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April 26, 2013 • Vol. 35, No. 17 • $2 • 24 pages
TUNICA FIGHTS BACK Gaming officials look for answers as competition, economy drag down market — Page 2
MBJ FOCUS: Advertising & Printing
State ad agencies tackle changing marketplace with innovative strategies Page 13
2 I Mississippi Business Journal I April 26, 2013 GAMING
Gaming officials concerned over falling Tunica casino revenues By FRANK BROWN I STAFF WRITER frank.brown@msbusiness.com
When Gov. Phil Bryant signed a bill recently creating the Mississippi Gulf Coast Regional Convention and Visitors Bureau, John Hairston saw the occasion as more than a tourism bill for three coast counties. For the chairman of the Mississippi Gaming Commission, it is both a step in reviving the Tunica County casino and a pre-emptive strike in keeping the coast a viable market. “You bet it is (a pre-emptive strike),” Hairston said after last week’s monthly meeting of the Mississippi Gaming Commission in Jackson. “The whole purpose of HB 1716 was to create a table that has a lot of chairs. Those chairs are filled with stakeholder associations, laymen, professionals and tourism professionals who are trying to come up with a quantified goal and a way to execute the strategies.” “Overall HB 1716, combines the strength of public transparency with private sector strategies to create a leadership organization that pulls us all together,” he said. “I hope that model is successful enough to export to the state as a whole and to Tunica in particular — I’m very concerned about Tunica.” Gaming revenues have been dropping in Tunica County casinos since the spring floods of 2011. Mix that with more gaming venues nationwide, a sagging economy and compe-
tition from an Arkansas racetrack and many gaming officials are concerned about the future. For example, revenue for the Mississippi River casinos dropped from $115.7 million in February 2012 to $99.1 million February 2013. February, a month when many people get their income tax returns, is usually one of biggest months of the year for casinos. January numbers were also down: Hairston $89.2 million in 2012 to $77.8 million this year. Numbers also were down — although not as drastic — on the coast in January and February. “On the coast we have other amenities that are natural in nature,” said Hairston. “In Tunica, it’s not as robust. Tunica can be pickedoneasily,andthat’swhathappened.Youhaveanorganization in Arkansas that is using, in my opinion, offensive methods.” Hairston was referring to a marketing campaign in the Arkansas, Tennessee, north Mississippi area in which Southland Park Gaming and Racing of West Memphis, Ark., incorporates negative Mississippi stereotypes in its attack ads. The television ads advise viewers “Don’t Risk the Road Trip.” They depict dangers such as a traveler being chased by a chainsaw killer after suffering a flat tire, and a traveler being assaulted by inmates after being tossed in jail for speeding on Mississippi roads.
“From politics we know negative advertising works, so now we have a beginning of an advertising war that is probably unproductive for both markets,” he said. Hairston said he believes new Tunica ads are going to show a contrast and maybe call out the racetrack. “People consider Tunica as having a lot of different properties all there together, and that is still unique because many of the areas that we now share guest they might be standalone properties,” said Theodore A. Bogich, senior vice president of operations with Boyd Gaming at Sam’s Town Hotel and Gaming Hall in Tunica, who was approved in a suitability hearing during the meeting. “An example would be the racetrack. It’s a standalone property and doesn’t offer the amenities and experience we do in Tunica. I think that having the different properties in Tunica working together important to figure out how to leverage what we have and keep fighting those battles.” Lee Dillard, regional vice president for Caesar’s properties in Biloxi (Harrah’s, Grand Casino, Tunica Roadhouse and Horseshoe), added a different perspective during his suitability hearing in which he was approved. “We’re not seeing a significant decline in hotel occupancy,” he said. “What we’re seeing is a decline in convenience play that’s going to a competitor in Arkansas. “You’ve probably seen or heard about the commercials they’ve done that are very aggressive and successful. Collectively as a market, were working together to attack that. “Market studies show the Tunica Market is a good as a place to come for a weekend, it’s the convenience player who is going elsewhere.” Vincent Schwartz Sr., who was approved in his suitability hearing as vice president and general manager at IP Casino Resort & Spa in Biloxi, another Boyd Gaming property, offered his thoughts on how to keep similar woes from falling on the Gulf Coast. “We all know Biloxi has been market-flat for a number of years,” he said. “The opportunity we have is to use the Boyd database to drive some business in here. Since there doesn’t seem to be a natural draw for them, other that what we already have, we need to expose new people to Biloxi that we have an opportunity to bring in from other properties. We’ve been doing that but we haven’t been as successful as we want to be — but they’re making their way here.” In a promotion to draw area players back to Tunica, Caesar’s started its Millionaire Maker promotion this month. Harrah’s, Tunica Roadhouse and Horseshoe are giving away $1 million to a single player every Saturday night. The first winner was from Little Rock, Ark., and the next winner was a retired teacher from Senatobia. But the bottom line is simple to Hairston: “I’m just worried about the thousands of people in Tunica who may lose their job if gaming revenues continue to drop.”
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April 26, 2013
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ENERGY
Mississippi Power increases cost estimate for Kemper New total expected to be $3.42 billion, up $600 million from previous amount By CLAY CHANDLER I STAFF WRITER clay.chandler@msbusiness.com Mississippi Power Co.’s Kemper County coal plant will cost $3.42 billion to build, the utility announced last Tuesday. That’s just under $600 million more than the $2.88 billion figure that has been the maximum estimate for several months. In a press release, CEO Ed Day said the utility will not seek to recover the additional costs from ratepayers. Doing so would have been difficult. A recent settlement that allowed Mississippi Power to ask for cost recovery stipulated that the plant’s rate base — or what costs the utility could recover from its 190,000 ratepayers — be limited to $2.4 billion. The settlement was reached after Mississippi
WEATHER
Hailstorm damage insurance claims mount Mississippi insurance companies have reported processing more than 56,000 homeowner and automobile damage claims from March's hailstorm with payouts of $209.4 million through April 15. Insurance Commissioner Mike Chaney says in a news release that there have been very few complaints about how claims have been handled by insurers. According to the aggregate figures reported to the Department of Insurance, as of April 15, 2013 there have been over 15,000 homeowner claims and nearly 40,000 auto claims filed and paid. Chaney says the next reporting period is May 1. There were no injuries from the storm, which dumped chunks of ice as big as baseballs on some parts of Mississippi. The storm pounded a swath from Warren County through Jackson and its suburbs and into Rankin, Scott and Jasper counties.
MUSIC
Delta Blues Museum receives national award The Delta Blues Museum of Clarksdale is one of 10 to across the country to be honored with National Medal for Museum and Library Service from the Institute of Museum and Library Services. The National Medal will be presented to the museum at a celebration in Washington on May 8. According to a news release, the National Medal celebrates institutions that make a difference for individuals, families, and communities. The Delta Blues Museum was chosen because "it celebrates the history, showcases live performances, and nurtures the next generation of blues musicians," according to the release. The museum was established in 1979 by the Carnegie Public Library board of trustees and reorganized as a stand-alone museum in 1999, and is Mississippi's oldest music museum.
— from staff and MBJ wire services
Public Service commissioners denied last summer a cost recovery request pending the outcome of litigation that has circled the facility since before construction started. “While we are disappointed that costs have increased, we believe we have done the right thing by remaining accountable to our customers,” Day said in the company press release. The Sierra Club, which opposes the plant, still has litigation active against it. A Hattiesburg resident has also challenged the Baseload Act, the 2008 law that allows utilities to recover constructions costs associated with new facilities as they are being built. The Mississippi Supreme Court heard oral argument related to the Baseload challenge earlier this year, but has not yet ruled. The plant is scheduled to begin commercial operation in May 2014.
ECONOMY
AUTOMOTIVE
MDOC closing four community work centers
Exec: Nissan shifting focus to Canton
Four Mississippi communities will lose inmate laborers when the state closes local community work centers on July 15, according to the Mississippi Department of Corrections. It will close community work centers in Rosedale, Yazoo City, Fayette and Lucedale. Inmates in the centers do chores for local governments. MDOC commissioner Christopher Epps says it was a matter of money. Inmates at the work centers will be transferred to other MDOC facilities. Community work centers staff will be offered positions at other facilities. Epps says a budget shortfall and fewer nonviolent inmates eligible to be housed at community work centers are the reasons for the decision. He says closing the facilities will save $2.3 million.
EDUCATION
Belhaven starts work on international center Belhaven University has started construction on a new center for international studies on its Jackson campus. The Dr. Billy Kim International Center will be an 18,000-square-foot facility located in the center of campus and is projected to cost $4 million. Kim, pastor emeritus of 15,000-member Suwon Central Baptist Church of Suwon, South Korea, spoke at the groundbreaking ceremony. Belhaven officials say the international center will celebrate the relationship the university has with South Korea. The building will include a learning center for both the International Studies and English as a Second Language majors. The upper level will have a conference facility with theater-style seating for 300.
GULF COAST
Buccaneer Bay Water Park to open this summer Buccaneer Bay Water Park will open in the summer for the first time since Hurricane
By CLAY CHANDLER I STAFF WRITER clay.chandler@msbusiness.com An automotive industry website published this week highlights of a wide-ranging interview with a Nissan executive, and the Canton plant was a big part of it. Colin Dodge, Nissan Americas chairman, said the company is preparing to turn Canton into the international export hub for the next-generation Murano, a small SUV that has become one of Nissan’s more popular models. To do that, Dodge told autonews.com, Nissan has to move past a series of manufacturing issues that plagued it last year. “We had some confusion in manufacturing that disturbed our plan, and it wasn’t insignificant,” he said. “I won’t say that everything that could go wrong went wrong, but we had challenges.” Dodge said the troubles left Canton 15 percent short of its production goals. The facility turned out 233,441 vehicles in 2012, according to Nissan figures. The issues started when Nissan started producing the Altima midsize sedan in two plants; started making the Infiniti JX; a next-generation Pathfinder; electric Leaf and battery modules in Smyrna, Tenn.; and moved production of the Xterra SUV and Frontier pickup to Canton. The company also increased shifts in two U.S. facilities and hired more than 4,000 additional workers to fill them. Dodge admits the ramp-up “overwhelmed” the company. “I never tried to do something as difficult as that before, and I probably never will again.” Dodge said the company has solved the problems. During the legislative session that just ended, lawmakers approved $100 million in bonds that will be publicly issued but whose note will be paid by Nissan. It’s believed the bonds will be used for an expansion of Nissan Canton’s supplier park.
Katrina destroyed it in 2005. That's according to the Mississippi Department of Wildlife. Buccaneer State Park's structures, water parks and support facilities were destroyed during Katrina, and the park has reopened in phases over the past seven years. Buccaneer Bay Water Park, the third phase of the construction process, will include a wave pool, water slide, wading pool and concession area. The water park construction will be complete by the end of spring. The state estimated the cost to rebuild Buccaneer State Park at $20 million, and most of the money came from FEMA.
ENERGY
Bill to lower oil severance taxes signed into law Legislation to lower the Mississippi severance tax
on hydraulically fractured oil wells from 6 percent to 1.25 percent for first 30 months of well production has been signed into law by Gov. Phil Bryant. House Bill 1698 also will allow counties where fracking is occurring to keep a larger share of tax proceeds. The law takes effect July 1. Hydraulic fracturing is a technique used by the energy industry to extract oil and gas from rock by injecting high-pressure mixtures of water, sand or gravel and chemicals. Several companies are conducting horizontal drilling operations in the Tuscaloosa Marine Shale formation in Amite and Wilkinson counties in southwest Mississippi. The law gives the tax break on a specific well for up to 30 months or until the well's costs have been recovered, whichever comes first. The law also gives a five-year tax break for oil exploration efforts.
— staff and MBJ wire services
4 I Mississippi Business Journal I April 26, 2013 IN THE NEWS
TECHNOLOGY AND EDUCATION
Pastrami and perserverance: Grocer shows American spirit
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fter days and days and days (etc.) of seemingly endless tragic news, there is an item out of California that should not only put a smile on your face, but also reaffirm your faith in Americans’ ability to persevere — and profit. The story involves a burglary of a grocery store last month in Redding, Calif. The store’s security cameras captured a man breaking out the window of Kent’s Meats and Groceries. But, the attempt Wally Northway was botched, and provided a good laugh at the crook’s expense when he fell twice while fleeing. In an example of true American entrepreneurial spirit, the store’s owner, Kent Pfrimmer, had a brilliant idea — incorporate the break-in footage in an advertisement for his store. According to the newspaper Record Searchlight, the ad shows the perpetrator throwing something at the store’s glass. After the glass shatters, an image of a pastrami appears, followed by a voice that says: “So good, some people will do just about anything to get more.” Is that not genius? God bless America. MBJ staff writer Wally Northway can be reached at wally.northway@msbusiness.com
NEW PLANT
Save the date: GE Aviation opens doors in Ellisville The Mississippi Development Authority says GE Aviation will officially open for business in Mississippi next week. The aviation giant will open its new Ellisville facility at 135 Technology Boulevard on Tuesday at 11 a.m. The 340,000-square-foot facility will manufacture new aviation composite components. GE Aviation has committed to hiring 250 employees and investing more than $50 million by 2017. David Joyce, president and CEO of GE Aviation, will be joined by Gov. Phil Bryant, U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker and U.S. Rep. Steven Palazzo to celebrate the grand opening.
HEALTH AND WELLNESS
Annual event to focus on emergency preparedness The Mississippi Gulf Coast Medical Reserve Corps (MRC), which is housed within the Mississippi Gulf Coast Black Nurse Association, will host the “Discovering a Better You College and Health Fair” June 1. The health fair will take place at Edgewater Mal in Biloxi from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Taking place on the first day of Hurricane Season, the purpose of the event is to reinforce the importance of emergency preparedness and health education throughout the Gulf Coast. — from staff and MBJ wire services
FOR THE MBJ
Dr. Kameron Ball, Clinton Public School District technology director, holds a training session for Eastside Elementary teachers on how to create digital textbooks using iBook Author.
Teacher training integral to CPSD technology initiative software (including iMovie and iPhoto), engaging “It allows us to re-write some units that need to CLINTON — When the 2013-14 school year apps and software for classroom use, and the starts, teachers in the Clinton Public School be updated in our current textbooks,” she said. basics of using a Mac computer. “We can work on it in our PLC (professional District will face something new. Throughout the spring semester, Ball has held learning community) groups, and bounce ideas off “They’re going to walk into a room where every training sessions at schools and met with teachers each other.” student has an iPad or laptop on their desk,” said Eastside Principal Dr. Kameron Ball, CPSD Cindy Hamil agreed. Technology director. “We » Because it’s in digital format, she said, the books could include Hamil said she’s been want to make sure our multimedia content such as photo galleries, videos, 3D models, teachers are prepared and using her Mac software to create iMovies for faculty ready for this change.” interactive quizzes and more advanced elements. Ball said teachers meetings and other As part of the 1:1 Digital would also be able to lock out certain apps during class time, so students things. Learning Initiative, CPSD is “The students are providing MacBook Air won’t be playing games on the devices during instructional time. ecstatic about getting laptops (and protective backpacks) to all students in their iPads next year,” individually and in small groups. Hamil said. “There is excitement in the air. I’m grades 6-12; iPads to all students in grades 3-5; “This is an exciting initiative, and we want to encouraging teachers to play with this software so and iPad Minis to all students in grades K-2. The make sure teachers have the resources they need iPads and iPad Minis will stay at school, and 7-12 they can familiarize themselves with it, and over to make this transition smoothly,” Ball said. grade students will be allowed to take their the summer they’ll be preparing lesson plans that MacBook Air laptops home. Sixth grade will be a integrate some of these apps and project ideas.” transition year and students will be able to take Digital Textbooks Teachers are not expected to go digital with their laptops home based on instruction, for every lesson, Ball said. After school dismissed at Eastside Elementary selected assignments and projects. “We know that there are essays to write with a on Thursday, Ball met with a group of fourth- and “This fall, we will be the only public school district fifth-grade teachers for a session on using iBook pencil and paper and math problems that students in Mississippi to provide Apple devices for all need to work out on paper,” she said. “That isn’t Author to create digital textbooks. students,” said Tim Martin, assistant superintendent. going to change. This first year with student “This app makes it easy to create e-books for It’s a massive undertaking that CPSD has spent your students,” Ball said. “You can create them on computers will be a transition year, and teachers the past two years preparing for, Ball said. are continually developing digital resources.” your MacBook and push them out to all your “We have increased the bandwidth into our Dr. Phil Burchfield, CPSD superintendent, said students on their iPads.” schools and added WiFi hot-spots in every CPSD is modeling the 1:1 Digital Learning Initiative Because it’s in digital format, she said, the classroom,” she said. “We are working now to after a similar — and very successful — books could include multimedia content such as make sure we have enough tech support in our technology initiative in Mooresville, N.C. photo galleries, videos, 3D models, interactive schools, both for our students and our teachers.” “We are already one of the highest-achieving quizzes and more advanced elements. Ball said And of course, teachers are critical to the 1:1 school districts in Mississippi,” he said. “We teachers would also be able to lock out certain initiative. Faculty members were given new believe that immersing classroom instruction with apps during class time, so students won’t be MacBook Pro laptops in the fall of 2012, and this technology will allow us to achieve at an even playing games on the devices during training has been ongoing this school year. instructional time. higher level.” A day-long technology symposium was held Eastside teacher Kerri Burnside said the ability — for the MBJ for teachers in January, with courses on specific to create digital textbooks is very beneficial.
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AQUACULTURE
Republicans say government wrong on catfish issue GAO, however, insists duplication is occurring as both FDA and Dept. of Agriculture handle catfish inspections By TED CARTER I STAFF WRITER ted.carter@msbusiness.com The Government Accounting Office is muddying the waters with its claim that the government is unnecessarily doubling up on imported catfish inspections, say Republican leaders on both the House and Senate agriculture committees. The GAO insists needless duplication is occurring with mandates that both the Food & Drug Administration and the Department of Agriculture handle catfish inspections. House Agriculture chairman Frank Lucas of Oklahoma and Senate Agriculture Committee Ranking Republican member Sen. Thad Cochran of Mississippi say any duplication that is occurring stems from Obama administration delays in initiating the transfer required under a provision of the 2008 Farm Bill that put the
USDA in charge of ensuring imported catfish was safe for consumption. Money has not been allocated and until it is the USDA can’t take full charge, they say. “Once the administration publishes the final regulation, USDA will be the sole food safety regulatory agency responsible for catfish inspections,” Lucas said in a press statement this week. A proposed USDA rule issued in February did not resolve the definition of which catfish or related fish types to which the federal rule would apply. The GAO’s complaints about duplicated services and costs came in a report criticizing the inspection of seafood imported into the United States and calling for increased oversight of inspections and better leveraging of limited resources. Cochran found plenty to agree with in the report’s criticisms of the job FDA is doing. “The GAO has confirmed what many of us have maintained for some time: That the existing federal program to inspect imported seafood is so limited that it is insufficient and ineffective,” Cochran said in a press statement. Cochran said the FDA inspection shortcoming led him to seek the transfer to the USDA in the 2008 Farm Bill. It’s also why Congress wants the USDA “to decisively move forward with new federal safety standards for foreign catfish imports,” he said.
Specifically, the GAO report faults the FDA for failing to fully ensure the safety of seafood imports against residues of drugs used by foreign aquaculture operations. Antibiotics can be used to fight bacteria in pondraised seafood but the FDA is responsible for certifying the safety of seafood against residues from unapproved drugs, the senator said. The FDA, according to GAO report, tested about 0.1 percent of all imported seafood products for drug residues in fiscal 2009. Meanwhile, the Mississippi Catfish Institute is warning that the FDA has said across-the-board federal "sequestration" budget cuts mean far fewer seafood safety inspections and increased risk for consumers. The FDA is responsible for ensuring the safety of imported seafood, which now accounts for as much as 90percent of seafood Americans eat. At present, the FDA inspects about 2 percent of imported seafood and only tests about two-tenths on one percent for banned and dangerous drugs and chemical additives, the Catfish Institute says. “This means that 98 percent of imported seafood receives no inspection at all for safety or labeling fraud,” the institute said in a press statement. The FDA faces $318 million in cuts and U.S. Customs and Border Protection will be sliced by $712 million. Customs and border enforcement is to be cut an additional $453 million.
BANKING AND FINANCE
Entergy posts 1Q net income of $161.4M
Photo courtesy of Mark Howell
NEW ORLEANS — Entergy Corp. reported net income of $161.4 million for the first quarter on Thursday in contrast to a loss a year ago, helped by higher utility revenue. Hefty one-time costs had weighed down its yearago results. The electric power company's profit amounted to 90 cents per share for the three months ended March 31. It lost $151.7 million, or 86 cents per share, in the same quarter of 2012. Excluding one-time items, the company's adjusted profit was 94 cents per share. That beat Wall Street predictions. Analysts, on average, expected earnings of 81 cents per share, according to FactSet. Revenue rose 9 percent to $2.61 billion from $2.38 billion, slightly ahead of analysts' expectations of $2.6 billion. Utility profits nearly doubled to $123.5 million, boosted by price increases and higher demand for power stemming from colder weather compared with the year before. The company's wholesale commodity business posted a profit of $82.1 million, compared with a year-ago loss of $175.9 million.
The Jobie L. Martin Classroom Building on the Jackson campus of Hinds Community College has been recognized with an AIA Committee on Architecture for Education (CAE) Award of Excellence
Hinds CC building wins AIA award of excellence Designed by Jackson architectural firm Duvall Decker Architects, P.A., the Jobie L. Martin Classroom Building on the Jackson campus of Hinds Community College has been recognized with an AIA Committee on Architecture for Education (CAE) Award of Excellence. The award honors educational facilities that the jury believes should serve as an example of a superb place in which to learn, furthering the client's mission, goals and educational program while demonstrating excellence in architectural design. As one of seven projects chosen from 80 submissions, the project was reviewed by a panel of prominent professionals specializing in educational facility design. Jurors commented, “(T)his simple and honest building with strong forms and an elegant façade shows that a few simple gestures can render a sense of identity to an otherwise nondescript campus,. The
rigorous use of materials, straightforward detailing, and clarity of concept elevates the modest program to a new level. The jury admired the light airy classrooms that combined the translucent, transparent, fixed, and operable glazing.” Jurors noted that all of the winning projects “exemplify innovation through the client's educational goals through responsive and responsible programming, planning and design. Function and surrounding regional and community context are valued as part of the planning and design process. In addition, connection to the site, surrounding campus, community, and environment are evident in the design solutions.” The building is on the Academic/Technical Center campus, one of six campuses of Hinds Community College, the largest community college in the state of Mississippi.
WEATHER
SBA offers disaster loans to Noxubee Co. MACON — The Small Business Administration is offering disaster loans to residents and business owners in Noxubee County affected by a tornado that severely damaged parts of Shuqualak on April 12. The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency has reported 49 homes and 12 businesses were either destroyed or damaged as a result of the storm. The SBA has set up a temporary disaster loan outreach center on U.S. Highway 45 in Macon. The SBA says low-interest loans up to $200,000 will be available to homeowners to repair or replace damaged real estate and up to $40,000 for personal property. Businesses and nonprofit organizations can apply for loans up to $2 million to repair and replace real estate, equipment, inventory and machinery.
— from staff and MBJ wire services
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Website: www.msbusiness.com April 26, 2013 Volume 35, Number 17
ALAN TURNER Publisher alan.turner@msbusiness.com • 364-1021 ROSS REILY Editor ross.reily@msbusiness.com • 364-1018 WALLY NORTHWAY Senior Writer wally.northway@msbusiness.com • 364-1016 FRANK BROWN Staff Writer/Special Projects frank.brown@msbusiness.com • 364-1022 TED CARTER Staff Writer ted.carter@msbusiness.com • 364-1017 CLAY CHANDLER Staff Writer clay.chandler@msbusiness.com • 364-1015
MBJPERSPECTIVE April 26, 2013 • www.msbusiness.com • Page 6
OUR VIEW
Jeopardizing a visitor industry for little in return
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he Mississippi Business Journal over the years has chronicled the exodus of Mississippi corporations, trade associations and non-profit groups to Alabama’s Orange Beach and Gulf Shores and Florida’s Panhandle for their conventions and trade shows. While we lamented the loss of hospitality dollars to our state, we conceded the lure of the sparkling sand beaches and seaside golf courses these destinations possessed. But our comparisons never included the freedom from visual blight visitors to these areas enjoyed. After all, visitors to Mississippi’s coast
enjoyed the same visual freedom. But perhaps not for much longer. A bit of Mississippi’s past is about to catch up with it. In the middle of the last decade, legislators mandated that the Mississippi Development Authority sell oil-and-gas exploratory leases inside 150,000 acres of the Mississippi Sound, an area that takes in the famed wilderness islands just off the coast. Neither the tidal surge dangers exhibited by Hurricane Katrina nor the environmental catastrophe of the Deepwater Horizon oil platform explosion has dissuaded the state’s leaders from allowing the drilling rigs
within easy sight of the coast. Not even the prospect of jeopardizing the $1.6-billion-ayear visitor industry along the state’s coast has caused any rethinking. Meanwhile, the light is about to turn green on putting the state’s sea bottom up for sale, all with the full blessing of Gov. Phil Bryant. For now, the light is set on caution, thanks to a lawsuit in Hinds County Chancery Court brought by preservation groups the Sierra club and Gulf Restoration Network. They argue the state has not carried out the
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See VIEW, Page 8
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PERSPECTIVE
April 26, 2013 I Mississippi Business Journal
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» RICKY NOBILE » MIND OVER MONEY
How to sort out the good and the bad in our ‘American Dream’
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>>PERCOLATING
Truth management manipulates beliefs
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ince the earliest days of civilization “truth management” has been practiced by governments, religions and powerful organizations to further their own interests. Today, the practice of truth management has proliferated to organizations throughout the United States, including Mississippi. Envision a persuasion scheme that integrates widespread publicity, rampant disinformation, and tailored “truths.” You get the picture. For example, our Defense Department has long practiced “perception management” and “truth projection” to influence beliefs — usually foreign but not always. In recent decades well-funded national policy institutes and research centers have emerged that propagate research and analysis supportive of pre-conceived notions, i.e., they tailor “truth” to fit stipulated concepts. Today, these perverted truths are shared with bloggers, talking heads, publicity organizations and lobbyists who adeptly use them to manipulate the public, politicians and policy makers into believing and proclaiming such as actual truths. Consider this excerpt from a study of the tobacco industry published by the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, School of Nursing, University of California: “This study adds to the growing literature that draws upon previously secret tobacco industry documents to understand the inner workings of the industry. Previous research has, among other things, revealed how the industry has deceived the public and policymakers about the harms of tobacco, manipulated science, used third parties to promote its agenda, targeted vulnerable populations and interfered with regulatory and public policy processes. These behaviors are not unique to the tobacco industry; research on internal asbestos and chemi-
cal industry documents has uncovered similar actions.” The tobacco companies managed truth by getting institutes and research centers, which they funded directly and indirectly, to publish studies showing tobacco usage to be not very harmful. They then used these deceitful studies and powerful publicity to manipulate users and politicians Bill Crawford into believing that smoking was safe. Senators, congressmen and their staffs are too busy to do much research. So, they rely on information from institutes and research centers provided to them by lobbyists and interest groups. For example, the NRA recently looked to the Colorado-based Independence Institute, which it helps fund, for an analysis (unfavorable) of the Manchin-Toomey background check proposal. Policy institutes and research centers actuated by pre-conceived notions have begun cropping up to shape “truth” at the state level, too. Legislators have even less time and resources than congressmen to research complex issues like Medicaid, charter schools, or tax policies. Folks, it’s one thing to use facts that support arguments and overlook facts that don’t. It’s quite another to deliberately create and disseminate false truths. And that’s what insidious truth managers do. So, whether it’s the NRA, AARP, big business, government or a state policy institute, realize the propensity of such to engage in truth management. Don’t be duped. As Ronald Reagan insisted, verify. Bill Crawford (crawfolk@gmail.com) is a syndicated columnist from Meridian.
aturday morning. Not a cloud in the sky. It had been a cool start to the morning. We pull our chairs into the sunshine. A sigh of relief. This was a scary and tragic week from terrorism to mushroom clouds to the insanity of an Elvis impersonator. And we thought we were completely safe in little Mississippi! The world has changed. How do I sort out the good from the bad? How do I remain open to new people and cautious about them at the Nancy Anderson same time? As a professor, you shouldn't have favorites, but I do. Ulanbek came to Mississippi College a few years ago. He was from Kyrgyzstan. He was Muslim. And he was one of the dearest young men who ever walked through my door. When he first started in my class, his English was atrocious. He struggled, but he worked hard. I attended a dinner at When I asked him, "Why The Raindrop Turkish House. This is a local inAmerica?", he explained terfaith group started after 9/11 to create diait this way. He said that logue among people of various religions. Ulanbek there is no British dream was there. We had the or French dream or opportunity to have a long conversation about Canadian dream, but his life, his experiences and his thoughts on there is, still, the AmeriAmerica. He came from a poor village, but his entire can Dream. And when family saved and suphe said, "American ported him so he could attend school in the Dream," his eyes lit up. United States. When I asked him, "Why America?", he explained it this way. He said that there is no British dream or French dream or Canadian dream, but there is, still, the American Dream. And when he said, "American Dream," his eyes lit up. And I saw through his eyes the desire of every immigrant who comes here — the desire for a chance at success, the desire for a free society, the desire for something better. But he also expressed confusion and dismay about his American peers. After all, he was a devout Muslim with a strict moral code. And I saw our failings through his eyes. Ulanbek finished his time with us. I was quite sad to see him go. He never appeared on an FBI wanted poster. He didn't leave behind death and destruction. He didn't even leave with ill feelings toward America or Americans. Instead, he left me a better person. Saturday morning. Not a cloud in the sky. As we sit in the sun by our little pond, a new family of geese swims by. Our new neighbors. A totally different species, but what joy to behold! And I'm left to ask, "How do I sort out the good from the bad?"
Nancy Lottridge Anderson, Ph.D., CFA, is president of New Perspectives Inc. in Ridgeland — (601) 991-3158. She is also an assistant professor of finance at Mississippi College. Her e-mail address is nanderson@newper.com, and her website is www.newper.com.
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8 I Mississippi Business Journal I April 26, 2013
PERSPECTIVE
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Busby among effective freshmen lawmakers
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If only all parents were like Matthew Bent. When his son, Shiloh, told him he had been bodyslammed five times, and his shoes and necklace were stolen at River View Middle School in Kaukauna, Wis., Matthew Bent did the right thing. He told the authorities. And when the authorities did nothing, he didn't back down. He stood behind his son. On Facebook. In March, the parent and child were in a photograph on Facebook, the son holding a handwritten sign that read, "I stand behind my son in the fight against bullying. Please 'like' and 'share' to send a message loud and clear that bullying needs to stop now..." By last week, nearly a half-million people had liked and shared and father and son were on the "Today Show." "It was a really hard thing for me to tell my dad because it was like on one side, is it really bullying?" Shiloh told the television audience. We have to change that. Our children have to be able to confide in us, confide in someone who can help them decide whether it's bullying. Whether what has happened to them is wrong. Because this is the alternative. In the Silicon Valley of California, one girl didn't have anyone to turn to. Audrie Pott, a 16-year-old sophomore, believed she had been molested by some boys she believed were friends. She had drunk some alcohol with her friends during a sleepover at a friend's house. She went upstairs, fell asleep and awakened with the nagging suspicion she had been molested. It didn't take long for proof to surface. Proof in the form of a photo and email online. She thought her life was over. Eight days later she ended it. Her parents were the last to know of their daughter's molestation. — The (Biloxi) Sun Herald
economist, qualifies the warning by noting a Florida study done for that state found that as long as the rigs have no discernible impact on beach quality, vistas and the overall visitor experience “the impact of oil and gas infrastructure would probably be negligible.” Is “probably” the level of confidence Mississippians should accept in deciding the future of its visitor industry? Can we expect hundreds of millions in new hotel and casino resort investments in exchange for providing an assurance the near-shore rigs “probably” won’t diminish the visitor trade? What’s more, the “probably” in relation to avoiding diminished visitor levels only applies if no accidents occur. Jeffrey K. Bounds, Gulfport native and doctor of science, distills the numbers this way: The state can take in $8 million to $9 million a year over the 20-year life of drilling in a re-
serve s estimated to hold 350 billion cubic feet of natural gas. In return, it risks the 24,000 jobs the state attributes to the coast’s hospitality sector as well as the sector’s $500 million annual payroll and $125 million a year in state revenues. The risk we address here is the best-case scenario of no rig explosions, massive leaks or other environmental catastrophes. Throw in any of those outcomes and the risk implications go off the charts. While the state may be eager to get a deal done forthwith, thank Providence and the invisible hand of Adam Smith that the market may delay things – at least as long as natural gas stays plentiful and cheap. In the meantime, perhaps the state can get serious about weighing the risks the drilling would pose to the coast’s key economic engine.
ov. Phil Bryant was lavishing praise on just about everyone in the room as he prepared to sign bills expanding the authority for charter schools and making other changes to K-12 education in Mississippi. Among the many people the Republican governor praised during last Wednesday’s bill signing ceremony at Northwest Rankin High School was Rep. Charles Busby, R-Pascagoula. Bryant acknowledged what’s become clear — Busby may be the first-term legislator who’s made the biggest mark so far. There were 47 new senators and representatives when the Legislature started this four-year term in 2012. Six more new lawmakers have joined them since, as incumbents have died or resigned. A seventh new lawmaker, Lataisha Jackson, will take the place of the late Rep. Joe Gardner, DBatesville, when lawmakers return for at least one special session in coming months, and an eighth new member will take the place of the late Rep. Jessica Upshaw, R-Diamondhead. When that seat is filled, more than 30 percent of Mississippi’s 174 lawmakers will have fewer than two years of experience. Two first-time House members — Nolan Mettetal, R-Sardis, and David Baria, D-Bay St. Louis — are not truly newcomers, both having served in the state Senate. Both have been consequential members of the House from the first day of this term. Mettetal serves as chairman of the House Universities and Colleges Committee, and Baria is a clear leader among the Democrats in the minority. Among true newcomers, Busby already had a high profile when he drove his truck up from the Coast. Republicans poured $135,000 into Busby’s campaign, and he won by fewer than 50 votes over one-term incumbent Brandon Jones, D-Pascagoula, who raised $145,000. After he’d been in the House for a year, Busby got a boost. House Speaker Philip Gunn, R-Clinton, put him onto the
House Education Committee after removing a charter schools opponent, Rep. Linda Whittington, D-Schlater. Busby was tapped by leadership to carry the charter school bill in the House, and made the most of his opportunity. Though Democrats baited him in committee and during more than seven hours of debate on the House floor, Busby never lost his temper and was generally in command of the details of the legislation. Other House Republican freshmen have also been influential on education matters, including Rep. Brad Mayo of Oxford and Rep. Pat Nelson of Southaven. Mayo carried other education bills this year. Nelson has played the role of maverick, serving as one of the chief vote-counters among charter school opponents in the 2012 session. Pascagoula has a double dose of high-profile Republican freshmen, because Sen. Brice Wiggins also found success in the 2013 session as the Senate sponsor of an effort to create a limited state-funded prekindergarten program for the first time. Another GOP newcomer, Sen. Angela Hill of Picayune, sponsored the bill that’s meant to improve literacy instruction in early grades and would flunk third-graders who couldn’t read on at least a basic level. For other new Democrats, it’s harder to make an obvious mark, with the party in the minority in both chambers. The most vocal leaders among Democrats in the House have all been veterans. Some new Democrats have shown signs of promise, though, including Rep. Kevin Horan of Grenada, a former prosecutor. And sometimes, future legislative leaders rise from seeming obscurity. Rep. Johnny Stringer, D-Montrose, had a relatively low profile until Democrat Billy McCoy won the speaker’s chair in 2004. Stringer, having managed McCoy’s campaign for speaker among House members, acceded to the post of Appropriations Chairman, the most powerful committee post in the House.
Among true newcomers, Busby already had a high profile when he drove his truck up from the Coast. Republicans poured $135,000 into Busby’s campaign, and he won by fewer than 50 votes over one-term incumbent Brandon Jones, D-Pascagoula, who raised $145,000.
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drilling legislation’s requirement for a genuine analysis of how the Mississippi coast’s visitor industry would fare once drilling rigs are sitting within three miles of shore. State officials have acknowledged a concern but say they can do the analysis after the leases are awarded. The rub there is that leases are contracts and you have to live with them. Here is the risk to the hospitality sector the state has conceded to this point: “Exploring for and extracting gas and oil from the Mississippi Sound could have measurable impacts to the tourism industry, particularly if there was a significant spill.” The cursory analysis performed by Bob Neal, senior state
Stand up and stand behind your kids against bullying
» Our children have to be able to confide in us, confide in someone who can help them decide whether it's bullying.
April 26, 2013
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ARCHITECTURE
Preserving an icon » Architect working on plans for Pinecote Pavilion Tom Howorth, FAIA, principal architect and president of Howorth & Associates, says Jones’ award-winning concepts — use of native building materials, natural aesthetics, repetitive PICAYUNE —A preservation project on one of Mississippi’s themes — are all incorporated in the Pinecote Pavilion. Howorth said Jones won the AIA 25 Year Award largely on the iconic structures is underway, and is already drawing interstrength of three designs, “and one of those is Pinecote.” est, particularly among architects. The pavilion is an all-wood construction, built of the area’s The Pinecote Pavilion at The Crosby Arboretum in Picayune is currently the focus of a study led by the architectural firm yellow pine, and connected with dowels and nails. Among its Howorth & Associates, and the nearly 30-year-old structure is most unique features is that all of the construction elements earmarked for work to ensure it is still wowing viewers decades are visible and exposed. This, however, also means the elements are exposed to the from now. “I want to stress that this is a preservation project, not restora- weather, making preservation a key concern. Begun in 1985 and completed the following year, Pinecote tion,” said Pat Drackett, director of The Crosby Arboretum, which is owned and operated by Mississippi State University. has seen its share of storms, including Hurricane Katrina in “The Pinecote Pavilion is lovely. We are just wanting to make 2005. The storm heavily impacted the structure, leaving a two-foot hole in the roof. sure it stays that way. The roof and other visible damage was repaired, but it was “We have a lot of people all the time who stop in here just to found that the structure has warped slightly. Howorth said part see the pavilion. It’s on their bucket list of things to do.” of his team’s report would address whether to fix that issue, which is not readily apparent, or to leave it as is. Beyond that, Howorth said the work would focus on preserving the structure — both short and long term. Thus, part of Howorth & Associates’ challenge is to draw up a maintenance plan. “The pavilion is at Crosby, which has a staff, a maintenance team on the grounds, that is skilled in such areas as carpentry,” Howorth said. “Our state chronically struggles with maintenance of facilities.” His team is drawing up a plan under which the Arboretum’s personnel could see to ongoing preservation and maintenance, he added. The Mississippi Department of Finance and Administration, through its Bureau of Building is funding the project. Project leaders are hoping to let bids for Pinecote in November, with a scheduled completion date of June 2014. MSU Ag Communications / The Mississippi Business Journal Perhaps no one anticipates the openPart of the Pinecote Pavilion’s charm and uniqueness is its design that allows all of its elements to be ing of the “new” Pinecote Pavilion exposed. Unfortunately, this also leaves the structure at the mercy of nature and time. more than Drackett. The Crosby Arboretum sees between 8,000-14,000 visitors per year, many of whom visit just to see the pavilion. Why all the to-do over a pavilion? It is also an important revenue stream. It is a popular, in-dePinecote was designed by famed architect E. Fay Jones. A former mentee and close friend of Frank Lloyd Wright, Jones mand site for weddings, meetings/retreats, parties, etc. “We do a lot of weddings — I mean a lot, too,” Drackett said. (1921-2004) was a modest Arkansan who preferred rural living. This was reflected in his designs that were generally smaller proj- “I just want to stress again that this is a preservation project. ects — chapels, pavilions, private homes, etc. — and that were There is nothing shabby about Pinecote Pavilion, I assure you.” Howorth, who never got a chance to meet Jones but did meet noted for incorporating native materials and blending aesthetihis wife once, recommends visiting at noon (11 a.m. during daycally with their surroundings. Among his most enduring and endearing designs is the Mil- light savings time). As with many of his structures, Jones oridred B. Cooper Memorial Chapel in Bella Vista, Ark., Thorn- ented the pavilion facing polar north (not magnetic north). crown Chapel in Eureka Springs, Ark., and the Pinecote Pavilion. When the sun reaches its highest, the skylight of the structure Jones’ awards were numerous, and included the American casts a shadow on the trees, just as Jones had planned it. “It is absolutely stunning,” Howorth said. Institute of Architects Gold Medal in 1990, that organization’s For more information about the Pinecote Pavilion, including highest honor. That same year, Pinecote won the AIA’s Honor Award for Design Excellence, becoming the first Mississippi rental rates, visit the Crosby Arboretum’s website at crosbyarboretum.msstate.edu/. structure to earn that designation. BY WALLY NORTHWAY I STAFF WRITER wally.northway@msbusiness.com
GOING MENTAL » Architect must get inside designer’s head BY WALLY NORTHWAY I STAFF WRITER wally.northway@msbusiness.com
Anyone wanting to know minutia detail about the life of famed architect E. Fay Jones has two options — spend hours reading and researching or just make a quick call to Tom Howorth. A simple question about Jones, and Howorth can give a dissertation Howorth, principal architect and president of Oxford-based Howorth & Associates Architects, has been charged with preserving the Crosby Arboretum’s Pinecote Pavilion, one of Jones’ most famous designs. It has required some serious study on Howorth’s part, as much about Jones, who is now deceased, as the structure itself. “In any project like this, you have to get inside the designer’s head,” Howorth said. “You want to stay true to the original concept. That is the key to success in these preservation or restoration type projects.” While this is Howorth & Associates’ first work on a Jones structure, the firm, founded by Howorth in 1986, has an extensive restoration portfolio. A sampling of the firm’s projects include: » Rowan Oak, Oxford — The former home of author William Faulkner, the firm designed and administered a $300,000 general construction restoration. The project was completed a month ahead of schedule. » Ventress Hall, University of Mississippi — Built in 1889, Ventress Hall was the university’s first building designed specifically to function as a library. The Renovation of Ventress Hall received a Heritage Award of Excellence from the Mississippi Heritage Trust and a Certificate of Merit from the Mississippi Chapter of the Associated Builders and Contractors for Excellence in Construction. » Molpus Woodlands, Hattiesburg — The “new” headquarters for the timber company Molpus Woodlands was actually the former Tatum Lumber Company and was built in 1916. The three-phase project took two years to complete, and included a commissary and office annex. » Cutrer House, Clarksdale — Playwright Tennessee Williams visited this mansion, built in 1916-1917, and the owner provided inspiration for one of his most enduring characters, Blanche Dubois. Later, it became a school, and Howorth worked to ensure the school’s growth did not negatively impact the house. » In 2010 alone, Howorth & Associates won four See
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10 I Mississippi Business Journal I April 26, 2013 WILDLIFE
Wild hogs being added to beaver control program » Advisory board’s work will include estimating economic damage done by nuisance animals By CLAY CHANDLER I STAFF WRITER clay.chandler@msbusiness.com
Starting July 1, wild hogs will become part of Mississippi’s beaver control program. Lawmakers approved and Gov. Phil Bryant signed legislation that expands the program to include both nuisance animals. An existing advisory board administered by the Mississippi Department of Agriculture and commerce will be expanded to include those impacted by wild hogs’ behavior – which is destructive by any measure. “They affect everything,” said deputy commissioner of agriculture Andy Prosser. “Farmers, homeowners, golf courses, the timber industry, they get everybody in some form or fashion. And the population is growing. They’re never going to go away but this is about starting the conversation among the affected parties about the best way to manage them.” Prosser said the problems the animals present have grown as their population has increased. And, most of those issues are economic. Wild hogs can destroy a crop overnight, devastate the ecosystem needed to support a timber tract, dig out a road bed, compromise a levee, destroy a home’s foundation and make a golf course look like a minefield. Repairing the damage they do can be financially crippling. Mississippi’s agricultural industry has been at the center of the destruction, as grain crops have become more popular because of their lower input costs and more stable market prices. Putting a figure on exactly how much economic mayhem
they’ve wrought in Mississippi will likely be included in the advisory board’s job description, once members take up the issue after July 1, Prosser said. “But you and I both know it’s in the millions of dollars,” Prosser said. “It’s that significant.” The Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks says wild hogs populations are growing because of they reproduce often and can survive in virtually any habitat. They also lack any natural predators. Wild hogs are crafty, too, making them difficult to corner and kill. Their razor-like tusks and aggression when cornered can make them dangerous to pursue. Mississippi is one of several states to already have on the books laws that make it illegal to import or transport live wild hogs or to release them into the wild. Penalties for doing so include a maximum $5,000 fine and five days in jail. Recent research by MDWFP suggests that to keep the existing population from expanding beyond control, 70 percent of wild hogs have to be removed annually. The wildlife agency does not offer a bounty on wild hogs, but does encourage landowners to kill them at every opportunity, offering only minimal restrictions on doing so. Wildlife and Fisheries recently created the Mississippi Wild Hog Task Force made up on several state and federal agencies, private entities and commercial producers from affected industries. The task force’s goal is to educate the public about the negative impact wild hogs have and to develop policies that minimize their damage. It was unclear earlier this week what role that initiative will have in the new state program. Prosser said folding wild hogs into the existing beaver control program has not been funded yet. The advisory board will determine how much it will cost to do so before releasing an estimate, he said.
FILE / The Mississippi Business Journal
While there is no hard numbers yet on the cost of wild hog-caused damage, officials all agree it is significant — and growing.
“We don’t really want to put a number out there until we have a better idea of what kind of policies will be implemented and have a better idea of what they’re going to cost to carry out,” Prosser said. The House bill adding wild hogs to the beaver control program is House Bill 1260.
AUDITING
Pickering: Oversight program works, should be expanded By CLAY CHANDLER I STAFF WRITER clay.chandler@msbusiness.com StateauditorStaceyPickeringsayshisoffice’s Performance Audit Division has done yeoman’s work ensuring companies thatreceivestateassistancetolocateorexpandheremeetthe conditions attached to it. That oversight authority, he added, needs to expand to include all public-private economic development projects, though, and not just those created under certain statutes. “We’vebeenarolemodelforbestpracticesforotherstates to follow, when we do these economic incentives programs, because the auditor’s office monitors the jobs created and taxes paid and makes sure they are meeting the agreement they made with the state,” Pickering said in an interview in his office this week. Thoseconditionsareusuallyspelledoutinamemorandum of understanding, or MOU, and can include jobs created and maintained, taxes paid, employee salaries and a slew of other requirements. Pickering’s office currently has purview over 15 projects,
representing a total of $990 million in bonds issued by the state and 13,725 jobs created and maintained. The private investment in those projects is just under $3 billion. Pickering saidofthose15,twohavefailedtomeettheobligationsspelled out in their MOUs with the state. Viking Range Corp. and DeKalb packaging company Pharma Pac had to pay back a total of $409,866. Both companies fell short of their job-creation requirements, and both failuresoccurredinthemiddleoftherecessionthathitin2008 and 2009. “They both did that without any argument, any protest,” Pickeringsaidoftherepayments.“Oncewewentthroughand validated the numbers, we knew exactly where they stood. They looked at it and agreed. It protects the taxpayers of Mississippi. The program works. It’s been a great success story.” Theauditor’s officeissuesquarterlyreportsdetailingresults of the performance checks. That oversight does not extend to every project that gets public assistance. State law allows Pickering’s office to monitorprojectswhoseassistanceisgrantedundertheMississippi MajorEconomicImpactAct,whichusuallyincludeslargeproj-
ectslikeToyotaandSchulzpipemanufacturingfacilityinTunica and often involve large state and private investments. Projects created under other incentive-authorizing statutes —liketheAdvantageJobsAct—don’texpresslygrantPickering’s office the authority to monitor them. “There’s a hole in the middle of this donut,” Pickering said. Pickeringsaidtheinabilityforhisofficetomonitorprojectsthat receive state assistance is risky. He listed as an example the failureofMississippiBeefProcessors,theNorthMississippicull cattle plant that received a total of more than $50 million in publicaidbutneverreallygotofftheground.Severalprivateexecutives connected to the project served prison time after being convicted of offenses ranging from fraud to making improper donations to political candidates. The last handful of economic development projects to receivesomeformofpublicincentives,Pickeringsaid,havebeen authorized under the Advantage Jobs Act. Unless the MDA specifically requests it, or it’s written into the MOU, public auditors cannot automatically pick through company records to ensure that they’re meeting the terms of the state handout. But permission via an MDA request or MOU terms is not
granted very often, Pickering said. “And it’s not that they’re bad folks, but it’s like anybody else. I had a (public) entity share this week that they’d rather have $12 million with no oversight than $20 million with oversight.” Two bills that would have granted the auditor’s office blanket authority to monitor every project that gets public help died during the legislative session that ended. The Senate bill died in its original committee. The House bill cleared that chamber but died in its assigned Senate committee. This was the first session the bills had been filed. Pickering said his office would push the legislation in next year’s session. Until then, he said his office would concentrate on pushing the merits of his office’s oversight program. “We’vegotsomelegworktodotoeducatetheLegislature, to make sure they understand what role we play, understand howwesafeguardthesystem,” Pickeringsaid.“Therehastobe confidence that when the governor calls a special session to deal with a project, they know we’re going to be looking over their shoulder.”
April 26, 2013
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FAIRGROUNDS
Look for new effort in 2014 to renovate Miss. Coliseum AG CHIEF SEES NEW TRADE MART IN FUTURE By TED CARTER I STAFF WRITER ted.carter@msbusiness.com
STEPHEN MCDILL / The Mississippi Business Journal
Agriculture Commissioner Cindy Hyde-Smith says the Mississippi Coliseum’s time has arrived, and it deserves funding for much-need renovations .
» Proposal for an extensive revamp of the Coliseum failed to gain momentum in this year’s legislative session By TED CARTER I STAFF WRITER ted.carter@msbusiness.com
The Mississippi’s Legislature’s need to make up for capital projects that languished without a state bond bill in 2012 kept a new entry from making the 2013 bill – a proposed $48 million revamp of the half-century-old Mississippi Coliseum on the State Fairgrounds in Jackson. Having waited its turn behind new construction for the state’s universities and a new University of Mississippi Medical School campus, the Mississippi Coliseum deserves a place at or near the front of the line for 2014, says Cindy HydeSmith, a former state senator and first-term secretary of agriculture and commerce. Smith’s proposal for an extensive renovation of the Coliseum failed to get out of the starting gate in this year’s legislative session, though her proposal included an improvement study by Jackson architectural firm Wier+Boerner. The study envisioned all new permanent seating, a new stage, sound system, lighting system, new dressing rooms, new restrooms, four new elevators and an escalator. Also, audience seating would increase by 500 and additional space would be provided in the club level for another 300 folding chairs. “We did a lot of pre-planning,” Hyde-Smith said, including a market feasibility study on which the figures for new seats were based. Alas, other pressing projects that had been delayed made 2012 not the best of years in which to seek the funding, she added. “It boiled down to a dollar figure they wanted to stay within in the bond bill. They stayed within that.” Looking ahead, she said, “I don’t think anybody is just totally against it. We have a place in line reserved for next year. We’re moving forward.” She said some of her optimism for 2014 comes from a willingness of legislative leaders such as House Speaker Philip Gunn and Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves to take a close look at her proposal. Gunn, she said, accompanied her to North Little Rock, Ark., to meet with the director of the 18,000-seat Verizon Center, an arena that attracted some of the biggest acts in show busi-
ness and helped to spur revitalization of the waterfronts on both sides of the Arkansas River. Gunn “got on board very early,” Hyde-Smith said. Reeves, who indicated early in the session he would have difficulty adding Coliseum money to the bond bill, visited both the Coliseum and the neighboring Trade Mark for a look at the shortcomings of both buildings and the potential for upgrading both facilities, Hyde-Smith said. “He looked at all of the problems. Both of the buildings definitely need major work.” Reactions of both Reeves and Gunn have her feeling optimistic about prospects for next year, she said.
“We want to get on with the naming rights.” Cindy Hyde-Smith Mississippi commissioner of agriculture
The agriculture and commerce commissioner has framed her proposal as a decision on whether the Coliseum can become a 21st century entertainment and exhibition venue that can pay for itself. In its present state, the 10,000-seat building can’t live up to its potential and generate the dollars necessary to maintain and run it, supporters of the revamp say. In the meantime, Hyde-Smith says she will continue with plans to sell naming rights to the Coliseum, Trade Mart, Equine Center and other buildings and areas within the State Fairgrounds. For pricing purposes, the optimum time to sell the rights to the Coliseum, she said, would be just as it opens as a new modern-style venue. But the effort to get to that point is already underway, she added. “We want to get on with the naming rights.” For now, the department is courting corporate and nonprofit prospects, according to Hyde-Smith. “We’re still kind of creating the dialogue, establishing the relationships.”
The future of the Mississippi Trade Mart may be no future at all, say state officials who want to demolish the circa 1970s exhibit hall and conference center and replace it with a new building connected to the Mississippi Coliseum. Agriculture & Commerce Secretary Cindy Hyde Smith is campaigning for a $48-million revamp of the 52-year-old Coliseum — an effort she vows to continue next year after falling short in this year’s Legislature. While the Coliseum is top priority for now, she insists it makes fiscal sense to build a new trade mart, whether at the same time as the Coliseum work or afterward. She said estimates she has received show fixing up the aging 70,000 square-foot Trade Mart would cost $8 million to $9 million, because of “all the electrical and roof issues.” Building a new one of similar size would run from $12 million to $15 million, Hyde-Smith said estimates show. Her vision is to connect a new trade mart to the Coliseum to gain more synergy of use and to convert the space now occupied by the Trade Mart to surface parking. “The Trade Mart has been so successful for us. We just want to continue on with that,” she said. The plan would be to keep the Trade Mart open as a new one is getting built. Demolition would occur after the new one opens, thus preventing any cancellation of events. Meanwhile, Jackson’s March 18 hailstorm battered the roof of the Trade Mart and worsened an alreadybothersome water leakage problem. Further, the damage “possibly compromised the durability of the roof for the future,” said Andy Prosser, deputy agriculture secretary. Insurance adjustors and representatives of the Mississippi Bureau of Building and Grounds inspected the roof a couple of weeks ago. The Trade Mart is still waiting to learn the extent of the needed repairs, according to Prosser. “It could be we’ll need a new roof,” he said. Jake Hutchins, deputy director of the State Fairgrounds, said he thinks that a temporary shutdown of the Trade Mart will be unnecessary, even if a new roof must be installed. The difficulty could be with the air conditioning units on the roof that Hutchins says are nearly the size “of train cars.”
12 I Mississippi Business Journal I April 26, 2013 TECHNOLOGY
One-hour photo for the spine » Mississippi, Texas partnership pioneers medical imaging By STEPHEN McDILL I STAFF WRITER stephen.mcdill@msbusiness.com
It could be a possible knockout blow to pencils and protractors Oxford businessman Paul Gunnoe says a new technology that’s “an EKG for the spine” will help revolutionize how spine specialists help patients. Vertebral motion analysis (VMA) tests developed by Texas-based medical imaging informatics company Ortho Kinematics Inc. are FDA-cleared, insurance-approved, noninvasive tests that combine fluoroscopy with X-ray videos to capture the spine in motion while its working. “The spine is the second most troubled spot in the body next to the heart but Deitz unlike the heart there has not been development on the diagnostic side,” Gunnoe says. The Ole Miss biology graduate turned healthcare executive was named CEO of the privatelyfunded Austin company last fall and was recently appointed by Gov. Phil Gunnoe Bryant to the state medical care advisory committee. Gunnoe says the processed scans from Ortho Kinematics are breakthrough technology that will lead to more accurate diagnoses and treatment procedures for patients suffering from a host of spinal issues. “We still diagnose and treat the back today as we did in the 1940s which seems ridiculous given today’s technology,” he says. Five Ortho Kinematics VMA machines are currently deployed at test sites in four states, including two in Mississippi at the Southern Neurologic & Spinal Institute in Hattiesburg and NewSouth NeuroSpine in Flowood. It’s the final step for a company that’s projected to move from tech startup to mainstream commercialization this summer. “With Ortho Kinematics we get an Xray video of the spine moving,” says NewSouth neurosurgeon Dr. Jack Moriarity. “The patient stands and lies down and the machine helps them bend and stretch so we can control their motion better. “It’s a much more sophisticated study than we’ve used in the past.”
STEPHEN MCDILL / The Mississippi Business Journal
NewSouth NeuroSpine X-ray technician Joisha Floyd (left) and physical therapist Haley Barber demonstrate a vertebral motion analysis (VMA) diagnostic test standing (above) and lying down (top of page) using a Ortho Kinematics machine. NO MORE PENCILS: The vertebral motion analysis (VMA) diagnostic tests developed by Ortho Kinematics allow surgeons to see the spine in motion. The video X-rays will be processed by the Texas-based company in less than two hours for client clinics all over the country.
Gunnoe says once the tests are completed the images are uploaded to a HPPA-compliant cloud system that uses facial recognition-like software to grab all the images of the vertebra and stitch them together. “Right now we turn images around in 24 to 48 hours,” Gunnoe says. “The new platform will allow us to push them out in a
couple of hours.” The company profits from a “pay per click” model based on how many images they process for a each clinic. Once the images are processed and sent back to NewSouth, doctors like Moriarity can access and analyze the video digitally and measure the degrees and quantify motion in the back to identify physiological stress and pain sourcing. Ortho Kinematics says the study dramatically increases accuracy and precision when compared with traditional static light board images and pencil and protractor measurements. The tests also will identify false pos-
itives and negatives and help patients find the right surgery sooner, making the process smoother for the patient as well as insurance companies like Blue Cross Blue Shield and United Healthcare. “If you’re not imaging in controlled motion there’s too much variability,” Gunnoe says. Ortho Kinematics founder Adam Deitz was working as a medical products consultant and strategist when he learned about British researcher Dr. Alan Breen of the Anglo-European College of Chiropractic See
SPINE, Page2 3
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» State ad agencies tackle changing marketplace with innovative strategies By BECKY GILLETTE I CONTRIBUTOR mbj@msbusiness.com
Recently when Viking Range Corp. was bought by a much larger company, Middleby Corp., marketing campaigns that had been handled by the Ramey Agency were suspended. That type of merger of a Mississippi-based company with a larger company based in another state is a long-established trend that can lead to loss of work for advertising agencies based in Mississippi. Chris Ray, CEO of The Ramey Agency, said it isn’t unusual for advertising agencies to be faced with challenges like the one with Viking Range. “We went through a very similar situation in 1999 when Tommy Ramey passed away unexpectedly from complications from surgery,” Ray said. “At the same time a couple of clients, for one reason or another, were making some changes. We certainly under-
stand what it is like to regroup and move forward.” When a client either reduces spending or makes a change taking on another agency, what do ad agencies do to survive? This happens frequently not just in Mississippi, but throughout the country. Ray said there are three things their agency does: *First, they make sure they are doubling down in new business efforts to begin replacing revenue that was lost. In just one week recently, The Ramey Agency had three major business presentations. *Second, they pull out all the stops to keep a good relationship with existing clients to ensure they are continuing to meet their needs and exceed their expectations. *Third, they place a big emphasis on investing the right amount of time and energy in maintaining their internal esprit de corps.
“One thing I really like about our team at Ramey is there is a good sense of esprit de corps,” Ray said. “We help maintain that when we are going through uncertain times by making sure to communicate early and often. We celebrate when there is reason to celebrate. And we keep everyone focused on growth and the big picture.” You might hear cynicism sometimes about advertising, that it is about pitching products that people don’t really need. But Ray said he and the other Ramey employees get a lot of satisfaction from doing campaigns that are critically important such as trying to prevent teen pregnancy, and encouraging school children to be more physically active. “We also work with the Mississippi Development Authority on attracting businesses and increasing jobs,” Ray said. “It is nice to be focused on really big, important things, whether for our
regular clients or pro bono clients such as Operation Shoestring that helps 900 families in Jackson rise up to their potential in a variety of ways.” Ray said business is brisk. For example, right now the agency is working on five major video TV productions for clients. “That is exciting to see our workload and work level ramp up dramatically,” Ray said. “Everyone is juggling lots of balls, but that is what we would all prefer.” Liza Cirlot Looser, CEO, The Cirlot Agency Inc., Jackson, has seen a lot of changes in the 29 years their agency has been around. She said in the late 1990s, ad agencies in the state took a hit when quite a few large corporations in Mississippi such as Jitney Jungle, Deposit Guaranty, and others sold or merged with larger companies out of the state. See
AGENCIES, Page 16
14 I Mississippi Business Journal I April xx, 2013
ADVERTISING & PRINTING
PROFILE: MARIS WEST & BAKER
BALANCING ACT
» Agency meets its clients needs in the ever-changing world of technology By LYNN LOFTON I CONTRIBUTOR mbj@msbusiness.com
Mastering the constantly changing world of technology while balancing those changes with clients’ needs keeps the Maris West & Baker advertising agency vital. The Jackson-based agency was founded in 1970, and the Gordon Marks agency merged with it in 1990. Peter Marks, a third-generation advertising executive, is president of Maris West & Baker. “Things are changing so fast. We try to stay on top of technology to find the best solutions for our clients,” Marks said.
“We can’t use the latest technology if it doesn’t suit our clients. The bottom line is: how efficient is it for our clients?” Marks, a Jackson Ad Club Silver Medal winner like his father and grandfather, says digital technology is a matter of getting the right message to the right person at the right time with very little waste. “Digital has its place, but we will always have print, radio and television; all of it will compliment each other.” He also affirms that the agency is in the people business. “Even with changing technology we will still have face-to-face contact with
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“What made a good brand way back when is what makes a good brand now.” Tim Mask Vice president, Maris West & Baker
our clients,” he said. “We will keep clients and get new ones because they trust us. We’ve found that to be a successful formula.” Creative successes at MWB this year include the brand change of Newk’s Express Café to Newk’s Eatery with a new logo. “It’s fun to go from planning and research to a brand update as we did with Newk’s,” Marks said. “The senior staff who worked on it included Keith Fraser, Marc Leffler and Randy Lynn.” The agency won five national Addys, which Marks says is rare in Mississippi. “We’ve also done creative work with the Shack Up Inn in the Delta and have some exciting new clients in the contract phase,” he added. Branding is a large part of what the MWB team does for clients. Tim Mask has been with the agency 13 years and serves as vice president in charge of brand planning and development. He says the changing technology is making his job more interesting but harder with more clutter Marks and more channels. “Branding has always been a big part of advertising. The thing that’s changed is the way we communicate the message and attributes of branding,” he said. “What made a good brand way back when is what makes a good brand now.” The proliferation of broadband and the ever increasing access to web-based mobile devices ensures that brands must fight against many messages to be heard. “The interactive market is more accountable because it’s easier to track —
we can capture the information and track it, and we can micro target messages to audiences in a way that’s almost scary,” Mask believes. “At some point everyone is involved in it. That’s the way the industry is going. There’s been more change in the last 10 to 15 years than in the past 50 years and that’s exciting.” With mobile technology greatly used by young people, the MWB agency has its share of young people on staff. A 24 year old is in charge of social media for clients. However, Marks points out that older staff are keeping up to date with workshops and continuing education. Among the agency’s proudest moments is their work on Mississippi’s antitobacco campaign. “We were able to contribute to one of the most recognized state-run programs in the country, and we know it’s had a very positive impact and has saved money in health care costs,” Marks said. “We’re really proud of that.” They’ve also been involved in the immunization and better nutrition health care initiatives. “It’s tough to change social norms, but it makes us feel good to be a part of the effort,” Marks added. The agency made a decision to be a Mississippi agency and part of the state’s creative economy. “We think our state and all we have to offer has been a well-kept secret,” Marks said. “We have a lot of good agencies in the state, and there’s good work being created that’s cutting edge with less costs.”
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16 I Mississippi Business Journal I April 26, 2013
ADVERTISING & PRINTING
PROFILE: COAST PRINTING CO.
Printers look back and wonder how? » An emphasis on customer service has kept small business growing the last 20 years By LISA MONTI I CONTRIBUTOR mbj@msbusiness.com
When Jerry and Cindy Maddux, owners of Coast Printing Co. in Gulfport, started out 20 years ago with their new business venture, neither had worked in the printing business. Jerry Maddux had been working as a comptroller in Richmond, Va., for several years and wanted to get back home to the Coast and start his own business. A relative knew Joe Fleming, the print shop owner who had been in business since 1956. “We jumped in blind,” Cindy Maddux said of their purchase of Coast Printing in 1993. Fortunately for them, Fleming agreed to stay on board for a year and a half to help the new owners get on their feet. In the early days, Maddux wasn’t sure that was going to happen as they learned everything on the job. “There were lots of late nights, lots of tears and lots of trial and error,” she said. The shop has remained small and the owners run the business without any employees since Hurricane Katrina eroded so many small businesses like their own. “Our customer based dwindled a bit,” she said. “A lot of people just didn’t come back.” Jerry Maddux picked up the slack and made his workdays longer, Cindy Maddux said. The couple knew they weren’t going to get rich but the business “paid the bills and gave you a little comfort cushion,” Cindy Maddux said. “It got (Mr. Fleming’s) two
AGENCIES
Continued from Page 13
“Nine times out of 10 the corporation either chose an agency in its home town or in a major metro market like Chicago, New York or L.A.,” Looser said. “That created a vacuum of available work and clients. We were looking recently at an old Mississippi Business Journal from the 1980s, and there were 50 advertising agencies in the state. Every major community of the state had one. Now, many have gone out of business or have reduced staff drastically.” The advance of technology has also created less job demand. Looser said one person can do what three or four used to do in the 1970s or 1980s. The Cirlot Agency’s strategy to compete was to specialize in one area, aerospace and
daughters through college.” The duties are clearly split: She does all the prepress work and he does all the printing. “We each have our own duties and we don’t butt heads,” she said. Prepress includes typesetting and design, neither of which Maddux had done before they bought Coast Printing. “For the first three or four months, I cried every day and said we’re not going to make it, it’s too much. But we did,” she said. “When it’s your bread and butter, you do what you have to do and learn how to do it as fast as you can.” She started out with no computer experience, learning the basics of designing business cards and other products. “I had no idea how to import a piece of clipart or what copy and paste was,” she recalled.
Twenty years later, she thinks back on that learning curve and wonders, “How in the world did I survive?” Now, she says, “I’m pretty happy with some of the stuff I’m doing.” Coast Printing has been serving some of its customers since it opened. The Navy Seabee Base in Gulfport is an original customer and so are several car dealerships. The Madduxes didn’t court the Coast casinos for their printing business. Cindy Maddux said. “We didn’t put many eggs in that basket. We’ve always focused on small business. We find we like that better. You’re able to build relationships and your customer knows they can depend on you, that develops loyalty.” Contacts come and go in large corporations, she said. “One day you’re talking to
one purchasing agent and the next time, you’re talking with another.” Smaller businesses are more solid when it comes to maintaining personnel, she said. “I have built friendships with some of my customers,” she said. Coast Printing counts construction companies, trucking companies and medical clinics among their long-standing customers. “It’s a good range of different businesses,” she said. Printing products include letterhead, forms, business cards, brochures, labels, various sizes of envelopes and basic copies. For all of the publishing software and apps now available to consumers who want to do their own brochures, Maddux said it’s not keeping everyone out of the print shop. “They may attempt it but they get so frustrated,” she said. “The printers run out of ink so quickly, and most people just don’t know what it’s all about.” Many end up with computer files that need to be reworked by experienced typesetters and designers before they can be printed, she said. In the future, Maddux said, digital printing will dominate the industry. “For people who want low volume and quick turnover, digital is going to take over every time.” Maddux likes to point out that Coast Printing is a basic print shop whose main focus is on their customers. “We’re a small business that believes in doing the very best we can to make our customers happy and keep them happy. We know what being a small business is.”
defense, and open an office in Washington, D.C. “In order to grow a business long term, you are going to have to step outside of the state of Mississippi and look at clients on a regional, national and global basis,” Looser said. “There is a of talent in Mississippi, and there is a ton of business out there. But being from Mississippi is a little bit of a hindrance because you aren’t from New York or Washington. Our opening an office in Washington has made a big difference in how easy it is to get in front of prospects. We do as much work as we possibly can in Mississippi. But if you want to grow an ad agency, you are going to have to go outside of Mississippi because we don’t have the multiple million dollar clients that we used to have.” Lance Hopkins, professor of marketing practice at the University of Southern Mississippi/Gulf Coast, said mechanization
that means far fewer people are needed to produce advertising campaigns is just one way that technology changes have impacted ad agencies. “The fundamentals of advertising are still about the same, but what is interesting to me is all the media fragmentation,” Hopkins said. “It used to be you had three major television networks and PBS. Now you have all the cable stations, plus you have the issue with all the technology that allows people to record programs, and watch them later fast forwarding through commercials.” That makes it hard to tell how many people are watching the commercials, and makes companies purchasing TV ads uneasy. “The other big issue is all the Internet advertising,” Hopkins said. “I’m not seeing how you accurately measure the effectiveness of Internet advertising. If an ad pops up on me, I get aggravated. I don’t go to the
Internet to look at advertising. I go there for a specific reason.” With the advent of the Internet, newspaper readership and advertising are down significantly, yet the costs keep going up. Hopkins said it is hard to tell clients that they need to pay more money to reach fewer people. “How do you think that goes over?” Hopkins said. “But that is the reality.” Hopkins thinks small and large ad agencies in the state are doing well. The small agencies often have a good niche in their market, and a lot of the largest agencies in the state do really good, creative work that keeps them profitable. It is the mid-sized agencies that might struggle the most. “The big boys don’t want to go after the small advertising contracts,” he said. “But if they are mid sized, the big boys can come after them pretty readily.”
“For the first three or four months, I cried every day and said we’re not going to make it, it’s too much. But we did.” Cindy Maddux Coast Printing Co., in Gulfport
COMMERCIAL PRINTERS
April 26, 2013
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ADVERTISING AGENCIES
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NEWSMAKERS
April 26, 2013
Profiles of growing young professionals in Mississippi
Nonprofit seats board Seven community leaders were recently selected to serve on the board of directors for United Way of Southeast Mississippi. The new board members are Jana Bryant of Georgia-Pacific Leaf River Cellulose; Mary Moore Conville, attorney; Terrell Grindle of Nicholson & Company; Nicole Jones of After School Academics and Arts Program; Sarah Newton of Albert & Associates; Willie Sims, CPA; and, Leigh Ann Underwood of Southern Bone and Joint Specialists. The board’s executive committee is made up of Susan Slaughter of Hattiesburg Clinic, board president; Russ Hendley of Hattiesburg Coca-Cola Bottling Company, campaign chair; Billy Browning of Mississippi Power Company, Pacesetter/assistant campaign chair; Karen Griffis of Regions Mortgage, secretary/treasurer and finance chair; Susan Yarrow of Hattiesburg Clinic, funds distribution committee chair; Nancy Carpenter of Forrest General Hospital Home Care and Hospice, communications chair; Jason Lee of Mississippi Power Company, community impact chair; Mike Pasquale, audit committee chair; Troy Daniels of Forrest General Hospital, personnel committee chair; and, John Griffith of Regions Bank, past board president. Other members currently serving on the board are Allen Anderson, Anderson Design Center; James Bacchus, Hattiesburg Public Schools; Julia Brown, Pine Belt Mental Healthcare Resources; Clyde Bryant, State Farm Insurance; Sam Buchanan, Mississippi Center for Legal Services; Dave Bush, The First; Nadine Coleman, Petal School District; Andrew Ellard, City of Hattiesburg; Tracie Fowler, Hattiesburg American; Roman Galey, SouthGroup Insurance; Bill Granberry, Richton Bank and Trust; Mary Dayne Gregg, retired; Dr. Eddie Holloway, The University of Southern Mississippi; Wren Hood, Hood Companies; Dr. Scott Hummel, William Carey University; Becky Hurston, Lamar County Schools; Mike Neuendorf, Wesley Medical Center; Gene Owens, Owens Business Machines; Mike Ratliff, Johnson, Hall and Ratliff law firm; Janice Robinson, Southeast Mississippi Rural Health Initiative; Marcus Robinson, Magnolia State Bank; Wes Rouse, BancorpSouth; Kemi Simmons, Grand Bank for Savings; Joe Stevens, Wise, Carter, Child & Carraway law firm; Greg Thrash, Johnson Controls, Inc.; Richard Topp, Nicholson & Company; Dave Ware, Hattiesburg City Council; Jim Wild, Regions Bank; Valencia Williamson, Area Development Partnership; and, Dora Willis, community volunteer.
Firm in Jackson, King specializes in intellectual property, negotiating, copyrights and trademarks. In addition to representing a pantheon of musical artists, King serves as in-house counsel and manager for Blackberry Records and Terminal Recording Studios and has helped produce four Grammy-sponsored music events, including three in Mississippi that were hosted by former Gov. Haley Barbour. “When you are feverishly chasing your dreams, it seems as if it totally absorbs your identity. It is a mission,” King advises young professionals. “If you don't live, breathe, dream about, pray, cry, suffer and surround yourself in the lifestyle, you will never make it to the professional league.”
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Best thing about Mississippi: “It most certainly is the birthplace of America's music as well as having some of the most kind-hearted people known to man.” Best Mississippi event: Grammy Legacy Event Favorite Mississippi food: Greens and cornbread First job ever: Concession restaurant worker at Waterland Waterpark Favorite Music Genre: Hip hop Favorite TV Show: “Celebrity Ghost Stories” Favorite Movie: “Road to Perdition” Twitter: @KamelKingEnt
— By Stephen McDill
Read the full biography at www.msbusiness.com
Brown takes award
Six enter Hall Pearl River Community College has inducted six outstanding alumni into the Lifetime Achievement Hall of Fame. The PRCC honorees are: entrepreneur L.D. “Brink” Brinkman of Kerrville, Texas; retired bank officer Verlene Cole of Oak Grove; former Mississippi Insurance Commissioner George Dale of Clinton; retired petroleum geologist Floyd Furr of Picayune; businessman Mickey Hudson of Ellisville; and, retired FDIC executive Louis A. Hurst Jr. of Houston, Texas.
Mississippi Business Journal
Age: 33 Entertainment Attorney, Frascogna & Courtney Law Firm
Keeping our eye on... KAMEL KING You could literally say that Kamel King was born into the entertainment industry. The son of a James Brown promoter, Kamel King grew up behind-the-scenes of the music industry, a business that King calls a “living, breathing and evolving creature.” “Even in my off time, I surround myself with music and musicrelated events, checking out new artists and being around event and music production,” King says. After graduating from Murrah High School, King attended Tougaloo College on a full academic scholarship studying political science and international relations. He worked for U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson before earning a law degree from Mississippi College School of Law. As an entertainment lawyer for Frascogna & Courtney Law
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Brinkman
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Furr
Hudson
Hurst
Clark serving on committee McCrary joins staff Circuit Judge Roger Clark of Gulfport has been appointed to serve on the State Drug Courts Advisory Committee. State lawmakers established the advisory committee in 2003 to recommend drug court policies and procedures. Clark, a native of Iuka, has practiced law more than 40 years, including 32 years as an attorney with the a Gulfport law firm.
Association recognizes staff Two Mississippi State University employees are the 2013 honorees of the university's Student Association. The recognitions by were presented at the student government organization's recent year-end banquet. Bill Broyles, assistant vice president for student affairs, received the Friend of the Student Association Award for his continuing efforts to help guide student government leaders in financial and budgetary matters, among other key areas. David Garraway, MSU TV Center/University Relations Office video program manager, received the Donna M. Maykowski Friend of the Student Award for achievements in documenting and broadcasting SA-organized events and programs via campus and other media.
Hattiesburg Clinic Spine Center recently welcomed Elizabeth B. McCrary, CNP, as a nurse practitioner. McCrary obtained a bachelor of science in nursing from the University of Southern Mississippi. She earned a master of science in nursing from University of Alabama at Birmingham. McCrary is a member of the American Nurses’ Association, the Mississippi Nurses’ Association and American Association of McCrary Nurse Practitioners.
Greene quickly hired The Greenwood School Board has hired Montrell Greene as the new superintendent and pressed him into service immediately when interim superintendent Jennifer Wilson resigned recently. Wilson had been serving as interim superintendent since the departure of Margie Pulley in the summer of 2012. Wilson was a candidate for the superintendent's job. Greene previously led the Cleveland and East Jasper County school districts. For the past five years, he has been the president and CEO of a consulting firm that specializes in professional development and motivational services.
Brandon L. Brown, CCIM, of T. L. Brown Properties, Jackson, has been named a 2012 CoStar Power Broker by CoStar Group Inc. This annual award recognizes distinguished professionals in commercial real estate brokerage by highlighting the achievements of the U.S. firms and individual brokers who closed the highest transaction volumes in commercial property sales or leases in 2012 in their respective markets. Brown Brown qualified as one of the top commercial brokers in Jackson in the categories of Top Sales Brokers, Top Office Leasing Brokers and Top Industrial Leasing Brokers, based on the total transactions he closed during the year. In order to be selected for this honor, Brown was evaluated against other commercial real estate brokers active in the region by CoStar Group, and subsequently ranked among the top brokers in the market. In addition, T.L. Brown Properties was recognized as a top firm in the Top Leasing Firms and Top Sales Firms categories for the Jackson market. Brown, a broker, has been with T.L. Brown Properties since 2002. He is a member of Mississippi Commercial Association of Realtors, National Association of Realtors, Agricultural, Commercial & Industrial Brokers Association and Mississippi Chapter CCIM. Brown lives in Madison with wife, Christi, and daughter, Adeline.
Firm welcomes Wylie Beard + Riser Architects, PLLC recently welcomed Katherine Wylie, intern architect. A native of Ocean Springs, Wylie is a 2010 graduate of Mississippi State University. She brings valuable experience to Beard + Riser, including previous positions with Pryor-Morrow Architects and Engineers and Allred Architectural Group. In addition, she served for six months as a volunteer designer for the Gulf Coast Heritage Trails PartWylie nership, developing a proposal for a three-mile public greenway.
For announcements in Newsmakers; Contact: Wally Northway (601) 364-1016 • wally.northway@msbusiness.com
20 I Mississippi Business Journal I April 26, 2013 SMALL BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT: Light and Sound
Meridian Mashup » Music group brings dubstep, EDM to Queen City By STEPHEN McDILL I STAFF WRITER stephen.mcdill@msbusiness.com
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“We were there first to play dubstep in Meridian,” Hall says. “It has so much energy to it. It makes you want to dance. I was into heavy rock and metal but just got tired of that.” Cherry met Light and Sound in 2011 as he was starting his own side career as a club dancer. The Virginia Beach, Va., native says he got
rmed with headphones and turntables, the modern DJ (or deejay) industry has really jumped off since the days of Studio 54 and Grandmaster Flash. Today’s deejays have become a fixture of the electronic dance music (EDM) industry and a select few have even made six-figure salaries mixing house music in clubs and on albums all over the world. The music group Light and Sound has been hitting nightspots in Meridian, Hattiesburg and Birmingham, Ala., for just over a year turning a unique hobby into a Sam McGee Mark Cherry small business and making sure Mississippi and Cameron Hall Alabama aren’t immune to this new infestation of digital music. World’s Highest-Paid DJs Consisting of deejay Cameron Hall, lighting “I’ll have them queued in my headphones where I can hear it but Tiesto $22 million hooked on dancing in high school watch- the crowd can’t hear it,” Hall says. specialist Sam McGee and hip hop dancer Mark Skrillex $15 million ing “America’s Best Dance Crew.” Cherry (aka Phantom), Light and Sound was part With little formal training, McGee stands on stage along with Hall Cherry began dancing publicly while at- controlling the lights in a freestyle way and helping as master of cereSwedish House Mafia $14 million of the entertainment roster at the inaugural Mistending Meridian Community College and monies and crowd pumper. The two musicians grew up together and sissippi Young Professionals Summit last week at David Guetta $13 million uploaded plenty of video samples on the MSU Riley Center in downtown Meridian. McGee is quick to point out that they can actually play instruments Steve Aoki $12 million YouTube, patterning his moves off of “Usually you’ll go some place and they’ll give (Hall prefers electric and acoustic guitar). Deadmau5 $11 million Michael Jackson and Usher. His ability the DJ a set list and say play these songs,” says “A lot of people diss DJs because they think they’re just standing DJ Pauly D $11 million caught the attention of MeloSounds.com there,” McGee says. “Most lighting guys, they are off in a corner so McGee. “There’s no artistic element about that.” Kaskade $10 million and Cherry became the first American pro- they can see everything but I’m right on stage. If something comes After donning glow-in-the-dark masks for Afrojack $9 million filed by the British online magazine. added effect, Light and Sound pulls off a fourunplugged I’m right there to fix it. Its really fast-paced and you just Avicii $7 million “Mark brings a different element to it all. have to stay focused — have to be more on top of it.” hour sensory explosion that covers popular EDM Source: Forbes.com It really helps and he enjoys the attention groups like Daft Punk and Schoolboy and exMcGee says matching color with sound is a creative process and too,” McGee says. plores growing subgenres of electronic music takes a good helping of imagination. Often he will listen to a song sevWhile Cherry dances, Hall is able to transform measures from any eral times and study color wheels until the right colors pop into his like dubstep, glitch and trap. They make between $400-500 a night percussive song into an otherworldly opus with underwater and independing on the size of the crowd. mind. Often he will start out with a solid color, making the light strobe dustrial tones all with the flick of a switch using a MacBook Pro laptop at the same beat per minute as the song. More lights are brought in as Dubstep, which began in London dance clubs in the early 2000s, has since been popularized by DJs like Sonny Moore and Joel Zimmer- and Traktor Pro beat mapping program. the tempo builds and crescendos to an imminent release that the inMost dubstep has an average of 140 beats per minute and the soft- dustry calls a bass drop. man, better known by their stage names Skrillex and Deadmau5 (“dead mouse”) while the highly dissonant glitch and trap music was ware allows Hall to synchronize songs based on theirs tempos insur“Its just really up to us and where we want to take it,” McGee says ing a smooth transition from one movement to the next. He also has a about their future. “Without having our own music it could be hard.” featured in this year’s “Harlem Shake” viral videos. Forbes magazine included Moore and Zimmerman on their recent timecoded vinyl turntable that he uses for scratching and sampling, “We’re slowly working towards that,” Hall says. “That’s our goal is often play fragments of old classics like Aretha Franklin in the middle to put out original music so we can get farther out there.” list of the world’s highest-paid DJs along with Scandinavian trio of his songs. Swedish House Mafia and “Jersey Shore” TV star Pauly D. Right now they say their brains are hurting after every show. Photo by Reggie Thomas
“Light and Sound” is a Meridian-based dubstep/techno DJ group featuring (left to right) Cameron Hall, Sam McGee and Mark Cherry.
April 26, 2013
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» MISSISSIPPI LEADERS by Martin Willoughby
Showing respect Flynt leads AT&T Mississippi by enjoying both work and workers
T
here is a new movie titled 42 on at the theaters about the life of Jackie Robinson, who was the first African American to play Major League Baseball. In the face of great resistance to this groundbreaking feat, Robinson said, “I'm not concerned with your liking or disliking me... All I ask is that you respect me as a human being." At our core, we all want to be treated with respect. Too often, leaders ignore this reality and treat others as if they are cogs in a machine rather than valuable team members. I find that successful leaders demonstrate and model respect for others. Mayo Flynt, president of AT&T Mississippi, is one of those leaders who models respect. After graduating from the University of Mississippi, Flynt moved to Washington D.C. He said, “This move made me get out of my comfort zone.” In his very first job, there was a 75 percent annual turnover and terrible work environment. Flynt learned from this experience the value of enjoying co-workers and working with people you
Up Close With ... R. Mayo Flynt III Title: President, AT&T Mississippi Favorite Books: Divine Conspiracy by Dallas Willard; In the Sanctuary of Outcasts by Neil White; Every Good Endeavor by Tim Keller First Job: “Newspaper carrier for the Clarion-Ledger; ice cream scooper at Swensen’s restaurant” Proudest Moment as a Leader: “When AT&T launched UVerse in Mississippi. It was a brand new product, involved every aspect of the company and encapsulated a whole new market. ” Hobbies/Interests: “Spending time with my family — wife and two daughters — music, and spending time in the Grove. ”
respect and that respect you. He shared, “That experience also taught me to make sure that you enjoy your job — you want to wake up excited to go to work.” His next job was with Sen. Thad Cochran. He noted, “Working in D.C. challenged me as an individual and exposed me to a whole new world.” He shared about Sen. Cochran, “I saw that people wanted to work for him because they saw that he was a respectful man to work for, and he treated
his staffers as individuals and with thoughtfulness.” Flynt went on to work for BellSouth where his father worked for over 30 years. In January of 2007, Flynt was named president of AT&T Mississippi. In this role, he is responsible for AT&T’s operations in Mississippi including external affairs, regulatory affairs and public policy. Flynt shared, “In my role at AT&T, I try to listen and get input from my team on the challenges that we are facing as a company.”
“I try to listen and get input from my team on the challenges that we are facing as a company.” R. Mayo Flynt III
He believes that when you show respect for others by listening to their opinion then you get the best results. He also believes in not only delegating responsibility but also empowering his team Martin Willoughby with the authority to make decisions. Flynt strives to create a collaborative team environment. He learned from his mentors to be an encourager and to seek the advice of others. He said, “I was allowed to do my own thing. They didn’t necessarily tell me what to do. They would coach me through tough situations. They were supportive of my organization and my group.” Flynt’s leadership philosophy also involves the Golden Rule. He said, “I come in the office every day and treat others the same way that I want to be treated.” Flynt’s father taught him that work should be “fun, enjoyable, challenging.” He subscribes to that philosophy, and he seeks to help others enjoy what they are doing. He tells his team members, “If there is a way that I can make their job better — tell me.” Flynt also shows respect to his team members by getting out of the office and walking around to visit with them. This is a great practice for leaders. As the saying goes, “People don’t care what you know until they know that you care.” Leaders like Flynt know that they can show that they care by showing respect, listening to others, and being interested in their lives. Martin Willoughby, a business consultant in Jackson, is a regular contributing columnist for the Mississippi Business Journal. Willoughby can be reached at martin.willoughby@ butlersnow.com.
President, AT&T Mississippi
Enjoy English wit and adventure with Aunt Augusta
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he late English writer Graham Greene was a true wordsmith who could turn a simple phrase into a magical sentence. In Travels with My Aunt he is in good form and at his most entertaining. It’s humorous in the dry-English-wit style. I’m a fan of Greene’s writing but had missed this book until recently. The author said of this book, “It’s the only book I have written for the fun of it.” It’s the story of retired bank manager Henry Pulling who meets his aunt for the first time at his mother’s (her sister’s) funeral. She shocks him with family secrets and with the details of her colorful life and persuades him to travel with her. Thus, Pulling’s ordered, mundane, quiet life becomes enmeshed with travel, drugs, war criminals, the CIA, hippies and other experiences he’s never had. Much of the subject matter is not humorous on the surface
>> Travels with My Aunt By Graham Greene Published by Penquin Books $16.00 softback
— his mother’s funeral, the stealing of her ashes which are mixed with pot when returned to Pulling, a police investigation, and all manner of mishaps — but Greene’s keen wit and wording keep the plot rolling along. It’s a style described by the French as grim grin. Aunt Augusta is one of those irrepressible souls who trips merrily through life even though she’s in and out of scandal and
calamity. She has had an illustrious past and at age 75 is still intent on having more — often to Henry Pulling’s dismay. She’s described as “wise in experience and years but gloriously foolish in all things the English traditionally face with severe prudence.” Greene’s long life nearly spanned the 20th century. He is counted as one of England’s greatest novelists. He has many novels to his credit; among them The Third Man, The Quiet American, The End of the Affair, Our Man in Havana and The Human Factor. He was named a Companion of Honour and received the Order of Merit and many other awards. Several of his books were made into movies — notably The Third Man and The Quiet American.
“It’s the only book I have written for the fun of it.”
— Lynn Lofton, mbj@msbusiness.com
Graham Greene Author
22 I Mississippi Business Journal I April 26, 2013
—Interview by Clay Chandler
RUSSELL TURLEY, President, Phoenix Club of Jackson
Raising funds & hope Turley’s group looks to impact young people
R
ussell Turley is president of the Phoenix Club of Jackson, which started in 2007 and raises money for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Central Mississippi.
Q — How did the Phoenix Club get started? A — As a result of experiences with the original Phoenix Club in Memphis, a group of young professionals (Brad Reeves, Bo Zimmerman, Travis Ezelle and Micajah Sturdivant) decided to replicate the mission in Mississippi. Strong Phoenix Clubs have recently been created in Nashville and Birmingham as Memphis Phoenicians relocated and hoped to recreate the club in new cities. Boys and Girls Clubs are generally located in sites where a large percentage of its support base doesn’t live or work. Building awareness about this worthwhile organization across the greater community is critical to its sustainability. Ask any business leader in the City of Memphis who the Phoenix Club of Memphis is, and not only will most of them know the organization, but they will state that they were proud to be a part of it when they were starting out in their careers, serve on a Boys and Girls Clubs board or have their business support the mission today. One of our recent lunch speakers was Jim Barksdale, former Phoenix Club of Memphis member. Q — What’s the club’s mission? And how does it carry out that mission? A — “To significantly impact the direction of our community’s youth by raising funds in a social setting that challenges young professional men to be community leaders.” The Phoenix Club of Jackson raises money and awareness for the wonderful kids at the Boys and Girls Clubs of Central Mississippi through various social events, a Holiday Greeting Card Campaign, Birdies for Charity and monthly business lunches. Joining the club offers a myriad of benefits, including meeting great friends, building business relationships with the city's movers, shakers and leaders, and attending events like cocktail parties, business lunches and golf outings. Today, the club includes roughly 60 men between the ages of 25-35 each committed to this mission. Q — What led to the decision to support the Boys and Girls Clubs of Central Mississippi? A — Our by-laws demand it. It is the only organization that we can provide funds to because we, like the other Southeastern organizations, recognize the need and opportunities we can provide. Q — How much has been raised since the club started in 2007? A — Our goal was to raise $120,000 by 2012 — and we did. (The club has raised a total of ) over $150,000 in five years. For a start-up 501(c)3, we are pleased with our performance, but recognize that there is so much more we can do both for awareness and dollars generated for the kids. We are fortunate to work with a great executive director at the Boys and Girls Clubs of Central Mississippi, Billy Redd, who recognizes the long-term impact the Phoenix Club of Jackson can provide. Today, we are members of the Phoenix Club. In our 40s, we are board members of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Central Mississippi. In our 50s, we are business leaders making civic-supporting decisions. In our retirement, we are thinking about estate planning and the good that support for BGCCM would provide. Q — What’s the club’s latest fundraising target? A — We hope to raise $45,000 this year. Visit our website (www.phoenixclubofjackson.com) to learn more about this organization and see if someone in your business might already be serving the kids of our greater Jackson community. If you don’t have someone on our roster, find out how to get them to be a part of the momentum that we recognize.
Photo by Stephen McDill/MBJ
More on Turley: Must have Mississippi food: Julep fried chicken sandwich Favorite movie: Jerry Maguire Last book read: Open (Andre Agassi's autobiography) Website: www.phoenixclubofjackson.com Twitter: @PCoJackson Facebook: www.facebook.com/PhoenixClubofJackson
Q — What kind of events does the club hold to raise money? A — We have two annual fundraising events. The first of which is Speakeasy Soiree, a 1920s-themed event, held in January. The second is Seersucker and Sombrero’s, a joint celebration of the Kentucky Derby and Cinco de Mayo, held in May. These events are very important to not only raise money, but to raise awareness in the community about what we do. For more information please see our website, Facebook page and Twitter page. Q — When is the next such event? A — Seersucker and Sombrero’s will be held on Saturday, May 5 at River Hills Club from 2-8 p.m. Tickets are $30 in advance and $40 on the day of the event. Tickets can be purchased from any member, or by visiting our website.
» See the complete unabridged interview with TURLEY at www.msbusiness.com/blog/category/q-a/
SALES MOVES
April 26, 2013
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Mississippi Business Journal
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23
» JEFFREY GITOMER
LinkedIn is great for business – er, I mean SMART business. I am NOT a LinkedIn expert, but I do have more than 15,000 LinkedIn connections. Do you? I may have more visibility and notoriety than you do, but we are equal in exposure and linking possibilities. And 98.5 percent of my LinkedIn connections are the result of people wanting to connect with me. I do not accept everyone. I click on everyone’s profile before connection. Many are impressive. Most are average or less. Some are pathetic. How’s yours? How many connections do you have? How are you communicating with your connections? How are your connections helping your sales or your career? Your LinkedIn profile is one more social media image. And you choose exactly what it is. When others search for you on Google, LinkedIn is one of the first links they click on. You have a chance to make a positive business and social impression. THE GOOD: When I realized the business significance of LinkedIn, I immediately sought professional help. I hired Joe Soto at One Social Media to help me with the keywords, layout, and what to include on my profile page. He also recommended what and how to post. It must be working. In the two years since I hired him, I have added more than 9,000 organic connections. Or should I say, more than 9,000 potential customers. Huge opportunity. At an acquisition cost of ZERO. REALITY OF LINKEDIN: I receive requests to link and I also get messages. Some are very nice, some are self-serving, some are insincere, and some are stupid (very stupid). And ALL messages
MENTAL
are a reflection of the person sending them. That would be you. Here are some THINGS about LinkedIn to make you think, re-think, and act: » Your picture is NOT an option. Show a professional, but approachable, image. Be proud of who you are. » Have a LinkedIn profile that gives me insight, not just history. Not just what you’ve done, but also who you are. Your profile is your pathway to connection. » DANGER: DO NOT USE stock LinkedIn messages. It shows your laziness, lack of creativity, and overall lack of professionalism. Standard LinkedIn messages need to be replaced with your own. EVERY TIME. » If you’re looking for a job, or working a lead, tell me WHY I should connect. (Where’s the value?) » If you’re looking for leads, use the keyword feature (rather than the job title option) in the “advanced search” link to the right of the search box. It’s free, and you’ll find hundreds of people in your industry or in your backyard that you never knew existed. » Why are sending me an e-card on Easter? I’m Jewish, not a good move. Three words to ask yourself with any message you send or post: WHERE’S THE VALUE? E-cards are a total waste, unless it’s family. » If you’re asking me (or people) to join your group, TELL ME WHY I SHOULD. » If you’re asking me to connect you with a 2nd level connection, DON’T. The only way to ask is from 1st to 1st. And tell me in a sentence or two WHY you want to connect.
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Heritage Awards presented by the Mississippi Heritage Trust. The restorations of the L.Q.C. Lamar House and of the Lafayette County Courthouse both earned Heritage Awards of Excellence. The Thompson House renovation won a Heritage Award of Merit. The Burns Church stabilization won an Award of Excellence in African American Preservation. All four of the buildings are located in Oxford. So, with this experience and knowledge and after doing his homework, Howorth says he is not overly stressed over working on an iconic design of one of the most noted architects of all time. “There’s nothing new about the Pinecote Pavilion project in that area,” he said. “You just want to make sure you understand the designer’s original intent. That is true of all work such as that at the Pavilion.” However, he has been commissioned to be another project at the Crosby Arboretum, and he admits that has caused a little bit of the jitters. “I am also designing the new Education Center at the Arboretum,” Howorth said. “So, my design is going to be in the same vicinity as E. Fay Jones’ Pinecote Pavilion. Now, that is a little stressful.”
SPINE
» Asking for a recommendation or endorsement is BAD. If you’re asking your connections for a recommendation: DON’T. It is perhaps the dumbest, rudest thing on LinkedIn. Think about it, you’re asking people to “please stop what Jeffrey Gitomer you’re doing and tell me about ME.” Two words: GO AWAY. If you have to ask, it’s probably because you don’t deserve. Think about that. » Don’t tell me you “found something interesting” in your group message, especially if the link is to join your MLM down-line or attend your “free” webinar. » Allocate 30-60 minutes a day to utilize this vital business social media asset. THE BAD and THE UGLY: Here are some examples of MESSAGES and INVITES I have received on LinkedIn. Hopefully they’ll make you think, rethink, and act… BAD: Hi Jeffrey, My name is ---- with ----, a leading ---- provider that helps organizations connect with their customers through email, mobile, and social networks. I would like to connect about a potential partnership to help Buy Gitomer, Inc. increase their interactive marketing ROI. This is a typical self-serving (and deleted) message. Why not give me a tip, and ask if I’d like more like it? And stop using dead sales words like “ROI,” and “helps organizations.” Help me, don’t sell me.
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(AECC) and Breen’s patent on a piece of hardware that helped with spine tests. “(Dr. Breen) had invented it and patented it but that was all,” Deitz says. The Dallas-born UT Austin electrical engineering graduate negotiated with the AECC board of directors for the rights to the technology. While the core of the device remains the same it has been rebuilt and re-engineered, with Ortho Kinematics filing six additional patents since Breen’s original one in 2002. “We have nationally and internationally sole rights to any device that controls motion of any joint in the body during any formatted image,” Gunnoe says. “Nobody can image any joint in a controlled motion in the body without violating our patents.” Resembling the undercarriage and blade cover of a riding lawnmower when its in storage, the Ortho Kinematics VMA machine can stand vertically or be laid horizontally on an exam table where it slowly flexes patients that are strapped in, bending them a few degrees at the hips in any direction. The machine is hooked to a computer monitor where proprietary software displays the rendered images, their range of motion and additional points of interest along the spinal column. Dietz says the next steps for Ortho Kinematics are looking for more investment partners and developing evidence through clinical studies that would reset guidelines to include
DUMB: Hi All, As I continue to work on building my network, can I ask that you do me a huge favor and endorse me here on LinkedIn? I would be more than happy to return the favor and endorse you as well. Thank you for your support! (name withheld to avoid public embarrassment) Scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours. Give me a break. Spare me. Beg someone else. BAD AND DUMB: I got this in my message box (I get a few like this every week) (subject line) Your Opinion please. (name withheld) Supplier Business Executive If you’re hoping for an endorsement or a recommendation on LinkedIn, or anywhere, here’s the two-word mantra: EARN IT! LinkedIn is the business social media site of today AND tomorrow. Harness its power, do not abuse its options, and you will reap its rewards. Jeffrey Gitomer is the author of “The Sales Bible”, “Customer Satisfaction is Worthless” “Customer Loyalty is Priceless”, “The Little Red Book of Selling”, “The Little Red Book of Sales Answers”, “The Little Black Book of Connections”, “The Little Gold Book of YES! Attitude”, “The Little Green Book of Getting Your Way”, “The Little Platinum Book of ChaChing”, “The Little Teal Book of Trust”, “The Little Book of Leadership”, and “Social BOOM!” His website, www.gitomer.com, will lead you to more information about training and seminars, or email him personally at salesman@gitomer.com.
the new tests. “The technology has every characteristic it needs to become the new standard of care for the type of testing that we do,” he says. While he continues to drive financing and business models for Ortho Kinematics and its VMA tests, Gunnoe says he’s happy Mississippi is taking advantage of Texas’ booming medical economy. “It’s my backyard and I’m going to make sure we’re taken care of,” he says.
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