MBJ_Apr14_2017

INSIDE — Food, music and art ride into Oxford on a double decker — Page 10 MBJ FOCUS

Health Care

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April 14, 2017 • Vo. 39. No. 15 • 24 pages

{Section begins P12}

» Mississippi towel takes aim at bacteria » Spinal patient becomes supporter, entrepreneur » Performance Rehab rebrands in Mississippi

ROCKING THE HOUSE AGAIN Willie Seaberry passed away

{The List P16-17}

on July 14, but his family aims to reopen the Delta attraction on the first anniversary of his death.

» Largest Hospitals

William Carey plans accelerated pharmacy school

Page 5

— Page 2

HEALTH CARE

With health exchange in limbo, Mississippi will lose another insurer COLUMN {P8}

» Weatherly: Downtown Jackson taking it one step at a time

By JACK WEATHERLY jack.weatherly@msbusiness.com Who knows what will happen with the Affordable Care Act, aka Obamacare, but Mis-

sissippi will be down to one insurer in its exchange as Humana will be gone at the end of the year, leaving only Ambetter of Magnolia to cover the state.

Ambetter premiums on the benchmark

“silver plan” have increased 25 percent on average this year, while Humana’s have risen 28 percent, according to Insurance Commissioner Mike Chaney They reflect the projected 25 percent increase for all 38 health insurance exchanges, which offer subsidies to reduce the cost of coverage.

While on the campaign trail, candidate Donald Trump vowed repeatedly that the

http://msbusiness.com/events/lif/

See EXCHANGE, Page 9

2 Q Mississippi Business Journal Q April 14, 2017 HEALTH CARE

New accelerated pharmacy school planned at William Carey

By BECKY GILLETTE mbj@msbusiness.com

A groundbreaking is planned soon for a school of pharmacy at William Carey University Tradition campus, which will bring pharmacy education closer to residents of South Mississippi while helping meet a shortage of pharmacists in rural areas of the region.

Dr. Michael Malloy, who has been named dean of the new pharmacy school, said the closest pharmacy school to the Mississippi Gulf Coast is a branch campus of Auburn University in Mobile, which doesn’t have a full complement of faculty so it uses a lot of distance education. The next closest one is Xavier School of Pharmacy in New Orleans.

WCU is planning an accelerated school of pharmacy where students will go yearround. The total length of the program is two years and 10 months. Most pharmacy schools take four years to complete.

The school scheduled to open in July 2018 is anticipated to serve the area from Mobile to New Orleans and up to Hattiesburg. Malloy said the accelerated program has the benefit of graduating pharmacists Rendering of new pharmacy school. sooner to help meet shortages for pharmacists in the region.

WCU President Tommy King said this pharmacist. is another step in the university’s mission “They will have the opportunity to have is to prepare individuals to work in under- one-on-one conversations on a daily basis, served areas of the Gulf South and the na- if needed, with the dean and his leadership tion. team, faculty and staff,” Malloy said. “They “William Carey University has made will also have the support and the benefit great strides in filling unmet needs in the of interactions with other students and health-care field,” King said. programs on the Tradition campus that are The college is well on its way to raising located here.” the initial $4 million in start-up costs for Malloy was involved once before in the proposed school. King said more than launching a pharmacy school. In 2000, he $3.4 million has been raised to date, includ- was founding chairman for the Departing a $1 million gift from Joe F. Sanderson ment of Pharmacy Practice at the School Jr. and his wife Kathy, as well as major gifts of Pharmacy Worcester-Manchester for from Joe Canizaro, Trehern Charitable Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Foundation, Mississippi Power Co., Leo Health Sciences. But this is the first time he Seal Foundation, John “Shorty” Sneed, has been dean for a new pharmacy school.

Chevron, Coast Electric Power AssociaThey have yet to begin to take application and Merit Health Biloxi. tions from prospective students, but are “We appreciate their generosity as we finding a lot of interest. work together to improve the health and Right now WCU is in the beginning of wellness of the people of Mississippi,” King its accreditation process, a document that said.

Malloy said will be 180 to 200 pages long.

The project will cost an estimated $12 to The final application to the Accreditation $15 million to build, equip and furnish the Council for Pharmacy Education is due pharmacy school and an academic building. April 21.

Malloy said it isn’t often you get the op“This is a great, can’t-miss opportunity portunity to open a brand new school of for the Mississippi Gulf Coast,” Malloy pharmacy. said. “Hopefully, we will become one of the “It is exciting and challenging at the same premier schools of pharmacy in the nation. time,” Mallow said. “You have to design a There is plenty of interest and plenty of building from scratch, hire faculty and staff resources. It is just a matter of getting it from scratch, and at the same time create done. It is very exciting. You don’t get this interest from potential applicants.” opportunity too often.”

Malloy said WCU will be offering a WCU has moved ahead to hire the personalized experience for education as a leadership team for the pharmacy which

Courtesy of William Carey University/MBJ

includes Associate Dean of Pharmacy and Assessment Dr. David Welbon, Associate Dean of Curriculum and New Programs Dr. Charles Dreese, Chair of Pharmaceutical Science Dr. Kristopher Virga and Chair of Pharmacy Practice and Administrative Sciences Dr. Donna Adkins.

The school Malloy worked at previously was also an accelerated school of pharmacy.

“We found at my previous school the average age of students was between 24 and 25 years old,” Malloy said. “There are a large number of our students who will already have a four-year degree. There will be students who are starting a second career. I have a couple of police officers who have come in and said they would like to apply. It is not just people in the sciences, but people who have diverse backgrounds who are looking for a career change. A number of students from the Mississippi Gulf Coast College system who have shown interest. We’ve had several calls from students from Mississippi State.”

The class size is going to be 64.

Malloy said the WCU did a feasibility study before embarking on the path to create a pharmacy school, with both big chains and small independent pharmacies reported having a hard time finding enough pharmacists to hire. Demand could increase in the future as baby boomer pharmacists near retirement age.

“So, the need is there,” Malloy said. “Another thing that makes this school attractive is the people on the Gulf Coast will

have something to choose from where they don’t have to travel long distances or commute to go to school. The university’s feasibility study fund potential applicants thought that was a plus.”

Malloy said the school represents an opportunity to improve the healthcare for the citizens in South Mississippi. And more growth is expected soon in the area that has been named a Mississippi Health Care Industry Zone by the Mississippi Legislature.

“We are going to be part of this health care zone,” Malloy said. “The Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College is moving their nursing program to Tradition. It is well under construction across from our pharmacy school. Memorial Hospital in Gulfport already is constructing a family health clinic there. Coastal Family Health is going to move their main administrative offices out to this healthcare zone. Being part of a healthcare zone with all this new growth has the potential for creating opportunity for new businesses to service all the faculty and students who are going to be out in this area.”

Malloy said he is also excited about plans by Cleveland Clinic to building a 100,000-sqaure-foot research facility in the health-care zone that will house the National Diabetes and Obesity Research Institute.

“What we are trying to create is a medical city,” Malloy said.

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4 Q Mississippi Business Journal Q April 14, 2017 TECHNOLOGY

Don’t let cybersecurity Wag the Dog W

hen “the tail is wagging the dog�, you know that something has gone wrong. Priorities are not straight, and a part of the system does not understand its role. Providers of offense-oriented security services, such as penetration testing and red team engagements (which I’ve described in previous articles), often make draconian recommendations that, in pursuit of least effort, wind up impacting your ability to do business. When you get these recommendations, you should ask yourself: Is this vendor acting like a partner in my business, or are they content with it being inhibited as a result of their recommendations?

We often review clients’ previous penetration testing reports, to give them advice on moving forward with better testing and security practices. These reports, provided by security vendors of all sizes, often include completely unrealistic advice. On more than one occasion, we have seen reports that recommended that organizations disable a protocol that is critical to many organizations’ ability to connect computers to the network (DHCP) in a misguided attempt to prevent “rogueâ€? devices from connecting. In most organizations, including these speciďŹ c clients, removing that protocol would have incurred a signiďŹ cant amount of effort, with little

gain in security. If the recommendation were blindly followed without planning, it would have caused the network to fail.

As a fun exercise, go ask your IT staff right now what the impact of disabling DHCP right now, for “security purposes�, would be. You’ll likely detect some amount of terror in their face. If they have a sense of humor, they may respond with something like: “You’ll be perfectly secure, because within a day, nothing will be able to connect to the network�.

Unrealistic recommendations extend past the technical realm. Many security testing vendors make recommendations that put too much responsibility in the hands of individual users. While users need to be aware of security policies and their importance, most do not have the technical background needed to conďŹ dently evaluate the safety of every single email they read, or website they visit.

While techniques for identifying phishing attempts and other attacks are covered in user training, not all hackers and scammers use poor grammar and obvious attempts to convince people to download malicious software. An end-user cannot be expected to be both the ďŹ rst and last line of defense for an organization.

Realistic and useful security practices and monitoring must acknowledge and account for the eventual compromise of individuals’ workstations.

Recommendations that are not actionable are essentially useless. After all, extreme recommendations like, “turn it off!â€? will make most things Wesley McGrew secure, but not functional. Realistically, good cybersecurity measures will likely inconvenience you, but should not be at the detriment of your ability to operate. You may add steps to the process of logging in. You may have to task IT staff with ďŹ nding alternatives to practices and software that is found to not be secure. You should never, however, get a recommendation from your security testing provider that prevents you from doing business. Availability is as important as the other basic tenets of security (ConďŹ dentiality and Integrity). If it sounds like it’s not actionable, it may be time to get a second opinion from another vendor that has a more realistic approach.

Dr. Wesley McGrew is the Director of Cyber Operations at HORNE Cyber.

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April 14, 2017

Q

Mississippi Business Journal

Q

5

TOURISM

Po’ Monkey’s will rock the house again

By JACK WEATHERLY jack.weatherly@msbusiness.com

If you drive down a country road a mile or so west of Merigold next summer you might hear some familiar sounds above the crunch of the gravel beneath your tires.

Not large farm machinery in the distance working the Delta land.

It won’t be an illusion.

It will be Po Monkey’s Lounge, the world-famous sharecropper’s shack turned into a “juke house” and former residence of Willie Seaberry, aka, Po’ Monkey.

Seaberry died last July 14 and the place has been dark and silent ever since, said Daniel Morris, attorney for the Seaberry family.

The family aims to open it on the first anniversary of the founder and proprietor’s demise, Morris said.

Morris said Seaberry left his estate to

“It would be hard to replace Mr. Seaberry himself. He was one of a kind.”

Andrew Westerfield

“quite a few heirs.”

Eula Mae Seaberry, his widow, was named administrator, Morris said The estate was incorporated on Feb. 8 as Po’ Monkey’s Inc., according to records at the Secretary of State’s office.

“Everybody’s still interested,” Morris said.

Andrew Westerfield, who has been mayor of Merigold for 44 years, said the question is: can anyone replace Po’ Monkey himself?

“He was an extraordinary person,” Westerfield said. “It would be hard to replace Mr. Seaberry himself. He was one of a kind.”

The friendly and talkative Seaberry was known for his brightly colored suits, which he would change during the Thursday

nights the house was open to the public.

“It was wonderful to have that in close proximity to Merigold,” population about 500 (otherwise known for McCarty pottery); it was good for the whole Delta and, obviously, our area, too,” Westerfield said.

Always fodder for travel articles, Po’ Monkey’s made the cover of a book by British transplant Richard Grant, whose “Dispatches from Pluto” made the New

York Times Bestsellers list and has been on the Clarion-Ledger bestsellers list for two years and won the Pat Conroy Southern Book Prize.

Grant recounts that “after a big blowout night at Po’ Monkey’s, you left convinced that it was the greatest nightclub on earth.”

It has a marker as part of the Blues Trail, a key tourism attraction to Mississippi. It is in Bolivar County, not far from Cleveland,

home of the Grammy Museum Mississippi, which was opened 13 months ago.

Westerfield said he got to know Seaberry in the early ‘60s.

“Monkey’s kinda grew out of a cotton field. For a very long time, it was primarily for people who worked on farms.” Westerfield said that he and his friends started going there “and everyone got along great.”

“It rocked along like that, then, all of a sudden, it kind of got discovered in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s when the blues came into vogue so much.”

The 2017 class of the Mississippi Business Journal’s Top 50 Under 40 honorees.

Abumere F. Akinwale, M.D. Jason Bailey Carlos Bell Chase Blankenship Kelly A. Boutwell Christy B. Bridges Jason M. Brown Todd Butler Ashley eley Cannady Amanda Carraway Chris Champion William Lusk Coppage Kristy M. Daniels Jerry B. DeFatta Jr. Liz Hogue Densmore Lindsay Thomas Dowdle Greg L. Durrell Dr. Lee Gary Sara Elizabeth Stockton Christin Grissom Megan Hall Mark F. Hinton Ryan A. Holmes Aa’Keela L. S. Hudnall Bradley W. Joyner, CMB

Jhai’Obes C. Keeton Dr. Wendy Lewis Justin Javarus Mathis Alan P. McCormick Alison O’Neal McMinn Shenika Kelly- Moore Kent Mortimer Amy Oliver John W. Ridgeway Jr. Scott Rives Chris Roberts Carl Sandberg Dr. Mitchell M. Shears Anne Marie Smith Stephen Daniel Smith Lucien Smith Angie Stallings Selena Lajean Standifer Laura Beth Strickland Scott Tollison Jonathan Varney Robert F. Walker Pamela P. Ware Bryan Williams LaFarra Young-Gaylor, M.D.

This magazine will profile all AWARD RECIPIENTS and pay tribute to their excellence in business and community achievements. » Your ad will be seen by all MBJ subscribers. » The Top 50 Under 40 recipients will know that you supported them at this special time in their lives.

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MBJPERSPECTIVE April 14 2017 • www.msbusiness.com • Page 6

OTHER VIEWS

» THE OUTSIDE WORLD

Attracting top teacher a must for Mississippi

Website: www.msbusiness.com April 14, 2017 Volume 39, Number 15

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ducation research is clear: The most important ingredient in improving outcomes for students is the quality of the teacher in the classroom.

So, as Mississippi works to fight its generational poverty, among its most important tools are great teachers.

The state already has many such educators, but it needs more.

And it needs to attract its best and brightest young minds to become teachers.

The challenge becomes getting more top students to enter and remain within a low-paying, demanding profession, particularly during a time when teaching does not hold the public prestige it once did.

A program launched in 2012 to meet this challenge is showing early gains.

The Mississippi Excellence in Teaching Program is a collaboration between the University of Mississippi and Mississippi State University. The rigorous teacher education program aims to attract the best and brightest students in Mississippi and across the country and train them to become educators in the state’s classrooms.

METP students receive a full scholarship, including tuition, room and board, stipends, a study abroad experience and other perks. They must also commit to teaching for five years in Mississippi after graduation.

The program emerged from a series of collaborative task force meetings in Tupelo between leaders at both universities seeking ways they could work together to better serve northeast Mississippi and the entire state. Those meetings were convened by the CREATE Foundation, the sole stockholder of Journal Inc., the parent company of the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal.

METP is funded by the Robert M. Hearin Support Foundation in Jackson.

The idea is to use prestige and a sense of mission – plus a lucrative scholarship package — to make the field more attractive to top performing students.

By creating a cohort of high-performing students, it helps remove a stigma — fair or not — that education is not a very demanding major.

And early data indicate it is working, as the overall caliber of freshmen education majors has increased at both universities. At UM, the number of freshmen education majors with a 28 or higher on the ACT has risen from five in 2012 to 42 in 2016. At MSU, the number has gone from 26 in 2012 to 54 in 2016.

The program has expanded, too. During its first four years, it accepted 20 applicants per year on each campus. Now, each school will take 30 students.

The early success of the METP demonstrates innovative strategies can help make the teaching profession more attractive. We encourage state leaders to learn from that and apply those lessons as they work to encourage even more of the state’s brightest residents to become teachers.

That work must continue. Mississippi can never have enough great teachers.

— Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal

E

FRANK BROWN Staff Writer/Special Projects frank.brown@msbusiness.com • 364-1022

» INSIDE MISSISSIPPI

Legislature needs right-sizing too

R

epublican legislators insist they are making the right moves to “rightsize” state government, which includes shrinking the state budget. If they mean what they say, the Legislature, itself, should be on the rightsizing menu too.

Mississippi has one of the larger legislatures in the United States, especially for our small population. We have 122 representatives and 52 senators for a total of 174 legislators. This means the 50th state in wealth has the 14th highest number of legislators and the 12th highest ratio of legislators per capita.

Mississippi has by far the most legislators and highest ratio of legislators per capita in our region.

Looking at our neighboring states, we see Louisiana has 144 legislators, one for every 31,482 people; Alabama has 140 legislators, one for every 34,141 people; Arkansas has 135 legislators, one for every 21,599 people; and Tennessee has 132 legislators, one for every 48,077 people.

In comparison, Mississippi has 174 legislators, one for every 17,053 people.

Going with Tennessee’s ratio of legislators per capita would have the most impact. That would give Mississippi

Bill Crawford 62 legislators, one for every 48,077 people. Going with Arkansas’s ratio would have the least impact. That would give Mississippi 137 legislators, one for every 21,599 people.

It probably makes more sense to use the average of our neighboring states as a guideline. In that case, Mississippi would have 88 legislators, one for every 33,712 people.

Right-sizing the Legislature makes more sense now than in past years. It’s pretty obvious that most legislators are just not needed. Decisions on legislation come down from on high. Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves and his key committee chairmen keep tight rein on legislation in the Senate. Speaker Philip Gunn and his key committee chairmen do the same in the House.

Hmmm.

Since it’s clear Mississippi is wasting taxpayers’ dollars by having so many legislators and even more clear we don’t need 174 legislators to pass legislation, why not save millions of taxpayer dollars by reducing the size of our Legislature?

The number needed is really very small, but why not go with the average ratio of legislators per capita from our See CRAWFORD, Page 7

PERSPECTIVE

April 14, 2017 I Mississippi Business Journal

» RICKY NOBILE

CRAWFORD

I

7

Continued from Page 6

neighboring states? That would give us 88 legislators, about half the number we have now. If the right-sizing is done right, i.e., no changes in salary or expenses per legislator, this reduction would save taxpayers a substantial portion of the $28 million legislators spend on themselves each year.

So, how can our legislators right-size down to this number?

Section 254 of the state constitution says they can pick any number of senators and representatives as long as they do not exceed 52 and 122, respectively. So, all our legislators have to do is reapportion the state to say 26 senators and 62 representatives (the same ratio we have now) and we’ll be down to 88 legislators.

Since our Republican legislators are dead set on, and surely sincere about, right-sizing state government and shrinking the state budget, we should expect something like this to happen in time for the next elections.

Or will the ganders not goose themselves like they are everything else?

Bill Crawford (crawfolk@gmail.com) is a syndicated columnist from Meridian.

»UNDER THE CAPITOL DOME

Analysis: Someone might want a trial in Epps bribery case

N

one of the people accused of bribing former Mississippi Corrections Commissioner Christopher Epps have gone to trial.

Yet. But Dr. Carl Reddix might be ready to risk it.

In the motion to throw out the case that Reddix's lawyer filed last week, there was a hint of what Reddix might tell jurors: That he was running an honest company. That he came by the contracts with the Mississippi prison system honestly.

But then the commissioner started demanding money.

That has basically been Reddix lawyer Lisa Ross' contention all along. After Reddix was indicted in July, she told reporters that "it's our position that Dr. Reddix is a victim of a shakedown."

What that defense has going for it is what three defendants said in court as they admitted to bribing Epps. Cecil McCrory, Irb Benjamin and Sam Waggoner have all told a judge that they won their original business with the state prison system honestly, but then Epps swooped in and started demanding payoffs.

Benjamin, explaining in October why he began making cash payments, said Epps had pressed him for years to "put something in my hand."

But, in a blow to the defense, all three have said the payments they made were illegal and pleaded guilty to a crime.

By doing so, they cut their potential prison sentences.

Reddix could get 80 years if convicted on all seven counts when he goes on trial before U.S. District Judge Daniel Jordan on May 22: six counts of bribery and one count of con-

spiracy to commit honest-services wire fraud.

Prosecutors say Reddix passed cash bribes to Epps from 2012 to 2014 in exchange for health care contracts at four privately run Mississippi state prisons. The indictment says the bribes started at $6,000 a month, eventually rising as high as $9,500 a month.

But what if a defendant were to admit making payments, but argue he gained nothing in return?

Ross, in last week's filing, rolled out one of the most potent weapons now available to those defending themselves against bribery charges involving public officials: the U.S. Supreme Court decision exonerating Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell.

The high court ruled in 2016 that McDonnell, although he set up meetings and organized events for people who were lavishing him with $165,000 in gifts and loans, didn't perform any "official act" that met the legal requirements of his doing something in exchange for a bribe.

Ross argued prosecutors can't prove that Epps made an official act to help Health Assurance, Reddix's company. She wrote the company won most of its contracts after submitting proposals and being chosen by a Department of Corrections committee that didn't include Epps.

However, prosecutors may be able to argue that Reddix was bribing Epps not to gain the contracts, but to keep them.

McCrory, Benjamin and Waggoner have suggested that they were being extorted: the fear of losing Epps' favor could have ruined them financially.

"I'd seen what he'd done to other people who'd said 'No,'"

Jeff Amy

The high court ruled in 2016 that McDonnell, although he set up meetings and organized events for people who were lavishing him with $165,000 in gifts and loans, didn't perform any "official act" that met the legal requirements of his doing something in exchange for a bribe.

Waggoner told a judge in August 2015.

Another complication for Reddix could be evidence about what he did to pursue contracts elsewhere.

An Alabama consultant for Reddix's company is scheduled to plead guilty April 18 in Birmingham federal court to lying to FBI agents about payments he received related to a Health Assurance contract at Birmingham's Jefferson County Jail. Prosecutors could use whatever happened in Alabama to argue Reddix's payments to Epps weren't a onetime thing.

Finally, Reddix must know Epps is likely to testify against him. And that showdown, more than anything else, could decide the outcome.

Jeff Amy has covered politics and government for The Associated Press in Mississippi since 2011. Follow him at: http://twitter.com/jeffamy .

Read his work at https://www.apnews.com/search/JeffAmy .

8 Q Mississippi Business Journal Q April 14, 2017 REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK

Downtown Jackson taking it one step at a time Downtown Jackson Business District G

rand plans have been pursued for naught to revive downtown Jackson.

In 2009, a spectacular proposal called Two Lakes would have turned downtown into a canal with sailboats, condos and a concert bowl.

The plan didn’t hold water.

More recently, and seemingly still within reach, is the revival of the Farish Street Historic District.

Meantime, the piecemeal approach has proceeded.

Historical buildings have been converted into apartments, totaling about 350 units with the completion of 31 units in the Capitol Arts Lofts this year.

The King Edward Hotel – abandoned for decades – was renovated and houses the Hilton Garden Inn and the King Edward Apartments.

The Jackson Westin, a ground-up project, will open Aug. 3 and add its 203 guest rooms to bring the total in downtown to more than 700.

What exactly is downtown?

Downtown Jackson Partners defines its 65-square-block business improvement district, with Union Station, which serves Amtrak, on the west; Jefferson Street on the east; Court Street on the south and George Street on the north.

Some argue that downtown includes Fondren, the bustling arts and entertainment area several miles north on State Street.

There are parallels to Memphis.

Downtown lay fallow, with shells of what had been the city’s bustling commercial district since the city was established on the Mississippi in the early 19th century.

Even the famed Peabody Hotel was changing hands often, to no avail. Then the Belz family invested $25 million into it and it became the anchor in 1981.

Still, the famous Beale Street was surrounded by empty lots where historical buildings fell to the wrecking balls of “ur-

The Downtown Jackson Business Improvement District includes a third of the Jackson metro area’s office market, most of the area’s government facilities, and a wealth of cultural amenities.

Source: itsdowntown.com

ban renewal.”

In that vacuum, Overton Square sprang into being with bars, restaurants and a playhouse, after the passage in 1970 of city’s mixed-drink law.

All developments need a continuing infusion of capital to survive. Overton Square eventually fell on hard times after Beale Street was reinvented as a tourist version of its historic self.

Overton Square, though has rebounded

in recent years, thanks largely to investments by Loeb Properties.

Meantime, downtown Jackson awaits the crowds.

Josh McManus, a nationally known expert on downtown revitalization, joked with his Jackson audience in September 2015 that he came early to the city. “I was the one guy walking around downtown” over the weekend, he said to roaring laughter.

He and a Chattanooga civic leader had Jack Weatherly led a grass-roots effort by artists, artisans and entrepreneurs that enabled Chattanooga become a “24/7” city.

“I would say Jackson is an 18/5 city,” McManus observed.

“You have to redesign the game in a way that allows unusual suspects in,” he said.

There are players in downtown Jackson, some who have been there since its heyday – such as the Elite and Mayflower restaurants.

All told, there are about 30 eateries and night spots.

Two places have joined the mix this year.

Sugar Ray’s Sweet Shop opened on Feb. 14 in the Cohen Bros. Building in the 200 block of west Capitol across from the King Edward. 119 Underground reopened on President Avenue on April 1, after being closing for more than a year. The nightclub underwent refurbishment and changed its emphasis to blues from jazz.

Sugar Ray’s and a nightclub, and Cowboy’s Lounge – a “coming soon” is tacked to its front door but efforts to reach a spokesman were unsuccessful – are in that block on Capitol but are not part of the Capitol Art Lofts, which will comprise seven of 10 buildings in that stretch.

The 31 low-cost units are designed for, but not limited to, those in the creative fields.

Meantime, bigger plans are still around.

The Two Lakes plan, a flood control plan (downtown Jackson was flooded at Easter 1979 when the Pearl River overflowed its banks), has resurfaced as a “one lake” concept.

And Farish Street awaits a redevelopment plan that will work this time.

» Contact Mississippi Business Journal staff writer Jack Weatherly at jack.weatherly@msbusiness.com or (601) 364-1016.

JACK WEATHERLY/MBJ

Sugar Ray’s Sweet Shoppe (far left) and Underground 119.

April 14, 2017

Q

Mississippi Business Journal

Q

9

LAW ELEVATED

Mississippi’s Health Care Collaboration Act is good medicine

S

ay what you will about Mississippi’s government, our state Capitol building is an impressive structure. Even in the midst of a $8.7 million renovation, walking through the ground floor of the Capitol and looking up through the second floor opening into the dome far above, one gets the distinct impression that this is a thing that the state most certainly did right.

The same can be said about another one of Mississippi’s singular institutions, the University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC). A walk through any of the dozens of hallways bustling with medical personnel, patients, researchers and administrators confirms that this place is special – and the people here are doing important things.

Mississippi’s only state supported Academic Medical Center (AMC) has been home to a series of impressive medical firsts over the years, including the very first lung transplant, by Dr. James D. Hardy in 1963 and groundbreaking cardiovascular research by Dr. Arthur C. Guyton. The institution continues to play a crucial role in other ways, serving as the state’s only Level 1 trauma center, providing the only Level 4 neonatal intensive care nursery and operating the only children’s hospital in Mississippi. The University’s Center for Telehealth has helped connect more than half a million rural Mississippians to remote medical care, health education and public health services. It does this while also fulfilling its statutory mandate to serve the state’s indigent and Medicaid populations. And all of this doesn’t even begin to touch upon an equally important aspect of its core mission: the education of Mississippi’s doctors, nurses, dentists, pharmacists, and other medical professionals.

UMMC accomplished all this in fiscal 2017 with a $1.5 billion annual budget, approximately twelve percent of which was funded from state appropriations to support the education mission. Everything else: the teaching hospital, the research, the trauma care - all of it and the funding too – is the responsibility of UMMC. So it was no surprise that its leadership tackled the state’s looming health care delivery crisis with a legislative initiative during the 2017 Regular Legislative Session.

Legislation enacted this past session, the Health Care Collaboration Act (HB 926), is designed to help UMMC better serve the state in a number of ways. First, the bill broadly authorizes UMMC to enter a wide range of potential joint ventures with community hospitals or other public or private health-related organizations to

participate in financial and/or clinically integrated networks or joint-operating agreements. The bill also exempts UMMC from state procurement laws that govern the purchase of commodities – if purchased for certain clinical purposes, including the diagnosis, treatment and cure of diseases. These changes were designed to give UMMC the flexibility it needs to operate more like the community and private hospitals in our state.

The bill was passed, however, only after a significant debate in the Legislature and within the membership of the Mississippi Hospital Association. Critics of the legislation voiced concerns that this new operating authority could give UMMC an undue advantage. As a result, the bill that was passed falls far short of similar legislation passed by the Alabama Legislature in 2016, designed to benefit the state’s academic medical centers at The University of Alabama at Birmingham and The University of South Alabama.

In its report Blueprint Health Care: An Economic Driver, the Mississippi Economic Council describes strategic initiatives that support Mississippi’s health care delivery system. Fewer regulatory restraints, more public/private collaboration and enhancing access to care made the list. We need vision and leadership going forward and UMMC, as the state’s flagship hospital, has offered its experience and leadership. It remains to be seen whether the HCCA, in its abbreviated form, will be able to give UMMC the operational flexibility it needs to continue to fulfill its role and to help other Mississippi hospitals survive, particularly those in the rural areas of the state.

The network of rural hospitals provides more than health care. Our hometown hospital is the place where families – and generations – are born. Where our loved ones receive care and attention for illnesses and accidents. Where we say goodbye to our fathers, mothers and soul mates. Hospitals are the lifeblood of a community.

Hospitals are often one of the largest employers in a county. As a vital economic engine, hospitals contribute to job creation by employing approximately 60,000 full-time employees – 5.7 percent of the statewide total employment – with hospitals creating an estimated 34,500 jobs outside of their facilities. Hospitals also purchase goods and services and offer public support via tax revenues with a total economic impact from hospital payroll spending near $5.8 billion.1 Whenever a

EXCHANGE Continued from, Page 1

first thing he would do on taking office on January 20 as president would be to repeal and replace Obamacare.

But on March 24, the Republican-controlled House leadership pulled the proposed replacement bill, the American Health Care Act, when it became evident that there was not enough support to carry the day.

Ten days earlier, the Congressional Budget Office had released an analysis that stated that 24 million Americans would not have coverage over a 10-year period – including 14 million in 2018. The CBO is an independent, nonpartisan office that analyzes the budgetary impact of proposed legislation.

community loses a hospital, everyone in the community loses out.

A study released in 2015, commissioned by the Center for Mississippi Health Policy, found that 22 hospitals in Mississippi should be considered financially “vulnerable,” the highest percentage in the country, with nine identified as “most at risk” of closure.2 The closing of these nine would lead to a loss of an estimated 2,600 jobs, $8.6 million in state and local tax revenue, with a total economic impact of $289.2 million. Increased competition from out-of-state hospital systems is also an important factor that policymakers must take into consideration. The implications, including the potential effect on economic development efforts in these communities, are huge.

All of these elements are reflected in an April 4 Associated Press story reporting that a Jackson County hospital system could no longer afford the two neurosurgeons on its staff. As a result, patients requiring treatment for head trauma and other conditions requiring neurosurgery at Ocean Springs Hospital and Singing River Hospital in Pascagoula could be forced to take a helicopter flight for treatment at Ochsner Medical Center in New Orleans. This harkens to the days before tort reform when there was only one neurosurgeon between Jackson and Memphis available to do emergency surgery.

Loss of access to care is a continuing threat in Mississippi. Not so long ago, Mississippi had to face the real and present danger of physicians leaving the state (including the patients they served and the hospitals where they worked) due to lawsuit threats and high jury verdicts. Thus, the Legislature enacted medical tort reform. Our citizens needed and expected state public policies to support Mississippi health care providers. In like manner, the HCCA should prompt a policy conversation about the structure of hospital systems in Mississippi and how the best interests of the state can be served.

Let’s consider the situation on a more personal level.

Mississippi faces staggering health care demands. According to the Mississippi State Medical Association’s 2016 Public Health Report Card, “Mississippi consistently ranks at the bottom of public health studies and our rates of heart disease, obesity, smoking and diabetes are among the highest in the nation.” Chances are you or someone you care for has been touched by chronic

Nearly half of the 14 million dropping coverage would happen in the first year because of the repeal of the mandate that all citizens have it, at the penalty for individuals and fines to employers.

Yet the office said that the federal budget deficit would be decreased by $337 billion over 10 years and while premiums would increase in 2018 and 2019 , they would be lower by 10 percent on average by 2026 than projected under the ACA. Congress is in recess till April 25, so nothing will change in the meantime.

The Republican majority has vowed to revisit the issue.

Chaney said in an interview on Friday that the number of Mississippians buying their insurance through the exchange has dropped to 60,000 to 65,000 this year. There

illness. Already in over half of Mississippi counties, patients must drive more than 40 minutes to receive specialty health care. So, for just a moment, ask yourself where will you go for hospital care? How far would you have to drive if your local Neely C. Carlton hospitals shut down?

UMMC faces the same challenges that all hospitals are facing these days, including the squeeze caused by declining reimbursement rates, an increasingly complex Medicaid/Medicare system and spiraling costs of just about everything else needed to run a Mark W. Garriga hospital and treat patients. As a state-owned AMC, UMMC has a lot of experience because it faces all of these pressures, in triplicate.

We often take our health for granted. It’s no surprise that we also take our health care system for granted as well. Mississippi’s health care public policy must meet complex demands that balance patient access to care with quality of life in our hometowns and support for economic development. HCCA is a step in the right direction. Mississippi’s Academic Medical Center remains a beacon of the good that is accomplished through wise governmental policy. With proper care, like the state capitol, UMMC can continue to be a symbol of things Mississippi has done right. However, the decisions from here on out don’t get any easier - and the stakes only get higher.

Butler Snow attorneys Neely C. Carlton and Mark W. Garriga are both former members of the Mississippi Legislature. Law Elevated is a column on the latest trends, issues and perspectives facing the legal industry, written by associates of Butler | Snow. For more information, visit www.butlersnow.com or follow Butler | Snow on Twitter @Butler_Snow.

1 Mississippi Economic Council’s Blueprint Mississippi Health Care: An Economic Driver (2014) 2 The Economic Impact of Potential Closures of Rural Hospitals in Mississippi, Center for Mississippi Health Policy, November 2015.

were about 100,000 getting it last year.

Chaney said he expects health plans to be good through the end of the year.

The good news for Mississippians is that the federal Health and Human Services Department under the Trump administration has extended till Dec. 31 “transitional policy relief” for 200,000 who bought their insurance before 2014 and would have otherwise been unable to afford coverage, Chaney said.

Chaney said he asked the HHS to make the relief indefinite, but it refused, and so starting in January, Mississippi policyholders would see average rate increases of more than 65 percent for individual policy holders and 16 percent for small groups.

10 Q Mississippi Business Journal Q April 14, 2017 TOURISM

Food, music and art ride into Oxford on a double decker

» City expects thousands to descend for annual arts festival, provide enormous economic impact

By ALEX JACKS mbj@msbusiness.com Oxford is known for many things — the University of Mississippi, football and the square. For many however, the most well known quality of the quaint city is its arts and music scene.

As one of the major artistic and musical hubs in the state, it is no wonder the city hosts a festival every year to celebrate food, music and the arts. This year, more than 65,000 people will descend on Oxford for the 22nd annual Double Decker Arts Festival on April 28-29.

Taking its name from the city’s historic double decker bus that was imported from England in 1994, the festival showcases Oxford as a town that supports the arts, Double Decker Arts Festival Coordinator Lee Ann Stubbs said.

“It has grown to become one of the premier festivals in the region,” she said.

The Double Decker Arts Festival began in 1996 from the vision of Oxford Mayor-Elect Robyn Tannehill and current

Mayor George Patterson, who served on the Oxford Tourism Council at the time.

“The festival literally started in the bed of a pickup truck serving as a stage for music and only a handful of art vendors,” Stubbs said. “Robyn saw a vision and created something that has probably exceeded many people’s expectations. It is pretty amazing how much the festival has grown in 22 years.”

The festival attracts thousands of people each year during the last weekend in April to experience the best of Southern culture in the heart of the Deep South, she said.

“The diversity of both art and food vendors has grown tremendously over the years,” Stubbs said. “Each year, the festival continues to grow, which in turn fills the hotel rooms in the city of Oxford. It provides a huge economic impact to the city by having people spend money at restaurants, hotels and stores throughout the event.”

The festival has become an unofficial reunion weekend for Ole Miss alums and people that enjoy visiting Oxford, Stubbs said.

“It has become the spring weekend to come back to visit because of its richness in food, music and the arts,” she said.

In order to continue expanding the festival’s economic impact, Stubbs said she

Congratulations to the newly Elected 2017 Board of Directors for the Phoenix Club of Jackson!

President - Will Janoush, Barnes Law Firm Treasurer – Josh Norris, Corkern & Norris, PLLC Events Director – Ross Weems, BancorpSouth Programs Director – Randall Weems, HUB International Communications Director – Bobby Morgan, Office of Governor Phil Bryant Membership Director – Matt Sitton, Copeland Cook Taylor & Bush Co-Fundraising Director – Trey Nordan, Northwestern Mutual Co-Fundraising Director – Nathan Upchurch, Office of Mississippi Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann Sponsorship Director – Patrick Crews, Terramark Real Estate Treasurer At-Large – Coby Parker, Hederman Brothers Public Relations Director – Scott Parenteau, C Spire At-Large – Jordan Musgrove, HUB International

Photo by Joey Brent/Special to the MBJ

The festival, which started in the bed of a pickup truck serving as a stage for music and only a handful of art vendors, will feature more than 140 musicians and artists this year.

and the city work diligently to improve at least one aspect of the festival each year.

“Each year, we try to improve the festival — whether it’s through the layout to ensure safety or expanding the music lineup, we work hard to make sure our festival attendees have an experience that makes them want to come back from year to year,” she said. “We continue to see both festival attendance grow as well as the number of art vendor applications that we receive grow each year.”

Operating the festival would not be possible without the help of city employees and student interns, Stubbs said.

“As the festival draws near everyone in our office pitches in,” she said. “We also have interns that work with us that help tremendously, and volunteers that we couldn’t do it without. We work with pretty much every department in the city throughout the planning of the festival.”

The festival functions as a team effort and provides internships and jobs to the community, Stubbs said.

Now in a two day format, the festival will kickoff on Friday with the Double Decker Oxford Artists Guild market, Thacker

Mountain Radio’s live broadcast and music from Jimmy “Duck” Holmes and the Muddy Magnolias.

“Saturday is an all-day affair featuring over 140 artists from around the United States, Southern food and a diverse selection of music,” Stubbs said. “The festival offers a variety of activities for people of all ages.”

The award winning festival has received acclaim from magazines such as Garden and Gun and Southern Living, and was named the Best Public Event by the Association of Destination Marketing Executives in 2012, the Best Festival by the Oxford Eagle the past five years and was a 2014 and 2015 recipient of the Top 20 Event award.

“It’s hard to even say that my work is a job because it’s so fun to see the festival go from start to finish,” Stubbs said. “I’ve been attending the Double Decker Arts Festival since I was a child and it’s a wonderful feeling to say now that I have a part in planning it.”

For more information about the Double Decker Arts Festival, visit doubledeckerfestival.com.

Congratulations to the 2017 New Members of the Phoenix Club of Jackson!

John Adcock - Wells Fargo Advisors Mikey Arceo - UMMC Emergency Department Lane Bobo - Brunini Law Firm Beau Brady - Terramark Real Estate Austin Brown - Raborn Media Daniel Bumgardner - Medtronics Brent Chancellor - Malachi Financial Group Carter Clarke - Tellus Operating Group JT Couch - Harper, Rains, Knight & Company Steele Dehmer - Insurance Protection Specialists Fred Dinkha - EYD Properties Sterling Fields - State Bank & Trust Company Thomas Fuller - Merit Health River Oaks Justin Glenn - Cosmich Simmons & Brown David Horton - Mississippi College School of Law

Thomas Hoang - MS Department of Veteran Affairs John Morgan Hughes - JM Hughes Group Lee Hutchinson - Mississippi Tent & Party Rental Brett Hutchison - Terramark Real Estate Brian Monaghan - Morgan Stanley Russell Morrison - Merrill Lynch Deonte Oscar - Community Bank Wesley Pinson - New York Life Spencer Pipitone - C Spire Stephan Pitts - Apple, Inc. Jeremy Purdum - Trustmark Matt Ruffin - Mr. Ruffin Construction Lee Thorne - Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation Harrison Webb - McGee Tax Law

http://www.msbusiness.com

BANKS

Q Regions Bank.................................................................................................................. www.regions.com

HUMAN RESOURCES Q People Lease.........................................................................................................www.peoplelease.com

INSURANCE AGENCIES Q Account Services Group........................................................... www.accountservicesgroup.com

LAW FIRMS The Phoenix Club of Jackson has donated over $400,000 to the Boys and Girls Clubs of Central Mississippi since inception in 2007.

Our next event, Seersucker & Sombreros, is Saturday, May 6, 2017 from 3:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m. at The Cathead Distillery in Jackson, Mississippi.

We hope you will come enjoy the event and help support the kids!

For more information about the Phoenix Club of Jackson, please visit www.PhoenixClubofJackson.com

Q Victor W. Carmody, Jr. P.A........................................................................... www.mississippidui.com

PAYROLL Q People Lease.........................................................................................................www.peoplelease.com

Have your business listed here! Contact your advertising representative at 601.364.1000

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PROGRAM As Mississippi’s oldest and only statewide business publication & website, the Mississippi Business Journal has worked hard through the years to deliver the important information that business professionals need.

We’re proud that we now reach far more business professionals than at any other time in our 40 year history, and we get many requests for more news about specific regions, business categories, and people. We would love to meet those requests, and although we’re very efficient and lean at what we do, we can’t do it for free.

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AN MBJ FOCUS: MISSISSIPPI HEALTH CA

No Worry Mississippi towel takes aim

By ALEX JACKS mbj@msbusiness.com

W

hether athletic or not, most people can relate to life in a locker room where special precautions are taken to prevent the spread of bacteria.

Despite strict locker room hygiene practices, visitors tend to contract MRSA, E. Coli and other bacterial infections. In the past, the biggest culprit of these infections was the towel athletes used.

Laguna Blue, a Jackson-based company, opened its doors last year with a soft, eco-friendly, antibacterial towel

that it says will help combat the spread of germs and diseases in all industries, not just sports.

Through a construction of microfibers, Laguna Blue towels Sanders trap bacteria with no chemical additives, making it difficult for harmful bacteria to multiple and spread, said Laguna Blue spokesperson and former Olympic swimmer Summer Sanders.

The towels offer an abundant number of reasons as to why they are better than a regular towel, she said. Laguna Blue towels use a microfiber fabric

that is non-linting, so bacteria cannot spread from contaminated linens to clean linens via lint. The towels also offer energy savings by using less water and less heat to get clean. The towels have a unique knit that absorbs liquid faster, yet dries twice as quickly as cotton towels.

“The antibacterial fiber in the towel can never wash out,” Sanders said. “I know that it has no lint. I’ve learned a lot about lint in this process — how toxic lint is — so that is refreshing.

It uses 50 percent less water when washing.”

Based on years of research and science, the trapping microfiber technology of Laguna Blue towels have proven

to be 99.8 percent effective in prevent ing the spread of germs and diseases, including MRSA. Laguna Blue towels were created based on the personal experience of the company’s chief operating officer, Kenny Perry. In 2004, Perry fought fo his life after contracting MRSA (meth icillin-resistant staphylococcus aureau from a contaminated gym towel. Doctors contemplated amputating his leg, but he made a full recovery.

After the ordeal, Perry combined forces with Laguna Blue’s chief executive officer, Bert Rubinsky, to create a line of towels that would prevent the

See TOWELS, Page

April 14, 2017 • MISSISSIPPI BUSINESS JOURNAL • www.msbusiness.com

RE Spinal patient becomes supporter, entrepreneur

By CAREY MILLER Health and Research News Service

at bacteria

t-

or hus) ,

-

e 18

Courtesy of Laguna Blue

Laguna Blue towels were created after COO Kenny Perry contracted MRSA from a contaminated gym towel. The towels are available online.

Methodist Rehabilitation Center’s spinal cord injury support group plans to hold a meeting at Playtime, a restaurant/arcade that opened last April in Clinton.

But it’s not just for the fun, food and games. The group also wants to show support for one of its most dedicated members.

Playtime owner Sancho Johnson, 44, is a spinal cord injury survivor who joined the support group after he was injured in 2009.

“Sancho has been a great resource for us to have for others,” said MRC occupational therapist Suzanne Colbert. “He’s always been willing to come talk to people and is always so positive about everything.

He’s been a mainstay at the meetings for years. If I call him for anything, he’s always willing to help.”

Colbert manages the support group, which meets the third Tuesday of every month. It is open to all spinal cord injury survivors, their families and caregivers. The group provides an open forum for attendees to share their stories, and, as Johnson has done, a message of hope.

“I’ve seen people go through a lot of setbacks after being injured,” Johnson said. “But life for everyone has hardships.

What I want everyone to know is that it’s important to embrace where you are and know that you are beautiful and you can be loved and you can love in return.”

Johnson was a lieutenant in the Coast Guard on the island of Saint Thomas in the Caribbean at the time of his injury.

While on vacation on the nearby island of Dominica, he severely hurt his back and right shoulder. He was initially airlifted to an acute care hospital in Miami, over 900 miles from his home of Jackson.

Because of his military status, Johnson said he was at first told he would have to go to rehab in either Denver or Atlanta.

But he knew that Methodist Rehabilitation Center was a hometown hospital that specializes in spinal cord injury care. So he pushed for a transfer there.

“Methodist Rehab wasn’t initially on the list as an option. But when I told them I needed to be close to family and friends, they worked it out for me because it was

Courtesy of Health and Research News Service

Spinal cord injury survivor Sancho Johnson now operates Playtime, a family-friendly restaurant and arcade in Clinton.

ideal for my situation,” he said.

His injuries left Johnson with limited use of his right hand and reliant on a wheelchair. And when he got to MRC, he found the hard work of rehab daunting.

“I had never been out of bed after my injury until I got to Methodist,” Johnson said. “I’ll never forget my first day of therapy — sitting up made me nauseated, and I threw up. I thought, ‘I can’t do this.’”

He credits MRC staff like therapy manager and occupational therapist Bridgett Pelts with giving him the motivation to soldier on.

“I was in a lot of pain, and Bridgett used to push me through that pain,” Johnson said. “Even though it hurt and I would want to stop, she would ask for a little bit more.”

After a nearly three-month stay at Methodist, Johnson finally got to go home.

“I saw myself starting to get better, but slowly,” Johnson said. “At first I didn’t really know what to make of a lot of what I was learning at MRC, but when I got home it all started to make sense. I had learned how to do things for myself.”

Johnson says he knows what it’s like to go through a period of uncertainty after returning home from the hospital.

“At first, I played a lot of Xbox, but then See JOHNSON, Page 18

14 Q MBJurnal Q April 14, 2017

BAPTIST MEDICAL CENTER IS

MISSISSIPPI’S MAGNET HOSPITAL. ®

HERE’S WHAT THAT MEANS FOR YOU.

Recently, Baptist Medical Center was designated as a Magnetrecognized facility, America’s highest designation for nursing excellence and patient care.

This confirms what many Mississippians have known all along— that the care at your Baptist Medical Center is among the best available anywhere.

See how Magnet means a higher level of care for you and your family. Visit mbhs.org today.

Mississippi’s MAGNET Hospital The Magnet Recognition Program®, ANCC Magnet Recognition®, Magnet®, ANCC National Magnet Conference®, and Journey to Magnet Excellence® names and logos are registered trademarks of the American Nurses Credentialing Center.

All rights reserved.

Health Care

Performance Rehab rebrands in Mississippi » Change is first step in moving Drayer PT offices under one name

By BECKY GILLETTE mbj@msbusiness.com

Performance Rehab Physical & Occupational Therapy has changed its name to Elite Physical Therapy as part of a statewide re-branding initiative.

“While the name will be changing, our ‘elite’ team of therapists and driven staff will remain exactly the same,” said a letter announcing the change to their referral sources. “For the last 14 years, Performance Rehab has become the trusted therapy source in the greater Jackson areas and a pillar in the communities for which we serve. We have built our reputation around exceptional care and define ourselves by the extraordinary customer experience we provide to each and every patient that walks through the door.”

Performance Rehab started out in 2004 providing on-site physical therapy services to assisted living homes. In the next decade, the company accomplished major growth by opening stand-alone outpatient physical therapy clinics in Byram, Ridgeland, Richland, Brandon and Canton. By 2015, the company was purchased by Drayer Physical Therapy Institute, LLC. The recent name change to Elite is the first step to consolidate all of the Drayer Physical Therapy’s Mississippi brands under one name by the end of the year. In the end, the company will have a network of 26 outpatient therapy clinics under the Elite Physical Therapy brand.

Chad Barker, regional vice president for Drayer, said the goal is to create one strong, unified brand in the minds of patients and referral sources alike. “Elite was chosen because it was the most representative name,” Barker said.

Performance co-founders Tanny Crawford and Meagen Mallett will serve as area managers. They have held those positions since Drayer acquired Performance in 2015.

Crawford said being a part of the Drayer means they have a large footprint that makes them more appealing to physician groups, especially orthopedic surgery groups. Elite Physical Therapy has clinics in most regions of the state, including not just central Mississippi, but Starkville, Tupelo, and Hattiesburg.

Crawford said they appreciate that

Drayer does a good job of staying true to their values and mission.

“Servant leadership is their model,” Crawford said. “From the very top, they exhibit that.”

Crawford attributes part of their growth to their focus on outcome-based treatment.

“We only do the treatments that are proven to work,” Crawford said. “We track our outcomes, maintain a high standard and stay ahead of the national average on major injuries. For example, if the national average treating back pain is approximately 14 visits, we pride ourselves on getting it done in fewer visits.

We try to make improvements more quickly than average based on proven protocols and a hands-on approach.”

A couple of years ago they had trouble finding enough physical therapists because of shortages in that field. But schools in Mississippi have focused on producing more trained physical therapists to meet the demand. But Crawford said finding good candidates for open positions is no longer a problem.

It takes a delicate balance for a physical therapist pushing a patient hard enough to get the results needed without expecting too much of someone who is in great pain.

“No pain, no gain is a common phrase, but it takes more knowledge about joint function and recovery to facilitate proper healing,” Crawford said. “Our ability to discern what pain is normal during recovery is important. If pain doesn’t make sense with the diagnosis or expected recovery, it is our responsibility to collaborate with the doctor.”

Crawford said progressive, individualized treatment plans allow patients to achieve optimal results that are specific to their unique needs. He said each patient receives targeted treatment plans, firstclass equipment and a dedicated therapist in order to fully repair damage and restore strength.

Services offered include physical and occupational therapy, industrial rehabilitation, aquatic therapy, orthopedic and neurological rehabilitation, fall prevention and balance training, work hardening and conditioning, and functional capacity evaluations.

Family. It’s your greatest treasure. You cherish and protect it. The Merit Health family of hospitals and clinics understands, and is dedicated to providing you with compassionate, convenient medical care. Whatever your family’s medical needs, Merit Health is here to help. After all, care lives here.

MyMeritHealth.com

Health Care

16 Q Mississippi Business Journal Q April 14, 2017

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Health Care

18 Q Mississippi Business Journal Q April 14, 2017

TOWELS Continued from Page 12

spread of harmful bacteria.

“I know the story of the gym towel, MRSA and almost losing the leg,” Sanders said. “That was the catalyst, the inspiration, the motivation to translate this science and knowledge into creating this smarter towel.”

Perry’s story of fighting MRSA resonated with Sanders when she first heard about Laguna Blue towels.

Coincidentally, a friend of Sanders began working for Laguna Blue when she was battling a severe staph infection in the

summer of 2014.

“I did not have to go on IV antibiotics, but I did have to use two different antibiotics to try to get rid of it. It was the third staph infection I had in my life, so I was very aware of the worry of it. The fact that I’m a swimmer — towels are literally the second most important thing to have in your swim bag besides a swimsuit.”

After hearing more about the antibacterial properties in the towels and the story behind them, Sanders said she knew she had to be a part of the revolutionary company.

“It’s funny how life sort of comes full circle,” she said. “You meet people when

you’re supposed to. I met my friend and then she became a member of the company, and introduced it to me to these towels during a time when I needed them.

I asked to be a part of the process. My whole family is made up of athletic people.

These towels just fit our lifestyle.”

In all of her time as a swimmer, Sanders said she has never seen another towel like Laguna Blue.

“The technology is extremely unique,” she said. “I have never seen a towel with the effectiveness of covering your body, only to fold up to be the tiny size of Laguna Blue. These towels don’t hold water, which keeps you from feeling as soaked.

They absorb like your favorite bath towel, but keep you healthy while doing it. I use the towels throughout my house. I am so grateful I have something I can trust.”

Sanders envisions Laguna Blue towels changing the way the sports, travel and restaurant industries operate.

“My goal and the company’s goal is that one day you will be able to point out all the Laguna Blue towels at the beach, at gyms around the county, in hotels or in a restaurant. They will be the towels that everyone wants, needs and knows they should have. I think once people learn how unique the towels are, they will become an industry standard for all of those areas of service, leaving an economic impact in each.”

With Sanders onboard, Laguna Blue has increased its effort in marketing the towels to a variety of markets, she said.

“The big movement will begin May 1 when Laguna Blue launches its beach towel,” Sanders said. “We’re hoping Laguna Blue towels will be people’s biggest summertime purchase.”

Laguna Blue towels are available online at Walmart and Amazon. They cost $34.56 for a set of two bath towels, $19.40 for a four pack of hand towels and $21.85 for six washcloths. For more, visit lagunabluetowels.com.

JOHNSON

Continued from Page 13

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I got hooked on watching HGTV and home repair shows,” he said. “So I thought about getting into rental properties. I started off buying foreclosed properties and turning them into rentals.”

Opening Playtime was inspired by Johnson’s life as a new dad and his desire to bring an establishment similar to popular chains like Dave & Buster’s to the metro area.

“I got married in 2012, and my wife already had two kids,” he said. “I realized there wasn’t a lot for family entertainment — of course, before then I never really had to account for that, it was just me!

“We thought about starting a business together that would be a good opportunity for family entertainment. That was our original concept. But then we started to think about how there wasn’t a lot for adults to do either — so I thought, why not cater to both?”

Playtime features arcade games like skee ball and air hockey and classics like PacMan, among others. The restaurant has a full menu with daily specials, and serves beer and wine for the adults.

“I think through it all I’ve learned that it all begins mentally,” Johnson said.

“Before you can do anything physically, you have to accept where you are. Then you have to ask yourself what you’re going to do about it. You can either let your disability define you, or you define your disability. I choose the latter.”

Newsmakers

20 Q Mississippi Business Journal Q April 14, 2017

French is department head Professor P. Edward “Eddie” French, a longtime faculty member in Mississippi State’s College of Arts and Sciences, is the new permanent leader of its Department of Political Science and Public Administration.

French has served the PSPA department on an interim basis French since 2016.

French has held multiple positions in the PSPA department since joining the MSU faculty in 2008. In addition to teaching, he has served as the department’s graduate coordinator, as well as executive director of the university’s John C. Stennis Institute of Government and Community Development.

French described MSU’s PSPA undergraduate program as one of the College of Arts and Sciences’ leading programs. The department, he said, continues to grow and gain national recognition through programs such as the Mississippi Model Security Council and the Stennis/Montgomery Association.

An MSU public policy and public administration doctoral graduate, French received a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Tennessee.

He also holds two master’s degrees — one in city management from East Tennessee State University and the other in education administration from the University of Virginia.

French recently received the American Society for Public Administration’s Section on Personnel Administration and Labor Relations Outstanding Scholar Award.

Alberts joins Clinic

Scott J. Alberts, CNP, recently joined Hattiesburg Clinic Hospital Care Service.

He received a Master of Science in Nursing from the University of Mississippi School of Medicine in Jackson, and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Alberts Phoenix in Phoenix, Ariz.

Alberts is board certified by the American Nurses Credentialing Center. He is trained in adult gerontology care and has special practice interests in aging and longevity.

Cadence’s Toney honored

Jerry Toney, senior wealth advisor for Cadence Investment Services and Mississippi president for Cadence Bank, was recently recognized as one of the nation’s “Top 100 Bank Advisors” for 2016

by Bank Investment Consultant, a financial services industry magazine. Toney ranked 31st in the Toney annual list, placing among the top 50 for the second consecutive year.

Toney is a 1996 graduate of Mississippi State University and is an adjunct lecturer for the Department of Finance & Economics.

Additionally, Toney serves on several civic, economic and professional boards, including the Greater Starkville Development Partnership, Golden Triangle Development Link, Mississippi Economic Council, and as past president of the North Mississippi Financial Planning Council.

Phillip Carpenter, Carpenter Properties; Scott Overby, The Overby Company.

Top Retail Leasing Brokers, Memphis Market — Bambi Kirk, Utley Properties.

Ambassadors of the Month

Business Person of the Year

Courtesy of EMBDC

The East Mississippi Business Development Corporation recently presented its March Ambassadors of the Month awards to, from left, Shawnda Grace, Trustmark, Red-ticket winner; Casey Hendricks, Montgomery Institute, third place; Mary Atterberry, Rush Health Systems, first place; and Derron Radcliff, MSU Riley Center, second place.

Greene named president Hotel & Restaurant Supply in Meridian has named Mason Greene as President, making him the third generation family member to lead the business. Jerry Greene will remain in the role of CEO of the company after serving as President since 1981. Bill Wolfe, Executive Vice President, and Ollie Wilkes, Vice President, will continue in their current roles.

Hotel & Restaurant Supply was established in 1953 and is one of the largest foodservice equipment and supply dealers in the United States. It has six locations in the Southeast.

Pittman to lead ERDC Dr. David W. Pittman has been named Director of the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center.

As ERDC Director, Pittman manages one of the most diverse research organizations in the world, including seven laboratories located in four states, with more Pittman than 2,100 employees, $1.2 billion in facilities, and an annual program exceeding $1 billion.

Pittman also serves as Director of Research and Development and Chief Scientist for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Pittman first joined ERDC in 1983 as a research civil engineer in the Pavements Systems Division in Vicksburg. In his more than three decades with ERDC, he has served in numerous research and leadership roles.

Pittman has a bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in civil engineering from Mississippi State University, as well as a doctorate from the University of Texas at Austin. He is a previous recipient of the Presidential Rank Award (Meritorious), the Federal

Laboratory Consortium Lab Director of the Year Award and the Joint Meritorious Civilian Service Award.

He is a member of several professional engineering societies, including the American Society of Civil Engineers, the Society of American Military Engineers, The American Concrete Institute and the International Society for Concrete Pavements. He serves on several technical committees and has published numerous technical reports and papers. He is a registered professional engineer in Mississippi.

Realtors earn CoStar honors Mississippi Commercial Association of Realtors have announced that group members have been named 2016 CoStar Power Broker by CoStar Group, Inc., the leading provider of commercial real estate information, analytics and online marketplaces.

The annual industry award highlights the achievements of the firms and individual brokers who closed the highest transaction volumes in commercial property sales or leases in 2016 within their respective markets.

Winners are: Top Office Leasing Brokers — Bill Hankins, Cook Commercial Properties; Brandon Brown, T L Brown Properties; Hugh Johnson, J. Walter Michel Agency, Inc.; Scott Overby, The Overby Company.

Top Retail Leasing Brokers — Brandon Brown, T L Brown Properties; Sarah Thobae, The Overby Company; Scott Overby, The Overby Company.

Top Industrial Leasing Brokers — Bill G. Cook, Cook Commercial Properties; Bill Hankins, Cook Commercial Properties; Brian E. Estes, Estes Group; Hugh Johnson, J. Walter Michel Agency, Inc.; Jon-David Johnson, J.D. Johnson Realty & Investment, LLC. Top Sales Brokers — Bill G. Cook, Cook Commercial Properties; Bill Hankins, Cook Commercial Properties; Micah McCullough, NAI UCR Properties;

The U.S. Small Business Administration Mississippi District Office has named Mary Jennifer Russell, president and founder of Sugaree’s Bakery of New Albany, the 2017 SBA Mississippi Small Business Person of the Year.

Sugaree’s Bakery is a small batch bakery that since 1997 has been focusing on depth of flavor with its classic southern layer cakes.

The SBA Mississippi District Office will honor its award winners at a ceremony in early May. Other SBA award winners are: Generational Family-Owned — Keith Delcambre, Bozo’s Grocery, Pascagoula.

Young Entrepreneur — Latrice Rogers, Goddess Lengths Virgin Hair Bar, Jackson.

Financial Services Champion — Vickie Rivers, Gulf Coast Renaissance Corp, Gulfport.

Minority Small Business Champion — Louis J. Finkle, Gaston Point Community Development Corp., Gulfport.

Lifetime Achievement Awards in Small Business Development — Two Individuals to be revealed at Awards Event in May. Top Loan Volume & Top Dollar Lender — Community Bank of Mississippi.

1st Runner-Up Loan Volume Lender — Covington County Bank.

1st Runner-Up Dollar Lender — Live Oak Banking 2nd Runner-Up Loan Volume & 2nd Runner-Up Loan Volume Lender — First Financial Bank Honorable Mention Dollar Lender — Trustmark Bank.

2nd Runner-Up Dollar Lender & 3rd Runner-Up Loan Volume Lender — Peoples Bank.

3rd Runner-Up Dollar & Honorable Mention Volume Lender — BankPlus.

Top Loan Volume Certified Development Corp. — Central Mississippi Development Co., Inc. Top Dollar Certified Development Company — Six Bridges Capital Corp.

Top Dollar Third Party Lender on CDC Projects — Metropolitan Bank.

Cupples inducted as Fellow Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP is pleased to announce that Margaret Oertling Cupples, the managing partner of the firm’s Jackson office, has been inducted as a Fellow of the Mississippi Bar Foundation, which recognizes a lawyer’s excellence, as well as Cupples dedication and service to the public and profession.

Cupples focuses her practice on civil appeals and commercial litigation.

Her work centers on asbestos, benzene and silica mass-tort and products liability cases, and also includes insurance sales practices, consumer finance and general commercial litigation.

Selection as a Mississippi Bar Fellow recognizes that an attorney has achieved the highest level of professionalism, competence and leadership, according to the attorney’s peers.

Only 10 percent of the lawyers in Mississippi are eligible for membership as a Fellow.

Newsmakers

April 14, 2017

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ACEC names engineering award winners The American Council of Engineering Companies, the business association of America’s engineering industry, recently announced its Mississippi winners. In addition to the judges announcing the Grand Conceptor, Grand and Honors awards, banquet attendees voted on the People’s Choice award.

GRAND CONCEPTOR AWARD: HNTB for the U.S. 84 Mississippi River Bridge PIN and Link Replacement near Natchez. Pictured, from left: James Greg, HNTB; Aaron Cagle, MDOT; and Scott Burge, ACEC President.

GRAND AWARD: Neel-Schaffer, Inc., of Jackson for Gulfport-Biloxi Regional Airport Runway Pavement Replacement.

Pictured from left to right: Kreg Overstreet, Neel-Schaffer, Inc; Tom Henderson, Neel-Schaffer, Inc.; Carl Breland, Gulfport-Biloxi Regional Airport Authority; and Scott Burge, ACEC President.

HONOR AWARD and PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD: Dungan Engineering for Lincoln Civic Center Baseball Complex project. Pictured from left to right: Quinn Jordan, Director of Lincoln County Civic Center; Dr. William Kimble, Lincoln County; Bobby Watts, Lincoln County Board of Supervisors; Eddie Brown, Lincoln County Board of Supervisors; Ryan Holmes, Dungan Engineering, P.A.; and Scott Burge, ACEC President.

Photos courtesy of The American Council of Engineering Companies of Mississippi

New Businesses

22 Q Mississippi Business Journal Q April 14, 2017

Courtesy of Greater Jackson Chamber Partnership

T&K FLORAL DESIGNS: The Greater Jackson Chamber Partnership recently hald a ribbon-cuttting for T & K Floral Designs, 4409 N. State St. in Jakcson..

Courtesy of EMBDC Courtesy of Greater Starkville Development Partnership

NO WAY JOSE: The Greater Starkville Development Partnership recently held a ribbon-cutting and grand opening for the Martinez family and No Way Jose, 125 Highway 12 West in Starkville.

HOME INSTEAD SENIOR CARE: The East Mississippi Business Development Corporation recently held a ribbon-cutting for Home Instead Senior Care and owners Ben and Charrisa Shirley. It is located at 4808 Great River Dr. Suite C.

Courtesy of Oxford-Lafayette County Chamber of Commerce

KINDRED HOSPICE recently celebrated its name change with a ribbon-cutting and open house hosted by the Oxford-Lafayette County Chamber. Kindred Hospice is a home health agency at 2706 West Oxford Loop, Suite 100 in Oxford.

April 14, 2017

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THE SPIN CYCLE

Global communications report predicts convergence of PR, marketing

T

he USC Annenberg Center for Public Relations has released key findings from its second annual Global Communications Report, a comprehensive survey of more than 800 public relations executives from around the world.

For the first time ever, the report also features insights from almost 700 public relations and communications students, along with in-house marketing executives.

A key finding from this year’s study is the degree to which the public relations function is converging with marketing. Almost half of PR professionals included in the study predict that public relations will become more aligned with marketing over the next five years. In a surprising turn, only 8 percent of PR professionals believe that PR will be a distinct and separate function. When marketers were asked the same question, 57 percent were convinced that the two functions would be more aligned in the future, with 20 percent predicting PR will become a subset of marketing.

“Monitoring this trend toward convergence, and understanding its implications, is one of the most critical issues facing the public relations industry today,” said Fred Cook, director of the USC Center for Public Relations and Chairman of Golin, a leading PR firm. “We’re seeing a lot consolidation on both the agency and corporate fronts, which has the potential to diminish the role of the PR professional.”

Complicating matters, 87 percent of PR executives believe the term “public relations” won’t accurately describe the work they will be doing in five years. Almost half believe PR needs to be more broadly defined, while the rest think the name should be changed. Interestingly, not-yetjaded students are far more comfortable with the current terminology than seasoned pros. Fewer than 20 percent think the name needs to be changed and 85 percent are relatively comfortable explaining it.

When it comes to trends that will be most important over the next five years, digital storytelling ranked above all others, followed by social listening, social purpose and big data. The combination of these disciplines illustrates the rapid change the industry has seen in recent times.

Emerging technologies like virtual reality and artificial intelligence fell farther down the list of key trends that will play a vital role, while fake news and Donald Trump were ranked at the bottom.

The differentiation between paid and earned content is another issue that was illuminated by the report. As last year’s study indicated, earned media will continue to decline as a source of PR agency revenue, while paid, shared and owned media will increase. Similarly, in-house executives predict that over the next five years they will devote more resources to owned channels than to earned channels. Supporting that direction, 60 percent of all PR executives believe that branded content and influencer marketing, which are both primarily paid, will be important trends in the next five years. More importantly, as the lines blur between media formats, more than 50 percent of PR

professionals believe that in the future the average consumer will not make a distinction between paid, earned, shared and owned media.

“PR has the opportunity to move aggressively into paid content, an arena long dominated by advertising but that will require investment and training,” said Paul Holmes, founder and chairman of The Holmes Report, which co-sponsored the study. “The bigger challenge for the profession and for society is what happens when consumers no longer know the source or the nature of the information they receive, and how that impacts the credibility of that information.”

Despite a few challenges, almost all (92 percent) of agency executives predict growth in the next five years, while 70 percent of in-house executives predict an increase in their budgets and headcounts. But for the second year in a row, recruiting and retaining the right talent are the greatest obstacles to achieving this growth. However, Annenberg’s first-ever student survey found a diverse group of future PR leaders who are tuned in to the trends and technologies impacting communications and are reasonably well prepared to tackle them. These new recruits also bring a sense of social purpose and pride to the profession. They just want a better definition of their role and a little more money.

“Our study raises some critical questions about the future of communications and the role of the PR professional, and we may have to wait until next year to see how they pan out,” said Cook. “But one thing is perfectly clear.

There’s never been a more interesting time to work in public relations or whatever we will call it in the future.”

Lights Out? The company that pioneered light bulbs now wants to turn off the switch.

General Electric is weighing a sale of its consumer-lighting business, which for decades defined the company that was co-founded by Thomas Edison 125 years ago.

The Boston-based industrial giant has been interviewing investment banks to sell the unit, which could fetch around $500 million. An exit from the business would be the latest in a series of changes at the company.

Once associated with refrigerators, microwaves and light bulbs, GE is now focused on power turbines, aircraft engines, health care equipment and trains, along with lucrative service contracts for those machines. The lighting unit GE is considering selling is now a small and shrinking business that consists of residential LED lighting and connected-home technology in North America.

Flat Mic | Pepsi Pulls Protest Ad After Backlash It’s always a risk for marketers to weigh in on social issues, however harmless they think their perspective is.

Pepsi found that out the hard way in its latest ad campaign.

The soda giant is pulling its “Live For Now Moments Anthem” ad featuring Kendall Jenner joining a protest after the ad was criticized for trivializing social movements.

Todd Smith

“Pepsi was trying to project a global message of unity, peace and understanding,” the company said in a statement. “Clearly we missed the mark, and we apologize.”

Only hours earlier, Pepsi was defending the ad, saying that “people coming together in a spirit of harmony” is “an important message to convey.”

Out of 110,000 comments about the ad on Twitter, YouTube and other social platforms, about 24 percent of the comments were negative, according to research firm Networked Insights, which noted that’s extremely rare for an ad. The ad was created by an in-house team, not an external agency, prompting Campaign to ask, in a poll, whether or not the less traditional structure played a role in the crisis.

The ad, in which Jenner participates in a photo shoot before joining a group of protesters and offering a Pepsi to a stoic police officer, was accused of appropriating the Black Lives Matter movement and using social justice to sell soda. The Spin Cycle applauds Pepsi for pulling the ad, but the company gets a Flat Mic for the gaffe!

Each week, The Spin Cycle will bestow a Golden Mic Award to the person, group or company in the court of public opinion that best exemplifies the tenets of solid PR, marketing and advertising – and those who don’t.

Stay tuned – and step-up to the mic! And remember …

Amplify Your Brand!

Todd Smith is president and chief communications officer of Deane, Smith & Partners, a full-service branding, PR, marketing and advertising firm with offices in Jackson. The firm — based in Nashville, Tenn. — is also affiliated with Mad Genius. Contact him at todd@deanesmithpartners.com, and follow him @spinsurgeon.

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