MBJ_Aug25_2017 by Journal Inc

INSIDE — Mississippi’s July Unemployment numbers — Page 7 RETAILING

www.msbusiness.com

August 25, 2017 • Vo. 39. No. 34 • 20 pages

MADISON

Instacart brings home delivery of groceries to metro Jackson — Page 3

MBJ FOCUS

Courtesy of Wooldridge Architecture/MBJ

A preliminary rendering of the Georgia Blue restaurant.

Technology {Section begins P10} » Privacy in wired hospitals » Entrepreneur in Residence offering valuable assistance to startups

{The List P14} » Internet Service Providers

REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK {P2} » Book festival brings together thousands for solitary passion

Baptist property continues mixed-use expansion By JACK WEATHERLY jack.weatherly@msbusiness.com

The southeast quadrant at the intersection of Mississippi 463 and Highland Colony Parkway in Madison was originally envisioned as a second medical campus for

Mississippi Baptist Health Systems. But the 60-acre site bordered on the east by Interstate 55 has evolved into a mixed-use development – still with the possibility of a hospital being built there – according to a Baptist spokesman Michael Stevens.

“We still have 15 to 20 acres we’re holding maybe for a hospital . . . some time in the distant future,” Stevens said in an interview. That green space has been where the C

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

See EXPANSION, Page 2

2 Q Mississippi Business Journal Q August 25, 2017 REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK

Book festival brings together thousands for solitary passion

he Mississippi Book Festival is held before the thunder of college football season just about drowns out everything else that is good in the state. Thousands packed the rooms of the state Capitol on Saturday for the third annual event celebrating the solitary passion of writing and reading. The sounds of music and smells of cooking emanating from the encampment of white pavilions where authors signed and sold their creations were spread by a breeze suggesting that rain was again in the offing. But the showers held off and nature served to promote the “literary lawn party” with its 41 indoor events – up from 32 last year – mostly panel discussions, not including those for children. Organizers said in an email that “a little more than 6,400 people attended the 45 panels and activities on Saturday. Anoth-

er 2,000 students participated in festival events on Friday with children and teen authors, with more than 1,100 books given away.” John Evans, owner of Lemuria Books in Jackson, which stocked books by panelists, said the festival had a broader draw this year – with families and cyclists and “a lot of people just checking it out.” But the “official” measure of the event again proved that you can’t get to one of these venues too early. The line to the “Conversation With Richard Ford” had stretched from Room 113 on the east end of the Capitol stretched beyond the Rotunda as time was at hand. Asked if he thought he would be able to squeeze in, a young man toward the end of the long line said he hoped so with a smile. Later, he was asked if he had made it to hear the Jackson native and Pulitzer prize-winning novelist. He said he had,

EXPANSION

Continued from, Page 1

Jack Weatherly

even though he hadn’t read any of his books. “I just wanted to hear him.” You know you’re in Mississippi when you see a man wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with the North American Sniper Championship held in Southaven. And you realize Mississippi when you enter the world of Larry Brown, the Oxford fire captain whose gritty fictional portrayal of everyday people gained him international fame before his untimely death at 53. Brown encouraged aspiring writers by telling of the endless rejections he endured. One writer, Jerry File Jr., who can’t yet pack a room, packed his small satchel with copies of his first novel, “Meet John Black,” and said he had an appointment with someone about a second book. Plans have already been set for the second edition of “The Mississippi Encyclopedia,” which was published in May after 14 years in the making. The massive book, with more than 1,400 entries, will be published online next year, said Ted Ownby, senior co-editor with Charles Reagan Wilson. Which means, for example, that a Confederate general who was left out when push came to shove will be restored, Ownby said. Mississippi is, of course, celebrating its 200th anniversary of statehood this year, making the tome timely. History married to fiction always stands to be timely. And so I chose Historical Fiction over Richard Ford, both of which occurred at the same time, a factor that makes festivalgoers’ pick all the more important. One of the Historical Fiction panelists was Steve Yates, assistant director and marketing director for the University Press of Mississippi. His latest novel is “The Legend of the Albino Farm” set in his native Missouri Ozarks. He said that fiction can “fill in the blanks” in history. Sometimes surprisingly so, he suggested. A descendant of the family on whom the book is based confirmed that its story line was pretty much matched historical fact. » Contact Mississippi Business Journal staff writer Jack Weatherly at jack.weatherly@msbusiness.com or (601) 364-1016.

Spire Live! country-music concerts have been held for the past couple of years, said Stevens, executive director of Mississippi marketing and development for Baptist Memorial Healthcare, which was formed by a merger of Baptist Health Systems in Jackson and Baptist Memorial Healthcare in Memphis earlier this year. “So it could be a medical campus with these commercial developments as a synergistic mixed-use type development. “We’ve owned the property since about 2005,” Stevens said. Initially, “we looked at this as a second medical campus, but as time has rolled on” it has developed as a mixed-use site, Stevens said The Baptist office building was the ﬁrst to be erected, that being in 2007. The Madison Healthplex Performance Center, which opened in 2014, draws “upwards of 2,000 people a day” which is attractive to commercial developers, Stevens said. It is a joint venture between Baptist Memorial Healthcare and Mississippi Sports Medicine and Orthopaedic Center. The next to join the lineup will be a 5,000-square-foot building to be built by C Spire and will include a Starbucks. Others under construction are an 11,000-12,000-square-foot Georgia Blue restaurant and a 6,600-square-foot Primos restaurant. C Spire will move on Main Street in Madison to the 463-I-55 site, where it will occupy 3,500 square feet, leaving the rest for Starbucks. Gary Cress of The Cress Group is building the Primos restaurant, which will be the third under that name in metro Jackson, and Georgia Blue. A 125-guest-room Marriott Courtyard is under construction, being built by the Kerioth Corp. A lot north of the Walgreen’s will be the site of a branch of Hattiesburg-based First Bank, though probably not in the next year, Stevens said.

August 25, 2017

Mississippi Business Journal

RETAIL

Instacart brings home delivery of groceries to metro Jackson

By JACK WEATHERLY jack.weatherly@msbusiness.com

The days of home delivery of dairy products were long gone till megachains recently found a way to make use of an expanded version of that old business model. One of the latest delivery systems, Instacart, will start working in the Jackson area on Thursday, servicing customers of Kroger, Petco and Whole Foods. Kroger said in May that it would test delivery using Uber, the ride-sharing ﬁrm, before the end of the year in its Delta Di-

vision, which includes much of Mississippi, including Jackson. Calls to the Kroger division for this article as to how the use of Instacart might affect any plans with Uber were not returned. The Whole Foods-Instacart connection will not have an immediate major impact in Mississippi as the only one in the state is in Jackson. However, Whole Foods shareholders were scheduled to vote Wednesday on the sale of Whole Foods, with 450 stores, the day before Instacart service starts in Mississippi.

Delivery by Instacart within an hour costs $7.99, but $5.99 in two hours.

Walmart, the top competitor for Kroger, announced Monday that it is expanding its online delivery serve to Dallas and Orlando, adding them to list of four other cities, San Jose, Calif.; Denver; Phoenix and Tampa. Instacart also delivers for independent grocers around the country, according to Martha Vargas, operations manager for the company, though none yet in the Jackson area. Instacart, which was founded in 2012 in San Francisco, is looking to hire 100 shoppers for its Jackson area operation,Vargas said. Its market includes 231,000 households in 23 zip codes in Jackson, Brandon, Byram, Pearl, Richland, Flowood, Madison, Annadale, Ridgeland, Clinton, Raymond, Western Hills, Terry, Anse, Florence, Whitﬁeld and Goshen Springs, she said. With the Uber connection, the deliveries would be made for a fee. In Richmond, Va., for instance, the delivery charge is $11.95, which includes $4.95 for the Kroger ClickList fee, according to the Richmond Times-Dispatch. Instacart will bypass Clicklist and charge $5.99 per delivery, with a $35 minimum, usually within two hours. For delivery within an hour after the order is placed the charge is $7.99, Vargas said. Normal hours of operation are between 9 a.m. and 10 p.m., she said.

Andrew R. Norwood Joins Watkins & Eager

601.965.1806 | anorwood@watkinseager.com

Watkins & Eager is pleased to announce that Andrew (Drew) *¢ ²É Y }8µ bY ½}b o² 8µ 8 Ðµµ O 8½b¢ Ð 8½ Èb n Hattiesburg, Drew graduated in 2015 from the Mississippi College School of Law, where he served on both the Law Review and the Moot Court Board. He then served two years as Law Clerk to Chief Judge Jason Woodard of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Mississippi. Drew holds a Bachelor of Accountancy from Mississippi State University. Drew’s principal areas of practice will be Bankruptcy & Creditors’ Rights and Commercial Litigation.

Photos courtesy of Instacart / Special to the MBJ

www.watkinseager.com Free background information available upon request | James J. Crongeyer, Jr., Managing Member

4 Q Mississippi Business Journal Q August 25, 2017 AGRIBUSINESS

Turnout big for forum on redband bug By JACK WEATHERLY jack.weatherly@msbusiness.com The attendance at a forum last week on the redbanded stink bug in Mississippi, Louisiana and Arkansas soybean crops was commensurate with the scope of the infestation. In other words, big. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s according to Dr. Fred Musser, professor of entomology at Mississippi State University. There were 130 at the MSU Delta Research and Extension Center in Stoneville, Musser said. Also, 80 lines were engaged in the live stream of the forum, he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It is infesting most of the soybeans in Mississippi,â&#x20AC;? Musser said on Tuesday. The last outbreak of the pest in the state was in 2009, but that was followed by a cold winter, which meant that it was not tracked closely as a major blip on the agricultural radar. Last winter was mild, which allowed the insect to make inroads much deeper and farther north. Dr. Jeff Davis of the Louisiana State University Ag Center, said the pest has been found in â&#x20AC;&#x153;thresholdâ&#x20AC;? numbers as far north as the Missouri Bootheel this year. Musser said that whereas other kinds of stink bugs can be controlled with one spraying, the redbands require three or four applications. The redband is the most voracious variety, with an unusually large mouth that allows it to do more damage to the soybean crop, which was Mississippiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most valuable,

The redband is the most destructive of the stink bug species.

Courtesy of www.mississippi-crops.com /MBJ

valued at $1 billion in 2016 and this year constitutes twothirds of all the row-crop acreage in the state. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It is the most dangerous stink bug,â&#x20AC;? Davis said. Dr. Angus Catchot, MSU Extension entomologist, said at the forum that in 2009 about 20 counties were sprayed for redbands, which arrived late that growing season. But this year, the bugs arrived early, and the longer they

stay the worse it is for the crop. Another concern is that crimson clover put out along highways to control erosion is a haven for the pest, said Davis. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s almost like the Red Bull for the redbanded stink bug,â&#x20AC;? he said, adding that discussions are being held about the conďŹ&#x201A;ict.

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A member of the Mississippi Press Association www.mspress.org

200 North Congress, Suite 400 Jackson, MS 39201-1902 Main: (601) 364-1000 Faxes: Advertising (601) 364-1007; Circulation (601) 364-1035 E-mails: mbj@msbusiness.com, ads@msbusiness.com, photos@msbusiness.com, research@msbusiness.com, events@msbusiness.com

MBJPERSPECTIVE August 25, 2017 • www.msbusiness.com • Page 5

OTHER VIEWS

» THE OUTSIDE WORLD

Website: www.msbusiness.com August 25, 2017 Volume 39, Number 34

Time for the ﬂag to come down

ALAN TURNER Publisher alan.turner@msbusiness.com • 364-1021 TAMI JONES Associate Publisher tami.jones@msbusiness.com • 364-1011 ROSS REILY Editor ross.reily@msbusiness.com • 364-1018 FRANK BROWN Staff Writer/Special Projects frank.brown@msbusiness.com • 364-1022 JACK WEATHERLY Staff Writer jack.weatherly@msbusiness.com • 364-1016 TED CARTER Contributing Writer mbj@msbusiness.com • 364-1018

BECKY GILLETTE Contributing Writer mbj@msbusiness.com • 364-1018 NASH NUNNERY Contributing Writer mbj@msbusiness.com • 364-1018 LISA MONTI Contributing Writer mbj@msbusiness.com • 364-1018 VIRGINIA HODGES Account Executive virginia.hodges@msbusiness.com • 364-1012 TACY RAYBURN Production Manager tacy.rayburn@msbusiness.com • 364-1019 CHARINA RHODES Circulation Manager charina.rhodes@msbusiness.com • 364-1045 MARCIA THOMPSON-KELLY Business Assistant marcia.kelly@msbusiness.com • 364-1044 SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES (601) 364-1000 subscriptions@msbusiness.com Mississippi Business Journal (USPS 000-222) is published weekly with one annual issue by MSBJ 200 N. Congress St., Suite 400, Jackson, MS 39201. Periodicals postage paid at Jackson, MS. Subscription rates: 1 year $109; 2 years $168; and 3 years $214. To place orders, temporarily stop service, change your address or inquire about billing: Phone: (601) 364-1000, Fax: (601) 364-1035, Email: charina.rhodes@msbusiness.com, Mail: MS Business Journal Subscription Services, 200 N.Congress Street, Suite 400, Jackson, MS 39201 POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Mississippi Business Journal, Circulation Manager, 200 North Congress Street, Suite 400, Jackson, MS 39201 To submit subscription payments: Mail: MS Business Journal Subscriptions Services, 200 North Congress Street, Suite 400, Jackson, MS 39201. No material in this publication may be reproduced in any form without the written consent. Editorial and advertising material contained in this publication is derived from sources considered to be reliable, but the publication cannot guarantee their accuracy. Nothing contained herein should be construed as a solicitation for the sale or purchase of any securities. It is the policy of this newspaper to employ people on the basis of their qualifications and with assurance of equal opportunity and treatment regardless of race, color, creed, sex, age, sexual orientation, religion, national origin or handicap. The Mississippi Business Journal, is an affiliate of Journal Publishing Company (JPC), Inc.: Clay Foster, president and chief executive officer. Entire contents copyrighted © 2017 by Journal Inc. All rights reserved.

» INSIDE MISSISSIPPI

Do gov’s appointees not give a squat about his standards?

id you read Geoff Pender’s terrific column “Take some aspirin before searching Transparency Mississippi website” in the ClarionLedger? If transparency in government spending matters to you, this is a must read. Pender pointed to non-transparent disclosures on the transparency site by the Mississippi Division of Medicaid, then said, “Apparently, they don’t feel like telling the public squat about their travel. So they don’t.” Lt. Gov. Phil Bryant was a champion for passage of the 2008 law creating www.transparency.mississippi.gov, noted Pender. Now Bryant is governor, but agencies under him are callously subverting transparency in government spending. Not good. Oh, Pender outed several subverters, including Superintendent of Education Carey Wright and Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann, but they aren’t under Bryant’s authority like Medicaid and the Department of Banking and Consumer Affairs. The main culprit targeted by Pender was state Medicaid Director Dr. David Dzielak. Pender wrote: “When Dzielak travels out of state, and he does so fre-

Bill Crawford

quently, he lists the destination as ‘out of state travel.’ He lists the title of the meeting or seminar as ‘office of executive services’ whatever the heck that means. He lists the meeting purpose for all his trips as ‘Any out of state meetings and/or activities pertaining to the office of executive services.” “Why thank you for sharing, Dr. Dzielak,” said Pender, who added, “most in Dzielak’s agency appear to follow his lead.” This isn’t Dzielak’s only variance from open government standards that Gov. Bryant has championed. Following the disclosure of corruption in contracts issued by the Department of Corrections, Bryant called for strict standards and transparency in government contracting and signed major improvements pushed by Rep. Jerry Turner. One key change was revamping the Personal Service Contract Review Board to provide more independent and professional oversight of government contracts. In late June, Dzielak prematurely signed a protested $2 billion Medicaid contract, skipping the contract review process altogether. The awarding of Medicaid’s MississippiCAN managed care contract is now the subject of a See CRAWFORD, Page 6

Once again, the issue of the Mississippi state flag has come up for debate. This time the call to change the flag came from one of the state's leaders — Republican U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker. In a speech at a meeting of the Greater Jackson Chamber Partnership, Wicker, who denounced the weekend violence in Charlottesville, Va., during a white nationalist rally, said a new state flag without the Confederate battle emblem would be more unifying. "I hate to use a tragedy like this, a criminal act of murder, to advance policy," Wicker said, "But certainly they have no If we are serious right to be using our state flag as a symbol of white about improving supremacy . It would be our image and more unifying if we put showing the world this Mississippi flag in a museum and replaced it we are serious with something that was about it, the first more unifying. That is still place to start is my position." He's right. fluttering over The Confederate battle our heads. It's emblem has been adopted as a symbol for time to change white supremacy groups the flag. from the Ku Klux Klan to the American Nazi Party and other radical hate groups in the United States spreading their gospel of hate and ignorance against blacks, Jews, Hispanics and other immigrants who live and share the same freedoms as any other citizen. And it's ironic that Mississippi, which is trying to change its image away from the perception of being a backward area where racism and bigotry still exists, would refuse to remove one of the more outward symbols exemplifying the exact negative image the state is trying to change. It makes one wonder if our state leaders are really as serious about changing Mississippi's image as they would lead us to believe. There have been previous attempts to change the flag. One was a referendum in 2000 to remove the battle emblem from the state flag. More recently, District 55 Rep. Oscar Denton, D-Vicksburg, filed a bill to change the flag, which failed in committee. We in Mississippi are proud of our history, as we should be. But we must also realize that some of the symbols of that history, like the one on our flag that flies from flag poles from Tupelo to Waveland, are no longer acceptable. If we are serious about improving our image and showing the world we are serious about it, the first place to start is fluttering over our heads. It's time to change the flag. — Vicksburg Post

PERSPECTIVE

6 I Mississippi Business Journal I August 25, 2017 » RICKY NOBILE

CRAWFORD

Continued from Page 5

lawsuit and legislator protests “DOM’s (Department of Medicaid’s) actions, first in failing to adhere to the terms of the RFP, and then in moving forward to implement its awards despite the pending protests, violate numerous mandatory statutory and regulatory requirements, and constitute a fundamental departure from the fair and unbiased administration of the procurement process for the MississippiCAN program, which again, is one of, if not the largest, public procurements in the State’s history,” the complaint stated. Various news reports said many legislators question Medicaid’s rush to execute the contract without review. Intriguingly, Medicaid’s website highlights its commitment to “fair and equitable” contracting and states it will evaluate proposals in accordance with “provisions of the State Personal Service Contract Review Board.” PSCRB guidelines show Medicaid subject to its purview. However, a Medicaid attorney said insurance contracts do require review by the board. There is no such exception in the statute establishing the PSCRB. “It should have gone before the review board,” said Rep. Turner. Do the Governor’s appointees not give a squat about his standards? Perhaps the Governor should sit Dzielak and other subverters down and find out why. Bill Crawford (crawfolk@gmail.com) is a syndicated columnist from Meridian.

»FROM THE GROUND UP

Mississippi is not a one-subject story

ugust 10, 2017. It is the final morning of a wonderful vacation in Ireland. Up early, I reflect on the kind and welcoming people of Ireland we have met. I marvel at Ireland’s ability to attract businesses to the Emerald Isle. Google, Accenture, Facebook, Paypal. The list goes on and on. I compare and contrast Ireland’s business attraction efforts with those of Mississippi. Lots of similarities, especially when it comes to using tax incentives as inducements. Being the news junkie I am I go down to the lobby of the Dublin hotel and fetch the day’s edition of the IrishTimes. There in the top right hand corner of the front page I discover this 5 inch x 2.5 inch preview box: “Travels in Trump’s America. Oxford, Mississippi attempts to move on from its history of segregation.” Oh no, I think. Here we go again. Another example of Mississippi’s history of race relations continuing to be the proverbial albatross around its neck. How does that affect international business attraction? I tell myself not get too defensive. Perhaps the article will turn out to be positive. After all, Oxford, Mississippi is a desirable place. I open to page nine. The headline there reads, “Segregation still alive and well in the deep south.” I delve into the report. My coffee is getting cold. The story is part of a series about an Irish Times reporter’s visit to America. Each day a different state. I read page nine. In the middle of the page is a large black and white photograph of James Meredith surrounded by students at Ole Miss in 1962. Below are two more photographs. These are in color and depict two African-American women. In bold print below them reads, “Mississippi, a state with a population of approximately three million, still has one of the highest proportions of black people in the US.” The article opens with an account of James Meredith’s entry into Ole Miss and the surrounding events followed by the reporter’s perception of Oxford today. It is mostly complimentary. The opening sentence: “Today the old university town of Oxford, Mississippi, is the picture of of southern refinement.” The closing sentence: “After a leisurely stroll around the bookshops I reluctantly leave the slow-paced vibe and drive westward through Mississippi.” The next paragraph has a subhead: “Slave Labor,” and then goes on to recount a brief demographic history of the Delta followed by the subject of the Cleveland School District case.” It’s a long section. The article’s closing sentence reads, “As I leave Cleveland and trace the trajectory of the Mississippi river upstream toward Memphis, it’s clear the problem of racial segregation has yet to be resolved.” My reaction to this article is conditioned by my background in economic development. I think about what it would be like if on this day if I was on a recruiting trip to Ireland to meet with a company about opening a branch office or manufacturing facility in Mississippi. Then I think about Mississippi’s current international recruiting efforts. In spite of stories like the above in world newspapers the Mississippi Development Au-

thority, the state’s business recruiting agency, is doing admiral, even incredible work. Its successes have been recognized recently with national awards and rankings in economic development and business magazines. Phil Hardwick It has offices in other countries. German manufacturer Continental Tire has a plant under construction. International companies such as PACCAR, Airbus Helicopters and Yokohama Tire, are changing the economic landscape in the Golden Triangle. Nissan and Toyota have world-class manufacturing facilities in Mississippi.

I think about what it would be like if on this day if I was on a recruiting trip to Ireland to meet with a company about opening a branch office or manufacturing facility in Mississippi. We are accomplishing significant workforce development outcomes with our nationallyranked community colleges in partnership with international companies. So where do we go from here? The answer is that we keep focusing on the good things and working on the not-so-good things. One strategy that works well in spite of the above newspaper reporter’s visit is to attract visitors to Mississippi so that they can see for themselves. And let’s not forget the student international visitors. According to the US Global Leadership Coalition, during 2015, 3,101 international students were enrolled in Mississippi colleges and universities and contributed $65 million to the Mississippi economy. Hopefully they had a positive experience and will tell their stories in their home countries. Also, we must remember that in spite of our image overall, business leaders evaluate relocations based on many factors. Mississippi is a paradox in so many ways. It has some of the best things in the world going for it while at the same time having many things that need some work. It is not a one-subject story. Link to the Irish Times article: https://www.irishtimes.com/news/world/us/history-of-segregation-still-evident-in-mississippi-region-1.3181796 » Phil Hardwick is a regular Mississippi Business Journal columnist and owner of Hardwick & Associates, LLC, which provides strategic planning facilitation and leadership training services. His email is phil@philhardwick. com and he’s on the web at www.philhardwick.com.

July 2017

August 25, 2017

Mississippi 6.1 Q Mississippi Business Journal U.S.

4.6

DeSoto 4.4

7 Tunica 6.3

MISSISSIPPI’S JULY UNEMPLOYMENT FIGURES

UNITED STATES Labor Force Data Civilian Labor Force Unemployed Unemployment Rate Employed STATE OF MISSISSIPPI Unemployment Insurance Data •• Initial UI Claims Continued Claims Beneﬁts Paid Weeks Paid First Payments Final Payments Average Weekly Beneﬁt

Tate 6.0

Jun ‘17 1,306,200 79,400 6.1 1,226,800

Jul ‘16 1,292,400 82,600 6.4 1,209,800

‘16 Avg. 1,280,500 74,700 5.8 1,205,800

Yalobusha 7.1

Jun ‘17 161,337,000 7,250,000 4.5 154,086,000

Jul 2017 6,284 69,346 $9,518,753 48,171 3,817 765 $197.60

Jul ‘16 160,705,000 8,267,000 5.1 152,437,000

Jun 2017 7,934 55,563 $7,885,461 40,113 3,921 613 $196.58

‘16 Avg. 159,187,000 7,751,000 4.9 151,436,000

Leflore 8.6

Tishomingo 5.8

Carroll 6.8

Montgomery 6.0

Holmes 11.7

Yazoo 7.7

Issaquena 10.9

Monroe 6.8

Clay 9.0 Lowndes 6.8

Oktibbeha 6.5

Choctaw 5.5

Winston 7.0

Attala 6.9

Sharkey 8.4

Itawamba 5.0

Chickasaw 6.9

Webster 6.7

Washington 8.6

Moving Avg.** 159,896,000 7,373,000 4.6 152,523,000

Jul 2016 7,786 77,139 $9,634,501 48,826 3,894 806 $197.32

Calhoun 5.4

Grenada 5.5

Sunflower 8.7

Lee 4.8

Pontotoc 4.6

Bolivar 7.9

Moving Avg.** 1,289,400 69,600 5.4 1,219,800

Lafayette 5.6

Quitman 10.4

Coahoma 8.8

Humphreys 11.3

Jul ‘17 161,911,000 7,441,000 4.6 154,470,000

Alcorn 5.3

Tippah 5.2

Union 4.1

Tallahatchie 6.3

Jul ‘17 1,303,800 79,100 6.1 1,224,700

Benton 6.8

Prentiss 5.5

Panola 8.2

Labor force and employment security data STATE OF MISSISSIPPI Labor Force Data Civilian Labor Force Unemployed Unemployment Rate Employed

Marshall 6.2

Leake 6.6

Neshoba 5.7

Scott 4.7

Newton 6.4

Noxubee 9.7

Kemper 9.9

Madison 4.7 Warren 6.5 Rankin 4.1

Hinds 5.9

Claiborne 11.3

Copiah 6.5

Jefferson 17.0 Adams 8.9

Wilkinson 11.0

Franklin 8.4

Lincoln 6.1

Amite 8.0

Pike 7.3

Covington Jones 5.6 6.0

Walthall 8.4

Marion 6.5

Unemployment Rates

10.5 - 17

Lamar 4.6

Pearl River 6.1

Hancock 6.1

Clarke 7.2

Wayne 7.3

Lawrence Jeff Davis 7.6 9.9

** Average for most recent twelve months, including current month Rates •• Unemployment Insurance amounts presented in this section only represent regular UI benefits, federal program amounts areUnemployment not included. 4 4.1 - 4.8 4.1 - 4.8 Labor force amounts are produced in cooperation with the Bureau of Labor Statistics. 4 4.9 - 6.8 4.9 - 6.8 Note: Unless indicated state and county data presented are not seasonally adjusted.

— Mississippi Department of Employment Security6.9 - 10.4

Jasper 7.9

Smith 5.5

Simpson 5.6

Lauderdale 6.6

Forrest 6.0

Perry 7.5

Stone 7.3

Harrison 5.5

Greene 9.1

George 8.8

Jackson 6.6

6 6.9 - 10.4

10.5 - 17

Source: Labor Market Data Publication Design: Labor Market Information Department, MDES

SALES MOVES

I’m sorry, I didn’t hear you. Could you repeat that?

didn’t hear you.” No, you weren’t listening. “Our people need to listen better.” No, your people need to understand WHY they don’t listen. REALITY: You quit paying attention for one reason or another, AND blame it on the person talking to you. Two rudes don’t make a right. How do you listen? That’s both a question and an enigma. Listening is one of the BIG THREE in selling, the other two are asking (engaging), and being friendly. If you ask most salespeople, they would admit that listening is their weakest quality. In part due to impatience, but mostly because they don’t know how. Or even deeper, they don’t know the components or factors that make up the “why” of listening. To complicate the listening process even further, there are manners in which people listen — no, not “please pass the salt” manners — attitude and mood manners. These manners can affect the listening competence level by more than half. There are 3.5 opposite sets of manners of listening: 1. Active or passive. 2. Positive or negative. 3. Open or closed. 3.5 Distracted by other business or personal matters, or not distracted. You can almost get the feeling and meaning of these manners without me explaining them.

Listening is also broken down into elements. Each representing a “why.” I have added some additional description to clarify each element. And defined a few. The good elements of listening are: Listen with the intent to understand. A sermon. A movie. In a classroom. Listen with the intent to take action. Someone giving instructions. Listen with the intent to learn. A teacher. A trainer. A seminar leader. Listen with the intent to enjoy. Music. Sounds of nature. Waterfalls. A crackling fire. Listen with the intent to remember. Driving directions. A website address. A phone number. WHO you’re listening to can have a huge impact on the quality of your listening. Your mother, your boss, your spouse, your kids, your best friend, your favorite celebrity, someone you like, or someone you dislike, can affect the outcome of your listening ability. It’s their words, your mood, and your level of respect, that make up the listening effectiveness model. The bad elements of listening are: Listen with the intent to respond. This is where interruptions occur. You have something to say, or think you already know the answer. You start responding BEFORE the other person has finished talking. The first “listen” should be: listen with the intent to understand. THEN you can respond with the full knowledge of what has been communicated. CURE: Just ask the person if they

have finished their thought BEFORE you respond. Listen with the intent to figure out an angle (manipulate). Interacting with a customer during a selling situation. Listen because you have to obey (or try to worm out of it). Parents, teachers, and bosses top the list. Listen because you are forced to. Your boss, teacher, or parents yelling or disciplining you. Listen with the intent not to pay attention. Tuned off because of your unhappiness or ill feeling towards the person speaking. Listen with the intent to argue. Whenever you’re in an argument or fight, listening is overpowered by anger and negativity. There is also the ever popular, pretending to listen, but in another world. You have other things on your mind that are more powerful than what is being said, so you tune out whoever is speaking. Telltale signs of not listening? Asking people to repeat. Getting instructions wrong. Making mistakes on the job. Getting rejected. Have you ever heard someone say, “Now everybody listen-up, this is important.” What does that mean? It means that without that preface to whatever is being said next, the odds are that very few, if any, are paying attention to the person speaking. Think about it, does Bill Gates walk into the room and say, “OK everybody listen-up?” Billy Graham? Steven Jobs? Madonna? Michael Jordan? Ted Turner? No,

they walk into a room and everyone says, “SShhhhhhhh, Gitomer it’s……..” A hush falls over the room like a magic spell, and everyone in the room is “all ears.” The three best states to be in when listening are: the state of calm, the state of happy, and the state of willing. These are “ear opening” states. (The worst listening states are the state of New Jersey and the state of New York. Many people there already know everything.) FINAL SECRET: I know all of you are looking for the silver bullet that will make you an instant better listener. I’ve got it for you. Two words, and they’re not “shutup.” The secret words and action of listening are: “take notes.” When you take notes, you show respect, always “hear,” and have a reference to help you remember what was said or promised.

Editor’s note: Jeffrey Gitomer is on sabbatical. This column originally appeared in the January 21, 2016, Business Journal.

Jeffrey Gitomer is the author of 12 books. His real-world ideas and content also are available as online courses at gitomerlearningacademy.com. For information about training and seminars, visit gitomer. com or gitomercertiﬁedadvisors.com, or email Jeffrey at salesman@gitomer.com.

8 Q Mississippi Business Journal Q August 25, 2017

New Businesses

MISSISSIPPI BLOOD SERVICES: The Chamber of Flowood recently held a ribbon-cutting for Mississippi Blood Services’ new donor coach at 115 Tree St. in Flowood.

Courtesy of Chamber of Flowood

Courtesy of The Alliance Courtesy of Chamber of Flowood

MISSISSIPPI LEGENDS GRILL: The Chamber of Flowood recently held a ribbon-cutting for Mississippi Legends Grill, which is under new ownership, at 5352 U.S. 25, Suite 50, in Flowood.

BABER’S: The Alliance recently held a ribbon-cutting for Baber’s, 2023 U.S. 72 E. in Corinth. Jason Smith, store manager, cut the ribbon assisted by Mayor Tommy Irwin. District Manager Shane Richards was also present.

Courtesy of Greater Starkville Development Partnership

IGNITED FITNESS & WELLNESS: The Greater Starkville Development Partnership recently held a ribbon-cutting for Ignited Fitness & Wellness, 501 Highway 12 West, Suite 105K, in Starkville.

Courtesy of CreateHealth, LLC

ROWAN FAMILY DENTISTRY: Rowan Family Dentistry recently announced the opening of its new 11,000-square-foot dental clinic on 730 Coulter Drive in New Albany.

New Businesses

August 25, 2017

Mississippi Business Journal

JEFF WILSON CHRYSLER JEEP DODGE RAM FIAT: The Brookhaven-Lincoln County Chamber of Commerce recently held a ribbon cutting at Jeff Wilson Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram Fiat at its Grand Opening at 109 U.S. 51 North in Brookhaven.

Courtesy of Brookhaven-Lincoln County Chamber of Commerce

Courtesy of The Clinton Chamber of Commerce Courtesy of Chamber of Flowood

SHARED TECH SPACE: The Chamber of Flowood recently held a ribbon-cutting for Shared Tech Space, 3720 Flowood Dr., Suite A, in Flowood,

SCRUBHUB: The Clinton Chamber of Commerce recently sponsored a ribbon cutting ceremony for ScrubHub Clinton at 505 Springridge Road. Owner Cenedra Lee was joined by Chamber board members, Chamber ambassadors, city officials, family and friends. ,

HOME 2 SUITES: The East Mississippi Business Development Corporation recently held a Ribbon Cutting for Home 2 Suites, 210 N. Frontage Road in Meridian.

Courtesy of EMBDC

AN MBJ FOCUS: TECHNOLOGY

Privacy in wired

Kingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Daughters chief technology officer Carl Smith demonstrates a 42â&#x20AC;? inch kiosk that KDMC has installed throughout the community. From the hospital lobby to the local library, the screens help to raise community awareness about differe easily accessible.

August 25, 2017 • MISSISSIPPI BUSINESS JOURNAL • www.msbusiness.com

hospitals

By BECKY GILLETTE mbj@msbusiness.com

By JULIA MILLER mbj@msbusiness.com

Whether you’ve been admitted to the hospital or checked into a clinic for a wellness checkup, it’s likely you have a ﬁrsthand understanding of the how much information is entrusted to your healthcare provider. Five hospitals in Mississippi are leading the charge in making sure that patient safety and privacy stay at the forefront in the today’s rapidly advancing technological age. Forrest General Hospital in Hattiesburg, King’s Daughters Medical Center in Brookhaven, North Mississippi Health Services in Tupelo, St. Dominic — Jackson Memorial Green Hospital in Jackson and University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson were all named among Hospitals & Health Networks’ 2017 Most Wired. Patient protection

These hospitals have striven to make sure make sure network capabilities and reliability continue to improve. This priority has become of the utmost importance as hackers have begun attacking hospitals for fraud and identity Veregge theft purposes. “Privacy is certainly everyone’s right,” UMMC’s chief information officer Dr. Paul Veregge said. “It’s something you and I would be unhappy about if our information got out.” Veregge, who came on board UMMC’s team nine months ago, said he was the victim of a breach of privacy about a year and a half ago. By attacking a large organization that Veregge preferred not to name, the hackers were able to gain payroll records and attempted to open a credit card in his name. With your health record, not only are you at risk of ﬁnancial identity theft, but your medical ID can be used for fraud. It could then create a dangerous environment for you the next time you are treated. “Say I was allergic to penicillin,” Veregge explained. “Someone who has stolen my information goes to the doctor and says ‘I’m not allergic to penicillin,’ so it’s removed from the chart. The next time I go in to be treated, the doctor would then believe penicillin could be safely used as a treatment option.” Forrest General’s chief technology officer Vance Green explained its changes have also included a more regimented system for pharmaceuticals. Every container and every patient’s Photo by Julia Miller / Courtesy of King’s Daughters Medical Center

nt health issues and works to make healthy education

ENTREPRENEUR IN RESIDENCE OFFERING VALUABLE ASSISTANCE TO STARTUPS

See WIRED, Page 14

Innovate Mississippi works with about 100 businesses or potential businesses each year providing services designed to support technology and innovation-based entrepreneurial development throughout the state. Recently Innovate Mississippi upped the ante by hiring Rick Sun as “Entrepreneur in Residence.” Sun, who has been involved in 30 startups as an investor, adviser, executive and board member, is working to help entrepreneurs accelerate the growth of their businesses and avoid many of the most common mistakes. Tony Jeff, president and CEO of Innovate Mississippi, said Sun as the Sun Entrepreneur in Residence is proving to have been a great addition to the state’s efforts to grow entrepreneurs from within. “We are already seeing incredible value from Rich’s participation in this role,” Jeff said. “He certainly brings a unique perspective to the Entrepreneur in Residence role as both an entrepreneur and an investor. His experience outside of the state also gives him the ability to both benchmark realistic goals for success and bring new ideas to the table.” Jeff said when they envisioned the position, they weren’t sure they would be able to ﬁnd someone with the unique set of skills needed. “Then things fell in place for Rich to be able to do it at the present time,” Jeff said. “Although we do expect it to be a rotating position, we are excited to have Rich for as long as he is willing to do it. Rich’s presence in the office is helpful for the folks we are working for. He is just a great resource.” Jeff said Innovate Mississippi has collected a lot of wisdom from numerous conversations with investors and experienced entrepreneurs. But it carries even more clout when the advice comes from a person who been entrepreneur. “We primarily work with individuals or small businesses. Perhaps a half dozen of the 100 companies we work with each year are larger companies. Most of the entrepreneurs are people who have other jobs and have come up with this other idea. It is often one or two people or sometimes a team of four. We really like to engage at the idea stage even before they have See SUN, Page 12

Technology

12 Q Mississippi Business Journal Q August 25, 2017

SUN Continued from, Page 11

done anything. That is when we need to get involved.” Sun said a lot of people are a bit intimidated by investing in or launching a technology business. But he said it isn’t really scary when you know what to look for in the deals. Of course, not all ideas translate into market success. Sun said it is important if an idea doesn’t pan out to bail out fast and bail out cheap before you have invested large sums. “If you going to have to fail, it is better to ﬁnd out sooner so you can move onto the next idea which might be the home run,” Sun said. For most entrepreneurs, it is their ﬁrst

time to start a company. “They usually have a great idea, but don’t know how to commercialize it,” Sun said. “A lot of what I’ve done is invest in startup and early growth companies, so I can show them how to prepare their company to be investor ready.” Sun said advantages of being an entrepreneur in Mississippi include having a huge network of mentors with functional specialties like marketing or industry specialties like telecom, software or clean energy. “We can connect entrepreneurs to people who a.) know the business area, and b.) can help them achieve what is necessary in order to raise money,” Sun said. “We can provide additional insight into how to grow the business. There are usually a number of choices. There may be several

good answers. We can provide some help in analyzing the choices.” Sun said they aren’t in the business of telling someone whether their business plan will succeed or not, but rather telling them if they want to achieve, what they need to do. “We do help them assess what their odds are,” Sun said. “It comes down to things like certain areas where there are highly visible problems and a lot of well-funded people working on those problems. Most of that time it is not a good idea to compete with a lot of experienced people with a lot of money.” He said while there will be times when David beats Goliath, if you are a minnow swimming with whales and sharks, try to work with them in a way that will be successful.

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“A lot of times if you present the facts, the facts will speak for themselves,” Sun said. “Someone starting a business will come to the conclusion [that] the odds are too steep for that business or idea. Most people who succeed and build a major company have had many ideas before they get the idea with which they succeed. You read about the successes, the people who have achieved against the odds. You don’t read about people who don’t succeed because they ran into someone with more money, better marketing or a better idea.” People don’t always appreciate the fact that the best idea doesn’t always win. A case in point is IBM didn’t have the best mainframe computer, but it came to dominate because it had the best sales force. “People who have developed good technology work on the assumption the technology will sell because it is better,” Sun said. “But even a better mousetrap needs good marketing, and a dedicated cadre of employees with a passion for and a long history of killing mice in large numbers.” Sun earned a B.A. from Princeton University, a Masters of Business Administration from New York University and designation as a Chartered Financial Analyst. He also served as a banker for 22 years with Bankers Trust Company (now Deutsche Bank), Goldman Sachs, First Boston (now Credit Suisse) and UBS (once Swiss Bank Corporation). From 1994 to 2001, he was a private equity investor with Emerging Markets Partnership, a $6-billion firm backed by AIG and the Government of Singapore. Sun has arranged, advised on or made over $11 billion of private debt and equity investments. Sun is vice chairman of the board and chief strategy officer for Best Tech Brands, an automotive chemicals developer and marketer. He was vice president for strategy and finance for WISEarth Organics from 2010 to 2011, a company that produces organic fertilizer and pesticides, and an investor and board member of TerraCycle from 2007-2009, which was named by Inc. magazine the “Coolest Little Startup in America. Sun was named New Vantage Group/ Active Angel Investors “Angel Investor of the Year 2006”. He has made 11 cash investments in early-stage companies and taken “sweat equity” in five others. Industries included energy, clean tech, software, Internet, telecom, biotech, consumer durables, magnetics, and agricultural and automotive chemicals. For more information on the Entrepreneur in Residence program, please contact Tony Jeff at tjeff@innovate.ms or 601-9063610. For more information on Innovate Mississippi, visit www.innovate.ms.

DOWNTOWN JACKSON

OFFICES AVAILABLE

Near Capitol Private offices Reception Conference room Storage Kitchen FOR INFORMATION CONTACT:

Alan Turner, alan.turner@msbusiness.com 601-364-1021

Technology

14 Q Mississippi Business Journal Q August 25, 2017

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WIRED Continued from, Page 10

armband has a barcode on it. When the nurse distributes medication, she or he scans the medicine and scan the patient. The system then double checks that the patient is getting the right medication in the right dosage at the right time. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This has been a huge advancement in eliminating medication errors.â&#x20AC;? At Kingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Daughter CTO Carl Smith said that in the last year it has implemented a new electronic health system, switching to a remote-based cloud system. This has allowed enhancement of security access control, including biometrics for employees and physicians to sign in with. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Every hospital is having to add ďŹ rewalls,â&#x20AC;? Smith said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Everything is IT now. It used to just be a department. Now, every department is automated.â&#x20AC;? Green said Forrest General integrated EPIC in 2013. This informational database allows patients to view their own charts as well as allowing charts to be shared between clinics within the same system. Forrest General is currently working to integrating all of the clinics in the Forrest General system. With hospitals and clinics throughout the southern part of the state, patient data can easily be transferred between locations and information remains in the same place. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s helped patients in this part of the

state,â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It reduces overhead. It eliminates duplication of tests.â&#x20AC;? Green explained that insurance companies wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t pay the cost of tests that are unnecessarily duplicated. In the past, this often resulted in the hospital absorbing the cost. With EPIC, the results are easily accessible at any of the clinics and hospitals connected to the EPIC network. Furthermore, Green said with the permission from the patient, they can even electronically transfer medical records to other health-care systems that use the EPIC system, such as UMMC. With online systems such as these, not only can patients check their charts online, but they can connect with nurses for quick questions or doctors for prescription reďŹ lls. Smith added that this is the second year in a row that Kingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Daughters, the smallest healthcare system on the Mississippi list, has received the Most Wired award. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve tried to get this award for several years, and we ďŹ nally got it last year. How do you top winning it? You get it twice.â&#x20AC;? All these IT leaders have contributed the honor of this award goes to the hard work of their employees and the leadership of the hospitals, Smith said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The employees here take pride in what they do,â&#x20AC;? Smith said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s more than just a job.â&#x20AC;?

August 25, 2017

Mississippi Business Journal

THE SPIN CYCLE

It’s harder to separate news from opinion online

he line between news and opinion is increasingly becoming blurred online. News organizations aren’t doing enough to help readers understand the difference between news, analysis and opinion, according to a recent Duke Reporter’s Lab study that found only 40 percent of large news organizations provide labels about article types – and nearly all of those only label opinion columns. The Duke Reporters’ Lab examined 49 publications – 2 5 local newspapers and 24 national news and opinion websites – to determine how many consistently use labels to indicate article types. In general, the report found inconsistent terminology and a lack of labeling. Some organizations provide a mix of labels that merge article types such as news and opinion with topic labels such as local, politics and sports. The result for readers is a jumbled approach that fails to consistently distinguish different types of journalism. The findings are significant because journalists and educators are focusing on article labels as one way to address the decline in trust of the news media. Labels help readers distinguish between news and opinion so they better understand different forms of journalism and can assess allegations of bias. Readers often come to articles from links in social media and don’t know if an article is published in a news or opinion section unless it is labeled. The Reporters’ Lab study found The Washington Post has the most extensive system for indicating article types of the 20 organizations that use labels. The Post website uses four main labels – opinion, analysis, perspective and review – and when readers scroll their cursors over those labels, a box appears with a brief definition. Of the 20 organizations that did label article types, 16 only used them for the opinion section. Those labels included editorial (used on 15 news sites), commentary (seven sites), column/columnist (six sites) and letters (seven sites). Ten of the organizations that used labels were local and six were national. The study indicates that news organizations can make some easy fixes to provide better guidance to readers. They should: » Use consistent labeling on all articles to indicate analysis, opinion, reviews and news. Although The Post is a good model for a labeling system, the lack of labels on news stories could still confuse many readers. » Place the labels in a prominent place at the top of articles. » Conduct research with readers about the most effective labels and incorporate the lessons in their publications.

Facebook Tests Targeting Ads To Brick-andMortar Visitors Facebook has rolled out ways for retailers to push people from Facebook to their brick-and-mortar stores over the past couple of years. Now the company is trying out the opposite. Facebook is testing an option for advertisers to target people who visited their real-world locations with ads on Facebook, Instagram and Facebook’s Audience Network ad network, according to a new ad-targeting option provided by Moshe Isaacian. The offline-to-online retargeting feature will be a new option within Facebook’s Custom Audiences ad-targeting product, which originated as a way for brands to convert their existing customer bases into an audience to target on Facebook, and has expanded to doing the same for brands’ followings on Facebook and Instagram, most recently with the addition of people who RSVPed to a brand’s event. According to Isaacian, brands must have multiple locations enabled to create a Custom Audience of store visitors, and that audience can only include people who visited a brand’s location within the past 30 days at the maximum. Facebook’s store visits retargeting option could boost the company’s share of retailers’ ad budgets heading into the back-toschool and holiday shopping seasons. The store visits retargeting option could also put pressure on Snapchat to follow suit. Facebook’s chosen nemesis has been quickly building up bridges between ads in its app and foot traffic in advertisers’ stores, restaurants and other locations. To rival Facebook’s own online-to-offline ad measurement, earlier this year Snapchat rolled out its Snap to Store measurement and acquired Placed, a location analytics firm that tracks people’s locations throughout the day and cross-references those coordinates with businesses’ locations to attribute ads. Through a deal with location analytics firm PlaceIQ, it has a way for brands to target ads to people who have visited certain types of locations as well as specific brands’ locations. But it has yet to roll out a way for any brand to retarget people who visited its own individual locations — though Placed could probably help with that. In addition to straightforward retargeting of store visitors using Facebook’s Custom Audiences, brands could use the lists of people who visited their locations as proxies to target ads to people who have similar characteristics and who may be likely to visit their store, restaurant or other location. Marketers can also use a store

visitor’s list to exclude those visitors from a campaign. The ability to retarget people who visited an advertiser’s store, restaurant or other location appears to apply the same method that Facebook has employed when targeting ads to people near an advertiser’s chosen location and when estimating how many store visits were driven by a brand’s Facebook campaign. In those cases, Facebook uses the permission people give the company to track their locations via its location services options in their settings. Facebook then cross-references that information about a person’s location with background signals like WiFi and Bluetooth to determine if someone is within a business location’s boundaries. Stellar Mic | Solar Eclipse Stole the Show When the moon and sun did their celestial dance for the ﬁrst complete solar eclipse across much of the U.S. in nearly a century, the whole world stopped to marvel at the stellar performance. And what a performance it was! Nashville was at the epicenter of the solar eclipse last Monday, and more than a million people from around the world gathered in Music City to take in the spectacle. For months on end, we all heard about this science Super Bowl, and when it got here, the brief, stunning performance made the world pause to witness the grandeur unfold. The build-up was a lot like pensive thoroughbreds trotting to the starting gate at The Kentucky Derby. Who would seize the day? The sun? The moon? Both? For a brief moment, we unplugged, put down our phones and gazed skyward at the awe racing across the sky in a blaze of glory. Students got out of class. The business world stopped spinning. Everyone was united in the heavenly glory. And then it happened. Slowly the moon inched its way across the ﬁery orb – like a

silver dollar across the top of a light bulb – to slowly obscure the radiance. Then it was night in the middle of the day! It was surreal, electrifying, jaw dropping Todd Smith and out-of-this-world breathtaking. Adults, children, young and old bounced around like teens on the last night of the state fair! But it was so much more than that. It was the whole world singing a song of unity. It was hard to feel anything other than sheer joy, inspiration, hope and wonder. For a brief moment, we all put aside terrorism, racism, and any other “ism” to soak up this utmost beauty. For once, it wasn’t what Trump tweeted or who was protesting what – but utter quiet and amazement. Who could dare get angry, dogmatic or egotistical when what was going on in the sky outshined all these petty people problems? So thank you sun. Thank you moon, for putting on a show for the ages. No one alive today will ever look at the sunrise, sunset or full moon in the same light. It was – and is – life changing. Each week, The Spin Cycle will bestow a Golden Mic Award to the person, group or company in the court of public opinion that best exempliﬁes the tenets of solid PR, marketing and advertising – and those who don’t. Stay tuned – and step-up to the mic! And remember … Amplify Your Brand!

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

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16 Q Mississippi Business Journal Q August 25, 2017 July 2017 sales tax receipts/year to date, July 1 MISSISSIPPI STATE TAX COMMISSION Here are cities’ earnings through sales tax collections. Sales tax has a three-month cycle. Month 1 — Tax is collected by the retailer. Month 2 — Tax is reported/paid to the Tax Commission by the retailer. Month 3 — Sales tax diversion is paid by the Tax Commission to the cities. This report is based on the month the tax is collected at the Tax Commission (Month 2). July July Year to date YTD CITY 2017 2016 2017 2016 ABBEVILLE $5,095.93 $5,392.58 $5,095.93 $5,392.58 ABERDEEN 71,027.59 66,505.39 71,027.59 66,505.39 ACKERMAN 23,382.47 23,063.12 23,382.47 23,063.12 ALCORN STATE U 155.06 178.66 155.06 178.66 ALGOMA 2,431.04 2,676.37 2,431.04 2,676.37 ALLIGATOR 369.50 462.46 369.50 462.46 AMORY 161,131.20 164,028.92 161,131.20 164,028.92 ANGUILLA 3,639.85 2,876.63 3,639.85 2,876.63 ARCOLA 1,343.05 1,520.15 1,343.05 1,520.15 ARTESIA 652.60 782.51 652.60 782.51 ASHLAND 16,383.00 10,855.18 16,383.00 10,855.18 BALDWYN 44,632.19 40,581.95 44,632.19 40,581.95 BASSFIELD 13,151.41 12,131.73 13,151.41 12,131.73 BATESVILLE 383,278.05 381,770.96 383,278.05 381,770.96 BAY SPRINGS 58,064.19 51,339.58 58,064.19 51,339.58 BAY ST LOUIS 144,846.30 138,277.35 144,846.30 138,277.35 BEAUMONT 8,533.82 8,549.47 8,533.82 8,549.47 BEAUREGARD 208.05 205.99 208.05 205.99 BELMONT 28,431.89 27,645.21 28,431.89 27,645.21 BELZONI 41,539.85 38,046.06 41,539.85 38,046.06 BENOIT 2,450.83 5,967.50 2,450.83 5,967.50 BENTONIA 17,356.95 15,971.02 17,356.95 15,971.02 BEULAH 358.79 315.23 358.79 315.23 BIG CREEK 260.22 248.37 260.22 248.37 BILOXI 1,106,882.97 1,093,436.51 1,106,882.97 1,093,436.51 BLUE MOUNTAIN 11,461.67 12,056.48 11,461.67 12,056.48 BLUE SPRINGS 2,483.70 2,386.31 2,483.70 2,386.31 BOLTON 14,628.07 13,747.53 14,628.07 13,747.53 BOONEVILLE 161,764.09 153,699.81 161,764.09 153,699.81 BOYLE 17,003.71 19,645.22 17,003.71 19,645.22 BRANDON 484,257.42 475,909.83 484,257.42 475,909.83 BRAXTON 1,568.12 1,126.96 1,568.12 1,126.96 BROOKHAVEN 474,833.58 479,178.97 474,833.58 479,178.97 BROOKSVILLE 11,091.06 10,566.78 11,091.06 10,566.78 BRUCE 45,625.69 44,346.69 45,625.69 44,346.69 BUDE 11,633.52 12,487.72 11,633.52 12,487.72 BURNSVILLE 15,263.02 15,167.28 15,263.02 15,167.28 BYHALIA 75,719.81 61,017.78 75,719.81 61,017.78 BYRAM 211,459.86 213,884.41 211,459.86 213,884.41 CALEDONIA 13,323.91 13,596.67 13,323.91 13,596.67 CALHOUN CITY 24,414.65 26,035.82 24,414.65 26,035.82 CANTON 244,223.82 237,474.60 244,223.82 237,474.60 CARROLLTON 6,968.89 6,962.11 6,968.89 6,962.11 CARTHAGE 143,578.81 141,381.31 143,578.81 141,381.31 CARY 997.12 1,052.29 997.12 1,052.29 CENTREVILLE 20,222.91 18,016.11 20,222.91 18,016.11 CHARLESTON 28,711.78 28,855.55 28,711.78 28,855.55 CHUNKY 905.68 858.50 905.68 858.50 CLARKSDALE 222,160.70 215,615.43 222,160.70 215,615.43 CLEVELAND 303,000.54 299,091.67 303,000.54 299,091.67 CLINTON 379,115.87 379,852.59 379,115.87 379,852.59 COAHOMA 678.04 601.76 678.04 601.76 COAHOMA COLLEGE 33.21 38.59 33.21 38.59 COFFEEVILLE 11,598.49 11,101.64 11,598.49 11,101.64 COLDWATER 18,773.45 18,443.99 18,773.45 18,443.99 COLLINS 120,392.55 137,511.69 120,392.55 137,511.69 COLUMBIA 263,910.73 248,567.58 263,910.73 248,567.58 COLUMBUS 807,490.22 825,608.11 807,490.22 825,608.11 COMO 12,846.65 14,605.32 12,846.65 14,605.32 CORINTH 535,740.68 532,250.28 535,740.68 532,250.28 COURTLAND 1,535.32 1,646.11 1,535.32 1,646.11 CRAWFORD 1,516.31 1,457.91 1,516.31 1,457.91 CRENSHAW 5,307.17 6,283.83 5,307.17 6,283.83 CROSBY 550.78 768.08 550.78 768.08 CROWDER 1,888.88 2,031.77 1,888.88 2,031.77 CRUGER 435.24 402.49 435.24 402.49 CRYSTAL SPRINGS 68,257.83 63,330.10 68,257.83 63,330.10 D LO 2,058.90 2,485.78 2,058.90 2,485.78 D’IBERVILLE 620,095.35 607,746.67 620,095.35 607,746.67 DECATUR 10,898.71 11,065.77 10,898.71 11,065.77 DEKALB 18,816.15 15,999.60 18,816.15 15,999.60 DERMA 12,001.92 10,340.15 12,001.92 10,340.15 DIAMONDHEAD 45,611.07 47,086.71 45,611.07 47,086.71 DODDSVILLE 663.18 376.12 663.18 376.12 DREW 7,143.34 10,941.47 7,143.34 10,941.47 DUCK HILL 3,940.49 4,966.57 3,940.49 4,966.57 DUMAS 1,225.90 1,324.50 1,225.90 1,324.50 DUNCAN 475.54 507.61 475.54 507.61 DURANT 38,417.73 37,826.46 38,417.73 37,826.46 EAST MS COLLEGE 49.93 38.31 49.93 38.31 ECRU 12,690.56 20,267.80 12,690.56 20,267.80 EDEN 73.84 49.18 73.84 49.18 EDWARDS 6,407.84 6,212.69 6,407.84 6,212.69 ELLISVILLE 77,238.35 73,669.02 77,238.35 73,669.02 ENTERPRISE 6,354.17 5,972.33 6,354.17 5,972.33 ETHEL 2,518.21 2,203.82 2,518.21 2,203.82 EUPORA 36,626.53 35,904.90 36,626.53 35,904.90 FALCON 121.34 81.95 121.34 81.95 FALKNER 6,099.89 5,963.25 6,099.89 5,963.25 FARMINGTON 2,551.40 2,976.43 2,551.40 2,976.43 FAYETTE 20,105.97 17,205.11 20,105.97 17,205.11 FLORA 29,970.66 27,550.01 29,970.66 27,550.01 FLORENCE 74,397.55 82,312.05 74,397.55 82,312.05 FLOWOOD 947,862.23 967,548.07 947,862.23 967,548.07 FOREST 185,911.08 195,140.64 185,911.08 195,140.64 FRENCH CAMP 1,024.72 1,861.42 1,024.72 1,861.42 FRIARS POINT 2,154.99 2,390.99 2,154.99 2,390.99

FULTON GATTMAN GAUTIER GEORGETOWN GLEN GLENDORA GLOSTER GOLDEN GOODMAN GREENVILLE GREENWOOD GRENADA GULFPORT GUNNISON GUNTOWN HATLEY HATTIESBURG HAZLEHURST HEIDELBERG HERNANDO HICKORY HICKORY FLAT HINDS COMMUNITY HOLLANDALE HOLLY SPRINGS HORN LAKE HOULKA HOUSTON INDIANOLA INVERNESS ISOLA ITTA BENA IUKA JACKSON JONESTOWN JUMPERTOWN KILMICHAEL KOSCIUSKO KOSSUTH LAKE LAMBERT LAUREL LEAKESVILLE LEARNED LELAND LENA LEXINGTON LIBERTY LONG BEACH LOUIN LOUISE LOUISVILLE LUCEDALE LULA LUMBERTON LYON MABEN MACON MADISON MAGEE MAGNOLIA MANTACHIE MANTEE MARIETTA MARION MARKS MATHISTON MAYERSVILLE MCCOMB MCCOOL MCLAIN MEADVILLE MENDENHALL MERIDIAN MERIGOLD METCALFE MIZE MONTICELLO MONTROSE MOORHEAD MORGAN CITY MORTON MOSS POINT MOUND BAYOU MS GULFCOAST MS STATE UNIV MS VALLEY ST MT OLIVE MYRTLE NATCHEZ NETTLETON NEW ALBANY NEW AUGUSTA NEW HEBRON NEWTON NO. CARROLLTON NOXAPATER OAKLAND OCEAN SPRINGS OKOLONA OLIVE BRANCH OSYKA OXFORD PACE PACHUTA PADEN

132,946.14 118.36 193,560.49 3,917.44 3,639.51 329.90 12,797.39 4,990.44 3,231.72 515,080.53 385,442.34 372,499.57 1,806,046.30 875.61 17,697.01 3,227.43 1,817,668.23 113,114.34 20,976.73 296,846.22 7,263.02 6,265.47 674.11 19,550.57 117,012.97 406,910.37 9,279.22 93,298.27 163,514.10 5,552.58 2,289.74 11,390.19 73,842.34 2,436,870.79 2,083.01 483.10 5,831.17 171,390.23 3,691.43 13,325.40 2,445.18 721,686.55 29,932.32 630.77 44,393.53 1,880.30 37,950.82 22,834.40 117,380.69 2,461.28 963.17 147,941.69 176,931.44 2,755.76 14,547.11 1,833.20 7,594.81 53,483.18 690,741.58 178,104.63 34,730.99 19,958.06 2,030.19 5,524.13 20,225.55 17,466.50 16,127.82 582.75 478,239.92 641.40 4,574.29 12,781.19 44,158.49 1,141,339.66 7,493.80 889.10 10,123.47 35,173.24 140.48 7,960.12 489.94 44,783.53 153,706.17 3,548.28 193.26 21,523.08 159.00 9,642.92 5,082.11 420,833.35 37,330.95 282,764.24 12,012.39 6,696.11 83,000.04 2,571.69 7,480.78 7,010.90 400,736.98 21,316.54 872,184.55 5,426.66 708,705.15 468.57 1,642.87 91.01

121,737.31 96.49 198,108.86 3,796.32 1,842.02 258.21 13,599.06 5,064.82 3,186.53 508,782.66 340,276.84 382,248.88 1,776,609.49 810.91 16,597.82 334.10 1,782,842.53 105,139.63 19,984.42 268,873.33 5,912.45 6,643.95 902.07 15,480.86 119,438.71 384,995.78 8,153.33 90,903.79 156,533.79 5,904.09 2,300.99 11,099.22 69,632.93 2,532,250.70 3,039.94 449.80 5,760.16 170,509.27 3,399.38 7,774.92 2,526.51 706,413.92 22,848.49 602.01 49,006.19 1,743.79 35,241.98 22,015.21 112,799.57 2,774.05 1,212.92 151,101.94 173,973.20 2,737.47 15,485.14 2,189.67 7,734.84 48,003.20 671,220.83 170,843.48 33,583.77 17,402.32 2,442.28 4,517.72 19,305.80 18,559.96 15,366.43 891.55 457,851.69 2,073.98 5,483.66 11,710.98 49,530.10 1,176,435.79 5,515.63 902.65 7,378.09 35,084.33 154.57 7,388.27 533.07 41,079.80 145,254.73 3,548.78 119.30 23,578.23 155.92 9,711.19 4,516.88 420,224.21 26,397.28 274,899.10 13,691.94 7,791.45 83,969.30 3,817.57 9,301.68 6,761.38 390,980.01 23,590.50 816,404.46 5,499.22 673,767.70 494.46 1,880.33 64.78

PASCAGOULA PASS CHRISTIAN PAULDING PEARL PELAHATCHIE PETAL PHILADELPHIA PICAYUNE PICKENS PITTSBORO PLANTERSVILLE POLKVILLE PONTOTOC POPE POPLARVILLE PORT GIBSON POTTS CAMP PRENTISS PUCKETT PURVIS QUITMAN RALEIGH RAYMOND RENOVA RICHLAND RICHTON RIDGELAND RIENZI RIPLEY ROLLING FORK ROSEDALE ROXIE RULEVILLE SALLIS SALTILLO SANDERSVILLE SARDIS SATARTIA SCHLATER SCOOBA SEBASTOPOL SEMINARY SENATOBIA SHANNON SHAW SHELBY SHERMAN SHUBUTA SHUQUALAK SIDON SILVER CITY SILVER CREEK SLATE SPRINGS SLEDGE SMITHVILLE SNOWLAKESHORES SOSO SOUTHAVEN SOUTHWEST COMM STARKVILLE STATE LINE STONEWALL STURGIS SUMMIT SUMNER SUMRALL SUNFLOWER SYLVARENA TAYLOR TAYLORSVILLE TCHULA TERRY THAXTON TISHOMINGO TOCCOPOLA TOWN OF WALLS TREMONT TUNICA TUPELO TUTWILER TYLERTOWN UNION UNIV OF MISS UTICA VAIDEN VARDAMAN VERONA VICKSBURG WALNUT WALNUT GROVE WALTHALL WATER VALLEY WAVELAND WAYNESBORO WEBB WEIR WESSON WEST WEST POINT WIGGINS WINONA WINSTONVILLE WOODLAND WOODVILLE YAZOO CITY TOTAL

435,001.95 451,228.97 113,286.99 134,900.89 130.29 156.88 804,942.31 828,021.39 38,532.79 33,119.60 224,853.54 201,248.49 328,840.70 345,274.54 407,134.43 387,559.26 6,530.15 6,126.20 1,657.11 1,439.00 4,900.93 4,441.76 1,527.53 1,338.18 205,356.44 195,385.61 3,248.01 3,255.16 63,752.26 70,940.01 27,943.08 28,874.58 8,297.71 8,095.31 35,919.71 35,717.94 7,948.17 8,172.32 81,548.34 72,086.33 48,262.36 44,923.16 16,002.73 15,642.31 17,773.62 17,732.60 2,278.84 2,160.53 457,052.74 436,756.69 30,461.50 29,120.17 1,078,171.69 1,111,195.17 4,943.25 5,031.63 121,696.92 105,449.90 34,892.59 36,012.03 11,224.89 9,945.71 1,579.04 1,612.85 20,247.31 17,532.72 1,680.00 1,783.76 66,727.76 76,210.34 27,542.84 22,618.10 25,665.34 24,332.83 295.91 1,029.48 1,009.45 9,117.61 6,790.55 15,213.32 17,111.22 14,195.22 14,505.18 180,532.74 181,178.26 12,690.21 14,023.84 7,518.19 7,611.64 9,967.68 9,926.88 42,857.83 30,092.61 4,290.66 3,730.59 2,968.54 1,778.82 590.00 488.76 381.44 416.84 2,657.91 2,602.77 108.52 145.01 1,290.62 1,399.37 6,231.89 6,357.49 112.68 117.35 9,299.60 12,400.03 1,164,911.66 1,274,131.44 31.39 24.04 548,899.37 554,080.64 11,979.94 11,730.39 6,139.61 6,312.14 2,189.15 2,368.40 38,404.35 39,536.24 4,043.95 3,457.89 44,585.58 47,838.50 3,310.49 3,773.51 243.86 251.67 2,631.61 1,734.04 28,372.92 22,290.79 6,437.75 7,822.75 29,425.99 32,618.74 4,330.51 4,198.93 14,533.96 10,878.65 333.51 341.97 8,425.74 7,126.50 1,497.66 1,297.84 39,176.09 33,856.24 1,710,174.91 1,728,988.50 4,699.66 4,115.73 60,626.82 49,331.74 26,046.80 32,068.06 9,139.55 6,168.93 8,505.47 8,561.98 8,058.91 8,897.72 11,442.08 10,393.33 14,947.06 19,517.55 665,509.24 652,058.02 20,974.05 19,680.85 4,912.32 6,300.17 1,112.40 1,310.83 45,221.48 44,688.50 209,029.82 208,894.55 172,432.19 172,031.21 7,800.74 8,671.07 4,047.94 1,828.42 13,962.12 12,963.54 1,001.27 1,747.85 166,192.32 201,947.45 156,036.50 156,343.44 88,134.36 86,868.65 246.22 212.32 6,528.62 5,231.92 31,405.48 31,078.47 161,647.02 151,038.42 $36,226,712.65 $36,034,611.67

435,001.95 113,286.99 130.29 804,942.31 38,532.79 224,853.54 328,840.70 407,134.43 6,530.15 1,657.11 4,900.93 1,527.53 205,356.44 3,248.01 63,752.26 27,943.08 8,297.71 35,919.71 7,948.17 81,548.34 48,262.36 16,002.73 17,773.62 2,278.84 457,052.74 30,461.50 1,078,171.69 4,943.25 121,696.92 34,892.59 11,224.89 1,579.04 20,247.31 1,680.00 66,727.76 27,542.84 25,665.34 295.91 1,029.48 9,117.61 15,213.32 14,195.22 180,532.74 12,690.21 7,518.19 9,967.68 42,857.83 4,290.66 2,968.54 590.00 381.44 2,657.91 108.52 1,290.62 6,231.89 112.68 9,299.60 1,164,911.66 31.39 548,899.37 11,979.94 6,139.61 2,189.15 38,404.35 4,043.95 44,585.58 3,310.49 243.86 2,631.61 28,372.92 6,437.75 29,425.99 4,330.51 14,533.96 333.51 8,425.74 1,497.66 39,176.09 1,710,174.91 4,699.66 60,626.82 26,046.80 9,139.55 8,505.47 8,058.91 11,442.08 14,947.06 665,509.24 20,974.05 4,912.32 1,112.40 45,221.48 209,029.82 172,432.19 7,800.74 4,047.94 13,962.12 1,001.27 166,192.32 156,036.50 88,134.36 246.22 6,528.62 31,405.48 161,647.02 $36,226,712.65

451,228.97 134,900.89 156.88 828,021.39 33,119.60 201,248.49 345,274.54 387,559.26 6,126.20 1,439.00 4,441.76 1,338.18 195,385.61 3,255.16 70,940.01 28,874.58 8,095.31 35,717.94 8,172.32 72,086.33 44,923.16 15,642.31 17,732.60 2,160.53 436,756.69 29,120.17 1,111,195.17 5,031.63 105,449.90 36,012.03 9,945.71 1,612.85 17,532.72 1,783.76 76,210.34 22,618.10 24,332.83 1,009.45 6,790.55 17,111.22 14,505.18 181,178.26 14,023.84 7,611.64 9,926.88 30,092.61 3,730.59 1,778.82 488.76 416.84 2,602.77 145.01 1,399.37 6,357.49 117.35 12,400.03 1,274,131.44 24.04 554,080.64 11,730.39 6,312.14 2,368.40 39,536.24 3,457.89 47,838.50 3,773.51 251.67 1,734.04 22,290.79 7,822.75 32,618.74 4,198.93 10,878.65 341.97 7,126.50 1,297.84 33,856.24 1,728,988.50 4,115.73 49,331.74 32,068.06 6,168.93 8,561.98 8,897.72 10,393.33 19,517.55 652,058.02 19,680.85 6,300.17 1,310.83 44,688.50 208,894.55 172,031.21 8,671.07 1,828.42 12,963.54 1,747.85 201,947.45 156,343.44 86,868.65 212.32 5,231.92 31,078.47 151,038.42 $36,034,611.67

Newsmakers

Bjorgum

August 25, 2017

Mississippi Business Journal

Trucking Association awards 16 scholarships Hawkins

Stewart

Belinda Stewart promotes 3

Belinda Stewart Architects recently made three promotions. » Craig Bjorgum, AIA, is now Technical Director, in addition to his duties of Project Manager and Project Architect. » Holly Hawkins, AIA, is Marketing Director, along with the duties of Project Designer and Project Manager. » Stephanie Stewart, Associate AIA, is Studio Director, as well as Project Designer and Project Manager.

Sims joins Kullman Firm

Jennifer D. Sims has joinedThe Kullman Firm with a practice that primarily focuses on litigation. She has experience handling EEOC charges and other employment-related matters, including discrimination, retaliation, and wage/hour claims. Sims previously Sims practiced law in Baton Rouge, La., and served as an adjunct instructor of sports law at Louisiana State University’s E.J. Ourso College of Business.

People Lease hires Huynh

Lisa Huynh recently joined People Lease. She has ﬁve years of administrative, human resources, and payroll experience. Huynh obtained an Associates of Arts degree in Business from Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College in 2012 and will graduate from Ole Miss with a Bachelor of Huynh Science in Healthcare Administration in December. Huynh volunteers with the Mississippi Methodist Rehabilitation Center and fosters animals for the Animal Rescue Foundation of Jackson.

Benchmark taps Pettis

Brant Pettis, partner in Balch & Bingham’s Gulfport office and member of the Litigation Practice, was recently named to the Benchmakr Litigation’s annual Under 40 Hot List for 2017. The Under 40 Hot List honors the achievements of the nation’s most accomplished legal partners under the age of 40. Pettis Pettis was one of seven Balch lawyers named to the list, and the only Balch lawyer from Mississippi. Pettis routinely represents contractors, state agencies and utilities regarding contract, environmental and regulatory claims. Recently, Pettis represented a state agency to successfully defend a bid protest regarding a $43 million public construction project.

Photo courtesy of Mississippi Trucking Association

Mississippi Trucking Association Foundation recently awarded 16 scholarships for the 2017-2018 school year. Recipients were, from left: Ricky Burrow (Mike McLarty Endowment), Michael Arrington (H. Dean Cotten Endowment), Jermeria Arrington (H. Dean Cotten Endowment), Philip Tapscott, Kenna Kuhn, Quinn Frommeyer (J.Fayard Endowment), Chandler Powell, Marty Jones (R. Gene Holmes Endowment) and Gabriel Barrios (Vernon G. Sawyer Endowment). Not Pictured: Ryeley Jacobs, Julia McKinney, Brooks Rahaim, Peyton Richards, Emily Moran (G. Larry Kerr Endowment), Reid Cooley (G. Larry Kerr Endowment), and Gabriella Thompson (Mike McLarty Endowment). Pettis is also counsel for a state agency administering millions of dollars in restoration projects following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill

JSU makes 3 admin changes Debra Mays-Jackson has been named vice president and chief of staff at Jackson State University, one of three administrative changes. Veronica Cohen is the new vice president for institutional advancement and external affairs, and Maxine Greenleaf recently joined Jackson State University’s Department of Communications and Marketing as executive director. Mays-Jackson’s responsibilities will include the Department of Public Safety, Title III, Student Affairs, the Mississippi e-Center@ JSU and legislative issues. A JSU alum, Mays-Jackson holds a bachelor of arts in music, a master of arts in music education; and a specialist degree in education Mays-Jackson administration from the HBCU. She earned her doctorate in education administration from Mississippi State University. Before JSU, she was the first woman vice president of Hinds Community College-Utica Campus. Cohen has more than 25 years of higher education experience. Prior to joining JSU, Cohen was the associate vice president of major and planned gifts at Claflin University in Orangeburg, South Carolina. She has also previously served as the vice president for university Cohen advancement at Mississippi Valley State University, as well as administrative positions at the Medical University of South Carolina, College of Dental Medicine; Springfield College; Lincoln University, and the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Cohen holds a bachelor’s in business administration from Saint Augustine’s College in North Carolina and a master’s in community counseling psychology from Springfield College in California.

Greenleaf, a native of Kosciusko, spent four years as the director of communications and marketing at her alma mater Mississippi Valley State. She has a bachelor’s degree in mass communication and received her master’s in mass communication and journalism Greenleaf from Kent State University. Previously, Greenleaf has served as the director of public relations for the Leﬂore County School District.

complete a Baccalaureate Degree in Social Work at Jackson State University, and with the help of this scholarship, he will continue his pursuit of his Master’s Degree. Harness’ goal is to serve men and women who suffer from alcohol and drug addiction. The purpose of this scholarship is to provide ﬁnancial assistance to a veteran who has exhausted government aid, or who might not otherwise have the ﬁnancial means to further his/her post-high school education.

Alexander recognized

Sarah Beth Wilson has been elected a shareholder in the Ridgeland office of Copeland, Cook, Taylor & Bush. She is a member of the firm’s Creditors’ Rights and Bankruptcy Group where she represents lenders and other financial and business entities in the areas of business bankruptcy Wilson and creditors’ rights litigation, insolvency and restructuring, banking, finance and real estate litigation, and lender liability defense. Wilson also sits on Mississippi’s Board of Banking Review where she represents the 22 counties in Supreme Court District 1. For four years, Wilson has been named a “Rising Star” in her areas of practice by Mid-South Super Lawyers and has maintained an “AV Preeminent” peer-review rating by Martindale-Hubbell. A graduate of Millsaps College and Mississippi College School of Law, Wilson has also been named one of Mississippi’s “50 Leading Businesswomen” and to the “Top 50 Under 40” lists of leading business professionals state-wide (Mississippi Business Journal; 2015 and 2016), has served in leadership roles in the Mississippi Bankruptcy Conference, is an appointed member of the Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure Local Rules Advisory Committee, and recently passed the American Board of Certification Business Bankruptcy Board Certification Examinations.

Wonna Alexander, Senior Production Clerk at Trustmark’s corporate headquarters in Jackson, has been inducted into the 40-Year Club of the Mississippi Bankers Association. At its 2017 Annual Convention, the Mississippi Bankers Association recognized Alexander as a member of this highly regarded 40-Year Club.

Alexander

Harness wins scholarship Magnolia Federal Credit Union recently announced that Roy Harness as the recipient of the 2017 Oliver N. King Veteran Scholarship of $2,000. Harness, a native of McComb, served in the Unites States military from 1974 until 1977. Migrating Harness to California, Harness worked traveling jobs, but due to medical disabilities suffered while serving he became dependent on drugs to ease the discomfort. After returning to Jackson to rehabilitate, Harness enrolled in Drafting and Designing classes at Hinds Community College. It was there he realized he wanted to serve other veterans who had been through the same situations he experienced. Harness received a two-year scholarship to

Wilson elected shareholder

Newsmakers

18 Q Mississippi Business Journal Q August 25, 2017

Trustmark promotes 4

Trustmark recently made four promotions at its corporate headquarters in Jackson. » Compensation Analyst Sylvia Woodard has been promoted to Vice President. Woodard has 13 years of banking experience. She earned a Master of Business Administration from Jackson State University and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics Woodard with an emphasis in Business Administration from Tougaloo College. Woodard is a board member for Leadership Greater Jackson, Inc., board member of Freedom House Canton, ﬁnancial officer for the Ark of Safety Ministry, volunteer for Stewpot, as well as member of the Society for Human Resource Management. » Direct Consumer Underwriter Bridget Lowery has been promoted to Vice President. Lowery has 23 years of banking experience and has completed both the Mississippi School of Banking and the Graduate School of Banking at Louisiana State University. She earned a Bachelor of Lowery Science in Business Administration from Mississippi College. Lowery is board member of the Rankin County Chamber of Commerce, as well as board member and past president for Friends of Mississippi State Hospital. » Vault and Distribution Services Manager Bard Shirley has been promoted to First Vice President. Shirley has 21 years of banking experience and has completed the Graduate School of Banking at Louisiana State University. He earned a Master of Business Administration and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Mississippi College. » Wealth Management Finance and Risk Officer Elizabeth Whitaker Namanny has been promoted to First Vice President and Trust Officer. Namanny has 10 years of combined banking and legal experience. She earned a Juris Doctorate from Mississippi College School of Law, as well as a Master of Business Administration and a Namanny Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Mississippi College.

Road Builders elect leaders

The Mississippi Road Builders Association recently elected members to a three-year term:. Bradley Coker, Falcon Contracting Company (Columbus); Harold Hammett, Hammett Gravel Company (Lexington); Clint Estess, Dickerson and Bowen Phillips (Brookhaven); Terry Ausbern, Ausbern Construction Company (Okolona). Bob Phillips, Phillips Contracting Company serves as President. Joe Lauderdale, Sunbelt Sealing serves as 1st Vice President. Steven Warren, Warren Paving serves as 2nd Vice President. Hunter Fordice, Fordice Construction Company serves as Secretary Treasurer. Rick Webster, Key Constructors serves as

Allstate helps with Habitat home

Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Visit Baton Rouge, Convention Marketing Manager for the Lafayette Convention & Visitors Bureau, Executive Director and Special Projects Manager for the State of Louisiana Department of Employment and Training, and Staff Assistant to Congressman Jimmy Hayes. Areng serves on the Board of Directors of the Mississippi Tourism Association and the Inﬁnity Science Center. She is a graduate of Leadership Jackson County and Leadership Hancock County. In 2017, she was selected as a participant in the Gulf Coast Business Council’s Master Class, was the recipient of the Mississippi Gulf Coast Chamber of Commerce’s Young Professional ‘Forever Young’ award, and 2017 nominee for a ‘One Coast’ leadership award. She is a graduate of the University of Southwestern Louisiana and lives in Pass Christian with her husband, Jason, and son, Nick.

Bentley named to list Courtesy of Habitat for Humanity Mississippi Capital Area

Allstate employees in the Jackson area recently helped build a house for Habitat for Humanity Mississippi Capital Area that is being sponsored by the Selby and Richard McRae Foundation and the future homeowner is Shalondria Curtis. The Allstate Foundation also awarded Habitat a grant of $11,000. Helping work on the house is Miranda Garbacz of Allstate.

Past President. Board members are Hollis Cheek, JC Cheek Contractor (Kosciusko); Tom Elmore, Eutaw Construction Company (Aberdeen); Bill Jones, Dozer (Natchez); John Lyle, Lyle Machinery Company (Jackson); Austin Morgan, T. L. Wallace Construction (Columbia); Charles Porter, Regions Insurance (Ridgeland); Lee Talbot, Talbot Brothers Contracting Company (Nesbit); Brett Vandermeeden, Vulcan Materials Company (Laurel). Mike Pepper is Executive Director.

MC’s Royce to retire Mississippi College President Lee Royce will retire in May after 16 years as the leader of the Clinton school. The 65-year-old Miami, Florida native was president at Baptist-afﬁliated Anderson University in South Carolina before becoming MC’s leader in 2002. At the time, Royce enrollment stood at 3,200 students. there are nearly 5,200 students enrolled today, including more than 400 at MC Law in downtown Jackson. There were just nine international students when he arrived. In 2017, there are more than 300 students from nearly 40 nations. Royce, who earned three degrees from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, was named Clinton’s outstanding citizen of the year. He was saluted by the Council for the Advancement & Support of Education as the District III chief executive of the year in the Southeast region. Royce and his wife, Rhoda, intend to life near their son, Mark Royce, who is a college teacher in northern Virginia.

Byram City Clerk appointed Byram City Clerk Angela Richburg was recently appointed as the President of the Mississippi Municipal Clerks and Collectors Association at the Mississippi Municipal League Conference.

Prather to direct tourism Jennifer Prather has been named Director of Tourism, for the Greater Starkville Development Partnership. Prather joined the Greater Starkville Development Partnership in January 2013 as Special Events and Projects Coordinator to direct and oversee multiple Prather special events for the GSDP and has served as Interim Director of Tourism since April 2016. In this role, Prather will lead the Starkville Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Starkville Main Street association, focusing on the development and implementation of programs and campaigns to further establish and promote Starkville as a premier destination in the State of Mississippi and enhance quality of life for all citizens. The Greater Starkville Development Partnership is comprised of the Starkville Area Chamber of Commerce, Oktibbeha County Economic Development Authority, Starkville Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Starkville Main Street Association.

Areng joins Focus Group The Focus Group, a Gulfport advertising and marketing agency, has hired Renee Areng as the new Vice President of Business Development. Areng has more than 20 years experience in the tourism sector, most recently as the Executive Director of Visit Mississippi Gulf Coast. Areng will be pursuing clients in the tourism sector, as well as in other key business sectors. She will also serve as a consultant on the agency’s existing tourism accounts. Areng has been a Certiﬁed Destination Marketing Executive since 2007 and was instrumental in achieving accreditation and multiple awards, including Convention and Visitors Bureau of the Year in 2016, for Visit Mississippi Gulf Coast. She previously worked as

Michael J. Bentley of the Jackson office of Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP is one of seven partners named to Benchmark Litigation’s 2017 Under 40 Hotlist, which honors the achievements of the nation’s most accomplished legal partners who are age 40 or younger. Bentley Bentley concentrates his practice on appellate and commercial litigation. Also recognized were Jason R. Bushby, John E. Goodman, Jennifer J. McGahey, J. Thomas Richie and Tiffany J. de Gruy from the Birmingham office, and Aron C. Beezley from the Washington D.C. office. The Under 40 Hotlist debuted in 2016. The attorneys on the list are selected through a process involving peer review and case examination.

MSU professor honored Lei Chen, a Mississippi State University assistant professor of mechanical engineering, is among 37 researchers to receive the Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Award, a prestigious junior faculty grant from Oak Ridge Associated Universities. Chen Chen was recognized for his research on metallic additive manufacturing. The award provides $5,000 in seed money for research. Chen also will receive a matching $5,000 contribution from MSU. Additive manufacturing offers the ability to fabricate customized, complex metallic parts traditionally unobtainable for a variety of applications, such as onsite, rapid fabrication of metallic bone implants with patients, and replacement parts in remote aerospace locations such as outer space. Prior to working at MSU, Chen was a postdoctoral research associate in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Pennsylvania State University and a research fellow at Southampton University in the United Kingdom. Chen obtained his doctorate in mechanical engineering from the National University of Singapore in 2012.

Newsmakers Barrett Design promotion Mary Elinor Goodwin has been promoted to Studio Coordinator at Barrett Design Studio. Goodwin has been in the industry for seven years, including the last two at Barrett Design Studios. She is a member of the American Society of Interior Designers, and Goodwin a graduate of Mississippi State University in Interior Design with a minor in Fine Arts. Barrett Design Studio interior design ﬁrm is in Jackson with a satellite office in New York City.

August 25, 2017

Mississippi Business Journal

New employees at PRCC

Coleman named Miller VP Renee Coleman was recently named Vice President of Miller Hospitality, a restaurant development company based in Ridgeland. As vice president, Coleman oversees the ﬁnances and human resources operations of Miller Hospitality, most recently serving as Director of Accounting. Coleman Miller Hospitality will soon open Fine & Dandy, an upscale burger restaurant, in The District at Eastover. The group also oversees operations of four franchise-owned Newk’s Restaurants in Mississippi and North Carolina. Coleman has over 20 years of experience in restaurant accounting and has been with Miller Hospitality since 2015. A graduate of Mississippi State University, Coleman has a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a triple major in ﬁnance, business management and marketing. She and her husband, Mike Coleman, live in Madison with their two sons Connor and Dylan.

USM names interim chair Dr. Charkarra Anderson-Lewis has been named Interim Chair of the Department of Public Health at The University of Southern Mississippi. Anderson-Lewis began her career with Southern Miss in 2004 in the Department of Public Anderson-Lewis Health, which is housed in the College of Health, and after a two year stint at the University of Florida, she returned to USM in 2015. A diligent researcher, Anderson-Lewis focuses her research efforts on community engaged research, health equity and disparities, mHealth and Digital health, qualitative research methods, community health workers, hypertension, obesity and cardiovascular disease. Recently, Anderson-Lewis’s mobile produce market “Fresh Food on the Move Mississippi” program, designed to bring fresh fruits and vegetables to those with limited access to these foods, received the Conville Service-Learning Development Award from the USM Center for Community and Civic Engagement.

Jackson County awards The Jackson County Chamber of Commerce recently presented its 9th Annual ANCHOR Awards. The ANCHOR Awards honor, reward and celebrate the achievements of small businesses and non-proﬁt organizations in the community. The 2017 winners and nominees of the 9th Annual

Courtesy of PRCC Public Relations

New employees at Pearl River Community College are, seated, from left, Ryan Trevathan, football offensive coordinator; Amanda Lawler, biology instructor; Sarah Simmons, adult education navigator at Forrest County Center; Cassie Reid, FCC biology instructor; Shari Brooks, Hancock Center English instructor; Stephanie Clark, Hattiesburg WIN Center case manager. Standing, John Ladner, unmanned aerial systems instructor; Erick Moffett, chemistry instructor; Jeff Tinnon, FCC chemistry instructor; Alexandra Kennedy, adviser; Daphne Stevens, coaching and professional development specialist; Tim Donati, FCC electronics instructor; Melanie Davis, early childhood academy coordinator; Deloris Butler, Hattiesburg WIN Center adult education-computer instructor; and Darby Lenoir, Picayune WIN Center adult education-computer instructor. Not pictured is associate degree nursing instructor Malcolm Hotzman. ANCHOR Awards were: Small Business Category 1: Compton Engineering, Inc. (winner); Audiowave Car Stereo; Aztecas Restaurant & Cantina; Belk of Gautier; Cable One, Inc.; Coldwell Banker Alfonso Realty, Inc. – Pascagoula “CBAR”; Compton Engineering, Inc.; Floor Trader; Gibson Electric Motor Sales & Service, Inc.; Gulf Coast Marine Supply; Island Winds Title Company, LLC; Perkins Tire & Polaris, Inc.; and Southern Belles Like Big Bows. Small Business Category 2: Community Bank (winner); Community Bank; Hancock Bank; Keesler Federal Credit Union; and Team Waste Gulf Coast. Rookie Category: Whimsy Books & Toys, LLC (winner); Nura Juice; QuadMed, Ingalls Family Health Center; State Farm Insurance - Brenda Thompson; and Whimsy Books & Toys, LLC. Non-Proﬁt Category: Feeding the Gulf Coast (winner); Dream Program, Inc.; Feeding the Gulf Coast; Jackson County Civic Action Committee; Jackson County Literacy Council, Inc.; Jackson-George Regional Library System; Kiwanis Club of Pascagoula; Mississippi Power Community Connection Jackson/ George Chapter; Pascagoula River Audubon Center; and Second Baptist Christian Academy.

Cannon elected to board Michael Joe Cannon has been elected to serve a three-year term on the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) Board of Directors as the Mississippi representative. Cannon is the owner of Cannon Motors of Mississippi. Cannon was elected by the Mississippi franchised dealers and Cannon will begin serving his second term in March. Cannon sits on the Executive Committee and presides over the Public Affairs Committee. NADA, a national organization, represents the new car and truck dealers across the United States.

BKD promotes 4 Peder Johnson, managing partner of BKD’s Jackson, Mississippi office, recently announced the following promotions: » Aren Atkinson, CPA, has been promoted to Senior Associate I. She is a graduate of Mississippi College with a Bachelor and Masters of Accountancy. Atkinson focuses on providing audit services to clients in the Financial Services and Manufacturing and Atkinson Distribution industries of BKD. She is a member of the AICPA and MSCPA. She also is on the Conference Committee of the Young CPA Network and the Employee Engagement Council of BKD. Atkinson volunteers for Habitat for Humanity. » Justin Egger, CPA, has been promoted to Senior Associate II. He is a graduate of Mississippi State University where he earned his Bachelor of Accountancy and Marketing degree, and a graduate of Millsaps College with a Masters of Accountancy. Egger focuses Egger on providing tax services in the Real Estate, Manufacturing & Distribution and Personal Service industries of BKD. He is a member of the AICPA, MSCPA and the Phoenix Club of Jackson. » Megan McKinnie, CPA, has been promoted to Senior Manager. She is a graduate of the Mississippi University for Women with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and Management Information Systems, and a graduate of Mississippi State University with a McKinnie Master of Professional Accoun-

tancy degree. McKinnie is a member of BKD National Financial Services Group and focuses on providing taxation services to financial institutions and bank holding companies. She is a member of the AICPA, MSCPA and the Mississippi Bankers Association. McKinnie is on the Metro Jackson American Heart Association Passion Committee and is a member of First Baptist Church, Ridgeland. » Matt Glover, CPA, has been promoted to Senior Manager. He is a graduate of The University of Mississippi where he earned his Bachelor and Masters of Accountancy degrees. Glover provides audit and consulting services to clients in a variety of industries, Glover including manufacturing and distribution, telecommunications, financial services and health care, as well as other clients in the commercial sector. He is a member of the AICPA and the MSCPA. He also is the financial director and co-founder of African Business Institute, a business school under African Bible Colleges in Uganda, Malawi and Liberia.

Dieth joins People Lease Lauren Dieth recently joined the People Lease in Ridgeland. She has over 10 years experience in customer service management and marketing management. Dieth holds an Associates of Science in Paralegal Technology from Hinds Community College Dieth and a Bachelor’s of Science in Business Administration with a Minor in Accounting from Mississippi College. Dieth is married to Charles Dieth and has two children, Ashlyne Isabella and Charlie. They live in Clinton.