MBJ_Jul07_2017

INSIDE — Coast economy continues to lag behind the state in key metrics — Page 2 Mississ pp Alcor n 4.7

17

DeSoto 4.2

sippi 5.3 4.1

Quitman 8.7

Lafayette 4.6

Yalobusha 5.7

Tallahatchie 5.1

Sunflower 7.7 Washington 7.3

Leflore 7.6

Carroll 6.5

Rankin 3.9 Smith 5.0

Claiborne 9.7

Copiah 5.9

Jefferson 12.6 Adams 7.4

Franklin 6.6

Amite 6.7

Wilkinson 8.2

Lincoln 5.4

Pike 6.0

Lauderdale 5.8

Newton 5.6

Scott 4.2 Hinds 5.1

Kemper 8.3

Neshoba 5.2

Madison 4.1 Warren 5.8

Lowndes 5.6

Noxubee 7.4

Winston 6.0

Leake 6.0

Yazoo 6.1

Issaquena 12.8

Clay 6.7 Oktibbeha 5.3

Choctaw 4.8

Attala 6.1

Holmes 8.9

Humphreys 8.8

Sharkey 6.9

Monr oe 5.2

Chickasaw 5.5

Webster 5.4

y Montgomer 5.2

Itawamba 4.8

Lee 4.3

Pontotoc 4.4

Calhoun 4.8

Grenada 5.0

Bolivar 6.3

Tishomingo 5.2

Prentiss 5.0

Union 4.0

Panola 7.2 Coahoma 7.2

Tippah 4.7

Benton 6.1

Marshall 5.6

Tate 5.3

Tunica 5.6

Clarke 6.3

Jasper 6.6

Simpson 5.1 Wayne 6.4

Covington Jones 5.1 5.6 Davis Lawrence Jeff 6.9 6.7

Walthall 7.1

Lamar 4.2

Marion 5.7

Forrest 5.1

Perry 6.4

Greene 7.3

ent Rates Unemploym

Hancock 5.7

3.9 - 4.3

Stone 6.7

Harrison 5.1

Jackson 5.9

4.4 - 5.8

8.8 - 12.8

July 7, 2017 • Vo. 39. No. 27 • 16 pages

George 6.8 Pearl River 5.6

5.9 - 8.7

www.msbusiness.com

Publication rtment, MDES Market Data Source: Labor Market Information Depa Design: Labor

SCIENCE

ENERGY

May 2017 Unemployment

Mississippi Power suspending Kemper coal operation pending PSC showdown

— Page 4

MBJ FOCUS

By JACK WEATHERLY jack.weatherly@msbusiness.com

Big Business {Section begins P8}

» Large mergers take work, communication and similar cultures » Entergy cuts costs for customers $118M over 3 years by joining MISO

{The List P12} » Largest Employers

Courtesy of USM/Special to the MBJ

The graduation from the USM Unmanned Maritime class has been compared to NASA graduation.

HISTORY MADE » USM makes waves graduating first Unmanned Maritime Systems class in U.S. history

By BECKY GILLETTE mbj@msbusiness.com

COLUMN {P3}

» WILLIAMS: The one U.S. Supreme Court opinion to read in 2017

It has been said that the ocean is the last frontier for exploration on Earth. According to the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), only about five percent of the ocean has been explored. And just as aerial drones have revolutionized flight,

underwater robotic vehicles are revolutionizing ocean research, defense and natural resources exploration. But, until recently, there was no certification program in the U.S. to train people to operate unmanned maritime systems (UMS).

That is why a June 1 graduation of 15 students from an intensive, five-week course at the University of Southern Mississippi was considered to be historically significant. Rear Admiral Timothy Gallaudet, who was present for the graduation, likened the achievement to what NASA did with the first spaceflight.

See MARITIME, Page 2

Mississippi Power Co. and its parent, the Southern Co., issued a statement Wednesday saying that the operation of the coal-gasification operations at the Kemper County power plant will be suspended and natural-gas operations would continue.

The statement came as a Mississippi Public Service Commission hearing approaches on Thursday, July 6, to determine the future of the project that is years behind its original completion schedule and billions of dollars over its initial expected cost.

PSC Chairman Brandon Presley made the July 6 hearing sound like an ultimatum. “We are telling the parties to get a plan and get a settlement ready that does not increase rates one penny,” Presley was quoted as saying.

Presley said in an interview on Thursday that “it appears that the company heard the commission, loud and clear. I’m very confident now that we’re going to get a settlement in 45 days” from the issuance of the order.

A successful settlement, Presley said, would entail: 1.) the plant relicensed as a natural gas facility; 2.) that there there be no rate increases from where they stand today; and 3.) that customers not be responsible for any costs related to coal gasification.

At stake is $3.4 billion in the plant’s coal gasificati0n cost, which the PSC has not included in the utility’s retail and wholesale rates, Mississippi Power said in a filing See KEMPER, Page 3

http://msbusiness.com/events/health-care-heroes/

2 Q Mississippi Business Journal Q July 7, 2017 MONEY

Coast economy continues to lag behind the state in key metrics

» The president of the Mississippi Gulf Coast Business Council said the first step is to realize it’s struggling to begin with

By JUSTIN VICORY mbj@msbusiness.com The Coast’s economy is still struggling to recover from Hurricane Katrina, the Great Recession and the BP Oil Spill, and remains behind the state curve in important economic indicators, including sales tax revenue and median income, a business expert said.

In a recent PowerPoint presentation entitled “The Uphill Recovery From the BP Oil Spill,” President of the Mississippi Gulf Coast Business Council, Ashley Edwards concluded Hancock, Harrison and Jackson counties have not realized the same economic momentum as other regions - including the overall state of Mississippi.

Edwards looked at economic data from

the Mississippi Department of Employment Security from Fiscal Year 2010 to Fiscal Year 2016 in his analysis.

He said the data comes in conflict with a common perception that the Coast region, with it’s maritime and tourism industries, does better economically than the rest of the state.

Edwards found that since 2010, the Coast has seen a reduction in establishment jobs - which includes manufacturing and non manufacturing jobs - of 3,490 jobs, compared to an increase of 47,700 jobs across the state in the same time frame.

There have been significant job losses in higher paying sectors in particular, he said.

“When you look at the numbers, almost all the job increases are almost solely in the hospitality, food and beverage industries.

Alone, that’s a good thing, but without a diversification of job gains, we (the Coast) continue to lose ground in average media income compared to the rest of the country and the rest of the state,” he said.

A good deal of good paying jobs, or those that would raise the median average dis-

solved over the years as many businesses fraught with a drop in revenue post Katrina, the Great Recession and the BP Oil Spill left the market. Economically speaking, the levy finally broke, Edwards said.

“I think that many businesses had finally had enough. They left the Coast and their businesses behind. Following (Hurricane) Katrina, the median income average along the Coast was roughly $4,000 below the state average. It’ll be closer to $16,000 or $20,000 below the average in the coming years,” he said.

Also since 2010: -Overall city sales-tax revenue increased by 17.4 percent across the state, but by 13.6 percent along the Coast.

-Taxable income has increased by 6 percent across the state, but decreased by 2 percent along the Coast.

-Ad valorum property taxes and overall assessments have not kept up with the overall pace of the state of Mississippi.

-The gap between median household income compared with the U.S. average continues to widen.

MARITIME Continued from, Page 1

“This class should be mighty proud because the national impact of this certification and the skills taught throughout the course will be felt for decades,” Gallaudet said. “Look around the room at your fellow graduates. Each of you has embarked on a journey no one else has attempted. The work you have put in for the last few weeks has advanced the defense of the United States immensely and we can’t wait to see what you do next.”

Dr. William “Monty” Graham, director of USM’s School of Ocean Science and Technology (SOST), said the program was designed to provide a rigorous, hands-on academic program to introduce the students to UMS and the decision processes needed to operate them.

“Students developed skills in disciplines such as electronics, programming, policy and application,” Graham said. “The demand for unmanned technologies is only increasing. Operating ships is very expensive, and sometimes it is difficult to get to certain locations where you can alternatively send an unmanned vehicle. The areas where unmanned systems use is increasing in utility include defense and homeland security, marine resource mapping and monitoring, oil and gas exploration, scientific research, and charting and navigation.”

The 15 students came from far and wide, and included civilian and military personnel from the Naval Oceanographic Office Fleet Survey Team and Naval Oceanography Mine Warfare Center at the John C. Stennis Space Center, the Submarine De-

Courtesy of USM/Special to the MBJ

The UMS class that recently graduated was for the first tier in a three-tier program. Students going through the entire tier structure will graduate with a full graduate degree.

velopment Squadron 5 in Bangor, Wash., the Naval Oceanography Special Warfare Center in San Diego, Calif, NOAA in Norfolk, Va, and the Naval Undersea Warfare Center based in Newport, R.I. Graham said demand for experts in UMS is growing and will grow even more in the future.

“In fact, we are seeing a tremendous interest from the U.S. Navy in continuing this program and expanding its capacity,” Graham said.

Some people think of the deep ocean as a dark, featureless, monotonous place.

Graham said that isn’t true. The ocean has mountain ranges and canyons that contain

sea life that can only be imagined.

“It’s difficult to manage something when you don’t know what’s there,” Graham said.

The class’s instructor was SOST’s Dr. Vernon Asper, who has frequently used UMS for research in Antarctica. He said it was challenging packing 10 semester hours of teaching into just five weeks of class time.

“Scheduling was crucial because of how intensive the nature of the class is,” Asper said. “Seeing how quickly the students began to grasp the concepts and truly grow their understanding of the unmanned systems was incredibly gratifying as their teacher.”

In his role as business council president, Edwards advocates for local control of BP settlement funds and further investment from the state.

“The Coast is undoubtedly one of the economic engines of the state. And the health of the Coast has a direct influence on the state of Mississippi. We can spread out investment across all 82 counties and have nothing to show for it in the end. Or we can invest it in the Coast’s economic engine so that it will benefit future generations,” he said.

Although Nashville, Tennessee, isn’t an apples to apples comparison with the Coast, Edwards said he found a recent trip there insightful. Nashville’s economy ranks as one of the fastest-growing in the country, according to a report from the United States Conference of Mayors.

“They’re not the same but the similarity is that they - like us - have a big tourism industry. However, the city isn’t dependent on tourism alone. They have a very diversified economy. That’s how we should view investment,” he said.

Asper said students learned core fundamentals of using gliders, powered unmanned underwater vehicles and autonomous surface vehicles. In addition to learning how to chart and pilot these vessels, they also learned how to build them.

“Building the glider really brought a lot of the topics together for the class,” Asper said. “Seeing how the vehicle you’re using is made from inside to out put everything into perspective for them.”

Asper said robotic vehicles are used to do what is nearly impossible to do any other way.

“A good example is a project we had in Antarctica where we used a glider, an autonomous vehicle that propels itself by changing its buoyancy, to study the food chain that supports Adélie Penguins in the Ross Sea,” Asper said. “The glider had sensors on it that measured the amount of phytoplankton, algae that are at the bottom of the food chain, and a sonar that monitored the distribution of krill, which are small shrimp-like animals that eat algae and are eaten by penguins. Coupled with satellite tags on the penguins, we were able to monitor the entire food chain throughout a complete summer feeding season.”

Asper said this wasn’t without some drama. They had one glider get stuck under some sea ice and another under the floating ice shelf. But they were both able to swim free after trying for a few days.

The UMS class that recently graduated was for the first tier in a three-tier program. Students going through the entire tier structure will graduate with a full graduate degree.

July 7, 2017

Q

Mississippi Business Journal

Q

3

GOVERNMENT/POLITICS

The one U.S. Supreme Court opinion to read in 2017 T

he U.S. Supreme Court’s regular term ended Friday, June 30, 2017, and the nine lifetime Justices began their summer recesses.

A vacant seat and a perceived 4-4 ideological split clouded expectations in October when the court term began. Six months into the session, Justice Gorsuch joined the bench in a televised swearing-in ceremony conducted by swing-vote Justice Kennedy at the White House Rose Garden. Back at the U.S. Capitol, Democrats engaged in less ceremonial swearing, still ireful that the Republican U.S. Senators had mimicked their 2013 playbook to utilize the “nuclear option” and fill the “stolen seat.”

By the end of the term, the number of released opinions totaled 69. The general public, and most attorneys, are content to digest summaries. Still, to foster a better appreciation of the smallest, least funded, and most intellectual branch of the federal government, we should all read at least one opinion per term. But which one?

The Runners-Up Here are my three runners-up: 1. Matal v. Tam [Free Speech]. The Slants, a rock band, took offense that a federal agency found its offensive name offensive and sought to overturn the federal law prohibiting trademark protection for a disparaging name as violative of the First Amendment.

Ruling 8-0, the Court lectured Congress, numerous law professors, and a few public colleges on the bedrock right called Free Speech. Go Redskins!

2. Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstedt [Abortion]. This 5-3 abortion rights ruling fell along expected lines. The holding – finding legislatively imposed abortion restrictions unconstitutional – adds another landmark abortion ruling to the list. Although the subject enthralls activists, personally I find reading another divided Texas abortion opinion quite tedious.

3. Bristol-Myers Squibb v. Superior Court of California [Forum Shopping]. The plaintiffs’ bar ran into an 8-1 blockade when the Supremes ruled California lacked personal jurisdiction over the putative claims of hundreds of plaintiffs from 33 states. The Court astutely noted that the plaintiffs had not been prescribed the drug in California,

Illustration by Ford Williams (SCAD)

did not buy the drug in California, and were not injured in California, and the defendant drug company was not based in California.

The One Opinion to Read The one Supreme Court opinion everyone should read in 2017 is Trinity Lutheran Church of Columbia, Inc. v. Comer, a 53-page, 7-2 stunner. This opinion dissects the Religion Clauses of the First Amendment, reaffirms a strict scrutiny test for government encroachment, provides insight into the One Protestant’s views, and sets the stage for a judicial determination in the simmering national debate over whether LGBTQ rights trump the Free Exercise Clause.

Factually, the case is simple. Missouri disqualified a church-owned school from a playground grant program because a state constitutional provision prohibited the use of public money to aid any church or religion.

The ruling is also simple. To quote Justice Roberts’ concise explanation: “The State in this case expressly requires Trinity Lutheran to renounce its religious character in order to participate in an otherwise generally available public benefit program, for which it is fully qualified. Our cases make clear that such a condition imposes a penalty on the free exercise of religion that must be

KEMPER Continued from, Page 1

Wednesday with the federal Securities and Exchange Commission.

Those costs include $2.5 billion for gasifiers and gas clean-up facilities as well as for lignite mine and carbon dioxide pipeline facilities, and other items.

It notes that if the PSC does not allow the $3.4 billion, the company and its parent would have to take a charge to income for the second quarter of 2017.

The commission voted on June 21 to hold the hearing to take up an order that will give Mississippi Power 45 days from that date to comply.

subjected to the ‘most rigorous’ scrutiny …

[T]he exclusion of Trinity Lutheran from a public benefit for which it is otherwise qualified, solely because it is a church, is odious to our Constitution … and cannot stand.”

If you read only the 15 pages comprising the majority opinion, you will likely find the Court’s opinion educational but unremarkable. Justice Roberts’ cadence resonates with appealing logic and adherence to precedent. The separate concurring opinions of Justices Thomas and Gorsuch provide the first clue that more is at stake. Gorsuch eloquently points out the troubling distinction between religious status and religious use. His analogy of acts and omissions and the rising sea tide is one for the books (specifically 582 U.S. __ 2017).

The second clue, the dissent authored

by Justice Sotomayor, fills 27 pages – more than half the total opinion. Sotomayor describes the majority’s holding as “a radical mistake” with a “lopsided outcome” that “discounts centuries of history” and “jeopardizes the government’s ability to remain secular,” all while “dismantl[ing] a core protection for religious freedom,” and ignoring the “separation of church and state.” Despite a deep liberal bench, Sotomayor could only procure one concurring vote – Justice Ginsburg.

It would allow only the use of natural gas to operate the plant. Mississippi Power serves nearly 190,000 customers in 23 counties.

The companies said on Wednesday that the plant will continue to produce electricity using natural gas, as it has since August 2014, the companies said.

“In light of the uncertainty as to the future of the gasifier portion of the Kemper [Integrated Coal Gasification Combined Cycle project], Mississippi Power believes it is proper and prudent to engage in an orderly suspension to preserve workforce safety and health, while still retaining the necessary workforce and abiliity to run the combined cycle units,” Mississippi Power said in a filing with Securities and Exchange Commission on Wednesday.

One might ponder what all the kerfuffle is about. The answer may lie in a separate decree issued that same Monday, June 26, 2017, in which the Court granted the petition for writ of certiorari in the MasterBen Williams piece Cakeshop case. Jack Phillips, a “cake artist,” incurred the wrath of Colorado when he politely declined to design a wedding cake for a same-sex couple. Although the small business owner gladly sold cakes to anyone, Mr. Phillips drew a personal moral line at extending his artistry to designs that promoted racism, depicted indecency, included profanity, or conflicted with his religious beliefs.

Colorado’s state-ordained civil rights commission ordered the cake maker to make same-sex wedding cakes or stop making wedding cakes. His choice. Mr. Phillips chose to seek judicial relief. The Colorado state courts heard Mr. Phillips’ expensive appeal but sided with the state. Now the U.S. Supreme Court will decide.

Trinity Lutheran is a precursor to Masterpiece Cakeshop and, for Mississippians, invokes HB 1523, the controversial 2016 religious freedom state law reinstated by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in June 2017.

Predictions are a dollar a gross, and mine is the Free Exercise Clause contained in the First Amendment - “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof” - is as simple as it sounds. Specifically, the Supreme Court will side with the disparaged cake baker and confirm the repressive government lacks power to make Jack Phillips, me, or you, undertake some act that is abhorrent to our sincerely held religious beliefs.

Then, there will be no need for Mississippi’s HB 1523.

Ben Williams is a Mississippi attorney. Email Ben at MBWJ@aol.com. Ford Williams is a sophomore at the Savannah College of Art & Design (SCAD).

The utility also said that its decision was “a prudent step to manage costs in light of the current circumstances.”

The facility, whose current cost has risen to $7.5 billion, compared with the original projection of $2.9 billion, that was based on the assumption that gasifying lignite, a soft coal in a formation that could fuel decades of operation and allow control of that cost, compared with natural gas.

The expectation was the synthetic gas would be cheaper in the long run than natural gas, and equally clean due to the removal of most of the carbon dioxide, which would be sold to explorers to aid in extraction of oil.

That assumption has not proved to be true, as the nation is awash in natural gas, pushing down long-term prices thanks to the technological breakthrough called hydraulic fracturing, or fracking.

May 2017

4 Q Mississippi Business Journal Q July 7, 2017

DeSoto 4.2

Mississippi 5.3 U.S. 4.1

Tunica 5.6

MISSISSIPPI’S MAY 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 5.3

April ‘17 1,289,600 55,000 4.3 1,234,600

May ‘16 1,279,100 75,600 5.9 1,203,500

‘16 Avg. 1,280,400 74,700 5.8 1,205,800

Coahoma 7.2

Yalobusha 5.7

April ‘17 159,817,000 6,555,000 4.1 153,262,000

May 2017 9,474 45,977 $6,586,533 32,716 2,241 759 $201.32

May ‘16 158,800,000 7,207,000 4.5 151,594,000 April 2017 5,042 40,546 $5,172,775 25,346 1,606 598 $204.09

‘16 Avg. 159,187,000 7,751,000 4.9 151,436,000 May 2016 10,465 59,111 $7,661,835 38,200 2,667 948 $200.57

Calhoun 4.8

Tishomingo 5.2

Leflore 7.6

Carroll 6.5

Montgomery 5.2

Holmes 8.9

Moving Avg.** 159,695,000 7,516,000 4.7 152,179,000

Yazoo 6.1

Issaquena 12.8

Lowndes 5.6

Oktibbeha 5.3

Choctaw 4.8

Winston 6.0

Attala 6.1

Sharkey 6.9

Monroe 5.2

Clay 6.7

Webster 5.4

Washington 7.3

Itawamba 4.8

Chickasaw 5.5

Grenada 5.0

Sunflower 7.7

Lee 4.3

Pontotoc 4.4

Bolivar 6.3

Moving Avg.** 1,287,300 70,600 5.5 1,216,700

Lafayette 4.6

Quitman 8.7

Humphreys 8.8

May ‘17 159,979,000 6,572,000 4.1 153,407,000

Alcorn 4.7

Tippah 4.7

Union 4.0

Tallahatchie 5.1

May ‘17 1,296,600 69,000 5.3 1,227,600

Benton 6.1

Prentiss 5.0

Panola 7.2

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

Marshall 5.6

Leake 6.0

Neshoba 5.2

Scott 4.2

Newton 5.6

Noxubee 7.4

Kemper 8.3

Madison 4.1 Warren 5.8 Rankin 3.9

Hinds 5.1

Claiborne 9.7

Copiah 5.9

Jefferson 12.6 Adams 7.4

Wilkinson 8.2

Franklin 6.6

Lincoln 5.4

Amite 6.7

** Average for most recent twelve months, including current month •• Unemployment Insurance amounts presented in this section only represent regular UI benefits, federal program amounts are not included.

Unemployment Rates Labor force amounts are produced in cooperation with the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

3.9 - 4.3 3.9 - 4.3 Note: Unless indicated state and county data presented are not seasonally adjusted.

Pike 6.0

Covington Jones 5.1 5.6

Walthall 7.1

Marion 5.7

— Mississippi Department of Employment Security

5.9 - 8.7 8.8 - 12.8

4.4 - 5.8 5.9 - 8.7 8.8 - 12.8

Lamar 4.2

Pearl River 5.6

Hancock 5.7

Clarke 6.3

Wayne 6.4

Lawrence Jeff Davis 6.7 6.9

Unemployment Rates

4.4 - 5.8

Jasper 6.6

Smith 5.0

Simpson 5.1

Lauderdale 5.8

Forrest 5.1

Perry 6.4

Stone 6.7

Harrison 5.1

Greene 7.3

George 6.8

Jackson 5.9

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

July 7, 2017

Q

Mississippi Business Journal

Q

5

THE SPIN CYCLE

Best headlines in a digital age

A

well-written headline is worth its weight in audience-grabbing gold!

That is especially true in our digital age. It is difficult to overstate the importance of headlines. A good headline can entice and engage your audience to click, read and share your content. In many cases headlines are the thing that is shared rather than the article. So you knew that. But do you know what makes an engaging headline?

To help answer this question BuzzSumo analyzed 100 million article headlines.

While there is no magic formula for creating a viral or popular headline, there are many lessons we can learn to improve our content engagement. BuzzzSumo shared their findings with a number of content experts to reflect on the implications of the research for writers.

In the survey of 100 million headlines published between March and May, the three word phrases or trigrams that gained the most Facebook engagements (likes, shares, comments) were: 1.

Will make you … 8,961 2.

This is why … 4,099 3.

Can we guess … 3,199 4.

Only X in … 2,398 5.

The reason is …1,610 6.

Are freaking out … 1,560 7.

X stunning photos … 1,425 8.

Tears of joy … 1,388 9.

Is what happens … 1,337 10.

Make you cry … 1,287 11.

Give your goose bumps … 1,278 12.

Talking about it … 1,265 13.

Is too cute … 1,261 14.

Shocked to see … 1,257 15.

Melt your heart … 1,233 16.

X things only … 1,227 17.

Can’t stop laughing … 1,142 18.

Top x songs … 1,092 19.

Twitter reacts to … 1,062 20. What happened next … 1,060.

How Brands Tap Into Influencers As influencer branding has grown, it’s gone way beyond a one-note business transaction between advertisers and social stars.

Between agents, platforms and the rise of self-serve, how brands work with influencers has turned into a complex undertaking.

Here are ways they do it according to DigiDay: Business models » Spray and pray: Brands ship product to a star and hope the influencer creates content. This runs the risk of being mocked in the Todd Smith influencer community for that approach; according to Collectively co-founder Alexa Tonner. » Production: Marketers approach social stars with detailed requests for creative that include storyboards. Influencers will then fulfill the request and post the content – videos, storytelling or pictures – on their own blogs or social channels. » Agency: Marketers come to influencers with RFPs and then let the influencers plan and execute entire campaigns. The campaigns can then be fulfilled via the influencer’s own network or also appear in advertising by the brand. » Publisher: A growing number of selfserve tools have meant advertisers can create a list of influencers they want to work with, then send the influencers in-house creative.

The influencers will post it on their own social platforms, essentially forming a bond resembling a media relationship. Essentially, influencers become mini media companies.

A brand that uses an influencer in this capacity wants to distribute a brand message or raise awareness through an influencer with multiple channels, a high number of followers and strong engagement. » Branded content: Media companies such as Hearst Magazines Digital Media will use influencers in branded content to give the posts extra oomph. For example, a story about a bag line could feature influencers styling the bags rather than a model posing with the bags. That gives the influencers more creative freedom and gets the content more reach. » Brand ambassador programs: These are more popular with influencers, as they guarantee a revenue stream. A brand will sign someone up for a longer time period, booking them, for example, across prom season,

back to school and the summer. For brands, these can be a cheaper get: If you booked an influencer who had 150,000 followers in January but grew her following fivefold during the year, you’re still locked in at the cheaper price. » Events: Influencers can show up to launches to take a photo or two and share them with their followers. » Product lines: Possibly the most difficult model, brands can work to create co-branded products with influencers — tapping into the “creator” aspect to work on the product and packaging.

How brands find influencers » In-house talent team: Major brands like L’Oréal run in-house talent teams that scour the social web to find new stars. » Tools: An increasing number of brands are working with tech companies to create large-scale whitelists of approved influencers who can then be tapped programmatically or manually for campaigns on an ongoing basis.

How influencers get paid » Commission: Akin to affiliate models, influencers get a cut every time a promo code is used to purchase whatever they’re selling. » Upfront fee: Reserved for more top-tier influencers, fees are paid upfront, followed by a rolling commission-based model. » Gift card: Influencers – particularly smaller ones – will render services for a brand gift card. » Per click: Used particularly by YouTube influencers, this compensates influencers every time people click on product links in their bios or in videos. » Cost per engagement: Brands can measure engagement metrics, then apply them as an attribute against different platforms so influencers get paid per engagement (like or comment) they receive. » Invitations: Influencers receive party invites for exclusive events where it’s normally difficult to get in. In exchange, they cover the event.

The numbers » Upfront fees can range from a basic $1,000 per 100,000 followers on Facebook or Instagram to a flat fee per photo of up to $200,000 for celebrity influencers. » Appearance fees start at about $30,000. » Commissions are usually 25 percent of the sale.

Sick Mic | Sweeping Health Care Reform bill stalled Senate Republican leaders abruptly postponed a vote on a sweeping health care bill until after the July 4 recess, setting off a high-stakes lobbying sprint that could determine the fate of the GOP’s legislation to replace most of the Affordable Care Act. The delay came after stalled efforts to tweak the legislation and gain the support of nine Republican senators who have opposed the bill. Now, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell will need to bridge a divide between conservative Republicans, who say the bill retains too many of the ACA’s regulations to significantly lower premiums, and GOP centrists, who worry the legislation goes too far in cutting funding to Medicaid. Until Congress returns from the recess, there is likely to be a run of deal-making, arm-twisting and lobbying, with voters voicing their opinions in townhall meetings, Republican leaders offering changes and organizations trying to sway senators on all sides.

The delay is a setback for President Trump and Sen. McConnell, who had promised a vote. Senate Republicans say they must pass the legislation before Congress’ August recess. If that doesn’t occur, the path ahead would become more difficult and other parts of the GOP agenda would be at risk. Success, on the other hand, could boost momentum for other Republican priorities such as a tax overhaul.

Republican senators said the delay had become unavoidable, especially after the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office found the bill would result in 22 million more people uninsured than the ACA over the next decade. So the Senate is continuing to fumble the political football of meaningful health care reform, so the Senate – and its leaders – gets an increasingly ill Sick Mic!

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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MBJPERSPECTIVE July 7, 2017 • www.msbusiness.com • Page 6

» RICKY NOBILE

Website: www.msbusiness.com July 7, 2017 Volume 39, Number 27

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» INSIDE MISSISSIPPI

‘Shared Services’ still no laughing matter

G

eorge Carlin’s word skits made me laugh… and sometimes think.

His monologue about “shell shock” morphing to “battle fatigue” then to “post-traumatic stress disorder” lampoons how we have come to use less disturbing, more benign words to camouflage reality. It came to mind when the Governor made his budget proposal.

(No, not our current governor. I wrote this and the following excerpts in my December 2009 column regarding Gov. Haley Barbour’s proposed budget.)

‘Shared services’ sounds benign…much more so than ‘consolidation’ or ‘merger’ doesn’t it?

But public CEOs didn’t smile when Haley Barbour said, “There is no reason for each of the 15 community and junior colleges to have its own back room operation, such as payroll, insurance, and purchasing. A single such administration operation should be set up, preferably combined with the same functions for IHL universities. Shared services saves money.”

NASA didn’t camouflage its intentions about shared services.

As deputy director of the Mississippi Development Authority, I was part of the team that competed to locate the NASA Shared Services Center at Stennis Space Center. In 2001, NASA began to study the benefits and costs of forming a “Consolidated Business

Services Organization” to serve its ten facilities across the country. By April 2003, NASA concluded that such consolidation could improve efficiency and save money. NASA decided to use public-private competition to implement its plan, a process it called competitive sourcing.

To compete, Stennis Space Center added Mississippi and Louisiana as public financial partners. Computer Sciences Corp. (CSC), an eminent information technology (IT) and business process outsourcing company, became our private operating partner.

In 2005, this partnership won the competition based on both the best price and CSC’s strong performance record. To NASA, who was to do the work was as important as price.

Today, NASA still has multiple facilities, but its one shared services center in South Mississippi is saving taxpayers millions of dollars annually. What services were consolidated? Accounts payables and receivables; payroll; travel reimbursements; HR services and training support; IT services; and procurement.

Commercial banks figured this out long ago. Central operations centers provide back room services to multiple banks, sometimes in multiple states…consolidation that has saved banks millions in overhead costs without reducing market presence.

There are no operating or financial reasons for eight universities and 15 colleges – or 142

state agencies, 152 school districts, 82 counties, and 200 plus municipalities for that matter – to maintain separate back room operations.

The obvious lesson is that public CEOs could save lots of money through shared services Bill Crawford with no harm to teaching or service functions. A no-brainer, right?

As president of the College Board I appointed a task force to develop a “no-brainer” IT shared services plan for universities. University CEO resistance was stultifying. Apparently, for many public CEOs, controlling their own stuff is far more important than efficiency.

And, sharing lessons control.

“You wouldn’t want somebody to come by and take some of your stuff?” smirked George Carlin to get a laugh.

(Our Legislature has so far laughed off shared service proposals, despite conservative Republicans gaining super majorities in the House and Senate. Politically, it’s easy to squeeze budgets, but hard to truly rightsize government.)

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

July 7, 2017 • MISSISSIPPI BUSINESS JOURNAL • www.msbusiness.com

AN MBJ FOCUS: BIG BUSINESS

Courtesy of Baptist Memorial Health Systems

Baptist Health Systems CEO Chris Anderson and Baptisat Memorial Health Care CEO Jason Little share a moment during a meet-and-greet with employees after their merger announcement.

Keeping it together » Large mergers take work, communication and similar cultures

By BECKY GILLETTE mbj@msbusiness.com

M

ississippi has seen two big mergers of late that affect tens of thousands of employees, customers and patients.

Baptist Medical Center of Jackson and Baptist Memorial of Memphis merged May 1 creating one of the largest healthcare providers in the mid-South, Baptist Memorial Health

Care. And Metropolitan Bank merged with one of the biggest banks in the state Renasant, July 1.

Baptist Memorial has 17 hospitals in Arkansas, Mississippi and Tennessee, and Mississippi Baptist has four hospitals in Mississippi. The new organization will have 14,000 employees.

What goes into mega mergers like this?

“A lot of work goes into it, but the most important thing is communication,” said Chris Anderson, vice president of Mississippi operations, Baptist Memorial Health Care. “Communicating effectively requires a lot of time and can be difficult because there are so many stakeholders involved — board leadership, staff, physicians and members of the community. It’s essential that you involve all the right people at the right time. So, it requires due diligence to make sure all parties are involved and that you don’t have any unanswered questions after you’ve made the decision to go through with the merger.”

Anderson said there are many benefits to their merger, but the ultimate goal is higher quality care and lower costs for each entity.

“As a large organization, you have greater resources that ultimately help you improve the efficiency and quality of care you provide in the community,” Anderson said. “That’s what our payers, customers and patients expect, and through this combination we can leverage our scale and resources to enhance the care we provide for both markets.”

It helps that both are Baptist hospitals.

“Anybody who has studied mergers and business combinations knows that the first lesson is if the cultures don’t fit, they will not be successful,” Anderson said. “Conversely, when you have cultures that align very tightly, it sets you up for success.

See MERGERS, Page 10

10 Q Mississippi Business Journal Q July 7, 2017

Big Business

The power to save millions » Entergy cuts costs for customers $118M over 3 years by joining MISO

By JACK WEATHERLY mbj@msbusiness.com

E

ntergy Mississippi Inc. saved customers about $118 million in the three years after joining a regional transmission organization, the Mississippi Public Service Commission said in a release on Thursday.

Entergy Corp.’s four southern utilities joined the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) on Dec. 19, 2013, after a lengthy regulatory review and cost-benefit analysis. The savings have exceeded the analysis’ projections, according

MERGERS Continued from Page 8

What has made this a successful project from the first meeting I had with Jason Little (president and CEO of Baptist Memorial Health Care) to the signing of the documents in April was the fact that we had a shared mission. Our values are very similar. Our mission statement is almost identical.

Our values and commitment to a Christian ministry were cornerstones that led us to Oxford become one entity.”

Anderson said they are not only both Baptist hospitals, they are also hospitals that share markets that fit together neatly like puzzle pieces. There wasn’t a big physical distance between where they were, but there was also no overlap in where they were.

“So that eliminated a lot of problems that exist in many mergers where you have overlapping markets or markets that don’t connect, and you have these awkward gaps that you’re not sure how to fill,” Anderson said. “We just fit together neatly — both culturally and geographically — and those were things that contributed to this being a successful merger.”

The two systems didn’t have the same electronic health records (EHR), but Mississippi Baptist had already made the decision to move to a new EHR. In fact, Anderson said their medical staff had decided Epic was the right tool for them prior to deciding to merge with Baptist Memorial.

For Renasant and Metropolitan, the primary advantage of the merger is the

to the PSC. The analysis called for up to $284 million in savings over a decade for Entergy Mississippi’s customers.

“The Public Service Commission is committed to reducing the cost of electricity in Mississippi,” said Brandon Presley, Northern District commissioner and commission chairman. “By having access to electric power in other markets through MISO, we drive down the cost of living for Entergy customers and grow the state’s economy.”

MISO operates in all or part of 15 states and the province of Manitoba in Canada.

It manages the commitment and dispatch of electrical generation on the transmission grid, maintains reliability, plans new transmission facilities and operates markets for the purchase and sale of electricity and related products.

The $118 million in savings large-

alignment of two like-minded organizations that can mutually benefit from each other’s strengths, said John Oxford, director of corporate communication for Renasant.

He said Metropolitan’s market share and presence in the Jackson, Memphis, Tenn., and Nashville, Tenn., helps Renasant to expand its client base and add dynamic banking talent.

“With Renasant, Metropolitan clients gain 170 plus locations and 2,200 seasoned banking associates at their service along with additional products and services, such as trust, wealth management and insurance, from Renasant,” Oxford said.

There are a lot of logistical challenges with any merger such as changing signage, notifying customers, etc. But Oxford said since Renasant has been through a dozen mergers and acquisitions since 2005, they have a well-honed process in place to try and minimize any impact on both their current and new clients.

“Both organizations have well-defined roles and responsibilities during the merger,” Oxford said. “It takes the full attention of associates on both sides, and especially in the markets with banking locations being impacted, to be involved and work together to minimize any disruption to everyday business, as well as making sure each client experience continues to be a great one.”

There is a risk some customers won’t be pleased by a merger. But Oxford said it has been their experience that most clients are very understanding in knowing that when a merger takes place, there is a transition period.

“Most concerns during mergers are

ly comes from efficient movement of electricity, resulting in access to lower cost electricity through MISO’s market. At 6.29 cents per kilowatt hour, Mississippi’s average industrial rate is well below the national average – a key factor when companies look to expand or relocate.

Both Entergy and Mississippi Power Co. are regulated monopolies.

Entergy agreed in 2012 to join MISO after the Justice Department announced that it wouldn’t sue the utility for anticompetitive behavior if the utility did so.

Entergy had long been dogged by claims that it had used control of its grid to favor its own power plants over independent generators, even when it cost much more to make electricity at old, inefficient Entergy plants rather than at new independent plants.

Entergy denied wrongdoing and said it was not responsible for others’ bad busi-

ness decisions.

Holding down costs “translates to financial savings for member utilities and power consumers, and ultimately fuels a more prosperous economy for our region,” said Todd Hillman, vice president and South Region executive for MISO. At 6.29 cents per kilowatt hour, Mississippi’s average industrial rate is well below the national average – a key factor when companies look to expand or relocate, according to the release.

Presley said that electricity rates are one of the first things a prospective employer looks at when considering where to locate.

Continental Tire, which is making a $1.45 billion corporate investment in Hinds County and will create 2,500, is a prime example of that, Presley said.

Entergy Mississippi, Inc. provides electricity to approximately 445,000 customers in 45 counties.

Courtesy of Renasant Bank

The former Metropolitan Bank in Ridgeland now sports a Renasant sign.

around debit card and check usage, as well as online banking and passwords for their accounts,” Oxford said. “Although no banking transition is perfect, through proper planning, maintaining good communication and using past experience as a guide, we are able to hopefully provide a near seamless experience as we welcome our new clients to the Renasant family.”

Anderson said coming out of the “great recession” there was a trend for banks to merge due to the increased regulatory burden brought on by Dodd-Frank banking laws coupled with the negative

economic impact of the recession forcing some banks to fail and others to sell to avoid potential failure.

“Today, as the economy has greatly improved, that trend has lessened,” Anderson said. “Although the increased regulatory burden is still very much an issue, most mergers, such as ours between Renasant and Metropolitan, are between two strong organizations that want to increase their market share, improve their ability to serve their clients and increase long-term value for their shareholders.”

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Big Business

12 Q Mississippi Business Journal Q July 7, 2017

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New Businesses

July 7, 2017

Q

Mississippi Business Journal

Q

13

DOWNTOWN PILATES: The Rankin County Chamber of Commerce recently held a ribbon-cutting for Downtown Pilates, 158 W. Government St. in Brandon.

Courtesy of Rankin County Chamber of Commerce

Courtesy of Rankin County Chamber of Commerce

SOUTHERN STATE RUSTIC: The Rankin County Chamber of Commerce recently held a ribbon-cutting for Southern State Rustic Furniture & Accessories, 101-102 Millstone Place in Pearl.

Courtesy of Rankin County Chamber of Commerce

CRICKET WIRELESS: The Rankin County Chamber of Commerce recently held a ribbon-cutting for Crickett Wireless, 118 Service Dr., Suite 13 in Brandon

CROSSGATES JEWELERS: The Rankin County Chamber of Commerce recently held a ribbon-cutting for Crossgates Jewelers, Inc., 401 Cross Park Dr. Suite A in Pearl.

Courtesy of Rankin County Chamber of Commerce

Newsmakers

14 Q Mississippi Business Journal Q July 7, 2017

Clement a Who’s Who Legal

W. Rodney Clement, a partner in Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP’s Jackson office, has been named by Who’s Who Legal: Real Estate 2017 as among the world’s leading real estate attorneys.

Clement concentrates his practice in commercial real estate Clement and secured transactions.

Who’s Who nominees are selected based upon comprehensive, independent survey work with both general counsel and private practice lawyers worldwide.

It is published by London-based Law Business Research Limited and features approximately 20,000 private practice lawyers from more than 150 national jurisdictions

Hospital employees honored

Clark passes design exam

TEC appoints Brown

TEC of Jackson has appointed of Matthew Brown as Technician at TEC in Roanoke, Ala. In this role, Brown will be responsible for the installation and repair of company products and services.

Brown lives in Roanoke, AL with his wife, Amanda, and son, Liam.

Brown

Butler Snow re-elects Clark

Butler Snow is pleased to announce the re-election of Donald Clark Jr. has been re-elected to serve as chairman of Butler Snow until January 2020. Clark has served in the role since 2006.

During this period, Butler Snow has grown from 3 offices and 140 attorneys to 24 offices and more D. Clark than 330 attorneys.

Clark has worked with Butler Snow’s executive committee to implement strategic plans focused on strengthening client service; talent development, inclusivity and diversity; and practice development and service offerings for clients.

During his tenure, the firm has garnered numerous awards and accolades, and consistently ranks among the nation’s top law firms in many practice areas as well as for client service. Over the past year, Butler Snow was named a Top 10 firm for pharmaceutical client relations by BTI Consulting and was recently ranked as one of the Top 10 Bond Counsel practices in the country by Thomson Reuters.

Britton named treasurer

The Southeastern Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners has selected Mississippi Public Service Commissioner Sam Britton as treasurer of the organization. Resident of Laurel, Britton was elected Public Service Commissioner for Mississippi’s Britton Southern District in 2015.

SEARUC is a non-profit organization composed of eleven Southeastern states including Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas. These participating states

Dowell joins a select group of individuals who have earned the designation in the six plus decades of the accreditation program’s existence. At present, fewer than 10 percent of AAAE’s members throughout the country are active accredited airport executives.

Courtesy of Mississippi State Hospital

Mississippi State Hospital recently honored employees with June anniversaries for their years of service to the hospital, beginning with one year and followed by every fifth anniversary year. Employees receive a Certificate of Appreciation and a Service Award Pin. The program is sponsored by Friends of Mississippi State Hospital Inc.Recipients include, first row, from left, Dr. Susan Taylor of Madison, 5 years; Fran Strehlow of Brandon, 15 years; Dawn Kelly of Jackson, 20 years; Catherine Bennett of Canton, 10 years; Tomika Stewart of Jackson, 15 years. Second row, Christopher McCarthy of Brandon, 10 years; Nancy Valles of Pearl, 30 years; Takesha Evans of Jackson, 10 years; Jean Johnson of Richland, 40 years; Tammye Hutchins of Jackson, 25 years; Alicia Harris of Brandon, 15 years. Third row, Donnia Rozell-Bowles of Jackson, 15 years; Marie Bingham of Jackson, 40 years; Akila Moody of Edwards, 25 years; Bruce Parker of Jackson, 25 years; Gerald Sims of Jackson 5 years; and Jerone Lacking of Pelahatchie, 25 years., collaborate to discuss and study various aspects of public utilities across the Southeast with the goal of determining solutions to challenges states face in the utility regulatory sector.

In his many years of experience in finance and accounting, Britton has held positions within the offices of the State Auditor and State Tax Commission.

Britton also holds certifications in areas including Accredited in Business Valuation, Certified Valuation Analyst, Certification in Financial Forensics, Personal Financial Specialist, Chartered Global Management Accountancy, and Charter Mergers & Acquisition and was recognized by the Mississippi Business Journal in 2014 as a “Mississippi Leader in Finance.”

USM’s McNair honored Delores McNair, administrative assistant/information specialist in the office of the Dean of Students at The University of Southern Mississippi, was recently named Educational Office Professional of the Year by the USM chapter of the Association of the McNair Office Professionals (AOP). .

A Hattiesburg native, McNair joined the USM staff in 1998. She holds a degree in psychology from USM and is a member of the university’s Alumni Association. She is active in community service, both at her alma mater and in the Hattiesburg area, including as a member of the USM staff council; as past president of the USM AOP; the campus taskforce for the Mississippi Coalition Against Sexual Assault; and steering committee for the Pine Burr Council of Boy Scouts, among other local and state organizations.

McNair’s past awards and recognition include as recipient of the Men of Excellence Southern Miss

Chapter Woman of Excellence Award; Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.’s Peggy Jean Connor Heart of Hattiesburg Award; Southern Miss Humanitarian Award; USM Staff Excellence Award; and the USM Office of Greek Life Outstanding Staff Award.

USM’s Graham on task force University of Southern Mississippi’s School of Ocean Science and Technology Director Monty Graham was recently named chairman of the new Ocean Task Force by Gov. Phil Bryant.

The task force, which is modeled after Task Force Ocean developed by Chief of Naval Oper- Graham ations Adm. John Richardson, will provide a master plan identifying attractors, partnerships, missing elements, research and training as state, federal and private resources become available. The task force will also provide recommendations on how Mississippi can create training to develop a workforce to support the unmanned maritime systems industry.

Kacey Clark of Dale Partners Architects P.A. recently passed the National Council for Interior Design Qualification exam. All NCIDQ Certified Designers have been educated, trained and examined to protect public health, safety and welfare.

Clark received her Bachelor of K. Clark Science in Interior Design from Auburn University in 2012, and joined Dale Partners in 2016. Previously she was employed by Celia Barrett Interiors. Since being employed at Dale Partners, Clark has worked for several notable projects including the Civil Rights and History Museum, Jackson, Gulfport Sportsplex, Gulfport.

Curcio joins Neel-Schaffer

Charles Curcio, PE, CFM, has joined Neel-Schaffer, Inc., and will serve as a hydraulics and hydrology project engineer.

Curcio, who has nearly 40 years of experience, will be based in the firm’s Ridgeland office, but he will provide services for Neel-Schaffer Curcio offices across the South. He has extensive experience as a project engineer on a wide variety of civil engineering projects in connection with design for site work, grading, drainage, erosion control, storm water and Corps of Engineers permits.

A registered Professional Engineer in Mississippi, Curcio holds a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Mississippi State University. Curcio is also a Certified Floodplain Manager, and he is registered through the Association of State Floodplain Managers.

IP Casino recognizes 6 Six IP Casino Resort Spa team members were recently honored for their dedication to customer service in April. Honorees included front-of-house team members Diana Gomez (Housekeeping), Elisha Martin (Highlights Sports Lounge) and Jeremy Oiler (Security); and back-of-house team members Phung Le (Room Service), Becky Rogers (Compliance) and Roy Ryan (Food & Beverage).

Airport official accredited Matthew Dowell, Deputy Director of the Golden Triangle Regional Airport in Columbus has been awarded the distinction of Accredited Airport Executive by the American Association of Airport Executives.

To qualify for this distinction, Dowell had to successfully complete three phases of the accreditation process: (1) pass a 180-item multiple-choice examination, (2) fulfill a writing requirement, and (3) demonstrate, in the final interview by a panel, his knowledge of airport management, business administration and general transportation economics.

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Newsmakers Baptist taps Howie, Adkins Brenda Howie, Ph.D., MSN, RN, NE-BC, has been promoted to the chief nursing officer of Baptist Medical Center in Jackson. The hospital also named Jonathan Adkins, MD, as the medical director for Baptist Nutrition and Bariatric Center.

Since 2013, Howie has served as Baptist Medical Center’s vice president of nursing. As CNO, she will provide oversight to nearly 1,000 nurses at Baptist.

Howie began her nursing career at Baptist in 1981 and has served in various roles including staff nurse, educator, assistant manager, nurse Howie manager and clinical director.

Additionally, she has been a nursing clinical instructor for Hinds Community College and Mississippi College School of Nursing.

Howie led the Magnet Component Teams for Baptist’s Journey to Excellence. In March, Baptist was designated the only Magnet hospital in Mississippi.

The Magnet Recognition Program given by the American Nurses’ Credentialing Center is the nation’s highest nursing designation.

In August 2015, Howie obtained her doctorate degree in Nursing Education and Administration from William Carey University. She holds an Associate Nursing Degree from Hinds Community College and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and Masters of Science in Nursing from the University of Mississippi Medical Center.

Adkins practices at Lakeland Surgical Clinic PLLC. He received an undergraduate Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from Ole Miss in Oxford and then attended the University of Mississippi Medical School in Jackson. He did a General Surgery Residency Adkins at Mercer University in Macon, Georgia. He then completed his Minimally Invasive Surgery Fellowship at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas.

Adkins belongs to numerous organizations including the Mississippi State Medical Association, the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery, the Society of American Gastrointestinal Endoscopic Surgeons and the Society of Laparoendoscopic Surgeons. Additionally, he has completed the LINX Reflux Management System.

Along with being a member of several professional and scientific societies, Dr. Adkins has authored three publications and given four presentations on various topics.

He previously served as the Chief of Surgery at St. Dominic Hospital in Jackson and was the Secretary Treasurer of the Central Medical Society.

Krutz to lead Institute

L. Jason Krutz is the new director of the Mississippi Water Resources Research Institute, a statewide water resources institute led by Mississippi State University.

Most recently, Krutz served as irrigation specialist at the Delta Research and Extension Center Krutz at Stoneville and as executive director of the H2O Initiative.

Krutz conceived and directed the Row-crop Irriga-

July 7, 2017

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MPB receives 5 Southeast EMMY Awards

Courtesy of Mississippi Public Broadcasting

The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences recognized Mississippi Public Broadcasting with five 2017 Southeast EMMY Awards. MPB’s EMMY winning productions and personnel are: Documentary – History: “Mississippi’s Free State of Jones,” Art McAlpin, Adam Chance, Edie Greene, John Gibson; Audio - Live: “Mississippi College Festival of Lights,” Taiwo Gaynor, John Busbice; Children / Youth (All Ages): “Ed Said,” Scott Colwell, Gaynor, Keri Horn; Writer – Short Form: “Ed Said,” Colwell, Gaynor, Horn. Craft Specialty – Musical composition / Arrangement: “Ed Said’s Super Fruit to Save the Day,” Colwell, Gaynor, Horn.

Pictured are, front row, from left: Greene, Horn, Chance and Busbice. Back row: Gaynor, Gibson, McAlpin and Colwell. tion Science Extension and Research (RISER) Program, which increased adoption of profitable irrigation best management practices for cotton, corn, soybeans, rice and peanuts across the state.

A native of Arkansas, he received bachelor’s and master’s degrees in agronomy from the University of Arkansas. He holds a Ph.D. in agronomy from Texas A&M University.

MWRRI provides a coordinated research and development program to find solutions to water and water-related land use problems in the state and region.

TEC appoints Gray TEC has appointed Robert Gray as Technician at TEC in Bay Springs. Gray will be responsible for the installation and repair of company products and services.

Gray has several years of experience in the technology industry.

Gray lives the Pleasant Ridge community with his wife, Amberlee, and daughters Reese and Payton.

Gray

Jones named to Lawdragon Christy D. Jones of Butler Snow has been selected as a member of the 2017 Lawdragon 500 Leading Lawyers in America.

The Lawdragon 500 is an annual guide to America’s leading lawyers. Selections are made from a combination of editorial C. Jones research, law firm nominations and online nominations, and are limited to no more than 500 lawyers in the country.

Jones focuses her practice on pharmaceutical and medical device litigation, as well as professional liability litigation. She has more than 30 years of trial experience.

Jones is also a member of the International Academy of Trial Lawyers, American Board of Trial Advocates, International Association of Trial Lawyers, Product Liability Advisory Council, International Association of Defense Counsel, American Bar Association, Defense Research Institute, Lawyers for Civil Justice, Trial Attorneys of America, Mississippi Bar Association, Mississippi Defense Lawyers Association and Capital Area Bar Association.

She is AV-rated by Martindale-Hubbell, recognized in The Best Lawyers in America® for personal injury litigation and product liability litigation, and in MidSouth Super Lawyers® for personal injury defense.

Jones is recognized as a nationwide leader by Chambers USA America’s Leading Lawyers for Business as a trial lawyer and in the product liability and mass tort and pharmaceutical litigation categories. Chambers USA also ranks Jones as a leader in general commercial litigation in Mississippi. She has also received a top ranking in Chambers Global.

Pickering hires 2 employees Pickering Firm, Inc. recently made two new hires in the Flowood office.

Olivia “Libby” Wiseman and Bailey Rainey have recently joined the Water Resources team of Pickering Firm in Flowood.

Wiseman has a degree in Civil Wiseman Engineering from the University of Memphis and Bailey has a degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Mississippi State University.

Pickering is a full discipline firm specializing in Facility Design, Civil Engineering, Surveying, Transportation, and Natural / Water Resources. The firm is headquartered in Memphis, TN with offices in Hernando, Flowood, Jackson, Pearl, and Biloxi, Mississippi, and Jonesboro, Arkansas.

Rainey

Innovate elects board seats Innovate Mississippi recently elected Mike Forester of Louisville its new Chairman of the Board, and Deborah Hicks Midanek Bailey of Grenada its Vice Chairwoman of the Board.

The Innovate Mississippi Board of Directors is made up of private sector CEOs, innovation and tech- Forester nology entrepreneurs, business leaders and investors.

Forster says Innovate has new initiatives under way to better develop the state’s coding infrastructure. He says the Mississippi Codes and the Mississippi Coding Academy projects hold great promise for Mississippi’s Bailey workforce.

Bailey, has been an active member of the Board for several years. The New York native serves as president of the Solon Group, Inc., among her involvement with other key ventures.

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