Mississippi’s Essential Source for Business News, Information — and Opinion
Mississippi Development Authority executive director Gray Swoope will discuss the state’s economic development efforts during a December 11 web conference call. The Mississippi Economic Council online event is free thanks to sponsorship by Cellular South.
“Exploring Mississippi’s Economic Progress” is set to start at 2 p.m. and last an hour. Additional details are available on MEC’s Web site.
Club Habana and Habana Smoke Shoppe in Jackson are hosting a benefit for the Boys & Girls Club of Central Mississippi this Thursday evening. Tickets for the 5:30 p.m. event are $50 and will be available at the door. Here are a few more details from today’s press release:
“Last year we had a lot of fun and we raised some money for a great cause,” said Ralph Foster, owner of Habana Smoke Shoppe.
The event will offer free food and beverages as well as a raffle with several prizes, according to Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Mississippi President & CEO Billy Redd.
“We’ll be raffling off NFL footballs autographed by Brett Favre and Deuce McAllister and a lot of other great stuff,” Redd said. “All the proceeds will go to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Mississippi. We serve about 5,000 kids a year at our 6 clubs and we depend on contributions from the community to keep our doors open.”
Mississippi Public Broadcasting will be broadcasting Trent Lott’s news conference from Pascagoula, where he is expected to announce his resignation from the U.S. Senate.
UPDATE: It’s on the air and online now at 11:03 a.m.
UPDATE 2: Here’s part of Gov. Haley Barbour’s statement on Sen. Lott’s announcement: “…within ten days of Senator Lott’s resignation’s taking effect, I will appoint a Senator to serve until the winner of the Special Election for United States Senator is elected and commissioned, as provided in § 23-15-855 (2) of the Mississippi Code. My goal is to appoint the best qualified person who can do the most for our state and country.
I will not be a candidate for Senator in the Special Election, and obviously, I won’t appoint myself to fill the vacancy on an interim basis.”
If travel plans have you headed for Highway 19 in Lauderdale County later today, you might want to consider an alternate route. Details from the Mississippi Department of Transportation:
JACKSON, MISS., Thursday, November 15, 2007 - The Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT) would like to announce the following traffic alert to motorists traveling State Route 19 in Lauderdale County.
At this time, State Route 19 is closed one mile north of Collinsville due to an overturned tanker truck carrying acetone which is a highly flammable liquid. Currently at the scene are personnel from MDOT, MEMA, MDEQ and MHP as well as the Lauderdale County Sheriff’s Office. Due to a slow leak of contents, officials have decided to close this section of highway until the tanker is unloaded and moved back to its upright position. The projected reopening time should be around 10:00 p.m. tonight.
MDOT is currently placing message boards at intersecting routes to assist the motorists around the incident area. Please pay close attention to all personnel and traffic signs while traveling through this corridor.
MDOT will update as more information becomes available.
For the most up-to-date information in your area, please visit www.MSTraffic.com and sign up for your traffic alerts. For more information, please contact MDOT Outreach Division at (601) 359-7017 or visit www.GoMDOT.com.
What a mess…
Oxford-based FNC Inc., a leading provider of real estate collateral information technology, has lost its marketing department to a new start-up firm, but it’s probably not what you’re thinking. Here are the details from today’s news release:
One of Mississippi’s entrepreneurial success stories serves as the launching pad for another new venture when the Southern Growth Studio opens its doors this month.
The Southern Growth Studio, a brand marketing and product innovation company, includes several former members of the marketing team at FNC, Inc., the Oxford mortgage technology firm that has been a fixture on the Mississippi Business Journal’s Fast 40 and Best Places to Work lists since it began in 1999.
FNC, now Oxford’s third-largest employer, has backed this endeavor by awarding a marketing contract to its former employees at the Southern Growth Studio. The new company begins in a period of unprecedented growth in north Mississippi.
“I can see Oxford becoming the next Silicon Valley, or Austin, Texas,” said FNC CEO Bill Rayburn. “We have it all: a high quality of life, a vibrant university, and a growing pool of talent.”
The Southern Growth Studio consists of former members of FNC’s marketing department—the marketing director, the manager of innovation and strategic research, the interactive user experience manager, the public relations manager, and designers, writers, and Web developers.
The group aims to help clients in the State and region better market their brands and craft innovative products. In addition, the Studio will provide much needed market research and analysis for new companies or new product lines at older companies.
Former FNC marketing director Michael Graber will serve as managing director of the Southern Growth Studio. Jocelyn Atkinson will serve as co-founder and lead strategist.
FNC, Inc. will retain the Southern Growth Studio for its marketing, public relations, and interactive advertising work, as well as use the Studio as part of its innovation efforts to concept, build prototypes, and test new products.
Exhibitor booth sales are underway for the Magnolia State’s largest business-to-business event, the Mississippi Business and Technology EXPO.
All of us at the Mississippi Business Journal are excited about EXPO 2008 — the 25th annual edition. In addition to the solid lineup of exhibitors, the Best Places to Work kickoff breakfast, the Top 40 Under 40 awards luncheon, Business After Hours and the Business Woman of the Year celebration, a number of anniversary touches will make this EXPO extra special.
If you’re interested in being a part of EXPO 2008, contact Ron Jones at (601) 364-1021, 1-800-283-4625 or ron.jones@msbusiness.com.
And if there’s something you’d like to see at EXPO 2008, let us know about it.
Legislators from the Delta will explore “Multi-county Cooperation in Economic and Community Development” during this year’s annual conference, which is set for November 15-16 at Hollywood Casino in Tunica. It’s a timely topic as more communities in the state consider the win-win benefits of working together. The Toyota project in North Mississippi is the most compelling example, but there are other developments having positive, long-lasting, economic impacts that owe their existence to regional cooperation.
Here are a few more details about the upcoming Delta event:
Presenters include a “who’s who” in the field of economic development. Also attending will be developers, elected offcials and other interested observers.
Among the presenters are Pete Johnson, co-chairman of the Delta Regional Authority; Whitt Hughes of the Mississippi Development Authority; and Blake Wilson of the Mississippi Economic Council. The noon luncheon speaker on Nov. 16 will be David Rumbarger of Tupelo on the Toyota Project and Webster Franklin on the Tunica marketing effort.
A community development roundtable will feature Tom Pittman, executive director of the Community Foundation for Northwest Mississippi; Billy Crews with C.R.E.A.T.E. in Tupelo; and Sen. Robert Jackson of the Quitman County Development Organization. They will address not for profit foundations crossing county lines for community development.
Later, Clifton Vaughn is with FDIC and puts together banking efforts in community development. Then, college personnel will talk about the state of workforce development and how the Legislature can address the needs in the Delta.
A reception is Thursday night and the meetings are Friday. Anyone wishing to attend should email Rep. John Mayo at jmayo@mail.house.state.ms.us.
There is no cost for attending the Friday meetings, but seating is limited to 100 persons.
My family and I spend a lot of time on soccer fields around the state. The differences among community sportsplexes can be remarkable. Frequently, we find ourselves talking about how thankful we are for what we have at Traceway Park.
Youth sports are important for the players, the coaches and the families involved in them, but they’re also valuable economic development assets. Today’s announcement from Noxubee County sounds like a good deal for that community. Here are the details from the Noxubee Economic and Community Development Alliance news release:
Representatives of the Noxubee County School District, Noxubee County Board of Supervisors, and the City of Macon recently reached a historic agreement to develop a new sportsplex on Highway 45 for approximately $1.2 million. The Noxubee Sportsplex will serve as the permanent home field for the Noxubee High School Tigers while also providing a state-of-the-art facility for community baseball, softball, and soccer leagues and tournaments.
The completed Noxubee Sportsplex will include 4 baseball/softball playing fields in a diamond layout surrounding a concession and rest rooms facility along with appropriate parking spaces. Soccer fields with concession and restrooms will be included in the project’s second stage. The Sportsplex will be located adjacent to the new Noxubee Civic Center and Ag Arena and directly across Highway 45 from Noxubee County High School.
The Noxubee County School District will provide $300,000 a year for each year to total approximately $600,000 for the completed sportsplex.
The Noxubee County Board of Supervisors will provide $100,000 plus in-kind dirt work for each year to total $200,000 and in-kind dirt work for the completed sportsplex.
The City of Macon will provide $50,000 a year for each year to total $100,000 for the completed sportsplex. Macon also agrees to maintain the playing fields for the first 5 years, which is valued at approximately $10,000 per year.
The governing boards of all three parties are expected to review and ratify the agreement at their regularly scheduled meetings in the next couple of weeks.
A national survey by HCD Research reveals that bow ties are silly. OK, that’s not exactly what the results indicate, but it’s not far off. Here are the findings from the news release:
A new national survey of 904 Americans revealed that men who wear bow ties are perceived as older, fidgety, dull, and more ‘scientific’ and ‘a little weird.’
The study was conducted by HCD Research, using its mediacurves.com web site, during October 5-16, to obtain Americans’ views on men who wear bow ties, vs. neckties or no ties.
Participants were divided into three groups. Members of each group were asked to view only one of three separate photos of a faceless male figure sporting a bow tie, necktie and no tie at all. Then, based only on the photo, they were asked a series of demographic and personal questions about that man.
This study concentrates on the bow tie wearer vs. the others - a man wearing a necktie or no tie.
More people viewing the bow tie photo thought that the man (compared with others) was:
older, a Republican, a store clerk, smart and brainy, and dull and rigid
Would people like to have this bow tie man around? Not as much as the other men. Fewer people would want the bow tie wearer in the neighborhood, as a friend, or in the family. In fact, based only on the faceless photo, more people would want to stay away from the bow tie man and fewer might like him.
Finally, many responders (39%), noted that they view the man in the bow tie as “a little weird”, compared with only 6% viewing the man either in a necktie or no tie.
Ever worn a bow tie to the office? Are you wearing one now?
Earlier today, I listened to a 10-minute tirade from a friend in the insurance industry. He was worried about how the race for Insurance Commissioner might turn out. I haven’t spoken with him this evening, but early numbers ought to ease his mind — Republican Mike Chaney is leading Democrat Gary Anderson 82,850 to 62,029 at 9:07 p.m., according to the Associated Press via Mississippi Public Broadcasting.
Who had your support in that contest to replace George Dale?
