summit held in Jackson on Oct. 8.
The Summit, conducted by the Mississippi Energy Institute, included an opportunity to recognize several of the 285 students from around the state that graduated as Tech Masters in 2014. The program began in 7 pilot districts and focuses on career and technical education.
The summit featured Governor Phil Bryant and the luncheon keynote speaker was Texas Governor Rick Perry.
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Toyota Volunteers Dig Deep
into Local Parks for
National Public Lands Day
 What can 1700 hands and 850 hearts accomplish on a Saturday? In Mississippi, they can create a brand new community park and revitalize two other popular local public green spaces in the span of just a few hours. That's exactly what team members from Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Mississippi, Inc., did recently. Along with family members, the Toyota Mississippi team built a new park in Blue Springs, plus spruced up the Park Along the River and Shady Dell Park in New Albany. The project is part of a nationwide Toyota commitment to support National Public Lands Day. Toyota Mississippi's more than 850 volunteers exceeded the number for all other affiliates combined. Toyota is an MEC Member.
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Ergon Plans $150M Expansion
at Vicksburg Refinery
Ergon Inc. says it will spend $150 million to expand its Vicksburg refinery. The Flowood-based private company said recently that it would enhance parts of the refinery and expand its tank farm. It said the changes, in addition to allowing it to make more products, would allow Ergon to feed the refinery with more kinds of crude oil.
Ergon, Inc. is an MEC member.
Learn More
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Comcast to bring 200 WiFi hotspots to Jackson
Comcast will unveil by the end of the year some 200 public WiFi "hotspots" throughout Jackson where its customers can connect with their laptops or other mobile devices. Specific locations have yet to be determined, but company spokesman Alex Horwitz says the cable provider is targeting "the most heavily trafficked areas - campuses, parks, outdoor shopping centers. We're looking to make Jackson a truly connected city."
Comcast is an MEC member.
Learn More
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Columbia Parachute Company Expanding Operations in Columbia
Officials from Columbia Parachute Company announced recently the company is expanding its operations in Columbia. The project represents a $300,000 corporate investment and will create 26 new jobs, bringing the total number employed by the company to 50.
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Calbee North America
Locates in Senatobia
 Snack food manufacturer Calbee North America announced the company has located operations in the former BMW distribution facility in Senatobia. The project represents a corporate investment of $51.1 million and will create 254 jobs over the next five years.
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Future Electronics Celebrates 10th Anniversary in Mississippi and Announces Expansion
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Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant and MDA Executive Director Brent Christensen (far right) hear about high-tech distribution equipment that has been installed at Future Electronics operation in Southaven from Bernard Betts, Vice President of Worldwide Distribution Operations (left) and Lindsley Ruth, Executive Vice President and Pierre Guilbault, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer.
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Future Electronics, which originally located to the state with the assistance of both the DeSoto County Economic Development Council and MDA, celebrated recently its 10th anniversary in Mississippi. The company also announced it will add 100 employees to its 300 member workforce as part of the expansion. Founded in 1968, Future Electronics is a worldwide leader in electronic components distribution, and is recognized as one of the most respected and innovative companies in the industry today. It is headquartered in Montreal, Canada and operates in 169 locations in 44 countries around the world.
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Sanderson Farms Championship to Feature
Inaugural Women's Day Nov. 4
 This year's tournament will feature the inaugural Women's Day event on Nov. 4 featuring Leigh Anne Tuohy of The Blind Side fame. The event will be held from 9 - 11 a.m. at the Country Club of Jackson Ballroom.
Tickets range from $1,000 per table of eight or $125 per individual ticket.
Additional activities for the Women's Brunch Attendees Include:
- Two good-any-day tournament tickets
- 10% off merchandise in the Official Merchandise Tent
- Tours of the golf course and "best places to watch" with Sanderson Farms Championship professionals (11:00 a.m.)
- Tours of the Golf Channel Studio (Noon)
- Watch Tuesday Practice Rounds of PGA TOUR Golf
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Sanderson Farms Championship Expands
Support of Children's Hospital
 This year, the Sanderson Farms Championship will have a new home - the Country Club of Jackson, a new date - Nov. 3-9, and a renewed focus - growing the awareness of the Blair E. Batson Hospital for Children, Mississippi's only children's hospital.
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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 approximately 10,000 members from 1,100 member firms in 2,400 locations throughout Mississippi.
Greetings! 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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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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