In This Issue

      

Join us at the ADP First Friday Breakfast at Southern Oaks House & Gardens Friday, March 7th at 7:15 a.m. Dr. Bill Smith, Chair of the Economic Development and Tourism Department will discuss "Innovative Marketing Strategies for your Business." The breakfast is sponsored by the College of Business at The University of Southern Mississippi and Great Southern National Bank. Register Online HERE.

Molly Egloff, current student in the Masters of Science in Economic Development program, has accepted a position with Enterprise Florida, Inc. (EFI) as a Business Development Associate in Orlando, Florida. EFI is a public-private partnership between Florida's business and government leaders and is the principal economic development organization for the State of Florida. Business Development Associates are responsible for researching and coordinating project activities as a part of the Business Development Team at EFI. 

 

Raised in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, Molly graduated from the University of Southern Mississippi with her undergraduate degree in History, with a minor in Political Science in 2012, where she was an active member and leader within Chi Omega Fraternity. While completing her graduate level coursework, she has also been serving full-time as an Admissions Counselor for Campus Visitors at Southern Miss. Molly had the opportunity to work as the President of the Student Economic Development Association (SEDA), and volunteered with the Communications Team at the Greater Pinebelt Community Foundation. She is expecting to graduate with her Masters this May, with the goal to later pursue her CeCD through the courses offered by the International Economic Development Council. 

The spring 2014 Lecture Series Economic Development and Entrepreneurship in Mississippi's Energy Sector will conclude on March 7, 2014 with Charlotte Batson owner of Batson & Company Energy Consultants. Charlotte Batson is an internationally recognized expert on shale oil and gas from work as a petroleum engineer in oil and gas exploration and development with Tenneco Oil Company, as well as presentations, publications, and projects. Ms. Batson is CEO and Co-Founder of Tuscaloosa Energy Services, a member-based coalition of oilfield and construction companies that markets its member businesses to the oil and gas sector via a variety of methods, thereby helping them enter or expand their oil and gas revenues by providing a framework for confidential sharing of customer and project leads, and access to work opportunities. 

 
Ms. Batson serves on the Advisory Council for the Trent Lott National Center for Economic Development and Entrepreneurship at the University of Southern Mississippi, is a contract Influencer in the Future of Energy by Shell Group on LinkedIn, and was appointed in 2009 to the Mississippi Energy Policy Institute (MEPI) by Gov. Haley Barbour. Ms. Batson brought the significance of shale oil and gas to the site selection community in a series of ground-breaking articles in Site Selection magazine beginning in 2009, and her latest interview "Lessons Learned: The Path to Shale" was published November, 2013 by Gas Today Australia.

The Lecture Series will begin at 11:30 a.m.on Friday at the Thad Cochran Center/R.C. Cook University Union Room B 2nd floor on the USM Hattiesburg Campus. The event is free and open to the public, but pre-registration is required.

Funding for the lecture series comes from a Comcast Foundation donation.

The Biloxi Innovation Center, in partnership with the U.S. Commercial Service, MS Export Assistance Center, have designed this program to assist Mississippi small businesses in learning the fundamentals for exporting products and services by developing skills in international marketing, trade finance, and global logistics. The program is created for first-time exporters or for those firms considering expanding to a new global market. The Small Business Export Boot Camp is March 13, 2014 from 8:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. at the Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport, 3rd Floor Conference. Register Here.