Mbj july05 2013

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July 5, 2013 • Vol. 35, No. 27 • $1 • 36 pages

» SPECIAL EDITION: MEETINGS, CONVENTIONS, ART AND ENTERTAINMENT

CONVENTIONS FINDING A HOME Business at popular spots is either higher or staying even — begins Page 15

MORE INSIDE:

36 counties out of exchange DHS mum on what will happen next — Page 4

2 I Mississippi Business Journal I July 5, 2013 LAW

ENERGY

Recent tax ruling could give huge appeal advantage to Dept. of Revenue

Company, using MSU technology, plan biocrude production facility

By CLAY CHANDLER I STAFF WRITER clay.chandler@msbusiness.com

A June 20 decision by the Mississippi Supreme Court in a tax dispute between Equifax Credit Information Services and the Mississippi Department of Revenue severely damages the rights of taxpayers, said an attorney who practices tax law.

The dispute arose over the company’s tax liability to the state. Using the standard apportionment method, Equifax computed its tax liability as zero. A subsequent audit by the Mississippi Department of Revenue determined that the standard apportionment method did not properly reflect the company’s business activity in the state.

Reaching that conclusion, the Department of Revenue found that an alternative apportionment method, under which Equifax’s income from services provided to customers located in Mississippi was apportioned here, should have been used. The tax assessment totaled a little more than $700,000.

Equifax, after paying the taxes in protest, appealed that decision to Hinds County Chancery Court, which ruled in favor of the Department of Revenue.

The state high court’s ruling gives the Department of Revenue a significant advantage in tax appeals, said John Fletcher, a partner in Jackson law firm Jones Walker’s tax and estates practice group.

Among the most harmful portions of the court’s ruling is the limitation it sets on the standard of review a chancery court can apply in disputes between a taxpayer and the Department of Revenue. The ruling does not allow a taxpayer on appeal to receive a de novo trial, complete with discovery rights. Instead, it requires the taxpayer to show at the chancery court level that the Department of Revenue had no facts to rely on when it reached its decision at the administrative level.

Fletcher the ruling sets up a system akin to “appealing to the cop who arrested you.”

The supreme court encountered a case similar to this one a few years ago, and ruled that a taxpayer should have the right to a full-blown trial, complete with discovery rights and a fully preserved record. Around the same time, lawmakers approved legislation that provided uniform de novo rights to disputes related to all taxes – sales taxes, income taxes, etc. – to between taxpayers and the Department of Revenue.

“It’s going to be an insurmountable hurdle to overturn any decision.”

John Fletcher Jones Walker attorney

“It really synchronized the taxes, making everything consistent,” Fletcher said. “Everybody welcomed that. And that law specifically said it would be a de novo trial. The court would have the authority to determine exactly what the tax liability was. It’s a good system.”

The recent ruling reverses that, Fletcher said.

“And if this stands, it means you have to create a record at the administrative level, but the law specifically says they don’t create a record. You can’t take depositions, you can’t do the normal discovery stuff you would do in a court proceeding.”

“So you go through that informal process, the department makes a ruling, and then you go to court to justify it. And with the system this ruling has created, all the Department of Revenue needs is the slightest fact. That’s a huge issue.”

How that manifested itself in the Equifax decision, Fletcher said, is the company applied the law as it was written in the regulations, based on how the company’s sales were sourced. Fletcher said current regulations say that service providers determine in state and out-of-state sales based on where the cost was incurred.

“Equifax has offices outside the state, so they followed the rules and they determined that none of the sales were attributable to Mississippi,” Fletcher said. “The department’s been going to the Legislature for years trying to get the law changed to market sourcing, which bases it not on where your people are performing the service, but where your customers are located. So far the Legislature has refused to do it. What the court just did was basically give the department the market sourcing without legislative approval. And the worst part is the court assessed penalties to the taxpayer for basically following the rules. They were assessed penalties for not filing under a method they were not permitted to file under to begin with.”

The court’s ruling also said it did not have the authority to overturn that decision, which provides an example of how the standard of review limitation will harm taxpayers on appeal, Fletcher said.

“It’s going to be an insurmountable hurdle to overJoin the team at turn any decision. The way the law is structured about not creating a record, and the way the court is construing The CPA firm seeks an experienced full-time the chancery court’s authority, you really don’t have any administrator in the audit department. A candidate appeal rights at this point. It’s must have strong computer skills including Microsoft going to make it exceptionally difficult on the taxpayer.”

Outlook, Word, and Excel. The firm offers excellent Fletcher said a motion for rehearing will be filed within benefits and a competitive salary with an the next couple weeks, and atmosphere that encourages a strong work/life will likely be joined by amicus briefs in support of balance. Send resume and references to Equifax from a lot of Mississippi business groups and trade associations.

MATTHEWS, CUTRER & LINDSAY, P.A.

mturnage@mclcpa.net

By CLAY CHANDLER I STAFF WRITER clay.chandler@msbusiness.com

Mississippi State University has granted a commercialization license to a Jackson-based company for a technology developed and owned by the university.

The technology extracts oil from microorganisms.

Bio Energy Spectrum Solutions, LLC, received the exclusive right to commercialize MSU's patented technology involving extracting biocrude from oleaginous microorganisms, which are found in wastewater treatment facilities. The microorganisms accumulate oil similar to vegetable oil or animal fat.

The company plans to build the world's first commercially viable biocrude plant that uses industrial and municipal wastewaters.

Darryl Breland, president of Spectrum Solutions, said biocrude is the world's latest and most promising alternative energy source because it is more cost effective than any other biofuel.

The company is co-owned by Rafael Hernandez and Todd French, who both were Mississippi State chemical engineering faculty members and co-inventors of the technology. French remains at MSU as an associate professor, while Hernandez now is head of the chemical engineering department at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.

Andro Mondala, an MSU senior research associate who previously completed his doctoral degree at MSU and helped develop the technology as part of his dissertation, also is a co-owner.

The project originated under the Mississippi University Research Authority (MURA) Act. The 1992 legislation was designed to spur economic development by linking university researchers with private sector partners to commercialize inventions, innovations and other intellectual property.

The Mississippi State University Research and Technology Corporation will maintain a 5 percent equity interest in the company, per the licensing agreement.

"Unlike other manufacturers of biofuels, biocrude is not made from an expensive food-based feedstock such as soy oil, corn oil or yellow grease, but is made from secondary sewage sludge, which many cities and industries would be willing to pay our company to take from them," Breland said in a school press release.

Spectrum Solutions is in the early stages of evaluating the feasibility of implementing the biocrude production technology with several U.S. municipalities and major industries, and has started discussions with potential sub-licensees in various countries around the world.

Bio Energy, LLC, is the parent company of Spectrum Solutions, as well as Bio Energy Yazoo, LLC, which has plans for a soybean crushing plant in Yazoo City. The facility plans to sell soy meal to the poultry industry in Mississippi, and perhaps Louisiana. The soy oil will be used for the production of biodiesel when market conditions allow. If not, the oil will be sold to the food industry.

"This arrangement provides our biodiesel operation with the perfect hedge against market fluctuations that result in soy oil being too valuable to use as a biodiesel feedstock," Breland said.

"The process is scalable and environmentally friendly, which is a great combination. MSU and the Office of Entrepreneurship and Technology Transfer are pleased to partner with Spectrum in commercializing this technology," said Gerald Nelson, director of MSU's Office of Entrepreneurship and Technology Transfer.

July 5, 2013

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Mississippi Business Journal

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AROUND MISSISSIPPI

Location key to Biloxi baseball success

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t’s a 10-mile drive every morning from my suburban home to the MBJ office in downtown Jackson. On a good day, it takes no more than 20 minutes. On a bad day, well‌ Along the way, there are obstacles — road construction, potholes, railroad tracks that are sometimes occupied, distracting tailgaters and cars. And more cars. And trucks. Small trucks. Big trucks.

And more big trucks.

It’s called traffic — a word we all hate. Lots and lots of traffic.

But along that same route, there’s a convenient market for a quick stop if needed. There are fast food restaurants — and slow food restaurants. There are gas stations, and there’s a quick pharmacy drive-through for medical needs.

Those businesses are along my route because of traffic. That traffic is providing me with both life necessities and life options. Now, traffic this traffic logic isn’t so bad.

But there’s no Wal-Mart, no Best Buy and no Belk along my route — simplistically, because there’s not enough traffic.

So, despite the dread, traffic is vital in terms of economic growth and consumer amenities. If someone built a big box store along my route the traffic might increase — or the business might fail.

Naysayers in Biloxi don’t seem to understand that sometimes a little traffic is worthwhile to drive economic success.

The 20-year fight to bring a minor league baseball team to the Gulf Coast is on the verge of becoming reality. The City Council has stepped up to the plate with plans to borrow $21 million and the state is pitching in another $15 million. Beau Rivage casino is essentially donating land — a parcel on U.S. 90 directly across the street from the casino’s parking garage. But before baseball can be played next April, there are still

hearings to be heard, council votes to be counted and teams to be bought and moved. Oh yeah, and a stadium to be built.

Then, the cry comes from the populous — it will create too much traffic along the busy coast highway in east Biloxi — let’s move it somewhere else.

Amid that outcry (and the concern that the stadium will be built on land leased annually for $1 from the casino) there are offers to relocate the stadium.

Earlier this week, Coast businessman W.C. “Cotton� Fore renewed his offer of 10 acres in east Biloxi for an alternative. The suggested location is in an area off 5th Street near the new Margaritaville casino. A previous attempt to move the stadium to city-owned land next to the Ohr-O’Keefe Museum of Art drew opposition because it is a velocity zone (natural hurricane barrier) and may have remains of American Indians on the property.

Yes, building a stadium at the junction of I-110 and U.S. 90 could create traffic issues, especially if there’s a Saturday afternoon game or a weekday game that happens to end as rush-hour hits. But those events are rare.

Besides, most traffic spikes will last no more than 30 minutes and most will be around the 10 o’clock hour at night when games end. Plus, it happens only 70 times a year. Currently, 2,400 Beau Rivage employees change shifts in that lot three times a day — every day — so traffic might actually decrease.

But the advantage of this traffic jam is foot traffic. There are amenities in place now that will draw traffic from the baseball park — a couple of casinos, restaurants, lodging — and those will all add to the fortune of the baseball team. The more baseball is successful, the more it will drive the non-casino growth in the shadow of Biloxi’s largest casino. The more the area develops, the more likely the baseball team prospers and succeeds.

Before Biloxi moves its site away from a high-traffic area, it should look

at other Southern League venues.

Frank Brown The Jackson, Tenn., franchise is still trying to develop the area around its 15-year-old stadium on the outskirts of town. The Generals are a constant source of relocation rumors and last in the league in average attendance, drawing about 1,760 per game.

Huntsville, Ala., another team rumored to be a relocation prospect, has a downtown stadium, but with little entertainment development directly around it. Most of the specialty businesses around it are closed when games are over. Huntsville, with the oldest stadium in the league, averages about 2,000 per game.

Even the Mississippi Braves in Pearl are sixth in average attendance in a suburban Jackson market. Its location is helped by the existence of shopping areas and restaurants.

Montgomery is thriving in its downtown stadium, averaging more than 4,000 per game. Birmingham, still enjoying the fruits of its new downtown palace ‌ uh, stadium ‌ leads the league with 5,600 per game.

Economically, the best location for a new baseball stadium is the proposed site on U.S. 90. It will be visible to both locals and tourist. And since two-thirds of the 14 million gamblers on the Gulf Coast are from out of state, the stadium provides another tourism attraction — and more dollars into the pockets of Biloxi businesses. Building the stadium in an out-of-way location will make it just that — out of the way and out of sight.

To be quickly followed by — out of mind.

Staff writer Frank Brown is a baseball fan who covers gaming for the Mississippi Business Journal.

MISSISSIPPI MONEY

State sets revenue record of $5B JACKSON — Mississippi’s tax revenues have recovered from the recession, approaching the $5billion mark for the first time.

State Department of Revenue figures show tax receipts grew 5 percent in the 2013 budget year, which ended Sunday. That’s a state record, and the first time revenues have exceeded their 2008 total of $4.83 billion since the recession began.

The strong finish to the budget year means more than $400 million could be waiting in the bank in January, when lawmakers begin setting the 2015 budget. “It’s safe to say it’s going to be three to four hundred million,� said Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Eugene “Buck� Clarke, R-Hollandale. “It probably could bump four.�

House Appropriations Committee Chairman Herb Frierson, R-Poplarville, said the state would have an increase in recurring revenue that could be devoted to ongoing needs of more than $100 million.

Gov. Phil Bryant’s staff said it was waiting to see the small fraction of collections that come in through other agencies before discussing the results in depth. But even Monday, the governor said things looked good. “While this is preliminary information it appears our state’s economy continues to improve,� Republican governor said in a statement.

Mississippi is on track to finish more than $180 million above the most recent revenue prediction for fiscal 2013. Legislators set an original prediction in the spring of 2012, then revised their guess in November after watching how the economy was performing.

State senators, let by Republican Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves, declined a chance to increase the fiscal 2013 tax estimate this spring, despite a push by the House to do so. Clarke said he didn’t believe that the large yearend surplus reflected badly on that decision.

Tax receipts have surged more strongly than jobs or Mississippi’s overall economy. The state’s economy grew 2.4 percent in 2012. Jobs have yet to fully rebound to levels seen before the recession.

Mississippi actually spends much more than $5 billion a year, boosted by billions in federal aid. In the 2012 budget year, the state took in $15.6 billion from all sources. But it spent $16.1 billion, as leaders drained bank accounts to try to avoid even deeper cuts to state services. Clarke noted that the state had burned through a savings account from tobacco lawsuit settlements during the recession, propping up year-to-year spending. Now, it doesn’t have that cushion in case of another downturn. “We’ve got to be careful,� Clarke said.

He also echoed some national reports that found surges in state income tax revenue related to federal tax increases that kicked in at the beginning of 2013. Some large taxpayers may have decided to push as much income into 2012 as possible to avoid paying those higher rates, said Clarke, an accountant who said he saw such behavior among some of his clients.

Still, top budget writers say they expect pressure from schools, universities and state agencies that saw budgets slashed during four years of austerity.

— The Associated Press

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4 I Mississippi Business Journal I July 5, 2013 INSURANCE

Federal market exchange lacks health insurance providers for 36 counties

By TED CARTER I STAFF WRITER ted.carter@msbusiness.com

It’s well past halftime and the clock can’t be stopped as federal officials seek health insurers to cover 36 Mississippi counties before an Oct. 1 deadline for launching the state’s healthcare exchange.

The Mississippi Department of Insurance is unsure what to make of a predicament it has no control over. Gov. Phil Bryant quashed Insurance Commissioner Mike Chaney’s effort to build the digital exchange late last year with a threat to sue the Department of Health and Human Services. He added in a refusal to allow the state’s Division of Medicaid to take part in preparing the insurance marketplace.

“The commissioner has authority to establish an exchange, but was denied the state operation by the federal government due to the governor’s action,” said Chaney, whose department had worked on the exchange going back to Haley Barbour’s gubernatorial administration before having to call it quits The commissioner, in an email last week, said the best information he has indicates the federal exchange, or what is officially called the Federally Facilitated Marketplace, will open for enrollment in 46 of Mississippi’s 82 counties on Oct. 1.

Of the 46 counties that will open for enrollment, four — Hinds, Rankin, Madison and Desoto — will have two insurers from which to choose, Humana and Magnolia Health Plan. The remaining 42 will have a single provider.

“HHS essentially controls all areas of development and establishment” Mike Chaney Mississippi Commissioner of Insurance

And the 36 remaining counties?

No one can say what will become of them, least of all the Mississippi Department of Insurance. “We’re not really sure, to tell you the truth,” one department official said.

If the feds know, they aren’t letting on.

In what appeared to be a general statement that did not specifically address where people in the 36 counties can turn to for coverage, Health and Human Services Department spokesman Lee Millman said: “Starting on Oct. 1, all Americans will be able to apply for quality affordable coverage in the marketplace.”

Time has expired for potential insurance providers to apply to cover Mississippi’s counties. The Department of Health and Human Services could be reviewing more applications that if approved could possibly give uncovered counties a provider. This is unlikely based on the dearth of providers interested in the state, however.

Chaney and his staff have watched from the sidelines, but the work they preformed on the market exchange beLight brown is no coverage available fore Bryant pulled the plug has helped the department “to effectively monitor implementation of the federal exchange in coverage plan without federal asMississippi,” he said.

This is important from a regulatory sistance, “if the state chooses to standpoint, according to Chaney. “HHS do so,” Chaney said.

Whatever Chaney does, he essentially controls all areas of development and establishment,” he said, though can expect Bryant to offer stiff resistance he added his department retains its tradi- – if the department’s effort does anything that appears to abet the Affordable Care tional regulatory role.

The department “continues to review Act, or Obamacare, as it is also known.

In a blunt February statement, Bryant the rates and forms of all health insurance plans sold in the state, including on the ex- insisted the market exchanges “are a portal to a massive and unaffordable new federal change,” Chaney said.

The department, he said, tries to “maintain entitlement program.

“They trigger new taxes on businesses as much state control as possible, but is very and will ultimately drive more people onto limited in authority over the federal plan.”

He said another benefit of the Insurance Medicaid rolls. I firmly maintain my posiDepartment’s previous work is the re- tion that Mississippi will not willfully imsearch it did on small employers offering plement a mechanism that will insurance coverage to employees, self-em- compromise our state’s financial stability.”

Around the same time, Bryant suggested ployed individuals, and characteristics of the uninsured population and other hard- in a Kaiser Health News interview that to-reach population groups. The informa- uninsured Mississippians have sufficient tion gathered could help the Insurance heath care coverage through hospital Department to implement a small business emergency rooms.

Map special to the MBJ

» Department of Health & Human Services not saying what will become of the uninsured

The website of right wing group Freedom Works recently hailed Bryant’s place among the 27 governors who have refused to participate in preparing the marketplaces and warned that “state Insurance Commissioner Mike Chaney continues searching for sneaky loopholes to implement a health care exchange – undermining Mississippi’s elected officials and ignoring the will of the people in his state who clearly oppose Obamacare.”

Meanwhile, with nearly half of Mississippi’s counties likely to be without an insurer to turn to on Oct. 1, residents in the counties could find themselves penalized by the IRS in 2015 for not having mandatory health insurance coverage in 2014.

“That’s a question that is being asked,” an Insurance Department official said.

July 5, 2013

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Mississippi Business Journal

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5

LODGING

Austin, Texas developer says Jackson’s hotel deal with Tampa outfit broke pledge » Journeyman Austin says city company would get a chance to make a proposal once the city revived the project

By TED CARTER I STAFF WRITER ted.carter@msbusiness.com

An Austin, Texas, hotel development company says it feels slighted that the City of Jackson is not giving it an opportunity to make a proposal to build a convention center hotel.

The hotel opportunity instead is going to Tampa, Fla.’s Robinson Callen Development in a $60-million deal the Jackson Redevelopment Authority approved on June 18 that so far JRA executive director Willie Mott has insisted on keeping secret.

Details that have been released have come from a press conference Harvey Johnson held in the last week of his mayoral term. Under that deal, the city would “backstop” $9 million, provide most of the land for the approximately 300-room hotel and surface parking lot and presumably provide such incentives as property tax waivers, sales tax exemptions and a Tax Increment Financing, or TIF, district.

The city would make the $9 million available in incremental loans over five years. The loans would be made only if occupancy at the hotel fell below a specified level. That level is reported to be 70 percent, but without the JRA releasing the development deal the occupancy benchmark can’t be verified.

Austin’s Journeyman Austin made a proposal in November 2011 to build the convention hotel in response to a last-minute RFP the Jackson Redevelopment Authority Board of Trustees issued on the advice of Zachary Taylor III, the JRA attorney. The board had been set to award the project to Dallas developer Transcontinental Real Estate until Taylor cautioned that an RFP would be necessary but could be condensed to 15 days rather than the customary 30 days.

The Jackson City Council ultimately rejected both the TCI and Journeyman Austin proposals. The project remained on hold until Robinson Callen recently entered the picture with an unsolicited proposal.

Robert Gallup, vice president of Journeyman Austin, said he received assurances from city officials and the JRA that his company would get a chance to make a proposal once the city revived the project. He said he was “taken aback” by the hasty way the city and the JRA attached themselves to Robinson Callen’s plan and dropped its pre-

Special to The Mississippi Business Journal

Rendering of proposed convention center hotel in Jackson.

vious pledge of issuing a new RFP. “It’s frustrating,” Gallup said. “We would love to respond.”

The hotel development company won’t make a formal challenge but is ready to respond quickly should the City Council decide to consider proposals other than that of Robinson Callen, he added. “We could probably respond to it in 14 days,” as the company did before in the rushedup RFP period.

“We’re ready to go,” Gallup said.

City officials and JRA board members call the Callen Robinson proposal to build the hotel across Pascagoula Street from the Jackson Convention Complex “a dream come true” for the city. Gallup insisted, however, that Journeyman Austin could present an equally attractive proposal.

With the land the city is awarding Robinson Callen for the hotel and the 200-space surface parking lot as well as a Tax Increment Finance district, “Looking at that, I can see how they (Robinson Callen) got to $60 million,” Gallup said.

“With a TIF, we’re sure we can be very competitive,” he added.

Under a Tax Increment District, a set tax rate would be set based on current valuation of the property in a district that would take in several blocks in the vicinity of the hotel. As property values rise with new development occurring, the money collected above the set tax rate and former property values would go into a TIF fund. Money from that fund would, in turn, be put toward the hotel development.

Providing Robinson Callen land for surface parking and freeing it from an obligation to build a parking structure carries an estimated savings of from $3 million to $3.5 mil-

lion, according to Gallup.

The City Council ought to think twice about accepting a deal that does not include garage parking, warned Jackson real estate investor Don Hewitt, principal of Advanced Technologies Building Solutions, a firm that partnered with Journeyman Austin in the 2011 hotel proposal.

“Who is going to come to a [convention] hotel with surface parking? What we proposed had structure parking and retail,” said Hewitt, who voiced anger at not getting a chance to make a proposal as the city promised.

“It’s a slap in the face,” he said.

Though Gallup has not seen the Robinson Callen development deal, he said he understands the city “must guarantee 70 percent” occupancy. Otherwise, it would be obligated to begin lending the Tampa developer portions of the $9 million backstop.

It is not known whether Robinson Callen’s market studies show 70 percent occupancy can be achieved. That’s a large percentage of rooms for a second-tier convention city such as Jackson to keep filled, say Gallup and hospitality professionals familiar with the Central Business District’s hotel market.

For a June 2011 convention hotel article, the MBJ reported Jackson’s hotels averaged an occupancy of 51.1 percent for the first four months of that year. The 51.1 percent was within a few tenths of a percent of occupancy levels for all of 2010 and 2009.

Robinson Callen vice president David Clement, the company’s Jackson representative, did not respond to either a phone call or email seeking details on the development company’s market expectations.

The Jackson Redevelopment Authority insists it has no legal obligation to issue a new RFP. It based its position on Robinson Callen’s intention to purchase some of the land for the hotel and the city’s repossession of the remaining land which was originally purchased with a federal Section 108 loan. Mississippi statutes state that if you buy the land with federal money you are not covered by state statutes that would require an RFP, the JRA says.

The Mississippi Business Journal has presented the JRA with an Open Records request for the development agreement approved by the JRA board. Even though the JRA board has reviewed the agreement in closed session and voted on it in an open session, the agency says the agreement may contain proprietary information and can’t be released until thoroughly reviewed.

The MBJ views the refusal to release a document approved in public session a violation of the Mississippi Open Records law.

“It’s frustrating. We would love to respond... With a TIF, we’re sure we can be very competitive.”

Robert Gallup

Journeyman Austin

6 I Mississippi Business Journal I July 5, 2013 MILITARY

blown up so many times by IEDs and the civil affairs guys went out to take a look at it. While they were out doing their survey that day an IED went off. The platoon sergeant, Sgt. Martin ,was injured and the medic, Spc. Pugh, was injured, both of them really bad. (Spc. Pugh) could not care for Sgt. Martin himself... he told the members of the platoon what they needed to do, everything in order to stabilize Sgt. Martin and we were able to get him back to the hospital. He survived. Unfortunately Specialist Pugh didn’t. He knew that he was hurt pretty bad and instead of telling everybody, “You gotta take care of me,” instead his last few breaths of life were spent trying to tell folks how to take care of Sgt. Martin.

(Note: Specialist Robert S. Pugh, 25, was posthumously awarded the Silver Star for his actions.)

The General » Chatting with Augustus Collins, Adjutant General of the Mississippi National Guard

By STEPHEN McDILL I STAFF WRITER stephen.mcdill@msbusiness.com

Maj. Gen. Augustus L. Collins was appointed by Gov. Phil Bryant in 2012 to serve as the adjutant general of Mississippi and commanding general of both the Mississippi Army and Air National Guard. Collins grew up on a Booneville soybean and cattle farm and after high school attended Northeast Mississippi Community College before enlisting in the Guard in 1977.

Collins earned his second lieutenant’s commission in 1980 and has since earned an undergraduate degree from the Uni- Collins versity of Mississippi, an MBA from Jackson State University and a masters in strategic studies from the U.S. Army War College.

Collins served on active duty during Operation Desert Storm and was deployed from 2004-2006 during combat operations supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

In the following interview, Collins talks about his time in Iraq and the current state of the Mississippi National Guard.

Q: Tell me about your service in Operation Iraqi Freedom as commander of the 155th Armored Combat Brigade.

A: We deployed to Iraq in January of 2005 and spent the entire year of 2005 there. All total we had a little over 4,500 (soldiers that were) assigned to us. We were actually assigned to the Marine Corps, the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force. We stayed under them until it was time for us to come home. We were one of a few National Guard brigades that had a full spectrum mission. We had our own forward operating bases. We did our own convoys. We did our own security. We also did all our own counterinsurgency operations where we actually went out and looked for the bad guys and took them into custody and turned them over to the folks at Abu Ghraib prison.

Q: Tell me about the soldiers you served with.

A: I saw daily, men and women doing some extraordinary things in Iraq; putting their lives on the line to protect the citizens of Iraq, to capture the insurgents and to make sure their fellow service member was okay. There were a

Special to the MBJ

TOP OF PAGE: Gov. Phil Bryant meets with Maj. Gen. Augustus Collins, commanding general of the Mississippi Army and Air National Guard.

ABOVE: Maj. Gen. Collins served in Operation Iraqi Freedom from 20052007 including a year of combat operations along with the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force in the Al Anbar Province. According to a Defense Department report, Collins’ brigade captured more than 1,500 terrorists, seized 28,000 weapons and more than 18,000 pounds of munitions.

lot of men and women from that brigade that did their country and their family proud. It was an experience that you never forget not only just because it was war but because you had an opportunity to (spend time) with some very brave and fine individuals. People who love their country and who were willing to give whatever they needed to give even if it included themselves to make sure that this country remained free.

Q: The level of insurgent activity was pretty high where you were stationed, correct?

A: Right, especially up in the northern Babel and eastern Al Anbar portion of our area of operation. 2005 was a bad year as far as insurgent activity. Not only were we trying to find insurgents, we were also trying to keep peace between (Sunni and Shiite Muslim) groups and they had a lot of different incidents where there’d be clashes between the two of them that we’d have to intervene in.

Q: Tell me about the courage and sacrifice of combat medic Specialist Robert Pugh from Meridian.

A: There was a road that we used quite a bit that had been

Q: What was the Guard and military like at the time of your enlistment and how has it changed since?

A: It’s much different now. The Guard was good it gave you some good military values but we weren’t quite as strict back then. The Guard has come a long way since 1977.

We’re a much more professional organization. I think our soldiers and airmen that we have in Mississippi we can stack them up against soldiers and airmen anywhere around the world.

Q: Is there anything you’d like to say about veterans coming home and finding jobs or making transitions from military to civilian employment?

A: One of the things I set up when I came into this job was we set aside a section that deals strictly with helping our Guardsmen find jobs. We’ve worked very close with employers across the state and anytime they have openings we get that information from them and post it on our website as well as send out email information on potential job openings or any job fairs that they may be having around the state. We also have a way here where we can help our service members fill out their resumes, we can get them hooked up with folks that can teach them how to actually go to an interview, how they need to dress, how they need to conduct themselves.

Q: Where does the Guard stand as far as balancing current budget challenges with the technology demands of modern armed forces?

A: When it comes to equipment the Guard is in as good a shape as any state. In the Air National Guard, we’ve got the C-17s here in Jackson. We just received the first two of eight KC-135 Stratotankers over in Meridian. In the Army Guard we’ve got the latest M1 Abrams tank, that is the latest and greatest most digitized tank that the Army has to offer and Mississippi is only the second National Guard unit in the country to get that. Depending on how bad the military is cut, how much of a drawdown it is... we are in pretty good shape, we’re postured pretty good.

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Website: www.msbusiness.com July 5, 2013 Volume 35, Number 27

ALAN TURNER Publisher alan.turner@msbusiness.com • 364-1021 ROSS REILY Editor ross.reily@msbusiness.com • 364-1018 WALLY NORTHWAY Senior Writer wally.northway@msbusiness.com • 364-1016 FRANK BROWN Staff Writer/Special Projects frank.brown@msbusiness.com • 364-1022 TED CARTER Staff Writer ted.carter@msbusiness.com • 364-1017 CLAY CHANDLER Staff Writer clay.chandler@msbusiness.com • 364-1015

MBJPERSPECTIVE July 5, 2013 • www.msbusiness.com • Page 7

OTHER VIEWS

A

Open-carry law raises legitimate concerns

ttorney General Jim Hood has asked the Mississippi Supreme Court to throw out a state judge's order that blocked Mississippi's open-carry gun law from taking effect this week. We hope the Supreme Court will not rush to judgment on Hood's request.

Hinds County Circuit Judge Winston Kidd has given Mississippians at least another week to consider the consequences of a new law that states you don't need any type of permit issued by the state to carry a firearm that is not concealed.

At the request of the district attorney for

Hinds County, Kidd issued an injunction on Friday blocking the open-carry law from taking effect on Monday. Kidd stated the law was vague and an injunction was needed to prevent irreparable harm.

Proponents of the law contend it merely clarifies the constitutional rights of Mississippians.

But sheriffs and police chiefs around the state are concerned the law will make life more difficult and dangerous for law enforcement.

Why? Because under the law, simply wearing a gun is not reason enough to be stopped and questioned.

Yet despite such consequences, this legislation was so popular it was approved in the state House of Representatives 111-8 and in the state Senate 51-0.

And even though public buildings and private property can be declared gun-free zones, public officials and private citizens are concerned a dispute could more easily become an armed confrontation.

Judge Kidd has scheduled a hearing for July 8 to consider extending the injunction.

If ever a law needed to be put on hold, this one does.

— The (Biloxi) Sun Herald

STEPHEN MCDILL Staff Writer stephen.mcdill@msbusiness.com • 364-1041 TAMI JONES Advertising Director tami.jones@msbusiness.com • 364-1011

» THE OUTSIDE WORLD

» ON MEDICAID

Greenville hospital faced with revenue hits

MELISSA KILLINGSWORTH Sr. Account Executive

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Entire contents copyrighted © 2013 by Journal Inc. All rights reserved.

» HOW TO WRITE Letters to the editor are one of the most widely read features of the Mississippi Business Journal, and they give everyone a chance to voice their opinions about current affairs. We’re interested in what you think and we welcome Letters to the Editor for publication. Here are the guidelines: >> Letters should not exceed 300 words in length as a general rule. >> All letters must bear the writer’s address and telephone number. Street addresses and telephone numbers will not be published, but may be used for verification purposes. Letters may not appear without the author’s name. >> Form letters, thank you letters and letters to third parties generally are not acceptable. >> Letters must be typed or e-mailed. >> Letters must conform to good taste, not be libelous and not involve personal attacks on other persons.

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The Mississippi Legislature’s decision to extend Medicaid will save Delta Regional Medical Center in Greenville about $7 million.

DRMC CEO J. Stansel Harvey says numbers from 2011, the most recent available, show 70 percent of patients in Greenville receive coverage through either Medicaid or the federal Medicare program. About 22 percent of those residents are on the Medicaid rolls, Harvey said.

With federal reductions set to hit starting Oct. 1, Harvey said the Greenville hospital is anticipating a revenue loss of more than $3.9 million.

“Delta Regional must quicken its strategic planning process to determine how to respond to anticipated revenue reductions of this magnitude,” Harvey said. “We will have to balance these reductions in revenue with equal reductions to our expenses.”

Under the Affordable Care Act, Medicare Disproportionate Share Hospital payments or policy adjustments to hospitals to offset the cost of uncompensated care for those without health insurance, will be reduced. Hospitals also must account for funds lost to the across-the-board federal budget reductions known as the sequester.

"Delta Regional Medical Center anticipates reductions in revenue ... from the 2 percent cut in Medicare reimbursement from the sequestration, other regulatory cuts from Medicare surrounding the Value Based Purchasing initiatives, along with the upcoming reductions to Medicaid Disproportionate Share and Medicare DSH payments," Harvey said.

With federal reductions set to hit starting Oct. 1, ... the Greenville hospital is anticipating a revenue loss of more than $3.9 million.

— The Associated Press

PERSPECTIVE

8 I Mississippi Business Journal I July 5, 2013 » RICKY NOBILE

» MIND OVER MONEY

Good luck new mayors of Mississippi; you are going to need it

A

»PHIL HARDWICK

Making decisions close to the customer

O

ne of the biggest challenges for big business is establishing policies and procedures for employees who deal directly with customers. The best companies seem to have mastered the concept of “making decisions close to the customer.” My recent experiences with two well- known companies illustrate the challenges of how much authority an employee has when dealing with a customer.

The first experience involved an airline. This particular airline heavily advertises its feature of selling seat upgrades to customers. Seat upgrades are desirable as evidenced by a recent survey by the American Consumer Satisfaction Index. It revealed that passengers are least satisfied with seat comfort and the quality of in-flight services. It also revealed that of 63 industries surveyed, the airline industry’s consumer satisfaction index is near the bottom. In a recent USA Today article Claes Fornell, founder of the index, said that "only subscription TV and Internet service providers have lower levels of customer satisfaction."

In my case, I purchased what the airline refers to as an “economy upgrade” for $69 for a four-hour late night flight that I was taking. Passengers who sit in this upgrade section get a few more inches of legroom. When I boarded the plane I noticed that my row was no longer part of the upgrade section. This happened because the aircraft had been switched with another aircraft that had a slightly different configuration. No other seats were available. I was not happy, but I understood the situation. The flight attendant assured me that I would receive an automatic credit. I endured the flight, the passenger in the upgraded row in front of me fully reclining her seat my way for the entire flight.

The next day I checked my credit card account online and found that no credit had been “automatically posted.” I called the 800 number for the airline and waited 38 minutes to talk to someone who could barely speak English. As the saga continued, within the next few hours I was told the following:

“There are no refunds for that type upgrade;” “Here is the link to send a complaint to the airline;” “Here is the link to file a request for a refund;” and “I have sub- Phil Hardwick mitted a request for refund.”

The last one also informed that it may take two billing cycles before it appeared on my credit card statement. So I now eagerly await two months before I find out if I get a refund.

You can imagine what I think of this big business when its marketing message tells me that my business is important.

In all fairness, I am impressed with the level of service I often witness by gate agents and in- flight personnel of this airline.

My second experience could not have been more different and more pleasant. Recently, I purchased a new Macbook Air at my local Apple store. The experience was as good as it gets.

The employee was knowledgeable and service was faster than a drive-through restaurant. The next day I learned that Apple announced at its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) that the Macbook Air had been upgraded. Aw shucks. If I had waited only one more day I could have gotten the newer model for the same price.

I called the Apple customer service line. It was answered in less than a moment. Soon I was connected with Joanna — the airline people never told me their names — and told her my situation.

“I hate it when that happens,” she said, and then told me that I should return my computer to the local store for a full refund. She then said that she was sending me the new model immediately, and that there would be no shipping charge. She gave me her email address and telephone number in case I had any more problems.

It is no wonder that Apple is the epitome of customer service.

What these two incidents have in common is that a repreSee HARDWICK, Page 9

cross the state, a new crop of mayors is taking the helm. From small towns to the Capital City, hopes are high that these new faces can breathe life into struggling municipalities.

Frankly, I'd rather have my wisdom teeth pulled.

Mayors are local politicians who must face their neighbors every day. Constituents know where you live. They know your phone number. They even know where you go Nancy Anderson to church. There is no respite from customer complaints. Someone's trash didn't get picked up? Expect to get stopped in the Wal Mart parking lot for a dressing down. Someone's street has potholes?

Expect them to mention it after Sunday School.

Often, it is a thankless job. No one notices unless things go wrong. And, lately, many things have gone wrong for our Mississippi cities and towns. The 2008 Recession blew a hole in municipal budgets that has not yet mended.

While tax revenues are improving, cities are still limited by lower sales tax collections and declining property values. So all those new mayors with their grand ideas will slam into the wall of fiscal reality. So many things they would like to do. So few dollars to go around.

Add in a shifting population, and problems are worse for small towns. Mississippi's growth has been minimal, but more and more, our citizens are leaving rural areas and heading to larger cities. How can our small towns compete and stay viable with so many headwinds?

Ultimately, mayors must make sure basic services continue.

The trash must be picked up. Roads must be paved. Water quality must be good. Then, they must face the continuing problem of crime. Citizens want to feel safe in their homes. After that, they must create a pretty and inviting town — flowers at the intersection, welcome signs on the highway, and for goodness sake, NO trash!

These are all tall orders, and no one person can do it all. To be successful, a mayor must excite and enlist his citizens. He or she must communicate a vision but also help folks be patient in the pursuit of progress.

You couldn't pay me enough to do this job. But God bless this new set of public servants. May they find a way to make their town or city the best it can possibly be. And may they remember when that citizen stops them in the grocery store to complain about one more thing — You asked for this!

Nancy Lottridge Anderson, Ph.D., CFA, is president of New Perspectives Inc. in Ridgeland — (601) 991-3158. She is also an assistant professor of finance at Mississippi College.

Her e-mail address is nanderson@newper.com, and her website is www.newper.com.

PERSPECTIVE

July 5, 2013 I Mississippi Business Journal

»VIEW FROM THE STENNIS INSTITUTE

» PERCOLATING

A summer break from it all

Strategic, smart compromises can move our country forward

M

ay we please take a break? We have now reached the summer solstice and not one slat in the political picket fence has been mended. At least the grind of municipal elections is behind us as is moving day for United Methodist ministers. Such could only mean that summer is in full swing.

Last week my wife and I and our extended brood took a vacation in an area isolated enough that there was (horrors) no cell phone coverage and, for a time, no Internet. The deep breath was palpable as if it were a massage of the inner lungs.

Partisan politics at every level was stiffed-armed out of sight.

In their place, William Faulkner’s Intruder in the Dust would have to do. I gladly took the plunge into the pursuit of the salvation of the life of accused murderer Lucas Beauchamp.

If one is ever fortunate enough to have the solitude and the concentration to climb between the covers of a Faulkner novel he/she discovers people and landscapes that are all clearly and exclusively Mississippi. Dusty roads through forested and brambled and vine-covered countryside carry simple rural people who are fraught with entanglements of relationships that belie any notion of such simplicity.

In such an environment, 51 weeks of political correctness, dodging of partisan bullets and frustration at the nature and quality of government decision-making fade into the distance.

Instead, those anxieties are replaced by the human struggles that have been passed down from one generation to the next.

By Faulkner’s telling, kinfolk and almost kin and even questionable kin manage to live their lives upon a stage with old unpainted dogtrot houses only half visible behind clumps of unkempt vegetation.

Thankfully, I have the advantage of having ridden the back roads of my father’s and Faulkner’s birthplaces near the Tippah/Union County line north of New Albany. The hills and creeks and thick woods of rural Union County fit Faulkner’s descriptions of scenery just fine. The same may be said of the characters populating Faulkner’s stories. They scratch out their livings as saw millers, dirt farmers, country store owners and traveling “drummers” of various wares. One can imagine most of them darkening the door fairly frequently of little Southern Baptist, Missionary Baptist, Associate Reform Presbyterian or occasional Methodist churches in the area. The ability of the reader to identify people and landmarks today that also seemed so vivid at the time he was writing certainly adds credence to Faulkner’s famous quote, “The past is never dead. It is not even past.”

Alas, the week passes all too quickly, even if it did include “the longest day of the year.” Lucas Beauchamp’s problems, as

intractable as they were, pale alongside a return to the work-a-day grind and balancing the checkbook. Sure enough, as the reception returns to the cellphone Marty Wiseman one discovers that the peculiarities of reality have mounted up in our absence.

Such an observation is emphatically confirmed when a week’s worth of statewide newspapers are perused in one sitting Indeed, it may take Faulkner-like stream of consciousness sentences to explain some of the news. For instance, one quickly notes that the Federal Farm Bill, once easily shepherded through the United States Senate and House by the likes of Sen. Thad Cochran and Congressman Jamie Whitten, has been stopped in its tracks in the House by House Republican conservatives who wanted more cuts and progressive Democrats who wanted less. Solomon himself could not easily explain the successful blocking efforts of these two enemy camps.

Then there is news that the Medicaid debacle in Mississippi is apparently drawing to a close, spurred on by an Ethics Commission ruling that held that there was no conflict of interest on the part of six Republican House members voting on the question of Expanded Medicaid. In the case of one member he could not vote in the affirmative, but only against measures leading to Expanded Medicaid. Thus, the issue of health care for those potentially affected by Expanded Medicaid will apparently have to wait for another time to be the subject of debate.

Ironically, those conservatives largely responsible for killing the Farm Bill are advocating block-granting a reduced Food Stamp (SNAP) Program to the states in much the same way that was intended for Expanded Medicaid. William Faulkner himself would find it hard to sort out the political intrigue that is evident in the blocking of policies that were once effective and routine.

Perhaps a long Faulknerian lecture on the nuances of human nature could shed some light on the machinations of the “loathsome, left wing Democrats and the incorrigible right wing Republicans.” Then we may know more about why these polar opposite camps can express disdain for one another yet coalesce to block public policy for opposite and competing reasons. Such can hardly be explained by the respective policies or the process. Indeed it is human nature that proves to be the complicating factor.

Where are you, William Faulkner, when we need you?

Continued from Page 8

sentative of a big business had an opportunity to make a decision at the time of customer contact. One experience was superb and created customer loyalty, while one was irritating and time-consuming. In the first case, it is inconceivable that the big business’s representative did not have the authority to make a $69 decision.

Big businesses have issues that small businesses do not have.

One such issue, as illustrated here, is the development of policies and procedures to help the company’s representatives make decisions close to the customer, i.e. at the time of customer contact.

9

So how can big business better address this idea of making decisions closer to the customer? Policies and procedures must be clear and cover all possible scenarios. And companies can follow the advice of Jim Collins, author of Good to Great, by getting the right people on the bus and the wrong people off the bus.

BREAKING NEWS — As this column is being written I just received an email from the airline informing me that my refund request of $69 had been approved. It also let me know that it may take two billing cycles before it appears on my credit card account.

The U.S. Constitution resulted from compromise — not just compromise for compromise’s sake, but strategic compromise to achieve a much needed solution.

“Just as they did in Philadelphia when they were writing the Constitution,” said former Secretary of State Colin Powell, “sooner or later you've got to start making the compromises that arrive at a consensus and move the country forward.”

True patriots like George Washington understood this.

Republican Sen. Marco Rubio gets it. “I would say to you that Bill Crawford compromise that's not a solution is a waste of time,” Rubio said. He was one of the bi-partisan “Gang of Eight” senators who drafted the compromise immigration reform bill passed by the Senate last week.

“I got involved in this issue for one simple reason,” said Rubio. “I ran for office to try and fix things that are hurting this special country of ours. And in the end, that is what this is about for me — trying to fix a serious problem that faces America.”

The problems of illegal immigration, a broken legal immigration system, and inconsistent enforcement have been with us for years, but Congress produced no solutions. Indeed, “immigration reform” became a popular wedge issue for both Republicans and Democrats. Dividers use wedge issues to keep us apart, with little care for solutions.

The immigration issue now moves to a House of Representatives that seems to favor wedges and division more than strategic compromise and solutions.

Meanwhile, there are issues beyond immigration that need strategic compromise. Restructuring our economy should be at the top of the list.

In “Bad Money: Reckless Finance, Failed Politics, and the Global Crisis of American Capitalism,” noted author Kevin Phillips points out that finance now dominates the U.S. economy at 21 percent of GDP while manufacturing has fallen to 12 percent.

“There is no historic example of a great power that has let itself financialize, where manufacturing has been subordinated, that has come back from it,” he said.

The economic shift from manufacturing to high finance matches shifts by U.S. corporations to outsource and offshore production. In comparison, Germany made it a priority to protect domestic mass production expertise, technology, and manufacturing capacity. China is pursuing the same course.

Both maintain huge trade surpluses. The U.S. last had a trade surplus in 1975.

Rising shipping costs, wage gains in China, and other factors have recently provided a window of opportunity for America to regain manufacturing capacity.

Congress has a key role to play in taking advantage of this opportunity through tax restructuring and adequately funding infrastructure improvements and workforce training. A strategic compromise to get this done would create thousands of manufacturing jobs.

But can a Congress that would rather fight than fix take advantage of this short-term opportunity? With more like Rubio, yes.

Phil Hardwick is coordinator of capacity development at the John C. Stennis Institute of Government. Pease contact Hardwick at phil@philhardwick.com.

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

Perhaps a long Faulknerian lecture on the nuances of human nature could shed some light on the machinations of the “loathsome, left wing Democrats and the incorrigible right wing Republicans.”

HARDWICK

I

Dr. William Martin Wiseman is director of the John C. Stennis Institute of Government and professor of political science at Mississippi State University.

Contact him at marty@sig.msstate.edu.

INCORPORATIONS

10 I Mississippi Business Journal I July 5, 2013 April 2013 Incorporations This is the April 2013 list of the state’s newly incorporated businesses from the Secretary of State’s Office. Listed are towns from Aberdeen to Jackson. Listings include business name, type, date formed and location. Addresses reflect legal entity for service of process, not necessarily the new business entities’ operating address.

Aberdeen

Mayley’s Pest Control, LLC LLC 4/24/13 603 Esplanade Ave Ms Select Ridge, LLC LLC 4/26/13 1001 Benigno Lane The Screaming Porch Gift Co., LLC LLC 4/5/13 319 St. John Street Woodchuck Services LLC LLC 4/12/13 1505 Blue Meadow Rd

Beaumont SMS Jumps, LLC 4/30/13

LLC 23-A Tingle Rd

Blue Mountain

Belden

B & L Discount LLC LLC 4/23/13 313 East Commerce Street gl trucking, LLC LLC 4/2/13 104 Meadowlane Dr H & M Towing, LLC LLC 4/30/13 1626 S Matubba St Lot-B

Belden United Outreach Center, Inc.

NP

Cathey Healthcare, LLC LLC 4/10/13 1008 Mabus Road

4/25/13 204 Road 35 Chris Harder Golf LLC LLC 4/3/13 4462 Winged Foot Road Moore IT, LLC 4/3/13 109 Belwood Cove Moore IT, LLC LLC 4/5/13 109 Belwood Cove VAC Entertainment L.L.C. LLC 4/30/13 4751 Coleman Circle

Amory

Belmont

Iron Dawg Metal, LLC LLC 4/30/13 60023 Cowden Road KCH Transportation LLC LLC 4/30/13 60112 Weaver Creek Drive

Wizzard Mechanical LLC LLC 4/15/13 75 County Road 102

Belzoni

New Hunan Chinese Restaurant Inc

Delta Air, Inc 4/8/13

Ackerman

4/18/13

BUS

207 Highway 278 East

BUS 422 Silver City Road

Bentonia

L.i.V.E. by A. Jenne LLC LLC 4/15/13 262 Snow Lake Drive

Action Towing & Recovery LLC LLC 4/23/13 4993 Anding Oil City Rd C & R Properties, LLC LLC 4/23/13 859 Anding Oil City Rd. Fears Laundries, LLC LLC 4/23/13 859 Anding Oil City Rd.

Baldwyn

Biloxi LLC 120 W Main

North Mississippi Financial Services LLC LLC

4/1/13

205 N Fourth St

North Mississippi Transportation LLC

LLC

4/1/13 205 N Fourth St R & R Trading Co LLC LLC 4/11/13 880 South Forth St Silly Sisters, LLC LLC 4/1/13 310 Cr 640

A-Delivery, Moving & Transport LLC

Buffy’s On The Square Salon & Spa, LLC LLC

4/17/13 119 Public Square CotFree Properties LLC LLC 4/4/13 119 Field St Cotton Warehouse Classic Cars, LLC

LLC

4/11/13 520 Highway 6 West Court Street Catering, LLC LLC 4/29/13 108 Court Street EODM Fashions, LLC BUS 4/30/13 125 Martinez Street Mahan Family, LP LP 4/24/13 105 Public Square Ocean Fresh LLC LLC 4/16/13 1838 John Branch Road To Farms LLC LLC 4/15/13 183 Coleburn Drive Wilkinson Plumbing & Remodel, LLC

4/30/13

LLC

19 Bonner Rd (Enid 38927)

Bay Springs RLB Distribution LLC LLC 4/11/13 508 County Road 1521 Sage Communication LLC LLC 4/24/13 11 Summerland Road

Bay St. Louis A&M Cattle Trading Company, LLCLLC 4/12/13 540 Commagere Blvd Bay View Salon and Gifts LLC LLC 4/1/13 125 Main Street Earl Breaux Family Property, LLC LLC 4/25/13 7090 Holly St Garden’s Coasteam LLC LLC 4/24/13 493 Dan M Russell Dr JRK, LLC LLC 4/19/13 119†McDonald†Lane Kiln Land and Timber LLC LLC 4/18/13 201 N 2nd Street Ladner’s Mobile Home Park, LLC LLC 4/4/13 124 Main St LBS Unlimited, LLC LLC 4/30/13 1009 Benigno Ln

LLC

4/10/13 2480 South Shore Dr ABI Consulting L.L.C. LLC 4/17/13 440 Linda Dr Alton’s Novelties LLC LLC 4/2/13 2076 Camp Wilkes Rd Atelit, LLC LLC 4/22/13 1576 Pelican Bayou Dr. BSM Professional Services, LLC LLC 4/19/13 1955 Popps Ferry Rd Apt C1015 Burgundy Photography & Design LLC

Batesville

Blue Springs CLJ Holdings, LLC LLC 4/22/13 1143 L-2 CR 197 The Beehive Salon and More LLC LLC 4/23/13 1084 County Road 247

Lightning “LLC” 4/1/13

LLC 3145 Hwy 51 SE

Booneville

Gregory Bell Construction Co. LLC.LLC 4/19/13 270 Church St

Arihant LLC 4/23/13

Acapulco Tropical Taqueria LLC LLC 4/23/13 110 Carter St Pinto’s Furniture Repair, LLC LLC 4/9/13 166 Guyton Blvd

Bogue Chitto

Anguilla Ashland

PBJ Properties, LLC LLC 4/19/13 2355 Pass Road Pop’s Pizzeria, L.L.C. LLC 4/22/13 6254 Kimbrough Blvd.

River Oaks Management Inc BUS 4/17/13 2224 Pass Road ROM MS, Inc. BUS 4/17/13 2224 Pass Road SABEntertainment LLC LLC 4/1/13 916 Greystone Dr. Touco Corporation BUS 4/12/13 190 Gateway Dr Apt 7307

LLC

4/8/13 1025 Howard Avenue C. A. Sarducci’s, LLC LLC 4/4/13 634 Water Street apt. # 15 Coastal Industrial Services, L.L.C LLC 4/12/13 17527 Highway 67 Fear Fete LLC LLC 4/26/13 433 Caillavet St Gail Shavers Jr. Pool Services LLC LLC 4/4/13 5337 Tuxachanie Dr Ixolib Bottling Company LLC LLC 4/10/13 1170 Lafayette St JBL Real Estate Holdings, LLC LLC 4/8/13 2355 Pass Road Jorge L. Rodriquez DBA OTH 4/24/13 11737 Jackson Drive JROD Transport DBA OTH 4/24/13 11737 Jackson Drive Keep the Dream Alive NP 4/22/13 221 Eisen Hower Dr Kuljis Machine Shop, LLC LLC 4/11/13 324 Railroad Street La Garita Realty, LLC LLC 4/17/13 17120 Judge Fountain Rd Life’s Work Enterprises, Inc BUS 4/19/13 1873 Braewood Place M Jordan Roofing, Inc. BUS 4/26/13 957 Rustwood Drive M3 Development, LLC LLC 4/5/13 996 Howard Avenue Maid for a Day LLC LLC 4/1/13 783 Whitney Dr Mapachitli Media, LLC LLC 4/26/13 759 Vieux Marche Mall Meadows of Gulfport Property Owners Association Inc NP 4/17/13 2068 Mauvilla Cove Michigan Place LLC LLC 4/4/13 630 Bay Cove Dr. Unit 211 Myoshi S Fine Furniture Gallery LLC

LLC

4/18/13 2226 Baywood Dr OPM, LLC 4/19/13 630 Bay Cove Drive, Suite 308 Parris LLC LLC 4/16/13 14812 Parker Rd

720 Safety Concepts, LLC LLC 4/18/13 29 Cr 1250 BO Distribution Center, LLC. LLC 4/5/13 219 West College Street BO Manufacturing, LLC LLC 4/5/13 219 West College Street Critter Brooke Farms, LLC LLC 4/5/13 219 West College Street Live Like That Properties, LLC LLC 4/5/13 219 West College Street Pro South Inc BUS 4/25/13 149 Cr 1000 Pro Trucking Inc BUS 4/25/13 149 Cr 1000 Real McCoy Steel Erecting Inc BUS 4/25/13 109 North College Street Shade Tree Wood Works, Inc BUS 4/18/13 1 County Rd 2240

Brandon Ager Consortio, LLC LLC 4/29/13 118 Service Drive Ste 9 AP’s Insurance Agency LLC LLC 4/9/13 100 Cedar Ridge Drive Carpenter For Hire, LLC LLC 4/30/13 113 Friar Tuck Dr. Cato Five Stars, LLC LLC 4/18/13 206 Southampton Choice Investments, LLC LLC 4/18/13 704 Forest Point Dr Dead Critters Pest Control Co. BUS 4/3/13 315 Windy Ridge Drive Delta Sand, LLC LLC 4/17/13 306 Maxey Drive, Ste. D Dixie Dahlin Pottery, LLC LLC 4/3/13 128 Hanover Dr. Dixie Self Storage LLC LLC 4/5/13 306 Bay Park Drive Ervin and Associates LLC LLC 4/9/13 642 Hawthorne North Fran Company, LLC LLC 4/24/13 130 Overby Street Freedom Center Church NP 4/4/13 2000 Windchase Cir Glass Attack Auto Detail and Restoration LLC LLC 4/17/13 103 Cornerstone Dr Glenn W. Anderson DBA OTH 4/18/13 1229 Shell Oil Road GWP Rental LLC LLC 4/19/13 500 Beacon Cove H&W Lands, LLC LLC 4/4/13 445 Coodlands Circle Horton Anesthesia, LLC LLC 4/19/13 108 Sunrise Point Huff Properties, LLC LLC 4/2/13 42 Woodgate Drive I-Fit LLC LLC 4/5/13 111 Lakeshore Dr. #1-102 JC Classic Photography, LLC LLC 4/18/13 5135 Big Valley Rd Jusmo Freight LLC LLC 4/9/13 594 Luckney Road Lake Marketing, LLC LLC 4/1/13 368 Highway 468 Law Office of Chad McMichael Jones, PLLCPLLC

4/9/13 1225 Barnett Bend Drive Lawrence Aviation LLC LLC 4/4/13 113 Dogwood Trail

Loading Dock Solutions of Ms, LLCLLC 4/12/13 434 Pecan Circle Love & Kare Home Hospice, LLC LLC 4/15/13 310 Flagstone Drive Magnolia Manor Properties of Belmont, LLC LLC 4/2/13 153 Pine Ridge Circle Minshew General Construction Storm Division, LLC LLC 4/11/13 512 Assurance Circle Mississippi Regional Group of the Blinded Veterans Association NP 4/12/13 731 N. Oakridge Drive My Coconuttzy Products, LLC LLC 4/25/13 2101 Courtside Drive Newton Lawn Service, LLC LLC 4/25/13 149 Grandeur Dr Old Lakes Farm, LLC LLC 4/25/13 359 Fannin Landing Circle Old Lakes Home, LLC LLC 4/25/13 359 Fannin Landing Circle One Stop Stickers LLC LLC 4/9/13 512 Eastside Cove Palmer-Roper Real Estate, LLC PLLC 4/3/13 2101 Courtside Drive Palmer-Roper Real Estate, PLLC PLLC 4/3/13 2101 Courtside Drive Payne Lodge, LLC LLC 4/17/13 137 Gulde-Shiloh Road Photos Right Now DBA OTH 4/18/13 1229 Shell Oil Road Proven Hunter LLC LLC 4/25/13 601 Harbor Ridge Dr Refuge Ministry 4/29/13 2350 HWY 43 South Rock’s Barber and Style, LLC LLC 4/22/13 507 West Abbey Place Ronda’s Hair Care LLC LLC 4/1/13 140 Castlewoods Blvd Santos Enterprises LLC LLC 4/24/13 506 Pinebrook Cove Security at Risk LLC LLC 4/9/13 137 Appleridge Drive Striker L.L.C. LLC 4/22/13 178 Amethyst Lane Sunday Down South DBA OTH 4/18/13 1229 Shell Oil Road The Luckett Company, Inc. BUS 4/25/13 313 Gladeview Place Van Meter Oral Surgery, LLC LLC 4/30/13 300 Maxey Drive Vetattend of Jackson LLC LLC 4/8/13 113 Lakeview Road Windham Construction, LLC LLC 4/25/13 217 Turtle Lane WSJ Properties LLC LLC 4/8/13 142 Holmar Dr. Xxx Hunting Club NP 4/24/13 119 Bowman In.

Braxton Holmes Warren, LLC LLC 4/9/13 1997 Cherrywood

Brookhaven Bowton LLC LLC 4/8/13 500 Charles Street Hugh Vanlandingham LLC LLC 4/3/13 907 Lambert Ln SE New Beginning Church NP 4/23/13 522 East Cherokee St Southwest Mississippi Financial Inc

BUS

4/11/13 120 E Cherokee St Sweet Heart Frozen Yogurt DBA LLC 4/17/13 939 Brookway Blvd Ste E Sweet Heart LLC LLC 4/17/13 939 Brookway Blvd Ste E The Craft, LLC LLC 4/25/13 412 Liberty St Wildwood Properties, LLC LLC 4/15/13 1131 West Lincoln Drive

Bruce Educational Consulting Institute, LLC

LLC

4/26/13 29 Highway 330 Edwards Land Services, LLC LLC 4/30/13 116 West Clay Street

Byhalia All Pro Kustomz LLC LLC 4/16/13 414 Oakwood Dr Fellowship Baptist Ministries Church

NP

4/11/13 33 Hasid Cove Koshvi Inc BUS 4/15/13 8271 Highway 72 Lan Bar Barrel Racing, LLC LLC 4/18/13 743 Farley Rd Rainwater Pools LLC LLC 4/25/13 728 Meadow View Circle

Centreville

Byram Adams Prosthetics & Orthotics, LLC

LLC

4/26/13 145 Carl Circle DK’s Web Designs plus LLC LLC 4/16/13 3185 Glennhaven Dr. Earl Lee Cotton III DBA OTH 4/1/13 19 Riverview Cove EDUCARE Personal Home Health Agency DBA LLC 4/11/13 4005 Torry Pines Street EDUCARE Personal Home Health Services LLC LLC 4/11/13 4005 Torry Pines Street Gibson Enterprises of Mississippi, LLC LLC

4/2/13

5014 Kay Brook Dr.

New Beginnings Christian Ministries

NP

4/18/13 1411 Farbes Dr Next World Fitness DBA OTH 4/1/13 19 Riverview Cove Our Kids Christian Academy Inc BUS 4/1/13 837 Windward Dr. Richland, Ms 39218 RSL Consulting LLC LLC 4/22/13 613 Spring Lake Blvd Steven L Gordy, LLC LLC 4/25/13 6759 Gary Rd Taz Delivery and Expedited Services LLCLLC

4/12/13

125 Peachtree Drive

Caledonia Sunny Side Up LLC 4/24/13

LLC 136 Richards Lane

Calhoun City Hoskins/Payne/Conwell, LLC LLC 4/9/13 110 W. Taylor Ave. On Target LLC LLC 4/18/13 431 Cr 380 True Life, Inc NP 4/11/13 129 Public Square

Camden Rack Shack LLC 4/25/13

LLC 280 Cain Rd

Canton 2-B Free Counseling Center, LLC LLC 4/15/13 117 Northgate Dr Advance Practice LLC LLC 4/23/13 212 Village Circle Angela S Diamond DBA OTH 4/1/13 708 George Washington Sr Ave ASDiamondStores DBA OTH 4/1/13 708 George Washington Sr Ave Boyer Bailey Operations, LLC LLC 4/15/13 125 Twin Cedars Lane Greater Tabernacle Ministries NP 4/19/13 216 Tithelo Road Integrity Firearms Training LLC LLC 4/1/13 152 Deerwood Crossing JT’s Lawn Service LLC LLC 4/9/13 3390 N Liberty St Morgan Lawn Care, LLC LLC 4/2/13 600 N Kathy Cir Pleasant Green Church of Christ Holiness USA NP 4/24/13 925 George Washington Avenue Southern Serenity Homes, LLC LLC 4/17/13 114 Grandwood Drive The Jewish - Christian Foundation, Inc. NP

4/2/13 650 Dinkins St Valdez Meat Market LLC LLC 4/1/13 3390 N. Liberty Street

Carriere BCB Construction, LLC LLC 4/22/13 40 Spring Oak Dr Commercial Laminated Products Inc.

BUS

4/29/13 311 Lakeside Dr E S Etter LLC LLC 4/8/13 658 Rock Ranch Rd Gulf South Security Solutions, LLCOTH 4/30/13 28 Windance Dr Jonah’s Sign Inc BUS 4/15/13 63 Crazy Tree Dr

Carthage J H Keith, LLC LLC 4/11/13 122 Franklin Street JDC Estates LLC LLC 4/22/13 340 Hwy 487 West Just Chillin’, LLC LLC 4/30/13 2169 Crowder Creek RD Touch of Angels LLC LLC 4/17/13 4940 Waggoner Road

4G Pinestraw, LLC LLC 4/19/13 232 Pinewood Lane Payday Cash Express LLC LLC 4/8/13 478 Highland Rd

Charleston C & M Irrigation LLC LLC 4/1/13 409 West Cypress Street Macel Planting LLC LLC 4/8/13 409 West Cypress Street

Almost Home Animal Rescue, Inc NP 4/30/13 12744 Suqualena Rd Chunky River Canoe & Kayak Rentals, LLCLLC

4/16/13 294 North Commerce Street / Clarks Service Center LLC LLC 4/2/13 23889 Hwy 80

Allbrand Appliances LLC LLC 4/24/13 70 Red Oak Drive I-55 Burners Motorcycle Club NP 4/2/13 5667 Savannah Pkwy, Southaven, MS 38672-7522 (Home)

Southern Transportation LLC LLC 4/2/13 102 Lee St Southern Wastewater Services LLCLLC 4/2/13 102 Lee St Treal’s Transportation LLC LLC 4/23/13 112 McLaurin Street

Columbia

Clarksdale 243 Delta Avenue Condominium Association Inc NP 4/1/13 143 Yazoo Avenue Alpha Delta Lands, Inc BUS 4/30/13 107 Court Street Beer & Bud Mart, Inc BUS 4/23/13 529 N State St Beta Delta Lands, Inc BUS 4/30/13 107 Court Street Big Pink Guest House, LLC LLC 4/24/13 143 Yazoo Avenue Financial Investors, LLC LLC 4/30/13 152 Delta Avenue Gamma Delta Lands, LLC LLC 4/30/13 107 Court Street Holt Collier Pictures LLC LLC 4/16/13 143 Yazoo Avenue HRW Investments, LLC LLC 4/1/13 143 Yazoo Avenue Moon Lake Place, LLC LLC 4/24/13 143 Yazoo Avenue Quad D Farms, LLC LLC 4/1/13 6933 Sunflower School Road Schmidt Land Forming LLC LLC 4/1/13 380 W. Bobo Road The Shoppe Downtown LLC LLC 4/16/13 101 Westover Drive

Cleveland Beautiful. Dirty. Rich. LLC LLC 4/9/13 607 Rosemary Rd Apt 5 Bo Williams Properties LLC LLC 4/1/13 59 Ferri Drive Candice’s Classics LLC LLC 4/8/13 502 Reed Drive LLC

4/5/13 102 Turn Table Crossing Shive Fitness, LLC LLC 4/12/13 2 Riverview Lane Teoc Creek Timber LLC LLC 4/15/13 594 Laughlin Road Twin Ridge Farms Partnership OTH 4/26/13 434 McKnight Road

Clinton Bluesland USA LLC LLC 4/5/13 1520 Hawthorne Place Brand New Doors LLC LLC 4/8/13 109 Easthaven Drive Casabella Enterprises, Inc BUS 4/12/13 801 East Northside Drive GFC Roofing & Restoration-LLC LLC 4/10/13 104 Cedar Cove H & G Food Retail, LLC LLC 4/4/13 1301 Laurelwood Drive Healthy Spa Vault, LLC LLC 4/26/13 801 East Northside Drive Honey Locust Farm LLC LLC 4/23/13 107 Countrywood Circle Housing In Transition, Inc. BUS 4/1/13 714 Laney Drive M & M Contracting STL, LLC LLC 4/8/13 113 Mosswood Ln Medical Consultant, LLC 4/16/13 709 Dunton Road Mesquite Roofing and Construction

Coldwater

Collins

Chunky

Goshen School of Cosmetology, LLC

VK Enterprises Inc BUS 4/22/13 100 Lake Hollow Place Watkins Constructors LLC LLC 4/25/13 813 Bellevue Street

OTH

4/30/13 499 Springridge E-36 Picture Perfect Lawn Care LLC LLC 4/3/13 418 McDonald Dr. S. McNeil Management and Services Inc. BUS 4/26/13 413 Johnson Street Statewide Exteriors LLC LLC 4/22/13 103 Johnston Pl Uniquely Us LLC LLC 4/18/13 102 Clearbrook Lane

Angels Personal Care Agency LLC LLC 4/23/13 215 Texas Ave Brandon Stampley L.L.C. LLC 4/18/13 355 Joe Magee Rd Broad Street Boutique, LLC LLC 4/9/13 601 Broad Street Coyote Ridge, LLC LLC 4/23/13 74 Lakeview Road Ham Farm LLC LLC 4/8/13 50 Carson Lane Humphreys Property Management LLC LLC

4/19/13 430 Broad St Jeremy Reid LLC LLC 4/16/13 47 Jeremys Lane Katz Korner LLC 4/15/13 800 Main St Prosperda Holdings, LLC LLC 4/2/13 908 Brandon Avenue P.O.Box 503 Queen of Sandy Hook, LLC LLC 4/1/13 1168 Old Sumrall Rd The Boyz Seafood, LLC LLC 4/8/13 68 Mopar Lane

Columbus 1800 Highway 45 LLC LLC 4/5/13 187 Marina Drive AD’s Sports Bar, LLC LLC 4/10/13 501 Seventh Street North 39701 Beyond Happi LLC LLC 4/19/13 402 Wilkins Wise Road Suite 16 Browning Plumbing LLC LLC 4/15/13 3600 Bluecutt Rd Box 5 Christy’s Hamburgers of Columbus LLC LLC

4/23/13 710 Alabama St. Elite Team Sports, LLC LLC 4/30/13 2322 Highway 45 North EP3 LLC LLC 4/1/13 32 Northdale Evergreen Recycling Service LLC LLC 4/1/13 410 Main Street Fleur-De-Lis Flowers and Gifts, LLCLLC 4/25/13 145 Pierce Rd Homestretch Properties, LLC LLC 4/15/13 129 N. Brookmore Drive Joshua G. Griffin, M.D., PLLC PLLC 4/10/13 410 Main Street, Columbus, Ms 39701 Lifebux LLC LLC 4/22/13 1507 Hwy 45 N McKay Land Services, LLC LLC 4/4/13 3695 B Hwy 373 Mississippi Marketing House, LLC LLC 4/11/13 441 Northdale Drive OBM Investments, LLC LLC 4/25/13 153 E Swoope Dr Open Arms Christian Learning Center, LLC LLC 4/26/13 593 Fowler Drive Orthopaedic Health Properties LLCLLC 4/1/13 326 Military Road PAX Enterprises, LLC LLC 4/23/13 1201 Southdown Pkwy Southern Gothic Creations, L.L.C. LLC 4/23/13 276 Island Road Urology Associates of Columbus LLC

4/9/13

LLC

410 Main Street

Como BNG Holdings, LLC LLC 4/23/13 411 Oak Avenue Precision Bow Tuning Inc BUS 4/5/13 4 County Rd 514 RWG Holdings, LLC LLC 4/23/13 411 Oak Avenue Universal Street Teachers Aware of Reality NP 4/9/13 7102 Hwy 310 West

INCORPORATIONS Corinth

Edwards

Farris Lane LLC LLC 4/3/13 725 E Shiloh Road HL Quick Cash, Inc BUS 4/22/13 516 N Fillmore St Julio’s Mexican Grill LLC LLC 4/22/13 1901 Virginia Lane Mi Ranchito LLC LLC 4/18/13 1001 Hwy 72 OM Convenience, LLC LLC 4/9/13 508 Waldron St PAT Development Group LLC LLC 4/10/13 4611 Shiloh Rd Purple Daisy Boutique LLC LLC 4/24/13 1407A Harper Rd Roofers America Inc BUS 4/8/13 1407A Harper Rd Vedanshi Inc BUS 4/16/13 1407 A Harper Road

Edith Nicolle Lambert NP, LLC LLC 4/16/13 4954 Hwy 27 Motivus Momentum Agency DBAOTH 4/22/13 PO Box 143 Samanda M. Marshall DBA OTH 4/22/13 PO Box 143

Courtland Panola First Stop Inc. 4/26/13

BUS 8967 Hwy 51 S

Crawford 4J’s and Z Inc BUS 4/8/13 2120 Starkville Rd CSS Farms L.L.C. LLC 4/15/13 3074 Firetower Rd Family Life Ministry NP 4/8/13 46 Godfrey Rd

Crowder YBN Rewards LLC 4/24/13

LLC 130 Third St

Crystal Springs Imagine Vibrant Inc BUS 4/24/13 1172 Lake Copiah Rd Prestig Corporation BUS 4/5/13 324 East Railroad Ave. S & W Drywall LLC LLC 4/18/13 207 South Jackson Street The Lucky Ducky, Inc BUS 4/25/13 3031 Ford Lane

D’lberville Beijing Super Buffet USA Inc BUS 4/9/13 3254 Mallett Road, Suite E Indisputed Entertainment, LLC LLC 4/25/13 3586 Sangani Blvd Ste L 156 Level One, LLC LLC 4/25/13 452 Ginger Dr

Darling Capitol Farm, Inc. BUS 4/2/13 5220 Charley Pride Hwy Commodore Farm, Inc. BUS 4/3/13 5220 Charley Pride Hwy

Dekalb Excellent Choice Learning Center LLC

4/8/13

LLC

384 Philadelphia Rd

Diamondhead Kingdom Company, LLC LLC 4/3/13 699 Apona St Popcorn Plus LLC BUS 4/23/13 969 Laa La Way Process Equipment & Safety Advisors, LLC LLC 4/30/13 4370 Leisure Time Drive Richard’s Pizzeria LLC LLC 4/25/13 4405 E Aloha Dr Ste H

Dover Medical Scribe Services, Inc 4/25/13 615 South Dupont Highway

Drew Southern Leases LLC LLC 4/15/13 125 North First Street

Duluth Letterone Petroleum, Inc. 4/24/13 3675 Crestwood Parkway, Suite 350

Ecru Southern Building Solutions LLC LLC 4/24/13 250 Ball Rd

Ellisville Bright Beginnings at West Ellisville Baptist Church NP 4/15/13 293 Graves Road Eason Propane LLC LLC 4/12/13 204 Magnolia Street JKN Energy Acquisitions LLC LLC 4/24/13 39 County Home Rd Liberty Development LLC LLC 4/22/13 62 Merchant Circle LRFP, LLC LLC 4/2/13 83 Neil Rd M&A HSE Consulting, LLC 4/18/13 500 Dubose St M&A HSE Consulting, LLC LLC 4/22/13 500 Dubose St Shannon Hill Inc BUS 4/18/13 65 Slayton Road Shelton Express Catering, LLC LLC 4/18/13 1244 Tower Rd

Eupora Mi Casita 4/9/13

OTH 47 Gweb Ray Drive

Falkner Evans Builders, LLC 4/15/13 Falkner Nursery LLC 4/4/13

LLC 1291 Cr 410 LLC 1850 E Cr 301

Fayette Shon Jones LLC LLC 4/11/13 1849 Main St Yazoo 5 Stars, LLC 4/29/13 248 Medgar Evers Blvd Yazoo 5 Stars, LLC LLC 4/30/13 248 Medgar Evers Blvd

Flora AA Metal Roofing Plus LLC LLC 4/15/13 241 Abernathy Rd Sandra A. Stevenson DBA OTH 4/26/13 281-A Harris Road Sweet Expressions LLC LLC 4/8/13 264 Bannerman Dr. Apt. 7g Taylor Commercial Cleaning Service DBA OTH 4/26/13 281-A Harris Road

Florence 144 Tactical, LLC LLC 4/8/13 220 Cooper Ridge Way AAA Glass & Mirror LLC LLC 4/8/13 525 Roxbury Place BAPA LLC LLC 4/11/13 106 E Main Street Echo, LLC LLC 4/9/13 120 Magnolia Springs Future Rentals, LLC LLC 4/15/13 1983 Cleary Road James & Lee Realty, Inc. BUS 4/1/13 125 E Main Street OhhMy! Gifts and Things, LLC LLC 4/23/13 112 Williams Drive Snoasis Inc BUS 4/3/13 577 Eaglewood Dr Steel Realty Inc BUS 4/1/13 125 E Main Street WRAPRO, LLC LLC 4/23/13 204 Shady Pecan Dr

Flowood A & E Engineering, Inc. BUS 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 4/29/13 AAA Marketing Services, LLC LLC 4/22/13 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 ABBA’S RHEMAWORD MINISTRY, INC BUS

4/19/13 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 Aduddell Residential & Commercial Roofing, Inc. BUS 4/22/13 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 AEEC II, L.L.C. LLC 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 4/1/13 Aire Serv LLC LLC 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 4/3/13 Aker Solutions, Inc BUS 4/16/13 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101

July 5, 2013

Alpha Female LLC LLC 4/16/13 232 Market Street.

Alta Risk, LLC LLC 4/10/13 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 Amedra Pharmaceuticals, LLC LLC 4/23/13 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 American Capital Security Corporation BUS 4/17/13 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 American Financing Corporation BUS 4/12/13 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 Ames & Gough Insurance/Risk Management, Inc. BUS 4/19/13 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 AnovoRx Distribution, LLC LLC 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 4/5/13 Arbor Point Advisors LLC LLC 4/16/13 232 Market Street Arkansas Newk’s, LLC LLC 4/3/13 2950 Layfair Drive, suite 101 Array Holdings, Inc. BUS 4/16/13 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 Arrowhead Specialty Underwriting, LLC LLC

4/17/13 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 Ashland Farms, LLC LLC 4/10/13 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 Atlantic Contingency Constructors, LLC LLC 4/15/13 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101

Avenir Ventures, L.L.C. LLC 4/9/13 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 Avocent Huntsville Corp BUS 4/15/13 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 Birmingham Scrap, LLC LLC 4/22/13 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 Blue Magnolia Films, LLC LLC 4/23/13 645 Lakeland Drive, Suite 101 Bluegrass Pipeline Company LLC LLC 4/10/13 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 Bridger Administrative Services, LLC LLC 4/23/13 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101

Brookwood Group, PLLC PLLC 4/19/13 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 Brunel Energy, Inc BUS 4/25/13 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 Buckvine LLC LLC 4/26/13 579 Lakeland East Dr C.S.C. Insurance Professionals, Inc. BUS 4/23/13 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101

Capitol Distributors LLC LLC 4/5/13 232 Market St Carden Oil & Gas, LLC LLC 4/8/13 645 LAKELAND EAST DR #101 Cardno MM&A DBA BUS 4/12/13 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 Cashman Dredging and Marine Contracting, Co., LLC LLC 4/16/13 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 Central Credit Services LLC LLC 4/25/13 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 Central Credit Services of FL LLC LLC 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 4/25/13 Cetera Advisor Networks Insurance Services, LLC LLC 4/18/13 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 Cetera Advisors Insurance Services, LLC LLC

4/18/13 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 Cetera Insurance Agency LLC LLC 4/18/13 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 Cetera Investment Management LLC

LLC

4/17/13 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 Charles D. Hosemann MD PA PA 4/4/13 290 East Layfair Drive Suite A Choicemark Insurance Services, Inc.

BUS

4/9/13 10 Canebrake Blvd #200 Cirrus Minerals, LLC LLC 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 4/22/13 Civil Solutions Incorporated BUS 4/23/13 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 Columbia Open MRI LLC LLC 4/16/13 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 Community Financial Insurance Center, LLC LLC 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 4/9/13 Cooper Bussmann LLC LLC 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 4/24/13 Core Merge Inc BUS 4/24/13 3720 Flowood Drive Corporate Interiors, Inc. BUS 4/8/13 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 Crescent Drilling Foreman, Inc BUS 4/30/13 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 Cretcher Heartland, LLC LLC 4/26/13 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 Curo Health Services, LLC LLC 4/23/13 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 Delta Education LLC LLC 4/8/13 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 Delta Water L.L.C LLC 4/12/13 645 LAKELAND EAST DR #101 Denovo Constructors, Inc BUS 4/26/13 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101

Desoto Chicken, LLC LLC 4/15/13 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 Diamond Green Diesel LLC LLC 4/15/13 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 Dogwood Oil & Gas LLC LLC 4/11/13 2950 Layfair Drive Suite 101 DRO IP, Ltd LP LP 4/26/13 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 DRO IPM, Inc. BUS 4/11/13 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 Duncan Oil Co. BUS 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 4/26/13 DXE Medical, Inc BUS 4/23/13 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 E & C Materials, Inc BUS 4/30/13 1000 Underwood Drive Earl Architects, PLLC PLLC 4/22/13 10 Cranebrake Boulevard Suite 200 Edens, Welch & Criado, PLLC PLLC 4/2/13 3720 Flowood Dr., Suite A Emergency CallWorks, Inc BUS 4/30/13 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 Entrust Solutions, LLC LLC 4/16/13 648 Lakeland East Drive, Suite A Environmental Contracting Services 1, LLC LLC 4/10/13 232 Market Street Essex Credit Corporation BUS 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 4/3/13 Faegre Baker Daniels LLP LLP 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 4/10/13 Fashion, Inc BUS 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 4/1/13 Fircroft, Inc. BUS 4/16/13 232 Market Street Frasier Healthcare Consulting Inc BUS 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 4/24/13 Fuellgraf Chimney & Tower, Inc BUS 4/30/13 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 GCCFC 2002-C1 Retail 9444, LLC LLC 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 4/22/13 GCHP-Sacred Heart MM, LLC LLC 4/8/13 645 LAKELAND EAST DR #101 Gilpin Financial Services, Inc. BUS 4/11/13 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 Global Trust Management, LLC LLC 4/29/13 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 GLS Builders MS, LLC LLC 4/15/13 232 Market Street GOMISNEBTEX LLC LLC 4/22/13 10 Canebrake Boulevard Suite 200 Gomotel Fabrication, LLC LLC 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 4/29/13 Grand Coastal Builders, Inc. BUS 4/23/13 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 Heery and Klebanoff, PLLC PLLC 4/19/13 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 Hendricks-Berkadia LLC LLC 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 4/10/13 Infor Public Sector, Inc BUS 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 4/16/13 Interstate Batteries, Inc BUS 4/26/13 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 Jamell Tile and Stone, Inc. BUS 4/3/13 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 January Environmental Services, Inc. BUS 4/23/13 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101

Kammann USA, Inc BUS 4/15/13 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 KAO Logistics, Inc BUS 4/26/13 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 Kidz Konnectionz LLC LLC 4/3/13 232 Market Street L&L Broadcasting LLC LLC 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 4/17/13 L&S Diesel Service LLC LLC 4/24/13 2950 Layfair Drive, Suite 101 Lake Superior Consulting LLC LLC 4/18/13 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 Landmark Pools Inc BUS 4/23/13 508 Jasper Cr Larry D Corporation BUS 4/3/13 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 LDV, Inc. BUS 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 4/15/13 Leo Pharma Inc BUS 4/8/13 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 Levelocity, LLC LLC 4/2/13 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 LifeStorage Management LLC LLC 4/19/13 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 LS Property Management Services, LLC LLC 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 M Financial Securities Marketing, Inc BUS 4/29/13 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101

4/19/13

M-Tabs, LLC LLC 4/24/13 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 Magis Insurance Group, LLC LLC 4/16/13 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 MANpower Properties, LLC LLC 4/18/13 2950†Layfair†Drive

Marcus & Millichap Real Estate Investments Services of Nevada, Inc. BUS

4/1/13 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 Mark 1 Restoration Company BUS 4/16/13 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 Marshall Miller & Associates, Inc.BUS 4/12/13 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 MedBridge Home Medical, LLC LLC 4/4/13 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 Meggatel Corporation BUS 4/23/13 10 Canebrake Blvd #200 Memphis Housing Solutions LLC LLC 4/26/13 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 Mercap Securities, LLC LLC 4/9/13 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 Mettle Sports NP 4/12/13 609 Summer Place Mid-South Outlet Shops, LLC LLC 4/15/13 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 Mississippi Silicon LLC LLC 4/30/13 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 MMQ&N Leasing, LLC LLC 4/11/13 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 MPS Group, Inc. BUS 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 4/2/13 Mr. Appliance LLC LLC 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 4/3/13 Mr. Electric LLC LLC 4/3/13 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 Mr. Rooter LLC LLC 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 4/3/13 MS Surface Cleaners, Inc. 4/23/13 1000 Underwood Drive Mses, LLC LLC 4/12/13 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 Mueller Systems LLC LLC 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 4/22/13 National Kidney Foundation NP 4/22/13 232 Market Street Newk’s National Markering Group Inc

NP

4/24/13 2950 Layfair Drive Suite 101 NL Enterprises, LLC LLC 4/23/13 1050 North Flowood Dr Ste C-1 Northwest Insurance Group, Inc. BUS 4/29/13 10 Canebrake Blvd #200 Nova Towers, LLC LLC 4/10/13 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 Novocure Inc. BUS 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 4/9/13 Nu-Way Construction Services, LLCLLC 4/12/13 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 O’Benco IV, LP LP 4/23/13 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 O’Brien’s Response Management, LLC LLC

4/18/13 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 Ole Dawg Motors, LLC LLC 4/2/13 229 Katherine Drive (39232) Olgoonik Global Security, LLC LLC 4/1/13 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 OSM Leasing LLC LLC 4/24/13 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 Palmer Mfg. & Tank, Inc. BUS 4/11/13 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 PAM at Greenwood, LLC LLC 4/25/13 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 Pantera LLC LLC 4/3/13 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 Patriot Timber Products, Inc BUS 4/8/13 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 PEP Properties, LLC LLC 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 4/22/13 Phillips Energy Partners II, LLC LLC 4/22/13 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 Phillips Energy Partners, LLC LLC 4/22/13 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 Pingora Loan Servicing, Inc. BUS 4/11/13 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 Poerio Incorporated BUS 4/17/13 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 PTAT Southaven LLC LLC 4/10/1 3645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 QCO Veneer, Inc. 4/17/13 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 Race Addicts Inc BUS 4/18/13 3720 Flowood Drive Rainbow International LLC LLC 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 4/3/13 RB Trucking LLC LLC 4/5/13 1050 North Flowood Dr Ste C-1 Regency Home Office, LLC LLC 4/1/13 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 Risk Advisors Of America An Affiliate Of LRA Insurance, L.L.C. LLC 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 4/26/13 RoCo of Jackson, LLC LLC 4/26/13 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 Saic Gemini, Inc. BUS 4/24/13 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 SATS.COM LLC LLC 4/1/13 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101

I

Mississippi Business Journal

SCI Consultants Group LLC LLC 4/25/13 232 Market Street.

Scott Trucking LLC LLC 4/4/13 365 Fannin Rd Seedling Communications DBA LLC 4/2/13 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 Select Media Services, LLC LLC 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 4/11/13 Service Resources Corporation of Florida BUS 4/22/13 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 SES Construction and Fuel Services, LLC LLC

4/19/13 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 SHL US Inc BUS 4/24/13 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 Silverstone Group, Incorporated BUS 4/3/13 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 Sirote & Permutt, P.C. PA 4/23/13 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 Skytron LLC LLC 4/9/13 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 SPBS, Inc BUS 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 4/26/13 Specialty Risk Solutions LLC LLC 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 4/18/13 Sperry Van Ness International Corporation BUS 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 4/18/13 SSDD LLC LLC 4/1/13 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 Starion, LLC LLC 4/16/13 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 Steel Painters Inc BUS 4/9/13 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 Sumtotal Systems LLC LLC 4/15/13 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 Superior Exteriors LLC LLC 4/12/13 4209 Lakeland Drive #301 Swaggart Brothers, Inc. BUS 4/11/13 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 Synergistic International LLC LLC 4/3/13 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 T.R. Management Corporation BUS 4/26/13 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 Tanglewood Plantation LLC LLC 4/24/13 2950 Layfair Drive, Suite 101 Tarco, Inc BUS 4/29/13 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 TESCO Partners, Inc. BUS 4/8/13 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 The Cherubim Investment Group of MS, LLC LLC 4/1/13 10 Cranebrake Boulevard Suite 200 The Greens of Madison County Management Company Inc BUS 4/8/13 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 The Greens of Madison County, a Limited Partnership LP 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 4/8/13 The Grounds Guys LLC LLC 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 4/3/13 The National Center for Appropriate Technology, Inc NP 4/19/13 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 TNG Merchandising DBA LLC 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 4/11/13 TNG Specialty DBA LLC 4/11/13 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 Topographic Land Surveyors Co BUS 4/29/13 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 Transamerica Retirement Advirsors, Inc.BUS

4/1/13 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 Transformed, LLC LLC 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 4/30/13 Turbeville Fence LLC LLC 4/22/13 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 Turbocore Workout LLC LLC 4/23/13 232 Market Street.

Turf Reclamation Services, LLC LLC 4/18/13 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 TV Stations Holdings LLC LLC 4/22/13 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 United Core Management, Inc BUS 4/12/13 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 United Labor Group, LLC LLC 4/18/13 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 US Restoration & Remodeling IncBUS 4/9/13 4209 Lakeland Dr., Suite #219 US Roofing & Siding, LLC LLC 4/1/13 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 USIC Locating Services, Inc. BUS 4/22/13 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 V-Tabs LLC LLC 4/24/13 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 Valutrust Solutions, LLC LLC 4/18/13 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 Vicksburg Newsmedia, LLC LLC 4/22/13 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 View Pointe Homeowners Assoc. Inc

4/19/13

NP

10 Canebrake, Suite 110

I

11

Viking Range, LLC LLC 4/1/13 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 Village at the Beverly GP, LLC LLC 4/8/13 645 LAKELAND EAST DR #101 Visionary Integration Professionals, LLC LLC 4/4/13 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101

W.D.S. Construction, Inc. BUS 4/29/13645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 W.T. Butler & Co. Limited BUS 4/3/13 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 Warfab Industries, Inc BUS 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 4/29/13 Weatherford Artificial Lift Systems, LLC LLC

4/11/13 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 Westerman, Inc. BUS 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 4/11/13 Willbros T&D Services, LLC LLC 4/15/13 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 WILLIAMS WPC - I, LLC LLC 4/2/13 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 Winsoft LLC LLC 4/9/13 129 Evergreen Way Worldwide Consulting Services, LLC

LLC

4/22/13 645 LAKELAND EAST DR #101 Wright Engineering LLC LLC 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 4/22/13 Wyndham St Thomas Development Company LLC LLC 4/22/13 232 Market Street Xtreme Xterior Inc BUS 4/15/13 232 Market Street Xylem Water Systems U.S.A., LLC LLC 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101 4/30/13 Zayin Fiber Optics, LLC LLC 4/22/13 645 Lakeland East Drive, Suite 101

Forest ATEC Design, LLC LLC 4/23/13 339 West Third Street Phenomenal Beauty LLC LLC 4/16/13 104 N Main St V & H Enterprises, LLC LLC 4/18/13 133 West Main St

Foxworth S and G Fun Party Rentals LLC LLC 4/19/13 60 Diamond K Lane Sand Bar Farms, LLC LLC 4/9/13 1 Williamson Lane West Consulting LLC LLC 4/23/13 331 Richland Creek Rd

Fulton Hair Trendz LLC LLC 4/22/13 1509 S. Adams St. Suite J Made in Magnolia DBA LLC 4/1/13 506 Lake Rd Pride of Magnolia, LLC LLC 4/1/13 506 Lake Rd Smith Trucking of Ripley LLC LLC 4/15/13 125 Taylor Rd N

Gautier Big Cedar Creek Mitigation Bank, LLC

LLC

4/5/13 7949 Martin Bluff Rd Country Gentleman Family Restaurant Inc BUS 4/1/134341 Gautier Vancleave Road Ste 12 Gulf Coast Investments LLC LLC 4/8/13 2700 Portau Prince Dr Hall’s Tire & Auto LLC LLC 4/26/13 3000 Ladnier Road Stubbs Property Management, LLCLLC 4/10/13 2330 Sandalwood Place Stubbs Veterinary PLLC PLLC 4/19/13 2330 Sandalwood Place The Spoken Word Outreach Ministers

4/17/13

NP

2520 Westgate Parkway

Glen Allan Glen Allan Community Cemetery Association NP 4/4/13 2804 Greenfield Rd

Golden Summerford Trucking, LLC LLC 4/5/13 4494 Tucker Rd

Goodman Seneasha Land Company, LLC LLC 4/1/13 3450 Attala Road 4002

Greenvile R & R Investments of Ms LLC LLC 4/1/13 1417 Trailwood Drive

INCORPORATIONS

12 I Mississippi Business Journal I July 5, 2013 2537 Bobolink, LLC LLC 4/29/13 1417 Trailwood Drive STE A Bruton Family Investments, LLC LLC 4/16/13 923 Washington Avenue Chester’s Construction LLC LLC 4/29/13 1417 Trailwood Drive STE A Citadel Enterprise, LLC LLC 4/26/13 1660 South Colorado Street Delta Wellness Clinic for Families, LLC LLC

4/30/13

923 Washington Avenue

Greenville Neuro Diagnostic Center, P.C. PA

4/12/13 1502 South Colorado St Greenville Neurology Medical PC PA 4/12/13 1502 South Colorado St Harvey and Sons Trucking LLC LLC 4/2/13 598 Wildwood Dr Jelly Jar Entertainment LLC LLC 4/24/13 1457 Oakwood Drive Apt 16N Richard Realty LLC LLC 4/11/13 540 Main Street, Suite 401 Ventures LLC LLC 4/12/13 540 MAIN STREET, SUITE 401

Greenwood Alt-J Bistropub, LLC LLC 4/26/13 117 Main Street AMG Construction Inc BUS 4/18/13 1705 Hwy 82W Celebrations W/D, LLC LLC 4/24/13 1799 Cr 525 Delta Bistro, LLC LLC 4/17/13 117 Main Street Dixieland Enterprises, LLC LLC 4/17/13 416 W Harding J & H Flying Inc BUS 4/16/13 601 East Cleveland Journey Hospice and Palliative Care Services LLC LLC 4/2/13 808 W President Ave KKW Consulting, LLC LLC 4/1/13 1705 Hwy 82 W Madd Flava LLC LLC 4/5/13 1220 Broad St Montgomery Southern Development LLC LLC 4/17/13 10480 Highway 82 East New Dawn Transitions NP 4/24/13 1309 Myrtle St Pembleton Courts & Recreation Inc

BUS

4/1/13 305 West Market Street Those Guys, LLC LLC 4/17/13 10480 Highway 82, East

Grenada Cash Enterprises, LLC LLC 4/25/13 343 Snider St. Edison Investments LLC LLC 4/1/13 396 Hidden Valley Road Go-Go-Gorilla’s Boat Storage & More LLC LLC 4/23/13 849 Avenue of Pines Jewelry, Etc., LLC LLC 4/23/13 1321-T Sunset Drive Rice Trucking LLC LLC 4/17/13 1423 Shelby Chapel Rd. Southern Sky Exteriors LLC LLC 4/1/13 1960 Tuscola Dr. Sugar & Spice LLC LLC 4/18/13 320 Sunset Drive

Gulfport 1 Stokes Rd, LLC LLC 4/23/13 2218 18Th Street 2230 Beach, LLC LLC 4/30/13 2230 Beach Dr A Dream of a Champion NP 4/1/13 3621 53Rd Avenue Alarm Protection Mississippi, LLC LLC 4/15/13 12435 Plunkett Road All-States Masonry OTH 4/1/13 13672 John Clark Rd Alva Leigh Music LLC LLC 4/17/13 106 Bayou Circle Anderson Services, Inc BUS 4/30/13 9025 Victoria Circle Arbor Construction LLC LLC 4/12/13 545 East Pass Road ArtCam Investments, LLC LLC 4/22/13 2218 18Th Street Ashley’s Construction Group, LLC LLC 4/1/13 2218 18Th Street Atrium Light & Power LLC LLC 4/24/13 2218 18Th Street Automotive Resources, Inc BUS 4/22/13 1317 26Th Avenue, Suite 320 B & A Nguyen, LLC LLC 4/30/13 1323 28Th Avenue, Suite A Batman Cleans House, L.L.C. LLC 4/8/13 918 38Th Ave

Better Life Homemaker LLC LLC 4/23/13 2218 18Th Street Bickham-Bay Colony, LLC LLC 4/24/13 2510 14Th Street, Suite 1125 Blazin Cajun Seafood LLC LLC 4/5/13 2517 28Th Street BT Holdings, LLC LLC 4/9/13 2909 13Th Street, Sixth Floor Bulldog Consulting, LLC LLC 4/22/13 2218 18Th Street Business Construction Service, LLCLLC 4/17/13 12221 Ashley Drive, Suite A & B Cartoons And Balloons Parties And Florist LLC LLC 4/24/13 2218 18Th Street Castle Transport, LLC LLC 4/12/13 917 Handsboro Place CBT Management LLC LLC 4/8/13 12435 Plunkett Road Cerberus Group Holdings LLC LLC 4/9/13 2218 18Th Street Chulios LLC LLC 4/10/13 2218 18Th Street Coastal Comfort LLC LLC 4/2/13 2218 18Th Street Constant Properties LLC 4/5/13 1534 20Th Street Conway’s LLC LLC 4/25/13 12435 Plunkett Road Cox Paving, LLC LLC 4/11/13 12435 Plunkett Road D & D Online Services LLC LLC 4/10/13 2218 18Th Street Dark Side Vapors LLC LLC 4/9/13 2218 18Th Street Dave Stewart Title Abstracting LLCLLC 4/23/13 2218 18Th Street Dearman Industries LLC LLC 4/1/13 2218 18Th Street El Aguila, LLC LLC 4/2/13 12435 Pluckett Road, Gulfport MS 39503 ETISolutions, LLC LLC 4/18/13 2218 18Th Street FAH Energy, LLC LLC 4/22/13 2200 25Th Avenue Favre Farms LLC LLC 4/1/13 2300 20Th St. Favre Farms LLC 4/1/13 2300 20Th St. Fernwood Retirement Park LLC LLC 4/11/13 609 Rue Maupesant Fleet Personnel Corp BUS 4/29/13 12435 Plunkett Road Gas Werks PLLC LLC 4/23/13 2218 18Th Street Gonzalez-Strength & Associates, Inc. BUS

4/5/13 12435 Plunkett Road Gulf Coast Angus LLC LLC 4/23/13 2218 18Th Street Gulf Coast Common Core Consultants, LLC LLC 4/16/13 2218 18Th Street Hawkeye Outdoors LLC LLC 4/15/13 2218 18Th Street Heavenly Assistance LLC LLC 4/9/13 14533 Cable Bridge Road Henry & Cordaro Publishing LLC LLC 4/9/13 2218 18Th Street HHT of Mobile, LLC LLC 4/17/13 549 E. Pass Rd Ste C Horns & Hoofs PLLC PLLC 4/16/13 2218 18Th Street HouseTech Real Estate, Inc BUS 4/26/13 12435 Plunkett Road Hub City Tornado Run NP 4/2/13 2218 18Th Street Icarcerate LLC LLC 4/15/13 2218 18Th Street ICLD, Inc BUS 4/25/13 1317 26Th Avenue Suite 320 iGate Mortgage Services Inc BUS 4/25/13 12435 Plunkett Road ILS & Airfield Services LLC LLC 4/15/13 2218 18Th Street Ink Underwriting (US) LLC LLC 4/26/13 12435 Plunkett Road Intervision Technology, Inc BUS 4/11/13 3419 Washington Ave J Papania Properties LLC LLC 4/24/13 410 Security Square Jason Papania DMD PLLC PLLC 4/10/13 410 Security Square Jeremy W. Owens, MD, PC PA 4/22/13 15190 Community Rd JFS Rentals, LLC LLC 4/9/13 2218 18Th Street Kaydar Group LLC LLC 4/12/13 1525 E. Pass Rd. Kid Fit Foundation LLC 4/26/13 2218 18Th Street

King’s Ransom, LLC LLC 4/30/13 14594 Indian Trails CR La Fogata Inc BUS 4/2/13 5506 Kendall Street Lamb-Star Engineering, L.P. LP 4/15/13 12435 Plunkett Road Leap of Faith, Inc. BUS 4/1/13 625 16Th Street Learning Services & Solutions IncBUS 4/25/13 14060 N. White Swan Dr. Long Beach Shell, LLC LLC 4/30/13 1323 28Th Avenue, Suite A LottoConnect LLC LLC 4/12/13 1525 E. Pass Road #1034 Lucy J’s Bakery, LLC LLC 4/23/13 2218 18Th Street Mid-South Wildlife Control LLC LLC 4/1/13 2218 18Th Street Mississippi Pawn King Inc BUS 4/9/13 12221 Ashley Drive, Suite A & B Mississippi Submarine Snorkels, LLC

LLC

4/26/13 16485 Heatherwood Dr Oliver Instruments LLC LLC 4/16/13 2218 18Th Street Page Six Couture, LLC LLC 4/25/13 2218 18Th Street Patton & Loveless Properties LLC LLC 4/4/13 38 Old Oak Lane PCPMG-ICF, LLC LLC 4/26/13 12435 Plunkett Road PGinn Enterprises, LLC LLC 4/2/13 2218 18Th Street Pinnacle Grant Consulting LLC LLC 4/24/13 2218 18Th Street Polles Properties LLC LLC 4/18/13 2218 18Th Street Premier Directional Drilling, L.P. LP 4/4/13 12435 Plunkett Road Print to Product LLC LLC 4/23/13 2218 18Th Street Record One LLC LLC 4/9/13 2218 18Th Street Reformed African American Network, IncNP

4/26/13 2218 18Th Street Relay Transportation LLC LLC 4/4/13 13201 Tyler Circle Revelo Remedium, L.L.C. LLC 4/23/13 2218 18Th Street Rich Construction L.L.C. LLC 4/16/13 2218 18Th Street Serene Services LLC LLC 4/24/13 2218 18Th Street Sibley Zydeco Festival LLC LLC 4/9/13 2218 18Th Street Siggi Orthotics, LLC LLC 4/18/13 2218 18Th Street Skinner’s A/c Service & Repair IncBUS 4/23/13 15045 Dedeaux Road SMHD-Beverly LLC LLC 4/8/13 10430 Three Rivers Road (39503) Soul Sound Transport LLC LLC 4/16/13 2218 18Th Street Southern Storm Baseball Incorporated NP 4/10/13 14433 Dedeaux Rd. Suite 3 Spencer Meats LLC LLC 4/18/13 2218 18Th Street Steven’s Underground Utility and Site Services, LLC LLC 4/15/13 2218 18Th Street Sundance Leasing Limited, Inc BUS 4/30/13 19528 Champion Circle Sweet Popularity LLC LLC 4/9/13 2218 18Th Street TDG AA RV, LLC LLC 4/30/13 12287 Hwy 49 The Furniture Store LLC LLC 4/8/13 2200 John Hill Blvd The High Life Society HLS LLC LLC 4/22/13 2218 18Th Street The Wedding Vow, LLC LLC 4/24/13 2218 18Th Street TJH Properties, Inc. BUS 4/10/13 2510 14Th Street, Suite 1001 TOT Media Consortium LLC LLC 4/18/13 880 Lindh Road Apt 274 Twelve:Thirty Media, LLC LLC 4/22/13 2218 18Th Street Tyrone Hargro Sports LLC LLC 4/15/13 2218 18Th Street Uncle Sam’s Mini Mart Inc. BUS 4/2/13 8304 Hwy 49 Unit A Urban Fashions LLC LLC 4/5/13 200 Pass Rd Suite 7 Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, Inc. BUS 4/11/13 12435 Plunkett Road Wing It & More, LLC LLC 4/11/1312435 Pluckett Road, Gulfport MS 39503 Word of Life Ministries FoundationNP 4/30/13 13440 Woodland Drive

WW Majure Holdings, LLC LLC 4/11/13 1124 Pine Street Young Performers of the Arts Company (YoungPAC) NP 4/10/13 2218 18Th Street Your Second Chance Corporation NP 4/10/13 12221 Ashley Drive, Suite A & B Yuma Spine and Joint PLLC PLLC 4/23/13 2218 18Th Street Zimmerman Services LLC LLC 4/15/13 2218 18Th Street

Guntown Filgo Enterprise, LLC 4/24/13

LLC 712 Cr 2346

Harrisville Circle B Enterprises LLC LLC 4/4/13 3460 Hopewell Rd

Hattiesburg 32Ten Multisports NP 4/25/13 111 Creedmoor A Helping Hand Food Pantry Inc. NP 4/9/13 814 Martin Luther King Ave 39401 A&E Trucking LLC LLC 4/12/13 1007 Mamie St Aegis Construction Group LLC LLC 4/15/13 6068 Us Hwy 98 W Bodo Outdoors, LLC LLC 4/16/13 2 Brookline Drive Brady Insulation, Inc BUS 4/30/13 103 N 19th Avenue Britt Home Maintenance, LLC LLC 4/23/13 118 College Dr. # 7691 Bustin Title Services, LLC LLC 4/24/13 15 Myrtle Landing C & J Enterprise LLC LLC 4/9/13 46 South Kingsmill Casper Holdings, LLC LLC 4/11/13 525 Main St Chris Buckhalter Outreach NP 4/24/13 612 Southeast Circle CMZY Enterprises LLC LLC 4/10/13 5891 US Hwy 49 S Ste 60-260 Dearman University Place LLC LLC 4/18/13 1508 W Pine St Delta International Construction Co.

4/8/13

BUS

120 South Tenth Avenue

Donnie Tyndall Basketball Camp, LLC

LLC

4/19/13 192 Bridgewater Drive FirstMed LLC LLC 4/10/13 5 Willow Ben Dr Grindle Construction, LLC LLC 4/9/13 2 Southern Pointe Parkway, Suite 100 GSP Consulting LLC LLC 4/15/13 6760 U S Hwy 98, Ste 1 Gulf Coast Restaurant Company, LLC

LLC

4/23/13 1301 West Pine Street HF Enterprises LLC LLC 4/22/13 409 N 39th Ave Apt 11 Holliday Insurance Agency II LLC LLC 4/5/13 4403 W 4th Street HW Construction, LLC LLC 4/2/13 618 Douglas Street Inland Towing, LLC LLC 4/15/13 107 Ralph Rawls Rd Joseph Salloum MD “LLC” LLC 4/18/13 301 South 28 Ave JTG Energy, LLC LLC 4/9/13 35 Canebrake Blvd Little Miss Maams Productions LLCLLC 4/4/13 634 Churchwell Rd. LKY Property Management LLC LLC 4/1/13 606 Bay STreet Magnolia Land and Timber LLC LLC 4/19/13 3440 Highway 589 Mei-Chang Cheng MD, LLC LLC 4/18/13 301 528Th Ave Michael Cha Properties, LLC LLC 4/23/13 307-A West Pine St Nails Plus LLC LLC 4/8/13 219 Pinewood Drive New Horizon Business Group Inc BUS 4/9/13 2820 Lincoln Rd Apt #56 Nguyen Brothers LLC LLC 4/22/13 65 Pleasand Pond Loop Nguyen Brothers LLC 4/5/13 65 Pleasand Pond Loop Phillip Bell Construction, LLC LLC 4/29/13 141 Beechwood Dr Pine Belt Anesthesia, LLC LLC 4/15/13 #5 Windbourne Drive Pine Belt Insurance, LLC LLC 4/3/13 301 Humble Ave Ste 147 Pinebelt Distributors LLC LLC 4/26/13 121 W Lakeside Drive Pinebelt Military Retired Association

4/15/13

NP

3013 Raphael Dr

R & M Investment Properties, LLC LLC 4/10/13 307 West Pine Street Real Estate Aces, LLC LLC 4/30/13 246 B Morrell Circle RKR Services, LLC LLC 4/18/13 301 S 40th Ave Roberts Family Real Estate, LLC LLC 4/19/13 1612 Adeline Street SDMC Limited Liability Company LLC 4/30/13 1307 Penton Street SOLAS Marketing LLC LLC 4/2/13 923 Weeping Willow Circle Storage Closet, LLC LLC 4/2/13 37 Cherokee Road Stringers Reclaimed Wood LLC LLC 4/11/13 7638 Highway 49 North Sunrise Village, LLC LLC 4/25/13 601 Adeline Street Tandem Risk Solutions, LLC LLC 4/2/13 814 West Pine St Thomley Christmas Tree Farm LLC LLC 4/8/13 23 Deer Valley Drive Timeless Construction LLC LLC 4/10/13 104 Buschman St Ste B (39401) Vend One LLC LLC 4/8/13 1023 Churchwell Rd W & B Cattle Farm L.L.C. LLC 4/4/13 140 Ed Wiggins Road Wadada Mobile Notary Service LLCLLC 4/26/13 107 Ralph Rawls Road WGW Electric LLC LLC 4/10/13 5266 Old Hwy 11 Ste 70-222

Holly Springs

Hazlehurst

CCP of Pontotoc Inc BUS 4/15/13 111 East Washington Street Chickasaw County Instrumental Music Festival NP 4/24/13 1654 Hwy 15n King’s One-Stop LLC LLC 4/15/13 111 East Washington Street Milner Health Care, P.A. PA 4/4/13 111 East Washington Street O.I.A.L.L. Marketing, Inc BUS 4/4/13 111 East Washington Street Rea’s Broken Arrow Ranch LLC LLC 4/9/13 102 Rhodes Street Road Ready Performance LLC LLC 4/10/13 111 East Washington Street

Copiah Christian Learning Center, Inc.

NP

4/1/13 1095 Camp Wesley Pines Road Dixons Trucking, LLC LLC 4/18/13 18028 Hwy 51 North M & M Honey, LLC LLC 4/4/13 322 West Gallatin Street Newell Wine & Spirits, LLC LLC 4/22/13 322 West Gallatin Street Wet Bar S, LLC LLC 4/4/13 322 West Gallatin Street

Heidelberg Earth Angels Hospice, LLC LLC 4/5/13 201 Main St Tall Oaks, LLC LLC 4/4/13 203 County Rd 357

Hermanville Coldsprings Inc 4/19/13

BUS 1036 Insmore Road

M&M Floor Covering, LLC LLC 4/2/13 67 Duckett Cove New Covenant Recreational Adult Day Care LLC LLC 4/23/13 960 Hwy 4E Reliant Network LLC LLC 4/1/13 126 N Spring Street Slayden Market LLC LLC 4/24/13 126 North Spring Street

Horn Lake Central Mississippi Cleaning Service LLC (CMCS LLC) LLC 4/8/13 5584 Sycamore Cv ConnecTheDots, LLC LLC 4/30/13 4251 Highgate GM Enterprises Inc BUS 4/10/13 2574 Susie Lane Greenbriar Apartments LLC LLC 4/25/13 6917 Wrenwood Drive James Crawford Publishing, LLC LLC 4/30/13 5711 Chapel Hill Dr Maintenance Solutions, LLC LLC 4/22/13 2674 Mariah Lane Recycled Pets Are Best NP 4/18/13 1930 Austin Rd The Winning Circle of Scholars NP 4/2/13 6561 Sinclair Drive

Houston

Indianola Clark Associates, Inc. BUS 4/22/13 507 W. Augusta St Mid Delta Equipment & Trailer Sales IncBUS

4/5/13 410 N. Martin Luther King Blvd.

Unique Jewels & Clothing, LLC LLC 4/24/13 612 Sunflower Ave. Extd. Suite 15

Hernando

Iuka

Bobby M. Wright DBA OTH 4/3/13 1376 Pontotoc St BWG Holdings, LLC LLC 4/23/13 880 Tara Drive CooperSmith, LLC LLC 4/10/13 111 Banks Cove Donnie’s Floor Coverings, LLC LLC 4/23/13 5924 Slocum Trail Easy Way Food Stores, Inc. BUS 4/11/13 4830 West Oak Grove Rd. Hernando Kennels LLC LLC 4/1/13 5464 Reobertson Gin Road Just Fit LLC LLC 4/10/13 980 Tara Dr Lights Out LLC LLC 4/8/13 3130 McIngvale Road Lizard Valley Farms LLC LLC 4/18/13 957 Morrow Crest Drive Med Rx Solutions, LLC LLC 4/1/13 11 Park St Medlin Services, LLC LLC 4/9/13 6852 Holly Springs Road Mid South Therapy Solutions LLC LLC 4/8/13 3130 McIngvale Road Rathmines LLC LLC 4/4/13 610 Kaleas Way Cv. SMS - Reports and More DBA OTH 4/3/13 1376 Pontotoc St The Franchise Firm LLC 4/17/13 3635 Madison Ridge

Battlefield Inn, LLC LLC 4/22/13 1409 Heritage Drive Pulmonary Solutions LLC LLC 4/10/13 1507 West Quitman Street Thorn Birds LLC LLC 4/4/13 1231 First American Drive

Hickory

4/19/13

Omega Forestry LLC LLC 4/18/13 167 South Taylor Street

4/9/13 190 East Capitol St., Suite 100 American Credit Systems LLC LLC 4/1/13 440 Bounds St. American Lending L.L.C. LLC 4/2/131058 Ridewood Place, Suite F (39211) American Web Name Services, LLCLLC 4/3/13 506 South President Street Anbale, LLC LLC 4/30/13 4270 I-55 North, Jackson, MS 39211

Hollandale Delta Monument Company LLC 4/22/13 1026 Sanders Street R&L Housing LLC LLC 4/8/13 746 Liz Road

Anointed Hands LLC LLC 4/12/13 1438 Bass Ave APA Training and Development Corporation NP 4/4/13 220 East Northside Dr API Authorized Personel Inc BUS 4/10/13 4455 Medgar Evers Blvd Appcetera LLC LLC 4/18/13 471 E Ridgeway St AQiT, LLC LLC 4/30/13 921 Congress Street Argyle Merger Sub Inc. BUS 4/26/13 506 South President Street ARIA Hospice & HomeCare Services, LLCLLC

4/10/13 506 South President Street ARIA Hospice & HomeCare-DBA LLC 4/10/13 506 South President Street Avondale LLC LLC 4/8/13 1057 Avondale Street B H, Inc BUS 4/16/13 506 South President Street B.E.W. Construction LLC LLC 4/10/13 5186 North Hill Dr B&P Mediterranean 501-E, LLC LLC 4/29/13 120 North Congress Street, Suite 300 Beckham Jewelry, LLC LLC 4/18/13 100 Gray Lane Forest, Ms 39074 Belle Court Limited Partnership LP 4/5/13 190 East Capitol Street, Suite 100 BHI DBA BUS 4/16/13 506 South President Street Biloxi Springs, L.P. LP 4/1/13 506 South President Street Bioscrip Medical Supply Services, LLC LLC

4/18/13 506 South President Street BIOX USA Limited BUS 4/11/13 506 South President Street Blessedhands Healthcare LLC LLC 4/23/13 326 Maryland Dr Boston National Title Agency LLC LLC 4/22/13 506 South President Street Braids Styles By Liz, LLC LLC 4/26/13 1603 Oak Brook Drive Bromwich Tea, LLC LLC Heidelberg, Steinberger, Colmer & 4/18/13 Burrow, P.A., 800 Woodlands Pkwy, #107, Ridgeland MS 39157

Bronco Aviation, LLC LLC 4/10/13 506 South President Street Browne Creative Teams, L.L.C. LLC 4/11/13 3000 Old Canton Road, Suite 280 C & H Trucking Services, LLC LLC 4/30/13 414 W Pascagoula St (39203) C Security Service (CSS) Corporation

BUS

4/24/13 3070 Terry Road Caldwell’s Laundromat LLC LLC 4/8/13 506 South President Street Callistic Media LLC LLC 4/8/13 1985 Lakeland Dr Ste 104 Campbell’s Custom Landcaping LLCLLC 4/23/13 7870 Us Hwy 49 N CAPCO Contractors, Inc BUS 4/25/13 840 Trustmark Bldg 248 E Capitol St. Capitol Sports Bar and Grill LLC LLC 4/26/13 5050 I-55 North, Suite F Caring Hands Community Development IncNP

Jackson 2 Times Infinity Wedding & Event Planning LLC LLC 4/5/13 5501 Hwy. 80 W Apt #14 360 Mortgage Group, LLC LLC 4/30/13 506 South President Street 4Results Marketing LLC LLC 4/24/13248 East Capitol Street, Suite 840 555 Custom Salvage Designs, Inc BUS 4/12/13 878 Foley Street 5Z Inc. BUS 4/26/13248 East Capitol Street, Suite 840 A to Z Roofing & Home Repairs LLCLLC 4/18/13 1742 Marshalis Lane A. Jamison Interiors, LLC LLC 4/2/13 506 South President Street Aesthetic Services of Mississippi, LLC

LLC

4/23/13 901 N. State Street AFHVAC Services, LLC LLC 4/1/13 506 South President Street All Trades Restoration Services LLCLLC 4/9/13 10 Canebrake Blvd., Suite 200 Ambassador College Bookstores, Inc

BUS

506 South President Street

American Advanced Technologies, L.L.C.LLC

4/4/13 3318 Longwood Dr Carmila Chinn Hampton Legacy Foundation NP 4/17/13 2096 Owens Oak Drive Carters Racing Stables LLC LLC 4/18/13 130 Western Hills Drive Chic 4 Cheap LLC LLC 4/1/13 3504 Wheatley St CJ Rhodes, LLC LLC 4/18/13 5904 Hanging Moss Road Columbus Steel, LLC LLC 4/1/13 506 South President Street Comdata TN, Inc. BUS 4/26/13 506 South President Street Connecting the Pieces for Better Health, LLC LLC 4/23/13 93 Pick Wick Ct Corlew Law Firm PLLC PLLC 4/15/13 4450 Old Canton Rd. Ste 111 Coughlin & Williams, PLLC PLLC 4/24/13 2630 Ridgewood Road/ Ste C Crabtree & Evelyn, Ltd BUS 4/26/13 506 South President Street CRE LJ 27 OTHER LLC LLC 4/2/13 506 South President Street Crosspointe Financial Group, LLC. LLC 4/18/13 11 Northtown Dr. #125 CSC Crime Scene Cleanup, LLC LLC 4/30/13 460 Briarwood Drive Davis, Barlow and Manns LLC LLC 4/15/13 1230 Raymond Road Ste 600 DCS Sanitation Management, Inc.BUS 4/9/13 506 South President Street Deshon Trucking LLC LLC 4/9/13 506 South President Street

July 5, 2013

IN MISSISSIPPI

Paula Deen casino restaurant in Tunica to be rebranded Caesars Entertainment Corp. announced Wednesday morning that it will end its relationship with Paula Deen.

All Deen restaurants on Caesars property will be rebranded, including the Paula Deen Buffet at Harrah’s Casino in Tunica. A Caesars press release said the shift would happen in “the coming months.”

“While we appreciate Paula’s sincere apologies for statements she made in her past that she recently disclosed during a deposition given in response to Deen a lawsuit, after thoughtful consideration of their impact, we have mutually decided that it is in the best interests of both parties to part ways at this time,” said Jan Jones Blackhurst, executive vice president of communications and government affairs for Caesars Entertainment.

Comments Deen made in a deposition connected to a discrimination lawsuit filed by a former employee have made the past couple weeks unpleasant for the culinary celebrity. In the deposition, Deen admitted to using racial slurs, and to planning a wedding for a family member in which African-American workers were to dress as slaves.

She has since apologized. In an interview that aired Wednesday morning on “The Today Show,” a tearful Deen said she wasn’t a racist.

Caesars joins a procession of companies to sever its relationship with Deen. That includes The Food Network, which provided Deen some of her first national exposure.

— CLAY CHANDLER / MBJ Staff

ACROSS THE STATE

Two WIN Job Centers to remain open despite cuts IUKA and PHILADELPHIA — The Mississippi Department of Employment Security reports that the Iuka and Philadelphia WIN Job Centers will remain open for services.

These centers will provide services two days each week. Iuka will be in the same location and Philadelphia will open in a new location at 1016 Saxton Airport Road.

A complete listing of WIN Job center locations and their hours can be found at mdes.ms.gov.

“We’re pleased with this new partnership with local officials in these communities. They are providing funding so that we can operate on a part-time basis,” said Mark Henry, MDES executive director.

In May, the MDES announced six full-time and seven part-time WIN Job Centers would close June 21 due to federal budget cuts. Philadelphia was among those earmarked for closing.

In the May announcement, MDES said the Iuka office would remain open part-time.

— from staff and MBJ wire services

I

Mississippi Business Journal

I

13

ENERGY

Mississippi Power reports escalating construction costs at Kemper plant KEMPER COUNTY — Mississippi Power Co. warned yesterday that costs are still increasing at the power plant it’s building in Kemper County.

The unit of Atlanta-based Southern Co. told stockholders that an ongoing review of costs at the coal-fired plant has initially identified at least another $160 million in cost increases.

Mississippi Power spokeswoman Amoi Geter said Southern Co. shareholders would absorb any cost increases. The parent company was hit with $540 million in charges in April, although the aftertax cost to shareholders was lower. In a January settlement with Mississippi regulators, the company agreed to shield customers from further cost increases.

The overruns could push the cost of the plant, adjoining lignite mine and associated pipelines to $4.45 billion. That’s more than $1.1 billion above original estimates.

In a report to the Mississippi Public Service Commission, Mississippi Power wrote that among the “cost pressures” were problems with the productivity of construction labor, supplies that the company is ordering to have on hand during the plant’s start-up phase, and projected costs for fuel that the plant will burn during start-up.

“Management has reviewed a portion of these items on a preliminary basis and has identified a minimum of $160 million in likely cost increases,” the company wrote in its report to the commission.

“Further material cost increases may be identified as management completes its review.”

When asked whether the company has control of the project, Geter replied, “We still believe the 2014

completion date is achievable.” She declined to answer additional questions, citing the preliminary status of the review. Though the company disclosed the projection to stockholders, it didn’t actually include the $160 million in a table of projected costs, instead footnoting the review.

Northern District Commissioner Brandon Presley, a consistent opponent of the plant, said the additional cost overruns are “very disturbing.”

“Not once have we received good news that things are coming in under budget,” said Presley, a Democrat.

Under the settlement, Mississippi ratepayers will have to pay for $2.4 billion of the plant’s price, plus pay for up to another $1 billion in bonds that Mississippi Power won’t make a profit on. That’s not counting the additional hundreds of millions for costs of the mine and pipeline.

The PSC voted 2-1 to approve a 15 percent rate increase to start paying off the plant’s debt even before it begins operations, followed by an additional 3 percent increase in 2014. Mississippi Power has said it’s likely in 2014 to seek an additional increase of at least 4 percent over 20 years to pay off the bonds.

Southern District Commissioner Leonard Bentz, a Republican whose district contains most of Mississippi Power’s 186,000 ratepayers, continues to pledge that he will only let customers pay for $2.4 billion for the power plant, not counting the

mine or pipelines. To do so, he and a second commissioner would probably have to vote to find that the company was “imprudent” in spending money beyond that. Those prudency reviews were supposed to take place this summer, but now have been put off until next year.

“They said they could do it for $2.4 billion and they need to do it for $2.4 billion,” said Bentz, citing the original cost of the power plant Southern Co. apparently made the announcement to fulfill pledges of transparency after being accused of hiding earlier overruns.

Presley praised new Mississippi Power Co. President Ed Holland, saying “the level of candor has gone up.” Former President Ed Day retired abruptly after Mississippi commissioners accused him of hiding information from them.

— The Associated Press

GULF COAST

Audit: MDMR misspent millions BILOXI — A federal audit has found millions in grant money administered by the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources was misspent.

The government said MDMR and the counties of Hancock, Harrison, and Jackson were awarded 100 Coastal Impact Assistance Program grants from the U.S. Department of Interior totaling $99.8 million from fiscal year 2009 through fiscal year 2012.

The report from the Office of Inspector General says $39 million, which represents 57 percent of the grant projects approved, did not meet the criteria of CIAP The audit began after the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service took over the CIAP program in October 2011 from the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement.

The final report provides 37 recommendations to help FWS eliminate program deficiencies.

There is an ongoing state investigation into MDMR's business affairs in addition to the federal probe.

Questions about the mismanagement of MDMR

led to the firing of executive director Bill Walker on Jan. 15.

MDMR executive director Jamie Miller said Monday he is glad to have the final audit report.

"I'm just glad it's out," he said. "Many of those issues and concerns were not surprises. We can now move forward correcting issues identified by the OIG in our grant administration and oversight."

Asectionofthereportoutlinesquestionablepurchases andmanagementofrealpropertybytheMDMR. It details the $195,000 purchase of Pascagoula property owned by the parents of former CIAP program director Tina Shumate and the $3.7 million purchase of Harbor Landing in Ocean Springs from David Harris, a friend of Walker.

The report also mentions conflicts of interest between Walker and his wife Sharon, who has been employed by two major sub-grantees — the University of Southern Mississippi and the Institute for Marine Mammal Studies.

Walker's son, Scott, served on the board of trustees of the Nature Conservancy, which was the recipient of grants, another conflict of interest.

MDMR also used CIAP funds to purchase property owned by Scott Walker.

"Conflicts of interest within the Mississippi DMR have marred the program and the public's perception of CIAP," the report states in its conclusion.

"Improper land appraisals have undermined CIAP's intended impact of protecting environmentally fragile coastal areas and communities.

"In areas of procurement and accounting, solesource regulations were circumvented; unallowable ... and unreasonable charges were allowed to be made on certain grants; and equipment purchases and other financial issues were mishandled."

It also concluded that failure to act on the report's recommendations "could further undermine CIAP and open the door to fraud, waste and mismanagement of millions of dollars of federal funds meant to conserve, protect and restore American coastal areas, wildlife and natural resources."

— from staff and MBJ wire services

6 I Mississippi Business Journal I July 5, 2013 ENVIRONMENT / REAL ESTATE

MISSISSIPPI BUSINESS PROFILES: R.J. YOUNG

State buys more land on Cat Island

’The document’

GULFPORT — The state of Mississippi has bought another section of Cat Island.

In May, the state bought 109 acres from a private landowner, and the state has purchased another 117 acres. The purchases were mostly funded by federal grants and federal settlement funding which had been dedicated to purchasing the land. Officials say the price tag for the two purchases was $8 million, with some $528,000 out of the state's Tidelands funds.

Some $4.9 million was from federal oil spill settlement funds and $1.2 million comes from Federal Coastal and Estuarine Land Conservation Program.

MILITARY

New commander for Keesler AFB BILOXI — Keesler Air Force Base will have a new commander this summer.

Brig. Gen. Brad Spacy, 81st Training Wing commander, has been named director for logistics, installations and mission support for the European Air Force command at Ramstein Air Base in Germany.

Base officials are expecting a change of command ceremony about mid-August.

Col. Patrick Higby, who is the deputy commander of the White House Communications Agency at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling in Washington, D.C., will take over at Keesler.

Spacy took command at Keesler in May 2012. Keesler earned the 2013 Commander-in-Chief's Installation Excellence Award recognizing the top U.S. Air Force base in the world.

NORTH MISSISSIPPI

Mississippi judge dies at 65 OXFORD — Lafayette County Chancery Judge Edwin Roberts, who was serving his third term, died Monday at his home in Oxford. He was 65.

Officials with Waller Funeral Home in Oxford say funeral services are scheduled for Saturday at 9 a.m. at the First Baptist Church in Oxford. A list of survivors was not immediately available.

CITY GOVERNMENT

New mayor of Miss. capital rejects gentrification JACKSON — A one-time black nationalist was inaugurated as mayor of Mississippi's capital city Monday, saying he wants Jackson to be a unified community where people of diverse backgrounds can make a living.

Chokwe Lumumba (SHOW-kway Lu-MOOM-bah) said developers who do business in the city need to work with contractors and subcontractors who live in Jackson. The city has a majority-black population and most of its officeholders are African-American, but its economic power structure traditionally has been white.

Lumumba said he will resist the type of development that would drive up the cost of living.

"Gentrification is nothing but a war on the people who live in the city already," said Lumumba, who was involved in a black nationalist group, the Republic of New Afrika, in the 1970s and '80s, serving for a time as its vice president.

More than 27 percent of Jackson residents live below the poverty level, and the city has hundreds of dilapidated or abandoned homes. The new mayor said he wants Jackson to attract new residents.

— from staff and MBJ wire services

Crunk spells out his vision for the future of R.J. Young

Alan Turner

or Chip Crunk, president and CEO of R.J. Young, it’s all about the “document.”

In a recent meeting with Crunk, we discussed how R.J. Young has evolved as a company through its 58-year history.

“We are focused on the management, utilization, support and security of documents,” he said. “Even though we live in an increasingly digitized world, in a strange way we’ve also seen an increase in printed documents.”

The company is well positioned to deal with both print and digital document management.

“As time passes, there will be less focus on hardware, and more focus on software, storage, and digital management, including the cloud,” he said.

Crunk grew up in the business, taking the helm from his father in 1996. At that time, the company had sales of $18 million and approximately 120 employees, and all of its business base was in Tennessee. Crunk has Special to the MBJ grown the company into the fifth-largest independent office products dealer in the United States, handling lines that include In Mississippi alone, R.J. Young employs more than 150 workers, and president and CEO Chip Crunk says Canon, Ricoh, Samsung, and others. Today, the Magnolia State has become one of his company’s best markets.

R.J. Young has sales in the $105 million range, and employs more than 480 people, talked about the uncertainties surrounding the Affordable Care with offices in five states. In Mississippi alone, Act, and what it will mean to his and many other businesses. the company employs over 150 people, and “It’s hard to plan when you really don’t know what to expect,” Crunk says that Mississippi is one of their best he said. “One thing that seems to be certain is that costs will esoverall markets. calate for many businesses. But we just don’t know how much, or When asked the reasons for their growth what that will mean in the long run.” and success, Crunk pointed immediately to Crunk said that his company is committed to providing good the company’s philosophy on “hiring the health benefits for its employees, “even if costs do escalate.” But right people.” he also indicated that he knows other companies that are actively “We spend a lot of time with every poten- Crunk considering dropping their health coverage altogether and just tial employee,” he said. “It’s vital to find the paying the penalty. right fit for every position in our company, and as a result, we “In some ways,” he said, “Obamacare is a monstrosity of a bill have very little turnover.” that is so complicated that the average business person can’t posThat contact does not extend only to HR and hiring managers. sibly wade through it.”

Crunk makes it his priority to personally interview every potenWhat else could Mississippi do to grow its business base? tial employee. “For me, it’s all about the right team,” he emphaCrunk believes that the state should evaluate its tax structure, sized. “We grow our managers from within.” pointing out that several of the surrounding states (Florida, TenAsked what he likes about doing business in Mississippi, nessee and Texas) do not have a state income tax.

Crunk pointed to a favorable business environment, a highly “Believe me, companies that are considering relocation or new qualified and motivated work force, and an “excellent comfacilities definitely look at these kinds of things,” he said. petitive situation.”

Asked if he had an advice and suggestions for entrepreneurs, Crunk says he has two concrete objectives for every company Crunk said that two things are absolutely necessary: “Cash, and customer. “We want to help businesses operate more efficiently, expertise.” and we want to help them save money.”

“Whatever investment anyone thinks is necessary to establish To accomplish these objectives, the company has as one of its and grow and business, I’d suggest they double that amount. That stated missions “to provide 100 percent customer satisfaction would be a lot closer to the mark. And if a business can’t attract backed by our ‘We make it Right’ Guarantee.’” the right talent, it’s not going to make it in today’s world.”

How does R.J. Young expect to grow in the coming years?

Given the success that R.J. Young has had over the past 15 “We’ll be focusing increasingly on office automation, cloud years, it’s hard to argue with these conclusions. storage, mobile printing and software,” he said. “These areas will become more and more important with each passing year, and Contact Mississippi Business Journal publisher Alan Turner at one thing we know: Technology isn’t going to stand still.”

Asked what concerns he sees on the business horizon, Crunk alan.turner@msbusiness.com or (601) 364-1021.

F

July 5, 2013 • MISSISSIPPI BUSINESS JOURNAL • www.msbusiness.com

AN MBJ FOCUS:

RESTAURANTS, ART, ENTERTAINMENT LAUREN ROGERS MUSEUM OF ART

Roberts Creative / Courtesy of Lauren Rogers Museum

Lauren Rogers Museum was established in 1923 as a legacy to Lauren Rogers, who died at 23. It frequently hosts traveling art exhibitions and has many special events such as the Thacker Mountain Radio program.

A cultural hub for 90 years » Museum in midst of a $5 million capital campaign to pay for new addition and add to endowment

By LYNN LOFTON I CONTRIBUTOR mbj@msbusiness.com

T

HE LAUREN ROGERS Museum of Art is a treasure for Laurel, Jones County and the whole state of Mississippi. This gem opened in 1923 on a tree-lined street in the historic district of Laurel. It was established by the family of Lauren Rogers as a legacy to this young man who died at the age of 23. He was an only child and left no heirs but his memory survives through the work of the museum and what it does for the area.

“The museum is the cultural hub of this area.

We have great community support – and not just from the immediate area,” says George Bassi, the museum’s executive director of 20 years.

“People who grew up here and moved away like our museum and continue to support it.”

That loyalty is part of the museum’s success story, helping it remain vital for 90 years. “People growing up here had a museum in their back yard. Most Mississippi communities don’t have an art museum,” Bassi added, “Former and present residents have an affin-

ity for what we do.”

To celebrate 90 years of being a haven for art, the Lauren Rogers Museum recently completed an addition of 5,250 square feet of space to the existing 22,000 square feet. The new area houses an additional exhibition space, a loading dock George Bassi and storage space.

The museum has a permanent collection that includes American paintings of the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries; European paintings of the 18th and 19th centuries; a large group of Native American baskets representing 82 tribes from all over North America; and a British Georgian silver collection.

Additionally, the museum frequently hosts traveling art exhibitions and has many special events such as the recent broadcast of public radio’s Thacker Mountain Radio program.

The pleasant surroundings lend themselves to outdoor children’s festivals throughout the year and the outdoor blues event that’s held each June.

The museum plays a major role in the cultural and educational quality of life for area residents and visitors.

“The founding family said the museum could never charge admission; it’s open to everyone and most everything we do is at no cost,” Bassi said.

“People see what we offer in the strength of our programs and exhibitions. We have a strong education department with a staff person who constantly visits off sites to promote the museum.”

Marketing outside Jones County includes limited advertising, billboards and social media. Attendance varies from year to year but averages 25,000 to 30,000 visitors a year. Even though admission is not charged, the front desk keeps a count of visitors.

Presently the museum is involved in a $5 million capital campaign that paid for the addition and adds to the endowment.

“As for the future,” Bassi says, “we’re getting adjusted to our new space and counting down 10 years to our 100th anniversary. Plus, we’re always adding to the permanent collection and strengthening our endowment.”

Courtesy of Lauren Rogers Museum

A new exhibit is the 2008 Aventurine Green Chandelier with Copper Leaf by Dale Chihuly. The Lauren Rogers Museum of Art is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. until 4:45 p.m. and on Sunday from 1 until 4 p.m. It is closed on Mondays. It is located at 565 N. 5th Ave. in Laurel. For information visit lrma.org or call 601.644.6374.

16 I Mississippi Business Journal I July 5, 2013

RESTAURANTS, ART & ENTERTAINMENT

REDUCING THE RISKS

Inspectors help keep eateries safe » Most common problems uncovered are raw food temperatures, inadequate cooking and hygiene

By LISA MONTI I CONTRIBUTOR mbj@msbusiness.com

Want ratings?

Next time you enjoy a meal in a restaurant, don’t just compliment the chef. You might also want to thank the county Health Department inspector who pokes around in the kitchen to make sure diners stay safe from nasty food borne illness.

John Luke, director of food protection with the state Department of Health, estimates there are about 90 employees who conduct food inspections. “However, food inspections aren’t their only duty,” he said.

The last time Luke checked the numbers, “they probably spent about 40 percent of their time on food inspections.”

On any given day, there are 13,700 restaurants serving paying customers in the state and they all are required to have a food permit. Catering facilities also are subject to inspections.

Exceptions are charitable, non profit organizations and private schools.

If diners are curious about a restaurant or caterer’s inspection grade, they can go online to www.healthyms.com.

“Ideally it would be nice to have more inspectors so they could spend more time with educating the facilities,” Luke said. Inspectors point out risk factors, potential problems and preventive measures to managers and staff.

Inspectors are looking at five major risk factors most likely to cause food borne illness: Improper holding temperatures of cooked food, inadequate cooking, contaminated equipment, unapproved food sources and personal hygiene.

Luke said the most common problems involve food temperatures, inadequate cooking and hygiene. Those infractions, though troublesome, can easily be fixed, he said.

So those “wash your hands” signs in restrooms are there for a reason.

Luke said in general Mississippi restaurants are safe. “For the most part, facilities do a good job of self regulation,” he said.

Restaurant owners and caterers can expect inspections from one to four times a year at a minimum but they shouldn’t expect any notice. “Generally inspections are unannounced,” Luke said.

The number of inspections depends on the risk level at the food facility. Risk level 1 is the lowest risk. Risk level 4 includes facilities that do a large volume of food preparation involving cooking, cooling, reheating and food processing.

The food permit cost goes up with the risk level. Risk 1 permits are $30 a year, Risk 4 permits are $200.

The length of an inspection depends on how large the facility is and the time of day.

“For instance, Luke said, “a snow cone stand would take less than half an hour, whereas a full blown restaurant that does a

huge volume of food may take a few hours to do.”

Luke said some of the largest and most complex restaurants to inspect are in casinos “since they are 24-hour operations with a huge volume of food and a lot of different foods.”

If problems found are serious enough the Health Department can shut a kitchen down. “It does happen but not very often,” Luke said. “Usually it is the very last step.”

More often than not, the problems are corrected fairly quickly, he said. “Many times things can be fixed within a 24hour period.”

Restaurateurs and managers react in a positive way to the inspections, Luke said, and there is a good overall working relationship with the restaurants.

Most inspections are done by one person but occasionally there may be an exSee

INSPECTORS, Page 20

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RESTAURANTS, ART & ENTERTAINMENT

July 5, 2013

I

Mississippi Business Journal

I

17

MISSISSIPPI HOSPITALITY & RESTAURANT ASSOCIATION

State restaurants back to 2008 levels Âť Group director says recession was difficult, even for eateries that had been in business for years

By BECKY GILLETTE I CONTRIBUTOR mbj@msbusiness.com

The Mississippi restaurant industry has climbed back from the hit it took during the recent recession to show $3.2 billion in sales in the most recent fiscal year, up six percent from the previous year. Employment was up by 2.9 percent to a total of 80,835. “The rest of the story is that 80,835 figure puts us only back to where we were in 2008,� said Mike Cashion, executive director, Mississippi Hospitality & Restaurant Association. “From 2008 through this year, we had a steady decrease in employment. That was largely driven by the economy. We had flat sales and continually increasing costs of doing business.�

Although sales were up six percent, Cashion said that when you consider increases in the cost of doing business, real sales growth ran somewhere between two and three percent.

The recession was hard on the industry, including even on some restaurants in business for a long time. There are some restaurants in business for years who are on the edge. “We’ve also seen quicker churn,� Cashion said. “People who are get- Mike Cashion ting into the business are getting out much quicker. The challenge is the profitability side of it because the cost of business continues to go up month in and month out. Taxes in general have gone up, but more than that is the overall costs of food, labor and insurance. All of those combined have created a very challenging business environment.�

Steve Chaney, who is current president of MHRA, said the biggest thing he would like to emphasize is that the organization is member driven. “The most lasting contributions of the

MHRA are the work in government affairs as a watchdog for unnecessary taxes and proposals that adversely affect our industry and our state as a whole,� said Chaney, who is owner of Penn’s in Brandon and Coyote Catering in San Antonio, Texas. “Our second-greatest contribution would be in the arena of education. On a per capita basis, our state issues more in training funds and scholarships for our industry than any other state in the union.�

Owning a restaurant is a classic example of the American dream. While it is possible to do something you absolutely love and make a living doing it, Cashion said it requires knowledge of the industry and how the restaurant business works to maximize the success rate. “It is not just so simple as putting tables and chairs in a restaurant and starting to cook,� he said. “There is much more to it than that.�

The MHRA plays a pivotal role in helping the industry thrive through diverse programs ranging from lobbying for

pro industry legislation to providing cheaper rates on insurance through an insurance pool. “We’re the only trade organization that exists for the sole purpose of helping restaurants be successful,� Cashion said. “If you look at our association, you can think of it as a three-legged step stool: Education and training, government affairs, and programs, products and services designed to make members more profitable. We can provide almost any type of operation training from startup to closing, and everything in between.�

They encourage prospective restaurant owners before they have even opened to let the MHRA review their business plan to help minimize the risk of failure and maximize the profit potential. “The number one issue we see as far as failing goes is an inaccurate business plan,�

See

CONCERTS, SPORTING EVENTS, TRADE SHOWS, BANQUETS, WEDDINGS

“THE CENTER OF IT ALL�

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ASSOCIATION, Page 20

AN MBJ FOCUS: MEETINGS & CONVENTION

Conventions finding a h » Business at three popular areas is either higher or staying even

By LYNN LOFTON I CONTRIBUTOR mbj@msbusiness.com

Photo courtesy of Mississippi Development Authority

Jackson has seen an influx of sporting and religious events, resulting in an overall increase in conventions.

Photo courtesy of Mississippi Development Authority

The Natchez CVB has put an office in Jackson, in hopes of increasing its profile in the convention business.

T

HE ECONOMY IS shaky and casino business – a major player in tourism – is down. So, how are meetings and conventions – another important part of tourism – faring? Three of Mississippi’s most popular places for meetings and conventions – the Gulf Coast, Jackson and Natchez – say business is good.

“Our convention and meeting business in Natchez has been up over the past several months,” said Lynsey Smith, director of sales for the Natchez Convention & Visitors Bureau, “and our outlook for the rest of the summer is good.”

The river city, however, has added a new approach to its marketing methods.

In April, the Natchez CVB established a sales and marketing office in the Jackson-Ridgeland area. “We have an experienced sales and meeting planner who represents us in the capital city area,” Smith said. “We also have a new director of sales at the CVB who has previous sales experience in both the Mississippi and Louisiana markets.”

Although Natchez hosts conventions of all sizes, its largest sit-down indoor venue seats 1,200 people. A new Holiday Inn Express opened last week that will add to the city’s inventory of convention hotel rooms.

A few of the groups recently convening in Natchez include Mississippi E911 Operators, Mississippi Nurses Association, Mississippi National Guard, Mississippi Constables Association, Mississippi Fire Chiefs and Fire Fighters Association, Southwest Mississippi Electric Power Association Directors

Conference, Southern Christian Services for Children and Youth and the Louisiana Pharmacy Association.

Crystal Johnson, director of sales for the Mississippi Gulf Coast Regional Convention & Visitors Bureau, reports that conventions have remained “pretty even” compared to last year. “This is based off conventions that have booked with the CVB or that we’ve provided convention services to during their conventions,” she said. “Summer looks good and is still our busiest time with people utilizing this time for a combined family vacation.”

The Coast is seeing groups with short-term bookings, and Johnson hopes this practice will change as the economy improves.

Looking ahead at marketing efforts, she said, “The sales department will be more focused on sales trips with one-onone appointments. We are seeing a trend of tradeshows going to appointmentbased programs where destinations and

meetingg to atten n leads an n In Jaa tions in n pared expectee of the s “Jackk ing and d to this directoo tions f Visitorrs A few w son recc summee Watchtt York, U Rights Partnerr Health h the Appo tist Coo Color M

July 5, 2013 • MISSISSIPPI BUSINESS JOURNAL • www.msbusiness.com

NTIONS GRAND RE-OPENING

Golden Nugget stakes its claim on the Coast

a home

Servd the

es for gional ports pretty his is ooked vided r congood eople fam-

with hnson as the

forts, will be e-ontrend mentns and

By LISA MONTI I CONTRIBUTOR mbj@msbusiness.com

meeting planners can be matched prior to attending. This allows more qualified leads and relationship building.”

In Jackson, the number of conventions increased in the past months compared to last year and the trend is expected to continue through the end of the summer.

“Jackson has seen an influx of sporting and religious events that contribute to this increase,” said Marika Cackett, director of marketing and public relations for the Jackson Convention & Visitors Bureau.

A few of the groups meeting in Jackson recently or scheduled to meet this summer include the Civil War Trust, Watchtower Bible Tract Society of New York, United Methodist Church, Civil Rights Movement Commemoration Partnership 2013, American Healthtech, Pentecostal Churches of the Apostolic Faith, the National Baptist Convention, The Color Run and Color Me Red.

Late on the afternoon before the Golden Nugget’s big debut in Biloxi, general manager Jim Hoskins sounded calm and cool.

“We have a great team,” Hoskins said by way of explaining his no-sweat attitude before the official unveiling of the new brand.

The next day, on June 21, the ribbon was ceremoniously cut on the first phase of a transformation of the property that Jim Hoskins started out as the Isle of Capri, the first casino in the Southeast.

“If you think about it,” said Biloxi Mayor A.J. Holloway, “we made history at this site 20 years ago, when the Isle opened the first casino in Mississippi, and here we are doing it again, with the Golden Nugget, a gaming icon. We’ve taken the oldest casino in Mississippi and we’ve made it the newest.”

The complete overhaul is a work in

progress, Hoskins said, with three more phases being unfolded into early next year.

“The first phase of the remodel is included in the $100 million project but the word ‘remodel’ doesn’t serve it well.

It really is a rebirth,” he said.

“When you walk inside, it’s a whole new place. “ For Hoskins, a Pascagoula native and casino veteran, taking charge of the new casino is a homecoming. He was general manager of Grand Casino Gulfport and Harrah’s New Orleans and worked at Beau Rivage Resort & Casino as well as Caesars Palace Las Vegas.

“I feel really blessed,” Hoskins said.

“It came with a really great team, a great location and it’s home. It’s been a great ride so far and I fully expect it to keep being that. Things keep coming back better and better on the Coast and this See

NUGGET, Page 21

Photo courtesy of Mississippi Development Authority

Convention bookings on the Gulf Coast are about even, with many groups making short-term bookings.

Courtesy of Golden Nugget

Golden Nugget Hotel & Casino, now the newest casino on the coast, was originally the Isle of Capri Casino — the first casino on the Coast.

20 I Mississippi Business Journal I July 5, 2013

ASSOCIATION

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Continued from Page 17

Cashion said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Their business plan is not realistic. Then they get into their operations and they see their numbers are falling short in top line sales or bottom line profit, and donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know how to dig themselves out of that hole. We want to get to them beforehand to help them create a more realistic and viable plan and model.â&#x20AC;?

Lobbying and government affairs are another major function of the MHRA. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are involved in virtually every aspect of government affairs from identifying candidates and fundraising for candidates all the way through creation of businessfriendly legislation designed to help our restaurant community,â&#x20AC;? Cashion said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The anti Bloomberg Bill that prevents bans on sales of sodas that surpass certain sizes was one that we actively supported.

We also supported a preemption bill on minimum wage\living wage increases and paid sick leave. We worked closely with other trade organizations on general business legislation. We as an association had a real good session this year, and overall the business community had a positive session, as well.â&#x20AC;?

MHRA also has partnerships at the state and national levels with various companies that provide services and products at a discount to members. BancorpSouth Insurance Services Inc. provides restaurant owners with access to discounted rates for property, casualty, health insurance, liability, and workersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; comp insurance. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Banding together allows members a significantly better deal,â&#x20AC;? Cashion said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We use our strength in numbers to reach out to various carriers. Because we represent a large book of business, we can negotiate better rates. Credit card processing is a costly venture, and our agreement with Heartland Payment Systems provides discounted credit card processing fees. There are another half dozen national contracts restaurants can take advantage of that are going to help them reduce their costs, as well.â&#x20AC;?

Currently the industry has trepidation about the overall impact of the Afford-

INSPECTORS

Continued from Page 16

perienced inspector accompanied by one in training.

It takes about a year for a new inspector to gain a good general knowledge of what to look for, he said, and training is ongoing. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Every inspector in the state is required to have continuing education hours. Also every three years everyone is re-standardized by the central office staff.â&#x20AC;?

The rules are updated regularly, as well.

Mississippi subscribes to the U.S. Food and Drug Administrationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s food code as its regulations. The food code is updated every four years and there is a supplement every

Want more?

For more information or if you would like to be a member of the MHRA, call 601-608-0221. able Care Act, and not just the employers with more than 50 employees who are required to provide insurance for employees or face fines. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Every restaurant will be impacted whether they have 50 employees or not,â&#x20AC;?

Cashion said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;All restaurants have reporting requirements and are subject to any premium increases that might be associated with the Affordable Care Act. There is widespread concern about the impact on the cost of the premiums. We are having a big event July 15, Restaurant University, and one of the general session topics is navigating through the Affordable Care Act and its impact on your business.â&#x20AC;?

The organization also constantly does research on trends, and provides ongoing training to help restaurant operators stay current on new developments. Examples are how to best use social media, how to take advantage of new emerging restaurant technology, and how to create a true marketing plan. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We can drill down even deeper and come to restaurants and provide customer service training for hourly employees,â&#x20AC;?

Cashion said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I think there is a direct correlation between the success of restaurants and the amount of resources invested in employee training. We sponsor a hospitality culinary program call ProStart, career technology education that through the support of the Department of Education we now have in more than 40 schools throughout the state. With that program we also give out tens of thousands of dollars in scholarships each year. That has been a very successful program and a model that other states have tried to emulate as far as us working directly with the state Department of Education.â&#x20AC;?

MHRA has a small staff of four people, which makes the amount of work it accomplishes particularly impressive.â&#x20AC;&#x153;We have a supersized impact,â&#x20AC;? Cashion said.

other year. â&#x20AC;&#x153;So regulations are constantly changing in order to keep up with the new technology,â&#x20AC;? Luke said.

So what type of equipment does an inspector take on the job?

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s pretty basic: A copy of the regulations for reference, at least one thermometer for checking food temperature, a flashlight to check dark corners or behind equipment and sanitizing wipes to clean the thermometers. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want to be the one causing cross contamination,â&#x20AC;? said Luke.

If you see an unsafe condition in a restaurant, contact the county Health Department where the restaurant is located.

Then the Health Department will follow up on the complaint.

MEETINGS & CONVENTIONS NUGGET

July 5, 2013

I

Mississippi Business Journal

Continued from Page 19

is just part of it.â&#x20AC;?

The Isle property at the base of the bridge joining Biloxi and Ocean Springs was in need of a boost. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Tilman Fertitta, our owner, came in and decided it was a great place to do business,â&#x20AC;? Hoskins said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re happy to be here on Point Cadet and leading a revival at this end of the beach.â&#x20AC;?

Fertitta is owner and CEO of Landryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Inc., parent company of the Golden Nugget which bought the Isle last November. Last year, Forbes described Fertitta as â&#x20AC;&#x153;the richest restaurateur in the world and its most active dealmaker.â&#x20AC;? His company, Forbes said, had more than $2.5 billion in sales at 421 outlets and 56 brands, including Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. and Chart House.

Those deep pockets are transforming Golden Nugget Biloxi into a brand new property. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s very much behind us and is providing the leadership, resources and the framework to be able to make it a success,â&#x20AC;?

Hoskins said.

The new property has hired additional employees already. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve added 200 jobs to the market,â&#x20AC;? Hoskins said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a good thing for the locals. We have 850 employees right now and in the end it will probably be 1,200 to 1,400 of us for sure. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s double the employee base that we inherited here.â&#x20AC;?

The Golden Nuggetâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s entry into the Coastâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s casino market is significant for a couple of reasons, according to Hoskins. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It brings an established brand,â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Golden Nugget brand is very iconic in the business and it provides another piece of the puzzle to show how strong the Coast market is and the Mississippi market for that matter.â&#x20AC;?

Fertittaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s investment also could help kickstart more development. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I think itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a big deal,â&#x20AC;? Hoskins said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Times have been tough. You had the storm and an economic recession. Other competitors are adding capital and we hope this is just the beginning of a big renewed in interest in the Coast and Mississippi to move the businesses forward.â&#x20AC;?

Golden Nugget Biloxi gamblers and guests can expect â&#x20AC;&#x153;fabulous guest service,â&#x20AC;? said Hoskins. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s what the Golden Nugget name is built on.â&#x20AC;?

Phase 1 includes the opening of Mortonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s The Steakhouse, Lillieâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, Rush Lounge and a party pit, plus all new slot machines and some new table games. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s four phases that last through March of next year which will culminate with another expansion in the gaming area, a Bubba Gump Shrimp Co., and a state-ofthe-art pool complex in front of the facility so youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll see it as you come across the bridge,â&#x20AC;? Hoskins said.

Convention space will be reclaimed and put back into use, and there will be a new sports bar upstairs, a new retail area and a modernized buffet. By the end of the year all 758 hotel rooms and suites will be redone and updated. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re just on the very tip of the iceberg with the renaming on the sign,â&#x20AC;? Hoskins said.

By the end of the year all 758 hotel rooms and suites will be redone and updated, such as this sample room which was on open for viewing before the grand re-opening.

Frank Brown / The Mississippi Business Journal

Health Care keeps getting better in Mississippi...

Nominate Your Health Care Hero!

Mississippi Business Journal is looking for nominations to identify and honor outstanding men and women in the health care industry whose contributions have increased the well-being of the community.

Nominations can be e-mailed to events@msbusiness.com or mailed to Mississippi Business Journal 200 N. Congress Street, Suite 400, Jackson, MS 39201.

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HOTELS

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CASINOS Casino Top officer

July 5, 2013

Address Non-gaming amenities

I

Mississippi Business Journal

Phone

I

23

Website

Ameristar Casino-Vicksburg George Stadler, senior vice president/general manager

4116 Washington St., Vicksburg, MS 39180 1-866-667-3386 www.ameristar.com 149-room hotel; high-speed wireless Internet; Bourbon's BBQ & Steak; Heritage Buffet; Bella's Bakery and Café; meeting space including Delta Point Room and Magnolia Room

Bally’s Saloon/Gambling Hall Peter Auburns, general manager

1450 Bally Blvd., Tunica Resorts, MS 38664 Cornucopia Buffet; The Barn; Silo Eatery; 238-room hotel; meeting/group packages

Beau Rivage Casino George Corchis Jr., president/COO

875 Beach Blvd., Biloxi, MS 39533 1-888-750-7111 Hotel; BR Prime; Jia; The Buffet; Terrace Café; Memphis Q; spa, salon; Fallen Oak Golf Course; meeting space & catering

Boomtown-Biloxi Inc. Kees Eder, vice president/general manager

676 Bayview Ave., Biloxi, MS 39530 Boomtown Buffet; BT Steakhouse; The Grill; General Store & Bakery

1-800-627-0777

www.boomtownbiloxi.com

DiamondJacks-Vicksburg Felicia Gavin, executive vice president/general manager

3990 Washington St., Vicksburg, MS 39182-0668 122-room hotel; DJ’s Seafood and Steakhouse; Legends Buffet; Lucky Bean

1-877-711-0677

www.diamondjacks.com

Fitzgerald’s Casino-Tunica Chuck Miller, senior vice president/general manager

711 Lucky Ln., Tunica Resorts, MS 38664 500-plus hotel rooms; The Steakhouse; Riverview Buffet; Fitz Stage Bar

1-888-766-5825

www.fitzgeraldstunica.com

Gold Strike Casino Resort George Corchis Jr., president/COO

1010 Casino Center Dr., Tunica Resorts, MS 38664 1-888-245-7829 www.goldstrikemississippi.com Hotel; high-speed Internet; spa; Liquid Assets; Stage 2 at Gold Strike; Millennium Theatre; Chicago Steakhouse; The Buffet; The Atrium Café; 30,000square-foot convention center

Golden Nugget-Biloxi Jim Hoskins, general manager

151 Beach Blvd., Biloxi, MS 39530 www.goldennugget.com/Biloxi 1-800-777-7568 Hotel; golf packages; The Buffet; Morton’s The Steakhouse; Lillie’s; Café at the Point; Michael Patrick’s Grill (opening September 2013); Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. (opening early 2014); Pool Bar; Café Lobby Bar; spa; meeting space

Grand Casino-Biloxi Jonathan Jones, vice president/general manager

280 Beach Blvd., Biloxi, MS 39530 1-800-946-2946 www.grandcasinobiloxi.com Hotel; spa; Grand Buffet; L.B.’s Steakhouse; Hotel Lobby Bar & Grill; CUU Long Souper Pho; The Grand Café; Casino Stage Bar

Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Biloxi Duncan McKenzie, president/general manager

777 Beach Blvd., Biloxi, MS 39530 (228) 374-7625 www.hardrockbiloxi.com New hotel tower under construction (scheduled to open Jan. 1, 2014); Vibe; Hard Rock Café; Center Bar, The Ledge; Roadhouse Live; Ben & Jerry’s; Star bucks; Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse; 24/7 Grille; Satisfaction Buffet; Rock Spa, fitness center; pool

Harlow’s Casino Resort Reggie Fullwood Jr., general manager

4280 Harlow’s Blvd., Greenville, MS 38701 1-866-524-5825 www.harlowscasino.com The Event Center; Rhythm and Brews; Louie’s Steakhouse; Delta Delights; Sand Bar Café; Woodhouse Day Spa; meeting space; 105-room hotel

Harrah’s-Tunica R. Scott Barber, regional president

13615 Old Hwy. 61 N., Tunica Resorts, MS 38664 1-800-946-4946 www.harrahstunica.com Hotel; Cottonwoods Clubhouse Restaurant; Field House; Pool Cabanas; Dunkin’ Donuts; Java Grande; ‘37 Fine Dining Experience; Bellissimo Spa and Salon; three swimming pools

Hollywood Casino-Bay St. Louis Chett Harrison, vice president/general manager

711 Hollywood Blvd., Bay St. Louis, MS 39520 1-866-758-2591 www.hollywoodbsl.com Stage Bar; 14-story hotel; Pool & Cabana Bar; fitness center; Bogart’s Steakhouse; Epic Buffet; Celebrity Grill; The Bridges Clubhouse Grill; The Bridges Golf Club; 14,000 square feet of meeting space; catering; RV park; marina

Hollywood Casino Tunica Greg Hinton, general manager

1150 Casino Strip Blvd., Tunica Resorts, MS 38664 1-800-871-0711 www.hollywoodcasinotunica.com Five-story hotel tower; RV park; pool; Fairbanks Steakhouse; Epic Buffet; Celebrity Grill; meeting space including 14,000-square-foot ballroom; golf packages

Horseshoe Casino & Hotel R. Scott Barber, regional president

1021 Casino Center Dr., Tunica Resorts, MS 38664 1-800-303-7463 www.horseshoetunica.com 500 hotel rooms/suites; Bluesville Showcase Nightclub; Jack Binion’s Steak House; 8 Oz. Burger Bar; Noodles; Village Square Buffet; Starkbucks; JB’s Café; 45,000-square-foot convention center

IP Casino Resort Spa Jack Bernsmeier, general manager

850 Bayview Ave., Biloxi, MS 39530 www.ipbiloxi.com 1-800-436-3000 1,000-plus hotel rooms; pool; fitness center; high-speed Internet; Thirty-two; Tien; Costa Cucina; Back Bay Buffet; Highlights Sports Lounge; High Tide Café; Quench; Infusion Coffee Bar; Studio A; Chill Ultra Lounge; game arcade; shopping; 65,000-p;lus square feet of meeting space

Island View Casino Resort Lindsey Inman, CEO

3300 W. Beach Blvd., Gulfport, MS 39501 1-877-774-8439 www.islandviewcasino.com 500-plus hotel rooms; Coast Candymakers; Beach Blvd Steamer; Carter Green Steakhouse; Island View Buffet; C&G Grille; The Coffee Shop; The View Showroom; pool & cabanas; free WiFi

Isle of Capri-Lula Jose Oakley, vice president/general manager

777 Isle of Capri Pkwy., Lula, MS 38644 (662) 363-2250 lula.isleofcapricasinos.com Nearly 500 hotel rooms; RV park; pool; fitness center; Calypso’s Buffet; Otis & Henry’s; O&H Express; Palm Terrace Stage; meeting space; catering

Isle of Capri-Natchez Dick Stewart, general manager

70 Silver St., Natchez, MS 39120 141 hotel rooms/suites; pool; The Buffet; Caribbean Cove

Lady Luck Casino-Vicksburg Paul Avery, vice president/general manager

1380 Warrenton Rd., Vicksburg, MS 39180 (601) 636-7575 vicksburg.isleofcapricasinos.com Farmer’s Pick Buffet; The Lone Wolf; Riverview Buffet; Otis & Henry’s O&H Express; 89 hotel rooms; indoor pool; 25,000-square-foot Event Center; River Room (smaller meeting space)

Magnolia Bluffs Casino Kevin Preston, president

7 Roth Hill Rd., Natchez, MS 39120 Bandsaw Buffet; Cypress Mill Italian Steakhouse & 180 Lounge

1-866-422-5597

1-800-722-5825

1-888-505-5777

www.ballystunica.com www.beaurivage.com

natchez.isleofcapricasinos.com

magnoliabluffscasino.com

CASINOS

24 I Mississippi Business Journal I July 5, 2013 Casino Top officer

Address Non-gaming amenities

Phone

Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville Casino and Restaurant 160 5th St., Biloxi, MS 39530 Tom Brosig, president Margaritaville Restaurant; Feeding Frenzy Buffet; The Marina at Landshark Landing

(228) 267-7777

Website www.margaritavillebiloxi.com

Palace Casino Resort Keith Crosby, general manager

154 Howard Ave., Biloxi, MS 39530 1-800-PALACE-9 www.palacecasinoresort.com Hotel; pool; fitness center; Pure Spa; meeting space; Mignon’s Steaks & Seafood; Palace Buffet; Palace Café and Bakery; Wahoo’s Poolside Bar; Stacked Grill; Contact Lounge & Sports Bar; golf packages

Pearl River Resort Holly Gagnon, president/CEO

13541 Miss. Hwy. 16, Choctaw, MS 39350 (601) 663-0656 www.pearlriverresort.com Golden Moon Casino; Silver Star Casino; Bok Homa (in Jones County); Dancing Rabbit Golf Club; Geyser Falls Water Theme Park; spa; shopping; 1,100-plus hotel rooms/suites; The Beach Club; Club House Restaurant; meeting space

Resorts Tunica Casino & Hotel Cindy Borkowski, regional general manager

1100 Casino Strip Blvd., Tunica Resorts, MS 38664 200-plus hotel rooms; The Buffet; TJ’s Steakhouser; Big Burgers; meeting space

1-866-676-7070

www.resortstunica.com

Riverwalk Casino Rob Long, president/general manager

1046 Warrenton Rd., Vicksburg, MS 39180 Rocky’s; hotel; meeting space

(601) 634-0100

www.riverwalkvicksburg.com

Roadhouse Casino & Hotel R. Scott Barber, regional president

1107 Casino Center Dr., Tunica Resorts, MS 38664 Hotel; Riverstage Showbar; Tunica Roadhouse Diner; golf packages; meeting space

(662) 363-4900

www.tunica-roadhouse.com

Sam’s Town Hotel/Gambling Hall Toni Burns, general manager

1477 Casino Strip Blvd., Tunica Resorts, MS 38664 (662) 363-0711 www.samstowntunica.com Hotel; fitness facility; RV park, pool; Twain’s Fine Dining; The Great Buffet Featuring Corky’s BBQ; Snacks N’ Stuff; multiple meeting facilities; River Palace Entertainment Center; Roxy’s; Emporium Shops, golf packages

Silver Slipper Casino John Ferrucci, COO/general manager

5000 S. Beach Blvd., Bay St. Louis, MS 39520 (228) 469-2777 Beachfromt RV park; Jubilee Buffet; Palm Court Café; Blue Bayou Bar & Grill; The Stage Bar

Treasure Bay-Biloxi Susan Varnes, COO

1980 Beach Blvd., Biloxi, MS 36531 (228) 385-6000 www.treasurebay.com Hotel rooms/suites; pool; CQ; The Den; Agua; blu; infinity Buffet; shopping; golf packages; RV park; 3,600 square feet of meeting space

Trop Casino Greenville Chris Strobbe, general manager

199 N. Lakefront Rd., Greenville, MS 38701 1-800-878-1777 www.tropgreenville.com Greenville Inns & Suites; wireless high-speed Internet; fitness center; business center; Big Waters Grille; 500-square-foot hotel boardroom

www.silverslipper-ms.com

Note: The information for this list came from the Mississippi Gaming Commission and other reliable sources. Please direct questions and comments to Wally Northway at research@msbusiness.com..

2013 UPCOMING EDITORIAL FOCUS DATE

FOCUS

LIST

August 2 . . . . . . . . . . .Healthcare Ms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Cancer Care Centers August 9 . . . . . . . . . . .Banking and Finance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Credit Unions August 16 . . . . . . . . . .Technology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .MTA (Innovate) Hall of Fame Members August 23 . . . . . . . . . .Real Estate/Construction . . . . . . . . . . . .Community Developers August 30 . . . . . . . . . .Economic Development . . . . . . . . . . . . .Mississippi Main Street Association & Highest Paid Occupations Space Reservation 10 days in advance For advertising information please call 601-364-1011

MUSEUMS Museum Hours of operation

Amory Regional Museum

July 5, 2013 Address

Phone Description

801 3rd St. S., Amory, MS 38821 Bldg. 850, Camp Shelby, MS 39407

Tues.-Sat., 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

Mississippi Business Journal

I

25

Website Admission Cost

(662) 256-2761 www.cityofamoryms.com/our-community/amory-regional-museum History of the City of Amory and surrounding area Free

Tues.-Fri. 9 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sat., 10 a.m.-4 p.m.; Sun., 1 p.m.-5 p.m.

Armed Forces Museum

I

(601) 558-2303 Only state-operated museum in Miss. dedicated solely to military history

B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center 400 Second St., Indianola, MS 38751 April 1-Oct. 31: Tues.-Sat. 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Sun.-Mon., noon-5 p.m.; Nov. 1-March 31, closed on Mons.

(662) 887-9539 Blues great B.B. King, the blues genre and the Delta

www.armedforcesmuseum.us Free www.bbkingmuseum.org

Children under 5 years, free; adults (18 years & older), $12; seniors (65 years & older), $5; students (all ages with school identification), $5; groups of 20 or more adults, $10 per person; school groups of 10 or more, $3 per student-bus driver & one adult admitted free for every 10 students

Brice’s Crossroads Museum

607 Grisham St., Baldwyn, MS 38824

(662) 365-3969 Battle of Brice’s Crossroads during the Civil War

Tues.– Sat., 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

Museum of the Mississippi Delta (formerly Cottonlandia)

1608 Hwy. 82 E., Greenwood, MS 38930

(662) 453-0925 Delta history

Weekdays, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sat., 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

Crossroads Museum

221 N. Fillmore St., Corinth, MS 38834

Delta Blues Museum

1 Blues Alley, Clarksdale, MS 38614 March-Oct. – Mon.-Sat., 9 a.m.-5 p.m.; Nov.-Feb. – Mon.-Sat., 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

Tues. & Thurs., 9 a.m.-3 p.m.; Wed., 10 a.m.-3 p.m.; Fri., 10 a.m.-noon

111 E. Commerce St., Hernando, MS 38632

www.desotomuseum.org Free

108 Hilbun Hall, Mississippi State, MS 39762-5448 (662) 325-3915 Mineral & rock collections, meteorites and fossils in MSU’s Department of Geosciences

www.geosciences.msstate.edu/museum.htm N/A

16 Old N St., Washington, MS 39190 Mon.-Sat. 9 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sun., 1 p.m.-5 p.m. (grounds open sunup-sundown)

(601) 442-2901 History of school that opened in 1811

565 N. Fifth Ave., Laurel, MS 39440 108 N. Railroad Blvd., McComb, MS 39649-7220

Mon.-Fri., noon-4 p.m.

Mississippi Industrial Heritage Museum

1808 4th St., Meridian, MS 39301

N/A

Mississippi Museum of Art

(601) 684-2291 Railroad history

380 S. Lamar St., Jackson, MS 39201 2148 Riverside Dr., Jackson, MS 39203-1353

(601) 576-6000 Flora and fauna of Mississippi

Ohr-O’Keefe Museum of Art

386 Beach Blvd., Biloxi, MS 39530

(228) 374-5547 Mississippi potter George Ohr

Tues.-Sat., 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

689 Rutherford Rd., Tupelo, MS 38803

Tues.-Fri., 9 a.m.-4 p.m.; Sat., 10 a.m.-3 p.m.

Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway Transportation Museum 318 7th St. N., Columbus, MS 39701 Mon.-Fri., 8 a.m.-5 p.m.

One Museum Blvd., Tunica, MS 38676

(662) 363-6631 History of Tunica area

N/A

Union County Heritage Museum

114 Cleveland St., New Albany, MS 38652

Tues.-Fri., 9 a.m.-4 p.m., Sat., 10 a.m.-3 p.m.

University of Mississippi Museum

museum.mdwfp.com Adults, $6; Children 3-18, $4; seniors 60 & over, $5; children & 3, free; members, free; school rates upon request www.georgeohr.org Free

(662) 328-8936 History of Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway (662) 423-3500 Heritage of Tishomingo County

N.A www.msmuseumart.org N/A

(662) 841-6438 Heritage of the Tupelo area and Northeast Mississippi

20o3 E. Quitman St., Iuka, MS 38852

Tues.-Fri., 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

Tunica Museum

www.mcrrmuseum.com N/A

(601) 960-1515 Fine art

Mississippi Museum of Natural Science

Tishomingo County Archives & History Museum

lrma.org Free (suggested donation $3 for adults)

(601) 693-9905 Industrial and manufacturing history, located in Soule Steam Feed Works

Tues.-Sat., 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sun., noon-5 p.m.

Oren Dunn City Museum

mdah.state.ms.us/hprop/hjc.html Free

(601) 649-6374 Primitive to modern art

Tues.-Sat., 10 a.m.-4:45 p.m.; Sun., 1 p.m.-4 p.m.

McComb Railroad Depot Museum

www.deltabluesmuseum.org Adult $7; children 6-12, $5; under 6, free

(662) 429-8852 History of DeSoto County

Historic Jefferson College

Lauren Rogers Museum of Art

www.crossroadsmuseum.com Adults, $5; over 50, $3; under 16, free

(662) 627-6820 Birth and history of Delta blues

Tues.-Sat., 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

Dunn-Seiler Geology Museum

museumofthemississippidelta.com Adults, $5; seniors ages 65 & over, $3.50; college students (valid ID required), $3; children ages 3-18, $2

(662) 287-3120 History of Northeast Miss.

Tues.-Sat., 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

DeSoto County Museum

www.bricescrossroads.com N/A

(662) 538-0014 History of Union County

www.orendunnmuseum.org Adults, $3; seniors 60 & over, $2; children 4-16, $1.50; children 3 & under, free museum.tenntom.org N/A www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~mstchgs/index.htm Free www.tunicamuseum.com N/A www.ucheritagemuseum.com Donation

University Ave. & 5th St., Oxford, MS 38655

(662) 915-7073 museum.olemiss.edu History of the University of Mississippi Special exhibitions are $5 for the general public, $4 for seniors;

3201 Clay St., Vicksburg, MS

(601) 636-0583 Siege of Vicksburg during the Civil War

www.nps.gov/vick N/A

510 Washington Ave., Ocean Springs, MS 39564

(228) 872-3164 Life and works of artist Walter Anderson

walterandersonmuseum.org N/A

Tues.-Sat., 10 a.m.-6 p.m.

$3 for students (ages 6-17); UM students, UM Museum members and children under 5, free

Vicksburg National Military Park Mon.-Sun., 8 a.m.-5 p.m.

Walter Anderson Museum of Art Mon.–Sat., 9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.; Sun., 12:30 p.m.-4:30 p.m.

Winterville Mounds Park & Museum Mon.-Sat., 9 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sun., 1:30 p.m.-5 p.m.; grounds, dawn to dusk

2415 Hwy. 1 N., Greenville, MS 38701

(662) 334-4684 History of Native American mound-builders

mdah.state.ms.us/hprop/winterville.html Free

Note: The source for this list is Mississippi Museums Association, and includes all members located in Mississippi. The African Military History Museum (www.hattiesburguso.com) is a member, but was heavily damaged during the Feb. 10 tornado and is closed until further notice. The Maritime & Seafood Museum (www.maritimemuseum.org ) was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina, but a gift shop is open in Edgewater Mall and a new facility is set to open in February 2014. For more details on hours of operations, rates, etc., on all of the museums on the list, please visit the individual websites.

TRADE ASSOCIATIONS

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July 5, 2013

I

Mississippi Business Journal

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TRADE ASSOCIATIONS

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NEWSMAKERS

July 5, 2013

Profiles of growing young professionals in Mississippi

Mississippi Business Journal

I

29

Age: 28 Owner, Quick Computer Fix

Keeping our eye on... KYLE WOOD Kyle Wood says people are often shocked to learn that his major was in music education with an emphasis in percussion.

“I spent countless late hours in the basement of the Southern Miss Performing Arts Center practicing marimba and vibraphone,” he says.

Today, Wood shows the same enthusiasm for his techchallenged customers. “I am constantly reading, researching, and problem-solving. I don’t want to get left behind or become stagnant with what I know,” he says. “My personality — with music — and with computers has always been to be an independent learner.”

The son of a Radio Shack manager, Wood grew up in Jackson and Bryam and began working in IT for Yates Construction dur-

I

ing his college summers. He founded Quick Computer Fix after graduating from the University of Southern Mississippi and offers remote or on-site assistance for issues ranging from office servers and printers to data backup/recovery and virus removal.

“I would say experience is your best teacher,” Wood advises young professionals. “Hands on, independent learning and time spent researching is the most effective way to be the best at what you do with computers and probably most anything else.”

Wood and his wife, Megan, live in Ridgeland with their new baby, Catherine Ann. When he’s not doing daddy duties, Wood enjoys playing on his drum band and catching up on DVR episodes.

— By Stephen McDill

Heroes or mentors: “It was my dad who really brought technology into my life. I never thought computer geeks were uncool.”

Best thing about Mississippi: “Everybody knows somebody and the people here put a lot of trust in word-of-mouth recommendations.”

Best Mississippi event: Pepsi Pops at the Rez Favorite Mississippi food: Pecan pie First job ever: Sno-Biz Favorite hangout spots: Cups Favorite TV show: “The Mentalist” Favorite movie: “A Beautiful Mind” Favorite music: David Bazan Read the full biography at www.msbusiness.com

Newsome made COO

Four chosen for LEAD21

Lucas to receive award

CMMC promotes Knight

Mid South Rehab Services recently welcomed John T. “Jack” Newsome as COO. Newsome started his career as a physical therapist, and he eventually opened his own outpatient rehabilitation clinic. After earning his law degree and MBA, he sold his business to a nationwide therapy provider and served as a member of their leadership team. Newsome went on to practice law in the health care field and served as general counsel at Cooper Health System in New Jersey. He moved to Mississippi in 2009 with his wife and three children to take on the role of chief legal officer for University of Mississippi Medical Center.

Representatives of Mississippi State University’s Division of Agriculture, Forestry and Veterinary Medicine will participate in a national program targeting future agricultural leaders. They are: Chris Boyd, associate Extension professor of environmental ecology, based at the Coastal Research and Extension Center in Biloxi; Rita Green, family resource management agent with the MSU Extension Service, based in Grenada; Wes Schilling, associate professor of meat science, sensory science and food chemistry in MSU’s Department of Food Science, Nutrition and Health Promotion; and Sherry Surrette, head of the MSU Central Mississippi Research and Extension Center in Raymond. The program, known as LEAD21, is intended to meet the future needs for leadership development of land-grant faculty, specialists, directors, department leaders and others as well as individuals in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

The 2013 Winter-Reed Partnership Award will be presented to Dr. Aubrey K. Lucas, president emeritus and professor of higher education at the University of Southern Mississippi, during a tribute dinner Oct. 1 at Lake Terrace Convention Center in Hattiesburg. In 1975, Lucas became the sixth president of his alma mater, Southern Miss, launching an era of unprecedented growth and transformation for the university. Over the course of his 22-year tenure, he led the formation of the Teaching and Learning Resource Center, the Center for International Education, the Polymer Science Institute and the Institute for Learning in Retirement.

A founding member of the Mississippi Institute of Arts and Letters, Dr. Lucas was a champion of the university's arts and music programs and twice served as interim president, in 2001 and 2012. Before leading Southern Miss, Dr. Lucas was president of Delta State University and an instructor at Hinds Community College. He also served as the state's Interim Commissioner of Higher Education from October 2008 to July 2009.

Laura Knight, RN, BSN, has been named assistant chief nursing officer at Central Mississippi Medical Center. A nine-year veteran of CMMC’s nursing staff, Knight most recently served as director of the emergency department.

Other positions include telemetry nurse manager and assistant nurse manager in post-surgery.

Knight earned a bachelor’s degree in nursing from the UniKnight versity of Southern Mississippi and graduated cum laude. She was also a member of the university’s Honors College and received the National Collegiate Nursing Award.

Knight is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Hogrefe of Hattiesburg. She is the mother of Lee and Hannah Knight, ages 12 and 10, respectively.

Richmond receives honor The U. S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) Vicksburg District has presented the prestigious Ranger of the Year Award to Jamie Richmond, a ranger at Arkabutla Lake in North Mississippi. Richmond is a native of Dexter, Mo., and began her career with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Louis District, in 1997 as a recreational assistant at Wappapello Lake. She entered into the student cooperative education pro- Richmond gram in 1998 and earned her bachelor of science degree in wildlife biology from Southeast Missouri State in 2001. She became a Corps ranger at Arkabutla Lake in 2002.

Richmond is the daughter of Jimmie and Marianna Burge of Dexter. She and her husband, Jeff, reside in Hernando.

Mississippi State Hospital (MSH) recently honored employees with June anniversary dates for their years of service to the hospital. Service Awards are given to employees in the month of their date of hire, beginning with one year, followed by every fifth anniversary year. Employees receive a Certificate of Appreciation and a Service Award Pin. June service award recipients include: Stacey Davis of Florence, 20 years; Carolyn Dart of Jackson, 15 years; Steven McDonald of Ridgeland, five years; Chris Allen of Byram, 20 years; Lance Layton of Richland, 20 years; and, Gene Amason of Flowood, 10 years.

Speed named CPO

Webster retiring as fire chief

Warren L. Speed has joined Blake Management Group (BMG) as member and chief people officer for the developer, operator and owner of assisted living facilities. BMG operates facilities in Mississippi, Florida and Alabama. Speed has over 20 years commercial real estate operations and people management experience. He most recently served as execu- Speed tive vice president and head of the People Department at Parkway Properties.

Hattiesburg fire chief David Webster is retiring after 27 years as a firefighter. The 54-year-old Webster has been fire chief since 2006. Webster tells the Hattiesburg American he plans to continue working in the realm of fire service, likely through training, writing and consulting.

Webster says his age played a role in his decision and new municipal government term starting in July made the time right. His last official day is June 21. Assistant Chief Paul Presley will be interim fire chief.

Webster says one of his biggest accomplishments is a memorandum of understanding between the department and AAA Ambulance Service.

Employees get recognition

Rials, Wuichet complete Focus Joe M. Rials, director of fiscal services, and Debra Wuichet, director of social services at North Mississippi State Hospital, recently graduated from the Mississippi Department of Mental Health Focus Program.

This accelerated leadership program offers a unique opportunity for employees to hone their skills to greater and higher personal performance and selfawareness.

Ewing comes to Millsaps Millsaps College recently welcomed Brad Ewing as a major gifts officer. Most recently Ewing was corporate director of marketing at JBHM Education Group. He previously worked as a business process analyst for The Harbour Group. Prior to joining The Harbour Group, he spent nearly 20 years in professional sports. This part of his career included 10 years with the NBA’s Houston Rockets and several seasons in Ewing minor league hockey, most notably as general manager of the Jackson Bandits.

Riley named GM at M’Prints Kristy Irons Riley, former communications director for Mitchell Companies, has been promoted to general manager of M’Prints Promotional Products and National Scrubwear. Riley had been the communications director for Mitchell Companies since 2009.

Prior to this role, she served as the director of marketing and communication for the Division of Development and Alumni at Mississippi State University, where she also was an adjunct professor. Riley’s extensive resume also includes positions at Mississippi State as the executive assistant and programs specialist in the Office of the President as well as a transfer admissions counselor.

Riley received a master of science degree in public relations from the University of Southern Mississippi in 2005. In 2004, she received a bachelor of arts degree in English with a minor in public relations from Mississippi State University. She currently resides in Bay Springs with her husband, Jon, and her two daughters, Emily Jayne and Elizabeth.

Frair retires as fire chief Gautier fire chief Ray Frair has retired. Frair has been chief in Gautier since 2010 after serving with the city for 10 years. Before that, he worked with the Columbus (Ohio) Fire Department for 26 years.

Capt. Robert is serving as interim chief.

NEWSMAKERS

30 I Mississippi Business Journal I July 5, 2013

Brewer

Cardenas

Collins

Ferguson

Foster

Pickering names owners Pickering Firm Inc. has named new principal and associate principal owners. The new principal owners are Mike Foster, PE, Rick Ferguson, PE, and Dan Townsend, PE. Foster, senior civil Engineer, Hernando office, is a graduate of Arkansas State University and has 21 years of experience.

Ferguson, senior bridge engineer, Flowood office, is a graduate of the University of Mississippi and has 22 years of experience.

Townsend, senior water resources engineer, Flowood office, is a graduate of North Carolina State University and has 20 years of experience.

The new associate principal owners are Jonathan Johnson, PE, Willie Nester, PE, Jose Raul Cardenas, Brad Schmiedicke, LEED AP, Rod Mitchell, Dave Brewer, PS, and Blake Collins, PS, civil engi-

Johnson

Mitchell

Nester

Schmiedicke

Townsend

neer, Flowood office, is a graduate of Mississippi State University and has five years of experience.

Nester, project engineer, Flowood office, is a graduate of Mississippi State University and has 20 years of experience.

Cardenas, architectural designer, Memphis office, is a graduate of the University of San Pedro Sula, Honduras and has 24 years of experience.

Schmiedicke, project manager, Memphis office, is a graduate of Virginia Tech and University of Tennessee and has 13 years of experience.

Rod Mitchell, senior plumbing designer, Memphis office, is a graduate of Alabama A&M University and has 16 years of experience.

Brewer, survey manager, Flowood office, has 37 years of experience.

Collins, land surveyor, Flowood office, is a graduate of Mississippi State University and has 11 years of experience.

Arledge sitting on board

Zoo selects Keenum

Sindledecker earns designation Barrett joins sales team

John Arledge has joined the board of directors of Community Bancshares Inc. Arledge is currently vice president of public affairs for Entergy Mississippi. His previous professional experience includes service as deputy chief of staff for Gov. Haley Barbour.

Arledge also served as the director of communications for Gov. Kirk Fordice, acting as the governor’s spokesman, head speechwriter and liaison with all Arledge Mississippi and national media.

Arledge, who lives in Brandon and is a graduate of Mississippi State University, serves on the boards of the Mississippi Economic Council and the Pearl River Valley Water Supply District. He is married to the former Ginger Nix and they have two children – Addison (18) and John Nix (15).

Mississippi State University First Lady and Starkville public relations professional Rhonda Newman Keenum has been named to the board of directors of the Jackson Zoological Society Inc., the formal operating entity of the Jackson Zoo. Keenum is president of Keenum Company, a public affairs firm that provides strategic counsel, government relations and communication services to Keenum a diverse group of leading corporations, coalitions and trade associations. She served as director of the Office of Public Liaison and deputy assistant to President George W. Bush.

Prior to her White House appointment, Keenum served as the acting undersecretary for commerce for International Trade Administration. Keenum held this role and at the same time served as the assistant secretary and director general of the United States and Foreign Commercial Service (USFCS). Prior to her Senate confirmation as assistant secretary, Keenum was a senior vice president at Edelman Worldwide where she managed several award-winning national and state public affairs campaigns. Before joining Edelman, she served as vice president at Ketchum Public Relations in Washington, D.C. Before entering the public relations arena, Keenum was press secretary for then-U.S. Rep. Roger Wicker (R-MS); served as deputy political director for the Republican National Committee Victory 2000 effort; and, played key roles in both the 1996 Dole for President and 1992 Bush-Quayle campaigns.

She is a member of the board of directors of Entergy, CREATE Foundation, Starkville-MSU Symphony Association and is an advisory board member for the Palmer Home for Children.

Keenum is a native of Booneville, and a graduate of Mississippi State University. She resides in Mississippi State with her husband, Mark, their triplets, Katie, Rett and Mary Phillips, and their youngest child, Victoria.

Also named to the board was Duane O'Neil, president of the Greater Jackson Chamber Partnership.

People Lease’s Jaynee Sindledecker has obtained the certified payroll professional designation from the American Payroll Association, the highest designation given by this national organization. Sindledecker has become one of 25 CPP’s in the state of Mississippi. She is not only People Lease’s first associate to receive this prestigious designation, but also the first in Madison County. She has spent the last two years taking several payroll courses in preparation for the exam taken in April.

An employee since 2010, Sindledecker’s responsibilities include 401(k) administration, enrollment in Magnolia Federal Credit Union, semi-monthly new hire reporting and overseeing and managing the daily operations of the payroll department.

Graham elected to board Dr. Mary S. Graham of Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College has been elected to the board of directors for the American Association of Community Colleges. Graham was named the 12th president of MGCCC in 2011. A native of Mississippi, she earned her doctorate in higher education administration from the University of Southern Mississippi (USM) and her master’s and bachelor’s degrees are from Graham USM, as well.

Tynes joins staff Hattiesburg Clinic recently welcomed Ronnie Tynes Jr., CNP, to Heart Care Center in Laurel. Tynes received his bachelor of science in nursing from the University of Southern Mississippi and his master of science in nursing from University of South Alabama in Mobile, Ala. He is a certified adult-gerontology acute care nurse practitioner and a registered nurse.

Gregory North recognized Elizabeth Gregory North, Mississippi State University’s Office of Agricultural Communications department head, recently received the Professional Award from the Association for Communication Excellence. Gregory North began her career as an assistant publications editor for the Alabama Cooperative Extension Service before moving to Texas A&M University to work as an Extension communicaNorth tions specialist. Marketing and branding became her areas of expertise. She made a national splash when she led efforts to create the now highly recognized Texas AgriLife brand, but that her influence stretches far beyond any state borders.

Gregory North worked on branding initiatives for the National 4-H Council, the National Extension Association of Family and Consumer Sciences and the eXtension Cooperatives Community of Practice. Recently, she has coordinated the development of a national branding campaign for the Extension Service as leader of the national Extension Committee on Organization and Policy’s Communications and Marketing Task Force.

Comcast Spotlight in Jackson recently added David Barrett to its sales team. Barrett is a native of Jackson, and a graduate of the University of Mississippi.

Comcast Spotlight, the advertising sales division of Comcast Cable.

Tomera joins TEC TEC of Jackson has appointed Marlon Tomera as technician located in Monroe, La. Tomera brings with him several years of experience in the technology industry.

He is currently enrolled with Colorado Technical University, pursuing a bachelor’s degree in information technology (web development). He resides in Marion, La., with his wife, Terry, and Tomera children.

Pickering elected to committee State Auditor Stacey Pickering has been elected to serve on the Executive Committee of the National State Auditors Association (NSAA). The sixmember Executive Committee serves as the governing body of NSAA. The organization unites State Auditors across the country. NSAA also works to foster improvement in state government though promotion of the observance of professional auditing standards, improving management control and accountability, and developing generally accepted principles of accounting.

For announcements in Newsmakers; Contact: Wally Northway (601) 364-1016 • wally.northway@msbusiness.com

July 5, 2013

SMALL BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT: SpoonFudge!

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Photos by Stephen McDill / MBJ

Life is like a jar of fudge » Specialty dessert shop puts tiny Sebastopol on the map

By STEPHEN McDILL I STAFF WRITER stephen.mcdill@msbusiness.com

SpoonFudge owners Tarah Boykin and Aleisa Johnson have turned the business from a solely Internet-based operation into a popular gift shop and hangout spot for tiny Sebastopol. The shop has plans to remodel and add extra space this summer.

S

omething creamy and dreamy is stirring in rural Scott County.

Just off Mississippi 21 in Sebastopol, SpoonFudge is working on homemade desserts for local residents, online customers and anyone lucky enough to come into their tasty shop.

Co-owners Tarah Boykin and Aleisa Johnson took over the business in 2011 from a Fudgey Freeze local photographer who had originally disA blend of milk, ice and covered a popular retail line of jarred fudge any SpoonFudge flavor. on the Internet and began buying it up as Address: 24 Highway 492, Sebastopol gifts for customers.

Phone: (601) 507-8006 SpoonFudge Sundae Boykin discovered SpoonFudge for herself Website: spoonfudge.com while working in a hospital marketing deVanilla ice cream topped Hours partment and used the jars often as gifts to with your choice of physicians and staff. “When (the SpoonWednesday: 11:00-5:00 PM SpoonFudge Chocolate, Fudge owners) were ready to sell it we Thursday-Friday: 11:00- 8:00 PM Peanut Butter, Caramel or jumped all over it,” Boykin says of the brand.

Saturday: 10:00-5:00 PM White Chocolate “We totally revamped the look and the logo.

We just had a vision for it.”

Fudgey Float Half ounce and five-ounce jars full of multi-flavored fudge line the walls of the Ice cream and Cola SpoonFudge shop on a hot Saturday afterblended with Chocolate noon. Kids in a corner sip homemade fudge “Every day there is usuor White Chocolate milkshakes and a world map fastened to the ceiling is ally a pleasant surprise,” SpoonFudge, topped pockmarked with pins noting their online sales.

Boykin says. “Before you with whipped cream and “We couldn’t cook the fudge in our home and just deknow it someone is ora cherry. cided to have a storefront,” Boykin says. “We wanted to dering 150 jars of fudge come up with original things. We didn’t just want shelves as gifts (and it is) just a with fudge on them.” big snowball.”

The store has since become a source of pride for the Boykin says she and Johnson have added fudge flavors 273-strong population of Sebastopol (locals pronounce it: growing the list to more than 100 flavors that are rotated “Suh-bass-tuh-pool”) and Boykin says the downtown out regularly to keep customers coming back. Flavors are business and retail community recently achieved 100 per- as varied and intricate as chocolate banana, blueberry cent occupancy, something that has eluded them for years. cheesecake, caramallow, butter, buttered rum, cinnamon “The little towns just get forgotten about. We’re blessed roll and coconut lime. SpoonFudge also has more tradibecause for a long time everything was vacant,” Boykin tional fudge flavors like chocolate mint, peanut butter and says. “Definitely when we hung the sign, people were like white chocolate. The fudge works well in most baking well that will be here a month. How are they going to recipes or atop pastries. make it selling fudge in a jar?”

“We have a great relationship with our customers,” Working like crazy on Monday and Tuesday in the Boykin says. “They live here locally and come in and just kitchen stirring batches of fudge, custom printing labels want to see what’s new. We pull a lot from Forest, Union and tracking online orders from around the world (Norand Carthage.” way, Australia and The Netherlands for example) have While the store’s unique dessert products may never rekept the store in the black. place poultry as the town’s chief industry, Boykin and

ON THE MENU

SPOONFUDGE!

Johnson work like self-described “little mad scientists” to make sure their name is out there and they keep growing their fans and flavors.

The online retail side of SpoonFudge continues to hum.

Boykin and Johnson decide what to sell online based on its popularity in the store.

Boykin also plans many themed events to promote SpoonFudge products including Saturday Sundaes, Tabletop S’more Day or Manic Mondays where local businesses enter to win a chance to have a SpoonFudge party complete with samples. SpoonFudge even earned a coveted spot at the historic Canton Flea Market.

“We do as many things as we can spreading the SpoonFudge love and creating a buzz,” Boykins says. “We’re going to have to get a bigger postcard listing all of our services ideas.”

32 I Mississippi Business Journal I July 5, 2013 OUTDOORS WITH DR. JOHN WOODS

Special to the Mississippi Business Journal

Trophy bucks on display are just one of the many popular attractions at the Mississippi Wildlife Extravaganza at the Tade Mart building in Jackson.

The Big Show is a go

O

k, the temps outside in the shade pushed above the 95 mark already. The weatherman suggested we soon would be having triple digit daytime temperatures. My main AC unit at the house threw in the towel last Monday and this is being written in June. So, what the heck is there to look forward to?

Then a colleague strolls in the door to announce like an advertisement for the Christmas shopping season that there are only 74 days left until hunting season. That statement certainly brought a smile. As we discussed our collective strategies for “making” it through another long, hot summer, I reminded him I only had to make it until August 2nd.

Another Ganza Cranks Up Why August the 2nd? Because that is the day that the 27th-annual Mississippi Wildlife Extravaganza opens at the Trade Mart building on the Fairgrounds just off High Street in Jackson. Festivities start on

that Friday with Kids Day at 3p.m.-9 p.m.

The main headliner celebrities this year will be Greg and Jake Miller hosts of the Pursuit TV on the Outdoor Channel. These John Woods guys are extremely knowledgeable about cutting edge deer hunting topics and will come loaded with enough real life deer hunting stories to interest anybody loving to deer hunt.

Perennial guest favorites will be Paul Meek presenting his “Turkey Calling Made Easy for Beginners” talk. The kids love Paul’s on stage seminars teaching them the basics of turkey calling. Preston Pittman will also share turkey hunting tips on stage.

The Ironman Bowfishing seminar will be a popular repeat, too.

The Fetch-N-Fish tub will be back to the show for more High Flying Retrievers and fish handgrabbing demonstrations. Percy King will show off his collection of snakes and reptiles. “Mr. Snake” of Mississippi

Office Space for Rent in downtown Jackson Approximately 1800 sq. ft., includes 2 private offices

Amenities available: I^Wh[Z a_jY^[d I^Wh[Z ijehW][ I[c_#fh_lWj[ e\ÓY[ ifWY[ FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION CONTACT:

Alan Turner, alan.turner@msbusiness.com

601-364-1021 Tami Jones, tami.jones@msbusiness.com

601-364-1011

Terry Vandeventer will also be on stage discussing the resident snakes found in the Magnolia State. David Hall will be back again with his demo on hawks.

As the list of presenters and exhibitors continues to grow, you can check out everything as it is updated on the Mississippi Wildlife Federation’s web site at www.mswildlife.org.

The Big Buck Event One of the primary mainstays of the Wildlife Extravaganza is the official statewide Big Buck Contest along with the associated Magnolia Records Program. Up to 200 or more mounted bucks will be brought in by hunters for official Boone and Crocket scoring.

Bucks reaching a score of 125 or more points will be entered into the MRP program and listed on the state wildlife web site. Ribbons will be awarded to the top scoring buck in several categories.

It’s always interesting to see firsthand the big buck potential we have in Mississippi. It’s also a good opportunity to view examples of exceptional non-typical or “weird” whitetail racks as well.

bungee jump outside. A video screen on the back wall will display continuous photos from the show all three days plus information on many of the other Mississippi Wildlife Federation’s programs.

Of course, certainly last but not least will be the food vendors, too. This is like having a mini-state fair on site for the goodies to eat. I am sure there will be fried catfish, fried dill pickles, chicken-on-a-stick, corn dogs, lemonade and maybe some funnel cakes. I’ll be ready for that.

More Ganza Activities To be honest, this annual event put on by How could we forget one of the prime the Mississippi Wildlife Federation is their drivers of the Wildlife Extravaganza in the largest single fundraiser of the year. Proroughly 200 product vendors set up inside ceeds from the Ganza support the office the huge show space of the Trade Mart operation, personnel, and many of the Building? Everything under the sun hunt- wildlife conservation oriented programs ing and fishing related will be for sale or they deliver all year long. So, please come on demonstration. out to see us this year and bring the family.

Shop for camouflage clothing for the Each year some 30-40,000 people will whole family, hunting boots, fishing come from all over the state and elsewhere shoes, tree stands, shooting houses, hunt- just to attend this event. Imagine the overing gear of all kinds, knives, bags, backall economic impact of that many people packs, and you name it. Hunting land real coming to town. Besides ticket sales to get estate people will be on hand to promote into the show, there are hotel rooms, food properties for sale. Several hunting and service, fuel and lots of incidentals. fishing outfitters will also be on site to Many families use this weekend also to sell you that hunt of a lifetime or some start shopping local outlets for school good fishing exploits. clothes and supplies. Even the big box outMany other things will be happening as doors stores benefit from the Ganza. It is a well with plenty of activities planned for definite win-win for Jackson, and the state. the kids. The Cutest Camo Kids Contest will be held again so get your little one all JohnJ.Woods,Ph.D.,isvicepresidentinchargeofecodolled up in camo and let both the gals nomicdevelopmentandtraining,EagleRidgeConference and the guys show off their camo cuteness. andTrainingCenter,theWorkforceDevelopmentCenter Rumor is, too, they are working on camo andcontracttrainingservicesatHindsCommunityCollege cutie photographs for the men, as well. inRaymond.

There will be a catch and release “pond” for trout farm fishing for the kids. Also a

July 5, 2013

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» MISSISSIPPI LEADERS by Martin Willoughby

Learning to lead Koerber sees success through hard work and a quest for knowledge

O

ne of my mentors regularly comments regarding growing a service business — “It is about expertise and relationships!”

That is sage advice for anyone trying to grow and expand a business in this competitive marketplace.

Having personally been involved in growing a few startup service related businesses, I appreciate the opportunity to interview leaders who have defied the odds and built thriving practices. I recently visited with James A. (Jim) Koerber, founder of The Koerber Company, P.A. in Hattiesburg, who has built a national practice in valuation and litigation support services. Today, he and his team of three CPAs serve clients around the country, and he is a recognized expert in his field. When we met, I wanted to know his “secret of success” in building a thriving practice, and he was gracious to share some of his experiences and wisdom with me.

Koerber grew up along the Mississippi River living in both Natchez and Vidalia, La. After getting his education at Mississippi State (banking & finance) and LSU (accounting), he went on to work as an accountant for several companies before starting his own CPA firm in 1997. Koerber said, “When I started my practice, my goal was to incorporate the good things that I have seen other successful CPAs and business owners do. As a result, I am now blessed to work with a great and wonderful group of men and women.” The early days

Up Close With ... James A. (Jim) Koerber Title: Founder, The Koerber Company, P.A. Favorite Books: In the Sanctuary of Outcasts by Neil White First Job: “(a) Cleaning ditches with a sling blade for the Town of Vidalia, La., for $1 per hour; and (b) cleaning the mortar off old bricks for a penny per brick for my cousin's construction/demolition company.”

Proudest Moment as a Leader: “Whenever I receive a thank you note (a) from a client, who I have helped in a case; (b) from another CPA, who I have helped get credentialed as a business valuator or helped with a project or problem; or (c) from someone, who I have helped find employment.”

Hobbies/Interests: Music, movies, and restaurants

were not easy as he built a practice from scratch. Koerber candidly shared, “For the first full year of operations for my practice, my profit was only $4,900, but I relied on what others had taught me and persevered.

Plus, my wife, Melinda (we will be married 39 years in August 2013), encouraged me to not give up.”

Business valuation and litigation services were new for CPAs when he opened up his firm, and Koerber worked hard to gain expertise in these new areas. He attended countless seminars, and as he built his ex-

pertise, he shared it with others in articles and speaking opportunities. Koerber shared with me that in the early days of his practice he would spend his Saturdays faxing out his newsletters to potential referral sources. I share that story because I think it is a great example of the commitment and dedication Koerber has in building his business.

Entrepreneurial leaders like Koerber are lifelong learners. Even today, he continues to seek out ways to develop his expertise.

He shared that one his mentors in business is Maury Gurwitch, who operated the

“For the first full year for my practice, my profit was only $4,900...”

Jim Koerber Founder of The Koerber Company, P.A.

Smart Shoe Store in Hattiesburg for years.

Koerber said, “Each Saturday, I have lunch with Maury to continue to seek his advice.” I have found that my interviewee’s favorite quotes reveal Martin Willoughby a lot about their character and philosophy.

Koerber had several quotes he shared that I want to share. He cited Ann Landers who said, "Opportunities are usually disguised as hard work, so most people don't recognize them."

Vince Lombardi had a similar thought when he said, “The only time that success comes before work is in the dictionary." I also really enjoyed the anonymous quote, “When you care about yourself, you are a peddler; however, when you care about your clients, you are a professional."

Koerber also had sage advice for future leaders that he shared. He believes it is important to stay humble and truly listen to your customers/clients and co-workers and to ask them great questions. As no surprise, he believes that it is important to never stop learning and to persevere despite difficulties and obstacles that you may face. He shared, “Overall, whether you own a business or work for a business, be an entrepreneur by looking at ways to build your expertise and be innovative.” Koerber is a great example of how to build a successful service based business by continually seeking to build expertise and building relationships by truly listening to the customer and delivering value.

Martin Willoughby is a business consultant and regular contributing columnist for the Mississippi Business Journal. He serves as Chief Operating Officer of Butler Snow Advisory Services, LLC and can be reached at martin.willoughby@ butlersnow.com.

Exciting first novel has it all

T » The Blood of Heaven

By Kent Wascom Published by Kent Wascom $25 hardcover

he accolades are rolling in for 27-year-old Kent Wascom's first novel, The Blood of Heaven. I've been amazed in recent years by the plethora of debut novels that garner high praise. However, young Wascom's book is rising to the top of the heap.

Here's what Publishers Weekly's Steve Yarbrough had to say. "When you read as many contemporary novels as I do, it's easy to get jaundiced because we're awash in hype and almost nothing ever seems quite as good as it's cracked up to be. So please know that I'm not just giving this young author a pass.

I truly can count on the fingers of one hand the number of first novels that have ever excited me this much."

Set in the late 1700s and early 1800s, this book is the story of Angel Woolsack, a preacher's son, who flees the hardscrab-

ble life of his itinerant father, falls in with a charismatic highwayman, then settles with his adopted brothers on the rough frontier of West Florida. During this time period, American settlers are carving their place out of lands held by the Spanish and French.

The novel moves from the bordellos of Natchez, where Angel meets his love Red Kate, to the Mississippi River plantations, where slave labor is creating fantastic wealth along with suffering, and finally to the back rooms of New Orleans among schemers, dreamers and would-be revolutionaries plotting to break away from the United States and create a new country under the leadership of the renegade founding father Aaron Burr.

This book has enough historical data to satisfy history buffs about a period and area of America that aren't often the sub-

ject of literature. It's also a fictional account of a young man seizing his place in a violent world, a love story, and a vivid tale of ambition and political machinations.

It's so encouraging that this young writer has given us something fresh and different, and with wonderful, expressive language. There are far too many first-time authors slogging out murder mysteries. Wascom was born in New Orleans and spent his childhood in Louisiana and Pensacola, Fla. He earned a master's of fine art from Florida State University. In 2012, he won the Tennessee Williams/New Orleans Literary Festival prize for fiction. He now lives in Tallahassee, Fla.

— Lynn Lofton, mbj@msbusiness.com

“It’s...a fictional account of a young man seizing his place in a violent world...”

34 I Mississippi Business Journal I July 5, 2013

—Interview by Clay Chandler

LOLLY BARNES, executive director, Mississippi Heritage Trust

Past meets future Barnes takes reins at Mississippi Heritage Trust

L

olly Barnes was recently named executive director of the Mississippi Heritage Trust.

Barnes, a Biloxi native, brings 20 years of preservation experience to MHT. A Biloxi native, she received a B.A. in history from LSU, and a M.A. in history from the University of Southern Mississippi.

Q — What’s the mission of the Mississippi Heritage Trust?

A — The Mississippi Heritage Trust works to save and renew places meaningful to Mississippians and their history.

Q — What are some of your immediate goals as executive director? What are some of your long-term goals?

A — One immediate goal is to reach out to communities around the state to let them know that the Mississippi Heritage Trust is a resource in their efforts to save the historic buildings that tell the story of Mississippi. One of the first calls I received after taking over as executive director was regarding the future of the Mendenhall High School Auditorium, a Mississippi landmark that is slated for demolition to make way for a new cafeteria. I have been working with a local committee to persuade the Simpson County School District to consider other options for the school expansion that would include the restoration and community use of this charming 1938 art deco structure.

Long term, I would like to see the Mississippi Heritage Trust lead the way in educating individuals and civic organizations about the many important reasons to preserve historic structures, building a strong grassroots advocacy network for historic preservation throughout the state.

Q — What role does preservation of Mississippi’s historic places play in economic development?

A — One need look no further than Ocean Springs to find a dynamic example of the importance of historic preservation in economic development. With the restoration of many historic structures as the cornerstone of its economic redevelopment strategy, downtown Ocean Springs has become a nationally recognized tourism destination, with a vibrant mix of shops, restaurants and cultural attractions that contributes to the positive quality of life for its residents.

More on Barnes: Must have Mississippi food: ”Well, it is summer, so we are eating lots of shrimp and crabs, prepared every way imaginable. And corn pudding.

And tomato pie. And my mother’s dewberry cobbler with plenty of Country Girls Creamery cream- yum!”

Favorite movie: ”My husband and I have seen Oh Brother, Where Art Thou? at least a dozen times. I would love for the Mississippi Heritage Trust to host a “Mississippi” film festival with movies like this shown at all the wonderful historic theatres around our state.

Last book read: Eat Drink Delta: A Hungry Traveler’s Journey Through the Soul of the South, by Mississippi native Susan Puckett.

Website: www.mississippiheritage.com/. “ Visit today to become a member of the Mississippi Heritage Trust and help to save the places that matter to Mississippi.”

Q — What’s the overall recovery status of the historic places damaged by Hurricane Katrina?

A — While it is heartbreaking to remember all the wonderful historic landmarks that were lost in the storm, I am incredibly proud of the Gulf Coast’s determination to save as many damaged historic structures as possible. I recently had the opportunity to attend the rededication of the Rectitude Masonic Lodge in Gulfport, as well as the ribbon cutting for the Randolph School in Pass Christian, one of the few remaining Rosenwald schools in Mississippi. It was tremendously rewarding to see the hard work and collaborative effort of so many individuals, civic groups and governmental entities to save these special places come to fruition.

Q — The MHT adopted a list of 10 most endangered historic places in 2011. What’s the status of the places included?

A — Sadly, Ceres Plantation in Warren County was demolished in 2012 by the Warren County Port Commission. This c. 1860 building could and should have been saved. It is a tremendous loss for Mississippi. One bright spot is the Amzie Moore House in Cleveland, once a meeting place for civil rights activists, including Fannie Lou Hamer, Bob Moses and Medgar Evers. With funding from the Mississippi Department of Archives and History Community Heritage Preservation grant program, restoration of this cultural landmark is about to get underway.

» See the complete unabridged interview with Barnes at www.msbusiness.com/blog/category/q-a/

SALES MOVES

July 5, 2013

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MBJ

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35

>> JEFFREY GITOMER

Who is taking responsibility around here? Nobody!

W

ith all the dumb laws on the books these days, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d think theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d have one smart one for taking responsibility.

Wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t it be cool if every politicians werenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t allowed to blame anybody else, and had to take full responsibility for their own actions and results?

Well, the same is true in sales.

Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m pretty sick of salespeople still telling me, â&#x20AC;&#x153;the guy said he wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t interestedâ&#x20AC;? and â&#x20AC;&#x153;the guy is happy with his present supplierâ&#x20AC;? and â&#x20AC;&#x153;the guy wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t set an appointment with meâ&#x20AC;? and, my alltime favorite, â&#x20AC;&#x153;the guy wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t return my call.â&#x20AC;?

As you read those excuses, they seem kind of lame donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t they? Wait! Are they lame? Or are they pathetic excuses for poor salesmanship, poor preparation, lack of ability to transfer a passionate message, lack of belief in your own product or company, lack of perceived value, inability to differentiate yourself from your competitor and, most important, lack of proof?

Whether youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re in politics or sales, the burden is the same: Take responsibility for all that happens.

And if itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not happening in the best way possible, take responsibility to make it happen in a better way.

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s funny how you can picture responsibility and blame in terms of a politician. I mean, come on!

Can you imagine a politician saying, â&#x20AC;&#x153;The bill didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t pass and it was all my fault.â&#x20AC;? Could you ever imagine that in your lifetime?

Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s why I want taking responsibility to be a law. If it was a law, everyone would be forced to tell the truth, admit their shortcomings, and go back into the battleground and return with a winning result. Politicians included.

Arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t you sick of blaming? Arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t you sick of politicians blaming each other ad nauseam for what the other guy didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t do? Isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t there a biblical phrase that begins, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Let he who was without sin cast the first stoneâ&#x20AC;?? I think if it were law, there would be a lot less stone casting, and a lot more people taking responsibility to make something happen.

Letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s get back to the objection of not getting your call returned. When I hear a salesperson say, â&#x20AC;&#x153;The guy wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t return my call,â&#x20AC;? I really want to punch somebody in the face (gently, of course).

Letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s take a look at the real reasons someone wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t return your call to help you understand the difference between blaming and taking responsibility: 1. The message you left had no value.

2. The customer has no intention of buying from you and just doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want to tell you.

3. The customer is not ready to buy yet and was too busy with their stuff to deal with you and your stuff.

4. The customer does not consider you a value provider, and is out there looking for one.

5. The customer does not perceive you as being genuine.

6. You are unaware of the customerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s motive to buy, and as a result have a hard time perceiving

what their urgency is. Better stated: you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know why or when they intend to purchase.

7. The customer is still shopping.

8. You failed to connect emotionally or intellectually with the customer, and Jeffrey Gitomer they would rather not do business with you.

9. You failed to offer enough proof to eliminate risk and create peace of mind.

9.5 The customer has decided to buy from someone else and feels no sense of obligation to inform you of their decision.

Those are accurate descriptions of some of the real reasons why. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The guy would not return my callâ&#x20AC;? is not a problem. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a symptom. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Whyâ&#x20AC;? the guy would not return my call is the issue. If I can find out why, and correct it, then more if not all of my calls will begin to be returned.

Wow! What a concept.

Here are three new ways of thinking: Âť Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m going to uncover my customerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s intentions and motives for purchase. Âť Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m going to share with him or her how they produce more and profit more after purchase. Âť Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m going to bring in several of our existing customers who will do video testimonials to corroborate my claims.

A â&#x20AC;&#x153;taking responsibilityâ&#x20AC;? law could revolutionize this country. Can you imagine a politician actually having to tell the truth instead of blaming something or someone else?

For the past 100 years, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been the same sales. Salespeople and sales trainers conveniently called reasons for not buying, or not communicating, â&#x20AC;&#x153;objections,â&#x20AC;? thereby shifting the blame to the customer.

HEREâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S THE REALITY: There are no objections.

There are barriers. There are symptoms. There are circumstances. But there are no objections. And all of those barriers, symptoms, and circumstances would disappear if the salesperson takes responsibility, studies the outcome, and implements a better way.

Or you can just blame and whine.

Like a politician.

Jeffrey Gitomer is the author of â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Sales Bibleâ&#x20AC;?, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Customer Satisfaction is Worthlessâ&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Customer Loyalty is Pricelessâ&#x20AC;?, â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Little Red Book of Sellingâ&#x20AC;?, â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Little Red Book of Sales Answersâ&#x20AC;?, â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Little Black Book of Connectionsâ&#x20AC;?, â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Little Gold Book of YES! Attitudeâ&#x20AC;?, â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Little Green Book of Getting Your Wayâ&#x20AC;?, â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Little Platinum Book of ChaChingâ&#x20AC;?, â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Little Teal Book of Trustâ&#x20AC;?, â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Little Book of Leadershipâ&#x20AC;?, and â&#x20AC;&#x153;Social BOOM!â&#x20AC;? His website, www.gitomer.com, will lead you to more information about training and seminars, or email him personally at salesman@gitomer.com.

7 + (

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