Brookhaven and Lincoln County see industrial growth Brookhaven and Lincoln County’s economy is a diverse mixture of long established distribution and logistics companies to forest products manufacturing to cutting edge advanced manufacturing and thriving locally owned retail. In addition, the leadership of the city, county, Chamber and economic development alliance have partnered to put programs and initiates in place to keep our economy growing strong. The Brookhaven Industrial Park is home to more than 20 facilities and the Brookhaven Municipal Airport. The park supports more than 2000 direct jobs and generates more than 300 truckloads of products or raw materials per day. With international companies such as Aptiv, American Railcar Industries, and Wal-Mart Distribution, along with national and regional companies McLane Southern and Rex Lumber, the Brookhaven Industrial Park is truly an economic engine in Southwest Mississippi. A few years ago, leaders from Lincoln County, the City of Brookhaven, the chamber of commerce and the Brookhaven-Lincoln County Economic Development Alliance collaborated on a plan to further develop Linbrook Business Park, the newest industrial area of our community. Those plans included site improvements, further utility upgrades, and a state-ofthe-art speculative industrial building. All of our community stakeholders came to support the improvements and to construct an industrial building in order to make Linbrook Business Park a more attractive place for a new industry. This past year, the planning and partnership and the improvements paid off.
On Feb. 25, 2020, Governor Tate Reeves announced that Keystone Electric Manufacturing Corporation was expanding into Linbrook Business Park. Keystone, based in Des Moines, Iowa, picked Brookhaven as its newest location to invest. The company will construct components for electrical substations. This high-tech process will bring dozens of new, high paying jobs to Brookhaven and millions in new investment and payroll. The chamber could not be more proud of our newest company and the partnership between the city, county, and Economic Development Alliance that allowed Keystone to expand in our community. The Brookhaven Tourism Council has built a unique brand for Brookhaven. The council will continue to invest in events and activities that draw visitors to Brookhaven. We invite you to look us up on the web and various social media platforms. The council is committed to expanding our festivals and attractions so that we can grow to be known as a regional center for families looking for fun. The economic future for Brookhaven and Lincoln County is bright. With our mix of traditional manufacturing and distribution, our strong retail and downtown sector, an emerging tourism sector and newly announced industrial growth, there is true excitement for the future of our community and our industry. — Garrick Combs is the executive director of the Brookhaven-Lincoln County Economic Development Alliance and Chamber of Commerce.
