Jones	Farrell

Huntington Ingalls Industries announced recently the appointment of two vice presidents at its Ingalls Shipbuilding division. George Jones has been appointed vice president of operations, and Tim Farrell has been appointed vice president of new Navy programs.

"George and Tim bring a unique set of talent and management skills to these leadership roles," said Ingalls Shipbuilding President Brian Cuccias. "George started his career 31 years ago as an apprentice, and now he is a vice president over our shipyard operations. I can think of no better motivator for the Ingalls apprentice program. George's vital knowledge and expertise in shipbuilding and his ability to translate that understanding to our shipbuilding team define his role in this new position."

In addition to its work with Mississippi State, Boeing has also signed a new master agreement with the University of Southern Mississippi to serve as a technology incubator of next generation composite material systems.

"The word that comes to mind with these developments is 'opportunity.' Mississippi State and Southern Miss have solid opportunities to collaborate with an industry giant to accelerate cutting-edge aircraft technologies, and students will have new chances to excel in a growing sector of our economy," Cochran said.

Gov. Phil Bryant and officials from stationary furniture manufacturer Emerald Home Furnishings announced recently that the company is locating operations in New Albany. The company will locate in the facility formerly occupied by Hickory Springs. The project represents a corporate investment of more than $2 million and will create 150 jobs.

 

Over the last couple of weeks there have been some amazing things happening in Mississippi and all of them are helping further grow and improve Mississippi's economy.

On the Gulf Coast, leading Mississippi employer Ingalls Shipbuilding recently held the signing of a $20 million bond bill with Gov. Phil Bryant, Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves and Speaker Philip Gunn. This begins the process of developing "the shipyard of the future" to further improve working conditions at the shipyard and will allow for infrastructure improvements. Plans include construction of a new dry dock from which Ingalls will be more able to launch and translate ships.

In Starkville, leaders gathered on Friday, June 5, to celebrate the recent announcement that MSU will be the home of the Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) Center of Excellence. At the civilian academic center, Mississippi State will lead 13 other universities across the country in helping the FAA research methods to integrate UAS into the national airspace.

Also, the Boeing Company has chosen Mississippi State University and the University's Raspet Flight Research Laboratory to host their Stitched Resin Infused Composite Research Center.  The center, advocated for by U.S. Senators Roger Wicker and Thad Cochran and Gov. Bryant, will facilitate and promote research in the field of aerospace composite structures leveraging resin infusion and stitching technology. Boeing will also be partnering with the University of Southern Mississippi to expand composite research.

These announcements, along with the ground-breaking research taking place at the University of Mississippi Medical Center and the state's leadership in tele-medicine, show the importance of Mississippi's research universities. The work taking place at our institutions of higher learning is leading to real-life applications for technology commercialization.

Additionally, Vicksburg recently became the home of ISA TanTec's first United States leather tannery, a $10.1 million project that will create 366 new jobs for the Magnolia State.

These, along with other business ventures around the state, help greatly enhance Mississippi's economy and further our mission of putting Mississippi in the place of greatest opportunity.  A strong state economy serves to boost the standard of living for its citizens and displays the dedication and hard work of all Mississippians to perform a job well done. 

Through these achievements, MEC PowerPlay, Capital Day, and the hugely successful MEC Regional Round-Ups, 2015 has already proven to be a fantastic year for our state.  I can't wait to see what the rest of the year has in store.