Mississippi Business Journal April 2022 Edition

MSBUSINESS.COM | APRIL 29, 2022 ISSUE

VOLUME 45 • NO. 2 | 36 PAGES

Women & Minorities in Business Page 8

Banking and Finance Page 12

Tourism Page 20

2022 Business Woman of the Year

Healthcare Page 29

Pages 10, 13-14, 26

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April 2022 Issue

Mississippi Lottery sustaining strong start

BY TED CARTER

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he ticket-sales momentum that accompanied the Mississippi lottery for the first seven months of its life caried through for the first full fiscal year of the lottery, exceeding half a billion dollars.

That’s a lot of scratch and, appropriately enough, the scratch-off games are a big reason why. The instant-win tickets accounted for the biggest piece of the Mississippi Lottery Corp.’s $340 million in sales in its initial half year and one month and $510 million in fiscal 2021.

Sales of tickets of all types “have exceeded our expectations,” Meg Annison, spokeswoman for the Lottery Corp., said in an email.

Enthusiasm for the instant-win tickets extends across the county and industry, Annison said. “Players love them. They enjoy the feeling of instantly knowing if a ticket is a winner.”

But talk does turn to the drawings like Mississippi Match, Powerball and Mega Millions whenever a jackpot begins to swell significantly. At that point, Annison said, “Players who don’t normally play become intrigued and want to join in on the fun.”

The money generated has allowed state lawmakers to contemplate a 6-month gas-tax holiday. The plan, supporters say, is to offset losses of the state’s 18.4-cents a gallon motor-fuel tax with $80 million in lottery funds designated annually for road and bridge needs.

As 2022 began and the current fiscal year was only half over, transfers to the state drew close to the $80 million threshold, reaching $74 million by Dec. 31. Net proceeds reached $84 million at the end of January.

With the $80 million reached, lottery proceeds began going into the Mississippi Education Enhancement Fund for K-12 and higher education programs.

Net revenue totaled $10.3 million in January and $9.4 million in February.

More retailers equal more ticket sales, Annison said in explaining why sales are strongest in Mississippi’s more densely populated counties such as Rankin, Hinds, Harrison, Jackson and Lee. They “have consistently been the top selling counties,” she said.

Players can select from 35 scratchoff games, a Cash 3 daily draw, and a Mississippi Match 5 with a progressive jackpot drawn three times weekly.

They can also play for giant jackpots twice weekly with the multi-state Powerball and Mega Millions drawings.

THOMAS WELLS | BUY AT PHOTOS.DJOURNAL.COM/

Under current law, the first $80 million in state lottery revenue goes to the Mississippi Department of Transportation. Pending legislation would divert that money toward emergency repairs by local governments.

The key is to keep enthusiasm juiced, Annison said. “We have learned our players enjoy new games and a selection of different playstyles. We introduce new scratch-off games each month and promote the launches with helpful how-to-play videos, contests, advertising,” she said.

The like to hear first-hand from players about what they like and don’t like, she added. The Lottery especially values “learning why players play the games they do,” she said.

Annison said marketing is done through radio, television, social media, billboards and sponsored events.

Print marketing is limited to fliers, posters and stickers for lottery retailers, she said.

Ticket buyers don’t pay sales tax, but a 3% state income tax kicks in on winning tickets of $600 or more. It’s deducted when the ticket is cashed.

Bigger winnings bring a federal tax of 24%, starting on jackpots of $5,000.

And they also bring a state government check of whether a recipient of a Mississippi Lottery windfall owes back taxes or unpaid child support.

In the seven months of fiscal 2020, the checks resulted in an additional $26,234 to the Department of Revenue and $82,769 to the Department of Human Services for past-due child

support, according to Annison.

Mississippi Lottery Corp. ended fiscal 2021 with 1,844 ticket sellers which included supermarkets, drug stores and even laundromats and barber shops. Many more tickets, however, are sold at convenience stores to customers stopping in for sodas, beer and a tank of gas.

Surveys show an opportunity to buy lottery tickets increases a convenience store customer’s average spending in a single visit from $6.29 to $10.35, according to Philip Chamblee, executive director & CEO of the Mississippi Petroleum Marketers & Convenience Stores Association.

Retailers get 6% from each $1 ticket sold, an arrangement that brought sellers $30.6 million in commissions in FY 2021. They also gain windfalls when a customer wins big, getting $5,000 on prizes of $1 million or more.

An even bigger windfall comes to retailers who sell winning tickets for Powerball or Mega Millions, Chamblee said.

“It is my understanding that a convenience store/lottery retailer who sells the winning ticket for Powerball or Mega Millions is entitled to a bonus of $25,000 for selling the winning ticket. However, if more than one retailer sells the winning ticket, the selling bonus is divided between the retailers,”

he said in an email.

Many convenience store operators have set up checkout counter space exclusively for selling lottery tickets, thus making a store visit more convenient for both players and non-players, Chamblee noted.

While retailers went in knowing they would have to meet a learning curve, surprisingly few glitches occurred in the early days of the lottery, according to Chamblee.

“The launch couldn’t have gone any smoother,” he said, adding Mississippi Lottery Corp. did “an excellent job of training” sellers.

“Things are still going great,” Chamblee added.

Prize money to Mississippi Lottery winners totaled $286 million at the close of the last fiscal year. But some winnings go unclaimed.

“Several have expired,” Annison said of the winning tickets.

The most recent unclaimed ticket totaled $50,000 from a Powerball game bought at a Circle K on Madison’s Main Street for the Sept. 15, 2021, drawing, the ticket expired March 14.

“There’s a learning curve,” Chamblee said of Mississippi retailers starting ticket sales.

The same could be said for ticket buyers.

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New law allows north MS counties to improve tourism along Tallahatchie

BY TAYLOR VANCE DAILY JOURNAL

JACKSON • Gov. Tate Reeves recently signed legislation into law that creates the Tallahatchie River Authority, a group of eight counties that can band together to promote economic, historical and and tourism projects around the Tallahatchie River.

House Bill 1323 allows one representative each Creekmore from Lafayette, Leflore, Marshall, Panola, Quitman, Tallahatchie, Tippah and Union counties to collaborate with one another to improve the river.

Bill author Rep. Sam Creekmore, R-New Albany, said he’s excited about the future economic impact the new group could bring to north Mississippi.

“Even though the governor just signed this, it’s really taken on some legs,” Creekmore said.

The Union County lawmaker said TURN TO TOURISM, 5

This file photo from 2019 shows the Tallahatchie River near downtown New Albany.

DAILY JOURNAL

Governor signs outdoor conservation funding bill into law

BY TAYLOR VANCE DAILY JOURNAL

JACKSON • Gov. Tate Reeves has signed into law a bill that establishes a program to preserve and improve the state’s natural recreation areas, which have been chronically unmaintained the last several years.

“This massive new resource will offer protections for our land that will pay dividends for years to come,” Reeves said at a bill signing ceremony outside the Governor’s Mansion on Tuesday.

The law creates the Outdoor Stewardship Trust Fund, which will be funded through yearly budget bills by the Legislature. It also creates a new stewardship board, which will determine how those dollars should be spent.

The governor will appoint four people to the board; the lieutenant governor will appoint three more.

All appointees are subject to Senate confirmation. Several legislators and leaders of state agencies would also sit on the board as non-voting members.

Reeves, who will be required to

ROGELIO V. SOLIS I AP

Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves, right, speaks at a bill signing in the Governor’s Mansion garden in Jackson, Miss., Tuesday, April 19, 2022.

Attending the bill signing were Senate Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks Committee Chairman Neil Whaley, R-Potts Camp, left, House Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks Committee Chairman Bill Kinkade, R-Byhalia, second from left, and Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann, second from right. appoint someone to the board from north Mississippi, said that he intends to put forward his nominees “sooner rather than later,” but would not give a

specific timeline.

The board will be tasked with determining which conservation projects receive priority funding and applying

for federal grants and matching dollars that go toward improving natural TURN TO CONSERVATION, 5

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One-Size-Fits-One

Blue Delta bespoke brand of jeans

BY BROOKE BULLOCK BURLESON DAILY JOURNAL

SHANNON • There’s no other company in the country doing anything quite like what Blue Delta Jeans is doing.

But for the small team at the 10-year-old, Shannon-based clothing manufacturer, creating a custom-fitted pair of blue jeans is about as American as it gets.

“The blue jean is an American invention by Levi Strauss,” Johnson Benjamin, chief design officer for Blue Delta, said. “He started the design back in the 1800s, so it is a purely American design. Blue jeans are America.”

The company got its start in 2012 with Nick Weaver and Josh West at the helm. According to Benjamin, West saw the wealth of talented sewing machine operators in the area and wanted to tap into that talent pool to create something unique, but also built to last.

“He really wanted to start something that wouldn’t go away,” Benjamin said. “Nick and Josh put their heads together and ended up picking blue jeans as their craft.”

A decade later, the jeans created at Blue Delta are in the closets of some of the world’s biggest stars, including actor Morgan Freeman and singer/ songwriter Thomas Rhett.

Benjamin joined the company shortly after Blue Delta’s establishment. He said it didn’t take him long to see the quality of the work they were doing.

“I was in the design and sewing world and had a family background in it,” he said. “I became aware of the company and was really intrigued by it. I spoke to the owners and bought a pair of the jeans, and in that timeframe, I realized they probably needed help in the design world.”

Although Benjamin had never personally crafted a pair of jeans, he knew he could learn the skills it required. By 2015, Blue Delta was continuously growing, prompting Benjamin to leave his other work and become a partner in the company.

“Since then, we’ve just been growing Blue Delta along the way.”

The aim of Blue Delta is to create custom, tailor-made blue jeans for every customer.

“We actually call ourselves a

THOMAS WELLS

Johnson Benjamin bespoke jean company,” Benjamin said. “Which is to say that, in the fancy tailor world, we are taking your measurements and making a jean for your body.”

Each Blue Delta client has about 30 measurements taken – waist, hips, seat, thigh, mid-thigh, lowthigh, knee and calf and some depth measurements along the way. After the tailoring process is complete, designers at Blue Delta draft a pattern that is specific to the body’s measurements. Clients select if they want high-rise, mid-rise or lowrise jeans and flare leg, skinny or cropped styles.

For the Chief Design Officer, seeing Blue Delta develop as a progressive fashion company in Mississippi has been a full circle experience.

“Along the way, Mississippi, and all of the South really, was known for their sewing and garment production. Now in modern times, a lot of garment production is unfortunately overseas,” Benjamin said.

Many of Blue Delta’s employees came from backgrounds in garment manufacturing – men and women

THOMAS WELLS

who lost their jobs when the companies for which they worked moved their operations overseas.

“We were able to tap into a bunch of talent,” Benjamin said. “While Mississippi isn’t known for fashion, this is actually a product that fits perfectly here in the Tupelo area.”

Even though Benjamin has been with the company for nearly a decade, his favorite part of the job remains unchanging.

“I love being able to get people in jeans that are specific to them,” he said. “I see their eyes light up when it fits perfectly.”

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seven board members.”

But the first-term governor said that he intends to sign several appropriation bills that would give the department a significant chunk of money to rehab the parks system, which critics say have been woefully underfunded and undermaintained for years.

The Legislature set aside $10 million for the trust fund’s first year to go towards conservation efforts. But after this year, it will be up to the Legislature to determine how much money goes into the fund.

The bill’s signing into law bookends a particularly thorny issue lawmakers have wrangled over the past two years that constantly drew heated debate and passive aggressive jabs.

The House’s efforts, particularly led

by Ways and Means Chairman Trey Lamar, sought to divert a portion of the state sales tax enacted on sporting goods stores to go toward the trust fund and allow nonprofit groups to be eligible for that money.

The Senate, mostly led by Sen. Neil Whaley, R-Potts Camp, and Republican Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann, wanted the program to be funded through an annual legislative spending bill and only wanted the dollars to go toward improving publicly-owned land.

But the two legislative chambers compromised and allowed nonprofit groups to receive the money, which will be appropriated each year by the Legislature.

Despite the previous debate over the trust fund, the legislative leaders shook hands behind the governor and congratulated one another on reaching an agreement.

“I’m absolutely tickled to death that we got this passed,” Whaley said.

Kinkade, who resides in the same county as Whaley, echoed similar sentiments but reiterated that he and House colleagues plan to revisit the trust fund statutes in the future to continue to tweak the law.

“Overall, I’m feeling pretty good about this,” Kinkade said. “This is a firm foundation to build on, but we’re going to revisit it going forward.”

gives it the authority to work with other governments to create longterm plans for tourism, economic FROM 3 development, forestry and drainage.

Just like the river twists around a group wanting to build a high-end some 230 miles of the Magnolia RV park and a company looking to State, the body of water is a site that’s construct a boat ramp along the river tangled full of tragedy and artistic have already made business inquiries, inspiration. now that the legislation is law.

The river is the site where Emmett The authority may not have any Till’s body was dumped after a group direct power to attract a particular of white men in Money lynched, beat business to the area, but the new law and tortured him to death.

After Till’s death, his mother, Mamie Till Bradley, decided to open the child’s casket at his funeral to expose the world to the horrific violence white southerners were inflicting on Black people at the time. Bradley’s decision is widely credited as a turning point in the civil rights movement.

But the muddy waters are also the inspiration of one of Chickasaw County native Bobbie Gentry’s famous songs.

In “Ode to Billie Joe,” a family

during a “sleepy, dusty Delta day” discusses the recent death of Billy Joe McAllister, a local boy the narrator knew who jumped off the Tallahatchie Bridge. The song garnered worldwide attention.

The board of supervisors from each county will have the option to appoint a representative to the new authority.

Creekmore said the authority plans to conduct their first meeting in July in Tallahatchie County.

Conservation FROM 3

resources.

“We will ensure that we pass on the rich and beautiful natural heritage of Mississippi to our children and grandchildren,” Reeves said.

When pressed by reporters, Reeves declined to say which projects he thinks should receive priority funding.

“I don’t want to personally preempt what those seven board members who are yet to be named, what their analysis will be,” Reeves said. “I don’t want to evade your question, but I’m evading your question because I respect the process and respect the

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April 2022 Issue

MBJ

PERSPECTIVE April 2022 Issue • www.msbusiness.com • Page 6

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April 2022 Issue | Volume 45, Number 2

TAMI JONES Publisher tami.jones@msbusiness.com • (601) 364-1011 MARCIA THOMPSON Business Assistant marcia.kelly@msbusiness.com • (601) 364-1044 FRANK BROWN List Researcher frank.brown@msbusiness.com • (601) 364-1022 LYNN LOFTON Contributing Writer mbj@msbusiness.com • (601) 364-1018 TED CARTER Contributing Writer mbj@msbusiness.com • (601) 364-1018 BECKY GILLETTE Contributing Writer mbj@msbusiness.com • (601) 364-1018 LISA MONTI Contributing Writer mbj@msbusiness.com • (601) 364-1018 SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES (601) 364-1000 subscriptions@msbusiness.com

Slow fed inflation response hurts state

C

osts are up. Inflation is surging.

Who’s to blame?

“Biden-era U.S. inflation soars to highest level in 40 years, costing every American more,” reads the article at YallPolitics.com.

“Since President Joe Biden (D) took office, consumer prices and inflation have steadily increased, rising to a 40-year high in March of 2022 and costing every American more money to live.”

“Inflation is still surging and some Democrats see one culprit: Greedy companies,” reads the article at NPR.org.

“Many people (are) asking who or what is to blame for soaring prices. For some progressives, one clear culprit stands out: corporations trying to fatten their bottom lines.”

Thus saith those whose works tend to align with political interests.

Then there are the more centrist and business-savvy sources, such as the Wall

Street Journal and Fiscal policy Forbes. (i.e., government “Pandemic-relatspending) can ed forces, Russia’s affect demand. invasion of Ukraine Supply chain hichave pushed up cups and scarcity inflation to highcan affect supply.

BILL CRAWFORD est level in four In this instance, decades,” reads the we have both Wall Street Journal article. plus two. Federal spending “Elevated inflation has skyrocketed under Presibeen driven by supply chain dent Trump and continued disruptions and pent-up under President Biden. The consumer demand for goods COVID-19 pandemic decias the COVID-19 pandemic mated production and interwanes,” reads the Forbes rupted supply chains worldarticle. wide causing scarcity that Inflation generally comes persists in some areas. Plus, from too much demand in the war in Ukraine disrupted the face of too little supply. oil supplies pushing prices In the United States, the to new highs and, now, bird responsibility for controlling flu is pushing poultry prices inflation lies with the Federal skyward.

Reserve. It has two key duties “Inflation is as violent as a – controlling inflation and mugger, as frightening as an maximizing employment. armed robber and as deadly The Fed attempts to control as a hit man,” said Ronald inflation through monetary Reagan. That is particularly policy by which it can affect true for low-income individinterest rates, the supply uals. and velocity of money, and Hello Mississippi, the liquidity. state with the lowest annual

incomes and lowest average annual wages, where high gas prices and high food prices can be devastating.

“The Fed missed inflation,” read a Wall Street Journal headline. The paper also noted that “Fed officials took their time” before realizing that inflation was getting out of hand and would require a sustained monetary response.

Oh, for those playing the blame game it might be of interest to know who appointed the Fed chairman and most of the current governors who control Fed policy. There are seven governor seats, but three are vacant. Three of the four active governors, including Chairman Jerome Powell, were appointed by Trump.

“The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender” – Proverbs 22:7.

BILL CRAWFORD is a syndicated columnist from Jackson. Readers can contact him at crawfolk@gmail.com.

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PERSPECTIVE Test your knowledge about Mississippi

D

BY PHIL HARDWICK

o you know how many of your county’s residents drive to a job in another county? Or how many from another county work in your county? Do you know how many adults in your county have a high school diploma?

Or how about average income in your county? And did you know that there is one place online where you can find this data and much more. It’s at the Mississippi Department of Employment Security.

The data maps are excellent, showing in color the numbers in each county for the particular category. When I give presentations about the state economy or economic development, I simply download a bunch of maps and paste them into my PowerPoint presentation. Makes me look like I’m smarter than I am. If you’re in business, this information can be relevant to your marketing and distribution plans.

Now that I’ve pointed out the value of the data at that state agency, let’s take

PHIL HARDWICK

some of it, put it in the form of a 10-question quiz, and see how much you know about Mississippi. Answers are at the bottom of the column.

Economic development is mostly about jobs. And where people live is mostly about where they work, so the first few questions will deal with employment. That will be followed by, population, education, and economics.

Which county has the highest number of people employed (civilian work force)? a. DeSoto b. Harrison c. Hinds d. Jackson 2. Which county has the fewest number of people employed? a. Humphreys b. Issaquena c. Jefferson

d. Sharkey 3. How many persons are employed in Mississippi? a. 1,209,500 b. 1,809,500 c. 2,250,400 d. 2,550,400 4. What is the unemployment rate in Mississippi? a. 2.4% b. 3.4% c. 4.4% d. 5.4% 5. Which two counties have the lowest unemployment rate (tied at 3.2%)? a. Alcorn and Tishomingo b. Oktibbeha and Lafayette c. Jackson and Hinds d. Rankin and Union 6. Which county has the highest unemployment rate (at 13.6%)? a. Adams b. Bolivar c. Jefferson d. Yazoo 7. Which county had the highest positive percent population change from 20192020? a. Amite b.Jefferson c. Oktibbeha

d.Yalobusha 8. Which county had the highest negative percent population change from 2019-2020? a. Kemper b. Sharkey c. Tallahatchie d. Yazoo 9. Which county has the highest percentage of adults with a high school education? a. Forrest b. Lafayette c. Oktibbeha d. Madison 10. Which county had the highest per capita income in 2020? a. Lee b. Rankin c. Madison d. Perry

ANSWERS c – Those four counties have a total of 329,940 workers.

Hinds has the most at 96,890. b – Issaquena has only 280 people employed. a – The state has a population of 2,961,279. Mississippi’s labor force participation rate this past December was 55.2

percent, lowest in the nation. c – The U.S. unemployment rate is 4.1% c – Oktibbeha grew by 4.5%.

Amite, Jefferson, and Yalobusha also has positive growth.

Note that these are percentages. Also note that during this period the state had a population decline of 0.6%. The U.S. grew by 1.0%. b – Sharkey lost 11.9% of its population during the period. c – As expected, the counties with a university would have the most educated residents.

In this case, Oktibbeha, home of Mississippi State University, led the way at 93.7%, followed closely by Lafayette, home of Ole Miss, at 93.2%. When looking at percent college graduates, Ole Miss leads the way at 36.3%. c – Madison, with a per capita income of $68,301, is ahead by a wide margin. The U.S. per capita income in 2020 was $59,510, while Mississippi’s overall per capita income stood at $42,129.

PHIL HARDWICK is a regular Mississippi Business Journal columnist. His email address is phil@philhardwick.com.

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April 2022 Issue

Women & Minorities In Business Financial assistance available to women, minority business owners comes from many sources

T

BY LISA MONTI

here are a number of resources that offer financial assistance to women- and minority-owned businesses, including those at the federal, state and local levels. Owners can start their research into what’s available by looking at a couple of the best known resources – the U.S. Small Business Administration and the Mississippi Development Authority.

The SBA supports small businesses by connecting entrepreneurs with lenders and funding “to help them plan, start and grow their business.”

Among the numerous small business loan and assistance

programs that the SBA has developed is assistance to businesses owned and controlled by socially Stewart and economically disadvantaged individuals provided through the 8(a) Business Development Program.

Janita Stewart, district director of SBA’s Mississippi District Office, said in an email, “Our lending programs for these businesses happen in collaboration with a host of in and out-of-state traditional and non-traditional lenders, and we can fund some pretty significant deals up to $5 million through our 7(a)

Guaranty loan program and a bit more if the loan is through SBA’s 504 fixed asset financing program if it’s for a special purpose.”

Just about every bank in the state is an SBA guaranty lender, according to Stewart.

Stewart said the SBA’s Lender Match Program “is a very useful online tool that allows small businesses to sign up, answer a few questions, etc., and they could be on the receiving end of loan offers from lenders within a matter of a few days or less. Hundreds of thousands of ‘matches’ have been made over the course of the past couple of years just as a result of this tool.”

Also, the SBA has Women’s

Business Ownership representatives available to advise women business owners. Most recently, SBA awarded $100 million in funding to eligible non-profits through the Community Navigators Pilot Program, designed to help underserved markets connect the dots to access assistance available to them. Mississippi’s grantee is Community Students Learning Center which received a $2.5 million grant.

Additionally, there are two new Women’s Business Outreach Centers in Mississippi that are part of a national network of more than 130 centers that offer free and confidential one-onone counseling, training, networking, workshops, technical

assistance and mentoring for women entrepreneurs to help them with business startup, financial management and procurement.

A “bevy of resources” to encourage the growth of minority and women owned businesses in the state are available through the Mississippi Development Authority. Assistance is provided through several programs and workshops with the goal of making owners more competitive in the marketplace.

According to MDA, “Incentive offerings specifically geared towards socially and economically disadvantaged companies help Mississippi small businesses find equitable footing.

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Women and Minorities in Business Regions Bank’s Leard stresses importance of diversity

BY LISA MONTI

R

obert Leard, Regions Bank’s Commercial Banking Executive for Mississippi, says he and his team of 14 commercial banking relationship managers stay focused on new client acquisition, “from Tupelo to the Delta to the Gulf Coast,” to keep the bank growing. Part of their strategy is to find new opportunities by building relationships with women and minority business owners.

“The bank is a strong legacy franchise in Mississippi, and we do our best to take care of that,” he said.

In the last few years, Regions has put more emphasis on new client acquisition, Leard said, “recognizing that there

are businesses that bank with us today that are going to sell or that are going to consolidate and in order to sustainably grow our franchise we have to be in the market looking for those opportunities to bring on new relationships.”

The bank also has focused on its Diversity, Equity and Inclusion strategy, which is led by Clara Green, a member of Regions’ executive leadership team.

Leard said he and his team across Mississippi “consistently talk about the importance of diversity, equity and inclusion, internally and externally with organizations we partner with. The way you get new business is to get out there and meet and build relationships and ask for it. We’re running across more opportunities that we might not

have discovered in the past. It’s a more robust and balanced and intentional approach.”

The strategy shows a change in the bank’s culture to take a “broader approach to marketing, creating more opportunities to help women and minorities who traditionally have been underserved. It’s part of who we are as a bank,” he said.

Leard said “the spotlight on small business has never been brighter” and Regions works closely with the Small Business Administration as a preferred lender and one of America’s most experienced SBA lenders to assist owners such as Amanda Stegall, owner of McGraw Rental & Supply in Ridgeland.

Stegall started working at the power

equipment shop when she was 19 and methodically learned the ins and outs of the operation. Ten years later she bought the company, with help from Regions and the SBA. Scott Parrish, a commercial relationship manager in Ridgeland, and Megan Owens, a Regions Small Business Administration banker based in Mobile, worked with Stegall to put the deal together.

“Scott was who I called when I needed anything, anytime of day,” Stegall said in a story the bank published on Regions’ corporate news site, Doing More Today, in honor of Women’s History Month.

“And we’re still talking about possibilities.”

Stegall credited Owens with making

Largest Minority-Owned Businesses

Largest Minority-Owned Businesses Rank

Business & address

Phone & Website

Top Officer & Year Founded

Type of Business

Minact 601-362-1631 Reuben Anderson, Augustus Collins Job development minact.com 1978 5220 Keele St., Jackson, MS, 39206 IMS Engineers, Inc. 601-968-9194 John Calhoun, Rod Hill 2 Engineering, Management, Logistics Operations imsengineers.com 1996 126 E. Amite St., Jackson, MS, 39201 CCSI 601-366-4542 Cissye Carthan 3 Security guards and patrol services ccsisecurityinc.com 2009 1761 University Blvd, Jackson, MS, 39204 NVision Solutions, Inc. 228-222-5900 Socorro Harvey IT, geospatial analysis, software development, 4 nvisionsolutions.com 2002 electromechanical engineering.

88360 Diamondhead Dr. E., Diamondhead, MS, 39525 SOL Engineering Services, LLC 601-961-1415 Willie O'Neal Jr., Derek Starling Sr. Engineering, Environmental, Logistics, Project and 5 solengrs.com 2001 Program Management, R&D 340 Edgewood Terrace Drive, Jackson, MS, 39206 N.L. Carson Construction Co. Inc. 601-267-3023 Lee Carson 6 Construction nlcarsonconstructioncoinc.com 1972 2221 Waggoner Rd., Carthage, MS, 39051 Gulf Coast Produce Distributors, Inc. 228-435-0005 Christi Alise 7 Restaurant Wholesale; Fruit & Vegetable Store gcproduce.com 1995 194 Bohn St., Biloxi, MS, 39530 Lilly Pad Home Health 601-336-6114 LaTonya Hailes Home Health Care 8 lillypadhomehealth.com 1507 Hardy St. Ste 201, Hattiesburg, MS, 39401 General Maintenance Systems Inc. 601-352-6383 Foster Ellis, Jr. 9 Facility Management /Business Consulting fellisjrandcompany.com 1988 4101 Northview Dr. Suite. C-9, Jackson, MS, 39206 Robinson Janitorial Specialists 662-327-4990 Willie Robinson 10 Janitorial Services robinsonjanitorialspecialist.net 1983 2015 4th Ave. N., Columbus, MS, 39701 DSC Training Academy 601-351-5858 Willie Jones 11 Truck driver training drivingyourfuturems.com 1995 3906 I-55 Frontage Road, Jackson, MS, 39212 American Field Service Corporation Cynthia Warner 12 601-853-1000 Highway, Street and Bridge Construction 1968 110 American Way, Madison, MS, 39110 Tidy Cleanup Services, LLC Beverly Bradley 662-255-3675 Janitorial Services 2004 654 W. Main St, Tupelo, MS, 38804 Magnolia Personal Home Care Services, LLC 14 601-740-0136 2015 Home Health Care 6086 U.S. 98 W., Suite 3, Hattiesburg, MS, 39402 Topps Private Investigation & Security Firm Ophelia Topps 15 662-417-7212 Investigation services, security guards 2016 158 Hattie Flowers Drive, Grenada, MS, 38901 Caring Hands Personal Care 601-792-9329 Kimberly Gholar 16 Private Duty Nursing Home Health Care services caringhandspersonalcare.com 2006 1814 Columbia Ave Ste B, Prentiss, MS, 39474 Wheelers Janitorial Supplies & Equipment 601-892-7547 Jazma Wheeler Full line Janitorial supply company. Commercial 17 wheelersjanitorial.com 1998 and residential cleaning.

809 North Jackson St., Crystal Springs, MS, 39059 John W. Ridgeway Contractors, LLC | Ridgeway Homes 601-651-2854 John Ridgeway, John Ridgeway Residential Home Builder and General 18 ridgewaybuilt.com 1960 Construction Contractor 852 Ellisville Blvd., Laurel , MS, 39440 Orocon Construction, LLC 228-432-5922 John Oropesa 19 General contractor oroconllc.com 2006 325 Reynoir St., Biloxi, MS, 39530 Kaleidoscope of Learning 601-502-2990 Patrina Dace, Glen Dace Preschool/After School kaleidoscopeoflearning.com 2003 335 Byram Drive, Byram, MS, 39272 Information provided by individual companies, Mississippi Development Authority and MBJ research. Direct questions to Frank Brown at frank.brown@msbusiness.com.

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Staff 1,037 281 115 112 101 100 90 85 77 65 60 45 38 32 30 24 23 21 20 19

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April 2022 Issue

Women-owned businesses

Women-owned Businesses Rank

Company Address

Phone Website

Top Officer Founded

Type of business

Staff

Staffers Inc. 601-362-1010 Beth Henry Office Administrative Staffing staffersinc.com 1999 1437 Old Square Rd., Ste. 107, Jackson, MS, 39211 Service Specialists 601-407-6161 Deborah W. Martin 2 Staffing, Training, and Logistics Services servicespecialistsltd.com 1967 157 North Union, Canton, MS, 39046 Davis & Davis Pizza, LLC dba Domino's Pizza 662-801-8882 Diane A. Davis 3 Franchise of Domino's restaurants dominos.com 1986 3936 Old Panola Rd, Sardis, MS, 38666 Professional Staffing Group, LLC 601-981-1658 Brenda A Barron Staffing, Recruiting, and Placement Firm prostaffgroup.com 2007 2475 Lakeland Drive, Suite C, Flowood, MS, 39232 CITE Armored 662-551-1066 Teresa Hubbard 5 Armored trucks manufacturer citearmored.com 2002 540 Industrial Park Road, Holly Springs, MS, 38635 Hopkins Advantage, LLC 769-300-0086 Facilities Support Services; Construction and 6 Kelly Hopkins choosehopkins.com capital projects 273 Old Jackson Road, Madison, MS, 39110 CCSI 601-366-4542 Cissye L. Carthan 7 Security guards and patrol services ccsisecurityinc.com 2009 1761 University Blvd, Jackson, MS, 39204 NVision Solutions, Inc. 228-222-5900 Socorro A. Harvey IT, electromechanical engineering, geospatial 8 nvisionsolutions.com 2002 analysis, software development, 88360 Diamondhead Dr. E., Diamondhead, MS, 39525 Universal Services 601-394-4510 Lana Dobbins, Ryan Dobbins 9 Electrical Contractors universalservicesms.com 2004 1241 Hwy 63 N , Leakesville, MS, 39451 Gulf Coast Produce Distributors 228-435-0005 Christi Alise 10 Restaurant wholesale; fruit, vegetable store gcproduce.com 1995 194 Bohn St., Biloxi, MS, 39530 Lilly Pad Home Health 601-336-6114 11 LaTonya Hailes Home Health Care lillypadhomehealth.com 1507 Hardy St. Ste 201, Hattiesburg, MS, 39401 DSC Training Academy 601-351-5858 Willie Jones 12 Truck driver training drivingyourfuturems.com 1995 840 E. River Pl., Suite 605/606, Jackson, MS, 39212 Lawrence Crane Theming and Design Concepts Wanda Lawrence Carmichael 662-561-1941 Painting, drywall, wall covering 13 2001 36124 Highway 315, Batesville, MS, 38606 Little Footprints Learning Center 601-898-1221 Stephanie Mahaffey, Jennifer Nelson 14 Full-time child care littlefootprintslc.com 2008 319 Distribution Dr., Madison, MS, 39110 Material Girls & Highland Park by Material Girls 601-707-7465 Whitney Giordano Foster Women's Clothing Store shopmaterialgirls.com 2004 260 Highpoint Drive, Ridgeland, MS, 39157 Corso, Inc 228-436-4697 Elizabeth Ann Joachim 16 Vending and wholesale distribution center fpcorso.com 1924 221 Caillavet St., Biloxi, MS, 39530 Estes-Manning Management Group, LLC 601-859-1900 Brandi Manning Asset & Property Management estesmanning.com 2018 735 Avignon Drive, Ste. 4, Ridgeland, MS, 39157 Turf Masters Lawn Care Inc 228-475-3665 Steve Jordan, Gloria Jordan 18 Landscape Services turfmasterslc.com 2000 5510 Telephone Road, Pascagoula, MS, 39567 Graham Roofing Inc. 662-492-9555 Christee Holbrook, Suzanne Richardson 19 Commercial & Industrial Roofing Contractor grahamroofing.com 1968 680 W. Tibbee Road, West Point, MS, 39773 Interstate Landscaping of Mississippi Cathy H Griffin 662-837-0079 Erosion control subcontractor 1991 20900 Hwy 15, Falkner, MS, 38629 Tidy Cleanup Services, LLC Beverly Bradley 21 662-255-3675 Janitorial Services 2004 654 W. Main St, Tupelo, MS, 38804 Magnolia Personal Home Care Services, LLC 22 601-740-0136 2015 Home Health Care 6086 U.S. 98 W., Suite 3, Hattiesburg, MS, 39402 Hall's Towing Service Inc. 601-939-3932 Shirley Hall, Jim Hall, Brandee Hall Bridges 23 Towing and recovery hallstowing.com 1980 1161 Weems St., Jackson, MS, 39208 Sugaree's Bakery 662-534-0031 Mary Jennifer Russell Small batch, from scratch bakery sugarees.com 1997 110 W. Bankhead St., New Albany, MS, 38652 Topps Private Investigation & Security Firm Ophelia Topps 662-417-7212 Investigation services, security guards 2016 158 Hattie Flowers Drive, Grenada, MS, 38901 Matt Johnson Electric, LLC 662-487-3188 Emily T. Johnson, Matthew T. Johnson 26 Wiring Installation contractors mattjohnsonelectric.com 2003 4628 Union Road, Sardis, MS, 38666 Old Capitol Inn 601-359-9000 Mende Malouf Alford, Wes Scrape 27 Boutique Hotel and Restaurant oldcapitolinn.com 1997 226 N. State St, Jackson, MS, 39201 Apex Insulation, Inc. 662-369-9623 Geneva Coker Commercial and Industrial Insulation 28 apexinsulation.net 1987 109 S. Meridian St., Aberdeen, MS, 39730 Can't Be Beat Fence & Construction LLC 228-255-9040 Meredith Anderson Fence & Construction cantbebeatfence.com 1982 2204 Highway 53, Perkinston, MS, 39573 Lauderdale Mechanical Group, Inc. Tina L. Blanton, Gina L. Davis 662-841-7718 Mechanical Contractor 1998 1862 International Drive, Tupelo, MS, 38804 Caring Hands Personal Care 601-792-9329 Kimberly Gholar Private Duty Nursing Home Health Care services 31 caringhandspersonalcare.com 2006 1814 Columbia Ave Ste B, Prentiss, MS, 39474 TempStaff Inc. 601-353-4200 Carolyn Boteler, Jamie Higdon Office support; call center; manufacturing; IT; tempstaff.net 1981 staffing 2282 Lakeland Drive, Jackson, MS, 39232 The Cirlot Agency 601-664-2010 Liza Cirlot Looser, Richard W. Looser, Jr. Advertising, Marketing, Public Relations cirlot.com 1984 1505 Airport Rd., Jackson, MS, 39232 Mississippi Safety Services 601-924-7815 Kay H. Brodbeck Safety Training- National Safety Council Driver 34 MSsafety.com 1986 Improvement Courses P.O. Box 1379, Clinton, MS, 39060 Belinda Stewart Architects, PA 662-258-6405 Belinda J. Stewart Architecture 35 belindastewartarchitects.com 1990 61 N. Dunn St. / PO Box 867, Eupora, MS, 39744 Cicada 662-281-0541 Anne-Marie Varnell Gordon Retail - woman's clothing shopcicada.com 1998 307 S. Lamar Blvd, Oxford, MS, 38655 Color My World Child Care Academy Sherrie Hearn 662-844-0830 Child care 1997 2045 McCullough Blvd, Tupelo, MS, 38801 Kaleidoscope of Learning 601-502-2990 Patrina Dace, Glen Dace Preschool/After School 38 kaleidoscopeoflearning.com/ 2003 335 Byram Drive, Byram, MS, 39272 McGraw Gotta Go, LLC 601-879-3969 Lauren McGraw Toilet & inflatable rentals service, roll off 39 gottagorentals.com 1996 dumpster P.O. Box 267, Flora, MS, 39071 Advanced Environmental Consultants Inc. 601-362-1788 DeJonnette Grantham King Project management, environmental consulting, 40 advancedenviroconsultants.com 1996 remediation, and demolition 775 N. President St., Jackson, MS, 39202 Jackson Data Products 601-856-9588 Linda Walley, Stacey Philley Office, business supplies jacksondata.com 1992 273 Commerce Park Drive, Ridgeland, MS, 39157 Source: Individual companies, MBJ research and the Mississippi Development Authority. List is ranked by number of employees. Direct questions to frank.brown@msbusiness.com.

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725 265 200 200 150 129 115 112 110 90 85 60 53 50 50 46 46 44 40 40 36 32 30 30 30 28 26 25 25 25 24 24 24 22 20 20 20 19 17 15 15

April 2022 Issue

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Mississippi Business Journal

Today’s market calls for a financial team you can rely on.

Working with a dedicated team driven by a shared vision can make all the difference.

Regions Commercial Relationship Managers know that developing a strong understanding of your business and its unique operations helps us provide highly responsive, personalized solutions. Let us leverage our capabilities and create a comprehensive financial strategy to help guide and strengthen your business.

Commercial Banking | Treasury Management | Capital Markets Specialized Industries Robert Leard Mississippi Commercial Banking Executive 601.790.8397 | robert.leard@regions.com regions.com/commercial-banking

© 2022 Regions Bank. Banking products provided by Regions Bank. Only banking deposit products are FDIC insured. All loans and lines subject to credit approval. | Regions and the Regions logo are registered trademarks of Regions Bank. The LifeGreen color is a trademark of Regions Bank.

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April 2022 Issue

Banking and Finance Cryptocurrencies becoming more popular, but rarely a path to getting rich quick

BY BECKY GILLETTE

taxation, cryptocurrency has become increasingly prevalent in recent years ryptocurrency is defined by as a bet on enhancing investments. the Oxford Dictionary as a “There have been some fantastic digital currency in which gains for investors, but most of these transactions are verified gains were due to getting in on the and records maintained by a ground floor at a very low cost decentralized system using (often less than a penny per coin) cryptography, rather than by and then having the coin increase a centralized authority. “Derapidly,” said Ken B. Cyree, Ph.D., centralized cryptocurrencies Frank R. Day/Mississippi Banksuch as Bitcoin now provide ers Association Chair of Banking, an outlet for personal wealth professor of finance and director Cyree of the Mississippi School of Bankthat is beyond restriction and confiscation,” the Oxford Dicing at the University of Mississiptionary states. pi School of Business Administration.

While untraceable financial trans- “According to many sources, there actions can raise concerns about use have been hundreds who have become by scammers or people trying to avoid millionaires through crypto investing.

C

However, these gains are increasingly rare and investors should temper their expectations about getting rich quickly.”

Cyree cautions investors to be mindful that crypto is another asset and all the tenets of finance apply. One is that diversification is important in your portfolio.

“I recommend crypto, just like precious metals or municipal bonds, as a part of your portfolio and not putting 100% of your investment funds in this asset class,” Cyree said. “I do think there are other reasons to invest and someone could be interested in certain features of a coin. But I urge caution if the investor is approaching this as anything more than an investment and

For more than 130 years, Trustmark has provided an array of products and ser vices to meet the financial needs of businesses of every size. From deposits, loans and online tools, to cash management and trusted advice, we’ve helped businesses grow and succeed. Let us go to work for you. Learn more at trustmark.com.

believing they will get rich quickly.”

When cryptocurrencies first came out, there was a belief they might be a flash in the pan. But in recent years, there are many coins and tokens that have been added that perform particular functions or business tasks.

“For example, Polkadot allows blockchains to operate together for any type of asset securely, and Solano is focused on a scalable platform to process information quickly with faster transaction speed and lower costs,” Cyree said. “The two most accepted and used cryptocurrencies are still Bitcoin and Ethereum. Bitcoin is, in my opinion, more like a reserve currency, TURN TO CRYPTOCURRENCIES, 16

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Bank Holding Companies

Bank Holding Companies Rank 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33

Bank Address

Telephone Website

Top Officer Additional Locations

Regions Financial Corporation 1900 5th Ave. N., Birmingham, AL 35203

800-734-4667 regions.com

Cadence Bank (formerly BancorpSouth) 201 South Spring St, Tupelo, MS 38804 Hancock Whitney Corporation 2510 14th St, Gulfport, MS 39501 Trustmark Corp./Trustmark National Bank 248 E. Capitol St., Jackson, MS 39201

662-680-2000 bancorpsouth.com 800-448-8812 hancockwhitney.com 800-243-2524 trustmark.com

Renasant Bank 209 Troy St., Tupelo, MS 38804

1-877-367-5371 renasantbank.com

Origin Bancorp, Inc./ Origin Bank 1511 N. Trenton St., Ruston, LA 71270 The First Bancshares/The First Bank 6480 U.S. Hwy 98 West, Hattiesburg, MS 39402 BancPlus Corp./BankPlus 1068 Highland Colony Pkwy., Ridgeland, MS 39157 Community Bancshares/Community Bank 1255 W. Government St., Brandon, MS 39402 CB&S Bank 200 Jackson Ave. S. , Russellville, AL 35653 Southern Bancorp 605 Main St., Arkadelphia, AR 71923 BankFirst Capital Corporation 900 Main St. , Columbus, MS 39701 Planters Holding Co./Planters B&T Company 212 Catchings Ave., Indianola, MS 38751 First Financial Banc Corp.

214 N. Washington, El Dorado, AR 71730 Guaranty Capital Corp./Guaranty Band & Trust Co. 210 N. Hayden St, Belzoni, MS 39038 Citizens Holding Co./Citizens Bank of Philadelphia 521 Main St, Philadelphia, MS 39350 First Trust Corp./First B&T 909 Poydras St., New Orleans, LA 70112 Liberty Financial Services/Liberty B&T P.O. Box 60131, New Orleans, LA 70160

318-255-2222 origin.bank 601-268-8998 thefirstbank.com 601-898-8300 BankPlus.net 601-825-4323 communitybank.net 877-332-1710 cbsbank.com 800-789-3428 banksouthern.com 662-328-2345 bankfirstfs.com 662-887-3363 planters-bank.com 870-863-7000 ffb1.com 662-247-1454 gbtonline.com 601-656-4692 thecitizensbankphila.com 504-584-5900 fbtonline.com 504-240-5288 libertybank.net

Robert Leard Approximately 1,300 branch locations in 15 states with additional specialty offices in New York, Chicago, Washington, D.C., and more James D. Rollins More than 400 full-service branch locations across the South, Midwest and Texas John M. Hairston 177 Gerard R. Host, Duane A. Dewey 179 systemwide (AL, MS, FL, TN, TX) C. Mitchell Waycaster More than 199 banking, mortgage, financial services and insurance offices in Mississippi, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, North Carolina and South Carolina.

Drake Mills, Lance Hall, Larry Ratzlaff Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas M. Ray Cole 90 locations in Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama, Florida, Georgia William A. Ray Located in MS, AL and LA Charles W. Nicholson 53 statewide and regional locations Michael D Ross 55 branches in 3 states Darrin Williams, John Olaimey Total 51, including 32 in Arkansas Moak Griffin 16 additional Mississippi locations Alan H. Hargett 19 locations in Mississippi and 1 location in Tennessee Brad Ogletree Carthage, Senatobia and 8 branches in Arkansas.

Hue L. Townsend 24 locations in Mississippi and Tennessee Greg McKee 27 branches

First State Corp./First State Bank 708 Azalea Dr, Waynesboro, MS 39367

601-735-3124 firststatebnk.com

PriorityOne Capital Corp./PriorityOne Bank 220 N. Main Ave., Magee, MS 39111 Peoples Financial Corporation 152 Lameuse St., Biloxi, MS 39530 Security Capital Corp./First Security Bank 295 Highway 6 West, Batesville, MS 38606

601-849-3311 priorityonebank.com 228-435-5511 thepeoples.com 662-563-9311 firstsecuritybk.com

Commerce Bancorp Inc./Bank of Commerce 310 Howard St, Greenwood, MS 38930

662-453-4142 bankcom.com

Merchants & Marine Bank 3118 Pascagoula St., Pascagoula, MS 39567 BNA Bancshares, Inc. 133 E. Bankhead St, Box 811, New Albany, MS 38652 First Commercial Bancshares/First Commercial Bank 4450 Old Canton Road, Suite 101, Jackson, MS 39211 Concordia Capital Corp./Concordia B&T 904 Carter St., Vidalia, LA 71373 First Southwest Corp./First Bank 100 S. Broadway, McComb, MS 39648 The Peoples Corporation/Peoples Bank of Ripley 305 East Jefferson, Ripley, MS 38663 First National Holding Co./FNB Oxford 101 Courthouse Square, Oxford, MS 38655 Citizens Corp./Citizens Bank of Columbia 814 Main St., Columbia, MS 39429 Bancorp of Lucedale/Century Bank 4282 Main St., Lucedale, MS 39452 Central Louisiana Capital Corp./Delta Bank 1617 Carter St., Vidalia, LA 71373

228-762-3311 mandmbank.com 662-534-8171 bnabank.com 601-709-7777 firstcommercialbk.com 318-336-5258 concordiabank.com 601-684-2231 firstbankms.com 662-837-8191 peoplesripley.com 662-234-2821 fnboxford.com 601-271-8517 citizensbk.com 601-947-7511 centurybank.net 318-336-7173 deltabk.com

Offices in Ocean Springs and Biloxi, and 15 in Louisiana and Florida Alden J. McDonald 9 offices nationwide, including 1 in Jackson Jeffrey B. Lacey Buckatunna, Clara, Leakesville, Lucedale, Meridian, Quitman, State Line, Laurel, Ellisville Robert J. Barnes Branches in 12 other Mississippi cities Chevis C. Swetman 19 branches in Hancock, Harrison, Jackson and Stone counties.

A. Frank West, Justin Hill, Jason Baker Offices in 12 other Mississippi cities Bryan E. Thornhill, Zach S. Luke, Clifton Thach, Mark Vemer, Jeff Crick Greenwood, Oxford, Starkville, Columbus, Charleston, North Carrollton, West Point Clayton L Legear 11 Mississippi locations and 4 Alabama locations James R. "Bo" Collins, Robert Wade Spencer Belden, Myrtle, Saltillo, New Albany, Oxford Curtis J. Gabardi, John Howie, Brian Rippee Ridgeland, Oxford, Southaven, Memphis, Tenn.

Patrick R. Biglane Woodville, 3 in Natchez and 4 in Louisiana James W. Covington Branches in 7 other Mississippi cities Mary Childs 6 offices in Ripley, Walnut and Blue Mountain John L. Barrett Tupelo, Oxford Trey E Carley Columbia, Hattiesburg, Tylertown, Magnolia, Sumrall, Seminary, Laurel Peter D vanLingen Ten regional and statewide locations in Mississippi and Alabama 1 location in Natchez, 4 in Louisiana

Dennis A Ammann Collins, Magee, Mendenhall, Richland, New Hebron (video teller), Puckett (video teller) Southwest Security, Inc./United Mississippi Bank 601-445-7000 Bruce M. Kuehnle, Adrian Sandel, Lauren Biglane Middleton 35 unitedmsbk.com Natchez, Fayette, Centreville, Woodville, Bude, Gloster. 2 in Louisiana 75 Melrose-Montebello Parkway, Natchez, MS 39120 Magnolia State Corp/Magnolia State Bank 601-764-2265 Kris Mangum, Lillous Ann Shoemaker 36 bankmagnolia.com Hattiesburg, Heidelberg, Laurel, Petal, Taylorsville, 28 Highway 528, Bay Springs, MS 39422 First Valley National Corp./First NB Clarksdale 662-627-3261 Russell S. Bennett 37 fnbclarksdale.com Oxford 402 East Second St., Clarksdale, MS 38614 Pontotoc Bancshares Corp/First Choice Bank 662-489-1631 Buddy R. Montgomery, Shane Clayton 38 firstchoice.bank Pontotoc, Ecru, Tupelo, Houlka 19 S. Main St., Pontotoc, MS 38863 RiverHills Capital Corp./RiverHills Bank 601-636-1445 Robert D. Gage IV 39 riverhillsbank.com Madison, Port Gibson, Vicksburg 1400 Highway 61 N., Vicksburg, MS 39183 Information provided by individual companies and FDIC reports. Direct questions to frank.brown@msbusiness.com.

34

Peoples Bancshares/Peoples Bank 160 E. Maud Ave., Mendenhall, MS 39114

601-847-2210 peoplesbank-ms.com

Deposits as of Dec. 31, 2020

Assets as of Dec. 31, 2020

$141,129,000,000

$162,193,000,000

$39,812,482,000

$47,665,560,000

$30,465,897,000

$36,531,205,000

$15,087,160,000

$17,595,636,000

$13,900,000,000

$16,800,000,000

$6,570,693,000

$7,861,285,000

$5,227,000,000

$6,077,000,000

$4,622,116,000

$5,196,278,000

$4,039,402,000

$4,456,399,000

$2,043,544,000

$2,411,518,000

$1,723,890,143

$2,049,879,673

$1,609,840,000

$1,818,788,000

$1,559,000,000

$1,764,000,000

$1,275,291,000

$1,543,558,000

$1,299,884,000

$1,437,205,000

$1,111,892,000

$1,361,309,000

$1,149,877,000

$1,271,623,000

$851,605,000

$971,090,000

$817,081,000

$928,325,000

$758,456,000

$895,997,000

$705,005,000

$816,386,000

$732,416,000

$808,720,000

$644,119,000

$732,556,000

$587,996,105

$678,859,303

$592,232,000

$675,140,000

$559,411,000

$645,805,000

$548,401,000

$637,175,000

$510,487,000

$580,873,000

$471,782,000

$529,243,000

$412,686,000

$482,904,000

$412,341,000

$465,838,000

$398,945,000

$454,471,000

$411,594,000

$451,072,000

$377,892,000

$431,628,000

$385,576,000

$431,373,000

$378,486,000

$416,112,000

$357,107,000

$405,812,000

$345,550,000

$396,556,000

$344,980,000

$395,425,000

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Mississippi Business Journal

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April 2022 Issue

Bank Holding Companies

Bank Holding Companies Bank Address

Telephone Website

Top Officer Additional Locations

40

Holly Springs Bancshares/Bank of Holly Springs 970 Hwy 7 N, Holly Springs, MS 38635

662-252-2511 bankofhollysprings.com

41

First American Bancshares/First American NB 1251 First American Dr, Iuka, MS 38852

662-423-9551 fanb.net

Great Southern Capital Corp/Great Southern Bank 218 22nd Ave. S., Meridian, MS 39301 Cleveland State Bancorp/Cleveland State Bank 110 Commerce Ave, Cleveland, MS 38732 PCNB Corp./Pike National Bank 350 Rawls Drive, McComb, MS 39648 First Federal Savings & Loan Association Pascagoula 903 Jackson Ave, Pascagoula, MS 39567 Yazoo Capital Corp./Bank of Yazoo City 104 N. Main St., Yazoo City, MS 39194 Tate Financial Corp./Sycamore Bank 301 E. Main St, Senatobia, MS 38668

601-693-5141 gsnb.com 662-843-9461 clevelandstatebank.com 601-684-7575 pnb-ms.net 228-762-4034 firstwithus.com 662-746-5421 bankofyazoo.com 662-562-8201 sycamorebank.com

Copiah Bancshares/Copiah Bank 101 Caldwell Drive, Hazlehurst, MS 39083

601-894-2831 copiahbank.com

Steve M. Gresham Abbeville, Potts Camp, Slayden, Holly Springs, Ashland, Byhalia, Barton, Victoria Tommy Chamblee Amory, Belmont, Booneville, Burnsville, Corinth LPO, Fulton, Iuka, Saltillo, Tishomingo, Tupelo Jeff McCoy Decatur, Enterprise, Hattiesburg, Quitman, Waynesboro Daniel F Whalen, Harrry L. Lott Grenada, Merigold Jennifer S. Wallace Brookhaven, McComb, Tylertown Alan Renfroe Gautier, Hurley, Moss Point, Ocean Springs, Vancleave Van K. Ray, Philip C. Williams, Benjamin W Aldridge Yazoo City, Flora, Flowood, Crossgates West Jay Tindall, Mike Webb Coldwater, Hernando, Southaven, Independence, Oxford Steve Bozeman, Terri D Montgomery, Rebecca Barrentine Byram, Clinton, Crystal Springs, Florence, Richland, Wesson, Hazlehurst, Flowood Cam Tyler Oxford David B Hemeter Poplarville, Wiggins Sam P. McClatchy, Dwight Rutland Holly Springs, Byhalia, Ashland, Hickory Flat, Mt. Pleasant John A Herrod Houston, Mantee, Bruce R. Scott Davis Columbia, Oak Grove, Petal, Picayune, Richton Bertram (Buddy) Mortimer, Kent Mortimer Winona, Mathiston, Eupora, Kosciusko, Ackerman Allen Breland Flowood; Walnut Grove

Rank

42 43 44 45 46 47 48

Mechanics Bank 662-473-2261 mechanicsbankms.com 319 N. Main St., Water Valley, MS 38965 First National Corp. of Picayune/FNB Picayune Bank 601-749-3200 50 fnbop.com 121 E. Canal St., Picayune, MS 39466 Unity Bank of Mississippi 662-252-1341 51 mandfbankhs.com 650 Craft, Holly Springs, MS 38635 Bancorp of Okolona 662-447-5403 52 bankofokolona.com 227 W. Main St, Okolona, MS 38860 First Federal Bancorp/First Southern Bank 601-736-6378 53 fsb-ms.com 1075 Highway 98, Columbia, MS 39429 Kilmichael Bancorp/Bank of Kilmichael 662-262-7844 54 bankofkilmichael.com 120 North Depot Ave., Kilmichael, MS 39747 First Forest Corp./Bank of Forest 601-469-3663 55 bkforest.com 211 W. 3rd Street, Forest, MS 39074 Bank of Brookhaven 601-835-3033 56 William D. Sones, Robert C. Massengill, Wayne McKenzie bankofbrookhaven.com 411 Brookway Blvd., Brookhaven, MS 39601 Commercial Capital Corp./Commercial Bank 601-743-5871 Michael J. Dudley 57 commercialbankms.com Collinsville, Meridian, Philadelphia, Briarwood 175 Hopper Ave., De Kalb, MS 39328 Lafayette Bancorp/Oxford University Bank 662-234-6668 David Guyton 58 oubol.com Bank of Pontotoc, A branch of Oxford University Bank 1500 University Ave., Oxford, MS 38655 Bank of Wiggins 601-928-5233 James O. Rabby 59 bankofwiggins.com McHenry, Wiggins South 109 W. Pine Ave., Wiggins, MS 39577 Franklin Bancshares/Bank of Franklin 601-384-2305 Bradley B Jones 60 bankoffranklin.com Brookhaven, McComb, Meadville 9 Main St. E., Meadville, MS 39653 Independent Bancshares /Community Spirit Bank 256-356-4445 Bradley M Bolton 61 communityspirit.bank Belmont, MS, Red Bay, AL, Russellville, AL, Vina, AL 200 4th Ave. SW, Red Bay, AL 35582 Pyrimid Financial Corp./Bank of Anguilla 662-873-4346 Andy C Anderson 62 bankofanguilla.com Cary, Rolling Fork, Mayersville 130 Holland St., Anguilla, MS 38721 Commerce Holding Corp./Commerce Bank Corinth 662-286-5577 63 Frank A. Davis commerce-bank.com 700 Taylor St., Corinth, MS 38834 Holmes County Capital Corp/Holmes County Bank 662-834-2311 64 Goodman, Vaiden, West holmesbk.com 316 Court Square, Lexington, MS 39095 Bancorp of Winona 662-283-3231 65 Eddie Hammond bankofwinona.com 312 N. Applegate, Winona, MS 38967 The Jefferson Bank 662-332-7545 Todd Turner 66 thejeffersonbank.com Rosedale, Greenville 3008 E. Reed Road, Greenville, MS 38704 CB&T Bancshares/Citizens Bank & Trust 662-326-8047 Tunica 67 cbt-co.com 239 East Main St, Marks, MS 38646 Home Bancshares/Home Banking Co. 731-645-6166 Gregory Ellenburg 68 homebankingco.com 1 office in Corinth, 4 in Tennessee 795 E. Poplar Ave., Selmer, TN 38375 Merchants & Planters Bank 601-857-8044 T. H. Kendall, Henry A. Logue 69 mpbank.net Bolton, Clinton 308 Raymond Square, Raymond, MS 39154 Grand Bank for Savings, FSB 601-264-1467 Edward J. Langton, Chris Sawyer 70 grandbankfsb.com 204 Westover Drive, Hattiesburg, MS 39402 Covington Capital Corp./Covington County Bank 601-765-6551 Seminary 71 covcobank.com 102 S. Dogwood Ave., Collins, MS 39428 Morton Bancorp/Bank of Morton 601-732-8944 Martha J Rogers 72 bankofmorton.com None 366 S. 4th St., Morton, MS 39117 Amory Federal Savings and Loan Association 662-256-9323 Brian McCullen 73 amoryfederal.com 213 2nd Ave N, Amory, MS 38821 Centon Bancorp/Richton Bank & Trust Co. 601-788-6301 William S. Granberry, Ralph S. Olier 74 richtonbank.com Richton 114 S. Front St., Richton, MS 39476 OmniBank 601-764-2115 Heidelberg, Jackson 75 theomnibank.com 531 Third Street, Bay Springs, MS 39422 First Federal Savings and Loan Association Aberdeen 662-369-2772 76 firstfederalaberdeen.com 111 W. Commerce St, Aberdeen, MS 39730 Genesis Bancorp / Genesis Bank 662-742-3342 John Rankin, Alice Herbison 77 202 Main St, Benoit, MS 38725 Citizens National Bank 601-693-1331 Archie R. McDonnell, Hampton D. Thames 78 YourCNB.com 512 22nd Avenue, Meridian, MS 39301 Information provided by individual companies and FDIC reports. Direct questions to frank.brown@msbusiness.com.

49

Deposits as of Dec. 31, 2020

Assets as of Dec. 31, 2020

$333,588,000

$388,463,000

$336,063,000

$376,392,000

$327,328,276

$357,912,275

$309,244,524

$340,461,260

$291,372,000

$336,661,000

$227,548,450

$322,516,407

$274,493,000

$307,271,000

$288,730,000

$305,626,512

$250,909,000

$297,184,000

$252,454,000

$284,760,000

$246,717,000

$281,894,000

$240,821,009

$277,253,691

$220,125,000

$249,601,000

$221,440,304

$247,510,518

$220,181,000

$244,877,000

$208,812,000

$239,583,000

$205,474,840

$233,198,850

$199,031,000

$225,550,000

$182,168,000

$206,230,000

$174,371,000

$204,312,000

$170,934,000

$190,010,000

$161,191,000

$181,978,000

$152,750,000

$175,771,000

$138,491,000

$155,560,000

$127,139,000

$146,789,000

$121,747,000

$144,731,000 $138,633,000

$113,567,000

$133,080,000

$115,715,000

$127,346,000

$105,668,000

$118,402,000

$89,377,000

$96,556,000

$78,969,000

$88,192,000

$69,816,000

$82,619,000 $77,523,000

$50,667,000

$60,263,000 $56,026,000 $47,267,000

$23,256,000

$27,953,000

$1,772,547

$1,535,355

April 2022 Issue

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Mississippi Business Journal

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15

Banking and Finance The Peoples Bank of Ripley sees value in staying close to home

BY DENNIS SEID

The family is deeply rooted with the bank as much as the bank is rooted in Tippah County. Another member of RIPLEY • For nearly 100 years, The the family Bob Glover – Childs’ son and Peoples Bank of Ripley has grown and Martin’s grandson – is a vice president, thrived on the premise that it knows investment and secretary office with the the people and communities of Tippah bank.

County best.

“The bank has been a part of my whole And during that time, the bank has life because my dad came here when I grown to five branches – all located in its was four years old,” said Childs. “Being home county – with total assets of nearly around the bank and the community, $530 million.

I became aware of how important it is The bank is led by president and CEO to have a community bank, and the reMary Childs, who has held the title since warding part of that is being able to help 2012. Her father, the late Bobby Martin, with business startups, buy new homes, who joined the bank in 1961, held the educating their humans, buying a first title for nearly 42 years. Martin was chair- car for a young person – all those things man of the bank when he passed away make banking so special.” in 2020.

Helping her fellow citizens via the DAILY JOURNAL

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bank helps build the community.

“In turn, we’re making it a better place to live,” Childs said. “My dad taught us that, and it’s also become the philosophy of the entire bank and its management team.”

The Peoples Banks is headquartered in Ripley, where it has two additional branch offices. It also has an office in Blue Mountain and Walnut. Expanding beyond Tippah County isn’t in the bank’s plans.

“We feel like we know Tippah County and it’s our home base,” Childs said.

“Some of the outside markets are very different, and we’ve been very successful in our own county and staying with what we know.”

Humble beginnings

The Peoples Bank was founded after the failure of the Bank of Ripley. Fred Smith, a local attorney, was granted a charter from the state to establish the new bank on April 23, 1925. With $15,000 in capital, he was the bank’s first president, and was joined by Erst Long, Orbrey Street, J.C. Dixon and J.K. McBride.

Smith in 1950 sold a majority of his stock in the bank to Guntown native L.E. Watson, who then became president. Eight years later, McBride and Oscar Shannon bought all of Watson’s bank shares, and McBride was named TURN TO PEOPLES, 17

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Mississippi Business Journal

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April 2022 Issue

Cryptocurrencies FROM 12

or ‘hard money’ that is commonly called digital gold since it is limited in how much can be issued, akin to gold-backed currency. Ethereum is aimed more towards smart contracts where exchange can happen based on the fulfillment of a contract, such as delivery of goods of the appropriate quality, or a service performed.”

Another sign of increasing acceptance of cryptocurrency is that some smart vending machines – even including ones that dispense marijuana – are accepting cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, Ethereum and Dogecoin. Cyree said another vendor is looking into Shiba Inu, which is a meme coin based on the dog and is a competitor to Dogecoin.

There has been wider acceptance of cryptocurrency, which has even been used to provide humanitarian assistance to Ukrainians under assault from the Russian invasion. The Wall Street Journal reports private aid groups and the Ukrainian government and private aid groups have raised about $51 million in crypto from more than 89,000 donations since the invasion. It also has been used by Ukrainians who have faced a cap on cash withdrawals from their banks as a way to get quick access to the money they need. And with global financial sanctions against Russia, the country is reportedly considering accepting cryptocurrency in exchange for energy exports.

Cyree said the entire market for crypto is now about $2.25 trillion, which would rank in the top 10 of annual GDP for a country.

“So, the market has expanded quite a bit in the

CHARLES KRUPA I AP

In this Feb. 9, 2021, file photo, the Bitcoin logo appears on the display screen of a cryptocurrency ATM in Salem, N.H. Alternative finance has captured the attention of investors across the U.S. As the 2022 tax season approaches, traders who are new to cryptocurrency taxation will have to contend with the IRS’ rules for reporting on taxable events.

past few years,” Cyree said. “The usage for everyday purchases is minimal at the moment in the U.S., with notable companies like Tesla or Starbucks offering some transactions in crypto. According to Business Insider, over 11 percent of travel sector companies allow crypto uses, and fast food venues such as Burger King are exploring using certain coins or tokens. The largest entry into crypto acceptance has, to date, been El Salvador accepting Bitcoin as legal tender. Thus, on the whole, the acceptance for everyday purchases is limited.”

Cyree said the two biggest risks of crypto are their volatility and lack of regulatory standing.

“So, a government could potentially shut down a coin or perhaps an exchange and people could lose

their investment,” Cyree said. “The market itself is very volatile and can cause losses in value. As an example, in the last year, a token called Sushi lost 73% of its value. But, as a counter example, Ethereum is up 65% in a year. Most of the stories you see in the financial press of investors losing a lot of money has been because the investor did not diversify and put too much in one or a few coins. The same could be said of investing too much in only one stock too, such as Roku that has lost about 65% in the last year.”

Losses can be used to offset capital gains on income taxes. Cyree said the losses in crypto are just like losing money on any property you bought or sold. These losses can be offset by gains in other items such as stocks, bonds, or real estate.

Some legislation was introduced in the Mississippi Legislature earlier this year to regulate cryptocurrencies. Cyree recommends that Mississippi lawmakers let our citizens invest in cryptocurrency as they would any other asset, and the buyer should beware.

“Creating a crypto-friendly environment can only help our economy and possibly bring new ventures here that use or mine crypto,” Cyree said. “Since at the moment crypto is not legal tender in the U.S., there is no reason to limit investing in it. The analogy would be limiting investors in penny stocks or small private companies since investors have lost money in those endeavors. If crypto were to be allowed for legal tender, that is a different issue and would require more scrutiny, in my opinion.”

Three bills introduced in the most recent session

by Sen. Josh Harkins, R-Flowood, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, which would have recognized and defined the functions of bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies within Mississippi, died in committee.

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April 2022 Issue

Peoples FROM 15

president while Shannon was named vice president.

Shannon was named president after McBride died in 1961. Martin, who joined the bank as a cashier that same year, was elected president and CEO when Shannon died unexpectedly in 1970.

Martin proudly gave way to his daughter in 2012, as Mary became the first woman to lead the bank.

Standing on its own

The Peoples Bank is the go-to choice for banking for Tippah County, as it holds 75% of the market share. Only two other financial institutions have a presence in the county, and they’re based out of state: Russellville, Alabama-based CB&S has two branches, in Walnut and Ripley; and Birmingham-based Regions Bank has an office in Ripley.

Childs said her bank’s ability to connect with its fellow citizens is why it has become the people’s choice for meeting their financial needs.

“Our service, quality and experience for our customers is what we have to offer,” she said. “We try to stay up with the latest technology, which can be tough for a small community bank like ours because it changes so rapidly and it’s so

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17

As a smaller community bank, employees of The Peoples Bank often have to take on additional responsibilities that their larger counterparts are able to share with much larger staff.

Regulatory compliance requires quite a bit of time and investment, and it can be more burdensome on smaller banks.

The Peoples Bank is no exception.

“Finding the right fit for those jobs can be more difficult with a community bank, and it’s more expensive, too, with the education process, the forms and documents that have to be printed ... it can be burdensome, and it’s that way for everybody,” Childs said. “But communiTHOMAS WELLS | BUY AT PHOTOS.DJOURNAL.COM/ ty banks have fewer people to handle all In this file photo, the late-Bobby Martin, right, his grandson, Bob Glover, and daughter, Mary those things.”

Childs. Martin was the longtime chairman of the Peoples Bank, based in Ripley. Childs is Still, the bank has managed to hancurrently president and CEO. dle those challenges, even as they grew during the pandemic. expensive. But we try to offer what our customers was a welcome move.

The Peoples Bank experienced deposit customers desire and want to make their “We love that and most of our cusgrowth year-over-year of 11.6% to some lives easier.” tomers love that,” Childs said. “Now we $472 million and asset growth of 9% to There was no better example of that do have some younger customers who $529 million as of Dec. 31 of last year. than during the pandemic, as the bank don’t care to come in and probably won’t With rising inflation and rising interest saw customers who had never used mo- unless they have to, but that’s OK. For the rates, the future holds a bit of uncertainty bile banking before to meet their needs. most part we treat everybody the same, for everyone, but Childs said The Peoples There were many who used the internet and we go the extra mile for them.”

Bank is in position to navigate those and and ATM to do their banking for the The Peoples Bank has about 80 emwaters as well. first time as well. ployees, all willing to help its customers.

“It should be interesting; we’ve defi“We had those products for them, and “And that’s what I think sets us apart once we helped them through it, they from our larger competitors, institutions nitely faced some unprecedented times,” loved it,” Childs said. that are more spread out and don’t have she said. “But we feel like there will But reopening the lobbies to custhe personal touch that we have,” Childs always be a need for community banks tomers to once again interact with its said. like ours.”

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April 2022 Issue

2022 Business Woman of

Angela Crossley Ferraez Mississippi Public Broadcasting Foundation

BY GREG CAMPBELL

Angela Crossley Ferraez, right, is executive director of the Mississippi Public Broadcasting Foundation. She is receiving the Businesswoman of the Year Award from Mississippi Business Journal publisher Tami Jones.

BRENDA BARRON

The Top Ten

Professional Staffing Group

Brenda Baron has been in the staffing industry for over twenty-one years of which twelve years she lived in Atlanta where she oversaw business development, recruiting and compliance for a national organization. Brenda traveled extensively from coast to coast supporting the operation. Prior to relocating to Atlanta, Brenda began her career in Jackson, managing multiple markets throughout central and northern Mississippi.

In 2017 she and her husband Adrian decided to relocate back to Mississippi to be close to family, including three beautiful grandchildren.

Baron continued to work for the national organization until January of 2019 when Jane Sanders, the owner of PSG contacted her about a role she could not refuse. Baron was excited about being a part of an independently owned staffing firm. Jane and Baron worked toward a plan in which Baron acquired Professional Staffing Group in June of 2019.

Baron and her husband Adrian live in Brandon where they enjoy spending time with friends and family on their farm. Baron and Adrian attend Fannin First Baptist Church.

SHAN MONTGOMERY Mississippi Board of Nursing

Shan Montgomery serves as Chief Financial Officer and Chief of Staff for the Mississippi Board of Nursing. With dual roles, she has an active job leading, training, and coordinating. Her first obligation is to ensure that the Board of Nursing maintains a strong financial position.

Montgomery earned her Bachelors of Science in Finance and MBA from Delta State University and a Masters of Public Policy from Belhaven University.

Currently, she is serving as the Board of Nursing liaison to the ESF8 – Public Health Advisory Committee. This Healthcare Coalition works in conjunction with Emergency Management, providing a system- wide healthcare approach to the COVID 19 Pandemic. She is currently serving on the executive committee of the Mississippi Council on Economic Education’s Board (MCEE). She continues to support the American Heart Association’s mission by serving on the Executive Committee for Go Red. She’s the proud mother of Ms. Kennedy Montgomery, a third-year pre-med student at The University of Mississippi.

Angela Crossley Ferraez is the Executive Director of the Mississippi Public Broadcasting Foundation. born and reared Mississippian from Columbus. Angela graduated summa cum laude from Mississippi U for Women with a Bachelor of Science in Business. She has worked in several industries throughout he including Director of Development for Mississippi University for Women, Founder and President of ABC Company, Sales and Marketing Director for the computer and software companies BESCO and BTM So Ferraez previously served on the LINK’s Small Business Committee and on the board of the Mississippi She has also served as Director of the Women’s Ministries and on the Finance Committee at First Bapt in Columbus. Angela currently serves as treasurer of the MFMC District Music Festiva.

Ferraez has been married to Steve Ferraez for almost thirty-six years, and they have four grown sons one set of identical twins. They also have six granddaughters, including one set of identical twins.

DR. SONDIA J. CHRISTIAN Ingalls Shipbuilding

Dr. Sondia J. Christian is the Director of Talent Management at Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula.

In this role she is responsible for executing human capital management strategies that support organizational business goals in the areas of talent sourcing and recruiting, new employee onboarding.

Christian joined Ingalls in 2006 and has held various leadership roles for the past 13 years. She is also a pastor at Twin Beech AME Zion Church in Fairhope, Alabama.

She received her Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Texas College, in Tyler, Texas. She received her Master of Science in Organizational Leadership from Southern Christian University, Montgomery, Alabama. She has an earned Doctorate from Nova Southeastern University, Fort Lauderdale, Florida in Education with emphasis on Organizational Leadership & Adult Education.

Christian is married to Rev. James H. Christian, Sr. and is the proud mother of four children and five grandchildren. She and her family currently reside in Ocean Springs.

TONYA MOORE MooreNow LLC

As executive director of leadership and workforce development at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, Dr. Tonya Moore is responsible for directing the institutional workforce and leadership development program for faculty, staff and students in collaboration with the chief academic officer, chief faculty affairs officer and chief human resources officer.{/span} Moore earned an associate degree in nursing from Alcorn State University, a bachelor and masters in Nursing from the University of Mississippi, and a doctor of philosophy degree in Nursing Research from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Moore was also recognized as a 2011 Up and Comer, one of 12 people in the USA chosen by Modern Healthcare magazine. Active in a number of professional organizations, Moore currently serves as President of the Mississippi Nurses’ Association Board of Directors, the first African American elected to this office.

Moore is the proud mother to Naval Officer, Ensign Ralph J. Moore, USN and a recent graduate of the United States Naval Academy.

MAVIS A. CREAGH Mavis A. Creagh Consulting

Mavis A. Creagh is a best-selling author, speaker, consultant, women’s advocate, entrepreneurial strategist, columnist, and o show host. She currently serves as the Exec Director of R3SM, Inc. (Recover, Rebuild, and Restore Southea a nonprofit founded following Hurricane Katrina.{/span} Recently she established Mavis A. Creagh Consulting, LLC a We Women Ministries, Inc. She has an extensive knowledge o covery following natural disasters with a foundation in revitali of communities, philanthropy, and economic development.

Over the past four years, Creagh provided oversight of 30 n constructions and 100-plus repair projects. Through her leade R3SM, Inc. now owns and operates the fully renovated historic 10,000 sq. ft. Volunteer House in Hattiesburg. The Historic Vo teer House is a true community asset that offers administrativ fices, a small event venue, training space, temporary and trans housing, seasonal University lodging, and accommodations fo to 60 volunteers.

DR. KADY B. PIETZ

Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College

Dr. Kady Pietz is the Dean of Enrollment Registrar at Mississippi Gulf Coast Commu nity College. She holds a Master of Science Political Science with an emphasis in Public Administration and a Ph.D. in Human Capital Development, bo from the University of Southern Mississippi.

She previously served as the Dean of Business Services for CCC’s Jefferson Davis Campus, Director of Operations and Out at the University of Southern Mississippi’s Gulf Park Campus, a Executive Director of Hancock County CASA. Pietz is active in the community and has previously held executive officer positions for National CASA Rural Advisory B Coast Young Professionals, CASA Mississippi, Gulfport Chamb of Commerce, and Long Beach GridIron. She is a 2010 graduat Leadership Gulf Coast and currently serves on the board of dir for the Mississippi Gulf Coast Chamber of Commerce.

An avid golfer and a New Orleans Saints season ticket hold Pietz spends most of her personal time outdoors.

April 2022 Issue

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Jaclyn M. Adams – Citizens National Bank Anitra Bender – Amazoning with Anitra, Inc. Katie Jones Bennett – Southern Bone & Joint Elizabeth Boone – Bradley Gayle Canaga Brown – Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College Kimberly Gladden Burke – Meredith College Gretchen Butler – BancorpSouth Marcee Party – EMC Insurance Pam Chatman Boss – Lady Workforce Transportation

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Mississippi Business Journal

REMAINDER OF 2022 CLASS

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Toni Condon – EMC Insurance Dea Dean – Dea Dean LPC, PLLC

PAM DOLLAR

Coalition for Citizens with Disabilities Pam Dollar, a 1986 graduate of the University of Southern Mississippi, she is the mother of a 29 year old son with autism. After her son’s diagnosis, Dollar immersed herself in all things autism, including related laws, rules and regulations, so as to best advocate for her son’s needs and rights. What started as a personal quest on behalf of Pam’s son quickly turned into a passionate calling for all people with disabilities.

Dollar is a passionate disabilities-rights advocate for children and adults alike and she works tirelessly to help facilitate a culture of respect and success for people with disabilities.

Dollar has been affiliated with the Coalition for more than 25 years. She joined the Coalition staff as the director of a statewide federal grant creating Mississippi’s only Parent Training and Information Center. Through the PTI, she has impacted thousands of families and worked with schools throughout Mississippi, improving educational outcomes for children with disabilities and helping parents and their children become self-advocates.

DEIDRA J. SNELL DMD Ridgewood Smile Dentistry

Dr. Deidra J. Snell is a native of Port Gibson, She attended Alcorn State University where she participated in numerous organizations such as Alcorn State University Marching and Concert Bands playing saxophone, Alpha Kappa Mu Honor Society, Student Government Association, and a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Snell also participated in research programs at Andhra University in Visakaputnam, India, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore, MD, and interned at Grand Gulf Nuclear Station in the Chemistry Department. She graduated with dual Bachelors of Science degrees in Chemistry and Biology in 2004 from Alcorn.

Snell then attended University of Mississippi Medical Center – School of Dentistry, in which she voyaged to Mexico on three different occasions for dental mission trips while a student there.

She graduated with a Doctorate in Dental Medicine (D.M.D) in 2008 and completed a General Practice Residency (GPR) Program at the University of MS Medical Center in 2009.

CARLA KIRKLAND The Kirkland Group

Carla Kirkland is founder and CEO of The Kirkland Group.

Having been in education almost 30 years, she provides professional development, technical assistance, and standardized test preparation to school districts. A champion for comprehensive student support, Mrs. Kirkland holds membership in both educational and service groups, and is actively involved in organizations like the Education Industry Association, Jack and Jill of America, Inc., Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. and The Links, Inc. This lifelong educator has served as a teacher, curriculum specialist, and mentor. Mrs. Kirkland is co-author of Praxis Core for Dummies, 1001 Praxis Core Questions for Dummies and Praxis Elementary Education for Dummies. She facilitates mathematics workshops around the country and resides in Mississippi with her husband.

Amanda Fowler – Northwest Mississippi Association of Realtors Rita Green – Geaux Fig Co. Jill Gordon – Enrich Mississippi Laura Hearn – W.G. Yates and Sons Leia Agnew Hill – Meridian Community College Michelle Hoffman – TeleSouth Media Shelly Withers – Janous Century 21 David Stevens, Inc. Kia Monique Jones – For Brown Girls Inc. Shari Jones – RiverHills Bank Jamie Sussems – Lee Lee Enterprises Carla Lewis – C Spire Dr. Antionette Lines – Mint Dental Paige Manning – Mississippi Department of Agriculture Sharon Johnson Markham – 1-800-JUNKPRO Rebecca Luckey Martin – Prudential Advisors

JENNIFER A. SUTTON Gulf Coast Veterinary Services

Jennifer Sutton, DVM, MBA is a wife, mother, veterinarian and successful entrepreneur. In the face of personal tragedy; she felt compelled to a life of volunteer service primarily as an advocate for marginalized people and animal populations.

Her experiences have been motivational, rewarding and fulfilling in ways that her traditional career was not.

As a volunteer servant to others, she applied these same principles within her businesses and transformed into a servant leader. The results have been extraordinary. Through implementation of servant leader ideals like empathy, compassion, awareness and stewardship; she has created a generative and successful culture.

Among her accomplishments are numerous community accolades, inclusion in the Inc. 5000 business list and being named the Mississippi Small Business Association’s Businessperson of the Year. She is currently developing her skills and knowledge to be able to assist others in becoming the servant leaders that they were meant to be.

In addition, Gulf Coast Veterinary Emergency Hospital was named to the 2021 Inc. 5000 list. Sutton was also named as the 2021 Power Up Summit’s Entrepreneur of the Year.

Lindsay Martin-Nez – BadgePass, Inc. Carolyn McLemore – Trustmark Bank Alison O’Neal – McMinn Forman Watkins & Krutz Erica Clemons Moore – Pearl River Resort Yolanda Morris – Morris Tax and Bookkeeping Dr. Robin Parker – Central Mississippi Planning and Development District Victoria Prowant – Southern Homes Real Estate Kimberly L. Russell – Mississippi Family First/Mississippi Supreme Court Dr. Jasmine Martin Smith – Healing Hands Rehabilitation Services Mollie Kidder – Spencer Community Pharmacy Jacqueline A. Turner – Mississippi Department of Employment Security Dana Wilson – Mississippi Interactive Anna Hays Zachary – Omega Group Advertising Agency

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Mississippi Business Journal

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April 2022 Issue

Tourism Ship Island Excursions survived hurricanes and COVID-19 to continue operations

BY BECKY GILLETTE

T

he Skrmetta family of Biloxi began hauling passengers to the Mississippi islands in 1926. In 1933, the Gulfport American Legion leased the western part of Ship Island and Fort Massachusetts and offered Capt. Pete Skrmetta an exclusive contract to transport tourists and locals to the Legion’s newly opened fishing resort and dance hall.

Capt. Pete’s grandchildren still operate the ninety-six-year-old business.

Through the years there have been many natural and man-made disasters that have disrupted business. The island visitor facilities and 500-foot boat dock have been rebuilt many times due to hurricane damage. The Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion on April 20, 2010, and the Bonnet Carré Spillway catastrophe on Feb. 27, 2019, both hit at the start of the Coast tourism season, and ruined business for the Skrmettas.

But the business that operates three passenger ferries and employs over 40 people during peak summer tourist season had unprecedented challenges in 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic hit along with two hurricanes.

“We got slapped with COVID-19 first in March 2020,” said Captain Louis Skrmetta, CEO of Ship Island Excusions.

“I think we ran a total of two weeks into our eight-month season and the business was doing really well. Then news broke about COVID and the whole country started shutting down. We have a concession contract with the National Park Service and, following CDC guidelines, completely closed the ferry operation during the first week in April. It wasn’t until mid-June that we received permission to resume the passenger service, with the condition that we operate the boats at 50 percent capacity.”

The limited seating mandate really hurt their profitability, especially during the busy summer weekends when they had to leave hundreds of potential customers on the dock each Saturday.

Plus, the hassle of trying to encourage passengers to wear masks and maintain the six foot of safe space while on board was a real challenge for the crew.

“By the time the employees got through the COVID-19 learning curve, and the business was back to operating somewhat normally although with the reduced capacity, we were shut down when Hurricane Laura in August damaged the ferry landing at Ship Island,” Skrmetta said. “The National Park Service allowed our company to repair the island dock and we restarted the ferry service in mid-September. Unfortunately, Hurricane Zeta hit the Gulf Coast in late October. All visitor facilities on Ship Island, including the one-third mile boardwalk that crosses the island from the north side to the Gulf of Mexico beach, were damaged. It took until this spring for the National Park Service to complete repairs.”

Skrmetta said 2020 and 2021 were the two toughest years they ever experienced, including the stress of wondering how the business would survive. Three

large passenger vessels are very expensive to maintain. There are high costs for labor, insurance, maintenance, a lease from the City of Gulfport for a 180foot dock, marine paint and coatings, and the challenge of keeping the three

ferries in top condition in order to pass Coast Guard inspections every year.

When the Skrmettas found out the Park Service wasn’t going to reopen TURN TO SHIP ISLAND, 21

April 2022 Issue

Ship Island FROM 20

Ship Island in 2021, they transitioned to three daily 90-minute dolphin watching cruises in the Mississippi Sound.

“They proved very popular with the public,” Skrmetta said. “It was kind of cool because we discovered we had a whole other market of business from customers who wanted a less time-consuming boat excursion. The dolphin cruises also include a tour of the Gulfport State Port where the container ships come in. Then we acquired a liquor license and started doing sunset cocktail cruises every Friday and Saturday on the boats.”

But those things weren’t enough to keep them solvent when they were used to carrying more than 50,000 people a year out to Ship Island.

“What saved us was the Paycheck Protection Program,” Skrmetta said.

“We applied for that, and because of the annual financial audit we are required to do for the National Park Service, we had airtight financials to show the losses we were incurring. Six months later, we applied for and received the second round of PPP, which could be used for payroll or rent. While that was occurring, we received a Coronavirus Economic Relief for Transportation Services grant related to COVID-19. CERTS was a very, very good, substantial grant. It saved a 96-year-old business. We are so appreciative of the government.”

Initially CERTS was only going to include large cruise ships. But the Passenger Vessel Association (PVA) lobbied heavily in Washington to include the small passenger industry.

“That was huge when we were included in that,” Skrmetta said. “We couldn’t be in business without PVA. Senators

Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College C.C. “Tex” Hamill Down South Magazine Collection Islands and Lighthouses Harrison County Biloxi) Ship Island Pan American Clipper The Pan American Clipper loading in Biloxi. See Down South May/June 1975 (25-3-4) page 4 for history Glassine sleeve date: 25 May 1957 Glassine sleeve date: 25 May 1957 Roger Wicker and Cindy Hyde-Smith worked closely with PVA in the effort to include the small passenger industry in the CERTS act. They were very helpful and supportive during this process.

We met personally with both senators to explain our situation.”

It’s a challenge to stay in the boat business today with the combination of rising fuel and marine insurance, hurricanes, and constantly changing government regulations.

A new engine costs more than $250,000 and each boat needs two. The company applied for and received another grant through the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality, which is administering the state’s share of the Volkswagen Clean Air Act Civil Settlement authorized in 2020.

The VW settlement grant covers 40 percent of the costs to repower a vessel and bring it up to EPA standards.

“There was no way we could have afforded to repower our boats without this grant,” Skrmetta said.

“Researching grants has become nearly a full-time job.”

Now with COVID-19 numbers low, and Ship Island facilities repaired, their passenger numbers are up considerably for

the spring shoulder season. They started sunset cruises again on Easter weekend and are still doing dolphin cruises.

“Things are looking very good,” Skrmetta said. “We are optimistic about the season. People want to get outdoors and visit the Coast and the Gulf Islands National Seashore. The Mississippi Coast in general, 17 years since Hurricane Katrina, has redeveloped beautifully. There are a lot of new restaurants. All the downtowns on the Gulf Coast are fun tourist opportunities.”

Of the eight full-time employees, six are family members. An additional 32 part-time and full-time employees are needed during the summer season. The operation is required by law to have a certain number of drug-tested and trained employees. Ferry captains and vessel engineers must also pass a security background check and carry updated security credentials.

“This is not your small mom-and-pop operation like my grandfather started with cash only, no credit cards, and no insurance,” Skrmetta said.

“Now we have a social media specialist and work closely with the Coastal Mississippi tourism group.

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Ship Island is a good option for people who want to enjoy the beach without the traffic noise and large condo developments on the Florida and Alabama beaches.

“How we offer is a wilderness experience,” he said. “The Park Service has limits on the number of people, so you don’t see Ship Island being loved to death like some of our other National Parks.

The island is big enough that you can find your own space. You can hike down the beach with an Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College C.C. “Tex” Hamill umbrella and backpack Down South Magazine Collection Islands and Lighthous- and get away. We don’t es Harrison County Biloxi) Ship Island Excursion boat ‘Pan have any drilling rigs American Clipper’ Annette Bird and Captain Peter Skrmetta or industry around the 11-3-20 Peter--Not Pete--Pete is his dad. See Down South islands. We try to make May/June 1961 page 20 for this photo. Glassine sleeve date: it affordable for families August 1960 Transparency Date: August 1960 Trip Date: to provide a wonderful 7-21-60 experience to their kids They are a huge supporter are no automobiles and no exposing them to nature of our operation. Coastal crime. The National Park and the Gulf ecosystem.

Mississippi loves that Service recently completI have people coming Gulfport is the gateway to ed filling in the cut in Ship back years later to talk GINS. You don’t have to go Island caused Hurricane about how much they to Florida for high-quality Katrina in 2005, and the loved it when they came natural sand beaches with island is now seven miles out with their grandparclear water and surf. There long.” ents.”

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Tourism Busy season anticipated at top Mississippi tourism destinations

BY BECKY GILLETTE

T

he hospitality and tourism sector of the economy had two extremely tough years with COVID-19 keeping many people in isolation. With new cases of COVID-19 at the lowest levels seen since the beginning of the pandemic, there are hopes of a return to normalcy which will include people being able to travel again to enjoy vacations.

“We are expecting a very busy summer for domestic travel,” said Danielle Morgan, executive director, Mississippi Tourism Association.

“With many international restrictions still in place, people are still largely looking for nearby road trip destinations. Smaller, quaint towns are really hot right now. Mississippi is fortunate to have wonderful outdoor amenities and unique communities, which are also very popular.”

Morgan said Visit Mississippi is aggressively marketing to drive markets and touch states with their “Wanderers Welcome” campaign, which is getting great results. The tourism recovery fund that was appropriated by the Mississippi Legislature from American Rescue Plan Act funds (ARPA) to destination marketing organizations will start to roll out in July as well.

“Competition is high, but Mississippi is in a great position to have strong summer and fall seasons,” Morgan said.

However, she is concerned about inflation, and particularly high gasoline prices.

“The past few years have tested all of us in the travel and tourism industry and it’s starting to look as though we can’t catch a break,” said Webster Franklin, president and CEO, Tunica Convention and Visitors Bureau. “The most recent national Visitor Sentiment Study conducted

by Longwoods International revealed that 74% of Americans, a pandemic high, now feel safe traveling outside of their community. The same study also found that 65% of the traveling public say that rising gas prices and inflation will either impact or greatly impact their decision to travel over the next six months.”

In Tunica, they have seen steady

Dockery Farms in Cleveland, Mississippi. growth during the first quarter of this year and hope to see that continue from their regional drive markets into the summer. The recent Tourism Recovery legislation passed by the Mississippi Legislature will be available to the Tunica Convention and Visitors Bureau in July.

“The additional marketing dollars provided via this legislation will allow us to aggressively market the Tunica destination to our key outer markets and hopefully boost travel to our area into the fall and holiday season,” Franklin said.

Tupelo Convention & Visitors Bureau Executive Director Neal McCoy is optimistic that even with rising inflation and high gas prices, the pent-up demand for travel is high enough to largely compensate.

“We fully expect that to translate into a busy summer for visitation to Tupelo,” McCoy said. “Our sports market is booming, more groups are choosing to meet in Tupelo, and international travelers are coming back. We have opened three new hotels this year, including Hotel

BY SEAN JOHNSON

Tupelo, a boutique property. New restaurants are opening throughout the city. The Elvis Presley Birthplace has extended its hours to account for the rise in visitors to the attraction.

All indicators point to a very positive summer for tourism in Tupelo.”

Keeping in consideration current gas prices hovering near $4 per gallon, Coastal Mississippi continues to reach their primary markets, but with a heavy focus on those markets within a one-tank drive radius.

“This is the year of the ‘new traveler,’ and new travelers expect new and different amenities from lodging and attractions,” said Judy Young, executive director at Coastal Mississippi. “Health and safety standards are paramount. Technology – especially touchless check-in, liberal cancellation policies and affordable rates – drives those booking choices.”

She predicts that coming out of such a long period of constraints and limitations, 2022 will be the year we wring every bit of richness and meaning out of our experiences.

Thematically, it’s all about adventure mixed with cultural immersion, ecological outdoor experiences, unique lodging, and even pop-up opportunities, definitely bucket-list and edu-vacation.

“The Mississippi Gulf Coast is perfectly positioned with diverse attractions, casinos, and fresh Gulf-totable seafood; there’s something for everyone,” Young said. “There are 62 miles of shoreline, 26 miles of white sand beaches, barrier islands, rivers, and bayous. There’s just so much to explore, and the Mississippi Gulf Coast is ready to surprise even the most discerning traveler. There’s just a wealth of opportunity here.”

Coastal Mississippi is pacing ahead of the majority of the country and captured new and retained repeat visitors during the past 15 months.

The return of room revenue has led the way; January through the first week of April posted up between 23% to 34% over 2021 and surpassed 2019. The occupancy rate was performing similarly, with some leveling off once gas prices exceeded $3 a gallon.

“I think you’ll find that it’s less about specifics and convenience and more about adding services after booking that promote destination discovery,” Young said. “We’re looking forward to a robust season and showing visitors why Coastal Mississippi is the destination they’ve been looking for all along.”

Kinchen “Bubba” O’Keefe, executive director, Coahoma County Tourism, uses all caps, BIG!, to describe his outlook for tourism this summer and the rest of the year.

“We are already seeing a big uptick not only in domestic travel, but in international travel, as well,” O’Keefe said. “Nan Hughes, the co-director of the Juke Joint Festival, said they pre sold more than 2,000 wristbands to people from 45 states and 17 countries.”

This year their office had visitors sign their guestbook who were from Australia, Canada, New Zealand, England, Iceland, China, Taiwan, Nigeria, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Hungary and Brazil.

“Like I said, we are off to a great TURN TO DESTINATIONS, 23

April 2022 Issue

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Destinations FROM 22

start for 2022, and I expect it is only going to get better,” O’Keefe said.

If this first part of the year’s tourism taxes is any indication, Cleveland should be in for a good summer, said Tourism Director Sean Johnson. “Currently, we’re seeing a 14% increase in tourism tax revenues over last year, and an over 30% jump over pre-pandemic numbers. So, all of this bodes really well for us going into the summer. Other data also points to growth: our website traffic is up considerably over last year and reports from Smith Travel Research, a travel research firm we partner with, shows that demand for hotel rooms in Cleveland has lately been historically high.”

And while travel was certainly impacted by the COVID pandemic over the past couple of years, the impact of the disease on travel sentiment is diminishing. According to a recent report by Longwoods International, a polling company working with the Mississippi Tourism Association, less than 20 percent of respondents say that COVID is impacting their travel plans.

Johnson hopes gas prices will stabilize or fall before the summer travel season. If they don’t, they are ready to market around that.

“There are plenty of people – tens of millions, actually – who live within a short six-hour drive of Cleveland,” Johnson said. “With all that Cleveland offers, including its convenient location from which visitors can explore the entire Delta region, it’s not a hard sell.”

Vicksburg is also seeing an 18% increase in visits from 2020 to 2021, higher hospitality tax collections, and the return of events.

“We have welcomed the annual nurses’ convention this past month and look forward to hosting the statewide firefighters conference this summer,” said Laura Beth Strickland, executive director, Vicksburg Convention & Visitors Bureau. “We have added new businesses to our tourism portfolio including new museums and restaurants, and continue to see more investment in the heart of our city, our downtown district.”

Strickland said they were fortunate enough to receive some CARES Act funding from the state at the end of 2020 which allowed them to do a multimedia marketing campaign to promote Vicksburg as a safe, viable destination to visit with many things to do for tourists. “We were able to reach markets that were not possible in the past and saw a great return

BY SEAN JOHNSON

Grammy Museum on that investment throughout 2021 with record-breaking hospitality tax collections showing we were hosting more quality visitors,” she said.

It has been particularly great to see the riverboats return in full action.

Vicksburg has close to 200 dockings scheduled this year and are seeing four-five boats a week at their riverfront. In addition, they have been hosting several tournaments at our state-of-the-art sports complex, Sports Force Parks on the Mississippi, which has helped with our influx of visitors.

The casinos have been doing well. Vicksburg is home to four casinos, and they all had to make adjustments during the COVID-19 pandemic. Strickland said the 2021 revenue for the central region, which also includes two casinos in Greenville and one in Natchez, saw a 33% increase over 2020 and 16.5% over 2019. “People have been ready to get out and enjoy gaming, and it is great to see them doing well,” she said.

The Vicksburg National Military Park recorded 408,200 visitors in 2021. This was a 56.8% increase over 2020 and a 29.2% decrease from 2019. Although the tour road remained open through 2020, the visitor center, USS Cairo, and overlooks open until midway through 2021.

Fabian da Costa, Nan Hughes and Toyo Bagoso

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April 2022 Issue

CORPORATE SPONSORS AT&T Atmos Energy BancorpSouth | Cadence BankPlus Baptist Memorial Health Care Corporation Beau Rivage Resort & Casino/Gold Strike Casino Resort BKD CPAs & Advisors Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Mississippi Butler Snow LLP C Spire Caesars Entertainment Corporation Chevron Products Company Clarion Ledger | LOCALiQ Coca-Cola Bottling of Corinth and Tupelo Cooperative Energy Corbin & Biggs, PLLC Deviney Construction Company, Inc. DIG Creative + Solutions EdgeTheory, LLC Electric Cooperatives of Mississippi Entergy Mississippi, LLC Ergon, Inc. Godwin.

Hancock Whitney Bank

Ingalls Shipbuilding Jones Walker LLP Key Constructors, LLC Mad Genius Magnolia Health Maris, West & Baker, Inc. Mississippi Business Journal Mississippi Power Company Nissan North America, Inc. Phelps Dunbar LLP Regions Renasant Bank Sanderson Farms, Inc. Southern Farm Bureau Life Insurance Companies Structural Steel Services, Inc. SuperTalk Mississippi Media The Taylor Group of Companies Toyota Motor Manufacturing Mississippi Trustmark W. K. Kellogg Foundation W.G. Yates & Sons Construction Company Woodward Hines Education Foundation

LEADERSHIP SPONSORS Adams and Reese LLP Airbus Alcorn State University Altria Corporate Services Ashley Furniture Industries, LLC Balch & Bingham LLP BANKFIRST Bank of Brookhaven Baxter Healthcare Corporation BNSF Railway Bradley, Arant, Boult, Cummings, LLP Brunini, Grantham, Grower & Hewes, PLLC Business Communications, Inc. Caterpillar Inc. Clark Beverage Group Coastal Mississippi ComcastNBC Universal Community Bank Continental Tire The Americas Copiah-Lincoln Community College Denbury, Inc. Enterprise Holdings, Inc.

F. E. B. Distributing Company, Inc./Capital City Beverages Nucor Steel Jackson, Inc. F. L. Crane & Sons Penn National Gaming General Atomics Electromagnetics Systems Pruet Companies Gresham Petroleum Raytheon Space and Airborne Systems Hederman Brothers Simmons Erosion Control, Inc. Hol-Mac Corporation Southern Mississippi Planning & Development District Horne Spire Irby Construction Company St. Dominic's Jumpstart Test Prep Steel Dynamics Landers Auto Group The Citizens Bank Merit Health The CPI Group, LLC Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians The University of Mississippi Mississippi Board of Nursing Tyson Foods Mississippi Development Authority UnitedHealthcare of Mississippi Mississippi Home Corporation UPS Mississippi Hospital Association Verizon Mississippi State University WAPT TV 16 Neel-Schaffer, Inc. News Channel 12 "Focused on You" WaterView Hotel & Casino Norfolk Southern Corporation Wells Fargo Northrop Grumman William Carey University North Mississippi Health Services WLBT 3 On Your Side

MEC.MS 601-969-0022

April 2022 Issue

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Public Companies

Toyota fund exposes, prepares and connect students to careers

BY DENNIS SEID DAILY JOURNAL

W

orking for Toyota Motor Corp., the world’s largest automaker, isn’t for everyone, but the company has made it a priority that the surrounding workforce – wherever it’s located – can benefit from its presence.

There is no bigger example of that than in Northeast Mississippi where Toyota has invested $1.2 billion in its Corolla assembly plant in Blue Springs. The plant employs some 2,400 workers, and suppliers for the

facility employ thousands more.

But while they are directly impacted by Toyota employment, there are other workers and students who are affected by some of the automaker’s initiatives as well.

When Toyota announced in 2007 that it would build the plant in Union County, it also surprised everyone by announcing a gift of $50 million to benefit the schools of Pontotoc, Union and Lee counties, who had formed an alliance to recruit the automaker.

In 2009, the Toyota Wellspring Education Fund was established with an initial $5 million gift. Over

the next nine years, similar gifts were donated by the company to the endowment to fulfill its pledge.

The endowment is overseen by the CREATE Foundation in Tupelo.

“Toyota partnered with CREATE, and the way it was set up was for it to be a perpetual fund,” said David Fernandes, the current president of Toyota Mississippi. “The money goes in, and over time it gets invested. Today that fund is worth more than $60 million. CREATE’s done a fantastic job of investing the fund to allow it to continue for many years.”

One of the initiatives funded by the Toyota Wellspring Education

Fund was the initial hiring and placement of 11 Career Coaches, in 14 high schools in the PUL districts, who function as liaisons for students, business, and industry. Career Coaches are tasked with ensuring students are exposed, prepared, and connected to their college and career goals and resources while supporting workforce development in this region. The coaches come from a variety of backgrounds, not necessarily in education, so as to provide a width and depth of career choices TURN TO TOYOTA, 26

2022 Officer Promotions

Dana Bynum

Zach Farmer

VICE PRESIDENT INTERNAL AUDITING

VICE PRESIDENT SECURITIES MANAGEMENT

Dana Bynum, CIA, CFE, FLMI, was named Vice President, Internal Auditing in February 2022. Dana joined the Company in 1995 as Staff Auditor. She was promoted to Internal Audit Supervisor in 2012, to Internal Audit Manager in 2014, and to Director of Internal Auditing in 2019. As Vice President, Internal Auditing, Dana will continue directing the Internal Audit department in developing, planning and executing the annual audit program. She serves on the Special Investigative Unit (SIU) Committee, Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) Committee, Business Conduct Review Committee (BCRC), and Third Party Vendor Management Team.

Dana is a graduate of Belhaven University, where she received a B.S. degree in Accounting in 1994. She earned the Certified Internal Auditor (CIA), Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE), and Fellow, Life Management Institute (FLMI) designations. She completed the Millsaps College Advanced Applied Leadership Program in 2021.

Dana and her husband, Brad, have two children and are members of Crossgates United Methodist Church in Brandon.

Zach Farmer, CFA, was named Vice President, Securities Management, effective April 2022. Zach joined the Company in 2011 as Securities Analyst and was promoted to Portfolio Manager in 2018, overseeing the Company’s bond portfolio. He was named Director of Securities Management in 2020. Zach oversees the company’s investments in bonds, stocks, and limited partnerships. He serves on multiple committees including the Asset Liability Management (ALM) Committee and Pension Investment Committee.

Zach graduated with a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) degree in 2009 and an MBA with a finance concentration in 2010, both from Mississippi State University. He earned the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation in 2015 and also serves on the Board of the CFA Society of Mississippi.

Zach and his wife, Casey, have two children and are members of St. Matthew’s United Methodist Church in Madison.

Congratulations!

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April 2022 Issue

Mississippi Public Companies

Mississippi Public Companies

Employees

Assets/ Revenue last FY

NYSE BXS

6,600

$47.7 billion $1.2 billion

1899 John M. Hairston

NASDAQ HWC

3,486

$36.5 billion $1.3 billion

601-208-5111 trustmark.com

1889 Duane A. Dewey

NASDAQ TRMK

2,692

$17.6 billion $640.3 million

Personal; business; investment management;estate planning

1-877-367-5371 renasantbank.com

1904 C. Mitchell Waycaster

NASDAQ RNST

2,500

$16.8 billion $175.9 million

The First Bancshares/The First Bank 6480 U.S. Hwy 98 West, Hattiesburg, MS 39402

Banking/financial

601-268-8998 thefirstbank.com

1996 M. Ray Cole, Jr.

NASDAQ FBMS

794

$6.1 billion $194.5 million

6

EastGroup Properties 400 W Parkway Place Ste 100, Ridgeland, MS 39157

Real Estate

601-354-3555 eastgroup.net

1969 Marshall A Loeb

NYSE EGP

80

$3.2 billion $409.4 million

7

Sanderson Farms, Inc. 127 Flynt Rd., Laurel, MS 39443

Poultry processing

601-649-4030 sandersonfarms.com

1947 Joe F. Sanderson, Jr.

NASDAQ SAFM

17,662

$2.3 billion $4.8 billion

8

BankFirst Capital Corporation 900 Main St. , Columbus, MS 39701

Banking

662-328-2345 bankfirstfs.com

1888 Moak Griffin

OTCQX BFCC

370

$1.8 billion $85.6 million

9

Citizens Holding Co./Citizens Bank of Philadelphia 521 Main St, Philadelphia, MS 39350

Banking/financial

601-656-4692 thecitizensbankphila.com

1908 Greg McKee

NASDAQ CIZN

274

$1.5 billion $50.6 million

10

Cal-Maine Foods, Inc. 1052 Highland Colony Parkway Suite 200, Ridgeland, MS 39157

Eggs

601-948-6813 calmainefoods.com

1969 Dolph Baker

NASDAQ CALM

3,500

$1.2 billion $1.4 billion

11

Peoples Financial Corporation 152 Lameuse St., Biloxi, MS 39530

Banking/financial

228-435-5511 thepeoples.com

1896 Chevis C. Swetman

OTCQX PFBX

130

$818.8 million $20.3 million

12

Merchants & Marine Bank 3118 Pascagoula St., Pascagoula, MS 39567

Banking

228-762-3311 mandmbank.com

1899 Clayton L Legear

OTCQX Best Market MNMB

151

$682.0 million $29.4 million

Rank

Company/Address

Service/Product

Telephone Website

Year Founded Top executive

1

Cadence Bank (formerly BancorpSouth) 201 South Spring St, Tupelo, MS 38804

Banking/financial

662-680-2000 bancorpsouth.com

1876 James D. Rollins, III

2

Hancock Whitney Corporation 2510 14th St, Gulfport, MS 39501

Financial Services

800-448-8812 hancockwhitney.com

3

Trustmark Corporation 248 E. Capitol St., Jackson, MS 39201

Banking/Financial

4

Renasant Bank 209 Troy St., Tupelo, MS 38804

5

Exchange/ Symbol

Information provided by individual companies and MBJ research. List ranked by assets. Direct comments to frank.brown@msbusiness.com.

Toyota

As a Career Coach, Bowman works with local business and industry to FROM 25 match students with potential careers.

Today there are 19 coaches, and “That requires a lot of research the program has become a model into the economics and the workfor a statewide rollout of similar force development of the area,” she program thanks to recent state legsaid. “For New Albany in particular, islation. we have the IMPACTO internship “House Bill 1388 passed allowed program, where we work with our $8 million, with Accelerate oversee- business and industry to place ing a statewide pilot, starting July juniors and seniors in internship 1,” said Kristy Luse, vice president programs.” for the Toyota Wellspring Fund at IMPACTO is an acronym for CREATE. “We get to sit in on the RFP Industry as a Means to Prepare for for the school districts and the com- Academic, Career and Technology munities; the big thing is to gauge Opportunities. readiness and making sure the Through the program, some 150 communities and schools are ready students have been placed in internwhen that career coach parachutes ships in a range of businesses from in. It all started because of the vision banking to healthcare. of the Wellspring partners.”

“We’re making sure kids are getOne of those Career Coaches is ting those experiences before they Suzy Bowman, who works in the decide which major, which route New Albany School District at New they want to take, whether it’s going Albany High School. She was one to college or enter the workforce,” of the original cohort hired and is she said. wrapping up her fourth years as a coach.

Expose, prepare, connect Bowman and her husband run the The Career Coaches follow a New Albany Tennis Complex, and she model of “Expose, Prepare, Conis the junior coordinator for grassnect,” the three pillars of the Career roots programming for the United Coaching program.

States Tennis Association. She’s also Luse said the “Expose” element been tennis coach for the school district for the past eight years.

TURN TO TOYOTA, 35

Bank Of Okolona Okolona P.O. Box 306 • Okolona, Mississippi 38860 (662) 447-5403 Bank of Mantee 54 1st Street • Mantee, Mississippi 39751 (662) 456-5341 Houston Banking Center 321 W. Madison St. • Houston, Mississippi (662) 456-3347 Calhoun Banking Center 122 S. Pontotoc Rd. • Bruce, Mississippi (662) 983-3700

www.bankofokolona.com

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April 2022 Issue

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assurance - consulting - tax - technology

Healthcare Home health care industry sees more demand for services during Covid

A

BY LISA MONTI

ccording to the latest available information from the National Center for Health Statistics, there were 12,200 home health agencies in the U.S., and about 80% of those were for-profit agencies. The number of patients who received and ended care was 4.5 million.

In Mississippi, the State Department of Health’s latest report on home health agencies published in 2017 shows that 49 agencies responded to the 2015 survey of agencies licensed by the department. Forty of those were free-standing facilities and nine were hospital-based. Seventy-one percent were for-profit. The same survey found 89,410 patients served by the home health agencies, up from 85,209 the previous year.

The Mississippi Department of Health Licensure and Certification’s list of health facilities released in March 2022 showed 49 home health agencies, including 38 private freestanding facilities, nine hospital-based and one Memphis-based facility serving Mississippi.

The Mississippi Home Health Association was chartered as a non-profit corporation in 1975 “to operate for the benefit of member home health agencies, home health related agencies and the benefit of the public in fostering and maintaining high standards of home health care.”

The corporation changed its name to Mississippi Association for Home Care in 1990 to “more accurately reflect our membership’s primary focus on care.”

MAHC said it has experienced significant expansion in the past few years in membership services and educational offerings because of support from its members and the growth of the industry overall. All 82

Mississippi counties are served by MAHC members. Associate membership in the association includes private duty agencies, medical equipment suppliers, IV companies, consultants and professional service providers.

MAHC has as its mission to serve the health needs of residents by promoting high standards of patient care in home health care.

Becky Knight, a registered nurse and president of KinKnight dred at Home’s South Region based in Flowood, is president of MAHC. Kindred at Home is one of the nation’s largest providers of home care services with locations in 40 states.

Knight provided answers by email to Mississippi Business Journal’s questions about home health care in the state.

MBJ: What role are home health care providers playing in Mississippi?

BK: Home health agencies in Mississippi have always been instrumental in helping to keep patients out of facilities and in their home, which is where the majority of patients prefer to receive their medical care.

Skilled nursing and therapy, along with ancillary services like a home health aide or medical social worker have allowed patients to recover and rehabilitate from medical conditions and surgical procedures.

Home health also helps patients who have both acute and chronic medical conditions by providing assessment, teaching and monitoring of those conditions as well as providing skilled interventions, like wound care or IV therapy.

MBJ: Have home health care providers been in higher demand TURN TO DEMAND, 33

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Healthcare Expanding Medicaid could help lift Mississippi women off bottom on health rankings

BY BECKY GILLETTE

costs for uncompensated care, have endorsed the Medicaid expansion both ississippi ranks lower than on the grounds of economic and health any other state in the coun- considerations. try on rankings for women’ The Mississippi Legislature once health. Women in again defeated a proposal this the state have the highest moryear to expand Medicaid. The tality from heart disease, and the legislature also defeated a second to worst ranking on the proposal to expand Medicaid percentage of women with diabecoverage to new mothers from tes. State women also have high two months to a year after giving rates of cancer mortality, sexualbirth. Mississippi has the fourth Wimbley highest rate of maternal death ly transmitted disease and poor mental health. in the country, nearly twice the Many of those poor health outcomes national average, according to the Misare linked to poverty and lack of access sissippi State Department of Health. to healthcare, particularly in rural areas Burnett said there are some signifof the state. If one thing could be done icant racial disparities in that rate of to help lift Mississippi women off the maternal deaths, as well, with Black bottom of many health indicators, women at much higher risk. while also improving women’s partici“Ways to bring that rate down would pation in the workforce, it would be to be to extend Medicaid to women for expand Medicaid, said Carol Burnett, a year after birth and do the Medicaid executive director, Mississippi Low expansion,” Burnett said. “Lt. Gov. Income Child Care Initiative.

Delbert Hosemann was quite proac“What we know is that women make tive on this issue in the recent session. up the largest percentage of low-inHe tried to put it in the context of it come workers in Mississippi,” Burnett being a moral issue, an expression of said. “Women are half the workforce, Christian compassion for people who but make up 75 percent of the minineed healthcare services. The thing mum wage workers. Those are precisely that is particularly frustrating about the people who would benefit from the the Medicaid expansion is the money Medicaid expansion. The whole idea is is there. There are so many economic to cover those who make too much for benefits to the state. There are many Medicaid, but don’t make enough to health benefits to the family. Every way pay for private health insurance and are you look at it, it would be beneficial. It likely to be uninsured. In Mississippi, it doesn’t make sense for this ideological is mostly women.” perception to continue to prevail.”

If you are a minimum wage worker Burnett said while there has been and don’t have health insurance, you a growing chorus appealing to the legisprobably can’t get medical procedures lature to make this move, some legislayou need including care for chronic tors remain adamantly opposed to aphealth care challenges.” proving the expansion, not just because The Medicaid expansion has been it expands the role of government, but approved in 38 states and the District also because it was implemented by the of Columbia, allowing those states to Obama Administration. expand insurance coverage under the “The legislature has dug its heels in Affordable Care Act. But a number of on this issue,” she said. “I don’t know conservative states have refused expan- what it will take to move them.” sion of the program conceived under Burnett argues the state would also the Obama administration because of potentially benefit by having healthier concerns about expanding the reach of women in the workforce. the federal government.

“People who work at low wages can’t The federal government would pay afford health insurance,” she said.

90% of the cost, which in Mississip“That is the group that would be benepi has been estimated at $1 billion fited by Medicaid expansion. It would per year, leaving the state to pick up be better for the state to have these costs of $100 million while bringing women healthy and be able to get medan additional $900 million to the ical issues attended to rather than have state healthcare providers. Hospitals, to deal with it on the back end when it including small rural hospitals that are becomes more serious.” struggling to survive because of high There has also been concern that

M

America’s Health Rankings

United Health Foundation 2021 report on Mississippi women Strengths »Low prevalence of excessive drinking among women »High enrollment in early childhood education »Low prevalence of youth alcohol use Challenges »High percentage of children in poverty »High child mortality rate »High prevalence of physical inactivity among women Highlights »WIC coverage increased 19% from 49.2% to 58.7% of eligible children ages 1-4 between 2016 and 2018 »Smoking decreased 28% from 26.4% to 18.9% of women ages 18-44 between 20132014 and 2018-2019 »Low birthweight increased 9% from 11.3% to 12.3% of live births between 2014 and 2019 »Teen suicide increased 97% from 5.9 to 11.6 deaths per 100,000 adolescents ages 15-19 between 2012-2014 and 2017-2019 the pandemic has caused an increase in mental health programs. The toll appears to have been particularly difficult for young people, said Sitaniel Wimbley, Executive Director of the National Association for Mental Health in Mississippi. She said Mississippi’s teen suicide rate was below the national average in 2014, but a new study found in 2019 the state surpassed the rate of most others.

“A lot of our young adults were locked in during the pandemic, and were unable to get support from friends and people at schools,” Wimbley said.

“Sometimes there was trauma at home, and they were unable to escape the trauma. That can cause a rise in suicide rates because they are not able to access the resources and support cope with their mental health conditions.”

“For about 75 percent of people who are going to have mental illness, it shows up between ages 14 and 24,” Wimbley said. “When you are in middle school, high school, college going into adulthood, that is a huge transition period. Include a pandemic and that is a recipe for disaster.”

Her understanding is the many children were stuck at home with their abusers during the pandemic. It got more intense and children were subject to worse abuse.

“There has been notable increase in teen suicides since the pandemic started, and there is also an increase in depression and anxiety among young adults after the pandemic,” Wimbley said. “Much of this is directly related to the isolation the youth experienced during the pandemic. Going back to

school, this has been noticed by teachers, school leaders and clinicians.”

Young women may be particularly vulnerable to low self-esteem because of others being abusive to them on social media, from what Wimbley calls “a false perception of a wonderful life.”

“On social media, usually all you see is what individuals want to show,” she said. “That young person starts comparing herself to others who appear to have the perfect figure and perfect life.

Everything is great and grand. Sometimes young adults don’t understand the difference between what is portrayed and what is actually happening.

There is reality versus their perceptions. We become focused on making sure we are providing our children with food, clothing and housing, but we also need to make sure we give them self-awareness and mental health knowledge. The child needs to learn to develop mentally.”

Wimbley is encouraged that there is an understanding among the healthcare community of both the short-term and long-term mental health impacts of the pandemic.

“Hopefully the nation will continue to acknowledge mental health needs are going to be at the forefront coming out of the pandemic,” Wimbley said. “There needs to be more support for people who live with mental illness and help for those supporting them. The main thing is it is okay to not be okay. That is my major focus right now. You have to take the time to understand that one person can only do so much. You can’t change it all by yourself but you can make a difference within yourself.”

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Imagine the

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The Toyota Wellspring Education Fund (TWEF) at the CREATE Foundation has been the lead sponsor the last six years for an interactive career expo that pivoted during the 2020-2021 school year to provide virtual resources via a website, www.itpcareerexpo.com, and Imagine the Possibilities app that is accessible via Apple and Android products.

The participation data from October 2021-March 2022 revealed a participation rate of 32.41% across approximately 6,500 tenth graders in all participating schools. However, it is important to note that the participation in the school districts that have Career Coaches, also supported by the TWEF, as well as administrative leadership that championed the initiative had a significantly higher participation rate.

To incentivize participation in the event, tenth grade students had the opportunity to win points by interacting with the various content and answering simple reflection questions.

The points allowed students to be entered into a drawing to win Apple prizes.

CONGRATULATIONS TO THESE STUDENT WINNERS! LEVEL 1 BEATSX EARPHONES – 120 POINTS

• Jamie Vinson, Tremont Attendance Center • Taylar Roberson, East Union Attendance Center • Holly Edge, Mantachie Attendance Center • Emily Sullivan, Shannon High School • Quintasia Hodges, Columbus High School • Michael Henderson, Tupelo High School

LEVEL 2 BEATS SOLO3 WIRELESS HEADPHONES – 220 POINT

• Cadie Clark, Tremont Attendance Center • Garrett Weaver, Houston High School • Kevin Taboada, Nettleton High School • Izzy Park, Pontotoc High School • Caroline Ward, Mooreville High School • Jake Miller, Tupelo High School

LEVEL 3 AIRPODS PRO – 320 POINTS

• Jonathan Tesseneer, Smithville Attendance Center • Ethan Nelms, Corinth High School • Montana Foster, Nettleton High School • Shelby Ragsdale, Mooreville High School • Dillon Bishop, Saltillo High School • Alexander Spearman, Tupelo High School

LEVEL 4 IPAD AIR – 420 POINTS

• Peyton Stallings, Biggersville High School • Luke Hammer, Pontotoc High School • Alexis Gann, Nettleton High School • Seth Boland, North Pontotoc High School • Sydney Palmer, Saltillo High School • Desirae Mallard, Tupelo High School

LEVEL 5 MACBOOK AIR – 520 POINTS+

• Ava Lentz, Tremont Attendance Center • Landon Johnson, Pontotoc High School • Cameron Rickman, Alcorn Central High School • Zmon Clay, Shannon High School • Kiya Curry, Columbus High School • Raymond Zhang, Tupelo High School

Thank You “Imagine The Possibilities” Career Expo Thank you to the following sponsors for an incredibly successful virtual

Diamond Sponsors - $10,000

Platinum Sponsor - $7,500

BNA Gold Sponsors - $5,000

Bank

E RIVE RE

Bronze Sponsors - $1,000

C

ON

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IN

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DE

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PA RT N E RI N

MENT

RS

TH

Silver Sponsors - $2,500

OM

IC & C O M M

UN

IT

Auto Parts Manufacturing Mississippi Inc., (APMM) • B & B Concrete Co., Inc. • BancorpSouth • Baptist Memorial Health Care • Calhoun County Endowment Foundation • First Choice Bank • Lafayette Oxford Foundation for Tomorrow (LOFT) • Lowndes Community Foundation • Starkville-Oktibbeha Achieving Results (SOAR) • South Monroe County Community Fund • Tippah and Ripley Growing Excellent Together (TARGET) • Airbus

Patron Sponsors - $500

West Point Community Foundation • Golden Triangle Development Link • SprintPrint • Pontotoc Electric Power Assoc.

April 2022 Issue

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Healthcare

‘Silent heart attacks’ more common in women than men

BY BECKY GILLETTE

H

eart disease is the leading cause of death for women in the U.S. with about one in every five female deaths due to cardiovascular diseases. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicates that research from 2017 showed Mississippi has the highest mortality rates from heart disease and the second-highest mortality rates of stroke in the U.S. There is particular concern about cardiovascular disease in women because some of the symptoms and risk factors for heart disease and heart attacks are different for women and men.

“Many people think the warning signs of a heart attack are sudden, like a ‘film-style heart attack,’ said where someone clutches his chest and falls over,” said Licy L. Yanes Cardozo, MD, associate professor, University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC). “However, a heart attack may look and feel very different for women. Women are more likely to have nonclassical symptoms of heart attack than men.”

Yanes Cordozo said that, for example, women when having a heart attack are more likely than men to have: • Pain in the back, neck, jaw, or throat • Indigestion • Heartburn • Nausea (feeling sick to the stomach) • Vomiting • Extreme fatigue (tiredness) • Problems breathing (shortness of breath) “Women are more likely than men to have heart attacks that do not show obvious symptoms,” Yanes Cordozo said. “These are called ‘silent heart attacks’.”

Heart disease in women can start much earlier than most people realize. The research in Yanes Cordozo’s lab studies the most common endocrine disorder in young women, known as Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS).

“These diseases can be difficult to diagnose,” Yanes Cordozo said. “Women affected with PCOS can present with different clinical manifestations such as acne, excessive hair growth in areas that are generally normal for men, or hair loss on their scalp. They also may suffer from irregular periods and seek medical advice for this particular issue or infertility. As an endocrinologist, I am very concerned because women with PCOS are at a higher risk for obesity, diabetes, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure. These are cardiovascular risk factors and the presence of these factors results in cardiovascular diseases. Obesity is a frequent diagnosis in women with PCOS. My research team studies how

panic white women.

“Furthermore, the number of deaths attributed to cardiovascular diseases is significantly higher in African American women compared to Caucasian women,” Yanes Cordozo said. “African American women may experience menopause at a relatively younger age, around three years earlier than Caucasian women, and menopause increases the risk of heart diseases.”

Mississippi has the highest prevalence of obesity in the U.S. Mississippi also has the highest index of food insecurity in the country. Yanes said when people do not have easy access to healthy choices, they tend to consume more calorie-dense unhealthy foods, such as fast food. Both obesity and food insecurity increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases.

Poverty also plays a role in cardiovascular disease SHUTTERSTOCK in women. Yanes Cordozo said research shows that Women’s cardiovascular health low-income status is associated with cardiovascular diseases, high blood pressure, and obesity. “Of course, the male hormones, like testosterone, affect the carpoverty is not the only reason, but it does play a signifidiovascular risk factors in women with PCOS and how we can effectively treat cardiovascular diseases in these cant role,” she said. patients.”

On the positive side of the equation, there has been Yanes Cordozo said that, in addition, some conditions tremendous advances in how these cardiovascular are unique to women and can increase their cardiovas- risk factors can be managed. Yanes said high blood cular risk, such as: pressure remains the most prominent modifiable car• Gestational hypertension or pregnancy-induced hy- diovascular risk factor that increases with age among pertension. Gestational high blood pressure goes away women. after birth, but raises the risk for high blood pressure “However, we have great medicines that can help and heart disease later in life. reduce high blood pressure to the normal range, and by • Preeclampsia. Preeclampsia is a health problem that doing so, the risk of heart disease goes down significan happen during pregnancy. It is unexpectedly high cantly,” Yanes Cordozo said. “We have great medicines blood pressure and complications with your kidneys now to lower blood sugar and also protect the heart (commonly known as “protein in the urine”). Women and the kidney. At the UMMC, extraordinary research who have had preeclampsia are more likely to develop is undertaken to better help our patients, both women, high blood pressure and heart disease later in life after and men, in Mississippi. Members of The Women’s pregnancy is over.

Health Research Center at UMMC strive for excellence • Gestational diabetes. Having gestational diabetes in research, patient care, and education to improve the (diabetes that happens only during pregnancy) puts health of our women in Mississippi.” women at higher risk for type 2 diabetes later in life, “Know your numbers” is a great way to start. Get after pregnancy is over. your blood pressure checked, and if it is elevated, seek • Menopause. The risk for heart disease increases medical advice. Get your blood sugar checked, and if it after menopause. is elevated, seek medical advice. Check your weight and • Polycystic Ovary Syndrome. As mentioned earlier, move more; every step you take will move you into a these women suffer from an increased risk of heart healthier life. Quit smoking and the use of any tobacco diseases. products.

African American women are more likely to have “I truly believe that the only way to enjoy life is by beheart disease than Caucasian women. African Ameri- ing healthy,” Yanes Cordozo said. “Talk to your health can women are more likely than other groups to have care provider today about cardiovascular risk factors.” cardiovascular risk factors like high blood pressure, One picture can say more than 1000 words. This is obesity, and diabetes. Yanes Cordozo said African from the CDC website. In this picture, we can see that American women are nearly 60 percent more likely to the Southeast is heavily impacted by cardiovascular have high blood pressure, as compared to non-Hisdisease.

There is a variety of reasons patients are skipping the post acute facility. In our experience, we have seen many FROM 29 patients afraid of going to facilities, specifically the (skilled nursing facilibecause of COVID-19? ties). The lockdown of those facilities BK: Home health utilization has induring the surge, as well as the morcreased as the result of COVID 19. Patality rate from Covid has a fear factor tients, who may have transferred to a among seniors that is increasing the skilled nursing facility, rehab or swing rate of refusals to those facilities. bed prior to Covid are now discharging Additionally, during the beginning to home health. of the pandemic, as physicians were

Demand

looking for alternative ways to treat their patients, the benefits of home health care became very apparent.

MBJ: What are the advantages of home health care nurses and respiratory therapists and others compared to patients needing to travel to a doctor’s office?

BK: Home health comes to the patient. The patient does not have to worry about transportation to and from the doctor’s office. They don’t

have to worry about getting out when the weather is bad, or finding someone to take them to their appointment. They can receive the care they need in the comfort and convenience of their home.

Traditional home health consists of the skilled services of nursing, physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy. We do not provide respiratory care under the (home health) benefit.

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Toyota FROM 26F

begins for 10th graders, who have specific homework and focus groups. Next, the 11th graders are in the “Prepare” phase, where they take the USCIENCE Aptitude Assessment. The “Connect” part is a career connections platform that allows business and industry to sign on to host a tour or job shadowing.

Bowman works with more than 500 students, which can be challenging at times.

“Everybody’s different but you have to find out the needs of that student and what they need specifically and then help them navigate that path,” she said. “It’s a tall order but it can be very impactful. We often hear people say they wish they had career coaching while they were in school.”

Katie Evans is a senior at New Albany High School and is one of the students who participated in IMPACTO as junior, and was a paid intern at Baptist Memorial Hospital in New Albany.

“I’ve been interested in health care and got to intern there. Its able to go in and out of different departments and talk to the nurses and doctor along the way,” she said. “In labor and delivery I helped with birthing babies, and in all the departments the doctor and nurses showed me the ropes of what to do and I learned a lot.”

Evans wants to do cancer research, and her time in the oncology department solidified her desire to do so.

“I couldn’t spend as much time as I wanted because of COVID, but they were really nice and explained everything, and I found out its still what I want to do which is a really good thing.”

For Evans, it helpd her determine that labor and delivery was not for her.

And with that knowledge and experience in hand, she’ll be going to Mississippi State University in the fall to major in pre-med.

“After that, well see where we go from there and hopefully further my career,” she said.

Advisory committee, programs

The establishment of the fund also lead to the formation of the Toyota Wellspring Education Fund Lead-

COURTESY PHOTO SUZY BOWMAN

The three New Albany High School students completed 100 hour internships at Baptist Memorial Hospital in New Albany in nursing, oncology, labor and delivery and biomedical engineering. Pictured are, from left to right, Jake Moore, Katie Evans and Bailey Robertson. ership Committee, comprised of educators and business leaders who assist in developing systemic changes to link education to careers in Kindergarten through grade 12.

Toyota Mississippi is represented on the committee by Vice President of administration Emily Lauder.

The Career Coaches are just one of many initiatives funded through the Toyota Wellspring Education Fund: • A major career expo – Imagine the Possibilities – is held in the fall of each year which hosts over 7,000 8th grade students at the BancorpSouth Arena and Conference Center in Tupelo. Each student has two hours and 15 minutes to experience four to eight Pathways. There are 18 Pathways, all aligned with the career Pathways set forth by the Mississippi Department of Education. Some 30,000 students have participated from across Northeast Mississippi, and even during the pandemic, “virtual expos” were held.

• More than $9 million has been spent to enhance K-12 education in Lee, Pontotoc, and Union Counties

since the fund’s inception.

Over $2 million in grants has been used to improve technology and necessary infrastructure, while enhancing early childhood education and STEAM instruction in the eight school districts.

Tuition also has been provided for summer academic camps at MSU, Ole Miss, and NMMC exposes students to culinary instruction, STEAM experiences, as well as advanced manufacturing camps held on the campuses of NEMCC and ICC. • Professional development opportunities have been paid for for educators and administrators. Travel and registration costs for teams from each of the eight school districts to attend national conferences and professional development opportunities.

But the Career Coaches and their impact the lives of students daily is the most visible aspect of the Toyota Wellspring Education Fund, and Luse said the dynamic of the coaches is a “game changer.”

“They’re flexible, they have the

ability to not only exist in the bureaucracy of the schools in K-12, but they also have the entrepreneurial spirit to exist in our public and economic arenas and have a balance with it all,” she said. “The autonomy they have also is unique. For example you have the Baldwyn School District with 500 students and then you have Tupelo and Lee County schools with 7,000 students. You’ve got to be nimble be resourceful and plug into those communities.”

Luse said another big impact the Career Coaches have made with not only business and industry but with the community as a whole.

“They’ve created those relationships as that bridge from the schools to the communities,” she said. “It’s been done in other ways around the country with a lot of curriculum on top of it, but we’ve got curriculum everywhere. We needed to do something different and almost build this plane while we were flying it, focusing on expose, prepare and connect for our students.”

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