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MEC's Capital Day Set for Jan. 8, 2015
Bryant, Reeves & Gunn to Highlight Legislative Event
Be a part of MEC's largest legislative event!
 On Thursday, Jan. 8, MEC will host its annual Capital Day at the Jackson Marriott and the Mississippi State Capitol.
Business and community leaders from across Mississippi will have an opportunity to meet one-on-one with legislators at this great event.
Attending Capital Day will give you a chance to hear the latest on MEC's legislative agenda plus knowledge of what's on tap for the upcoming legislative session.
We hope to see you there!
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Career & Technical Education
Key to State's Future
Greetings!
For Mississippi to provide the workforce necessary for the future, we must utilize the strong tech prep programs in high schools. These are the programs that prepare students to be successful when they continue their workforce training at our community colleges.
Gov. Phil Bryant is proposing the state create the Mississippi Works Scholarship Program, designed to help students attend community colleges to attain education and certifications as a continuation of their high school tech prep programs. He has requested $3 million to be included in the 2015-16 budget for the creation of the scholarship program.
This is a great way of providing statewide support for tech prep programs. In the past year we have seen just how important career and technical education has become. MEC's Mississippi Scholars Tech Master program, which began in January, is experiencing tremendous growth and there has been an overwhelming positive response to the program from the business community.
Mississippi Scholars Tech Master started with seven pilot counties - Bolivar, Jackson, Jones, Lincoln, Madison, Panola and Union. The program encourages students to pursue and meet specific standards in a tech-prep course of study, and recognizes those students when they do.
In one year the program has evolved to include more than 60 school districts in 37 counties throughout Mississippi - a true testament to the need and support for a program of this nature.
Mississippi Scholars Tech Master program is playing a major role in moving Mississippi from low-skill, low-wage state, to a state with a workforce prepared for the middle-skill, well-paying jobs that are being created in today's economy.
The Governor's call for a scholarship program for students seeking career training at our community colleges is also a great step forward in focusing on the importance of making sure our students are prepared.
Keep the faith,
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Governor Bryant Releases 2016 Executive Budget Recommendation
Governor Phil Bryant presented his Fiscal Year 2016 budget to the Legislature recently, calling for a tax credit for working Mississippi families and increasing funding for public education by over $52 million.
This tax credit will allow low to moderate income working families the opportunity to take advantage of a nonrefundable tax credit. This will allow for full or partial relief of an individual's income tax liability depending on his or her income and filing status.
$3 million is included in the budget for the creation of the Mississippi Works Scholarship Program. Overall spending for public education is $2.5 billion for the 2016 budget period.
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BankTEL Systems Listed on Deloitte's 2014 Technology Fast 500
Deloitte & Touche LLP has ranked Columbus-based BankTEL Systems among the 500 fastest growing technology, media, telecommunications, life sciences and clean technology companies in North America. BankTEL came in at 483rd on Deloitte's 2014 Technology Fast 500. The company grew 143.8 percent during this time period.
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Mabus Agency Opens Jackson Office
The Mabus Agency recently announced its addition of a second office in Jackson, following the demand from current and potential clients in the area. The Mabus Agency will maintain its Tupelo office, with the Jackson location being led by Dan Saucier, the newly hired Executive Director of Mabus Agency Jackson.
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Pre-K Tax Credit Available Through
Early Childhood Development Act
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Nissan's Murano Brings
Mississippi to the World
With Production of Murano Underway,
Canton Facility Now Building 8 Models
Nissan's Canton Vehicle Assembly Plant has gone global as the company rolled the first all-new 2015 Nissan Murano off the line Nov. 5, marking the first time the model has been produced in the U.S. Nissan Canton is now the company's worldwide hub for Murano production, expanding export opportunities from the plant to more than 100 markets.
Bringing Murano production to the United States is part of Nissan's broader strategy to build where it sells, and it moves Nissan closer to achieving its goal of having 85 percent of the vehicles it sells in the United States produced in North America by 2015.
Murano is the eighth model currently built at the Nissan Canton Vehicle Assembly Plant and will be assembled on the same line as Xterra, Frontier, Titan and Armada.
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Entergy Announces New Transmission Operations
Center in Jackson
Entergy is breaking ground on a new $23-million Transmission Operations Center in Jackson that will be one of two twin centers in the corporation's four-state service area. The 24,775-square-foot building will be a "nerve center" where employees monitor the status of the transmission system, coordinate line outages for maintenance or repair and remotely operate switches and breakers at substations. Prior to this year, Entergy had five TOCs and one System Operations Center in cities throughout the four states.
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Ingalls Shipbuilding Authenticates Keel on National Security Cutter Munro
Huntington Ingalls Industries' Ingalls Shipbuilding division today authenticated the keel of the sixth U.S. Coast Guard National Security Cutter, Munro (WMSL 755).
The ship is named to honor Coast Guard Signalman First Class Douglas A. Munro. Munro died heroically on Sept. 27, 1942, on Guadalcanal. Having volunteered to evacuate a detachment of Marines who were facing annihilation by a large and unanticipated enemy force, he succeeded in safely extricating them and in doing so was mortally wounded. Munro was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. He is the Coast Guard's sole recipient of the award.
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Atmos Energy Opens
Grenada Facility
Atmos Energy began a new chapter in Grenada recently as it cut the ribbon on its new office on Sunset Drive. While the location has changed, however, what won't change is the company's commitment to safe, reliable gas service at the best price possible.
In addition to a new address, the Atmos Energy office will be one of the first private buildings in Grenada to receive a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification. This means the building is not only energy efficient, but used locally sourced materials during construction as well.
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Past MEC Chair Reuben Anderson Honored at Mission Mississippi Racial Reconciliation Banquet
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Attending the banquet were (from left) Major General Augustus Collins, Adjutant General, Mississippi National Guard; Rev. Duncan M. Gray, Jr.; Rev. Duncan M. Gray, III; Sen. Roger Wicker and Reuben V. Anderson, Senior Partner, Phelps Dunbar, LLP.
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Mission Mississippi recently held its signature event, the "Annual Racial Reconciliation Celebration Banquet," on October 23.
Each year Mission Mississippi chooses individuals to honor, who have faithfully worked to bridge the racial divide in Mississippi. This year our honorees were the Honorable Reuben Anderson, a Past MEC Chair, The Right Reverend Duncan Gray, Jr., and The Right Reverend Duncan Gray, III.
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FNC Breaks Ground on New Headquarters in Oxford
Gov. Phil Bryant and officials from mortgage technology firm FNC Inc. broke ground recently at the site of the company's new headquarters complex in Oxford, Miss. The new facility will accommodate future growth for the company. The project represents a $20 million corporate investment and will create 310 new jobs in the technology sector.
FNC's new headquarters will be located on Highway 7 near the company's current location on Office Park Drive in Oxford. Construction of the 68,000-square-foot facility is expected to take approximately one year.
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MEC's Leadership Mississippi
Class of 2014 Graduates
Group Marks 40th Year of Leadership Skills Program
 Leadership Mississippi held its graduation for the Leadership Mississippi Class of 2014 at the Mississippi Museum of Art in Jackson. During the graduation, the Class heard remarks from Rebecca Wiggs, Chair of the M.B. Swayze Foundation (Leadership MS Class of 1994-1995); Major General Augustus Collins (Leadership Mississippi Class of 2012); Dr. Samuel Jones (Leadership Mississippi Class of 2010); and Gloria Johnson, Leadership Mississippi Chair (Leadership Mississippi Class of 1992). The Class of 2014 also elected three representatives from among their peers to talk about their experience over the past year - De'Kiether Stamps, Rebecca Mansell and Willie Woo.
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MEC's Regional Round-Ups
Continue in the Mississippi Delta
MEC's Regional Round-Ups will continue in the Mississippi Delta with meetings this week.
During the Regional Round-Ups, which are sponsored by Blue Cross & Blue Shield of MS, MEC will travel to approximately 30 communities throughout the state, discussing opportunities for those communities and regions to help grow Mississippi's economic competitiveness.
Tuesday, December 09, 2014 - 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. -- Indianola Country Club
Clarksdale
Thursday, December 11, 2014 - 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. -- Stone Pony
Greenville
Friday, December 12, 2014 - 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. -- Greenville Country Club
There is no cost to attend the meetings thanks to a generous sponsorship
from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Mississippi, but pre-registration is required.
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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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