Profile Edition 2019

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Contents

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6 Column: Tim Kalich, 4 Interviews show optimism about what Greenwood will be like in 2039.

Beth Stevens, 6 2019 Community Service Award winner

Young couples, 11 Faughts and Elliotts like small-town life

Mike Rozier Construction, 15 Head of company says he enjoys work too much to retire

21

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Workforce training, 33 Technology and “soft skills” are among areas of emphasis

School consolidation, 37 What the merger of the Greenwood, Leflore County districts will mean

Mississippi Valley State University, 41 Institution is working to increase enrollment, add to offerings

Barbershops, 17 Speak your mind — and maybe learn something — while you get a haircut

Raymond Girnys, 29 Hospital’s chief of medical staff brings many years of experience to the job

North Sunflower Medical Center, 26 Sunflower MedSpa has latest equipment for good health and a good look

Eric Miller, 61 Banker says he enjoys helping customers with life’s big decisions

Ben and Caleb Cox, 21 Brothers are successful restaurant owners and are looking to grow

57

Carlos Barbosa, 57 Salvation Army store manager will retire after many years of service

Looking back at 1999, 43 Much has changed in Greenwood in the last 20 years

Agriculture, 49 Farmers and companies must deal with expected population increase

Greenwood’s look, 53 Observers speculate on what the city will look like in 20 years

Hank Reichle, 63 Staplcotn president-CEO is always pushing for improvement

Nancy Gaugh and Beverly Smith, 65 Cancer survivors help brighten the day for those at cancer center

United Portable Buildings, 69 Business is active and preparing for more opportunities

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Drake’s BBQ, 71 Restaurant owner wants customers to feel at home as they enjoy good food

Economic development, 74 Leaders are stressing cooperation among entities, work readiness

P.E.A.R.L.S., 79 Organization helps prepare teen girls for adulthood

Delta Irrigation, 83 Business offers a variety of items, such as irrigation supplies and engines

Dr. Andy Johnson, 87 Veterinarian stays busy with his practice and other activities, too

Teach for America and Mississippi Teacher Corps, 91 Participants in programs learn while teaching in Mississippi

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Publisher’s note T

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hose opening lines of the chart-topping 1968 song “In the Year 2525” have been stuck in my head for a couple of months now. I attribute the “earworm” by the one-hit wonder duo Zager and Evans not to any nostalgia for my youth but rather to the cover theme of this year’s Profile edition.

Our idea was to project into the future, not a half-millennium but just 20 years. That seemed both a doable exercise and far enough, considering how much has happened in the past 20.

Maybe every generation believes the world is changing faster than it can manage. It certainly feels, though, that the speed of transformation has been turned up several notches, what with the explosion of communications and commerce in the online universe, the outsourcing of jobs first overseas and now to robots, the gravitation of the population to urban centers.

This is a time of great challenge for the Delta, and Greenwood in particular. Can its decades-long loss of population be reversed? What will consolidation for the Greenwood and Leflore County school districts mean for public education? How will the workforce, historically built on muscle more than brainpower, adjust to the unstoppable drive toward automation? How will farming, a perpetual bedrock of the local economy, adapt to growing world demand for food and fiber without depleting the soil and water on which the enterprise depends?

Those are some of the questions we tried to answer by asking a number of bright and thoughtful people what they think Greenwood and their institutions or industries will be like in 2039. Their answers provide good rea-

On the cover

Staff Editor and Publisher Tim Kalich

Advertising Director Larry Alderman

Managing Editor Gavin Maliska

Advertising Sales Linda Bassie Kyle Thornhill Amy Pleasants

City Editor David Monroe

son for optimism, as they remind us of this community’s many attributes.

Greenwood is centrally located in the South, a region of the country that has been on a steadily upward trajectory. It has good highway access, a well-equipped airport and the advantage of being a stop for Amtrak. It covers the higher education bases, both in academics and in workforce training, with Mississippi Valley State University and Mississippi Delta Community College.

It’s been blessed with good leadership in government and in business. It has a track record of innovation and resilience. When the local economy suffers in one area, another seems to rise to pick up the slack. Most encouraging of all, it has some incredibly talented people, including a number of young adults who have chosen to buck the urban migration of their generation and instead embrace the family-friendly lifestyle and creative opportunities our small city offers.

For 33 years now, we have produced the Profile edition with the mission of accenting what works well in this community, not what doesn’t. It’s about accenting the positive, not by ignoring the difficulties Greenwood and the surrounding area face but by focusing on those individuals and organizations that are working to overcome them.

We appreciate all those who shared with us their thoughts and stories, so we could share them with you.

We especially appreciate those advertisers who support this project, our largest single journalism effort of the year. Without them, there would be no Profile edition.

In the year 2039, I hope to be around to see what Greenwood has become. But even if I’m not, this publication reinforces my confidence — and I hope yours — that it will continue to be a very special place. Ô qáã=h~äáÅÜ

Sports Editor Bill Burrus

Graphic Designers Demario Greer Anne Miles

Lifestyles Editor Ruthie Robison

Production Manager Ben Gilton

Staff Writer Gerard Edic

Circulation Manager Shirley Cooper

Contributors Johnny Jennings Susan Montgomery

Business Manager Nina Biles Editorial and business offices: P.O. Box 8050 329 U.S. 82 West Greenwood, MS 38935-8050 (662) 453-5312

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2019 Community Service Award Winner: Beth Stevens

Making service fun Chamber executive director still loves the job B

eth Stevens says she sees community service as an obligation, but it’s one she’s glad to take on.

Asked about her concept of service, the executive director of the Greenwood-Leflore County Chamber of Commerce cites the idea popularized by U.S. Rep. Shirley Chisholm and activist Marian Wright Edelman that it’s the “rent” we pay for living.

In Stevens’ case, that means helping to make the community more livable, fun, attractive and desirable and enriching the quality of life. Since she took the chamber job nearly 15 years ago, she has been striving to do all those things, and she says she still finds much satisfaction from the work.

“When I go home at night and I lay my head down on the pillow, I feel like I did something to better my community today, or I did something to better people’s lives today,” she said.

For that reason, she has been selected to receive the Commonwealth’s Community Service Award, presented annually in conjunction with the Profile edition. v v v

Henderson, 51, was born in Gore Springs, the daughter of Thomas and Natalie James.

“I frequently got taken to work with one or the other parent, so I got to see firsthand from a young age what hard work looked like and what service looked like,” she said.

She grew up in Bradford Chapel Baptist Church, at the crossJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJ roads of Grenada, “When I go home at night We b s t e r and I lay my head down on aC a l hn o u nd counties, the pillow, I feel like I did where her mother was something to better my music director. She said community today, or I did the adults something to better people’s there played a big part in her upbringlives today. ’’ ing, including her Beth Stevens grandmothJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJ er, Mary Ellen James, who taught her Sunday school.

“She had a way of telling Bible stories that just made sense to a 3-, 4- or 5-year-old,” Stevens said, “and she made the best tea cakes.”

She graduated from Kirk Academy in 1985 and went on to Mississippi State University, where she graduated in 1989 with a degree in public relations and journalism.

After marrying her first husband, Bill Henderson, who served in the military, she and her family moved to Pensacola, Florida; Corpus Christi, Texas; and Jacksonville, Florida, before returning to Mississippi and settling in Greenwood in 1994.

Terry Grantham, left, and Beth Stevens have been a good team at the Greenwood-Leflore County Chamber of Commerce since Stevens took over there nearly 15 years ago. “She’s been very, very good for the chamber and Greenwood,” Grantham said.

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Greenwood was a culture shock for someone who had grown up in the hills, and she didn’t know anybody initially. But she knew she loved being around others and wanted to immerse herself in the community. So she decided to put her writing skills to use and applied for a job at the Commonwealth. No newsroom positions were available, but she joined the staff in August 1994 as a receptionist, writing a few stories on the side.

When the lifestyles editor job came open soon after, she interviewed for it and was hired. The work proved to be a natural fit.

“What that job allowed me to do was to really get into the community,” she said. “I started learning about the people here, civic clubs, social functions, weddings, births, parties — anything social here in Greenwood or anything lifestyle-related. ... Having that first job at the newspaper really opened a lot of future doors for me.”

She also got involved with a number of organizations, including Altrusa International of Greenwood, the LeBonté Women’s Club and the Greenwood Garden Club. v v v

Then she got the chance to do something else that had sparked her interest.

From childhood, she had loved shopping, and she had fond memories of The Velveteen Rabbit, a children’s clothing and toy store in Tupelo with a magical atmosphere she likened to Cinderella’s castle at Disney World. So the idea of owning a retail store stayed in the back of her mind.

When she heard that the owner of The Plantation, a children’s clothing store on Park Avenue, was looking to sell, she decided in 1998 to go for it. “This was ready-built, ready-made for me to walk in the door, and I was going to be the most successful small-business owner ever,” she said.

She said the job was fun for a while, but then people became more interested in shopping out of town at locations such as The Gap, Target and Old Navy. The economy also took a downturn, affecting small businesses in general, and the overhead costs were high.

She eventually decided to close the store, but it served as a learning experience that she cites today when speaking to starry-eyed owners of small businesses.

“I love small-business entrepreneurs,” she said. “That’s the backbone of this community, and I think it’s the backbone of our country. But it’s not without its challenges, and you have to be prepared to have a long-term sustainability plan.”

She returned to the Commonwealth as lifestyles editor in May 2001, and she said stepping back into something familiar was helpful. She said she always preferred feel-good stories to hard-news reporting, although she did write some human-interest stories about the local angles of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and other topics. v v v

The chamber opportunity came up after Janice Moor, the organization’s executive vice president, opted to retire in 2003 and her successor left to devote more time to her family’s business.

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Anthony Ola, who was involved in the search process, said he wondered at first how the chamber could replace someone with Moor’s decades of experience. But he already knew Stevens from her work at the Commonwealth and in retail and saw she was self-motivated and willing to work hard.

“She just stood out as somebody who could handle the job,” he said.

Sometimes people become complacent after they hold a job for a long time, but Stevens has continued to bring ideas for improving the chamber, Ola said. He also has been impressed by her willingness to visit retailers and ask how the chamber can help.

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Freda Maxey, a mutual friend and former Commonwealth co-worker, told Charles Wright, who was chamber vice president, that Stevens would be good for the chamber job and urged her to interview.

Stevens remembers the day of the interview, when she sat at the end of a long table with chamber and business leaders, including Anthony Ola, Steve Lary, Gene Stansel, Clyde Manning and others. It was intimidating, she said — “almost like a firing squad” — but she was prepared.

“I sold them on the fact that I knew this community,” she said. “I sold them on the fact that I worked at the newspaper not once but twice and that I knew everybody here. ‘I’ve covered everything that the Chamber of Commerce has ever possibly done in this community through my job as the lifestyles editor. And, oh, by the way, I have two small children who are growing up here, so I have a vested inter-

est in this community. Oh, and by the way, I’ve been a small-business owner, so I get the whole business thing.’

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Stevens found she had a lot to learn about the chamber’s inner workings, and Moor and Maxey helped with that. But after a few months, Stevens took over and had a chance to put her stamp on the place. She said her organizational skills helped her handle the job’s many duties.

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John Pittman Richard Beattie Aubrey Whittington The Rev. Milton Glass Barbara Biggers Bill Crump Dr. John Fair Lucas III Belva Pleasants Dale Persons Alix H. Sanders Dr. V.K. Chawla Dr. Alfio Rausa William Ware Hank Hodges Allan Hammons

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Mary Ann Shaw The Rev. Calvin Collins Joe Seawright Fred Carl Jr. Donnie Brock Pann Powers Janice Moor William Sutton Charles Deaton Alex Malouf Irvin Whittaker Harold Smith Charles Bowman Howard Evans Aven Whittington

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“I think someone once said you can never multitask because it’s impossible to do more than one thing at one time,” she said, “but I beg to differ, because we do a lot of it over here.”

The 300 Oaks Road Race and other chamber events were already in good shape because they have been established for so long. But her first big test was planning the chamber’s annual meeting, which featured the induction of Oscarwinning actor Morgan Freeman into the Leflore County Hall of Fame.

“My first annual meeting was a thousand people, Morgan Freeman, the governor, and I was completely overwhelmed,” Stevens said. “That was nine months into my job. ... I thought, ‘If I can survive this, I can do anything.’”

She survived.

“I’m a problem solver by nature. I love a challenge. I love having things thrown at me, and it’s kind of a game to me to figure out a quick solution on how we can resolve this and maybe even turn it into something positive. ’’ Beth Stevens

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The chamber was in good financial condition, with money set aside for later endeavors such as building renovations.

Moor had also briefed Stevens on the people she could go to for help. “She was brilliant at helping me navigate the human factor,” Stevens said. “And for that I am forever grateful for her.”

But Stevens saw that the chamber had some needs. It needed a website and a better member management system; now it has them. The building needed to be upgraded, and it has been.

“Short of tearing the building down and starting over, we’ve pretty much taken the inside and transformed it,” Stevens said.

She also has found ways to improve the chamber’s efficiency.

“I’m a problem solver by nature,” she said. “I love a challenge. I love having things thrown at me, and it’s kind of a game to me to figure out a quick solution on how we can resolve this and maybe even turn it into something positive.”

She’s also not afraid to change something that has been in place for many years if it’s no longer effective. “A lot of people don’t like change,” she said. “I don’t mind change. I don’t mind saying, ‘OK, that’s not working for us anymore; let’s quit doing it.’”

Terry Grantham, the chamber’s office manager, who is in her 20th year there, said she had known Stevens for a while before Stevens took the job and thought she was a good choice.

“She has brought a lot to this place — a lot of good ideas, a lot of updating, just a lot of changes in our technology,” Grantham said. “She’s really been innovative in trying to bring the chamber up to speed. .... She’s been very, very good for the chamber and Greenwood.”

Angela Curry, executive director of the Greenwood-Leflore-Carroll Economic Development Foundation, said the chamber “didn’t miss a beat” when Stevens took over: “She was able to bring a new, modern approach to the way we do things here, from a community perspective.”

Curry said Stevens brings a variety of talents to the job.

“Beth is a great co-worker and friend,” said Curry, whose organization is headquartered in the same building as the chamber. “We collaborate on a lot of projects here at the chamber. She’s a really great organizer, a very versatile person.”

Curry, who also lives near Stevens, said

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“She shares vegetables with me,” Curry said. “She’ll come knocking on my door: ‘I have a bag of tomatoes; would you like some?’” v v v

Stevens said she still enjoys her job.

“It’s hard work, but it’s a lot of fun. I like to have fun — and the more I do it, the more I love it. I haven’t gotten to that burnout phase yet,” she said.

From the beginning, she has had the goal of having every Greenwood business as a chamber member. It’s an ambitious mark to set, but the chamber has made great progress in that area, she said. Then there’s the challenge of keeping the organization fresh and relevant and getting more young people involved in it.

As time-consuming as the job is, Stevens also stays active in other community efforts.

She is an active member of North Greenwood Baptist Church, where she teaches Sunday school and is a member of the choir and praise team. She has many friends there whom she can call for help,

and the church keeps her grounded in her faith, she said.

“That’s so critical, especially today,” she said. “It’s given me a place to raise my kids in a safe, Christian environment where they got good positive leadership influences in their lives.”

Her pastor, the Rev. Dr. Jim Phillips, said Stevens has always brought a cheerful disposition to the church and made the

effort to greet and welcome others.

He said she has displayed “a great serving spirit,” participating in a number of adult groups, speaking to senior adults and helping in other ways.

“Anywhere she’s needed, she’s been there,” he said. “We’re grateful for her.”

She is a member of the Greenwood Rotary Club, the Greenwood Career and Technical Center Advisory Committee, the Extension Service Advisory Council, and the boards of Main Street Greenwood and the Museum of the Mississippi Delta.

She and her husband, Glen, also comanage the Downtown Greenwood Farmers Market, which has become a popular gathering place on Saturday mornings from May to October for people wanting to buy fresh produce or just visit.

She said it’s a chance to use her creative energies in a new way and see people of different ages, races and backgrounds interact.

“I love the farmers market,” said Stevens, who also enjoys growing heirloom tomatoes and other crops with her husband. “I love that whole concept for a community. I think it’s just another element of quality of life.”

Her son, Wade, lives in Greenwood and is a private pilot; her daughter, Molly, lives in Nashville, Tennessee, and works for a health-care company.

Stevens knows people move from job to job more frequently these days, but when she took the chamber position, she envisioned doing it for a long time — and that’s still true today.

“Could I see myself doing this job until I retire? Sure — as long as my board likes me and wants to keep me,” she said. n _ÉíÜ=píÉîÉåë ëéÉ~âë=ÇìêáåÖ=íÜÉ jáëëáëëáééá bÅçåçãáÅ `çìåÅáäÛë=íçìê=ëíçé áå=dêÉÉåïççÇ=áå OMNTK=líÜÉê=é~åJ Éäáëíë=áåÅäìÇÉÇI Ñêçã=äÉÑíI=^åÖÉä~ `ìêêóI=ÉñÉÅìíáîÉ ÇáêÉÅíçê=çÑ=íÜÉ dêÉÉåïççÇJiÉÑäçêÉJ `~êêçää=bÅçåçãáÅ aÉîÉäçéãÉåí cçìåÇ~íáçåX=~åÇ dêÉÉåïççÇ=j~óçê `~êçäóå=jÅ^Ç~ãëK

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Young Couples in Greenwood

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Making a home Small-town life has special appeal

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cêçã=äÉÑíI=aêK=o~ÅÜ~ÉäI=o~åÇäÉI=oó~å=~åÇ=a~ååó=c~ìÖÜí=ã~ÇÉ=dêÉÉåïççÇ=íÜÉáê=ÜçãÉ=áå=OMNSK=o~ÅÜ~Éä=áë=Ñêçã=íÜÉ=~êÉ~=Äìí=Ü~ÇåÛí=äáîÉÇ=áå=dêÉÉåïççÇ=ëáåÅÉ=ÖçáåÖ=çÑÑ=íç=ÅçäJ äÉÖÉK=pÜÉ=~åÇ=ÜÉê=ÜìëÄ~åÇ=ÇÉÅáÇÉÇ=íç=ãçîÉ=íç=ÜÉê=ÜçãÉíçïå=ïÜÉå=ëÜÉ=ï~ë=çÑÑÉêÉÇ=~=àçÄ=~í=dêÉÉåïççÇ=iÉÑäçêÉ=eçëéáí~ä=~ë=~=éìäãçåçäçÖáëí=~åÇ=áåíÉåëáîáëíK reenwood might not have the flashy attractions of a metropolitan area, but it does have many attributes that attract young professionals who decide to settle down and make it their home.

Being a smaller city, Greenwood offers easy and quick access to places, such as the grocery store, doctor’s office or dry cleaners.

It also offers more amenities than most small towns, including a variety of highquality restaurants, a cooking school, an independent bookstore, live music venues, a large summertime farmers market and a walkable downtown.

“I’ve said this since we got here: ‘Small town living is for me,’” said Dr. Rachael Faught. “I love having a sense of commu-

nity.”

Faught and her husband, Danny, moved to Greenwood in 2016. For Rachael, it was a homecoming. She was 2 months old when her parents, Dr. Randy and Marilyn White, moved to Greenwood.

“So I grew up here my whole life until I left to go to Mississippi State,” said the 36year-old physician.

Rachael attended Pillow Academy from grades K-12 and said she enjoyed her childhood in a small town.

“I was very comfortable growing up. I enjoyed going to school for years and years with the same people.”

At Mississippi State, Rachael met Danny, who is also a small-town native, and they began dating.

“I grew up in Greensboro, Alabama,

which is a town even smaller than Greenwood,” said Danny, 35, who works for the state Department of Revenue.

Danny said he graduated high school with about 30 people whom he had known since elementary school.

After they received their bachelor’s degrees, Rachael began medical school in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and Danny moved to Mobile, Alabama, for a job.

Both got a taste of living in places a lot bigger than their hometowns.

“That was the first time I had really lived in a big city, and I really loved it, but the whole time I was there I knew it wasn’t home,” said Rachael. “I knew I would not stay in South Florida forever.”

The couple married in 2010. They now have two children: Randle, 5, and Ryan, 3.

After Rachael completed medical school, the Faughts moved to Jackson, where Rachael began her residency and fellowship. They lived in the Jackson area for six years. Toward the end of Rachael’s residency and fellowship, she began interviewing for a position as a pulmonologist and intensivist at different hospitals.

“Everywhere that we looked at needed a pulmonologist and intensivist, but everywhere we looked already had somebody there,” said Rachael. “I felt like the need here was greater than everywhere else we looked.”

At the time, Greenwood had only a part-time pulmonologist.

There were several factors that sold the Faughts on moving to Greenwood, but one stood out the most for Rachael.

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bãáäó=oçìëÜJbääáçíí=~åÇ=ÜÉê=ÜìëÄ~åÇI=oáÅÜ~êÇ=bääáçííI=ëí~åÇ=çìíëáÇÉ=ÄÉÜáåÇ=íÜÉáê=ÄìëáåÉëëI=aÉäí~=aÉëáÖå=_ìáäÇ=tçêâëÜçéI=çå=j~áå=píêÉÉí=ïáíÜ=íÜÉáê=ÇçÖI=eìÅâäÉÄÉêêóK=qÜÉ=ÅçìJ éäÉ=ãçîÉÇ=íç=dêÉÉåïççÇ=Ñêçã=`áåÅáåå~íá=~=äáííäÉ=ãçêÉ=íÜ~å=ëáñ=óÉ~êë=~ÖçK “Just in the interview process, I felt like being in Greenwood and being at Greenwood Leflore Hospital was going to be the best opportunity for me to be a doctor and a mom,” she said.

With two young children, she also knew living a few blocks away from her parents and just about a mile from the hospital would be helpful.

“In my line of work, there are emergency situations, so I can get there very quickly,” said Rachael.

For the Faughts, the pros of Greenwood far outweighed any cons.

“We looked at several places and thought about where we might move to or staying in the Jackson area,” said Danny.

“We weighed the options, and we thought moving here was going to be the best for us and our family.”

For Danny, who got into duck hunting about 13 years ago, living in Greenwood had another benefit.

“When we were thinking about moving here, my first thought was, ‘That’s great. I would go from a two-hour drive to my hunting club to now I’m 10 minutes away,’” he said.

The Faughts say their social life has tripled since the relocation.

In Jackson, according to Danny, the couple would see friends “every once in a while.” But in Greenwood, he said, “hardly a week goes by that we are not going out to dinner with somebody or hanging out with friends.” v v v

Emily Roush-Elliott and her husband, Richard Elliott, moved to Greenwood about six years ago. The couple came from Cincinnati, where Emily completed a Master of Architecture degree at the University of Cincinnati and Richard was the director of a nonprofit.

Emily, 34, is a native of Hillsboro, Ohio, and Richard, 38, is from LaFayette, Alabama.

The Elliotts were not familiar with Greenwood until Emily, a social impact architect, applied for a three-year Enterprise Rose Fellowship working on a project to revitalize Baptist Town, hosted by the Greenwood-Leflore-Carroll Economic Development Foundation and the Carl Small Town Center of the School of Architecture at Mississippi State.

“I wanted this job incredibly both for the local opportunities and the national network that it builds, and I think it exceeded all expectations,” said Emily.

Before accepting the fellowship, Emily and Richard drove to Greenwood and spent a few days learning about the area.

“I feel like I could live anywhere if there’s work that I feel passionate about,” said Richard. “With the work plan and the partnerships that had already been put together here, it felt like, ‘OK, it just needs people to put it into place to make it happen.’”

The couple lived downtown their first five years.

“I was amazed in a lot of ways how walkable downtown was,” said Emily.

The couple also moved to Greenwood during a time when it was adding more amenities that appeal to millennials.

“We came at an interesting time in the development in Greenwood — Rail Spike Park, the Yazoo River Trail, a recycling program,” said Richard. “Those things were already happening, and it wasn’t like you were having to create all that yourself.”

Richard, who has a Master of Design Build from Auburn University, worked with Emily in Baptist Town and also started a construction business in 2014, Design Build Solutions.

After Emily completed her fellowship, the couple decided to remain in Greenwood.

“I always felt like I owed it to that fellowship to stay and spend some time beyond what they paid for,” she said. “We are very much driven by our work and what we do. ... There was obviously so much need in terms of quality of housing.”

The couple started Delta Design Build Workshop, which includes both their architecture and construction businesses.

They have a full-time staff of eight and host an Enterprise Rose Fellow. The business is housed at 209 Main St. “We just keep growing and growing every year, and the potential keeps growing,” said Emily. “I don’t know if I could have predicted that when we first came here.”

Delta Design Build works with small municipalities, low-wealth households and nonprofits.

The Elliotts had considered making Delta Design Build a nonprofit in the beginning but found that staying a forprofit business allowed them some flexibility to take on projects with private clients they enjoy while working with nonprofits, such as Hope Credit Union.

“So the work we imagined doing seems to happen the most effectively in partnership with other people with the same goals, but they are approaching it from a different perspective,” said Emily.

What brought the couple to Greenwood — their work — is also what keeps them here.

“There feels like such a need to be here,” Emily said. “There isn’t anywhere else in the world that I could go that I would feel I was doing as important of work as I feel like we’re doing here.”

The couple say that Greenwood has felt like home for a few years now.

“I get really committed to places,” said Richard. “For me, it’s people. ... You get to know people and you want to not only just help them but you form these relationships.”

Richard and Emily reside in Teoc with their dog, a Labrador mix named Huckleberry.

“I feel like we’re staying here and having a great time, so we keep having deeper roots here,” said Emily. “I’m surprised it’s been this long. I knew we’d stay some amount of time, but I probably wouldn’t have guessed six years later we would be more enveloped in Greenwood than ever.”n

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We’re proud to announce Leflore County is now a Certified Work Ready Community.

When businesses must focus on cutting costs, and good jobs are harder to find, communities that use industry-recognized skills credentials to improve their workforce have the advantage.

Across the nation, ACT Work Ready Communities are improving the skills and work readiness of the workforce while giving area businesses an efficient, reliable way to identify skilled job candidates.

Key to the ACT Work Ready Communities initiative is the ACT National Career Readiness Certificate® (ACT NCRC®), which is designed to measure and close skills gaps among workers and job seekers. The ACT NCRC is a portable, evidence-based credential that certifies essential skills needed for workplace success—reading for information, applied mathematics, and locating information.

We’re proud to be an ACT Work Ready Community with a total of 661 certificated workers.

For more information about being a part of our ACT Work Ready Communities effort, contact Angela Curry at 662-453-5321 or angcur@glcedf.com / P.O. Box 26 / Greenwood, MS 38930

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Mike Rozier Construction

Builder still busy Head of company stepping back, not down M

ike Rozier doesn’t want anyone to think he’s retiring or moving toward retirement, even after 43 years in the construction business, with two highly capable sons — Craig in Greenwood and Michael in Hattiesburg — in positions of responsibility and authority, with the project that will rebuild and expand the company’s headquarters near completion, and with some new staff coming onboard to fill the new space, including a new chief financial officer.

Rozier has been in a building at 10474 U.S. 82 East since he started Mike Rozier Construction Co. in 1975, specializing in commercial construction and real estate development, including industrial buildings, churches, retail buildings and offices.

Mike Rozier Construction has been a preferred developer for Dollar General for 22 years, and in that time has built more than 400 Dollar General stores in Mississippi, Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky and Alabama, making up a large majority of the construction company’s business.

The company has seen an increase in development-related work that is negotiated, along with bid work. Rozier has served many retail clients in his “buildto-suit” business.

Rozier moved to Greenwood when he was 6 years old and moved to Carroll County about 30 years ago. He graduated from Leflore County High School and Mississippi Delta Community College.

He started in the construction business working for his grandfather, A.M. Belk, a home builder. After he finished school, Rozier went to work with his father and brother in an overhead door business for a couple of years before stepping out on his own.

Son Michael runs the company’s operations in Hattiesburg, where they’ve had offices for 20 years, and takes care of development projects across the southern part of the United States. Son Craig takes on development projects from the Greenwood office. Besides his sons, brother Ronnie, nephew Matthew Rozier and son-in-law Michael Goss are in the business, too.

“This is our 43rd year in business,” Rozier said. “We have begun the process of transitioning more responsibility to Craig and Michael, and I began to ease back a little bit.

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“I’m not ready to retire. I enjoy working too much. ’’ Mike Rozier

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“I’m not ready to retire. I enjoy working too much. But shifting more responsibility to Craig and Michael so they’re more involved in the day-to-day activity and I kind of come to the background a

little bit.”

Is that difficult to do? “I’m learning,” he said. “I’m learning.”

Major renovations to the company’s offices will give the company more space, individual offices for all employees, a conference room and a general dressing up of a building that is more than 40 years old.

“It’s going to be much more functional than we have,” Rozier said. The project was started in December and was expected to be finished by midFebruary. If that sounds like an aggres-

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sive timeline, Rozier remembers building a Dollar General store in West Memphis, Arkansas, in only 32 days.

“We had a certain date that we had to turn the store over,” he said. “The weather was so bad that once we got a break and could go to work, we were down to about 35 days left to turn it over. It worked. We did it.”

And as he walked through the offices under construction, he came to an office he identified as his.

“It’s been a good ride for 43 years,” he said. n

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Barbershops

Cuts and conversation Shops are places to speak your mind, get advice

I

açïåíçïå=hìíë=Ä~êÄÉê=^åíçåáç=gçåÉë=Åìíë=íÜÉ=Ü~áê=çÑ=w~ÛaÉêáë=_ççåÉK f there’s one place that continues to be a sanctuary for African-American men, it is the barbershop.

A source for camaraderie and candid conversations, the black barbershop’s influence and legacy has been cemented in pop culture.

The 2002 comedy _~êÄÉêëÜçéI=starring Ice Cube and other notable black actors, revealed to a mass audience the communal importance of what barbershops offer African-Americans.

And, most recently, basketball star LeBron James’ “The Shop” on HBO,

details for viewers the intimate conversations that can take place in the barbershop as James interviews fellow celebrities, ranging from rappers to athletes.

Greenwood has its own storied tradition of barbershops, says Sylvester Hoover, who co-owns Hoover’s Grocery in Baptist Town, with his wife, Mary. Hoover is also a local expert on blues music and black history.

“Barbershops here seem like the gathering point for black people to express their political views,” Hoover said. People “always talk about political stuff, what’s

good, what’s bad.”

During the days of segregation, there was liberating for a black person to patronize black-owned business, in many cases a barbershop, where they could “express their own point of view without repercussion,” Hoover said. Plantation workers would stop by barbershops, revealing to fellow patrons their intention of skipping town, and therefore their job, a risky venture considering how many plantation workers were indebted to the owners of the plantations where they worked, Hoover said.

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v v v

Depending on the source and publication you read, the barbershop may or may not be on a decline. Black barbershops, in particular, are “alive and well in black communities,” the Houston Chronicle reported in 2016, going on to state “it serves a key role in the lives of black men.”

The same holds true in Greenwood, where, according to Hoover, at least 10 barbershops exist to serve black men.

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aêÉ~ã=qÉ~ã=Ä~êÄÉê=háãéÉëí=píêÉÉíÉêI=äÉÑíI=í~äâë=ïáíÜ=çåÉ=çÑ=aêÉ~ã=qÉ~ãÛë=çíÜÉê=Ä~êÄÉêëI=hÉîáå=g~ÅâëçåI=êáÖÜíI=ïÜáäÉ=ÖáîáåÖ=~=Ü~áêÅìí=íç=`ä~êÉåÅÉ=ióãçåK= Rodracus Terry is the owner, as well as one of four barbers, at Downtown Kuts on Lamar Street next to the Crystal Grill.

Inside the shop is a bulletin board, where on the right side, in dry erase marker is written, “We Support Black Business.” On the left, patrons are able to pin up their business cards.

When he was 13 and unable to find a barber, Terry decided to cut his own hair using a set of clippers given to him by his cousin.

“One of my friends, he was like, ‘Who cut your hair?’ I said I cut my own hair.

And he was, ‘Man, will you cut my hair?’

And I said, ‘Yeah, no problem.’”

By then word of mouth spread about Terry giving haircuts. His hobby soon grew into a sideline, where Terry would cut people’s hair at his barbershop during the night after working at Viking Range as a machine operator during the day.

In 2015, Terry left Viking to work at his barbershop full time, from 9 in the morning to around 9 at night, Monday through Friday. The hours, however, can fluctuate, Terry said.

The connection a barber shares with a client straddles friendship and a professional distance.

“You have a relationship with them without having a relationship with them,” Terry said.

The job of the barber is not simply to cut hair but to also hear people’s problems and offer advice. In a sense, it’s like being

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a therapist. Or, as Terry puts it, “It’s like being a bartender but using clippers.”

Clients lament relationship, financial and family problems, to name a few topics, to their barbers, who listen and may even provide advice.

On any given week, Terry and his fellow barbers serve up to 40 to 50 clients, with a good chunk of these clients being regular customers.

For these regulars, Terry estimates that they may pay up to $80 a month in haircuts, describing their cuts as a part of their regular bills.

Antonio Jones, a barber at Downtown Kuts, describes his job as a higher calling.

“I get joy out of helping people boost their self-esteem. I take pride in knowing that a person thinks and looks awesome and I had a hand in it.”

Like Terry, Jones began cutting his own hair. He had grown tired of the haircuts his mother gave him as a child.

Jones sees his role through a ministerial and psychiatric lens: “I’m able to minister to people through service, the service of my hands.”

Children are also important patrons of the barbershop, with Downtown Kuts serving 10 to 15 children a day, according to Terry. For Jones, barbers can act as the children’s psychiatrists.

Like the adult clients, a child can bring their own litany of problems, such as school grades.

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It’s not uncommon for children to swing by the barbershop simply to do their homework, according to Jones. v v v

On Sycamore Avenue, behind Church’s Chicken, is the Dream Team Barbershop.

The barbershop has been owned and operated for three years by Kevin

Jackson, Kimpest Streeter and Cle Williams, who have decades of experience between them. There are three chairs, one for each barber.

The three men have known each other since their years cutting hair together at the Backstreet Barbershop on Main Street.

“We’ve worked together so long. We blend in good. We’ve all got our own little

thing that we do,” Streeter said of the barbershop he operates along with Jackson and Williams.

For Williams, it’s always been “a barber’s dream to have his own barbershop,” and he is grateful for the current opportunity he shares with his friends.

With 33 years of cutting hair, Williams has the most experience out of the trio. He has a flair for haircutting, stating his goal is to be “better than the others.” He dismisses anyone who thinks the job of a barber is simple.

“This is a skills job,” Williams said.

“Anyone can do it. but you got to have skills to be able to do it.” He listed affability, steady hands, concentration and patience as some of the needed attributes.

Similar to the barbers of Downtown Kuts, the Dream Team barbers espouse the significance of giving more than just a haircut.

“When customers get out of the chair and look at themselves – it’s confidence building,” Jackson said.

Streeter describes their barbershop as a men’s club, where one can get a haircut, talk sports, shares jokes and laugh.

Kids are also welcome, Streeter said.

“For the kids, we try to keep them out of trouble,” by offering them counseling and mentoring.

According to Jackson, a “lot of boys learn how to be men at barbershops.”

“A lot of men, too,” Cle added.n

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Ben and Caleb Cox

Big dreams, big plans Restaurant owners optimistic about Greenwood B

rothers Ben and Caleb Cox of Greenwood never sit still for very long. They’re a study in perpetual motion — so much to do and so little time.

Owners of two restaurants and a catering service (and former owners of a snow cone stand), the 20-somethings have been working since they were children and see an even more demanding future ahead in both Greenwood and points beyond.

Caleb, 22, whose cooking at age 14 was the subject of the cover story in the Spring 2011 issue of the Commonwealth’s magazine, Leflore Illustrated, said he’s been working since he was a child, winning first prize for his barbecue sauce at age 9 in a competition in Coffeeville.

“I ‘worked’ at Webster’s when I was 9 years old,” Caleb said. “I did just about everything and learned that I liked the business. (Webster’s JJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJ owner) Matt Gnemi took me under his wing, “We believe we are so I blame him,” he said with a smile. “And the in the hospitality Chawlas gave both of us (Caleb and Ben) opporbusiness. We’re not tunities to work with them” in the hospitality just restaurants. field. But he always knew he wanted to do We like to make our this work for himself.

“I knew I couldn’t officustomers happy. ’’ cially work when I was that young or open my Ben Cox own restaurant, but I JJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJ could cook and sell and deliver food to customers’ houses,” Caleb said. And that’s what he did, barbecuing mostly Boston butts, a pork shoulder cut that makes great pulled-pork barbecue, and delivering to his growing customer base. The brothers still do catering on holidays, including smoked turkeys for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Like sponges, the Cox brothers soaked up everything they could learn while going to school, working and participating in organizations such as 4-H and Scouting, especially, for Ben, Eagle Scouting. Ben and Caleb agreed 4-H sparked their entrepreneurial spirit and made them eager to work for themselves. Caleb advanced his skills and passion for cooking through activities offered by 4-H, and being an Eagle Scout helped Ben develop an impressive sense of responsibility and maturity.

Their mom and dad, Denise and Wayne Cox, have been their biggest champions since the brothers were boys growing up in Carrollton. The couple both worked for Viking Range Corp., and Mr. Cox still does; Mrs. Cox is with the accounting firm of Taylor, Powell, Wilson & Hartford.

“It takes supportive parents for us to be able to go out and do these kinds of things,” said Ben, 28.

Along the way, nothing has been wasted. Every experience and piece of information are categorized and compartmentalized in their memory for future access.

Everything the Coxes learn becomes potential source _Éå=`çñI=äÉÑíI=~åÇ=Üáë=ÄêçíÜÉêI=`~äÉÄI=ëí~åÇ=áå=Ñêçåí=çÑ=pí~íáçå=OOOI=íÜÉáê=êÉëí~ìê~åí=~í=OOO=eçï~êÇ=píK material that later may shape an opinion, help build a pqlov=_v=gl=^if`b=a^oabk=n melqlp=_v=d^sfk=j^ifph^=^ka=^kav=il

í~ ~í

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_ó=íÜÉ=_êáÇÖÉ=_áëíêç=çå=tÉëí=`ä~áÄçêåÉ=^îÉåìÉ=ã~ó=äççâ=ìå~ëëìãáåÖI=Äìí=ïÜÉå=íÜÉ=éáíë=~êÉ=ëãçâáåÖI=áíÛë=åÉ~êäó=áãéçëëáÄäÉ=íç=ÇêáîÉ=Äó=ïáíÜçìí=ëíçééáåÖ=áå=Ñçê=ëçãÉ=ëïÉÉí ~åÇ=í~åÖó=Ä~êÄÉÅìÉK= recipe or form the basis for a business direction.

A snow cone stand was a crucial early test for the brothers.

“We opened Delta Snow to see if we could work together,” Caleb said, “to see if Greenwood would support us and if there was enough traffic.”

“So for two and a half years, starting when we were 18 and 22, both of us worked in a space that was 11 feet square,” Ben said, laughing at the memory. The stand was just west of Grand Boulevard on West Claiborne, near Keesler Bridge.

The brothers built the business up to between 300 and 400 people a day. The process of developing clientele wasn’t centered only on numbers, though.

“We built relationships with our customers,” Ben said. That was the secret sauce. Customers with whom you build relationships in one place tend to follow you where you go next. That would be important: As they were serving snow cones and building relationships, Ben and Caleb were patiently planning their next venture. v v v

For about a year and a half, while they operated the snow cone business, the brothers had their collective eye on a nearby storefront, where they wanted to open a casual lunchtime restaurant, Caleb explained.

“We got to watch ourselves grow and learn from our mistakes,” Ben said. “We knew if we were going to live in Greenwood, we were going to have to be in business for ourselves.”

The taste of entrepreneurship that Delta Snow had offered was too tantalizing; the Coxes knew they would be business owners, not employees. They had aced that test.

bread for a hearty sandwich. It can also be bought in bulk to take home from the Bistro’s refrigerator, as can other items.

And don’t be surprised if the vehicle you’re driving does a 180 on its own if it passes the Bistro when Ben is in the front parking lot smoking and barbecuing.

“The smell is addicting,” Ben said. “We rely on that!”

By the Bridge Bistro is open from 10:30 a.m. until 3 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. v v v

pí~íáçå=OOO=çÑÑÉêë=ëíÉ~âëI=ëÉ~ÑççÇ=~åÇ=é~ëí~ë=íÜ~í=Çê~ï=éÉçéäÉ=íç=íÜÉ=aÉäí~=Ñêçã=~ää çîÉê=íÜÉ=ïçêäÇK A little local marketing research, along with some strong instincts, led the brothers to decide that to differentiate their new restaurant from others in the area, the one kind of food they would not offer when their new place, called By the Bridge Bistro, opened in November 2016 was fried.

“Greenwood needed us,” Ben said. “We wanted to offer keto-friendly (low-carbohydrate), healthier fare than restaurants traditionally offer here. We found a niche.

Everybody has fried foods, but we opted not to. There’s no fryer here.”

What the Bistro does offer, Caleb said, is a clean, simple lunch. Menu items include soups, salads, sandwiches, wraps and barbecue.

Taco soup is the house soup, and it’s always available; there may be other pots simmering, as well. Ingredients for all the

dishes are fresh and as locally sourced as possible; Chef Caleb said they shop the Farmers Market in downtown Greenwood when it’s open and Greenwood Market Place.

“We get everything we can locally before we go anywhere else,” Caleb said.

The exception is their breads, which come from a bakery in New Orleans.

The chef will sometimes try out different iterations of a recipe he’s perfecting — the chicken salad, for example.

“That was an off-the-menu hidden special until I got it right,” Caleb said.

The process took about a year, but the result was worth the wait. This creamy salad is made with all-fresh, never-frozen, no-antibiotics chicken and other fresh ingredients, including grapes, that combine to create a mildly sweet flavor that can be partnered with a wrap or fresh

For their next venture, Ben and Caleb chose a stretch — an upscale restaurant on Howard Street in downtown Greenwood. Patient, analytical and methodical, the Cox brothers, along with some investors, opened a restaurant in a place where a lot of history has been made.

The building is on the Mississippi Blues Trail. It was once the site of WGRM, the radio station where African-American gospel groups performed live on Sunday mornings in the 1930s and 1940s; one of those groups included the man who would eventually become known as B.B. King. Later, the building housed retail stores and, more recently, a couple of restaurants.

Station 222’s vibe is sophisticated, from the décor to the menu (and even the stunning restroom sinks, which are worth a trip just to check them out). Exposed brick from prior businesses, dramatic lighting, crisp white linens and a gleaming and generously stocked bar encourage customers to just relax and enjoy.

“We have learned so much from our partners,” Ben said. “They have a wealth of knowledge about the financial aspects of operating a restaurant, and we’re just soaking it all up.”

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WORSHIP “For as in one body we have many members, and not all the members have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another.”

Romans 12:4-5

We invite you to join us on Sundays and Wednesdays as we seek to learn, sing, worship and grow in our relationship with Jesus Christ.

Each Sunday we broadcast our 11 a.m. worship service live on our website for those not able to be with us in person.

300 Main Street • 662-453-4680 • fpcgreenwood.org

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`êáëéI=ÅäÉ~å=ïÜáíÉ=í~ÄäÉ=äáåÉåë=~åÇ=~=ëé~ÅÉ=ëìêêçìåÇÉÇ=Äó=çäÇ=ÉñéçëÉÇ=ÄêáÅâ=~åÇ=Öä~ëë=ïçêâ=íçÖÉíÜÉê=íç=ÅêÉ~íÉ=~=ëçéÜáëíáÅ~íÉÇI=êÉä~ñÉÇ=~íãçëéÜÉêÉ=~í=pí~íáçå=OOOK Caleb agreed. “It’s good to be associated with people who get us.”

The menu is packed with items that people come from all over to enjoy in the Delta — steaks, seafood, pastas, again, fresh and as locally sourced as possible — and the accompanying sauces and dressings are homemade.

Open in August 2018 for dinner only (4 to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 4 to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday), Station 222 has recently started serving lunch, drawing in both tourists and businesspeople who work in downtown Greenwood.

As with just about everything else the Cox brothers do, the decision to expand was not an accident. It was forward-looking, with the hope of making a little of their own history. v v v

“We believe we are in the hospitality business,” Ben said. “We’re not just restaurants. We like to make our customers happy.” He said one of the most enjoyable aspects of operating the Bistro is talking with customers every day, getting to know them, building relationships and listening to their suggestions.

The Coxes are a couple of Greenwood’s biggest cheerleaders.

“The Delta is coming back,” Caleb said.

“Our goal is to get as much going on in downtown Greenwood as possible.

Brantley (Snipes, executive director of Main Street Greenwood) has done a great job with grants and incentives for new businesses to open in downtown spaces.

And Danielle (Morgan, executive director of the Convention and Visitors Bureau) is bringing tourists here from all over. The (Greenwood-Leflore County) Chamber (of Commerce) and the CVB and Main Street all help businesses with their marketing. Tourism is the new industry to invest in. Good food is a byproduct.”

“Tourism is where the money is now,” Ben said.

The brothers, both of whom serve on the Main Street “Que Taste Force,” cited the growth in the Que on the Yazoo celebration of everything barbecue as evidence of the big draw of tourists.

“There were seven barbecue teams the first year,” said Caleb, “and now we have 50 or 60 teams in two categories — barbecue and steak competitions. It gets bigger every year.”

European tourists seem especially enthusiastic about what Greenwood and the Delta have to offer in the way of food and music, especially any blues-related experience.

“They used to do Nashville and Memphis, and they might stop in Greenwood for lunch before they get back

on the road to New Orleans,” Caleb said.

“Now they stop and stay a while because we have so much more to offer.” He mentioned the Mississippi Blues Trail and the Museum of the Mississippi Delta as examples in addition to all the great food that Greenwood offers.

“Greenwood has supported us through all our learning experiences,” Ben said.

“We believe Greenwood’s best days are ahead.” v v v

“We still have a long way to go,” Ben said. “My dream is to have one restaurant in every state — not a chain, but each one unique and independent.”

He’d also like to open quite a few more lunch places, maybe one a year.

Caleb wants to offer restaurant experiences, he said — a very high-end restaurant, for example, or a restaurant with a dinner show attraction.

Travel is one of the ways Ben and Caleb learn how they can enhance their business.

“The way we operate is to work about 30 days and then take off four or five days at a time and travel, if we can, on those off-days,” Ben said. “We enjoy being in other people’s restaurants and learning from their owners, kind of like secret talk in the business,” he laughed.

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“(European tourists) used to do Nashville and Memphis, and they might stop in Greenwood for lunch before they get back on the road to New Orleans. Now they stop and stay a while because we have so much more to offer. ’’ Caleb Cox

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Travel is solo, of course, or with friends; only one of the brothers can be gone at a time. Even when both are in town and working, they schedule their time so that one of them is always on site to open and to close their restaurants.

“The work never stops,” Caleb said. “We never get ahead. It’s a great business to be in, but if you’re not willing to clean the trash cans as well as sign the checks, you need to find something else to do.”

“There’s no clocking out for us,” Ben said, “but that’s how we like it.”n

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North Sunflower Medical Center

Feel better, look better MedSpa offers a variety of treatments

A

one-stop body shop in downtown Ruleville aims to make women feel good about themselves inside and out.

The Sunflower MedSpa, operated by the North Sunflower Medical Center, offers diagnostic mammograms and ultrasounds on the newest equipment in the Delta, and has added HydraFacials, a massage therapist once a week and the services of Dr. Erica Bass, a plastic surgeon from Madison who meets clients at the center once a month.

The diagnostic center opened its doors at the corner of East Floyce Street and Ruby Avenue in 2010 and is designed to be a welcoming and peaceful spot for clients.

“We have a beautiful facility here,” said Alice Pyles, director of radiology for NSMC. “It’s a very attractive facility when you walk in the door, and it makes a woman feel comfortable.”

The MedSpa received a new Hologic Selenia Dimensions mammography machine in October. The incorporated JJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJ technology in the machine, hospital officials say, is the most “We have a beautiful advanced in the Delta and even has evolved facility here. It’s a past the infrastructure of Ruleville.

The very attractive facility MedSpa is now working have fiber lines when you walk in to installed so threeimages can the door, and it makes dimensional be sent to doctors.

The mammogram a woman feel machine is operated by Nancy Moon, a mamcomfortable. ’’ mography technologist for 32 years, who has Alice Pyles worked at the MedSpa JJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJ since it opened. She clearly appreciates the new machine because of the highquality images it generates but also for features that make the experience more comfortable for the client.

The new HydraFacial treatments are performed by Sarah Clark, a certified specialist who also appreciates what her system can offer.

HydraFacial is an invigorating treatment that can be given in as little as 30 minutes, Clark said. It delivers long-term skin health and can be tailored to meet the specific needs of all skin types. It offers instant, noticeable results with zero downtime or irritation.

Clark said the hydradermabrasion procedure combines cleansing, exfoliation, extraction, hydration and antioxidant protection simultaneously, making it soothing, moisturizing, non-invasive and non-irritating.

In October 2017, Bass started offering her services at the Sunflower MedSpa, extending work that she has been doing at Mississippi Premier Plastic Surgery in Madison.

She said she was looking to build her practice and was encouraged by her father, Dr. Gene Hutcheson, who has been practicing at the NSMC cardiac center every Wednesday and told her Ruleville was interested in her services.

j~ããçÖê~éÜó=íÉÅÜåçäçÖáëí=k~åÅó=jççå=ëí~åÇë=Äó=íÜÉ=åÉï=eçäçÖáÅ=pÉäÉåá~=aáãÉåëáçåë=ã~ããçÖê~éÜó=ã~ÅÜáåÉI ïÜáÅÜ=íÜÉ=pìåÑäçïÉê=jÉÇpé~=~ÇÇÉÇ=áå=lÅíçÄÉêK pqlov=^ka=melqlp=_v=d^sfk=j^ifph^=

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qÜÉ=jÉÇpé~=çéÉê~íÉë=~í=íÜÉ=pìåÑäçïÉê=aá~ÖåçëíáÅ=`ÉåíÉêI=ïÜáÅÜ=Ü~ë=ÄÉÉå=~í=íÜÉ=ÅçêåÉê=çÑ=cäçóÅÉ=~åÇ=oìÄó=áå=Ççïåíçïå=oìäÉîáääÉ=ëáåÅÉ=OMNMK “We offer cosmetic services,” Bass said.

“I do cosmetic consultation for surgical services, and I do the injectables here to help with facial wrinkles and restoration of youthful volume. People probably know it as Botox and fillers.”

A graduate of the University of Mississippi Medical School, Bass said the practice has grown significantly in the past six months.

“I do see consultations here and followups here, out of convenience,” Bass said, but surgical procedures are done in Madison in the new surgery center with two operating rooms and its own medspa.

Bass has found that building a practice depends on changing the ideas people may have of the services provided by a plastic surgeon.

“I feel like people think Botox and fillers are a luxury, much like when people started getting their hair colored,” she said.

“And that used to be something only the rich people did or only vain people did.

And I don’t think Botox and fillers are much different from that. They help you portray on the outside the confidence you feel on the inside. So, I think it’s for everybody.”

And while the MedSpa has been designed with women in mind, the services are for men, also, Bass said. She finds men in the Delta seem to have the wrong idea about treatments.

“Men are concerned about the perception of getting Botox,” she said. “I think a

lot of people think it’s reserved for women.” While she understands that Botox is likely not the topic of discussion in duck blinds or around the bed of a pickup truck in the Delta, Bass said her husband, Jonathan, is “a good ole boy” who tried Botox when she brought it home and liked it.

Bass also has advice for someone considering treatments and wondering whether to make the trip to Ruleville.

“For anybody who is interested in having any cosmetic thing done, they need to make sure they know the credentials of the people they’re going to,” she said.

“There are a lot of people who have minimal amount of training and call themselves cosmetic surgeons. And I think it’s very important that you’re seeing somebody who is properly trained.”

An additional treatment offered at the MedSpa on Fridays is massage therapy from certified massage therapist Rosie Smith.

“It’s a one-stop shop,” Pyles said. “A woman can come in, she can get a mammogram, she can get an ultrasound, she can get a HydraFacial, and if she wants to get some Botox, she can get some Botox.

It’s also offering services from a plastic surgeon that women don’t have to go to Jackson for.

“We’ve got someone who’s highly qualified, and instead of having to leave the Delta, we have her right here in smalltown Ruleville, Mississippi.” n

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Dr. Raymond Girnys

Chosen to lead GLH chief of medical staff ‘very even keeled’ D

r. Raymond Girnys’ selection to become chief of medical staff at Greenwood Leflore Hospital isn’t his first rodeo.

He knows what the job entails: “Liaison between medical staff, administration and hospital board. We’re supposed to be conciliatory and counseling about all medical matters, to give an opinion, to give our spin or our explanation about things that go on, to give some insight from a different perspective.”

He knows what he has to do: “We have a brand new CEO (Subho Basu) and (some of) the board. What we do is try to have frequent meetings, kind of touchyfeely kind of things, to get to know each other, and then to wing it and say as it comes along what’s our opinion, but to open the dialogue between all three players.”

He knows why he was chosen: Because members of the medical staff “know me and they know my personality and they know my reputation and they’ve seen me interact in various ways. That’s why they chose me in the first place.”

He knows himself: “As they say, I’m probably very even-keeled.”

So, Girnys isn’t learning on the job.

Back in 2001-2002, Girnys, now 62, served in the same position at Lutheran Medical Center in Brooklyn, New York.

His term included Sept. 11, 2001, a date instrumental in bringing the surgeon to Greenwood. His hospital was located along Upper Bay, south of Manhattan, and on 9-11, thousands of people fleeing from the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center passed through triage at Lutheran Medical Center.

That was enough to make Girnys and his wife, Barbara, consider whether they wanted to continue to live their lives around the hectic schedule of a medical and dental staff president representing 700 physicians in one of the world’s largest cities.

When they went hunting for a new home and hospital, they found Greenwood and Greenwood Leflore Hospital, perhaps the 180-degree opposites of the life they were leaving behind.

Now in the 13th year after they made the move, and with his role in the hospital, in his practice at Delta Surgical Clinic and within the community established, Girnys’ election as chief of medical staff is just like starting over.

“We always try to start off as a new slate,” he said. “Plus, we have a brand new CEO, so we’re trying to figure him out, and he’s trying to figure us out and

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“The only thing that everybody wants is the hospital to be successful and the community to be successful. And this being one of the major employers and major players in town, we want to make sure this place survives and thrives. ’’ Dr. Raymond Girnys JJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJ

figure out the board at the same time.

“Everybody’s willing to start new. And ... it doesn’t appear that anybody has a specific agenda. The only thing that everybody wants is the hospital to be successful and the community to be successful. And this being one of the major employers and major players in town, we want to make sure this place survives and thrives.”

But with the arrival of the new CEO, new hospital board members and a new

chief of medical staff, some of the doctors who helped run the hospital for years have been moved aside. Girnys said they need to be shown respect.

“They’re the ones who built this institution,” he said. “They have roots in the community that I will never be able to develop. My personal opinion is to keep them involved in some capacity as long as they want to. And if that means a parttime practice, if that means to go on the

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lecture circuit in whatever field they want, so be it. Let them do it. It’s all for the betterment of the community.”

Besides his work during the 9-11 attacks, Girnys had a near brush with history when he attended St. George’s University School of Medicine in the Caribbean island nation of Grenada. In October 1983, a few months after Girnys had graduated, Grenada’s prime minister was executed along with other government leaders in a coup.

Concerned about the fate of the 600 American medical students, the movement of Cuban troops onto the island, and fearing another Iran hostage crisis, President Ronald Reagan sent in a force of 7,600 troops. The Americans fought rebels and Cubans in a three-day war, then freed the medical students and deposed the Marxist-Leninist government.

“The apartment I was staying in had 80-caliber machine guns all over,” Girnys

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aêK=o~óãçåÇ=dáêåóë=ÅÜÉÅâë=íÜÉ=ÅçãéìíÉê=ïáíÜ=åìêëÉ=gçóÅÉ=iáåÇëÉóI=ÅÉåíÉêI=~åÇ=Å~êÉ=íÉÅÜåáÅá~å=vçìîÉíí~=mÉçéäÉëK said. “It was a nice resort, so all the Cuban pilots and all the hierarchy would come and stay in this resort. We ended up getting to be friendly with the prime minister at that point in time; I used to live in his mother-in-law’s house. We took good care of it, and he liked us, so he pulled strings so for our last semester we could stay at this resort for a reduced rate.”

At Greenwood Leflore Hospital, Girnys has a realistic view of the hospital and its role in the community.

“This is a major referral center for seven counties, and probably the seven poorest counties definitely in Mississippi if not in the country,” he said. “There’s a smattering of super-rich but the majority are poor.

“For the hospital financially, it’s tough.

You can’t get blood from a stone. People don’t have money, and you have to weigh their well-being and the financial part.

And it’s tough on a day-to-day basis. ...

Granted, we would love to have millions of dollars to spend on every new bell and whistle. We don’t. We make do and try to improve and be up-to-date on everything

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we can (while exercising) fiscal responsibility.”

On a personal level, Girnys said he likes

to spend time with Barbara, “who’s my best friend.” They like to play golf together, a pastime that some couples can’t

manage together. Barbara runs the preschool program at St. John’s United Methodist Church after teaching in parochial schools in New York for 25 years and in the culinary program at Mississippi Delta Community College.

“We spend our free time together,” Dr. Girnys said. “We go touring. We go shopping. Whatever the boss wants, I do.”

How long will the couple stay in Greenwood, especially with their sons and grandchildren — a 4-year-old granddaughter and a 20-month-old grandson — in Connecticut and New York?

“We want to make sure we move forward in making the hospital the best it can be, to expand services and whatever we can do for the community,” he said.

“Personally, I want to continue with the successful practice, hopefully for another 10 years.

“People ask me if I’m going to retire, and I say, ‘Eventually,’ and hopefully down here, even though my grandkids are in Connecticut and New York. I feel this is where I’m most comfortable.”n

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Workforce Training

Sharpening skills Economy shifting to technology, services

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he future of the workforce starts now.

With much manufacturing and many factory jobs now offshore and not coming back, the economy in the Delta has shifted to technology jobs or providing services to people and companies.

It’s the future across the country, as even those Northern cities with histories steeped in manufacturing — the Rust Belt area that hugs the Great Lakes — see corporations handing the remaining

manufacturing jobs over to machines.

Robots can perform repetitive labor better, more efficiently and at less cost, they have found, operating in the dark and the cold for 24 hours a day, no weekends, no vacations, no labor laws, no human resources departments.

In Leflore County and across the Delta, there are programs, institutions and people ready to help workers gain the skills they need to compete and succeed. They offer training and resources to break away from repetitive factory jobs for hands-on skills that rely on creativity and problem-solving that can’t be done by machines. Yet. Programs offered through organizations such as Families First for Mississippi give potential employees the

“soft skills” required to enter the workforce and prepare them to succeed at tests that show their worth to employers.

And programs at Mississippi Delta Community College’s Capps Technology Center provide training in job-specific trades and skills that are needed right now in the workforce and should be needed for decades to come.

Taking advantage of these two institutions alone could make the difference in finding a job, keeping a job and making a living, in meeting the needs of potential employers while gaining meaningful and rewarding work. vvv

Families First for Mississippi opened in

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a new building in 2018 at 1506 Huron St., so everything is still fresh and new, although the center has been in Greenwood since 2004.

Natalie McLellan, center coordinator, explained that the program is provided as a service by the Mississippi Community Education Center and the Family Resource Center, with the state Department of Human Services as the primary funding source.

McLellan It started locally on Strong Avenue and has evolved from teaching only classes in parenting skills and GED preparation to serving Carroll,

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qçÇÇ=açå~äÇI=ja``=ïçêâÑçêÅÉ=îáÅÉ=éêÉëáÇÉåíI=ëÜçïë=ëíìÇÉåíë=íÜÉ=ÇáÑÑÉêÉåÅÉ=ÄÉíïÉÉå=~=ëíÉÉä=éä~íÉ=íÜ~í=ï~ë=ÅçêêÉÅíäó=Åìí=~åÇ=çåÉ=íÜ~í=ï~ë=åçíK=cêçã=äÉÑí=~êÉ=ëíìÇÉåí=`çäÉ pãáíÜI=áåëíêìÅíçê=`Ü~åäÉó=i~ÇåÉêI=açå~äÇ=~åÇ=ëíìÇÉåí=u~êáçå=oÉÇãçåÇK Montgomery, Leflore and Holmes counties with a focus on people trying to enter the workforce.

“There are a lot of people who have not been employed ever,” McLellan said, explaining the need for classes in such “soft skills” as resumé writing, time management, transportation planning, childcare options for working parents, and financial skills such as opening a checking account and understanding insurance.

First-time workers who take these classes learn to judge how many hours they can work and when, how they’re going to get to and from work, who’s going to take care of the children, what it means when an employer asks to have their paycheck direct-deposited, and whether they take advantage of an employer’s offer for health, dental and vision insurance, not to mention 401k’s and other retirement planning.

“They don’t know what they don’t know, so the center gives them a place to start in understanding what it takes to get and hold a job,” McLellan said.

Families First also has helped employers entering the Leflore County market or expanding operations to train potential employees before they’re hired. This helps employees learn what is going to be expected of them before they arrive in the workplace.

In recent years, companies and economic development professionals have begun relying on the National Career

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“For most of the industries in this area, four-year degree knowledge doesn’t help you in the hands-on jobs. Hands-on technical knowledge is going to drive the future. ’’ Todd Donald

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Readiness Certificate tests to more easily compare the qualities of the workers in communities competing for employers.

The tests indicate how easily a worker can be trained in the skills needed for the specific job.

The NCRC was developed by the folks who brought you the ACT, the admissions test that colleges and universities use to compare potential students. McLellan said an increasing number of local employers, such as Viking Range LLC, require that prospective employees take and pass the NCRC. Families First has classes geared to workers hoping to pass the NCRC. They concentrate on three skill areas covered on the test: applied math,workplace documents and graphic literacy.

Families First teaches potential employees the skills required, then sends them off to the Mississippi Department of Employment Security’s WIN Jobs Center to take the test.

Besides just ranking test-takers as either platinum, gold, silver and bronze, the NCRC also compiles the results to build a ranking for each community. That ranking is used by businesses looking to relocate or expand to judge whether the workforce in that community would provide qualified workers. And economic development agencies, such as Delta Council, use the scores from across the Delta to help attract businesses from other states and Canada.

More than just offering the test, Families First has developed a “Rock the Mock” program, which teaches job interview skills, how to set career goals, and how to build an effective resumé. Real employers with job openings are invited into the center and put potential workers through the job interview process. It’s worked well for both sides, McLellan said, with two recent employers hiring qualified candidates through the mock process. vvv

When employees have the soft skills they need to understand what it takes to do the job, Mississippi Delta Community College’s Capps Technology Center, on U.S. 82 just west of Indianola, offers spe-

cific classes on sought-after skills and trades that a person can use to get a job and build a career.

Todd Donald, vice president of workforce for Mississippi Delta Community College, runs the Capps Center. He has a background that combines the capabilities of experience in hands-on trades, such as welding and pipe fitting, with the knowledge gained through earning a bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in education.

The Capps facility opened in 2000 through a combination of public and private funding and serves Leflore, Washington, Bolivar, Sunflower, Humphreys, Issaquena and Sharkey counties.

Many of the classes at the Capps Center require students to first earn their NCRC at the silver level or above before they can enroll. The center gives the tests and asks that people register online at ïïïKíÜÉÅ~ééëÅÉåíÉêKÅçã to be assigned a date and time.

Once that’s out of the way, students can choose from various classes that will provide them with skills for specific jobs and careers.

The service jobs attracting Capps’ students don’t involve working a cash register or filling fast-food orders. Instead, they’re jobs that can evolve into careers and provide an income that allows people to become contributing members of their families and communities.

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The skills include hands-on trades such as HVAC, commercial truck driving, basic training in manufacturing skills, welding, pipe fitting, and the electrical utility lineman program. Or they can include medical administrative assistant, medical billing and insurance, medical coding and pharmacy technician.

“For most of the industries in this area, four-year degree knowledge doesn’t help you in the hands-on jobs,” Donald said. “Hands-on technical knowledge is going to drive the future.”

Chanley Ladner is an instructor in structural welding and pipe welding at the center. A recent afternoon found him on a patio outside guiding students through the proper way to cut steel plates with an acetylene torch.

Just inside the garage door of the building, three other students practiced their arc welding skills for a different class.

Waiting for a turn with Ladner, student Cole Smith of ^= ëíìÇÉåí= ~í= íÜÉ= `~ééë= qÉÅÜåçäçÖó C l e v e l a n d `ÉåíÉê=éê~ÅíáÅÉë=Üáë=~êÅ=ïÉäÇáåÖ=íÉÅÜJ said he was åáèìÉ= áåëáÇÉ= çåÉ= çÑ= íÜÉ= ÅÉåíÉêÛë= ÑáîÉ learning weldïÉäÇáåÖ=ÄççíÜëK=qÜÉ=ëíêìÅíìê~ä=ïÉäÇáåÖ ing with hopes éêçÖê~ã= éêÉé~êÉë= ëíìÇÉåíë= Ñçê= ~ of pursuing Å~êÉÉê= áå= ïÉäÇáåÖI= éáéÉ= ïÉäÇáåÖI= éáéÉ employment on oil ÑáííáåÖ=~åÇ=çíÜÉê=íê~ÇÉëK pipelines as a pipe welder. Xarion Redmond said he hoped the skills learned at the center would allow him to see the country as he practiced his trade.

A newer program at the Capps Center is an eightmonth class that teaches students skills in building virtual reality apps and experiences from story-boarding to a final production with rolling credits. The skills can be used in gaming applications, but the Capps Center is concentrating on developing apps that can be used by employers to train workers or by employees to gain new skills to get ahead.

Taking a tool from the welding lab across the hallway, student Seth Spratlin of Greenville worked at a computer equipped with virtual reality software and a VR headset to build an environment — referred to in the VR world as “modeling” — that would allow students to practice their steel cutting and welding skills without leaving their desks.

Spratlin’s talents allowed him to sketch the cutting torch, then translate his sketch to what on the screen looked like the real thing.

“The folks in here are learning to develop experiences related to training,” Donald said. When they’re done, they could work as part of a production team at companies that produce industrial VR experiences.

Right now, Capps Center VR students collaborate with Lobaki, a Jackson company that developed the VR Academy in Clarksdale to teach students the skills needed to become entrepreneurs in the VR industry. The Capps Center’s VR lab, equipped with $60,000 in computers, was made possible through funding obtained by Mitzi Woods, workforce director at the South Delta Planning and Development District in Greenville.

The VR lab currently has attracted 12 high school seniors to the Capps Center and seven adult students working in the evenings. Spratlin said he looks forward to taking the skills he’s learning to a studio that will allow him to collaborate with others on VR projects. And he was already talking with companies about bringing his skills to work for them.

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Other classes offered at the Capps Center were designed with specific industries and companies in mind, providing the training needed to go right to work as a lineman with an electrical utility, or a pharmacy technician, either to work at a pharmacy, for a pharmacy company, or in an industry that requires compounding knowledge and skills, such as a chemical manufacturer.

If the center doesn’t offer training in what a company needs, it will work with the company to design courses, Donald said. Nufarm, an Australian company that makes agricultural chemical products, is building a plant

in Greenville and needs to train about 70 potential workers.

“We’ve got a package put together,” Donald said. “We’ll run some advanced chemical processing classes for them.”

The Capps Center attracts about 14,000 to 15,000 students at any one time, with classes beginning and ending outside the traditional semester setting. On an annual basis, the center provides about 45,000 sessions for future employees, teaching them truly hands-on skills.

“The foundation of all of this is a person and his hands,” Donald said.n

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School Consolidation

Joining forces Merger expected to improve use of resources

A

qÜêÉ~ÇÖáää=mêáã~êó=pÅÜççä=âáåÇÉêÖ~êíÉå=íÉ~ÅÜÉê=qáâÉíÜ~=e~êêáë=ãçåáíçêë=ëíìÇÉåíëI=Ñêçã=äÉÑíI=q~êîáëçå=háåÇëI=açåí~îáìë=e~ääI=g~Éëáçå=t~äâÉê=~åÇ=hÉåëäÉó=táääáë=~ë=íÜÉó=ïçêâ çå=íÜÉ=fJoÉ~Çó=éêçÖê~ã=çå=íÜÉáê=fm~ÇëK s the Greenwood and Leflore County school districts prepare to consolidate into the Greenwood-Leflore District by July 1, questions have sprouted about long-term ramifications.

Education experts rarely have the answers for what the future of education will look like, especially in terms of con-

solidation.

Jackie Mader, who writes a bimonthly newsletter about education in Mississippi for the Hechinger Report, a

publication focusing on innovation and inequality in education, said the future of education is hard to predict because it is always in flux.

There is uncertainty and fear with the impending consolidation. Yet there is also a cause for optimism, according to many educational stakeholders — not only that consolidation will go smoothly but that it

will also bring about new opportunities for students of both the city and county by 20 years in the future.

Dr. Jennifer Wilson, the superintendent for the Greenwood School District, is says consolidation will be for the better.

Consolidation, Wilson said, will “enable the district to maximize and leverage limited funds and resources to meet the

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needs of all students, ensure that they are college and career ready and prepared to thrive in a global society.”

That may be true. But to get there, people need to act in the present.

Mike Kent of the Mississippi Department of Education, who advises school districts on consolidation, declined to speculate what the future of education will be postconsolidation.

He did say it’s important the school board acts promptly and efficiently.

“If they do (consolidation) correctly, if they do it right, they’ll assess where they are,” Kent said.

As it stands now, the county school Kent district received a C on state assessments in 2018, up from an F in 2017. Greenwood, which had typically been seen as the better school district, received a D rating last year, dropping from its C grade in 2017.

After the merger, the new district will serve almost 4,900 students. v v v

In understanding consolidation, it’s important to know why it comes about.

Professors Christopher Berry and Martin West, of the University of Chicago’s Harris School of Public Policy and Harvard University’s Program on Education Policy and Governance, respectively, coauthored an article, “Growing Pains: The School Consolidation Movement and Student Outcomes,” published in the Journal of Law, Economics and Organization in 2010. The article examines the history of consolidation.

In the early 20th century, schools and school districts looked very different than they currently look, Berry and West wrote. They were smaller, localized institutions run by the community, which typically only employed a handful of teachers. In some cases, education was conducted in a one-room schoolhouse, grouping students into one class rather than separating students into different grades and subject classes. The average school size in 1930 was 87 students, and the average school district size was 170 students.

By the 1930s, and continuing for the next four decades, school and school district consolidations occurred, whittling away 120,000 schools and 100,000 school districts.

The main reasons for consolidation, as originally articulated by Ellwood P. Cubberley, an educational professor and pioneer in educational administration in the early 20th century, focused on saving money while providing opportunities for students.

By folding several school districts into one, the newly centralized school district would be better prepared in handling resources and administration. Furthermore, consolidated school districts could offer more specialized classes and save money on facilities operational costs, Cubberley argued.

“A lot of progress is driven by money,” said Kent, reflecting Cubberley’s arguments. “Schools exist for the good of the kids. Too often, we have schools that have almost become employment agencies — you’ve got a lot of people. You’ve created jobs for adults but the money that should be directed to students is directed to adults.”

The goal of consolidation, Kent said, is to eliminate duplication and excess cost from operating two districts in the area.

Kent said that “when you’ve got two superintendents, two boards, two central offices, two this, two that,” the costs can add up. With resources consolidated, he said, the money saved can go towards the students.

Furthermore, adding more students to classes will allow the consolidated school district to provide more specialized classes, such as Advanced Placement courses.

“You really can’t afford to have AP classes in different places,” such as Greenwood High, Leflore High and Amanda Elzy High, Kent said. But it would be much easier to fund one AP physics class if the schools were to consolidate into one.

Kent added that ideally classes should not be overloaded, either. “It’s extremely expensive to fund a class that has less than about 25 students in there.”

than we could be separately. Coming together we could provide great quality education for all children,” Buffington said.

Even the Parents for Public Schools of Starkville expected difficulties from consolidating two different school districts but acknowledged it would bring the chance to expand better educational opportunities for all students.

“The important thing would be to really solicit those ideas (from the community) and to encourage people to think about how we can make this successful. It’s the local community that will make it work,” Buffington advised. v v v

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Additionally, it’s important to standardize education across the board so there are no “pockets of substandard education. The schools in Itta Bena are just as good as they are in Greenwood. The schools on the north side of town are just as good as the schools in the south side of town,” Kent said.

Though it’s hard to determine what makes school district consolidation successful, Kent said it is important that the community binds together, emphasizing that consolidation is not about the county or city school districts folding into one another but instead the creation of a new school district. v v v

For many people, however, the consolidation of school districts, and therefore the possibility of schools closing, runs risk of hurting a community’s image. Campbell Scribner, an assistant professor of education at the University of Maryland’s College of Education, who specializes in educational reform, said schools in rural areas can typically be community hubs, providing a space to vote, socialize and host other community events.

Scribner added that the closure of schools has led to population declines in some rural communities because they “had no reason for people to move back there.”

He said that the “tradeoff between community and economies of scale is kind of a stacked deck,” since the tradeoffs from consolidation may not always pan out.

In some cases, closing schools can add costs, such as with longer transportation routes. After the school districts of West Memphis, Arkansas, and the Hughes, Arkansas School District were merged into one, students found themselves on longer bus routes, in some cases up to an hour.

One merger that has gone well in the state, according to Kent and noted by several publications, was the consolidation of the school districts of Starkville and Oktibbeha County.

Several students of the mainly black Oktibbeha district had already been taking advanced courses that were offered in schools of the mainly white Starkville district. The consolidation led to the expansion of more AP and preschool courses.

Members of the city and county came together.

“I think the key to success with consolidation was the decision early on that we were not just going to put the schools together but work on something greater than what we have. Consolidation would benefit children of all districts,” said Rex Buffington, a community advocate in Starkville.

Buffington served as the chair of the area’s consolidation commission, mandated by state legislation.

The commission, which included a representative from the state superintendent’s office, appointed members from the county and city school districts, and a representative from Mississippi State University, held a number of public meetings that allowed community members to voice their opinions and concern. “‘We’re stronger together’ was one of the things we really concluded. We could be much stronger as one district

Lula Moore, president of the Parents for Public Schools of Greenwood and Leflore County, has taken the initiative in continually informing the community regarding consolidation. The group held two meetings to inform the community about the importance of an effective superintendent and school board for the consolidated district.

“What we would like to see is an entity on behalf of parents in both Moore Greenwood and Leflore county communities,” Moore said, wishing for community cohesiveness.

“We would like to see teachers be more compassionate and better prepared for the children in this 21st century.

We would love to see an extension and increase from our parents and public education stakeholders with a passion and desire to partner with the teachers.”

In looking at the future, Moore does hope that the students of the consolidated district will be learning in new facilities. She doesn’t think “it will be feasible to invest in repairing the (current) buildings,” which she says are in dire need of upgrading.

From the county side, there is also hope that consolidation will bring gains to not only education but the community at large.

Anjuan Brown, a member of the Leflore County Board of Supervisors, said, “In the years to come, consolidation will be a good thing. Students will be able to adjust. We’ll have a great superintendent.” He does expect some rough patches while adjustments are made in the immediacy following the consolidation but believes things will ultimately come around.

“This is not a city-versus-county situation. This is a community situation that we’ll have to resolve so everybody can move forward,” Brown said, reflecting Kent’s statement of community unity.

Assuming the consolidation will provide better education for its students, Brown is hopeful “that we’ll get some high-profile jobs. With the economic impact, one of the questions companies ask is ‘Is the community educated?’

“Education is the key to economic development. I think that with more education, stressing on more education, I think it’s going to catch like wildfire. That itself will bring back jobs.”

Kenderick Cox, an eighth-grade information and communications technology teacher at Greenwood Middle School, also believes consolidation, if “shifted in the right direction,” will be beneficial.

Cox hopes to see corporations become interested in investing in Greenwood.

“Corporations look at three things — home owners to renters’ ratio, success of a school system and the medical providers. If we strengthen those three things, it shows (corporations) we’re willing to provide the necessary workers for their field of choice,” Cox said.

To get there, though, the community needs to drop the city-versus-county rivalry, which has been problematic and going on for years, Cox said.

Like Brown, Wilson, the superintendent of the Greenwood School District since March 2016, expects consolidation to bring opportunities for the students.

Into the future a mind shift will have occurred “to where parents, and students truly see themselves as part of the Greenwood-Leflore County consolidated school district and not two separate school districts,” Wilson said.n

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Mississippi Valley State University

Aiming higher School strives to continue being Delta leader

D

jáëëáëëáééá=s~ääÉó=pí~íÉ=råáîÉêëáíó=ëíìÇÉåí=äÉ~ÇÉêë=í~âÉ=é~êí=áå=~=píìÇÉåí=iÉ~ÇÉêëÜáé=fåëíáíìíÉ=íê~áåáåÖ=ëÉëëáçåK= riving west from Greenwood along U.S. 82 through the Delta, you don’t pass much aside from small towns, gas stops and sweeping acres of farms.

In between that rural vastness, and located near Itta Bena, is Mississippi Valley State University.

Created by the Mississippi Legislature in 1946, the historically black university was designed, during a time of segregation at all levels of public education in Mississippi, as a way to avoid integrating the state’s white universities.

The college was originally known as

Mississippi Vocational College, with a mission of training black elementary and high school teachers. It also provided vocational training.

When it opened in the summer of 1950, MVC offered a bachelor of science degree in several areas. Fourteen students attended for the school’s first academic year, 1950-1951, with seven faculty members.

The school’s name was changed to Mississippi Valley State College in 1964, adding liberal arts degrees. It achieved full university status in 1974.

An ivory tower in what is often considered an educational desert, Valley draws both students from the region as well as those interested in attending a historically black university, one of approximately 100 that operate in the country.

Enrollment to historically black colleges and universities, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, peaked at 325,000 students in 2010, during the first term of President Barack Obama, the first African-American to occupy the White House.

Since then, enrollment to HBCUs has declined 10 percent, compared to 4 percent for colleges overall, according to the Atlanta newspaper. A major reason for the decline, the newspaper said, was the gravitation of black students to majoritywhite schools.

Johnny Taylor, a former president of the Thurgood Marshall Fund, which supports public HBCUs, said in 2017 that he was “hopeful, but not optimistic,” about their future.

Valley has suffered its own enrollment

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declines. Since 2008, enrollment there has fallen by 23 percent. This past fall, it had 2,267 students, compared to 2,929 a decade earlier.

Of Valley’s graduates, the majority require more than the traditional four years to earn their degree, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. For students who began their studies in the fall of 2011, 14 percent graduated within four years. 30 percent within six. vvv

Valley administration officials and students are optimistic that the university will survive and thrive in the future, despite Taylor’s somber predictions on HBCUs in general.

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“Valley will continue to be this beacon of higher education in the Mississippi Delta, providing opportunities for all students who are seeking a higher education to take advantage of the wealth of things happening at the university,” said Dr. Jerryl Briggs, MVSU’s president.

“Twenty years from now, I still see us as being very viable and sustainable and a productive institution.”

Elizabeth Evans, interim vice president in the Office of Academic Affairs, sees Valley as becoming an educational player on the global stage.

“We’ll also have prominence not just in the local area and the state but across the nation and around the world. We have graduated individuEvans als who have gone on to various professions in different parts of the world,” said Evans, citing alums who have taken positions in the military, in business and in government.

Brandon McCall, a senior at Valley studying engineering with an emphasis in computer-aided design, has been trying to do his part as president of the Student Government Association to ensure that the university sees continued success.

“There’s no mountain high enough, there’s no valley low enough to stop me from doing what the students need,” McCall said.

McCall sees Valley’s location as being both its strongest and weakest attribute.

“It’s in a location in the Delta, an area where people don’t see people succeeding.

It gives the Delta a piece of hope. ... And that sense of hope is important.”

Yet the location also inhibits Valley’s growth, McCall said.

“There’s not a lot of things surrounding it. You have to go an hour or so to the mall, 45 minutes to a movie, 15 minutes to a restaurant.”

For prospective college students who are expecting social and lively amenities to accompany their academic experience, Valley’s isolation might prevent them from applying to the school.

Tim Lampkin, a 2008 graduate of Valley with a degree in business administration, shared a similar sentiment.

“You’ve got to think about if people want to go and get food and groceries and sit down in a restaurant.

Even though Greenwood is not that far Lampkin away, it’s still not right by the university,” Lampkin said. “If you don’t have transportation, you’re pretty much stuck on the campus.”

Still, Lampkin said Valley is no different from the rest of the Delta, and that the school provides a great community to make friends.

Though it’s been 10 years since Lampkin graduated, he has maintained a close connection to the university, having made financial contributions over the years.

In October, Lampkin’s nonprofit social impact agency, Higher Purpose Co., of which he is the CEO, held a summit at the school that was designed to assist women’s businesses and entrepreneurial skills.

Peter Jones, left, and Jaylin Smith discuss a book that they and other students read for the National Endowment for the Arts Big Read event.

Brandon McCall, Mississippi Valley State University’s Student Government Association president for the 20182019 school year, says he’s committed to “doing what the students need.” vvv

One aspect that continues to define Valley is its identity as an HBCU. Both McCall and Lampkin did not necessarily consider Valley at first when they were considering colleges.

“I didn’t really know about HBCUs until I got here,” McCall said. Now that he’s at Valley, however, he enjoys the HBCU experience.

“Everybody kind of understands everybody has struggles,” McCall said.

Lampkin defines the HBCU experience as “the closenesss and the connection but also the lived experience of being black in America, and that culture of support and looking out for each other, from the way we carry ourselves, the way we dress, the way we talk.”

By going to an HBCU, AfricanAmerican students can embrace their heritage and history, Lampkin said.

Briggs, the university’s president, maintains, however, that Valley’s racial identity is sometimes misunderstood.

“One of the misconceptions about HBCUs is that we’re only for black people, and that’s really, historically, never been the case,” Briggs said. “I think that the designation as an HBCU, we understand the importance of that and where it comes from.

I don’t think that’s going Briggs to change. But the university here is open to any individual that is seeking opportunities for higher education.”

For years, MVSU has tried to increase its “other race” enrollment, with limited success. This year, 4 percent of Valley’s enrollment consists of students who are not black. Whites account for 2 percent.

Even if Valley’s student body does become more diverse, Lampkin said, it’s important that Valley continues to be an HBCU. “It’s critical to the history of Mississippi, as well as its students,” he said. “For us to abandon that would be very detrimental for our entire state.

Institutions like Valley must remain open and must receive funding.” vvv

If Valley is to continue functioning as a stronghold in the Delta, then it must continue to grow.

Briggs and his staff are working to increase the school’s enrollment, but he said growth has to be managed so that the infrastructure can accommodate an influx of students. Several buildings on campus are presently being renovated to add more student housing.

Even more important, though, Briggs said, is “graduating and retaining the current students you have. As you do that, then your enrollment will increase automatically.”

Valley provides academic advising to students who may have trouble adjusting to college.

Financial concerns also can make it more difficult to complete school.

“These financial issues really pack a punch to those individuals for a lifetime.

Debt is increasing,” Evans said. And it’s

not just debt from tuition but also debt from housing.

Many students have “enormous responsibilities –– home, family –– that come with going to class,” Evans said.

In order to curtail the rising cost of tuition, Briggs said it’s important to continue stressing to legislators the importance of education. Briggs also noted that Valley does not charge out-of-state students an out-of-state fee. Twenty-five percent of Valley’s students are from out of state, including international students, and Briggs said the university is continuing to draw those students by hosting college fairs outside of Mississippi.

On the local level, there are several ways Valley is accommodating students who may have to work during the day.

Two master’s programs –– one in business administration, the other in criminal justice — are fully available online. Evans said the university plans to make other programs fully available online in the future. There are also weekend classes to accommodate students who work weekdays. Hybrid classes, a mixture of in-person and online learning, are other options for nontraditional students. vvv

Like any other university, Valley serves not only its students but the larger community surrounding it.

In an area where poverty is widespread and the population has been in steady decline, Valley is seen as an institution that can help.

“I think given the magnitude of disparities in Mississippi, especially in health care and education, (Valley) can address rural poverty and the racial wealth gap,” Lampkin said. “I think Valley is well-positioned to continue to be a huge component to building up in the Mississippi Delta.”

The university is committed to continued community outreach, said both Briggs and Evans.

One such example, Evans explained, is research into the Delta’s water quality.

“As we look at our area, our surrounding communities, we’re primarily an agricultural state, and there are a lot of chemicals in agriculture,” Evans said.

Researchers at Valley have begun examining what the health effects of ingesting those chemicals might be as they seep into groundwater, Evans said.

Community outreach isn’t just research-oriented but also is intended to enrich the community.

“The blues scene is a prominent interest in our society right now, and we have hosted various conferences relative to B.B. King,” Evans said, referring to the late blues legend who in the last years of his life appeared annually for a program at the school.

“Blues has become a big tourist industry. Around this area, we’re helping to identify critical places, critical people in the area.”

Lampkin said implementing the university’s vision and securing its long-term viability will require a group effort.

“It’s going to take not only the alumni, the current students, the faculty, the staff, all of the executive team and communities surrounding Valley for it to continue to be not only a premier oasis of education but a source of innovation to address the communities it serves.”n

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Looking Back at 1999

Changes and challenges Observers discuss what city has gained, lost A

ny journey through the past is a personal one with memories linked to events, situations, and people experienced by each individual from his or her own perspective. So a comparison of Greenwood in 1999 to the Greenwood of 2019 isn’t a recitation of facts that everyone agrees on — how many fewer residents we have or how many more retail establishments — but rather a collection of memories of the way we were then and impressions of how we are now.

Allan Hammons

qÜÉ=mêçãçíÉê In many people’s opinions, Allan Hammons is one of the strongest assets the Greenwood community has in letting others know who we are, what we can do, and what we have to offer.

A professional designer and communicator, Hammons is president of Hammons and Associates, one of the state’s largest advertising firms, a position he also held in 1999. His design work has included the B.B. King Museum in Indianola; the memorial for the Yanky 72 flight in Itta Bena; the Mississippi Blues Trail, Country Music Trail and Freedom Trail. His firm creates and places advertisements for numerous Greenwood retailers and institutions.

It’s doubtful Hammons could stop thinking about Greenwood, how it is and what needs to be done. Days after responding to questions for this story, he called with numerous facts he had dug up in comparing sales tax revenue from Greenwood with that of Clarksdale, a Delta community of similar size and history that often

generates comparisons. Even with the rate of inflation factored in, he said, with a population slightly less that Clarksdale, Greenwood generates significantly more sales tax revenue, an indicator of the strength of the retail community in our town.

As for 1999, Hammons doesn’t have fond memories, remembering it as “a year of local frustration.”

“Although the economy was good, the looming Y2K issue was out there, and we lost as many jobs as we managed to create,” he said.

“Takata Restraint Systems, Electro-Mechanical Devices, Ferguson Machine Co. and Rocky Manufacturing all closed their doors.”

In a criticism still heard 20 years later, Hammons recalls many of the closings were a direct response to the North America Free Trade Agreement, as companies moved manufacturing offshore, attracted by the greatly reduced wages and benefits they believed they could pay to workers in other countries.

“If there was a silver lining, it was the amazing growth of Viking Range Corp.,” he said.

Since 1999, Hammons said, the biggest change in his field — and all fields — has been the “amazing pace of technology and communications.” In 1999, a breakthrough in computer storage was the hard-drive with room for 340 MB of data, about a third of the data you can store today on a thumb drive that sells for less than $2. Cellphones were not yet smart in 1999, and the iPhone was still eight years away.

A major breakthrough that year was development of WiFi for home use, the first cord to be cut. And if you wanted to watch a movie at home, you could drive over to Blockbuster and pick up a VHS, or, if you were technologically advanced, order it online from Netflix and wait a few days for the DVD to arrive in the mail.

Greenwood shoppers in 1999 had already found their way to Wal-Mart, the first sign of what Hammons said is “the disappearance of our once bustling retail sector.”

“It’s not hard to understand,” he said. “While smaller retailers once had their hands full — or empty — with Wal-Mart, today they are battling an even more powerful foe with Amazon. As more and more businesses close their doors, the buildings we all know so well begin the slow but steady decline toward destruction.

“Unless we can find a solution, the future of downtown Greenwood will be a series of empty lots where dozens of big brick buildings housing bustling businesses once stood. I would like to see us find a way to slow this process. There are already several large buildings that pqlov=^ka=melqlp=_v=d^sfk=j^ifph^

have been marked for demolition with others not far behind.”

With all that said, and a retail solution yet to present itself in downtown Greenwood, there’s more activity on the south end of town in the Greenwood-Leflore Industrial Park, the result of concentrated efforts by city and county governments and the Greenwood-LefloreCarroll Economic Development Foundation.

“We have one of the most robust manufacturing/distribution groups in the region, and new prospects are appearing at a rate not seen for many years,” Hammons said. “Our transportation options are good. We have excellent highways, Amtrak service and a very wellequipped airport.”

People heading the economic development effort for the area consider Hammons an expert on the history of industry in Greenwood and Leflore County, as well as someone who sees opportunity in the open land at the industrial park and surrounding the airport. His experience with Greenwood Leflore Hospital, despite some recent controversy, also lets him believe in a positive outcome.

“Despite all the negative talk, the Greenwood Leflore Hospital provides an amazing level of health care,” he said. “While it has struggled financially in recent years, I am confident it will once again find its footing. Make no mistake about it, the hospital is an economic engine for our community.”

As someone who has built his own business and stayed to see it flourish and become a part of the Greenwood community, Hammons knows Greenwood’s future doesn’t rely on fate.

“As much as anything, we need to find ways to set goals and make things happen,” he said. “We can choose to gripe, mope around and point fingers, or we can come together as a community and get to work.”

That would indicate that Hammons is optimistic about Greenwood’s future.

“Less so than I once was, but part of that is just getting older. Greenwood is home for me, and I want it to be the very best it can be. I have spent much of my adult life promoting our town, and I find it hard to stop now.”

And why would he? v v v

qÜÉ=pÉääÉê Drive down any street in Greenwood, and you’ll see her name. It’s on signs in front of houses or on the front of commercial and office buildings that are on the market.

Tish Goodman of Bowie Realty has been in Greenwood’s real estate market for more than a quarter century.

Maybe more than others in the business community, real estate agents have an awareness of what’s happening, what’s changing and what’s in the works for a community and their finger on the pulse of those institutions that matter to people who live here, who want to live here, and those looking to leave.

In 1999, Goodman was in only her sixth year as a real estate agent with Coldwell Banker in Greenwood, a year before she would leave to open Bowie Realty with her father, Sonny Bowie.

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“I was so busy raising my daughter and working that I really can’t remember much. Blame that on being a single mom,” she said. “I do remember that about that time was when I really started getting involved in the community through the Chamber of Commerce and my church.”

Tish Goodman

In real estate, 1999 was the end of an era in Mississippi. Realtors across the state were on the verge of being presented with a new tool, the Multiple Listing Service, a database that would allow them to survey real estate listings and sales from their desks to quickly and accurately read the market, and to reach out to offer their own listings across the state and country.

“The Greenwood Board of Realtors did not have an MLS until 2000, so our data was not as accurate as far as sales, active listings,” Goodman said.

In the past 20 years, Goodman pointed to social media, websites for local Realtors and huge aggregator websites, such as Zillow, Realtor.com and Redfin, as the real gamechanger for the real estate industry. A survey by the National Board of Realtors in 2017 found that more than half the people buying a home first saw it on the internet, while 30 percent found it through an agent. But most of those who found it online still needed a real estate agent to see the listing, talk about the area and strategize about offers and counteroffers.

“The growth of social media as a whole would be the biggest change,” Goodman said. “Everyone shops for their next home in their pajamas at 2 in the morning from the comfort of their home now.”

Goodman has lived her whole life in Greenwood and attended the city’s public and private schools. Her investment in the community as a business owner and homeowner give her skin in the game. As someone who makes a living by knowing what’s going on in her community, Goodman is optimistic and cautious about Greenwood’s future. She sees a hurdle to overcome in the area’s current inability to provide a quality public education.

“The schools have been the biggest decline (in the past 20 years) in my opinion,” she said. “I am a product of both the public and private schools in Greenwood, and it’s sad to see the public school system decline. You don’t need me to explain the reason for the decline there; just read the paper. And I’m hoping the new school board changes will get our schools back on track.”

Goodman notes the big improvements in the downtown area and their ability to bring people in from outside Greenwood as a reason for optimism.

“The downtown area is thriving compared to 20 years ago,” she said. “The (Alluvian) hotel, spa, (Viking) cooking school and downtown businesses have turned our sleepy town into a destination for so many. I give a lot of that credit to Main Street, the Chamber of Commerce and the Convention and Visitors Bureau. They do a great job promoting our little town.”

Those improvements come as a result of not only private investment into the community but a government

committed to making things better, she said.

“Another area of improvement I have seen in the past 20 years is within the city government,” Goodman said.

“Although there is bickering at times, the city officials seem to be getting things done. We now have well-lit streets downtown, a fabulous new police station and the Rail Spike Park, just to name a few improvements.”

Goodman said those improvements, along with the obstacles the community faces in many other areas, have her vacillating between two extremes when she thinks of how things could be in the coming years.

“To be honest, some days I am very optimistic, and on other days I am scared to death of our future,” she said. “I am 100 percent committed to making Greenwood a great place to live. I’ve been here my whole life and made the decision to stay to raise my family. No one forced me to be here; it was a choice, and a choice I am glad I made.

“Greenwood has been good to me. I love the small-town atmosphere, but there is so much that we could make better. The community must work together to stay positive. We must all get involved, but in a positive way, to support our city government, our churches, and our people.” v v v

qÜÉ=eáëíçêá~å Mary Carol Miller is a native of Greenwood whose family traces back generations in the Delta. Her mother’s father ran the cottonseed oil mill here. She is a physician by education and vocation, and a historian by avocation, having written nine books on the history of lost mansions and lost landmarks around the state. She left Greenwood when she went off to college and came back with a medical degree with a specialty in family medicine; a husband, Jimmy D. Miller, who’s a neurosurgeon; Mary Carol Miller two grown children, and years of living in Jackson, Tupelo, and Glasgow, Scotland.

“In 1999, I was living in Tupelo and writing books on historic architecture in Mississippi,” she said. “I made frequent visits to Greenwood to see my mother and relatives, as well as to research buildings and houses which were included in some of those books.”

Trips back to Greenwood at that time didn’t always generate fond memories for Miller. Her recollections of her frequent visits center on the downtown area.

“During that time period, I remember being discouraged when I came home to Greenwood,” she said. “We were usually here on a weekend, and there was very little sign of life downtown. I always said you could have fired a cannonball down Howard Street and not hurt anyone.

“My children were 15 and 13 in 1999, and they accepted that trips to their grandmother’s meant a lot of ‘at home’ time and maybe a run out to one of the shopping centers. Compared to the vibrant economy in Tupelo, things were pretty quiet here.”

Miller’s observations about the medical community in Greenwood from 1999 to 2005, when she came home, are only anecdotal.

“My field is medicine; my husband opened his neurosurgery practice with Greenwood Leflore Hospital in 2005, so I really can’t speak to the medical atmosphere in 1999, other than to say that my mother always got excellent care without having to leave town.”

Miller sees improvement since her observations about cannonballs in 1999, and she credits that to solid leadership and those who choose to stay.

“I think Greenwood has seen a renaissance downtown and some encouraging economic developments over the past 20 years, and we seem to be plateauing now,” she said. “Mayor Carolyn McAdams has been an extraordinarily strong civic leader and manager. We seem to be continuing to lose population, but I think there’s a strong core of people who couldn’t imagine living anywhere else.”

As for the future, Miller expressed the rationally positive attitude expressed by others.

“I am cautiously optimistic about the future, because I know some of the brightest and finest people in Mississippi are here for the duration,” she said. “We have to work through some of our lingering political schisms and pull together rather than letting personal agendas damage economic development, school improvement and hospital growth.” v v v

qÜÉ=_äìÉëã~å Sylvester Hoover has strong roots in a storied part of Greenwood’s history, Baptist Town, and its image not only nationally but internationally as one of the seminal locations in development of the blues. He’s a real estate investor and entrepreneur, owner of Hoover’s Grocery as well as the Back in the Day Museum, both on Young Street, and operator of the Delta Blues Legend Tour. The Young Street location is important to Hoover and his efforts at preserving memories of the blues. The building that houses the museum served up moonshine for people in the neighborhood in the first half of the 20th century, including Baptist Town’s most famous resident, Robert Johnson, who lived in a house across the street and brought his breakthrough blues songs to the juke joints throughout the neighborhood.

Hoover remembers 1999 as being “progressive” in Baptist Town and throughout Greenwood.

“Viking Range and my Blues Tours were rocking Greenwood,” he said. “Viking Range really helped my (efforts to promote the) blues by bringing all these different people in from all over the world, and they got a chance to see Greenwood and see the groove and respect it a lot more and better understand it.”

Hoover recalls the city as a busy place in 1999 with more manufacturing, more jobs and people going to work every day and coming home with money in their pockets.

He remembers more people on the sidewalks and more traffic in the streets than in 2019. And he traces the revenue at his convenience store as an indicator of how business was and how it is today. The receipts have grown but not to where they were because of fewer people. Still, Hoover said the community has turned the corner.

“Greenwood is shining a brighter light now,” he said.

“Greenwood is Greenwood, and it has so much history and heritage here. It’s on the map a little bit bigger now than it was back then. A lot of people come through and see it. Greenwood is one of the most tourist towns in the state. If it’s the blues, civil rights or the Civil War, whatever the history is, it probably happened here in Greenwood.”

Hoover said with the passing of time, Greenwood has been able to move away from its history of racial strife and conflicts between members of the black community and the white community, and it doesn’t carry the same image it did when internationally recognized civil rights leaders came here to support marches and boycotts.

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“We don’t talk about negativity,” he said. “We preach love and talk about all the things done to make it better.

We try not to look at the negativities. We try to be positive and move on.

“The population has declined. It seems like we don’t have as many progressive people as we had back then. … You’ve got good people here in Greenwood. You’ve got bright people here. And I’m optimistic that Greenwood will do better and better as time goes on.”

Sylvester Hoover

Hoover’s observations of history stretch far beyond the limits of the last 20 years and outside the boundaries of Greenwood and Leflore County. The great and fabled Mississippi blues founding fathers wrote and performed their original music in neighborhoods, juke joints and gatherings throughout the Delta. It may have seemed at the time that there was new music coming from all directions. Hoover said that’s not the case any longer.

“It has declined because the feeling has changed and everything around the blues has changed,” he said.

“These guys, all they were doing was telling a story about their lives. All Robert Johnson was doing was saying the way his heart felt. And these people today, they’re not in the same predicament. They’ve got rights; they’re a little bit better educated. They’re different people now.”

Hoover said while Baptist Town may have been one of the contributing neighborhoods to the birth and generation of the blues, it’s not so today. Young men in the community may be feeling the blues, he said, “but they can’t express it like these guys did; I don’t know why.” He said the original bluesmen picked it up from others and made it their own. “It just came natural with these guys. Young guys today can’t express it.”

Hoover said there are young blues musicians in the Clarksdale area who have taken lessons and been immersed in the blues through the Delta Blues Museum, something he’d like to see Greenwood offer.

“We got old blues guys here who want to teach it,” he said. “We got a learning center in Baptist Town, but they’ve got locks on the doors all the time. I have not been able to get anything done, let’s put it that way.” The learning center, he said, “is open but it’s not open.”

“Whatever I say, y’all can agree or disagree with what I say, but don’t charge it to my heart, charge it to my mind, because I’m 100 percent Mississippi Delta,” Hoover said. “I am optimistic about Greenwood. I feel for sure that it’s going to get better. There are a lot of good people involved. … Greenwood has a lot of eyes on it right now.”

That optimism is tied to the children of Greenwood, Hoover said, although he sees the need for young people to be taught the history of the city, Baptist Town included.

“I’ve worked with kids all over the United States, teaching about the history of the Mississippi Delta, but you know what? I’m not working with the kids here in the Mississippi Delta. These kids live five minutes away,

but they’ve never been over here to learn the history of this part, of what it meant to the world.”

Hoover says young people in the community have to be exposed to the way things were and how they are today, if progress is going to be made.

“Let them make their own opinions,” he said. “You see it, the facts, where it went down and what happened.

Then you take it and digest it and come up with something. The old people, we can’t quite get it right, so we got to get the young people in it, to get it right.”

And an important part of Greenwood’s heritage to be experienced by young people in the community has to be the blues, Hoover said.

“This is powerful. Why wouldn’t you teach them?

The kids right here, they stand on it and don’t know anything about it. Other outside people, they’re dying to get here. I have people come here, and they come over to Baptist Town, the hood, low income. I have people come over here and when they step foot on the ground, they say, ‘Wow! Wow! I’m here!’ And we who live here don’t understand it because we’re not teaching it.

“I have got to figure out a way to teach the people here. And it’s not going to be negative. It’s going to be positive. But they gotta know.

They gotta know.”

qÜÉ=mêÉ~ÅÜÉê The Rev. Steve Fortenberry serves as associate pastor for youth and education at First Presbyterian Church.

He’s not a native of Greenwood, or of Mississippi, having been born and raised in Richmond, Indiana, and Fort Wayne, Indiana. But he chose to come here after he was first called by the congregation in 1994. He left for Pennsylvania in 1998 and then to North Lima, Ohio, in 2002 to start a church. But he chose to return in 2014 when the opportunity presented itself. These arrivals and departures give him a unique perspective on the town he has chosen to serve.

When Fortenberry recalls 1999, he thinks of life as a young family man in a new city and culture removed from where he was raised, but made part of a church community and a Greenwood community. “‘Welcoming’ and ‘nurturing’ spring to mind, as Nancy and I had our first child, Sarah, while we were here,” he said. “Church members and neighbors provided lots of support to us, especially to Nancy, as she was a young mother living a great distance from her parents and family.

“That support extended to me as certain members of the church helped guide me through some of the bigger decisions a young man needs to make. And on special occasions and holidays, there were people who made sure that we were never alone and always treated like family. While I was always aware of some shortcomings and challenges the community faced, overall my wife and I always thought of Greenwood with affection and gratitude.”

It might seem that serving as clergy to the youth of a church would present the same problems and the same solutions year to year and generation to generation, as young people are first introduced to or first notice those traits and issues they may wrestle with for their entire lives. Fortenberry has seen some of that.

“Some things about youth ministry will never change.

People in that age range will always be dealing with issues of identity, belonging and purpose. In every era, teens will be processing whether the faith of their parents and other influential adults is true and relevant to them or not. Will they decide for themselves to become followers of Christ?”

But in the generations that came of age between 1999 and 2019, Fortenberry found something new.

An obvious and major change is the existence of the internet, the ubiquity of cellphones, and the influence of social media. Those factors greatly shape the lives of teens and parents. Youth ministers and health professionals are trying to understand both the good and bad effects of those upon teens.”

Members of the clergy may be motivated differently than others when considering a career move that will take them to a new community. The offer of a bigger job, better title, more money and perks might not always be enough to lure them away. So, when Fortenberry was deciding whether to return to Greenwood, he took a long look at the community and what had changed since he’d left.

“When I was considering returning to Greenwood, a strong positive I saw was the existence of several mission organizations that had either not existed before or had grown significantly in the intervening years. Habitat for Humanity, which evolved into The Fuller Center of Housing, had built numerous homes. The Community Food Pantry and The Community Kitchen had been established and were serving many people.

“So, to me those were signs that there were more people engaged in making Greenwood a better place for everyone, especially those who were in greatest need.

Since I have been back, I have noticed more non-profit organizations helping, in one form or another, to improve educational outcomes for all.”

Fortenberry was also glad to see people, like himself and his wife, from outside Greenwood working to make a difference in many areas of life in the Delta.

“I have been greatly encouraged by people who didn’t grow up in or anywhere near Greenwood but have settled in with great determination to join others in improving our community,” he said.

But he said there is still much to do.

“While I see the good, I can’t refuse to see the many challenges our community faces,” he said. “Good and affordable housing isn’t enjoyed by all. Educational opportunities are unequal. More middle-class families are under significant time and financial pressure. And, we have a declining population and more improvements needed toward racial reconciliation and goodwill.”

With those obstacles in the way, Fortenberry said he still sees an opportunity to reach those goals.

“I am (optimistic) mostly because of the new emerging leadership in our community,” he said. “They are less tied to the past and more open to taking new roads. I think, given the challenges of our community, we have some leaders who realize incremental changes are not sufficient, but bold, creative leadership could take Greenwood into an exciting new future.”n

The Rev. Steve Fortenberry

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Agriculture

Responding to growth Producers must address rise in population

Mike Wagner, center, who farms near Minter City, in recent years has brought both his daughter, Abbey, 24, left, and son, Lawrence, 25, right, into the business. They represent the 11th generation of farmers in their family who have produced an unbroken string of crops starting in 1742 in the Southeast. In 20 years, they will be in their middle 40s. “The future is here,” their dad said.

S

taplcotn CEO Hank Reichle was asked to look at the future of agriculture around Greenwood and elsewhere in the next two decades.

“Let’s talk,” he said, and he began to explain that predictions of huge population growth

worldwide result in the conjecture that demand for food and fiber will grow along with it.

“I think there is this great challenge in agriculture,” he said. “Twenty years from now, there will be over 9 billion people on Earth.” Many of these people, he predicts, will have a higher standard of living, so they will be eating more and taking up more space. Therefore, it also seems likely that perhaps a smaller amount of land than that which now provides for the cur-

rent 7.67 billion living on Earth must then be farmed as productively as possible.

“The challenge will be meeting this demand and balancing doing so without creating an ecological mess,” Reichle said.

“You’ve got this great challenge and this great opportunity.”

His figures match those in a 2017 United Nations report that, based on current and historical trends, maintains that the world population is growing by 83 mil-

pqlov=_v=prp^k=jlkqdljbov=n melqlp=_v=olov=alvib=^ka=prp^k=jlkqdljbov

lion a year, a 1.1 percent annual increase.

The report says that in 1800, the world was inhabited by 1 billion people. In 1927 — six years after Staplcotn was founded — the number had doubled.

Thirty-three years later, in 1960, the figure had risen to 3 billion; in 1974, 4 billion; and onwards to 2011, 7 billion.

The projection for mid-2030 is 8.6 billion and for 2050, 9.8 billion, leading to 11.8 billion after the turn of the century.

The question is how will the same, or

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even a lesser, amount of land be farmed in order to accommodate demand. One answer is precision farming, which uses information provided by technology to improve yields and cut costs. Another might lie in revitalizing the environment while farming it.

The latter is what Mike Wagner, who in recent months received conservation awards from both Delta Council and the Mississippi Association of Conservation Districts, says he can see coming.

Wagner’s credentials include a long family history in agriculture.

His children, Abbey and Lawrence, both in their mid-20s, represent the 11th generation of a farm family that since 1742 has raised “an unbroken string of crops, starting in the Shenandoah Valley, then scattered around the South in the Carolinas, Alabama and Tennessee and the bootheel of Missouri,” Wagner said.

More lately, the Wagners have farmed near Minter City, where they raise soybeans and rice.

Their practices include retaining rather than draining water so that rice fields remain flooded all year. These fields are aerated and fertilized by waterfowl during the winter and then are planted by spreading seed by aircraft. The idea is to save money, improve yields and support the environment, all with an eye on raising nutritional crops.

Wagner expects these types of practices to expand.

“Farmers will increasingly consider and calibrate inputs not only to meet yield goals, but also environmental and ecological goals. This will likely be done with sophisticated programs that balance the three,” he said.

“Farmers will focus not on just substantiality, but rebuilding the soil and water systems that serve crops in real and artificial ways ... It may be likely that farm plants will be used to scrub waterways and air environments of pollutants and perhaps to replace elements needed in our atmosphere for all Earth life-forms.”

He noted that improved nutrition will become more and more necessary, and he is looking to science for solutions.

“As our planet’s human population increases from the present burdensome population of near 7.7 billion to near 9 billion, caloric production will have to increase on a decreasing land base and water supply,” Wagner said.

He speculated that “this likely will be done with genetic manipulation through modification or editing. Also, natural plant-breeding programs will be elevated to achieve this. It is likely leading world economies will shift to more plant-based diets with enhanced nutritional content.

An accounting system will fall into place to ensure minimal total input production on an acre of land used for meat or plant production, and those inputs will yield maximum nutritionally caloric output.”

He continued to look forward 20 years.

“Farms and fields will be tailored to meet specific markets, and to very specific nutritional and health needs and requirements. Farms will increasingly calibrate their output accordingly to add value to their produce.”

Reichle made a related point, speaking about global concerns over the ill effects of plastics in the environment and their lack of degradability. He referred to polyester

t~ÇÉ=iáííçåI=äÉÑíI=~åÇ=gçÜå=j~êëÜ~ääI=ÄçíÜ=çÑ=t~ÇÉ=fåÅKI=Éñ~ãáåÉ=~=ÇáÖáí~ä=ã~é=áå=~å=çÑÑáÅÉ=~í=íÜÉ=dêÉÉåïççÇ=ÇÉ~äÉêëÜçéI=ïÜáÅÜ áë=~=Åçãé~åó=ÜÉ~Çèì~êíÉêëK=j~êëÜ~ää=áë=t~ÇÉ=fåÅKÛë=éêÉÅáëáçå=~Ö=ÇáêÉÅíçêI=~åÇ=iáííçå=áë=áíë=éêÉëáÇÉåí=~åÇ=`blK=^í=PUI=iáííçå=êÉéJ êÉëÉåíë=Ñçìê=ÖÉåÉê~íáçåë=ïáíÜ=íÜÉ=Åçãé~åóK=_çíÜ=ÜÉ=~åÇ=j~êëÜ~ää=ÉñéÉÅí=íÉÅÜåçäçÖáÅ~ä=ÖêçïíÜ=íç=ÄçäëíÉê=Ñ~êãÉêëÛ=~Äáäáíó=íç=ÉÑÑáJ ÅáÉåíäó=éêçîáÇÉ=Ñçê=~=ÄççãáåÖ=ÖäçÄ~ä=éçéìä~íáçå=áå=íÜÉ=åÉñí=íïç=ÇÉÅ~ÇÉëK==

in clothing, which he said manufacturers have used to trim the cost of fabric. But the environmental price is high.

“Cotton is biodegradable,” he noted.

“There will be a shift back to cotton.”

He foresees a strong economic demand around Greenwood for businesses providing services and supplies to farmers, and he hopes for growth in value-added companies, such as those making biodiesel fuel, and enterprises such as TJ Beall, the Money-based company owned and operated by Tommy Gary and his son, Lawson Gary.

Staplcotn acquired a 50 percent stake in TJ Beall in March 2018. The company manufactures and supplies an array of natural cotton fibers for nonwoven and traditional textiles. For example, its True Cotton nonwoven fiber, which is chemical-free and sustainable, is now being used in a newly introduced trauma gauze because True Cotton is lighter, more absorbent and less likely to stick to damaged tissues than regular cotton gauze.

The fiber is extra clean, or purified, through a process the company calls its “revolutionary, proprietary cleaning technology.”

And the role of technology will be growing over the next two decades, according to Reichle. “The next generations will actually crave technology,” he observed.

The folks at Wade Inc., which has its corporate headquarters at the John Deere dealership in Greenwood, agree.

Already, computerized field equipment measures, reports and responds to field conditions on the micro-level. In the coming years, such things as driverless tractors will become common.

The idea isn’t to create what seems now like a futuristic farm environment. The aim is to provide computerized tools to better assess field conditions and there-

fore increase yields while cutting costs.

“We have a great responsibility to support and sustain a growing population, which we will have,” said Wade Litton, 38, the company’s president and CEO. “We have got to produce more food. We are not going to be able to make more land. So our growers have got to produce more on the same amount of acreage, and how are they are going to do it? They are going to do it through technology.”

“We want everybody to be thinking along these lines,” he said.

Litton grew up in Greenwood, where his father, grandfather and great-grandfather led the family-owned company, which was launched more than 100 years ago. He’s seen some of how equipment has evolved from generation to generation, and he thinks planning for what’s coming next is important.

John Marshall, Wade Inc.’s precision ag director, has been working with precision equipment since 1996, so he’s been on hand for one change after another.

“Our tractors will drive themselves right now,” he said, later adding, “I don’t think I can fathom what it will be like in 2039.” He introduced one scenario. A farmer wakes up, grabs a cup of coffee, turns on a touch screen and uses it to make changes in where a tractor or irrigation pivot is operating.

“It’s all going to be automated. You are going to do all of your work from your office,” he said. “The technology is growing by leaps and bounds every year. It’s amazing where technology will go.”

Right now, the influence of technology on farm operations involves the possibility of improvements to profit margins, said Clint Dunn, 38, a sixth-generation farmer who raises mainly cotton and corn near Itta Bena. He’s a part of the generation that welcomes precision farming, but

views it with a practical eye while predicting it will become more and more important in the next couple of decades.

“There will be an increased importance on the technological side of farming,” he said. The aim is twofold: increase yields and reduce inputs, not only to step up to the challenge of growing global demand but also to expand profit margins while caring for the soil itself.

Currently, margins are tight, he said. A slight increase or decrease in expenses or productivity makes a big difference one way or another. “Technology,” he said, “has allowed us some small gains in either savings or productivity.”

Take fertilization or seeding. The current technological data from precision equipment might show that fertilizer could be better used in another spot. Or the equipment might allow for modifications in the seeding rate in various locations across a field so one spot isn’t overplanted and another, underplanted.

Dunn said he prefers spray nozzles that help prevent chemical drift, and not only because it’s wasteful. “Year in, year out, I have to protect the dirt and surrounding areas. That’s my future,” he said.

He said Reichle makes sense in asserting that the generations to come will insist on using technological tools. “I agree 100 percent. For every kid today, if they can’t do it on their iPad, they want to know why they can’t.”

Dunn expects to see more automation and more autonomous equipment.

Farm employment, therefore, will change. There will be more opportunities for technologically educated labor, he said.

But people still will be needed, he insisted, using planting as an example. “There still will have to be someone in the dirt to check that seed. You still physically will have to lay hands on it.”n

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‘A sense of place’

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What Will Greenwood Look Like?

Long-term plan can help attract people to city

T

qÜÉ=dêÉÉåïççÇ=`áíó=`çìåÅáä=~ÇçéíÉÇ=~=ÅçãéêÉÜÉåëáîÉ=éä~å=Ñçê=ëíêìÅíìêÉëI=òçåáåÖ=~åÇ=çíÜÉê=êÉä~íÉÇ=íçéáÅë=áå=OMNM=~åÇ=Ü~ë=ëíìÅâ=íç=áíK ake a minute to fast-forward through the next 20 years and consider how Greenwood might appear in 2039.

Take another minute to imagine the cityscape’s assets — ranging from architecture to nearby agriculture — as contributing to a sense of place that longtime residents, newcomers and visitors will value, either along with or in spite of changes the years inevitably will bring.

Sense of place is important, says Thomas Gregory, a Greenwood native and a former chief administrative officer of the city. Gregory, 35, is a Mississippi

State University graduate who holds a master’s degree in city and regional planning. He worked eight years for the city and now lives in Starkville, where he is employed as a community planner for the Carl Small Town Center at Mississippi State.

Greenwood has now and will continue to have opportunities to capitalize on its assets while addressing its deficiencies, and Gregory thinks these gains will carry the community through 2039 and beyond.

“On the macro-level,” he explained, “you are seeing a trend toward urbanization. People are moving to cities, steadily.

Mississippi has its work cut out for it in competing with states with large urban areas.” For example, his contemporaries are attracted to Nashville, Tennessee, and Birmingham, Alabama.

“People are going to continue to move into cities and away from smaller towns. But this also presents an opportunity for a lot of small and mid-size cities in Mississippi,” Gregory said. They can provide a trend-bucking niche.

Gregory offered this scenario. Visitors to Gregory downtown Atlanta might leave, return and experience no sense of special recognition. But someone who has visited Howard Street is far more likely to recognize it upon a second visit.

“Greenwood is an example of a city that has cultivated a sense of place,” he said.

This can’t be done without a vision and a plan, and Greenwood has both. Much was developed as a result of the ideas of

Fred Carl, the Viking Range founder, whose renovations included the The Alluvian and the Historic Elks Building, among others. Then the Greenwood City Council in 2010 adopted a comprehensive plan covering everything from building design standards to neighborhood-friendly zoning regulations and steadily has stuck to the plan, even when tempted to deviate.

Gregory attributes the council’s resolve in part to the leadership of Mayor Carolyn McAdams. “Carolyn is unique in a way.

She has worked the comprehensive plan in a way that not a lot of local officials do.”

McAdams said funds for developing the plan were received during the administration of a former mayor, Sheriel Perkins, so these were available when McAdams took office a decade ago. A consultant was hired, committees were

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dêÉÉåïççÇ=áë=âåçïå=Ñçê=~=åìãÄÉê=çÑ=ÇáëíáåÅíáîÉ=ëíêìÅíìêÉëI=áåÅäìÇáåÖ=hÉÉëäÉê=_êáÇÖÉK formed and public meetings were held.

“We saw what the concerns were,” she said.

The resulting plan is now available on the city’s website, ïïïKÖêÉÉåïççÇãë KÅçã, and its goals have been a priority during her administration. These include improvements to curbside appeal, not only downtown and historic districts, but also in other locations, such as commercial areas.

McAdams said, “You have to have a good design scheme. Your zoning is never going to be any good if you don’t have a good design scheme.”

New zoning rules regulate where manufacturing and warehouse facilities can be constructed. Newly constructed commercial buildings, including those housing stores and restaurants, must meet design regulations requiring attention to attractiveness with amenities such as landscaping. Gregory pointed out that a Family Dollar store on U.S. 82 near Whittington Park was constructed after the zoning ordinance was passed. It’s more attractive than the metal buildings of the past.

“This opened a lot of people’s eyes to what could be and what is possible if you aspire to something better,” he said. vvv

“Something better” might be many things, according to Greenwood residents in the 20-to-50 age group. Family man Harvey Crosby Jr., 47, lives in Greenwood and teaches in Sunflower County. He has been thinking broadly about improvements to the quality of life in his home community for many years and taking

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“I hope — I wish — that Greenwood will still be a place where people want to move home to or move to in order to raise a family. ’’ Holly Ann Singh

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action where possible to make a difference. He talked about creating jobs and bringing them in, taking advantage of what’s already available and fostering a new leadership, especially in the areas of education and economic development.

“We have a lot of things in place, but we are just not effective,” he explained. He was talking about employment opportunities, but his comment also applied to directions that he thinks ought to be taken in education and providing for a quality of life that will attract newcomers to the community and retain those who grew up within it.

He said the “traditional restaurants” don’t appeal to everyone, and efforts ought to be made to attract franchise eateries, such as Olive Garden. There’s a demand among families for these and recreational opportunities that might be provided by a movie theater and bowling alley.

“We have got to think outside of the box,” he said.

Crosby coaches basketball, as does Holly Ann Singh, 26. She works at Pillow

Academy, and she and her husband, Jason, have a daughter who is less than a year old.

She had considered what she wanted for the community in 2039. “I hope — I wish— that Greenwood will still be a place where people want to move home to or move to in order to raise a family.” She said the community already has some top-notch recreational facilities and learning opportunities, such as those offered by ArtPlace Mississippi. Of course, she would like to see those expanded.

But, “I think our entertainment we do have is kind of unique. It’s a matter of getting your foot in and figuring out what kinds of activities you want to do. We are not going to get a Chuck E. Cheese or whatever, but there are things to do. Our entertainment is a ballgame, and there is plenty of opportunity here.”

What about what others perceive as a need for a first-class public educational system? She responded, emphatically, “I agree!”

So do many others. Will Perkins, 35, lives in Greenwood and Savannah, Georgia. He works in the film industry and historic preservation. When he was much younger, he canvassed historic properties in Greenwood as a volunteer for Main Street Greenwood, and he studied historic preservation at the Savannah College of Art and Design.

He put together a wish list for Greenwood in 2039 and at the bottom of it mentioned the community’s current concerns regarding school district consolidation and financial problems at Greenwood Leflore Hospital.

“If we don’t fix those two things,” he said, “there is hardly much reason to pon-

der anything too hopeful for our community in the decades to come.” But he does so anyway.

“I hope in 20 years we have a preserved, maintained and documented historical cemetery on Strong Avenue. Adjacent, a revamped City Park would be a welcome addition to the beautiful Rail Spike Park,” Perkins said. “I would love to imagine an entertainment district along Carrollton Avenue and Johnson Street with live music venues finding homes in the many vacant buildings to offer our astounding amount of local talent a venue to use and enjoy their skills.

“We should focus in the coming decades on taking advantage of our history — our music legacy, our residential architecture and, most importantly, our poignant civil rights past. We should move beyond glossing over so many important events and put the stories and places on full display to transform Greenwood’s greatest shames and victories into tangible tools for education and information.”

Portia Collins, 31, dreams of a community with greater interracial cohesion. It bothers her that there is little of it now.

She said “raw honesty” will be required, and “sometimes we are afraid of that.”

Collins is the manager of special events for the Office of University Advancement at Mississippi Valley State University.

She graduated in political science from MVSU and then earned a master’s in public administration from Penn State.

She and her husband, Mikhail, are the parents of a 1-year-old daughter.

“I grew up in Grenada but have been in the Leflore County area since 2006. I have been here so long that this is where I am from,” Collins said.

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cìäíçå=píêÉÉíI=ïÜáÅÜ=êìåë=åçêíÜJëçìíÜ=Ñêçã=cêçåí=píêÉÉí=é~ëí=o~áä=péáâÉ=m~êâI=áë=ëä~íÉÇ=Ñçê=äáÖÜíáåÖ=~åÇ=ëáÇÉï~äâ=ÉåÜ~åÅÉãÉåíë=ëáãáä~ê=íç=íÜçëÉ=çå=åÉ~êÄó=Ççïåíçïå=ëíêÉÉíëK j~óçê=`~êçäóå=jÅ^Ç~ãë=ëÉÉë=ïçêâ=ÇÉëáÖåÉÇ=íç=ã~âÉ=íÜÉ=Åáíó=ãçêÉ=~ééÉ~äáåÖ=~åÇ=äáî~ÄäÉ=~ë=ÅçåíáåìáåÖ=~ë=ÑìåÇáåÖ=ÄÉÅçãÉë=~î~áä~ÄäÉI=~åÇ=ëÜÉÛë=ÄÉííáåÖ=íÜ~í=íÜÉ=áãéêçîÉJ ãÉåíë=Ñçê=íçÇ~ó=ïáää=ëí~åÇ=Äó=íÜÉ=Åáíó=áå=íÜÉ=ÑìíìêÉK= She said people “put on a face” when she wants to talk about racial division.

“What are we doing seriously to address the division we see in our community?” she asked, explaining that people of different races and ethnicities know each other better elsewhere. “It’s different here, and it troubles me. In the next 20 years, is it still going to be like this?

“People don’t want to acknowledge that it is an issue. There is hard work that needs to be done to get to where we need to be.”

Mission Mississippi offers opportunities for racial reconciliation through monthly breakfasts at different churches and occasionally other venues, and everyone is welcome. The thought is to encourage people to get to know one another through regular association in faith-filled, friendly situations. In other words, the organization has a goal and a strategy that’s not all that dissimilar to the city’s efforts to create a more livable community. vvv

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“We should move beyond glossing over so many important events and put the stories and places on full display to transform Greenwood’s greatest shames and victories into tangible tools for education and information. ’’ Will Perkins

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Thomas Gregory, the Greenwood native and community planner, repeats an appellation that has stuck to his hometown: “jewel in the Delta.”

“You see that in the number of Mississippi Delta natives who grew up in another Mississippi Delta town who have

chosen to live in Greenwood,” he observed.

But even jewels can develop flaws that beg to be addressed. Gregory agrees that the most pressing need lies at the schoolhouse door.

“The single best thing our community could do to improve our ability to maintain our status as a great community is to improve our public education system. If Greenwood had a top-tier public school system, you could not be able to contain the growth this city would see.

“That doesn’t make it easy. ... If you don’t want to build a new school and you don’t want to pay the taxes, then your public school system will continue to suffer. You have a choice.”

McAdams said she is confident Greenwood will move forward. Gregory had mentioned that he thinks the city ought to look at updating its comprehensive plan, and she responded to his suggestion by re-examining the plan. It was supposed to take Greenwood through 2040, but she noticed that many of its goals already have been accomplished.

Perhaps an update might be a good idea, she said.

She pointed out that the city, because of the plan, is continuing to seek and obtain grants for additions to improvements.

The council soon will advertise for bids for sidewalk and lighting renovations along Fulton Street, funded by a $750,000 Mississippi Department of Transportation grant. The money won’t cover all the work the city has in mind.

The goal is to extend the improvements from the Yazoo River to Rail Spike Park.

And a related goal is to create new pathways and parks tying into Rail Spike.

Another is to expand the Yazoo River Trail. “You have to think long term,” McAdams observed.

She said in 20 years, she’s not likely to be executing plans for improvements, but she is expecting to be enjoying the quality of life in Greenwood. “I am 72 and consider myself a young thinker,” she said. But her grandchildren’s generation more than likely will be in charge. “I hope I am still here and see all of these fabulous changes that have been made.” n

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Carlos Barbosa

Faithful servant Salvation Army store manager to retire soon

F

`~êäçë=_~êÄçë~I=êáÖÜíI=êáåÖë=ìé=~=ÅìëíçãÉê=~í=qÜÉ=p~äî~íáçå=^êãóÛë=êÉí~áä=ëíçêÉK=_~êÄçë~=Ü~ë=ïçêâÉÇ=Ñçê=qÜÉ=p~äî~íáçå=^êãó=Ñçê=~Äçìí=íÜêÉÉ=ÇÉÅ~ÇÉëI=íÜÉ=ä~ííÉê=Ü~äÑ=~ë=áíë ã~å~ÖÉêK or its more than seven decades of existence in Greenwood, The Salvation Army has changed.

Corps officers have come and gone, and the location of The Salvation Army’s retail store and church have moved several times.

One recent mainstay, however, has been Carlos Barbosa Jr., who has worked for The Salvation Army’s retail store for almost three decades. For the last half of that period, he has been its manager.

Wearing glasses that tilt down his nose, and suspenders, rather than a belt, to

hoist up his pants, Barbosa greets customers with a friendly demeanor.

“I love it. I love meeting people,” Barbosa said.

Either behind the register or out and about throughout the store ensuring operations go smoothly, Barbosa is constantly on his feet. He works from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday, rotating the store’s Saturday hours with the other full-time employee, Kenny Cockrell.

He has Sundays off. “That’s the Lord’s day,” Barbosa said.

Though there are only two full-time

employees for the retail store, Barbosa and Cockrell are assisted by volunteers, who usually number around 13.

Kim Lucas and Ida Keys are two volunteers who have dedicated more than two decades with The Salvation Army, prompting Barbosa to call them “faithful servants.”

Barbosa will turn 65 by the time he retires in July, or as he puts it, “when I start scaling back” from full-time to parttime work.

Barbosa is not one to remain still, he said: “I’m a person to get out and roam

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around.”

In some ways, he’s picked a less-thanopportune time to reduce his role.

Although The Salvation Army has closed its retail operations in several states and even as close as Greenville, the store in Greenwood seems to be booming.

“We’re one of the top 10 stores in three states,” Barbosa said, referring to Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama.

If that’s not enough, The Salvation Army’s store in Greenwood will open at its new location on Mississippi 7 in March or April, Barbosa said.

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`~êäçë=_~êÄçë~I=ÅÉåíÉêI=áë=íÜ~åâÑìä=Ñçê=îçäìåíÉÉêë=~í=qÜÉ=p~äî~íáçå=^êãóI=áåÅäìÇáåÖ=háã=iìÅ~ëI=äÉÑíI=~åÇ=fÇ~=hÉóëI=êáÖÜíK=iìÅ~ë=~åÇ=hÉóë=Ü~îÉ=îçäìåíÉÉêÉÇ=Ñçê=íÜÉ=^êãó=Ñçê ãçêÉ=íÜ~å=íïç=ÇÉÅ~ÇÉëI=_~êÄçë~=ë~áÇK= Though he’ll continue being the manager at the new location for a few months, it won’t be enough to provide his expertise or guidance, according to Lt. Tamarique Ellis, who serves as The Salvation Army’s corps officer in Greenwood along with her husband, Lt. Jamaal Ellis.

“Under his managing and leadership, the store has been extremely successful,” she said of Barbosa. “We will miss his presence.”

Barbosa said he would continue working full time if he physically could. “My mind says keep on going, but my body says no,” he said.

The years of standing for long stretches on concrete floors have taken their toll. He shuffles, instead of walks, throughout the store and has recently had knee surgery, furthering hampering his movement. v v v

Barbosa is committed to the mission of The Salvation Army because he grew up with it.

“I was raised with The Salvation Army,” he said. “My family — there were nine of us — we attended church at The Salvation Army.”

Aside from a few months, Barbosa has lived in Greenwood his whole life. Born in Mission, Texas, Barbosa was one of seven children raised by Maria and Carlos Barbosa Sr. The latter, who knew little English at the time, moved to Greenwood in 1954 to work for a gas company, drilling water wells for farmers. Months later, the rest of

the family followed.

Barbosa complimented the courage and hard work both of his parents demonstrated in coming to Mississippi and raising such a large family on modest means.

“It was seven children, my mom and dad in a three-bedroom apartment. There was just a front room, a kitchen and a bedroom,” Barbosa said. “I slept in the closet when I was little, and the rest (of my siblings) just slept on clothes anywhere they could.”

“Like I said, it was a struggle. I just wondered how my mom and dad just came up here. I don’t know if I would’ve been able to do that and bring my family somewhere you didn’t know, that you didn’t know the language,” Barbosa said.

While his father worked, Barbosa’s mother stayed at home to raise the children, wash clothes and cook. She became well-known throughout the neighborhood as “the lady that fed the people,” since she would feed children who were roaming around the streets, Barbosa said.

“Beans and tortillas,” he said, smiling.

“That’s what my momma would always make. We fed a lot of children, but we grew up with them and all of that. We became friends.”

Barbosa’s father died in 1995 at the age of 71 and his mother a decade later at the age of 76. When Barbosa’s mother became ill, instead of placing her in a nursing home as a doctor had suggested, he and his siblings decided she could stay with them.

“She suffered enough for us. There ain’t no way we were going to put her away,”

Barbosa said. “Like I said, we loved our mom.” v v v

When Barbosa was 8 or 9, the other side of the duplex in which the family lived, at 201 Nichols Ave., caught on fire, destroying the whole structure.

At the time, The Salvation Army’s church was right across the street, and “they helped us out,” Barbosa said.

His family was allowed to stay at a lodge the church owned. In addition, the Army provided clothing and food and eventually helped the Barbosas find another apartment to rent.

That sense of generosity stuck with Barbosa, as well as his sister, Juanita, who served as an Army officer for about 20 years.

It wasn’t until 1990 that Barbosa began working for The Salvation Army, starting as a truck driver and then as a baler.

Instead of hay, though, Barbosa handled clothes.

Prior to that, he worked with his father drilling water wells until his dad retired.

That prompted the younger Barbosa to scout for new opportunities.

“I was just searching for three or four months. Then my pastor at the time, Lt. (Michael) Frank, offered me a job at The Salvation Army,” Barbosa said.

Ever since, Barbosa has loved his work for The Salvation Army. He said he could’ve gotten a different job making more money, but he didn’t budge, since the “good Lord just guided me.”

Outside of the retail store, Barbosa oversees The Salvation Army’s collection of offerings at the church.

Tamarique Ellis said Barbosa is a humble servant who often goes above and beyond, such as when he traveled to Lake Charles, Louisiana, to serve food to victims of Hurricane Katrina.

He has also donated money to people in need from his own pocket, such as a student at Mississippi Valley State University who needed money for gas.

When she suggested paying him back later, Barbosa told her to instead “put a little extra in the kettles.”

Barbosa is excited about the retail store’s pending move to its new location.

The present facility on U.S. 82 has poor insulation, making it hot in the summer and cold in the winter.

“I think the Army here in Greenwood deserves a better store,” Barbosa said, adding that the community has been very supportive of the move. The new store will have proper insulation, making it more comfortable for both the workers and customers.

He said he will help the new manager, still to be named, to transition into the role.

Barbosa is excited about retirement. He plans to “try and enjoy life more” and visit with family. He’ll mostly take it easy, “just taking care of stuff” at his home, he said.

And, of course, he plans to still put in time at the Salvation Army store, even if only part time.

“As long as my legs and my feet stay up and everything, I’ll be around.”n

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‘Delta guy’

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Eric Miller

Banker likes doing business in small town

W

bêáÅ=jáääÉê=ë~óë=ÜÉ=äáâÉë=ÄÉáåÖ=~ÄäÉ=íç=ÜÉäé=çíÜÉêë=áå=Üáë=àçÄ=~í=mä~åíÉêë=_~åâK hen the opportunity arose, Eric Miller jumped in feet first.

Born and bred in the small-town atmosphere of the Mississippi Delta, Miller was looking to get out of the big city and move closer to home. The only stipulation from

his wife, the former Holly Reed of Louisville, was that she would only move to Greenwood or Cleveland.

The rest is history. Miller left Trustmark National Bank in Jackson a decade ago for a job at Planters Bank and Trust Co. in Greenwood to get back to his

roots of small-town banking and, yes, back close to home for the self-described “Delta guy.”

“All I knew growing up was small-town banking,” said Miller, who grew up in Anguilla and Rolling Fork and is the son of a longtime Sharkey County bank exec-

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utive. “I am more comfortable at this level because I like doing things face to face. I was told when I first took this job that I might have a $1,000 loan on my desk right next to a $1 million deal, and that’s what I like — trying to help everyone we can.”

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That’s what Miller, 40, likes most about his job — helping others.

“It’s a great feeling when you can help someone get in their first home or start up their first business. That’s what it’s all about,” said Miller, who has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Alabama and a master of business administration from Mississippi State University.

Holly Miller was happy in Jackson, but she wanted her husband to be happy at his job.

“I knew how much it meant for Eric to be happy at work. You have to spend so much time at work that there is no sense in not being happy while there,” said Holly.

Even though she was hesitant at first, she is proud to call Greenwood home.

“It turned out to be the best thing for our family. We love it here because there are so many things for us to do as a family.”

Eric and Holly have two daughters: Maggie, 11, and Ellen, 7.

Eric Miller loves his relatively new position as bank president, even though it forces him to spend more time in the office handling the day-to-day operations rather than meeting potential new customers and keeping up with current ones.

Greenwood’s Jim Quinn was Miller’s boss before Quinn took a job as executive vice president and chief credit officer in Planters’ headquarters in Indianola.

“It’s hard not to like and feel comfortable with Eric when you meet him,” said Quinn. “People notice that — someone that rolls up their sleeves to try to make their new town better, combined with an ability to endear themselves to others.

Plus, he is a really good banker.”

When Holly looks at her husband, she sees a “kind soul.”

“I am the one to get uptight about things, but Eric remains very calm. He always finds the good in people and is kind to everyone,” she said.

The first meeting between the two was one of chance. It came at the wedding of Holly’s sister, Melanie, to Eric’s brother, Josh. Eric and Holly got to know one another through all the pre-wedding parties before the August 2001 nuptials.

They had their first date shortly after that and were married on June 7, 2003, while Eric was in graduate school at Mississippi State. “Yep, it’s a pretty crazy story for sure. My daughters have double first cousins,” Holly said. v v v

Miller is a member of the legislative committee of the Mississippi Bankers Association and president of the Mississippi Young Bankers group. He is a member of the Greenwood Lions Club and a former president of the civic group.

He serves on the Pillow Academy board and is a former president of the United Way of Leflore County. He has been a big part of the Greenwood-Leflore County Chamber of Commerce and this year is serving as its president.

“Eric hit the ground running in Greenwood when he and Holly moved their family from Jackson in 2009,” Quinn said. “He not only joined most every charitable organization in town, but he ended up leading them. He has become more involved civically in Greenwood in 10 years than a lot of local

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“We love it here because there are so many things for us to do as a family. ’’ Eric Miller

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Eric Miller stands with, from left, his wife, Holly; daughter Maggie, 11; and daughter Ellen, 7.

folks have in a lifetime of living here.

Heck, he even started a youth girls basketball league.

“He has been such a great fit for Planters and Greenwood. He and his family have truly been a blessing.”

Miller said it’s important for him to donate his time and talents to promote Greenwood. It’s something he learned from his father, Fred Miller, who after retiring as president of the Bank of Anguilla was elected mayor of Rolling Fork, and a grandfather, Micky Kline, a Sharkey County farmer, now deceased.

Eric Miller acknowledges that community involvement just makes good business sense for him also.

“I just want to do my part to help Greenwood stay a great place and a place where businesses would like to locate,” he said. “It’s part of the job to get out and meet new people in the community because those are customers or might one day be customers.”

“It was such a tough time for our whole family,” Eric Miller said. “Man, your entire world just stops, and your heart drops.”

Ellen is now in remission and going through once-a-week treatments at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis. Once that is over in April 2020, life should be back to as normal as possible for the Millers.

“The bank has been unbelievable through it all with time off whenever it was needed, and also from (bank vice president) Ryan Strawbridge and (loan officer) Swayze Hicks, who were left to pick up the slack,” Miller said.

He was blown away by the toughness, faith and resolve of his family, especially from Holly and Ellen.

“Holly was so strong from the start, where I wasn’t. It was amazing to see her walk out and say, ‘We’ve got this.’ Ellen has been a trooper, too,” he said. “They are two tough cookies.”

Following Ellen’s diagnosis, purple signs — the Pillow second-grader’s favorite color — sprouted up all over town as a sign of solidarity with her and her family during their trials.

“The groundswell of support from within the community has been incredible,” said Miller. “We couldn’t have made it without that and, of course, our faith in the Lord.”

Eric helped Ellen kill her first deer back in December — a memory he will forever cherish. He said he is blessed to have the opportunity to create many more special moments with his wife and daughters.n

v v v

The Millers had their world shaken to the core on Sept. 19, 2018, when Ellen was diagnosed with acute lymphocytic leukemia — a type of cancer of the blood and bone marrow — the spongy tissue inside bones where blood cells are made.

Eric Miller says of his work, “It’s a great feeling when you can help someone get in their first home or start up their first business.”

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Hank Reichle

High standards Staplcotn president-CEO a determined leader H

ank Reichle was destined to do big things when he was first hired by Staplcotn 15 years ago.

That’s the way Meredith Allen, Reichle’s predecessor as president and CEO, saw it when the company lured Reichle away from The Seam, an electronic cotton-trading company in Memphis.

“He was the chief financial officer there.

All of the major cotton merchandising company CEOs had observed Hank’s work in this current capacity, and all were very impressed. In fact, other leaders of these international companies had expressed interest in hiring Hank at sometime in the future,” Allen said.

“Staplcotn was also interested, so we approached Hank first and fortunately were able to hire him.

“More importantly, we were able to get him to Greenwood and keep him. No one ever knows for sure how a particular hire will turn out, but we definitely thought it was a possibility that Hank could one day lead Staplcotn.”

And that’s just what he has been doing for the last five months. He took over as the head of the Greenwood-based company in September at the age of 42 following the retirement of Allen, who had worked at Staplcotn for 33 years, the last eight as the top executive.

So what has Allen seen out of the Columbus native during his first year at the helm?

“He has an excellent reputation within the cotton industry with proven marketing abilities, youth and enthusiasm and superb leadership skills,” Allen said.

Reichle said he didn’t come to Staplcotn with intentions of being the main man one day, but he admits those who hired him told him it would one day be a possibility for Reichle to run the oldest and one of the largest cotton marketing cooperatives in the United States.

“Some awfully smart people have put me in this position. I don’t want to let them down or this company or our customers, so I guess you can say I am motivated somewhat by the fear of failure,” said the Ole Miss graduate, who holds a degree in accountancy. “I just don’t want to let anyone down, and I am going to do all I can to not let that happen.”

So far so good, said Shane Stephens, vice president of cotton services and warehousing. “Hank has proven to be fairminded while challenging the staff to perform at a very high level. He is fully engaged in Staplcotn’s day-to-day busi-

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ness and will let employees do their job, but he will not allow or accept inferior performance,” Stephens said.

“Hank’s total understanding of the cotton industry is a real asset to Staplcotn and its employees. His big-picture vantage point allows each of our staff to avoid pitfalls and more readily achieve success for our membership. He has displayed a genuine concern for staff and maintains an open-door policy, remaining accessible to all Staplcotn employees.”

Reichle joined the company in 2004 and moved swiftly up the corporate ladder. In 2005, he became senior director of export sales. He was promoted to vice president of export sales and market administration in 2010 and to vice president of marketing in 2014. He was named executive vice president in 2016 and two years later was elevated to the company’s top job.

Stephens said his boss has earned the respect of Staplcotn staff and its members through hard work and dedication.

“He has an uncommon amount of common sense to go along with a very high intellect and an entertaining sense of humor. Hank’s work ethic is unquestioned, and he literally is required to work — especially when selling cotton overseas — at all hours of the day and night,” Stephens said.

Reichle’s first job out of Ole Miss was at the multinational accounting firm Ernst & Young in Memphis in 1997. Four years later, he entered the cotton industry when he accepted the position of corporate controller with The Seam, a newly formed

company at the time. He was soon promoted to its chief financial officer.

“I came to Staplcotn as an accountant and working in marketing, but I soon found out I liked the trading side of cotton better,” he said.

Friends say Reichle is as competitive as they come. Those who play golf with him see that every time they tee it up.

“There is no doubt he wants to win at golf or whatever he is doing,” said Wade Litton, a friend and the CEO of Greenwood’s Wade Inc. “He expects a lot out of himself, but he won’t take a shortcut to get the job done.”

Stephens said Reichle is the same way in business while retaining his, and the company’s, integrity.

“Hank’s main theme since becoming CEO has been to stress and reiterate our mission statement, which requires Staplcotn staff to make decisions and act in a way that fosters trust and confidence while meeting exemplary standards of business and personal conduct,” Stephens said. “Hank leads by example, and our daily decisions are made in concert with this mission statement.”

Integrity is one of his keys to a successful business, according to Reichle.

“I was always taught right from wrong from an early age, and I think the corporate culture here has done nothing but strengthen that,” he said.

Reichle’s wife of 21 years, the former Merritt Mendoza of Columbus, knows all about her husband’s competitive edge.

She thinks some of it is related to being

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the youngest of three boys and always having to compete against them while they were growing up.

Hank said Merritt may be even more competitive than he is.

“I love watching our kids play sports because they give it all they have, and I would say they get a lot of that from their mom,” he explained.

The couple have three sons: Ethan, 20; Jack, 17; and Britt, 15.

Reichle serves as first vice president of Cotton Council International and on the boards of the National Cotton Council and The Seam. He was recently elected as an AMCOT director and named to the Agribusiness Industry Council of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.

He has also been involved with several community organizations. He just finished a three-year term as a commissioner for Greenwood Utilities and is a former president of the Greenwood-Leflore County Chamber of Commerce.

Finding time to be active in the community along with serving on professional boards can be tricky, especially while still finding time for his busy family.

Reichle believes squeezing in the time to be active in his community has benefited him and the company.

“It’s very rewarding to see things come together and get done here in Greenwood through the hard work of a lot of people behind the scenes with the help of so many who do a lot more than myself,” he said. “It’s certainly a tough juggling act.

When I first moved here, community involvement was important because it allowed me to meet a lot of people, see how things are done here and put Staplcotn out in the public eye.”

His wife is impressed with the way Reichle carves out time for the family, which can be tricky with two kids still at Pillow Academy who are active in sports.

“The kids understand when Hank can’t make it to games, but he does a good job of getting to them when he can. As with anything, it’s more about quality time with the kids rather than quantity,” Merritt Reichle said. “It’s very important to him to be there when he can, and those he works with understand and respect that.”

So what is a perfect weekend for Reichle? “I really enjoy time with the family and watching the kids play sports,” he said. “I also like socializing with friends and spending time at my cabin in Montgomery County. I am not real mad at the deer, but I do still like hunting.”n

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PageSR Greenwood Commonwealth/Thursday, February 21, 2019 molcfib=OMNV =================================================================================================================================================================================

Beverly Smith and Nancy Gaugh

A lift at lunchtime Women deliver sandwiches to cancer center

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_ÉîÉêäó=pãáíÜI=äÉÑíI=~åÇ=k~åÅó=d~ìÖÜ=éêÉé~êÉ=Üçí=ÇçÖë=Ñçê=ÇÉäáîÉêó=íç=qÜÉ=`~åÅÉê=`ÉåíÉê=çÑ=dêÉÉåïççÇK=pãáíÜ=~åÇ=d~ìÖÜI=ÄçíÜ=Å~åÅÉê=ëìêîáîçêëI=ë~áÇ=íÜÉó=ï~åíÉÇ=íç=Çç ëçãÉíÜáåÖ=Ñçê=éÉçéäÉ=êÉÅÉáîáåÖ=íêÉ~íãÉåíë=~í=íÜÉ=ÅÉåíÉêK= ancy Gaugh and Beverly Smith, longtime friends and cancer survivors, decided a couple of years ago that they wanted to do something for others battling the disease.

They noticed that people getting treatment at The Cancer Center of Greenwood often sit for long periods and might not have anything to eat unless someone has brought it for them. So they made arrangements to bring sandwiches once a week.

They say the response to their simple

gesture has been great. Smith likened it to the way students react when a visitor brings something special to a class: “When they see us coming, honestly, their faces just light up.”

One woman there has even dubbed them “The Sunshine Girls” — and they’re glad to provide a boost for others. In fact, they see it as a kind of mission work that blesses them as well as the patients.

“You kind of feel like you made a bright spot in somebody’s day,” Gaugh said.

Gaugh, 76, and Smith, 80, have been

friends for 50 years and are both members of First United Methodist Church.

Smith has survived breast cancer and colon cancer; Gaugh has survived breast cancer. Both also have dealt with lupus for many years.

Gaugh said their friendship has made a big difference in meeting these challenges — although she joked that years ago, since they seemed to develop the same health problems, “I told her that she and I were going to have to break up.”

Smith said a cancer diagnosis “kind of

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stops your world for two or three days,” but she and Gaugh both resolved to stay active and set other goals to get them through each day. “Once you have it, the busier you are, the better off you are. I found that out,” Gaugh said. “You don’t have time to sit and dwell.”

Once both were cancer free, they decided in 2016 they wanted to do something for others with the disease. They had noticed that The Cancer Center has no snack or drink machines, and that gave them an idea.

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_ÉîÉêäó=pãáíÜI=äÉÑíI=~åÇ=k~åÅó=d~ìÖÜ=ëí~êíÉÇ=ÇÉäáîÉêáåÖ=ë~åÇïáÅÜÉë=íç=qÜÉ=`~åÅÉê=`ÉåíÉê=çÑ=dêÉÉåïççÇ=ãçêÉ=íÜ~å=íïç=óÉ~êë=~ÖçK=_çíÜ=ãÉãÄÉêë=çÑ=cáêëí=råáíÉÇ=jÉíÜçÇáëí `ÜìêÅÜI=íÜÉó=îáÉï=íÜÉáê=ïçêâ=~ë=~=ãáåáëíêóK “A lot of those people are dropped off there early in the morning, and they aren’t picked up until late in the afternoons,” Gaugh said. “And sometimes they sit there all day without anything to eat or drink. And so Bev and I decided that this would just be a small way that we could kind of pay back people being kind to us when we had cancer.”

After consulting Dr. Ed Rafique at the center, they decided to start bringing sandwiches and settled on Thursday as the delivery day. They take 28 sandwiches per visit — one for each hookup where patients receive treatment. The sandwiches including ham and cheese, turkey and cheese, fried bologna, hot dogs and sometimes Lunchables for variety.

“Probably the favorite is when we take hot dogs,” Gaugh said. “They love hot dogs.”

The two women meet for breakfast that day to plan what to fix. Then they buy the items for the sandwiches and take them to the First United Methodist Church kitchen for preparation. Chips, cookies and bottled water are placed in sacks beforehand; then, that morning, the sandwiches are added, assembly line style.

They’ve made it a point not to buy

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“A lot of those people are dropped off there early in the morning, and they aren’t picked up until late in the afternoons. And sometimes they sit there all day without anything to eat or drink. And so Bev and I decided that this would just be a small way that we could kind of pay back people being kind to us when we had cancer. ’’ Nancy Gaugh

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cheap hot dogs, and they have other meats cut at a deli. They also apply condiments in advance so the patients don’t have to do that in a small space.

Usually they arrive at the center at 10 or 10:30 a.m. with their 28 sandwiches, and if there aren’t 28 people there, they leave the rest of the food for later.

Of course, the first time they brought the sandwiches,the staffers knew they were coming, but the patients got a happy surprise out of it.

“They were very glad to see us. Very

appreciative,” Gaugh said. “Because most of them knew that they were going to be there, maybe the day, without anything.”

Patients at the center often are hooked up to machines for three or four hours or maybe more, depending on their conditions. Some arrive early in the morning and have to stay into the afternoon.

Gaugh and Smith said they didn’t encounter any patients they knew during that first visit, but they have seen some friends there since. They also have made new friends, including some from out of

town. Smith mentioned one woman from another city who had brought her husband to the center and had been particularly grateful for the sandwiches.

“She said — I think it was the second time that we went — that it was just a life saver for them, because they really didn’t know what they were going into,” she said. “And once she got in there, she didn’t want to leave him and so on and so forth. So it was just a blessing.”

They delivered their 1,000th sandwich last August and expected to reach 2,000 this January. Once they had been doing it for a while, patients and staff began to watch for “The Sunshine Girls,” and staffers have helped them unload.

Sometimes someone even offers to pay them, but they don’t accept it.

Gaugh and Smith said going to the cancer center has reminded them of how many people have the disease and how much worse some other patients have it than they did. They have kept the effort going largely with their own money, and they plan to continue.

“Once you have been there yourself, you really get pleasure out of (helping), because you know what they’re going through,” Gaugh said. n

Greenwood Commonwealth/Thursday, February 21, 2019 PageST molcfib=OMNV =================================================================================================================================================================================

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Greenwood Commonwealth/Thursday, February 21, 2019 PageSU molcfib=OMNV =================================================================================================================================================================================

PageSV Greenwood Commonwealth/Thursday, February 21, 2019 molcfib=OMNV =================================================================================================================================================================================

United Portable Buildings

Growing and local Business produces a variety of structures

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PageTM Greenwood Commonwealth/Thursday, February 21, 2019 molcfib=OMNV =================================================================================================================================================================================

sáÅíçê=gáãÉåÉò=å~áäë=íïçJÄóJÑçìêë=áå=éä~ÅÉ=íç=Ñê~ãÉ=íÜÉ=ï~ää=çÑ=~=éçêí~ÄäÉ=ÄìáäÇáåÖK=råáíÉÇ=mçêí~ÄäÉ=_ìáäÇáåÖë=Éãéäçóë=OR=ïçêâÉêë áå=áíë=éêçÇìÅíáçå=Ñ~Åáäáíó=çå=rKpK=QV=pçìíÜK To be able to fill orders from his new network, Wiggins is looking to open another manufacturing facility in Greenwood and eyeing another 100,000 square feet of property in the GreenwoodLeflore Industrial Park. And he’s adding another 100 feet to his already spacious building on U.S. 49 South.

Not bad for a 37-year-old former Greenwood police officer who left the force in 2011 without an idea of what he was going to do next.

In person, Wiggins is engaging, energetic, a good talker, personable and knowledgeable — everything you’d expect in a salesman and perhaps not what you’d expect in a police officer.

After exiting law enforcement, Wiggins said he went home to Grenada and starting looking for an opportunity to open a business. He sold carports and ran a UHaul business before being introduced to the owner of a portable building business, with which Wiggins now competes.

Wiggins opened Casey’s Portable Buildings in Grenada, then expanded into three dealerships, added a business hauling the buildings and installing them, and in 2017 opened the manufacturing facility.

Wiggins said he offers “hyper custom” sheds that provide customers with options that would expand from “shed to home,” including electrical, insulation, doors from a prehung solid door to a 9-foot panel roll-up door with arched windows, windows, shutters, flower boxes and dormers. Buyers can pick the siding and roofing, colors, or add a porch with railings or an indoor loft and workbench.

Most customers use the buildings for storage sheds, but United Portable Buildings also offers cabins that people place on their land to serve as a weekend

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retreat, or a hunting or fishing camp.

People also use the buildings for offices, shops, salons, day care facilities and many other purposes.

If the trucks can’t make it onto a piece of property for delivery of a shed made in his factory, Wiggins said his company will build it on site.

“I brought the manufacturing facility to Greenwood because this is where I was raised most of my life,” he said.

“We’re a growing company, but we’re a local company. We’re doing quality work here and delivering a quality product, and we’re building it right here in Mississippi.” n

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Drake’s BBQ

Where there’s smoke...

Restaurant has ‘great family atmosphere’

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“We just have a great family atmosphere in our little place,” said Kendrell Drake, the 35-year-old owner of the Greenwood restaurant. “Barbecue brings everyone together. It brings all races together to enjoy good food.”

Kendrell Drake’s wife, Shulandria, always offers up a big smile when she

takes your order. She loves talking to the regulars and getting to know what’s going on in their lives.

“She makes folks feel at home, almost like they are eating in our house,” Kendrell Drake said.

His mother-in-law, Veronica McDonald, and his mom, Linda Drake, help out at the restaurant, along with his cousins Maurice Rosebur and Romona Davis.

Good friend Tim Addison helps with the

cooking.

Maurice Dunlap Sr., who works for Greenwood Utilities, eats at Drake’s once or twice a week. He likes the food and loves the atmosphere.

“No matter what race you are, everyone feels right at home there,” Dunlap said.

“You never know who you might see in there.”

And don’t forget about the mouthwatering barbecue, because that’s the

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main attraction.

Drake’s offers up something for every barbecue lover, from ribs to pulled pork to chicken halves to rib tips and much more.

The restaurant, which is located in the Village Shopping Center, goes through 350 slabs of St. Louis-style ribs per week.

The key to cooking them is “low and slow,” said Kendrell Drake. “There is no need to rush it. The meat will let you know when it’s ready.”

Greenwood Commonwealth/Thursday, February 21, 2019 PageTO molcfib=OMNV =================================================================================================================================================================================

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PageTP Greenwood Commonwealth/Thursday, February 21, 2019 molcfib=OMNV =================================================================================================================================================================================

He said, “I cook my ribs three hours on 250 degrees, using a tasty dry. It’s up to you whether you want sauce on them or on the side. Either way, you’re going to love it.”

Customer Marquii Washington said eating there is “like getting a plate at the family reunion — it’s always good.”

Lauren Welch of Grenada said the 30-minute drive to Drake’s is well worth it for her.

“Drake’s has some of the most tender, deliciously flavored meat and sides you’ll ever eat. A real hidden Mississippi treasure,” she said. “We drive from Grenada when we want barbecue. My only complaint is they need a bigger building so you can sit with your whole family and enjoy. But the wait is never long.”

The restaurant recently did enlarge its operation a bit by moving next door from its original location. It now holds about 30 people at one time. Many orders are to go, but Drake one day hopes to expand further, in eating and kitchen space and to his menu.

Drake would like to eventually be able to feed about 100 people at once but said he will do so when “God says so.”

He has three different big grills he uses for barbecue.

The biggest, which has rotisserie racks, can hold up to 120 slabs at once — giving Drake the ability to prepare 196 slabs at a time if needed. He goes through 132 bags — or 2,000 pounds — of lump, natural charcoal each week.

“It burns hot and steady, a lot longer than regular charcoal without any toxic chemicals,” he explained.

Drake grew up loving to hold backyard barbecues, so that’s where it all started for him. He started trying to make a living off it about 3½ years ago. He started with a towable trailer stand that he carried around from site to site and then went to his current building about a year and a half ago.

“I knew people liked it, but I never really thought it would get this big this fast,” Drake said. “We get really good support from this community and the surrounding ones. We’ve been blessed.”

He first began to master his craft for backyard and family events and that soon led to building a trailer for football tailgates and parties.

“Friends and family told me I had something special, so I went with it,” he said. “It was the right move because we have so many repeat customers now that it is obvious we are doing something right.”

His mother was his first influence in barbecuing as he started with brats, ribs and burgers in the backyard.

“I would cook four or five times a week before I started this business. I have always been interested in the open flame and being outdoors,” he said. “They say, if you find something to do that you love, that you never work a day in your life. I don’t see it as work; I see it as a passion.”

It’s a good thing he really enjoys cooking because Drake only gets one day off a week since the restaurant is open Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

But again, he is quick with a reminder: “It’s not really work when you love it like I do.” n

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“I would cook four or five times a week before I started this business. I have always been interested in the open flame and being outdoors. They say, if you find something to do that you love, that you never work a day in your life. I don’t see it as work; I see it as a passion. ’’ Kendrell Drake

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Kendrell Drake says he enjoyed holding backyard barbecues growing up and was always “interested in the open flame and being outdoors.” He says he’s been pleased with how the community has responded to his business, Drake’s BBQ.

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Economic Development

Marketing as a team Regional approach, work readiness stressed

Clean floors and neatly stacked shelves, like these at Milwaukee Tool, are indicators of well-managed operations and a workforce that has bought into the success of the operation. Besides attracting new business to the area, the focus of economic development forces is to have a ready workforce and a solid showing in the National Career Readiness Certification of a “work-ready community.”

I

t used to be that economic development efforts were like a Springsteen song about teenage romance: Put the red dress on, fix your hair up pretty, then sit by the phone waiting for Bruce to call.

Efforts today are all about getting in shape, overcoming any negative traits, training, staying strong, making the grade and aggressively entering the marketplace with tools in hand, ready to compete with knowledge and incentives to attract new business, and with it new jobs, more people and more tax dollars.

And what’s at stake is more than dinner in Atlantic City; economic development efforts can determine if a city grows or just fades away.

The communities of the Delta have come together in the past couple of years under the Delta Strong banner. The idea was launched by the regional economic development organization Delta Council to allow cities and counties to pool their resources and present combined numbers and locations to companies looking to expand or relocate.

“For the last couple of years, our focus

has been on our Delta Strong initiative, the regional marketing and recruitment program that is being led by Delta Council, and work-ready communities,” said Angela Curry, executive director of the Greenwood-Leflore-Carroll Economic

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Development Foundation (EDF). “Those two things have consumed most of our time in economic development. And those two things go hand in hand.”

Work-ready communities are identified through a standard used by economic development agencies and businesses across the country, the National Career Readiness Certificate. The workforce within a community is assigned a grade that is an average of how potential workers in that community scored on a test.

Developed by the same company that produces the ACT college entrance exam, the

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Mechanical Contractors, Design, Build, Plan & Spec, Negotiated 2606 Baldwin Road • Greenwood, MS 38930 P. O. Box 8106 • (662)453-6860

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“We have a team traveling with Delta Strong knocking on doors, asking businesses across the country and Canada to give the Delta a look, come visit and see what we have,” Curry said. “It’s a great place to do business. It’s a great place to live. Bring your business here.

“At the same time, we’re focusing on workforce readiness and having our people ready for work. It would be pointless to recruit jobs and not have the workforce we need.”

All job-related institutions across the state are keyed in to the NCRC. The test is given in Greenwood’s schools to graduating seniors, through state agencies such as the Mississippi Department of Employment Security’s WIN Job Centers and at Mississippi Delta Community College. Families First of Mississippi will help prepare students before they take the test.

“Workforce development and recruitment, we’re focusing on those two things,” Curry said, indicating workers have to be ready for the companies in the pipeline.

“We’ve seen an increase in our industrial projects,” she said. “Right now, we have about nine active projects that we’ve submitted proposals on. I can safely say probably four of those projects will be announced sometime this year. I’m hoping a couple of them in the next couple of months.”

The most recent golden child for economic development in Greenwood and Leflore County is Milwaukee Tool. The

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“Right now, we have about nine active projects that we’ve submitted proposals on. I can safely say probably four of those projects will be announced sometime this year. I’m hoping a couple of them in the next couple of months. ’’ Angela Curry

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maker of heavy-duty electric power tools came to town in 2001 in need of 150 employees and has grown to occupy three previously empty buildings with a workforce of 865 employees, and more jobs available.

Success with Milwaukee Tool required the city of Greenwood, Leflore County and the EDF to work together to build the right package and offer the right incentives.

Mayor Carolyn McAdams is a strong believer in cooperation between government bodies, the EDF and Delta Strong to come up with the incentives to bring businesses to her city.

With Milwaukee Tool, the city purchased empty buildings in the Greenwood-Leflore Industrial Park and

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leased them back to the company. Then the city did it again when Milwaukee Tool looked to expand. And last year, did it again.

“We’re done that three times for Milwaukee Tool,” McAdams said.

“They’re currently in the process right now where they’re renovating the old Budweiser building. ... The city bought the building and we’re going to lease it back. Through grant funding through the (Mississippi Development Authority), they were able to refurbish the building.

That’s what they’re doing currently.

“So we work very closely with them trying to get opportunities right here in Greenwood. I think the city has gone way above what probably a lot of cities are able to do in order to get businesses here.”

Anjuan Brown, Leflore County supervisor for District 3, sees all the pieces coming together for Greenwood and Leflore County but wants to make sure no one is resting.

“Our Economic Development Foundation is doing great,” he said.

“And Ms. Curry is doing a Brown great job, and our economic board is doing a great job with her.

We just need some more traction in this area.”

Brown said it’s important for the county to attract businesses that can use the labor force that is already here instead of bringing workers with them.

“When you talk about economic development, it has to fit the community,” he

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“I think the city has gone way above what probably a lot of cities are able to do in order to get business here. ’’ Carolyn McAdams JJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJ

said. “It has to be the jobs the community needs and that the community has the abilities or education to sustain.

“Thank God for Milwaukee Tool. Thank God for Viking (Range),” he said. “You have to have a good mixture in this area to fit all the people.”

Curry, McAdams and Brown are all firm believers in Delta Strong, as is anyone associated with the effort. When they talk about it, you feel the strength of the initiative.

“Delta Strong has certainly helped increase the number of projects and visits we’re getting here in the Delta,” Curry said. “It’s a regional effort. To be competitive, it’s something we needed to do as a region.”

“Delta Strong has redeveloped the way we go out and seek industry,” McAdams said. “They started going to some of the smaller industries, trying to get them to come to Greenwood. And it’s worked very

well. We’ve got several prospects we’re working on.”

“There have been some strides made by Delta Strong,” Brown said, “but you can’t do enough when you talk about economic development, and you can’t have enough participators, and you can’t have enough people sitting at the table thinking about how to improve economic development here in Leflore County. They’ve done a good job, and now we need more of a push.”

When first proposed, the Delta Strong concept drew some detractors who suspected they would be funding recruitment efforts that would only result in other Delta communities gaining employers.

But all involved see fairness in the effort and say Greenwood and Leflore County have benefited.

“Regionally, it’s the community that can provide the requirements that the project needs,” Curry said. “If a company is looking for 55,000 square feet and I have 55,000 square feet that I can offer, then Greenwood has a leg up.”

“They bring us the businesses, and their people go out to the different Delta towns and see what would be a good fit for them,” McAdams said. “And actually we’ve had some success with that.”

Curry said trips to businesses in the U.S. and Canada have targeted seven different industries that have some link to Greenwood: automotive, metal working, aerospace, plastics, distribution, food production and value-added agriculture.

“Greenwood and Leflore County are in a good area geographically,” Curry said.

“Distribution is a sweet spot for us, with

Pepsico and Coburn Supply Co. Distribution seems to be our niche, so we work to attract those companies.”

The North American Free Trade Agreement is not well-liked in the Delta, blamed for taking many manufacturing jobs out of Mississippi to Mexico. Irvin Automotive, an automotive accessories maker, and its sister company, Takata Restraint Systems, now infamous for its faulty airbags, both left Greenwood more than a decade ago for cheaper labor in Mexico, sending hundreds to unemployment and leaving buildings empty.

For Curry, though, the buildings looked like opportunity.

“NAFTA hurt us when companies left, but they left behind great buildings ready for the next company to move in,” she said.

Success in recruiting business to the area has meant the industrial park is now running out of the space left open by departing businesses, perhaps indicating the need for investors to get back into the spec building business.

But Curry said economic development agencies such as hers need also to be grounded in the belief that most new jobs come not from the outside but from within.

“We can’t overlook existing industry at all,” she said. “While we’re focusing on recruiting new companies, we have to take care of existing industries. That’s where most new jobs are created in any community.

“We’re working with a couple of companies right now on a couple of expansions.”n

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P.E.A.R.L.S. Girls

Producing gems Mentoring program offers teen girls guidance

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pearl starts out as a particle of dust or dirt that finds its way inside an oyster.

Then, the oyster coats the particle again and again over time — up to two to four years — until the finished product is a smooth, lustrous white pearl, which often has a value the same as a gemstone, ranging in price from hundreds to even millions of dollars.

On Aisha Saffold’s P.E.A.R.L.S. Mentoring For Girls Inc. jacket, it reads “Thee Oyster” below her name.

“Because the oyster produces pearls,” said Saffold, who is the founder of the mentoring program for girls ages 13-18.

“They are at the bottom of the ocean. They take all the grime and the dust and the dirt from the ocean, and they form this valuable gem. ... For me, I take the girls’ issues with self-esteem, their insecurities, worries, I take their ups and their downs, and I take all their negativity they may have about themselves, I take all of that ... and mold it into a P.E.A.R.L.S. girl.”

To Saffold, her P.E.A.R.L.S. girls are priceless.

As a member of the program, each girl must live out the P.E.A.R.L.S. values — purity, empathy, awareness, respect, leadership and scholarship.

“We’re more of that positive outlet for

young girls to be able to be themselves and express their opinions,” said Saffold.

“We basically enhance their way of life.

We give them resources. We do different workshops on topics that we feel you need as a young teen girl as you go on through life and as you hit your college years.” v v v

Saffold, 26, is from Lexington. After graduating from Jacob J. McClain High School, she began attending Jackson State University. At the time, Saffold wasn’t sure about her career path.

“I didn’t know what I wanted to do with

my life,” she said. “I was honestly doing majors just to do them. I didn’t have any passion for them.”

Saffold’s mother sat down with her one day and asked her daughter what she wanted to do and what she felt passionate about.

“I said, ‘I just want to do things for the community,’” Saffold said.

A few months later, the idea for P.E.A.R.L.S. came to her like “divine intervention.”

Back in Holmes County, she began to notice that many young girls were not taught the same etiquette that her parents had taught her.

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“I saw girls who were walking outside with bonnets on their heads. I went out to eat in Holmes County, and there were girls who didn’t have any of the table etiquette that I was taught. They were wearing dresses with their legs wide open,” she said.

Saffold didn’t judge them. Rather, she saw where she could make a difference.

“If you are coming from a poor county like I came from, you don’t have that many resources,” said Saffold. “When I grew up, we didn’t have that many resources. Everybody wasn’t fortunate like me to have parents that opened up a different view of life. That’s what I wanted P.E.A.R.L.S. to be. For the girls, we feel like just because no matter where your zip code is you still deserve to be able to fulfill your potential.”

Saffold began typing out her ideas on her laptop.

“I just kept going and going, and researching things,” she said.

P.E.A.R.L.S. went from “an idea in my notebook” to chartering the first chapter in Holmes County in 2016. Now a nonprofit organization, P.E.A.R.L.S. has three chapters, which also includes Leflore County and the Jackson metro area.

“P.E.A.R.L.S. has taken off,” said Saffold. “We do a lot of work. We do a lot of community service.”

Saffold said her passion for the work she does came from her mother.

“I have an awesome mom,” she said.

“She taught me at a young age to be a servant with a servant’s heart.”

Along with working with the business side of her nonprofit and attending meetings at the different chapters, the

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P.E.A.R.L.S. founder also works as a teacher at Goodman-Pickens Elementary School in Goodman and attends Jackson State, where she is studying history.

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P.E.A.R.L.S. girls are held to high stan-

dards. They are taught leadership skills, community service, to know their worth, respect and empathy toward others, awareness of issues facing their communities, and the importance of education.

Members must also maintain a 3.0 grade point average.

“When you see a P.E.A.R.L.S. girl, you know exactly who they are,” said Saffold.

“They are basically like the ideal teenage girl.”

Saffold, however, understands that life can include some not-so-ideal situations, which can be tough to navigate during a girl’s teenage years. That’s why a key component of the P.E.A.R.L.S. program is the mentors, who are young female adults in the community who volunteer their time.

“Your mentor is there to be an encourager, to get you back on the right track and to say, ‘OK, this is what you need to do next time when you do feel your lowest,’” she said.

Each chapter meets once a month, but the mentors keep in contact with the members almost every day through phone calls or text messages.

“We don’t have a permanent location, and that’s why the mentor-mentee relationship is important throughout the month,” said Saffold.

What Saffold looks for in a mentor is a woman who has “a passion to change lives.”

“You could be a college-educated person or you could be a person who didn’t go to college. A mentor doesn’t have a degree on it,” she said.

“My mom has a master’s degree in education, and my dad has a GED, and I have

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learned so much from my dad. My mom has learned so much from my dad. ...

“What I look for is a lady who wants to change lives, who wants to see improvement in her community, who loves kids and who loves community service.”

Many of the mentors are wives and mothers who work full-time jobs, professionals or college students.

“Our mentors are so awesome,” said Saffold.

“They are more than encouragers; they are like superheroes.” v v v

Saffold does not seek out new chapters. The others have formed when women who saw a need for the program in their communities approached Saffold about establishing one.

This way, Saffold said, she knows the people who start the chapters have a passion for the program.

“If a person reaches out to me and says, ‘This is really needed in our county, and I think the girls in our community will benefit from it,’ then we will start the process of starting a chapter,” she said. “If you don’t have people who are passionate about it, it’s going to fail.”

The Leflore County and the Hinds-Rankin chapters were formed in 2017. Last year, a Madison County chapter formed and recently merged with Hinds-Rankin, creating the P.E.A.R.L.S Tri-County Chapter.

A P.E.A.R.L.S. year starts in August, which is when prospective members can attend meetings before filling out the application to participate in the program.

From August to November is the first half of the P.E.A.R.L.S year, and January to May is the second half.

In the fall, P.E.A.R.L.S. holds a tea, at which the members dress up and wear hats.

In the spring, the program holds an awards program and a “pearling” ceremony, during which a mentor places a pearl necklace on her mentee, making her officially a P.E.A.R.L.S. girl.

The members do not meet in June and July.

At the beginning of the year, Saffold creates the monthly workshop topics for the program. While the chapters have the same topic, each may present it in a different way and have different activities.

“I write out all the different workshops that I want to see the girls take part of,” Saffold said.

Each meeting starts with the three-part Rosebud Method.

Bud: What’s something good that happened to you this week?

Thorn: What’s something bad that happened?

Bloom: What’s something you are looking forward to?

Then, a mentor will lead the workshop with a discussion and an interactive activity.

Saffold said each chapter has become a sisterhood.

“We build one another up, and we make each other better,” she said.

For Saffold, the P.E.A.R.L.S. girls are more than just participants in her organization.

“Those girls, they are awesome individuals,” she said.

“I feel like I have become a better person since this organization has come to be. I feel like I’m growing more and learning more, and it’s because of them.” n

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JJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJ “What I look for is a lady who wants to change lives, who wants to see improvement in her community, who loves kids and who loves community service. ’’ Aisha Saffold

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Essential service

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Delta Irrigation

Company best known for 2-ply tubing

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cêçã=äÉÑíI=aÉäí~=fêêáÖ~íáçå=C=pìééäó=mêÉëáÇÉåí=_áää=`çéé~ÖÉI=sáÅÉ=mêÉëáÇÉåí=jáââá=i~ÅâÉó=~åÇ=^ëëáëí~åí=j~å~ÖÉê=bäáà~Ü=pãáíÜ=ëí~åÇ=áå=Ñêçåí=çÑ=~=ïÉ~íÜÉê=ëí~íáçåK=qÜÉ=ÇÉîáÅÉ Å~å=íê~Åâ=ê~áåÑ~ääI=ïáåÇ=ëéÉÉÇ=~åÇ=ÇáêÉÅíáçåI=ïÜáÅÜ=Å~å=~ää=ÄÉ=ëÉåí=íç=~=Ñ~êãÉêÛë=ÅÉääéÜçåÉK n a heavily agricultural area such as the Mississippi Delta, water is an essential source, needed to irrigate crops and to keep catfish ponds filled.

One farm supplier, Delta Irrigation &

Supply, is ready to help with that need.

Located at 101 U.S. 82 East in Leland, Delta Irrigation has been in operation since 2000. Formerly known as IPSCO of Leland, it serves farmers not only in

Mississippi but also in southern Arkansas and northern Louisiana.

“The way crops have gotten now, they almost have to have irrigation. The Delta’s moved to growing more grains,

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like corn and soybeans, and it requires water to grow them,” said Bill Coppage, president and co-owner of Delta Irrigation.

Mikki Lackey, the vice president, is the

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other co-owner. The men share 55 years of irrigation experience between them.

“Working in the ag business is all either one of us has ever known,” Coppage said.

“I started drilling wells in the ’70s, managed IPSCO in the ’80s, farmed in Shaw in the ’90s and became coowner of Delta Irrigation from 2000 to present.”

Lackey joined Delta Irrigation 15 years ago when the company was still IPSCO. Delta Irrigation provides a variety of products, from irrigation supplies to German-made Deutz engines.

The irrigation supplies include multiple products, from water pipes to sensors that can measure precise amounts of water.

Delta Irrigation is most known for offering Delta Plastics’ two-ply polyethylene irrigation tubing, of which the Leland company has become the largest distributor within a three-state area — Mississippi, Arkansas and Louisiana. “We started with the two-ply tubing in 2000 and have had such good luck with it,” Coppage said.

“That is 90 percent of what we sell. Along with the sales, we also arrange for pick-up after the season with collection sites, and on farm pick-up by GPS.” Aside from irrigation supplies, Delta Irrigation is a fullservice warranty dealership for Deutz engines.

Coppage said the air-cooled engines are known for their good quality and therefore perfect for powering the water wells for irrigation.

Most of Delta Irrigation’s customers are farmers, though there are some industrial customers who buy the Deutz engines to power devices such as man lifts or welding machines, Coppage said.

“As a Deutz warranty service center, Delta Irrigation keeps the Tier 3 and Tier 4 full-time technicians on board with an extensive parts inventory,” Coppage said.

To keep up to date, the company’s technicians are sent to the Deutz service school once a year.

Delta Irrigation, say its owners, focuses not only on quality products but also quality service.

“Customers come first at Delta Irrigation. We have built our company through service,” Lackey said.

“If a customer has a problem, we want to take care of it. We are fortunate to have the customer base that we have. They took care of us when we just started out, and they have stayed with us as we have grown,” Lackey said.

Echoed Coppage, “We have a real loyal customer base.

We can get people on real quick.”

Good customer service from Delta Irrigation has essentially become second nature to the retailer’s 12 employees, which include salesmen and technicians.

“It’s easy to take care of folks,” Coppage said. “We know what they need.”n

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Dr. Andy Johnson

They call him Longtime veterinarian still works long hours

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aêK=^åÇó=gçÜåëçå=~åÇ=~ëëáëí~åí=j~ååó=eÉêå~åÇÉò=êÉãçîÉ=ëçãÉ=Ñìê=ëç=ÜÉ=Å~å=ÖÉí=~=ÄÉííÉê=äççâ=~í=íÜÉ=äÉÖ=çÑ=máI=~=óÉääçï=i~Ä=ïáíÜ=~å=ÉäÄçï=éêçÄäÉãK hen Andy Johnson was 12 years old, a transforming event happened that would lead him down the path of becoming a veterinarian.

“I’m playing stickball on a vacant lot over on Park Avenue,” Johnson recalled.

“Mr. J.L. Anthony’s clinic was on Park

Avenue. I kept hearing this cow holler.”

Johnson climbed up over the fence of Anthony’s animal hospital to peer at what was happening. He spotted Anthony performing surgery on the eye of a Hereford bull.

Anthony invited the curious youngster to come over, where the veterinarian

allowed him to hold some of the surgical instruments while Anthony proceeded to remove the bull’s eye.

“Man, this is the greatest thing in the world,” Johnson recalls thinking at the time. “My momma said I didn’t shut up about it for three weeks.”

From then until Johnson went to col-

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lege, he worked at Anthony’s clinic during the summers, holding dogs for Anthony while watching him conduct surgery.

Those moments convinced Johnson to himself become a veterinarian. In 1968, he went to Mississippi State University until 1970. He then transferred to Auburn University and graduated from

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the Alabama school in 1975 with a doctorate of veterinary medicine.

At the time, there wasn’t a vet school at Mississippi State, but Auburn reserved 15 places at its vet school for out-of-state students. Johnson was one of the 15 who got in the year he applied. Under the arrangement, he paid Auburn’s in-state tuition, while MSU picked up the difference between it and the out-of-state tuition cost.

“It was real nice. It saved you a bunch of money,” Johnson said.

After graduating from Auburn, Johnson moved to Shreveport, Louisiana, to work at a horse racetrack. He practiced there for only a few months, moving back to Greenwood in October 1975.

“I really wasn’t crazy about that type of practice,” Johnson said of his first job out of vet school.

At that time, he said, there were no rules or regulations for what you did to a horse prior to allowing it to race.

“I just wasn’t really happy.”

After returning to Greenwood, Johnson partnered with another veterinarian, Robert Gordon, to start an animal hospital. In 1976, the partners purchased a former liquor store on the U.S. 82 bypass and turned it into their new clinic.

Johnson has stayed at that same spot ever since. vvv

The early years of his practice were a struggle, Johnson said.

To help make ends meet, he moonlighted for six years as a deputy with the Leflore County Sheriff’s Department.

Johnson said he probably would have been “in some type of law enforcement” if not for vet school.

In fact, while Johnson was waiting to see if he would be accepted at Auburn, he applied as a backup plan to the Mississippi Highway Patrol since he wasn’t sure his grades were good enough for veterinary school. Johnson was offered a spot at the Highway Patrol’s training school but ultimately opted for vet school.

By 1984, Johnson bought out his partner after Gordon moved to Florida, and the practice continued to grow.

Today, Greenwood Animal Hospital has the names of 15,500 clients — owners of pets and farm animals — logged into its database. Many of them have more than one pet.

The clinic once had just nine cages. It now can hold almost 80 animals, whom Johnson refers to as “patients.”

“We average somewhere between 40 to 45 patients a day,” he said.

Other transformations have taken place as well, including in the makeup of the animals Johnson and the clinic’s other veterinarian, Dr. Gayla Conner, treat.

“I was probably 95 percent large animal, 5 percent small animal,” Johnson said of his early years in practice. Now, the clinic’s mix is about 98 percent small animals and 2 percent large.

At one time, Johnson said, he looked after 58,000 cows. Now, that’s down to less than 2,000, a decrease he attributes to the conversion of former pastureland to soybeans or catfish farms.

Most of the animals Johnson’s clinic works on now are cats or dogs, but there is some variety.

“We’ve worked on snakes, birds, ham-

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sters, mice, owls and hawks,” Johnson said.

“I guess one of the hardest animals to try and treat are pigs,” Johnson said, explaining that they don’t want to be held down, screeching the whole time.

Of all that he does at the clinic — providing checkups, vaccinations and surgery, to name a few services — “the thing that I really enjoy is delivering puppies after a C-section,” Johnson said.

The hospital’s client base extends as far east as Winona, as far west as Greenville, as far south as Yazoo City and as far north as Swan Lake in Tallahatchie County.

Johnson, 68, still works long hours, although the clinic no longer opens on Saturday mornings. He said the one thing he doesn’t relish about his profession is responding to after-hours calls.

“I’m not as young as I used to be, and I don’t rebound as well.”

Johnson’s love for animals extends beyond work. He has dogs and cats as well as cows and chickens.

“They’re my psychologists. They agree with everything I say,” Johnson said.

“That’s where my sanity comes from.” vvv

Andy Johnson may be best known for his work at his veterinarian clinic, but he has other business pursuits as well.

He raises cattle on his Carroll County farm. He is also a partner in Greenwood Delta Funeral Home with Eddie Flowers and Ray Mattox, close friends of Johnson’s at North Greenwood Baptist Church’s men’s ministry.

The funeral home has been operating out of temporary quarters on West Park

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“The Lord has blessed me more than I ever deserved. ’’ Dr. Andy Johnson

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Avenue and is currently constructing a new building on Sgt. John A. Pittman Drive.

Johnson acknowledges that sometimes his dedication to treating animals has taken a toll on his personal life.

“The clinic has been a root of a lot of my problems because it takes up a whole lot of time when I’m not with the family,” Johnson said, saying that he’s missed children’s recitals and some holidays.

Johnson and his first wife divorced partly because of the strain his work put on the marriage, he said.

Coming from a poor background, Johnson enjoyed both the money he made as well as the public recognition he received from his job. At times, it all went to his head.

“I did some things that I’m not proud of,” Johnson said, not going into detail.

The turning point of Johnson’s life came when he met Charlene Henderson in 2008. At the time, Johnson had been single for 24 years, and Charlene had become a client. They soon started dating and later got married, a marriage that has been 10 years strong.

“Charlene is real, real family-oriented,” Johnson said, and she helped him change for the better.

“My personal thing that I’m proud of, I changed the way I used to live,” Johnson

said.

Though he had attended church in the past, he now goes with conviction.

Johnson said it can still be hard to balance work and family life, but because Charlene works as an assistant at the clinic’s front office, it is a bit easier.

Most of all, Johnson is thankful for the change of direction in his life as well as the continued support he receives for his practice.

“The Lord has blessed me more than I ever deserved,” he said. n

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CIVIC ORGANIZATIONS Officers: President - Kyle Thornhill Secretary - Jerry Ables Treasurer - Jerry Ables Meeting Date & Time: Thursdays, 12 Noon at Greenwood Country Club 662-299-9009 P.O. Box 10135 Greenwood, MS 38935 Officers: President - Larry Griggs President-Elect - Cheryl Thornhill Secretary/Treasurer - Ryan Stranbridge Sergeant-At-Arms - Margaret Clark Past President - Jane Moss Meeting Date & Time: Tuesdays at Noon - Greenwood Country Club 662-392-2623 P.O. Box 1825, Greenwood, MS 38930 Officers: President - Barbara Biggers Vice President - Dorris Kelley Secretary - Becky Avant Treasurer - Frank Warren Meeting Date & Time: 2nd Thursday of the Month at the Museum of the MS. Delta, 10:00 a.m.

662-453-0925 1608 Hwy 82 West, Greenwood, MS 38930

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Teach for America and Mississippi Teacher Corps

Serving by teaching Educators learn a lot working in the Delta

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very year, a score of newcomers find themselves in Greenwood or the surrounding area, hired to teach in the public schools.

In most cases, they are not from Mississippi or even the South but from places as far-flung as the booming suburbs of Southern California or the concrete metropolis of New York City.

More often than not, they are young, having just recently graduated from college, and idealistic about their mission to teach students who frequently come from underprivileged backgrounds.

These newcomers are a part of either Teach for America or Mississippi Teacher Corps, two separate but similar alternative-route teaching programs that have provided classroom instructors over the years at the Greenwood, Leflore County and Carroll County school districts.

Reid Wilson, a seventh-grade English teacher at Greenwood Middle School, is one such newly minted teacher.

He graduated in May 2018 from the University of Alabama in Huntsville, his hometown. Though Wilson is not from Mississippi, he did have a connection. He spent his high school years at Chamberlain Hunt Academy, a boarding school in Port Gibson that has since closed.

Wilson is one of five members of the Mississippi Teacher Corps currently teaching in the Greenwood district.

Established in 1989 at the University of Mississippi, MTC provides a way for nontraditional-route teachers to address the teacher shortage in underserved areas of the state while they are also working toward a master’s degree.

Despite studying human resources management in college, Wilson was convinced that he wanted to teach, thanks in large part to his high school experience in Mississippi.

“I got to see a very different side of education. I realized what it took to be in education,” he said.

While doing research on graduate schools, Wilson came across MTC’s website and was ecstatic about the opportunity.

Dr. Andrew Mullins co-founded the program along with Amy Gutman, a former Commonwealth reporter. He continues as its assistant director and assigns teaching placement. According to Mullins, MTC has placed 17 teachers in Greenwood since the program’s founding and six in the Leflore County district.

Teach for America, commonly known as

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“You can’t just close the door to your office and take half a day to read through a bunch of how-to manuals, because your students are right there and they’re depending on you to lead the classroom. ’’ Derek Hinckley

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oÉáÇ=táäëçåI=~=ÅìêêÉåí=jáëëáëëáééá=qÉ~ÅÜÉê=`çêéë=íÉ~ÅÜÉêI=áë=éä~ÅÉÇ=~í=dêÉÉåïççÇ jáÇÇäÉ=pÅÜççäI=ïÜÉêÉ=ÜÉ=íÉ~ÅÜÉë=ëÉîÉåíÜJÖê~ÇÉ=båÖäáëÜK= TFA, also has been in operation since 1989. It operates nationally, placing teachers not just in rural areas but also in inner cities. It has been placing teachers in the Greenwood area since 1993, according to Barbara Logan-Smith, executive director of its Greater Delta Region. vvv

Mischa McCray, an English and political science graduate of Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan, arrived in

Greenwood in the summer of 2009 as a TFA recruit. He was placed at Greenwood High School to teach remedial algebra.

McCray said he decided in college that he wanted to pursue a service-oriented career and applied for TFA after deciding that he did not want to move overseas for the Peace Corps.

McCray was surprised by how far behind his students were educationally.

“Most of my students weren’t just behind but years behind. Like struggling with basic arithmetic ... ,” McCray said.

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Derek and Elizabeth Hinckley, who did not know each other prior to their commitment in TFA, arrived in Greenwood the same summer as McCray. They were assigned to teach in the Leflore County School District, both at Amanda Elzy High School.

Derek, a political science graduate of Colgate University, taught English and language arts, first for seventh-graders and then to 10th-graders. Elizabeth, a Northwestern University graduate with a bachelor’s degree in human development and psychological services, taught high school algebra.

Neither of the Hinckleys picked the Delta as their first choice when applying for regions to teach in.

“The Delta was my second-to-last choice, just above rural South Dakota,” Derek said. “My first impression driving into Greenwood the first time, I distinctly remember seeing Bath & Body Works on the side of the highway and just breathing a sigh of relief that there was civilization here, something I recognized.”

Along with the culture shock, there was the challenge of navigating the first year as a teacher.

“Teaching is a really hard profession. To be a good teacher is super-challenging,” Elizabeth said. By her third year, she noticed that even people who were trained in college to become teachers were having difficulties. The hardships are compounded in schools that are “underresourced,” she said.

“There’re extra challenges that come when you’re working with less at your disposal.”

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community by getting involved at Westminster Presbyterian Church and joining the Greenwood-Leflore Young Professionals.

Wilson said he has discovered during his short time in the Delta that the bad rap the region receives nationally is unfounded.

“I love how Greenwood sort of defies a lot of the stereotypes and continues to innovate, to work and to move forward,” he said.

Part of the challenge with teaching, Derek explained, is that there are no timeouts.

“You can’t just close the door to your office and take half a day to read through a bunch of how-to manuals, because your students are right there and they’re depending on you to lead the classroom,” he said.

Elizabeth chimed in, saying, “You also can’t (go), ‘Oh, this isn’t working, but I’ll write it off and start again next year.’

Because these kids don’t get this year back.”

vvv

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One of the major criticisms of alternative route teaching programs is that teachers are thrown into classrooms without much in the way of practical experience.

Both MTC and TFA provide their recruits with training sessions in the summer prior to the start of their jobs, but critics say it’s not enough when compared to the years of instruction — and the practice teaching — that traditional-route teachers receive.

Dr. Kenneth Pulley, principal of Greenwood High School, said most firstyear teachers, regardless of what route they have taken to the classroom, are in the same boat.

“Many first-year teachers, whether those from TFA or MTC or whether you’re just a traditional first-year teacher, have various struggles,” Pulley said.

Likisha Coleman, the principal of Greenwood Middle School, said she was grateful to have Wilson, the first-year

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Coleman

English teacher, at her school.

“Mr. Wilson is an awesome guy. He wants to learn; he wants to be great. He’s going to be a great teacher,” Coleman said. “He’s good now, but he’s going to be a great teacher. He communicates his needs well. (I’m)

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very excited about him.”

Wilson returns the compliment not just for Coleman but also for Denina Flowers, the middle school’s assistant principal.

“For all the nervousness that a firstyear teacher has about going into a place that’s not their community, the two of them radiate stability and they’re wellbalanced,” Wilson said. “You can tell that they know what they’re doing.”

Wilson has plugged himself into the

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Have these alternative teaching programs made a difference in Greenwood?

The question stumped McCray.

“Most of my students were able to pass their tests,” he said. “I guess it’s hard to really evaluate impact. I’m not quite sure what measurements I would use. I’d have to hunt them all down and go, ‘Did you all graduate? What are you doing now?’”

Mullins, the MTC co-founder, and Logan-Smith, the TFA administrator, are confident that their programs have made an impact for the better.

“We have been able to address part of the teacher shortage,” Smith said.

Coleman agrees that addressing the teaching shortage is one of the most important functions of TFA and MTC. “They’re an integral part of what we do.

Without them, filling teaching positions would be difficult. They’re a great asset,” she said.

Hiring teachers in the Delta is hard since classroom jobs in larger cities may offer higher pay as well as more lifestyle amenities, Coleman said. In addition,

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there’s the competition from other careers.

“Young college students are very techsavvy and seeking jobs in that field.

There’re opportunities to thrive in other professions. Right now, the field is open,” she said.

“Teaching is a humble profession. You don’t make a lot of money doing it, but it’s very rewarding.” vvv

Both MTC and TFA require teachers to make a two-year commitment.

Frequently, the teachers extend their stay in the communities where they’ve been placed — sometimes in the classroom, other times in other fields The Hinckleys, after a three-year stint in Alaska, returned to Greenwood in 2015. Derek headed up the city’s recycling program for a year and is now teaching English at Mississippi Delta Community College. Elizabeth taught for a time at Delta Streets Academy and Greenwood Middle School, and is now a stay-at-home mom caring for the couple’s two daughters.

McCray, after his two years in TFA, studied at the Reformed Theological Seminary in Jackson, where he earned a master’s degree in marriage and family therapy and counseling.

He now teaches at Delta Streets Academy and provides counseling through Westminster Presbyterian Church.

“When you leave and you choose to come back to a place, it tells you that, ‘Oh, I really want to be there,’” he said. n

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