MBJ_July11_2014

INSIDE — HOPE Federal busy filling gaps left by bank branch closings

35

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YEARS

Meetings & Conventions

1979

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July 11, 2014 • Vol. 36, No. 28 • $1 • 28 pages

COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES {Section begins P 14}

» COOL ON THE COAST: Bookings for future conventions increasing The Lists {P 19} » Casinos » Museums » Trade Associations

CEASING TO BE ITS OWN PROBLEM….

JACKSON’S NEW MAYOR VOWS TO MAKE CITY BETTER FOR BUSINESS

RATING SYSTEMS

» Mayor Yarber’s plan includes assigning a staffer to each business that comes to City Hall in need of permits or other help

Development {P 3} » Wisconsin company, Green Bay Convertin, plans paper plant in Hattiesburg Energy {P 5} » MDA grants KiOR forbearance after biofuels maker defaults on payment

By TED CARTER ted.carter@msbusiness.com

Photo by Gaetano Catelli

Obama’s proposals for colleges get an ‘F’ from education leaders Eating up the blues » 5th Annual Oxford Blues Festival adds food to the lineup

More, P 2

2014

By BECKY GILLETTE mbj@msbusiness.com

President Barack Obama has drawn the fire from college presidents around the country for a proposal to adopt a rating system for the nation’s colleges and universities that the Presi-

Jackson Mayor Tony Yarber says he will soon launch a “technical assistance shop” to help the city become more of a partner rather than a hindrance to both new businesses and current ones.

It’s part of a strategy, he said, to end Jackson’s tendency to See MAYOR, Page 4

dent says its designed to combat rising college tuition costs and make colleges more accountable providing a quality education that results in students being able to get a good job.

“His plan will measure college performance See

RATING, Page xx

http://msbusiness.com/events/leadership-law-nomination-form/

2 I Mississippi Business Journal I July 11 2014

CREATIVE ECONOMY

It’s summer — party time!

Eating up the blues

» The Oxford Blues Festival is certainly not the only event scheduled this summer. Local culture, food, music, art and more will be offered across the state this month and into August.

“Throughout the summer, communities host festivals and fairs that showcase the authentic sights and sounds of our state’s culture and invite residents and visitors to embrace that culture for themselves.” said Malcolm White, director of Visit Mississippi, in a statement. “Now is a great time to plan an extended family getaway or a short day trip to experience Mississippi’s most interesting events of the summer.”

Photo by Gaetano Catelli / Special to the MBJ

» 5th Annual Oxford Blues Festival adds food to the lineup

BY WALLY NORTHWAY wally.northway@msbusiness.com

Here is a sampling from the Tourism Division of the Mississippi Development Authority of some of the unique festivals and fairs that will be held this summer in Mississippi.

65th Annual Choctaw Indian Fair, Choctaw, July 9-12: Enjoy four fun-filled days in Choctaw, near Philadelphia, where Choctaw tribal culture infuses each day’s activities, including tribal arts, crafts, dances, food and the action of World Championship Stickball. The Choctaw Indian Fair offers fun for young and old alike, from exhilarating rides and contests to well-known entertainment.

36th Annual Mississippi Watermelon Festival, Mize, July 18-19:

Photo by festival volunteers / Special to the MBJ

Since 1978, the Mississippi Watermelon Festival in Mize has celebrated the delicious, ripe, world-famous Smith County watermelons. It’s a great opportunity to experience Southern hospitality at its finest and cool off with a local treat that is a hallmark of summertime.

Natchez Food and Wine Festival, Natchez, July 25-27: Photo by festival volunteers / Special to the MBJ

Darryl Parker, organizer of the 5th Annual Oxford Blues Festival, recently received some inspiration — and validation — on a lonely stretch of Mississippi highway.

“I was traveling along when I saw a van full of people that had pulled off of the side of the road,” Parker remembered. “The folks had stopped at a sign on the Mississippi Blues Trail, which commemorated something that was no longer there. It was a just a sign. It illustrated to me just how far people will go to immerse themselves in the whole culture of the blues. They're so eager they will stop on the side of a highway to see a sign and an empty lot. They don't want to just hear the blues, they want to live the blues.”

Parker is looking to give event-goers just that — a living-blues experience — at the 5th Annual Oxford Blues Festival, which will be held July 17-19 at the Walton-Young House on the grounds of the University of Mississippi Museum.

In addition to live music, the festival will include multiple blues-related panel discussions, bluesthemed visual arts and for the first time a unique blues-food buffet.

“I was sitting around with a couple of friends just brainstorming when someone suggested offering blues-themed food,” Parker said. “This would be dishes such as grits, hot tamales and red beans and rice — food that is talked about in many of the old blues songs. I thought it was a great idea, so we're trying it this year for the first time.”

The festival will kick off on Thursday, July 17 with a VIP “Meet N' Greet” with blues producer, composer and guitarist Jeff Jensen and the “Blues Menu” taster. These will be followed by a performance of the Jeff Jensen Band on the “stage” (front porch) of the Walton-Young House, a Mississippi Landmark that was built in 1880 and is located at the corner of University Avenue and Fifth Street adjacent to the University of Mississippi Museum.

At noon on Friday, July 18, the University of Mississippi Museum will host three blues panel discussions, all moderated by Ole Miss history PhD candidate DeWayne Moore. They will include a visual artist panel, featuring Highway 61 radio program host and Mississippi Blues Trail writer Scott Baretta and Living Blues magazine's production manager Mark Camarigg; a blues scholar panel that will include Chandra Williams, Alan Orlicek and Euphus “Butch” Ruth; and a musicians panel offering performers Tas Cru, Rae Watson, Crystal Tucker and Adam Gussow.

Ticket holders on July 18 and 19 will also have access to the University of Mississippi's Museum's H.C. Porter art exhibit. Porter is a Jackson native and Vicksburg resident whose award-winning pieces will be paired with music and oral histories collected on the blues legends featured in her paintings.

The festival's inaugural year offered music at various nightclubs around Oxford's Square when

In its fifth year, the Oxford Blues Festival has built a reputation for offering a full slate of live performers.

Parker could not land an appropriate single venue.

He said when the museum stepped in year two, it made all the difference.

“We want this event to build a sense of community.”

Parker said. “The museum and the Walton-Young House give us a place for people to gather.”

“The university of Mississippi Museum is thrilled to be a host venue for the Oxford Blues Festival,” said museum director Robert Saarnio. “As an institution that celebrates the arts and the culture of North Mississippi in our exhibitions and programs, our continuing partnership with the festival is a great fit for us and the museum's audiences.”

The live performers are varied, and include such See

BLUES, Page 4

The Natchez Food and Wine Festival has become one of the most anticipated events in the area. With an agenda taking you from one remarkable experience to the next, you will find yourself constantly surrounded with some of the region's most prominent chefs and restaurants, and indulged in the finest of food, wine and entertainment.

Neshoba County Fair, Philadelphia, July 25-Aug. 1: Established in 1889, the Neshoba County Fair® fosters political, agricultural and social exchanges of knowledge and ideas. Home of the state’s only licensed horse track since 1922 and the nation's largest campground fair, the fair is “Mississippi's Giant House Party®” and has been entered on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. Rides, games, entertainment and hundreds of fair cabins provide a great atmosphere for visiting and discussing the latest political issues.

26th Annual Sunflower River Blues & Gospel Festival, Clarksdale, Aug. 8-10: The first Sunflower River Blues Festival took place in 1988 and was funded primarily by Clarksdale's downtown merchants. Since then, one of the largest blues and gospel festivals in Mississippi has grown every year to include some of best names in the business. Celebrated for its authenticity and focus on Mississippi's musical heritage, the event features entertainment by local and nationally known blues and gospel artists and also offers lectures and seminars about music and its unique roots.

Jackson Rhythm & Blues Festival, Jackson, Aug. 15-16: On multiple stages at the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Museum, this inaugural event will be headlined by American Idol winner Fantasia and Ziggy Marley and will feature over 30 of the best R&B artists ever assembled in the Southeast, including Bell Biv Devoe, Chrisette Michele, Estelle, Dorothy Moore, Curtis Salgado and Boney James.

July 11, 2014

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Wisconsin company plans paper plant in state A Wisconsin company will open a $48 million plant in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, to make paper towels, tissue and other projects, hiring 300 people over five years.

Green Bay Converting and Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant announced the plans Monday in Hattiesburg.

State and local governments will contribute aid and tax incentives projected to be worth more than $12 million.

Green Bay Converting, founded in 1999, takes paper and converts it into finished products.

"We are excited about the continued growth of our business and believe Hattiesburg to be the perfect location for our next expansion," CEO Greg Santaga said in a statement.

It's the second investment in Hattiesburg for Santaga. He bought Hattiesburg Paper in 2005 from Kimberly-Clark Corp. That company was later wrapped into Specialty Products Group, which was majority-owned by private equity firm CIC Partners of Dallas, with Santaga maintaining a

minority stake. Georgia-Pacific Consumer Products LP announced in June that it would buy Specialty Products Group.

Chad Newell, president of the Area Development Partnership, said Santaga's previous experience in Hattiesburg was part of what led him back when Green Bay Converting decided it needed a location in the South in addition to the 300-employee operation it will maintain in Wisconsin.

"Greg having has experience in Hattiesburg with a previous company.

He felt really comfortable with our workforce capabilities and our community," Newell said.

Newell said the average annual wage at the plant is projected to be $38,000.

The company will build a 400,000-square-foot plant in the Forrest County Industrial Park.

The Mississippi Development Authority said local officials are leasing 40 acres to the plant for free — with an option for another 64 acres —

land valued at $1.04 million.

The Hattiesburg City Council and the Forrest County Board of Supervisors met Monday morning to give 10-year tax breaks on nonschool property taxes. MDA projects those breaks will be worth $9.75 million.

The state is providing $629,000 to clear and prepare the site, with local authorities adding another $100,000. Newell said the city will spend more than $200,000 to extend water and sewer connections to the new plant.

The city is also spending $679,000 to improve overall water service, although Newell said that will benefit more users than just Green Bay Converting.

"In essence, we're providing a donated, cleared site with the site prep already done," he said.

The state will also provide $250,000 for one-time expenses related to the project, plus hiring and worker training services and state tax incentives.

— from staff and MBJ wire services

BorgWarner to hire 158 in Water Valley expansion WATER VALLEY — Transmission maker BorgWarner will expand its north Mississippi plant again, investing $43 million and hiring up to 158 new employees.

It's the fourth time in the past four years that BorgWarner has announced an expansion at the Water Valley plant, which now has 339 employees.

Gov. Phil Bryant and the company announced the latest expansion Monday in the Yalobusha County town.

The Mississippi Development Authority will provide $2.5 million to help with infrastructure

needs, along with $200,000 for one-time expenses and worker training. The Tennessee Valley Authority and Yalobusha County also provided undisclosed help.

MDA said the new jobs will pay an average yearly salary of $35,000.

The company said it is expanding production of some transmission systems including Eco-Launch, which allows for the quick automatic transmission function needed when automakers design engines that stop and start quickly to improve fuel economy.

"Technologies such as our Eco-Launch solenoid

valve enable our customers to implement stop/start systems that can improve fuel economy by 3 to 10 percent, depending on driving patterns. Our leading technologies enable vehicles to take advantage of these systems with smoother shifts and launches," BorgWarner President and CEO James R. Verrier said in a written statement.

BorgWarner, based in Auburn Hills, Michigan, makes transmissions, all-wheel-drive systems, turbochargers, cooling systems and other engine components.

— from staff and MBJ wire services

D'Iberville Mayor Rusty Quave has said the city is looking forward to tax revenue and 1,500 permanent jobs.

Scarlet Pearl would be the 13th casino on the Mississippi coast and the first to open since Biloxi's $62 million Margaritaville Casino & Restaurant in 2012.

the Center for Population Studies, the Center for Archaeological Research and the McLean Institute for Public Service and Community Engagement.

Garland, Hedleston and Mayes — three 1930sera buildings that were dormitories until a few years ago — are slated for renovation into academic and administrative office space, although a timetable has not been set.

Low ceilings, structural confinement and limited bathroom facilities don't meet contemporary standards for student housing, but suffice for offices, Hunter said.

The GHM renovation is budgeted at $14 million in state funds. The work will include replacing roofs, restoring windows, providing elevators to all levels, making the buildings comply with fire codes and improving the interiors.

CONSTRUCTION

Ole Miss working on construction, renovation GAMING

Scarlet Pearl casino groundbreaking July 15 D'IBERVILLE — Officials will hold a groundbreaking ceremony for D'Iberville's first casino on July 15.

Construction will start on the Scarlet Pearl Casino Resort after owners persuaded banks to loan the more than $250 million needed to build the 60,000-square foot casino and adjoining 300room hotel.

The Mississippi Gaming Commission voted June 26 to approve the start of construction, after the casino missed an earlier financing deadline.

Scarlet Pearl CEO George Toth has said he aims to open the casino and hotel tower before the beginning of 2016.

OXFORD — Construction and renovation will create more student housing, classrooms and academic office space at the University of Mississippi in Oxford.

A yet-to-be-named dormitory is scheduled to open in August 2015 and will house 304 students.

Chad Hunter, an architect for the university, said plans are being made for a housing complex to open in August 2016 to hold 600 to 650 residents.

It would replace an existing dorm, Guess Hall.

The former law school building, near the Grove, has undergone an extensive renovation to become space for the College of Liberal Arts and associated programs. Lamar Hall already has its first occupants, and this fall it will house classrooms and offices for the Department of Sociology and Anthropology, the Center for Writing and Rhetoric, the Writing Center, the William Winter Institute for Racial Reconciliation,

HEALTHCARE FINANCE

Fitch downgrades Baptist’s bond rating JACKSON — Fitch Ratings has downgraded approximately $97.1 million Mississippi Hospital Equipment and Facilities Authority revenue bonds, series 2007A, issued on behalf of Mississippi Baptist Health System (MBHS) to from “BBB+” to “BBB”.

The rating outlook is “stable”.

— from staff and MBJ wire services

TECHNOLOGY

MetroCast sells Mississippi and Alabama systems Block Communications Inc. has acquired MetroCast Mississippi, a rural cable system that provides cable television, telephone and Internet services to more than 45,000 residential and business customers in 16 Mississippi counties.

Toldeo, Ohio-based BCI also acquired MetroCast operations serving Red Bay, Alabama.

BCI says in a statement the deal is expected to close by the end of the year. It is subject to franchise transfer approval by local municipalities. Terms of the deal were not disclosed Block Communications operates cable systems in two Ohio cities and owns televisions stations and newspapers in several states.

MetroCast Mississippi is a subsidiary of Harron Communications of Frazer, Pennsylvania.

It serves customers in a territory including Oxford, Kosciusko, Starkville, Carthage, Holly Springs, Philadelphia, Booneville, Raleigh, Iuka, Louisville, Houston, Decatur, Pontotoc, Forest and New Albany.

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Residents gather as USS America sails from Ingalls USS America, the newest amphibious assault ship built at Ingalls Shipbuilding, left Pascagoula on Thursday as local residents looked on.

Its next stop will be for its commissioning on Oct. 11 in San Francisco.

Ingalls officials could not confirm a specific time for the departure citing safety concerns.

The 844-foot-long ship was delivered to the Navy in April. Since then, the America has been docked at Ingalls to take on sailors and tie up loose ends before leaving.

Construction began in July 2009 at Ingalls. It was christened in October 2012.

It is the fourth ship to bear the name.

— from staff and MBJ wire services

4 I Mississippi Business Journal I July 11 2014

MAYOR

Continued from Page 1

be “its own problem.”

Yarber said he has handed the job of creating the new shop to Carl Allen, interim director of Planning & Development, and Jason Goree, interim director of economic development. “We’ve been looking at how we do permitting, how we do signs, how we do follow ups,” Yarber said in an interview last week. “We’re putting a laser-like focus on recruitment and retention.”

The one-stop technical assistance shop will assign a staffer to each business that comes to City Hall in need of permits or other assistance, Yarber said, and added a draft plan is under review and expects the shop to be in operation within weeks.

He said he also is insisting on seeing proposals from staff on ways to hasten permit approvals. Additionally, he wants an overhaul of the sign ordinance, he said.

The 36-year-old pastor-turned-politician said the several years he spent as an alderman led him to conclude Jackson City Hall was squandering a good bit of the city’s economic potential. He attributed this to a perception of indifference to the business community.

He encountered a pair of discouraging examples within days of taking office, said Yarber, winner of a multi-candidate race to replace the late Mayor Chokwe Lumumba, who died suddenly in February after slightly more than a half year in office.

One example involved city foot dragging on the more than $100 million District of Eastover project off Interstate-55 that developer and commercial real estate broker Ted Duckworth was eager to get going on. A frustrated

Jackson Mayor Tony Yarber xstands with Jackson businessmen at the official groundbreaking at the District at Eastover recently. Yarber points to the District at Eastover as proof he is getting things done in Jackson.

Duckworth Realty photo from http://districtateastover.com

hold his hand from start to finish – “even to the ribbon cutting of the project,” he said.

The other example occurred by chance at the recent National Association of Shopping Centers convention in Las Vegas. While visiting the booth of Jackson’s Mattiace Properties, Yarber learned the city could lose a chance to fill the vacant Circuit City space on County Line Road over difficulties Conn’s HomePlus was having with City Hall on a sign permit.

Yarber said he made a few calls back to City Hall and “within 20 minutes” staff corrected the problem.

“A lot of our issues come from business owners and developers not being confident that this was a place interested in their business being here,” Yarber said, insisting it is a perception he intends to erase before leaving office.

“We’re putting a laser-like focus on recruitment and retention.”

Tony Yarber Jackson mayor

Duckworth finally came to the council to complain that the city’s Planning & Development office had not returned three weeks of calls from him.

Yarber, who was on hand to hear Duckworth’s complaints, met the next day with Duckworth. Soon after, the 585,000-square-foot mixed-use retail project was cleared for ground breaking.

“You’ll notice that since we’ve in office, dirt has been getting turned out there,” Yarber said.

Under the technical assistance shop strategy, a developer such as Duckworth would be assigned a city staff member to

BLUES

Continued from Page 2

acts as Eric Hughes, Big Joe Shelton, The Blues Doctors, Cadillac Funk, The Blues Boys and more. The headliner will be Mr. Sipp, a McComb native who started playing at the age of six and is dubbed “The

The new mayor says he also is seeking to strengthen the city’s relationships with state government. So far, he said, he has persuaded Gov. Phil Bryant to have the Mississippi Development Authority assign one of its staff members to work directly with the city on economic development.

“This happened because we reached out to forge relationships,” he said.

While the late Mayor Lumumba had little interest in pursuing former Mayor Harvey Johnson’s ambitious “GO-80” revitalization plan, Yarber said he sees value in the Johnson U.S. Highway 80 strategy. He noted that as an alderman he

Mississippi Blues Child.” Sipp, a songwriter, musician, producer and composer, is the 2014 winner of the International Blues Challenge. He has performed as far away as Russia and has played this year in Germany, California, Florida, and Illinois and points closer to home.

Ticket information is available at

supported the rezoning that banned new pawn shops, payday lenders, tanning salons and other such businesses from the corridor.

Any genuine revival of the stretch of highway from Pearl to Clinton hinges on redevelopment of the Metrocenter Mall, he noted. City and state offices occupy much of the mall which is still anchored by Burlington Coat Factory.

Metrocenter, about 60 percent occupied with about 330,000 of vacant space remaining, has been on the market for $6.5 million for nearly a year.

Yarber said he heard some interest in the circa 1978 mall while at the National Association of Shopping Centers convention. “We met with a couple of folks who were very serious about purchasing and developing it,” he said. “We want someone who is serious about redeveloping a mall that is outdated and has been successful with that transformation process.”

With the tightened lending that accompanied the real estate collapse of the last decade, many retail complexes around the country are getting built through public-private partnerships. Yarber indicated he is less than enthusiastic about such arrangements, but noted he would not reflexively retreat from one. Any public-private deal must be weighted heavily in the city’s favor, he said.

“We want to be sure the skin we are putting in is tipped more to our side,” Yarber noted.

Those sorts of opportunities aren’t likely, he conceded, until the city upgrades its roads and utilities. He said he wants to go into those deals able to offer “the best water system in the state.”

Acknowledging that blight handicaps the city’s economic development efforts, Yarber said he wants to streamline the city’s cumbersome code enforcement process.

He is starting, he said, by eliminating the requirement to bid out the “grass and weed” jobs. Since these lot clearings typically entail charges of $600 or less, they can be awarded on a rotating contract basis.

“That will be happening before summer is over,” he said.

“Again, it goes back to the idea that we will no longer be our own problem. Where we can streamline and cut red tape, we will do it.”

www.oxfordbluesfestival.com, including discounted tickets for early purchases.

Children 12 and under can enter free with an adult. There will be a $5 cooler fee, and vendors will be on hand to sell barbecue and fried catfish.

Parker said the 5th Annual Oxford Blues Festival is expected to draw approximately

1,200 attendees.

“When I started this thing, I though, 'Man, if we could get 10,000-12,000 people in here we would make a lot of money and the festival would be successful,”' Parker said. “But, I've rethought that. If this festival brings the community together, teaches as well as entertains, it is a success.”

July 11 2014

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ENERGY

MDA grants KiOR forbearance after biofuels maker defaults on payment

By TED CARTER ted.carter@msbusiness.com

In a sign that biofuel maker KiOR Inc.’s money troubles aren’t letting up, the startup company will make a $250,000 forbearance payment to the Mississippi Development Authority in exchange for 120 days to get current on its nearly $70 million debt to the MDA. KiOR defaulted on a $1.87 million payment that was scheduled for June 30. The $250,000 fee is a separate payment to the state that does not reduce the company’s liability to the state under the parties’ agreement, the MDA said in a press statement late Thursday. The agency said it granted the forbearance on advice of outside counsel retained with the help of Attorney General Jim Hood.

The state would be the first creditor in line and could seize the company’s plant if a default occurs on the remainder of the loan,

the MDA says.

The Pasadena, Texas-based KiOR has faced problems reliably producing the amount of oil that the plant was designed to make.

KiOR said in May it was idling the $225 million Columbus plant, meant to make oil from wood chips and needed a significant cash infusion for further testing on the commercial applications for its product. More research and technological improvements are needed, it said.

The plant stopped production in December, when it had about 100 employees.

GULF COAST

Gulfport wants to dismiss appeal in fight with Biloxi over annexation GULFPORT and BILOXI — The fight between the cities of Gulfport and Biloxi over a contested piece of land along the Mississippi Highway 605 corridor may be a step closer toward resolution.

Gulfport has asked the Mississippi Supreme Court to dismiss its appeal of an earlier court ruling. The vacationing Supreme Court has not ruled on the motion. The case is scheduled for oral arguments July 22 in Jackson. Biloxi and Gulfport have been battling over the same territory since 2009. Both cities are located in Harrison County, which has sided with Biloxi in the case.

John P. Scanlon, an attorney for the city of Gulfport, filed a motion last week with the high court saying that both parties have agreed to dismiss the case.

Biloxi officials said yesterday the cities had agreed in April to drop the annexation case.

City of Biloxi spokesman Vincent Creel said both cities decided to “settle our differences over existing annexation cases and have no further annexation cases until at least June 2017, when the current terms of office expire.”

He said Gulfport was to file a motion with the Supreme Court.

Gulfport wanted to annex a 2.5-square-

mile area that encompasses property owned by developer James Frisby. Under an agreement with Frisby’s Pitcher Point Investments, Gulfport agreed to bring city services to the property for an upscale residential development called Belle la Vie. Both cities had sought at different times to incorporate Pitcher Point as part of each called a friendly annexation.

The city of Biloxi argued in court documents that for Gulfport to reach Frisby’s property, it would have to annex a strip of unincorporated territory running along Biloxi’s western and northern boundaries.

During a 2011 trial, Biloxi officials argue that in the middle of a trial on the annexation, Gulfport sought to amend documents related to municipal services to the Frisby property and Biloxi said it was unprepared to respond to the changes.

A Harrison County judge sided with Biloxi and dismissed Gulfport’s annexation case.

Chancery Judge Thomas L. Zebert said he would not allow Gulfport to alter its plans for the delivery of municipal improvements in the middle of the trial. He ordered the city to start over and adopt a new annexation ordinance, file an amended petition and republish public notices.

By mid June, it laid off 18 workers and said it anticipated cutting more of the remaining 55 workers.

The Associated Press reported in May that KiOR reached a deal to stave off an impending debt default, borrowing $25 million from an entity controlled by Vinod Khosla, who also owns 64 percent of the company’s stock. But that’s only enough to sustain operations through August, the AP reported.

Stock filings indicate KiOR has drawn down $10 million so far, AP reported on June 19. Khosla is supposed to agree that KiOR has met “certain performance milestones” before each installment.

The company owes nearly $280 million, including $69.4 million to the state of Mississippi.

The state loaned KiOR $75 million to help its startup, one of a number of investments made by Gov. Haley Barbour’s administration in alternative-energy companies. Until the June 30 default, KiOR

FILE / The Mississippi Business Journal

KiOR defaulted on a $1.87 million payment that was scheduled for June 30. The $250,000 fee is a separate payment to the state that does not reduce the company’s liability to the state under the parties’ agreement, the MDA said in a press statement late Thursday.

had been making scheduled loan payments.

As recently as late September, KiOR portrayed its operations as successful and said it was poised to double its biofuels production in Columbus.

The increased capacity would entail building a second cellulosic fuels facility in Columbus at a cost of $225 million, the Associated Press reported.

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OTHER VIEWS

M

University trustees seek major funding increase

ississippi’s public universities’ board of trustees recently voted to seek a $76.3 million increase in state funding for the eight universities when the Legislature gathers in January 2015 to write the fiscal 2016 budget.

The request is a 10.2 percent increase, if granted, over the funding they will receive in the 2015 budget year. Mississippi’s budget cycle runs from July 1 to June 30.

It sounds like a lot, but Mississippi’s universities still are recovering from years of state funding cuts and a dramatic decline in the percentage of their budgets that comes from the state.

The trustees, more widely called the College Board, have no control over the universities’ revenue except to approve tuition and fees increases, a frequent and necessary action.

The $76.3 million figure, board officials said, splits the difference between the low and high increases they had considered seeking.

Universities cite the need to increase faculty salaries, support research units that suffered during the recession, cover increases in financial aid and expand the University of Mississippi Medical Center teaching and operations.

“It’s an expression of our needs,” said Higher Education Commissioner Hank

Bounds, but adding, “ …The truth of the matter is it’s not a full reflection of our needs.”

Of the total, $34 million would go into a formula that allocates money to universities based in part on how many credit hours students complete. The board also wants $8 million for a special projects. Plus, the trustees seek 8 percent increases for the agricultural research units of Mississippi State University and Alcorn State University, which had proposed 12 percent hikes.

The University of Mississippi Medical See VIEWS, Page 7

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» THE OUTSIDE WORLD

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Wicker’s 2008 Senate race also had sharp ads

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n the midst of what was thought to be a close election for the U.S. Senate in 2008, Republican Roger Wicker ran radio ads courting the votes of black Mississippians because his opponent, Ronnie Musgrove, was perceived by some as being lukewarm in support of fellow Democrat Barack Obama for president.

Of course, what was not told during the radio ads was that Wicker, a former U.S. House member from Tupelo, had spent the entire campaign opposing Obama and trying to tie Musgrove, a former governor, to Obama. Wicker and his campaign and supporters knew that Obama, an African-American, was not popular with most white Bobby Harrison Mississippians, who are a large majority in the state.

Wicker’s ads were targeted to a specific demographic and told, at best, half the story.

The same campaign, Wicker or at least his supporters, ran ads criticizing Musgrove for “trying to change our flag.” Musgrove, along with most other statewide officials, endorsed a new flag in 2002 to replace the state flag, which some viewed as racist because the Confederate battle emblem is part of the design.

The new flag was overwhelmingly rejected by voters.

Wicker brought up the flag in 2008 even though the issue of a new flag was long dead and the design of the Mississippi flag has nothing to do with what a U.S. senator’s duties and responsibilities entail.

Obviously, Wicker and his supporters were trying to court a different demographic with those ads.

I make these points not to cast any judgment on See HARRISON, Page 8

PERSPECTIVE

July 11, 2014 I Mississippi Business Journal

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7

» RICKY NOBILE » POLITICS

Black Democrats look to Cochran for help

A

»INSIDE MISSISSIPPI

Patriots’ Duty: Keep national fabric whole

E

very Independence Day, words and symbols from our Founders captivate me.

There is the preamble to the Declaration of Independence, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness…” adopted July 4th, 1776, by the Continental Congress.

There is the Great Seal of the United States, commissioned by the congress on July 4, 1776. One side of the seal features the motto e pluribus unum (out of many one), the stars and bars, and the American bald eagle supported only by “Virtue.”

The other side features the Eye of Providence below the words Annuit Coeptis (He has favored our undertakings).

There is more, but you get the point.

The great irony to these inspirational words and symbols of liberty, virtue, and unity is the Founders who adopted them also approved slavery and ignored the rights of Native Americans and women.

Perhaps it is that struggle to live up to our words and values that turns my thoughts to another fabric each Independence Day. It comes from Dolly Parton’s poignant song “Coat of Many Colors.” It’s a simple song about a poor girl with a coat sewn by her mother from a box of rags. As her mother sewed, she told Dolly the biblical story of Joseph Bill Crawford and his Coat of Many Colors. For Dolly, the coat represented hard work, love, and devotion. It was far more than a bunch of rags.

Dolly’s song is a metaphor for the rough-hewn fabric of 20th Century America as our original national fabric, ripped by the Civil War and the Depression, was re-woven through hardship, hard work, and hardy devotion… by Americans of all colors and circumstances.

The 21st Century may be different. Vast sums of money supporting ever-more-divisive fights over political and social issues and 24/7 political and media personalities who prosper by inciting others to slash our national fabric pose risks. That plus dysfunctional government, eroding infrastructure, personal and governmental debt, and widening wealth gaps risk deep and dangerous tears.

The Bible warns us “to every thing there is a season.” Could this be the season where our strong and virtuous national fabric rips apart?

It’s every patriot’s duty to work hard and seek His favor to keep our Founder-stitched Coat of Many Colors far more than a bunch of rags.

The great irony to these inspirational words and symbols of liberty, virtue, and unity is the Founders who adopted them also approved slavery and ignored the rights of Native Americans and women.

Fortunately, the Constitution and Bill of Rights that sprung from the Declaration of Independence and the values expressed in the Great Seal wove a strong and virtuous national fabric that eventually freed slaves and gave rights to women and Native Americans as well as Irish, Chinese, and other immigrants who helped build our nation.

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

fter black voters helped Mississippi Sen. Thad Cochran survive an intense Republican primary runoff against an insurgent conservative challenger, some civil rights leaders in the South want him to repay the favor.

Their request? Cochran should lead the charge in the Senate to renew a key section of the Voting Rights Act struck down last year by the Supreme Court's conservative majority.

"But for the Voting Rights Act, those African-Americans who turned out to the polls ... to support his re-election would not have had the opportunity to do so," said Mississippi NAACP President Derrick Johnson.

Cochran angered some conservatives with his unabashed appeal to Democrats in the June 24 runoff election against state Sen. Chris McDaniel, who eked out a win with the support of tea party groups in the state's primary but didn't win the outright majority required to avoid a runoff against the six-term incumbent.

Black Mississippians, who AP exit polls have indicated overwhelmingly vote Democratic, have voted for Cochran in general elections in the past, but have never before been such a key voting bloc in a contested GOP contest. He must now ponder how to respond to that unusual primary coalition while mending fissures inside the state GOP, which is mostly supported by voters who are white.

That task is complicated by requests such as those made by Johnson, as well as a potential legal challenge from McDaniel.

He and his supporters argue — so far without presenting any definitive evidence — that Cochran won because "liberal Democrats" voted in the June 3 Democratic primary and then in the Republican runoff three weeks later, violating the state's ban on what's called crossover voting. McDaniel said Friday on CNN that his campaign found at least 5,000 irregularities in voting, and he will mount a legal challenge "any day now."

It'sjustonemoretwistinanelectionthataffirmspoliticsinMississippiandsurroundingSouthernstatesissometimesstillallaboutrace.

—TheAssociatedPress

VIEWS

Continued from Page 6

Center, Jackson, sought a $17 million increase, which would boost its state funding by 9 percent to $205 million. The medical center would use the money to cover shortfalls in federal reimbursements for training medical residents, expanding enrollment and creating a department of preventive medicine.

Trustees can expect some kickback from part of the universities’ constituency because they did not agree to $7 million in requests from Delta State University, Mississippi Valley State University and the University of Southern Mississippi.

Mississippi’s revenue on the report covering through May showed a 4.43 percent increase in the fiscal year to date, in total about $289 million above the total expected revenue through that date. A final accounting of revenue over budgeted costs has not been made.

The board’s plan is ambitious, but given the vital nature of higher education to Mississippi’s economic growth and retention of the state’s best young minds, the request should get a full and fair hearing.

— Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal

8 I Mississippi Business Journal I July 11, 2014

PERSPECTIVE

»VIEW FROM THE STENNIS INSTITUTE

» WHAT YOU’RE READING

Fight on, Chris McDaniel

Here are the most-read stories on msbusiness.com from July 1 - July 8.

H

eaven help us, this Republican Primary really is ugly and in full view of a nosy nation who long suspected this southern neighbor to be fullblown crazy.

As we move forward, let’s consider a variety of realities, because several exist. The prevailing reality is “there is no story here.” Cochran won. McDaniel lost. Democrats voted their interest by switching parties to help Cochran win the runoff. The majority of those same Democrats will come right back out and vote for Cochran in November and against their own candidate, Travis Childers.

Did some Democrats break state law by switching parties to vote in the run-off election?

Likely.

A 7,000 vote difference?

Doubtful.

Could any lawyer use it to prove this run-off election was bogus in a Mississippi Court?

Heck, no. But that won’t stop a few from trying to make a little of the ridiculous amounts of money these campaigns possess.

But what about the sneaky, underhanded, and disgusting way the Cochran campaign purchased black votes to help destroy McDaniel in the Delta?

So what. Again, no story.

For years, everyone from Sheriffs and Supervisors to National PACs working campaigns in Mississippi have been throwing money at pimp preachers and passing around envelopes filled with “walking around money.” It’s politics in Mississippi. You may not like it, but you don’t win without it in the Delta.

The jump in votes for Cochran in the Delta was less about black votes and more the result of Establishment Republican volunteers getting out their base (white) vote, voters who initially were not too enthused with either candidate. Turned off by the ugly campaign ads, they thought Cochran would win in a blowout, recognizing almost too late the growing strength of the Tea Party in Mississippi.

In this reality, the race is now over. Sure it was ugly, but let’s move on. Cochran has been declared the winner, the election certified. McDaniel, therefore, and his entire camp of Tea Party Patriots should surrender and join the Establishment’s army in order to help take back the U.S. Senate from Harry Reid and Democrats who seek nothing less than the destruction of the American way of life.

Not so fast, Republican friends. There are still a couple of alternate realities remaining. The Reality of the Frankenstein Monster: the figurative monster created during the Nixon and Reagan campaigns. A monster envisioned by Mississippi’s Clarke Reed during Nixon’s sweep through the south. A monster built

by GOP apparatchiks out of severed limbs and bloody body parts. A monster whose abnormal brain came straight from Lee Atwater, the political genius who encouraged Reagan to publicly

HARRISON

Continued from Page 6

the Roger Wicker campaign of 2008, but to point out that it is not unusual for candidates to target voters. And, it shouldn’t be a surprise that candidates run ads that in the eyes of their opponents tell only half the story – at best.

In the aftermath of the just completed bare-knuckled U.S. Senate Republican primary runoff, losing candidate Chris McDaniel and his supports have expressed dismay with ads run on black radio stations by incumbent Thad Cochran, who barring

present his Charles Manson-like fears during his 1980 Presidential campaign knowing David Dallas a large and disenchanted group of Americans shared the same nightmare.

So the party of Reagan created an angry, distrustful electorate fearful of the threat of over taxation, lawlessness, big government, and black power. This anger has grown into a Monster that now must lash back in order to survive, even if it means killing its Creator.

Why are GOP Doctor Frankensteins surprised by the likes of McDaniel and his rabid supporters? It’s like building a bomb without expecting it to ever explode. They instigated our national resentment towards taxes, government, blacks, Hispanics, immigrants, labor unions, environmentalists, scientists, intellectuals, and the poor. They spread fear and loathing not just among the uneducated, but also in the seemingly successful, monied, church-going, college-educated communities.

Their Monster is filled with very real and very concerned voters who know how incredibly close they came to knocking Cochran out in the first primary.

This Monster is no joke, no matter what liberal comedians and left-wing bloggers say. Even Cochran supporters have resorted to terrible name calling, seeking to belittle McDaniel and those urging him to fight on. The Establishment says these extremists are too blind to see they could end up aiding the Democratic opposition in the fall.

McDaniel is not blind and neither are the Tea Party Patriots in Mississippi. They are a major force. It doesn’t really matter anymore just how misinformed, ill-informed, and manipulated they were in the past by the GOP Establishment. They know exactly what they need to do now if they are going to save our nation.

Joseph Heller wrote, “the truth is whatever people believe.”

Like those trapped in Plato’s Cave the reality for Mississippi’s Tea Party Patriots is a different one. It must be a very scary one. Beyond the basic belief the federal government must be downsized and deficit spending eliminated, some believe God is angry with America. Some believe our President is a Muslim terrorist hellbent on turning us into a socialist nation. Some believe our nation will soon be overrun by immigrants. They believe Thad Cochran and the GOP establishment have been complicit in big government, overspending, and the rest of this God forsaken treachery. That for them is the truth, a truth that carries with it tremendous responsibility.

Let the rest of us show some empathy. For if this is what McDaniel’s supporters truly believe and they believe their uncompromising views alone are all that can preserve the America our Founders created, well, they must fight on. They must fight on by any means necessary. Fight on, Chris McDaniel, fight on! » David Dallas is a political writer. He worked for former U.S. Sen. John Stennis and authored Barking Dawgs and A Gentleman from Mississippi.

a long-shot successful challenge by McDaniel, is the winner of the primary by roughly 2 percentage points.

Cochran ran ads on black radio stations saying McDaniel would be an obstructionist and make things difficult for Obama.

The ads also said a McDaniel victory would put social welfare programs, such as Food Stamps, in jeopardy.

Now, true McDaniel could not do those things by himself. But he has campaigned on reducing federal spending, perhaps including social welfare programs. And, heck, if there has been one central theme

to the McDaniel campaign it has been that he would oppose Obama. He repeatedly asked enthusiastic audiences during the long campaign to name one fight Cochran has led against Obama. McDaniel then added, if elected, he would lead those fights.

Granted, it is unusual for a Republican in Mississippi to target the black community – especially in a primary.

But to any extent that Cochran was successful in garnering black votes it was less because of his actions, but rather because of Chris McDaniel’s words. It was the

1. McDaniel delivers challenge notice to Cochran’s son 2. McDaniel still not conceding; fights over poll books 3. Cherokee Brick & Tile to restart Tri-State plant 4. Ole Miss offering new beacon tech for sports fans 5. Ex-judge accused of attempting to influence witness

» MBJ COMMENTS ONLINE

Election has one voter turning in GOP card RE: “GOP consultant: Tea party complaints ‘racist and stupid” (June 27) ... I am from Mississippi, white and I USED to be a Republican.

I have been voting independent and Democrat for a while now but with a lot of other unhappy ex-Republicans chose to speak my mind in the June 3 primary and a lot more of us again on the 24th that Mississippi is tired of buying what the TeaPots are selling.

You can just keep believing this was caused by robocalls and outsiders until you fall into complete insignificance if you choose and that is just fine with me! I am so thrilled that Senator Cochran chose to defy you racist and reach out across party lines to the PEOPLE of Mississippi.

If you had once stepped out of the echo chamber of your own voices you would have realized you were setting yourself up for a fall.

Maybe if YOU stopped listening to out of state moneyed interest and started listening to what the people of MS are saying you might have realized your danger before the runoff but the fact that your backers wasted all that money on you is reward enough for me.

A lot of Mississippians have discovered that the further right y’all go the only thing we get is “another day older and deeper in debt” and we are well and truly tired of the fact that under the tutelage of far right dogma for years MS is still sitting last place in anything that matters.

Your economic and social theories are nothing but products of your own hate filled imaginations and we want better for our children.

We have successfully separated you parasites from your Republican host now and they will either come back to the real world or go back and die with you. Next time you decided to create a political party you might try talking to ALL the people not just the ones cuddling up to you.

same words that got McDaniel a lot of support from other Mississippi voters.

Did Cochran tell the whole truth in those ads? In the eyes of McDaniel and his supporters, definitely not. But Cochran might ask if all the McDaniel ads told the whole truth.

In politics …

Bobby Harrison has been covering Mississippi politics for more than 20 years. Contact him at (601) 946-9931 or bobby.harrison@journalinc.com .

July 11 2014

I

Mississippi Business Journal

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BANKS and CREDIT UNIONS

HOPE Federal busy filling gaps left by bank branch closings » 'Bank deserts' within Mississippi's low-and-moderate income communities have grown along with the pace of branch closing

By TED CARTER ted.carter@msbusiness.com

Mississippi banks have left Bill Bynum and the HOPE Federal Credit Union he runs plenty of opportunity to grow Hope's branching business.

But he'd rather they wouldn't.

Bank branch closings at the start of the financial services sector collapse in 2008 through the past few years of recovery greatly increased the challenge of reversing the spread of “bank deserts” across Mississippi. Though the nonprofit HOPE Federal Credit Union has more than tripled its branch locations throughout its multi-state market of Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas and Greater Memphis over the past Bynum years, the deserts within low-and-moderate income communities have grown along with the pace of branch closing by for-profit banks, according to Bynum, CEO of both HOPE Federal and 20-year-old parent organization Hope Enterprise Corp.

The longtime non-profit financial services executive cites a study by the advocacy organization Corporation for Enterprise Development that puts 69 percent of Mississippi's zip codes in the bank desert category, meaning they either have no bank locations or only a single one. Of Mississippi’s 533 zip codes in 2012, 369 had one bank or fewer, Corporation for Enterprise Development reported.

The map explains why 38.7 percent of Mississippi households are either unbanked or underbanked, Bynum noted in an interview the same day Hope Federal Credit Union opened a full-service branch in Central Mississippi's Terry, a town of about 1,300 left without a bank when Regions Bank closed its branch there in the spring.

Regions donated the building to Hope after closing the branch, a gift it has made three times previously after closing branches.

Bynum said he is grateful to Regions and is encouraged by the response Hope has received in all three of the communities.

“They are some of our most used branches,” he said, though he added they were not sufficiently profitable enough to meet the $117 billion Birmingham-based bank's business model.

He said he expects an equally strong response to the new Terry location, whose opening is part of a five year strategic plan to double the number of places and people served – particularly in bank deserts such as Terry.

“We responded to the support that folks in Terry demonstrated,” Bynum said. When Regions left, “all of a sudden they were left with no banking services.

“Before we opened the doors we had we had over 500 people who said they were ready to join. They are serious about taking control of their financial futures.”

HOPE Federal Credit stepped in two years ago to open tem-

porary locations in Utica and Edwards after BancorpSouth closed the only bank locations in each community as part of branch closings across its multi-state market.

HOPE eventually moved from Utica's City Hall into a permanent location in the town of fewer than 900 residents but left Edwards after failing to secure a suitable permanent location.

Next up For HOPE Federal, Bynum said, is Greenville.

“We'll be opening in the next several weeks. Our build-out is complete there.”

HOPE Federal has had a limited-services operation there for the last 20 years but the new branch will offer full services.

HOPE Federal, with $200 million in assets and owned by its See

HOPE, Page 10

'Branch rationalization' guiding Hancock, Regions branching strategies

By TED CARTER ted.carter@msbusiness.com

Fresh off of closing more than two dozen branches and selling a handful of others in its fivestate market, Hancock Bank is back in the branching business with the opening of a full service location in West Hattiesburg.

The 5,300-square-foot Oak Grove branch at 12 Newtowne Loop is among several branches and financial centers the $20 billion Gulfport-based Hancock has opened since a round of branch closing last year aimed at trimming branch costs by about $25 million. The closings followed the 2012 acquisition of New Orleans-based Whitney Bank, a move that gave the combined banks nearly 300 locations from Florida to Texas.

Hancock spokesman Paul Maxwell said West Hattiesburg is a thriving community that met the banking company's “branch rationalization” criteria, especially with Lamar County's potential for economic growth.

The bulk of Hancock's branch closings occurred in non-legacy markets, with only one in Mississippi and two in Whitney's Louisiana market.

“Branch banking is still very much alive,” Maxwell said.

“That is why wee feel the Oak Grove location can provide the contemporary mix of banking services the residents need.”

Hancock has 11 branches in the 601 area code.

That footprint for Hancock footprint includes Hattiesburg, Petal, Picayune, Poplarville, Prentiss, Purvis and Sumrall. An additional 34 locations serve the Hancock, Harrison and Jackson counties region, Maxwell said.

Like Hancock Bank, the $117 billion Regions Bank went on a recent branch closing spree, though it shut down only three Mississippi branches: One each in Biloxi, Collinsville and Terry.

Regions closed those branches in March. Last week, HOPE Federal Credit Union opened a branch in Terry in the building Regions vacated and donated to HOPE. Arthur Ducote, Regions' Mississippi president, said the value of branches to Regions is shown by the 95 percent of Regions' customers who use more than one branch. “If you look at our branch channel, even though transactions are down 8 percent, 76 percent of all transactions go through the branch channel and 81 percent of our sales go through the branch channel. So that channel is still very important to us,” Ducote said in an email.

“That being said,” Ducote added, “we're going to look at branch rationalization,which will include consolidations and investments in terms of new branches in areas where we can get the transaction volumes where we want them to be.”

9

10 I Mississippi Business Journal I July 11 2014

HOPE

Continued from Page 9

“Since the recession we have tripled the number of branches we have...�

30,000 members, is ready to team up with other bankless communities, said Bynum, who has plenty of potential places to set up shop after continued rounds of branch closings in the for-profit bank sector. “Since the recession we have more than tripled the number of branches we have throughout the region at a time other banks are closing branches in record numbers,� he said.

Of the thousands of branch closings nationally the past five years, 93 percent of the closings occurred in low-income census tracks, Bynum noted.

The result: Payday lenders and other high-cost financial services providers move in, he added.

In 2010, for the first time in 15 years,more bank branches closed than opened across the United states, the New York Times reported in a February 2011 article. The newspaper reported that its analysis showed that even as banks shut branches in poorer areas, they continued to expand in wealthier ones, despite decades of government regulations requiring financial institutions to meet the credit needs of poor and middle-class neighborhoods.

The Times' article reported the concerns of the National Community Reinvestment Coalition that a dual financial system is developing in America, one for essentially middleand high-income consumers, and another one for the people who can least afford it.

In those poorer neighborhoods, “you won't see bank

Bill Bynum CEO, HOPE Federal Credit Union

branches. You'll see buildings that used to be banks, surrounded by payday lenders and check cashers that cropped up,� John Taylor, president of the Community Reinvestment Coalition, said in the Times' article.

Today, about one-quarter of all Americans are under-banked and must rely on such alternative sources such as payday lenders for financial services, the FDIC reports.

In Mississippi's distressed communities, HOPE Federal is often the only alternative to predatory lenders. Across all of its locations, 37 percent of its members signed up without previously having a bank account, according to Bynum.

Mississippi, he said, “has a higher percentage of unbanked and underbanked than anywhere in the country.�

As the recession bore down on its member communities, “We were making sure the people had the ability to weather the financial crisis,� Bynum said. “We were able to raise capital to keep the regulators happy and make sure we were able to operate in a prudent manner.�

HOPE operates 24 locations, some of which are in grocery stores or retail kiosks, in distressed communities.

Ninety percent of its home mortgages go to first-time homebuyers, according to Bynum.

The mortgages are 30-year fixed rate with underwriting that weighs a borrower's credit score but also puts considerable value on rent payment history, utilities payment history and stability of income, Bynum noted. “Our philosophy is, 'How do we get to yes?’�

So far so good, he said. “They repay us at rates better than many conventional borrowers do.�

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July 11 2014

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Mississippi Business Journal

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11

College leaders have predicted the rating system could hurt the very populations that the president said he wants to help because often minority and low-income students come from underfunded public schools and have had less college preparation. Those colleges would rank lowest in a new rating system.

RATING

Continued from Page 1

through a new ratings system so students and families have the information to select schools that provide the best value,” said a White House press release. “And after this ratings system is well established, Congress can tie federal student aid to college performance so that students maximize their federal aid at institutions providing the best value. The President’s plan will also take down barriers that stand in the way of competition and innovation, particularly in the use of new technology, and shine a light on the most cutting-edge college practices for providing high value at low costs.”

For years, ratings of colleges have been done by publications like Barron’s and U.S. News & World Report. The system Obama proposes would give colleges ratings like excellent, good, fair or poor.

Many education leaders have concerns about the federal government taking on a ranking system, particularly since those might be used to penalize schools with a low rating. Obama wants Congress to use the ratings to allocate federal student loan and grant money worth billions each year.

University presidents from around the country have said that rating universities isn’t that simple.

“I do not believe a 'one-size-fits-all' rating system for public and private universities and colleges is an effective approach,” said Mississippi State University President Mark E. Keenum. “Given its support for higher education, it is reasonable for the federal government to expect our institutions to provide quality education and a pathway for students to succeed, but there are too many variables and widely-differing factors relating to measuring achievement to enable a national ratings system to work.”

The Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning (IHL) already have a system in place that focuses on outcomes.

“It includes a funding allocation formula that is based on performance and meeting benchmarks for graduation rates, enrollment and retention,” Keenum said. “It also takes into account the unique missions of our institutions and the students we serve, something a national rating system could

not do. This is a more appropriate way to improve the quality and effectiveness of higher education, in my estimation.

Commissioner of Higher Education Dr. Hank M. Bounds said the IHL Board of Trustees fully supports the idea that Bounds universities must provide an excellent value to students and the state for each dollar received, whether from tuition or appropriations.

“That is why the board approved a performancebased allocation model last year,” Bounds said.

“The model includes Keenum graduation and retention rates, productivity outcomes and considers the varying costs incurred when teaching individual courses and operating the campus as a whole.”

The formula measures the number of credit hours completed at each university and measures attainment outcomes, which include degrees awarded, the number of students graduating in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) fields and how many at-risk students are served by the university and how many successfully complete the first credit-bearing English and math courses in college.

Bounds said they are working with various higher education organizations around the country to help ensure that the proposed federal government rating system is appropriate and assesses these metrics accurately while recognizing that institutions have different missions and dramatically different student bodies.

“Mississippi public universities are focused on helping each student succeed, which will ultimately improve the educational attainment levels of our citizens, drive economic development and help create a more prosperous Mississippi,” Bounds said.

The White House said the rating system is needed because college tuition keeps rising. The average tuition at a public four-year college has increased by more than 250 per-

cent over the past 30 years, while incomes for typical families grew by only 16 percent, according to U.S. Census data.

“Declining state funding has forced students to shoulder a bigger proportion of college costs; tuition has almost doubled as a share of public college revenues over the past 25 years from 25 percent to 47 percent,” the White House said. “While a college education remains a worthwhile investment overall, the average borrower now graduates with over $26,000 in debt. Only 58 percent of full-time students who began college in 2004 earned a four-year degree within six years. Loan default rates are rising, and too

many young adults are burdened with debt as they seek to start a family, buy a home, launch a business, or save for retirement.”

College leaders have predicted the rating system could hurt the very populations that the president said he wants to help because often minority and low-income students come from underfunded public schools and have had less college preparation. Those colleges would rank lowest in a new rating system.

Smaller colleges in Mississippi including Mississippi Valley State University and Mississippi University for Women declined to comment, deferring to IHL.

http://www.msbusiness.com

AUCTIONS Q Taylor Auction & Realty, Inc............................................................... www.taylorauction.com

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INTERNET SERVICES Q Comcast Business .......................................................................................... www.comcast.com Q TEC ..................................................................................................................................www.TEC.com

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

PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES Q Delta State University................................................................................... www.deltastate.edu

REAL ESTATE Q State Street Group........................................................................www.statestreetgroup.com

TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS Q Synergetics DCS, Inc. ...................................................................... www.synergeticsdcs.com

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12 I Mississippi Business Journal I July 11, 2014

Carbon emissions at the Kemper County Coal Plant in Mississippi are expected to be vastly lower than that of older coal plants around American and the rest of the world

State regulators seek input on carbon dioxide rule The Mississippi Public Service Commission is seeking input from others, including utilities, in its efforts to fight proposed federal rules that would cut carbon dioxide emissions from Mississippi's power plants.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, as part of a nationwide effort, proposed in June that Mississippi's carbon dioxide emissions from power plants be 38 percent lower in the year 2030 compared to 2005.

Commissioners voted Tuesday to open the proceeding, acknowledging that it could also become a way to cope with the rules if they're finalized in their current form. They voted in June to submit comments opposing the rules.

"We're adamantly opposed to some of the rules," said Central District Commissioner Lynn Posey, a Republican. "We want to explore every possibility we can to make it better for the state of Mississippi to doublecheck the facts and double-check their proposals."

"I don't think you can get more against it than I am," said Northern District Commissioner Brandon Presley, a Democrat. Presley said he believes changes would drive up power rates.

Mississippi's 2012 carbon emission rate was 1,130 pounds per

megawatt hour of energy produced, the 12th lowest in the nation, because the state gets so much power from the Grand Gulf nuclear plant and burning natural gas.

Mississippi would choose how to meet that goal and could work with other states to comply. The goals are based in part on some coal-fired power plants already expected to close.

The biggest contributor to carbon dioxide emissions is burning coal. EPA says Mississippi got about 13 percent of its electricity from coal in 2012.

Some utilities are more dependent on coal than others. Mississippi Power Co., a unit of the Atlanta-based Southern Co., generated 39 percent of its power from coal in 2013. It owns coal plants in Escatawpa and Gulfport. Southern Co. also owns a coal-fired plant near Ackerman that's operated by a contractor and sells power on the wholesale market. South Mississippi Electric Power Association, which supplies many cooperatives and a few cities, owns a coal plant near Purvis. Entergy Corp. and the Tennessee Valley Authority own no coal plants in Mississippi, although they do have them elsewhere.

Last month, Gov. Phil Bryant joined eight other Republican governors in signing a letter opposing the rules, warning that it would cost too much money and end up costing jobs.

The EPA is expected to look at the comments and finalize the rules in 2015.

— from staff and MBJ wire services

COLLEGE ATHLETICS / TECHNOLOGY

Ole Miss offering new beacon technology for sports fans OXFORD — The University of Mississippi has launched the first beacon technology system in collegiate sports using mobile devices and custom programming to enhance the fan experience during games and link to a rewards program.

The new system includes the precision mobile marketing platform, Spark Compass, from Total Communicator Solutions Inc., San Diego and Gimbal Inc. Michael Thompson, Ole Miss senior associate athletics director, said the Spark Compass platform and Gimbal’s contextual aware proximity platform integrate to deliver personalized, timely and relevant messages to game attendees using more than 100 Gimbal beacons with Apple’s iBeacon technology that is strategically placed throughout athletic venues on the 1,000-acre campus.

The new system and platform will be integrated into an updated Rebel Rewards app created by Total Communicator Solutions, which provides fans, alumni and students with current scoreboard information, game schedules and personalized dashboard content. Ole Miss Athletics will use Gimbal’s industryleading beacon technology and app to check fans into campus events and deliver relevant notifications, alerts, offers and Rebel Rewards points. Rewards will include branded game-day attire, accessories, game tickets and much more.

“The beacon technology will not only enhance engagement among our existing fans, but continue to grow our loyal fan base,” said Thompson. “The project is the first of its type in collegiate sports to link to a rewards program. We believe it will lead the way to transforming the game day experience.”

Gimbal’s proximity beacons are small transmitters that use Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) technology to exchange encrypted data with mobile phone devices. Each beacon activates the mobile phone when it becomes within range and sends a query to the Spark Compass platform. The platform then sends relevant information back to the device based on what the user has opted in for and the exact location of the user.

“Ole Miss has taken a huge technological leap forward in enhancing the fan experience,” said Erik Bjontegard, president and founder of Total Communicator Solutions. “Benefits include faster check in at sporting events, finding a seat within an unfamiliar venue and receiving relevant offers. The first Ole Miss home game is Sept.

13 and we are looking forward to tracking fan reaction, analyzing how the system improved the fan experience and seeing what new features might be added.”

— from staff and MBJ wire services

EDUCATION

Dismissed Delta school principal wants back in GREENWOOD — Former Greenwood High School principal Percy Powell is going to court to try to get his job back.

Powell’s attorney, Preston “Bo” Rideout, has filed a notice of appeal in Leflore County Chancery Court, The Greenwood Commonwealth reported.

Powell will ask the court to put him back on the job he has held since 2006, which would require the court overturn the Greenwood School Board’s 4-1 decision to dismiss him.

The board voted June 13, following a recommendation by Superintendent Montrell Greene.

— from staff and MBJ wire services

SALES TAX (MAY 2014) May 2014 sales tax receipts/year to date, July 1 MISSISSIPPI STATE TAX COMMISSION Here are cities’ earnings through sales tax collections. Sales tax has a three-month cycle. Month 1 — Tax is collected by the retailer. Month 2 — Tax is reported/paid to the Tax Commission by the retailer.

Month 3 — Sales tax diversion is paid by the Tax Commission to the cities. This report is based on the month the tax is collected at the Tax Commission (Month 2).

May May Year to date YTD CITY 2014 2013 2014 2013 ABBEVILLE $3,322.42 $3,715.09 $39,074.48 $46,047.25 ABERDEEN 63,276.00 66,199.99 701,375.53 744,478.90 ACKERMAN 21,914.47 23,614.63 250,116.56 254,958.90 ALCORN STATE U 628.70 1,202.87 6,664.93 8,738.49 ALGOMA 2,138.13 2,413.45 23,776.66 22,278.07 ALLIGATOR 872.54 908.49 7,920.41 7,612.41 AMORY 157,674.69 154,848.14 1,697,250.93 1,691,653.94 ANGUILLA 3,168.25 2,622.84 27,357.34 31,198.66 ARCOLA 1,258.21 1,465.00 15,897.90 16,565.43 ARTESIA 787.59 955.84 10,121.39 9,568.20 ASHLAND 13,169.07 12,091.38 143,335.50 128,867.53 BALDWYN 42,567.31 46,079.70 475,790.96 504,182.09 BASSFIELD 9,748.22 15,002.98 125,939.54 136,168.78 BATESVILLE 336,011.74 324,196.67 3,626,813.38 3,538,837.84 BAY SPRINGS 51,284.55 53,689.46 569,386.26 558,426.18 BAY ST LOUIS 105,106.90 125,817.81 1,138,082.42 1,176,588.45 BEAUMONT 6,104.23 5,781.89 64,143.40 67,112.76 BEAUREGARD 163.90 236.12 2,542.61 2,663.57 BELMONT 24,890.59 25,993.50 270,266.42 250,437.57 BELZONI 38,168.13 42,525.63 453,381.34 496,573.30 BENOIT 6,960.26 7,354.96 70,788.51 71,888.78 BENTONIA 17,163.43 77,145.80 266,434.08 298,363.16 BEULAH 455.12 500.57 4,202.10 4,256.10 BIG CREEK 297.28 405.65 3,694.69 4,223.85 BILOXI 946,671.14 965,188.77 10,192,708.68 9,964,537.21 BLUE MOUNTAIN 9,973.06 10,001.13 101,693.01 98,547.07 BLUE SPRINGS 2,347.65 2,839.16 30,789.09 29,356.38 BOLTON 7,516.79 11,005.11 107,508.91 112,057.04 BOONEVILLE 147,448.15 144,569.65 1,649,597.54 1,628,977.01 BOYLE 19,543.85 17,497.34 181,635.89 162,253.52 BRANDON 422,103.10 462,136.87 4,506,784.10 4,596,998.86 BRAXTON 1,134.76 1,162.58 14,010.50 12,899.78 BROOKHAVEN 465,288.53 457,758.74 4,986,334.01 4,745,796.41 BROOKSVILLE 9,769.78 8,808.94 104,073.73 94,824.81 BRUCE 42,532.75 47,622.28 451,504.61 446,259.95 BUDE 12,314.80 12,178.08 132,860.45 115,634.70 BURNSVILLE 13,493.23 12,035.97 131,725.06 130,222.76 BYHALIA 62,432.11 62,704.76 669,670.30 646,645.17 BYRAM 100,881.20 189,073.59 1,733,801.52 1,743,133.29 CALEDONIA 12,123.84 11,146.52 139,348.55 124,901.02 CALHOUN CITY 26,744.33 25,837.26 283,611.95 268,930.89 CANTON 255,750.68 213,585.90 2,237,817.51 2,211,749.93 CARROLLTON 5,325.34 5,275.30 66,079.96 64,570.22 CARTHAGE 124,767.20 132,810.94 1,431,564.50 1,438,556.89 CARY 1,102.39 1,282.83 7,818.14 15,960.29 CENTREVILLE 17,302.15 17,074.09 208,563.59 203,653.17 CHARLESTON 22,170.33 28,832.09 304,802.36 311,093.88 CHUNKY 461.23 1,016.54 7,912.21 6,475.51 CLARKSDALE 232,192.37 243,519.05 2,526,787.24 2,572,973.00 CLEVELAND 283,536.01 285,663.16 3,091,895.85 3,136,409.84 CLINTON 360,430.74 376,311.78 4,015,648.22 4,068,777.08 COAHOMA 566.32 453.62 5,894.64 5,335.23 COAHOMA COLLEGE 19.87 2,634.88 2,945.39 COFFEEVILLE 9,219.57 11,492.05 103,973.26 114,620.09 COLDWATER 17,692.76 16,633.60 189,968.98 186,401.83 COLLINS 115,207.06 142,620.64 1,237,477.88 1,233,725.10 COLUMBIA 299,484.18 285,842.20 3,121,187.49 3,021,438.30 COLUMBUS 729,744.99 726,302.73 7,904,998.89 7,881,910.11 COMO 11,844.31 18,807.39 153,520.97 158,598.93 CORINTH 480,846.11 464,977.28 5,211,664.56 5,018,985.62 COURTLAND 1,118.19 1,117.75 12,990.28 14,207.89 CRAWFORD 1,159.47 1,322.02 15,363.72 13,838.00 CRENSHAW 4,413.30 4,771.01 51,214.02 53,212.96 CROSBY 1,652.81 1,192.11 27,694.79 10,838.93 CROWDER 1,559.04 1,434.53 16,565.55 18,601.20 CRUGER 357.90 432.05 5,462.81 6,256.92 CRYSTAL SPRINGS 55,941.05 56,774.73 663,579.70 579,034.56 D'IBERVILLE 505,289.34 483,104.07 5,589,296.18 5,416,691.06 D'LO 3,027.38 3,227.13 34,695.06 33,843.48 DECATUR 11,671.60 12,681.26 138,543.81 129,124.17 DEKALB 21,999.42 19,209.93 227,910.64 220,116.22 DERMA 5,329.14 5,098.24 56,786.34 52,245.58 DIAMONDHEAD 39,025.71 35,644.07 424,437.17 422,362.81 DODDSVILLE 794.05 349.65 5,945.46 5,286.89 DREW 8,321.07 9,813.36 103,379.84 105,319.51 DUCK HILL 3,538.52 2,904.44 44,940.89 40,662.14 DUMAS 736.79 1,334.74 11,710.07 12,042.90 DUNCAN 287.14 1,284.90 6,636.17 14,317.40 DURANT 27,101.93 25,722.43 273,856.12 265,896.29 EAST MS COLLEGE 46.04 38.11 3,015.86 2,982.04 ECRU 11,417.53 11,090.83 131,052.99 124,446.95 EDEN 61.98 56.80 756.10 596.12 EDWARDS 5,914.67 5,946.34 77,940.11 65,149.32 ELLISVILLE 90,415.49 94,104.03 960,956.91 968,631.45 ENTERPRISE 4,251.76 4,557.03 55,094.11 55,577.79 ETHEL 850.30 972.92 12,162.75 12,637.79 EUPORA 33,255.22 32,951.03 381,398.40 378,827.71 FALCON 101.32 51.06 1,257.81 572.07 FARMINGTON 3,238.21 4,045.46 42,557.68 47,081.72 FAULKNER 3,553.53 3,472.91 62,244.41 38,341.79 FAYETTE 17,509.81 17,267.72 194,628.76 183,211.41 FLORA 28,359.29 28,257.62 280,162.28 303,886.58 FLORENCE 68,353.97 78,958.61 701,307.24 688,898.16 FLOWOOD 858,642.40 872,262.59 9,782,701.37 9,468,575.23 FOREST 176,662.55 172,013.16 2,035,601.22 1,918,265.59 FRENCH CAMP 836.02 1,391.58 10,021.27 10,325.31 FRIARS POINT 1,988.45 2,521.81 24,685.98 25,895.66

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

July 11, 2014 117,846.64 81.10 174,022.31 3,425.02 2,177.71 380.70 12,846.17 4,353.70 3,398.15 512,725.13 349,274.11 335,245.97 1,647,550.62 634.81 14,985.19 220.74 1,801,427.94 102,521.65 31,974.45 238,969.30 5,937.75 5,982.78 935.92 13,390.03 93,538.79 336,494.89 7,727.36 82,929.65 152,051.55 6,410.70 2,854.56 11,378.48 62,060.88 2,514,612.61 3,680.89 841.96 5,152.07 156,203.00 3,755.84 9,171.89 1,730.42 837,925.67 26,171.07 152.63 45,796.39 1,466.33 37,890.74 24,297.01 109,138.28 2,278.29 1,206.99 145,797.70 180,232.15 3,091.40 13,504.02 2,694.90 5,717.17 46,682.54 551,715.07 169,614.12 31,834.09 17,347.06 2,165.39 4,542.34 16,719.49 19,705.55 17,221.28 544.56 453,851.78 985.14 5,367.07 10,299.88 51,220.77 1,229,658.64 6,693.72 1,060.55 173.21 21,183.96 437.66 25,123.87 37,876.49 458.83 7,557.70 499.23 39,075.35 138,985.05 3,113.31 7,936.89 4,381.85 472,127.33 24,301.37 245,986.07 14,197.36 7,285.90 81,824.63 3,295.93 7,796.33 5,970.86 388,535.11 25,902.99 706,510.99 4,553.24 641,972.60 605.18 1,449.08 58.74

124,436.40 102.12 189,043.51 3,202.30 1,971.75 418.99 12,316.14 5,354.23 3,535.30 517,199.21 370,240.68 353,964.85 1,622,635.50 977.64 15,715.38 484.62 1,797,768.37 100,351.28 37,630.79 230,853.25 3,787.79 5,166.10 1,050.99 14,588.60 94,469.12 353,170.19 8,107.15 84,425.07 153,965.74 7,371.77 1,598.82 12,344.95 63,582.49 2,761,968.69 3,847.16 866.93 6,867.28 164,821.65 3,509.29 6,899.85 3,741.57 808,755.29 27,947.07 466.87 45,786.11 1,795.03 38,491.17 20,233.26 113,828.24 2,829.41 1,528.56 155,607.80 160,828.33 3,373.28 14,685.92 6,677.95 6,530.48 49,804.61 487,712.15 159,874.66 35,289.12 16,588.77 2,666.59 4,611.23 17,331.92 18,958.16 18,744.48 715.21 484,865.98 462.50 5,454.11 10,694.58 51,957.33 1,213,238.92 7,134.95 1,417.48 326.90 70,017.78 199.99 18,328.93 37,172.00 540.17 7,609.71 564.97 39,728.66 143,435.92 3,968.84 7,548.40 4,928.73 455,036.31 26,675.68 261,096.88 15,478.46 6,860.23 83,464.54 3,976.79 9,429.73 5,944.53 381,756.79 26,674.56 668,290.39 5,539.64 617,303.26 566.10 1,753.50 186.30

1,321,848.98 1,371.91 1,958,084.78 39,272.70 21,833.08 4,725.64 134,669.52 50,149.91 39,936.13 5,708,891.94 4,001,592.76 3,716,594.83 17,925,577.22 8,524.44 170,498.04 4,345.80 19,699,766.74 1,154,469.10 328,609.30 2,661,983.31 48,763.66 57,943.18 8,293.99 153,879.27 1,095,837.83 3,584,121.21 89,439.58 889,445.48 1,738,112.48 58,613.21 27,759.94 126,327.12 701,795.86 29,094,541.62 43,643.67 7,373.49 61,441.65 1,822,273.22 39,863.60 73,860.04 30,048.58 8,858,463.80 291,977.64 4,705.19 487,732.45 18,192.69 420,648.46 215,188.96 1,229,327.34 26,298.34 11,012.27 1,646,858.74 1,844,271.09 36,717.21 163,181.72 50,246.03 68,034.33 534,469.23 5,781,221.94 1,831,706.96 349,732.09 185,504.84 26,936.60 51,374.99 200,960.35 214,868.34 167,366.61 7,402.71 5,002,440.86 20,271.96 63,987.30 116,133.22 577,121.14 13,654,718.43 74,629.85 13,019.45 4,981.11 332,735.64 8,647.63 184,954.46 419,263.64 5,792.75 96,207.53 6,339.82 447,667.76 1,591,783.01 39,656.39 86,161.17 50,098.38 5,040,925.95 278,073.58 2,623,777.00 161,028.40 83,249.26 931,126.66 35,207.36 92,170.72 64,535.16 4,176,288.38 288,416.77 7,405,068.26 54,772.43 6,680,526.66 5,774.59 19,117.95 2,169.03

1,307,880.00 1,374.31 2,033,396.50 38,995.84 18,568.53 3,769.43 123,573.76 48,157.28 38,804.53 5,801,172.71 4,038,583.27 3,713,791.44 17,674,992.23 8,589.68 165,997.69 5,889.69 19,353,416.23 1,148,864.28 379,632.63 2,568,624.95 43,291.89 63,877.67 8,119.29 157,563.20 1,085,940.91 3,573,199.31 89,581.68 911,635.55 1,689,072.04 68,996.77 17,837.02 128,617.88 711,661.49 28,960,211.94 41,796.18 8,866.30 64,028.12 1,830,581.95 41,311.12 74,297.28 38,650.18 8,425,749.52 264,146.58 4,980.10 474,837.51 18,698.00 407,980.44 210,408.41 1,220,076.82 26,463.95 11,611.40 1,601,068.34 1,777,411.18 36,191.55 160,313.06 63,144.47 68,899.45 542,972.23 5,439,285.67 1,792,633.81 383,964.23 179,460.59 30,340.91 51,545.32 180,149.65 214,937.63 171,628.77 6,311.57 4,916,751.35 5,505.49 63,500.89 114,538.29 538,004.31 13,190,549.44 77,694.22 12,107.77 6,034.93 331,356.87 7,825.15 138,981.88 419,540.16 6,646.14 97,953.78 6,568.09 426,118.61 1,461,931.55 50,735.12 89,752.80 42,708.58 4,916,494.52 261,713.81 2,567,186.85 166,745.82 79,775.30 937,955.53 32,565.69 101,956.29 64,172.06 4,099,499.93 270,792.27 6,884,189.52 59,914.68 6,314,760.82 6,198.17 19,906.64 1,778.81

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I

13

PASCAGOULA 454,416.93 462,766.27 5,034,064.94 4,906,752.96 PASS CHRISTIAN 97,937.73 92,660.03 1,058,430.75 1,014,756.98 PAULDING 140.38 122.29 1,644.38 1,257.81 PEARL 768,382.80 789,307.74 8,578,611.58 7,588,672.46 PELAHATCHIE 33,272.74 29,537.08 338,491.80 289,220.80 PETAL 196,824.42 190,912.16 2,095,122.78 1,995,739.10 PHILADELPHIA 324,427.65 3,752,633.82 3,505,635.54 PICAYUNE 375,424.39 342,495.96 3,853,310.21 3,748,278.75 PICKENS 6,504.43 7,652.04 81,750.86 84,615.48 PITTSBORO 368.14 403.30 4,474.73 4,736.40 PLANTERSVILLE 3,640.09 3,693.98 42,576.99 40,739.92 POLKVILLE 454.97 395.09 3,873.87 4,054.29 PONTOTOC 189,952.59 193,218.65 2,063,415.85 2,008,401.05 POPE 2,495.43 2,409.92 25,675.46 40,925.40 POPLARVILLE 54,190.09 56,981.82 599,662.34 567,097.59 PORT GIBSON 19,626.65 19,322.88 217,909.45 217,099.97 POTTS CAMP 7,218.28 9,816.41 83,837.65 93,621.36 PRENTISS 34,136.01 44,984.24 392,754.66 401,893.18 PUCKETT 10,312.85 7,284.12 95,571.65 94,015.27 PURVIS 66,548.79 59,820.44 693,088.23 631,012.68 QUITMAN 44,756.55 48,368.99 504,628.63 479,011.27 RALEIGH 15,896.13 17,036.46 182,289.78 181,619.79 RAYMOND 16,450.36 16,906.58 191,547.35 178,914.12 RENOVA 2,067.93 2,318.46 27,517.44 29,705.81 RICHLAND 394,236.55 394,444.75 4,501,810.72 4,142,081.09 RICHTON 25,478.37 29,828.29 287,218.15 290,270.39 RIDGELAND 1,062,597.88 1,050,705.73 11,741,779.04 11,352,511.47 RIENZI 3,965.06 3,881.92 43,374.90 31,410.78 RIPLEY 108,953.01 98,341.35 1,119,406.14 1,107,765.48 ROLLING FORK 33,539.21 35,506.89 384,859.95 383,621.14 ROSEDALE 8,546.59 9,524.02 101,534.24 110,256.73 ROXIE 1,260.56 1,400.60 15,916.89 15,906.62 RULEVILLE 21,956.56 20,102.57 223,753.61 212,466.89 SALLIS 1,465.33 2,583.90 21,317.95 24,577.87 SALTILLO 58,945.32 64,371.63 591,339.34 653,614.17 SANDERSVILLE 58,932.10 52,353.76 735,671.49 685,932.05 SARDIS 25,978.47 28,386.21 275,127.91 272,949.46 SATARTIA 108.51 338.74 3,413.16 4,473.52 SCHLATER 867.18 844.76 10,607.17 9,982.40 SCOOBA 8,312.71 5,446.07 68,597.78 68,102.57 SEBASTAPOL 15,886.11 18,463.57 173,270.80 168,661.18 SEMINARY 12,440.19 10,914.30 131,201.28 120,655.67 SENATOBIA 182,539.70 166,248.75 1,887,025.89 1,722,497.10 SHANNON 12,108.47 13,613.28 134,612.36 151,816.90 SHAW 6,555.54 5,873.35 71,907.06 69,433.76 SHELBY 10,108.28 11,680.24 101,488.75 110,110.30 SHERMAN 11,944.79 12,470.96 124,840.02 125,047.32 SHUBUTA 3,669.02 3,510.01 42,198.18 38,706.76 SHUQUALAK 1,607.95 1,873.44 21,844.72 20,368.44 SIDON 748.92 858.46 9,044.81 8,791.75 SILVER CITY 351.26 330.41 4,084.78 4,252.89 SILVER CREEK 3,402.88 3,152.44 33,332.18 32,359.91 SLATE SPRINGS 309.50 175.23 3,328.76 3,238.02 SLEDGE 1,445.60 1,378.34 19,907.71 16,711.26 SMITHVILLE 6,337.57 5,892.09 64,965.28 61,235.09 SNOWLAKESHORES 302.61 346.69 4,302.77 1,610.48 SOSO 10,431.03 13,146.84 133,785.92 149,327.62 SOUTHAVEN 1,058,334.75 1,004,916.04 11,786,586.87 11,424,967.43 SOUTHWEST MS CC 19.67 22.20 703.50 1,655.41 STARKVILLE 498,692.81 489,209.65 5,415,637.58 5,223,173.94 STATE LINE 10,047.29 9,170.76 114,653.82 96,475.98 STONEWALL 6,081.09 6,183.27 73,270.80 72,103.73 STURGIS 2,779.53 2,814.01 29,345.07 39,651.23 SUMMIT 34,916.70 38,758.90 355,277.79 344,695.66 SUMNER 4,506.62 5,801.09 63,673.45 47,766.71 SUMRALL 32,387.47 38,272.74 395,592.82 391,589.81 SUNFLOWER 2,069.58 2,105.57 22,876.89 21,322.70 SYLVARENA 278.10 227.18 3,086.29 3,440.85 TAYLOR 1,419.95 2,864.54 20,417.61 20,562.42 TAYLORSVILLE 25,579.95 23,229.36 277,985.36 270,649.31 TCHULA 6,170.95 6,973.43 76,603.03 77,169.96 TERRY 23,501.25 24,873.25 262,399.82 265,747.43 THAXTON 3,313.20 3,376.99 39,871.60 32,855.04 THE UNIV. OF MS 208,927.53 16,720.29 420,281.90 361,393.44 TISHOMINGO 10,010.83 8,643.81 96,704.93 90,316.90 TOCCOPOLA 262.59 562.07 5,347.41 6,172.80 TREMONT 1,493.28 2,128.10 19,324.46 19,009.38 TUNICA 47,869.03 43,313.19 514,192.33 455,110.29 TUPELO 1,438,459.85 1,459,613.48 16,464,251.32 16,360,649.10 TUTWILER 3,786.51 4,320.06 43,020.54 42,148.54 TYLERTOWN 53,089.20 56,696.41 587,546.74 592,695.56 UNION 27,369.64 27,906.51 318,687.11 317,039.77 UTICA 11,223.12 14,908.40 131,495.27 129,039.17 VAIDEN 8,366.32 10,238.60 102,036.67 112,349.73 VARDAMAN 10,150.81 10,123.49 113,979.53 113,117.49 VERONA 19,327.49 23,552.90 213,854.94 220,523.55 VICKSBURG 638,710.43 633,639.31 7,014,442.97 6,969,269.62 WALLS 5,644.19 3,470.24 55,271.49 36,276.29 WALNUT 16,583.48 17,831.80 182,689.54 181,964.16 WALNUT GROVE 5,928.80 6,344.70 72,702.31 73,085.27 WALTHALL 1,196.88 2,711.65 20,116.89 19,754.67 WATER VALLEY 42,191.31 41,844.70 430,131.39 431,471.37 WAVELAND 182,427.98 180,993.11 1,958,300.36 1,954,047.01 WAYNESBORO 174,818.42 164,489.89 1,931,712.65 1,872,289.46 WEBB 6,836.58 6,962.74 86,418.31 84,759.10 WEIR 2,097.53 2,073.54 24,567.63 25,647.85 WESSON 11,903.32 12,851.69 140,817.51 157,867.87 WEST 1,787.62 1,638.88 19,140.54 16,639.65 WEST POINT 191,013.20 175,759.65 2,062,290.61 1,928,761.45 WIGGINS 137,667.90 140,698.63 1,572,065.13 1,536,165.85 WINONA 75,650.26 89,664.95 920,764.33 958,083.37 WINSTONVILLE 202.42 205.17 2,477.22 3,934.78 WOODLAND 5,163.49 4,792.24 64,341.37 61,008.29 WOODVILLE 28,835.37 28,447.38 317,145.68 290,315.88 YAZOO CITY 130,215.24 150,100.80 1,546,843.04 1,619,247.14 TOTAL $33,706,228.16 $34,244,739.66 $373,280,844.96 $364,649,004.60

AN MBJ FOCUS: MEETINGS & CONVENT

Cool on the coa

Photos by Frank Brown / The Mississippi Business Journal

The swim-up bar is a popular feature for guests and convention-goers at the remodeled Golden Nugget pool.

IP Casino Resort Spa hosts between 275 and 350 conventions and meetings annually, and many of those 15,000 to 20,000 attendees utilize the large swimming pool (top photo). The Beau Rivage (above) has 50,000 square feet of ďŹ&#x201A;exible meeting space for everything from banquets to trade shows. Hard Rock Hotel and Casino (left) recently completed a 12-story hotel tower, adding 154 rooms to its property.

July 11, 2014 • MISSISSIPPI BUSINESS JOURNAL • www.msbusiness.com

VENTIONS

oast Bookings for future conventions increasing

By LISA MONTI mbj@msbusiness.com

OAST CASINOS AND tourism officials put a lot of energy and resources into attracting and playing host to conventions, which fill up hotel rooms and restaurants and help plump up the bottom line especially during the off season.

Crystal Johnson, director of sales at the Mississippi Gulf Coast Regional Convention and Visitors Bureau, said convention business booked through the CVB “ is holding steady from prior years and tentative business for future years is up year-to-date this fiscal year over past fiscal year. Actual numbers are 171 groups representing over 42,000 delegates and an over $31 million estimated economic impact,” she said.

Mike Davis, director of sales at Beau Rivage in Biloxi, said the resort hosts about 500 to 600 meetings and conventions each year, bringing in up to 100,000 people annually. “Each year is getting better. We had 600 meetings and conventions last year and that was one of the strongest since 2008 when we were still in recovery mode from Katrina.”

Beau Rivage has the most meeting space outside of convention centers in Mississippi, Davis said. That includes 50,000 square feet of flexible

C

Frank Brown / The Mississippi Business Journal

The swim-up bar is a popular feature for guests and convention-goers at the remodeled Golden Nugget pool.

space for events like banquets and trade shows.

Summertime traditionally is convention time for such large groups as the Mississippi Municipal League and the Mississippi Association of Supervisors. “They use conventions as a family vacation,” Davis said. ”Ideally we are looking to grow the market with Sunday through Thursday, midweek business. We’re not pulling in the numbers we feel this market can handle,” he said.

New casinos and amenities in the last 18 months have helped make the market more attractive, Davis said. “The Hard Rock has added rooms, the Isle was sold to Golden Nugget, there’s a new property coming to D’Iberville. All the additions and the marketing help us market the Gulf Coast,” he said.

See

COAST, Page 18

MEETINGS & CONVENTIONS

16 I Mississippi Business Journal I July 11, 2014

Retreats allow for peaceful planning

By LYNN LOFTON mbj@msbusiness.com

Sometimes businesses and other organizations feel they need more than an on-premise staff meeting. An off-site conference, retreat or team building session may be necessary for a variety of reasons.

Consultant Phil Hardwick has facilitated a number of strategic planning retreats for non-profit organizations, economic development agencies and businesses. He says itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a definite advantage to get away from the daily business location. â&#x20AC;&#x153;First, getting away makes a statement that we are in a different environment where the focus will be something other Joni McClain than daily activities,â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a good way to set the stage. Second, it takes participants off the dance floor and onto the balcony, as one leadership expert likes to say. Participants remove themselves â&#x20AC;&#x201D; literally and figuratively â&#x20AC;&#x201D; from the action and are able to look at the business from a different perspective; that is the socalled 35,000-foot view.â&#x20AC;?

Hardwick, who recently retired from the Stennis Institute of Government where he worked in community development, believes a third advan-

tage of off-site retreats is that these locations provide a better opportunity for team building and for participants to get to know each other better. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Team building activities are expected at off-site retreats,â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The effects would not be the same if done at the place of business.â&#x20AC;?

He adds that off-site retreats should have a purpose and participants should know why they are going off-site.

The Duncan Gray Center, which opened in Canton in 1991, is open to outside groups and hosts a variety of businesses, schools and non-profit organizations for meetings and retreats. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Our appeal is definitely our location in central Mississippi near Buddy McClain a lot of businesses,â&#x20AC;? says Linda Cain, conference coordinator and office manager. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s quiet and secluded but near major highways and the Jackson Airport. We offer airport pickup so we can have national groups meet here.â&#x20AC;?

In addition to meeting facilities, this center has full dining and sleeping amenities and a campground. A lot of groups come during the week with See

RETREATS, Page 18

Special to the Mississippi Business Journal

The Gray Center opened in Canton in 1991 and is open to outside groups for meetings.

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MEETINGS & CONVENTIONS

18 I Mississippi Business Journal I July 11, 2014

COAST

Continued from Page 15

IP Casino Resort Spa hosts between 275 and 350 conventions and meetings annually, bringing in 15,000 to 20,000 attendees.

Most business comes from Mississippi and the other states in the Southeast region.

Leslie Barfield, Director of Hotel Sales, said IPâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s convention numbers are about the same as the previous two years but they are starting to see an upswing again. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The average group rate has decreased slightly over the years due to the economy, and the competition is fierce, but we always enjoy a lit-

tle healthy competition. It keeps us on our toes,â&#x20AC;? she said.

IP officials consider conventions a top priority. â&#x20AC;&#x153;They are very important all year long, and even more so when it is not during the peak season summer months filled with summer vacationers,â&#x20AC;? Barfield said.

Particularly important is the repeat business. Said Barfield, â&#x20AC;&#x153;We really treasure and appreciate our repeat conventions.â&#x20AC;?

Barfield said the recent improvements in the Coast casino market are welcome. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are excited about the growth in this area, and it means more people are marketing for Biloxi. There is enough convention business

out there for all of us. As long as we continue to get out there and look for new business so we can grow the total market - and deliver great service and an excellent experience, we can all do well in this business.â&#x20AC;?

Barfield said the future looks good for the convention business. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It feels better, like people are starting to breath again after the economic crunch of the past several years.

Government budgets are still pretty tight, but corporate business seems to be growing again.

Groups are spending more money on feeding their attendees during conventions too.â&#x20AC;?

Bill Holmes, executive director of the Mississippi Coast Coliseum & Convention Cen-

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ter, said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;The meeting and convention market increased significantly this year. For the first time we were booked in the facility every day, Sunday through Saturday, for the entire month of June.â&#x20AC;? Food service alone was more than $750,000 for that month, Holmes said.

For the 2014 fiscal year, the convention center hosted 119 meetings, conventions and trade shows. Among the recent major events was the Beth Mooreâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Living Proof Ministries which attracted 9,000 people, about 70 percent of whom came from outside the region. Dance groups from the Atlanta and Florida markets brought in 59,000 visitors. A Baptist group from Houston bought in 1,400 participants on 39 buses. â&#x20AC;&#x153;They rebooked for the next two years,â&#x20AC;? Holmes said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;2015 is looking good,â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Conventions and meetings I know are going to be the future of this facility and the Mississippi Gulf Coast.â&#x20AC;?

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Continued from Page 16

an average stay of three days. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We have some day groups who wish they were spending the night,â&#x20AC;? Cain said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Participants can have their business and then socialize. Approximately 85 to 90 percent of our business retreats are repeat visitors. A couple of examples are Millsaps College and Ivy Mechanical of Kosciusko.â&#x20AC;?

The McClain Lodge off U.S. 25 in Brandon is another popular meeting place. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s known as a site for weddings but has a steadily growing corporate division, say owners Buddy and Joni McClain, who were married there seven years ago and have owned the facility two years. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We have 820 acres that are very serene, quiet and not expensive,â&#x20AC;? Joni McClain said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Yet, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re only six miles from Dogwood Festival. We have three different places where people can congregate, and it feels like youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re out in the country.â&#x20AC;?

Business retreats have been increasing at McClain Lodge since cabins were built there. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Meeting off-site is great for businesses and other groups. It gets them away to a setting thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s peaceful and very private,â&#x20AC;? she added. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We have golf and fishing and that helps people get to know each other.â&#x20AC;?

Hardwick, who plans to teach management at Millsaps College, says off-site retreats allow participants to discuss matters in depth. â&#x20AC;&#x153;At a good retreat, the business will take a look at, among other things, its values and beliefs,â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I once facilitated a retreat for a bank board of directors and witnessed a serious discussion about whether the bank was making an inappropriate amount of money from overdraft fees in low-income neighborhoods. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The result was that the board decided to focus more effort on educating low-income customers and getting more involved in the subject neighborhood.â&#x20AC;?

Hardwick says off-site retreats are one of the best ways to grapple with the thorny issues. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Retreats provide a way to allow all perspectives to be heard in a relatively relaxed and comfortable setting.â&#x20AC;?

CASINOS

July 11, 2014

Casino/Website

I

Mississippi Business Journal

Address

I

19

Phone

Ameristar Casino Hotel

4116 Washington St., Vicksburg, MS 39180

1-866-667-3386

www.ameristar.com

Ballyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Tunica Resort

1450 Bally Blvd., Tunica Resorts, MS 38664

1-866-422-5597

www.ballystunica.com

Beau Rivage Casino

875 Beach Blvd., Biloxi, MS 39533

1-888-750-7111

www.beaurivage.com

Boomtown-Biloxi

676 Bayview Dr., Biloxi, MS 39530

1-800-627-0777

DiamondJacks Casino & Hotel-Vicksburg

3990 Washington St., Vicksburg, MS 39182-0668

1-877-711-0677

Fitzgeraldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Casino-Tunica

711 Lucky Ln., Tunica Resorts, MS 38664

1-888-766-5825

www.ďŹ tzgeraldstunica.com

Gold Strike Casino Resort

1010 Casino Center Dr., Tunica Resorts, MS 38864

1-888-245-7829

www.goldstrikemississippi.com

Golden Nugget-Biloxi

151 Beach Blvd., Biloxi, MS 39530

1-800-777-7568

www.goldennugget.com/biloxi

Grand Casino-Biloxi

280 Beach Blvd., Biloxi, MS 39530

1-800-946-2946

Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Biloxi

777 Beach Blvd., Biloxi, MS 39530

(228) 374-7625

www.hardrockbiloxi.com

Harlowâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Casino Resort

4280 Harlowâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Blvd., Greenville, MS 38701

1-866-524-5825

www.harlowscasino.com

Hollywood Casino-Bay St. Louis

711 Hollywood Blvd., Bay St. Louis, MS 39520

1-866-758-2591

www.hollywoodbsl.com

Hollywood Casino Tunica

1150 Casino Strip Blvd., Tunica Resorts, MS 38664

1-800-871-0711

www.hollywoodcasinotunica.com

Horseshoe Casino and Hotel

1021 Casino Center Dr., Tunica Resorts, MS 38664

1-800-303-7463

IP Casino Resort Spa

850 Bayview Ave., Biloxi, MS 39530

1-800-436-3000

Island View Casino Resort

3300 W. Beach Blvd., Gulfport, MS 39501

1-877-774-8439

www.islandviewcasino.com

Isle of Capri-Lula

777 Isle of Capri Pkwy., Lula, MS 38644

(662) 363-2250

www.lula.isleofcapricasinos.com

Isle of Capri-Natchez

70 Silver St., Natchez, MS 39120

1-800-722-5825

w.natchez.isleofcapricasinos.com

Lady Luck Casino-Vicksburg

1380 Warrenton Rd., Vicksburg, MS 39180

(601) 636-7575

w.vicksburg.isleofcapricasinos.com

Magnolia Bluffs Casino

7 Roth Hill Rd., Natchez, MS 39120

1-888-505-5777

Margaritaville Casino & Restaurant

160 5th St., Biloxi, MS 39530

(228) 267-7777

www.margaritavillebiloxi.com

Palace Casino Resort

154 Ave., Biloxi, MS 39530

1-800-PALACE-9

www.palacecasinoresort.com

Pearl River Resort

13541 Miss. Hwy. 16, Choctaw, MS 39350

(601) 663-0656

www.pearlriverresort.com

Resorts Tunica Hotel & Casino

1100 Casino Strip Blvd., Tunica Resorts, MS 38664

1-866-676-7070

www.resortstunica.com

Riverwalk Casino

1046 Warrenton Rd., Vicksburg, MS 39180

(601) 634-0100

www.riverwalkvicksburg.com

Samâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Town Hotel/Gambling Hall

1477 Casino Strip Blvd., Tunica Resorts, MS 38664

(662) 363-0711

www.samstowntunica.com

Silver Slipper Casino

5000 S. Beach Blvd., Bay St. Louis, MS 39520

(228) 469-2777

www.silverslipper-ms.com

Treasure Bay

1980 Beach Blvd., Biloxi, MS 39531

(228) 385-6000

www.treasurebay.com

Trop Casino Greenville

199 N. Lakefront Rd., Greenville, MS 38701

1-800-878-1777

www.trop-greenville.com

Tunica Roadhouse Casino

1107 Casino Center Dr., Tunica Resorts, MS 38664

(662) 363-4900

www.tunica-roadhouse.com

www.boomtownbiloxi.com www.diamondjacks.com

www.grandcasinobiloxi.com

www.horseshoetunica.com www.ipbiloxi.com

www.magnoliabluffscasino.com

The source for this list was the Mississippi Gaming Commission, individual casinos and other reliable sources. Please direct questions and comments to Wally Northway at research@msbusiness.com.

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MUSEUMS

20 I Mississippi Business Journal I July 11, 2014 Museum/Address

Phone

Website

Hours

African American Military History Museum 305 E. 6th St., Hattiesburg, MS 39401

(601) 450-1942

www.hattiesburguso.com

Wed.-Fri., 10 a.m.-4 p.m.; Sat., 10-noon (appt. only), noon-4 p.m.

B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center 400 Second St., Indianola, MS 38751

(662) 887-9539

www.bbkingmuseum.org

April 1-Oct. 31: Tues.-Sat., 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.; Sun.-Mon., noon- 5 p.m.

Beauvoir - The Jefferson Davis Home and Presidential Library (228) 388-4400 2244 Beach Blvd., Biloxi, MS 39531

www.beauvoir.org

Mon.-Sun., 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

Brices Cross Roads Battlefield Visitor and Interpreative Center (662) 365-3969 607 Grisham St., Baldwyn, MS 38824

www.nps.gov/brcr

Tues.-Sat., 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Crossroads Museum at the Historic Depot 221 North Fillmore St., Corinth, MS 38834

(662) 287-3120

www.crossroadsmuseum.com

Delta Blues Museum 1 Blues Alley, Clarksdale, MS 38614

(662) 627-6820

www.deltabluesmuseum.org Mar.-Oct.: Mon.-Sat., 9 a.m.-5 p.m.; Nov.-Feb.: Mon.-Sat., 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

Elvis Presley Birthplace 306 Elvis Presley Dr., Tupelo, MS 38804

(662) 841-1245

www.elvispresleybirthplace.com

Mon.-Sat., 9 a.m.-5:30 p.m.; Sun., 1 p.m.- 5 p.m.

Lauren Rogers Museum of Art 565 N. 5th Ave., Laurel, MS 39440

(601) 649-6374

www.lrma.org

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

Lower Mississippi River Museum 910 Washington St., Vicksburg, MS 39183

(601) 638-9900

www.lmrm.org

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

Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Museum 1150 Lakeland Dr., Jackson, MS 39216

(601) 432-4500 www.mdac.state.ms.us/departments/museum

Mississippi Armed Forces Museum Building 850, Camp Shelby, MS 39407

(601) 558-2303

www.armedforcesmuseum.us

Mississippi Children’s Museum 2145 Highland Dr., Jackson, MS 39202

(601) 981-5469

www.mississippichildrensmuseum.com

Tues.-Sat., 9 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sun., 1 p.m.-6 p.m.

Mississippi Museum of Art 380 S. Lamar St., Jackson, MS 39201

(601) 960-1515

www.msmuseumart.org

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

Mississippi Museum of Natural Science 2148, Riverside Dr., Jackson, MS 39202

(601) 354-7303

www.museum.mdwfp.com

Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and Museum 1152 Lakeland Dr., Jackson, MS 39216

(601) 982-8264

www.msfame.com

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

Ohr-O'Keefe Museum of Art 386 Beach Blvd., Biloxi, MS 39530

(228) 374-5547

www.georgeohr.org

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

Old Capitol Museum 100 S. State St., Jackson, MS 39201

(601) 576-6920

www.mdah.state.ms.us/oldcap

Tunica Museum 1 Museum Blvd., Tunica, MS 38676

(662) 363-6631

www.tunicamuseum.com

Vicksburg National Military Park/U.S.S. Cairo Museum 3201 Clay St., Vicksburg, MS 39183

(601) 636-0583

www.nps.gov/vick

Walter Anderson Museum of Art 510 Washington Ave., Ocean Springs, MS 39564

(228) 872-3164

www.waterandersonmuseum.org

Source: Mississippi Museums Association, individual museums and other reliable sources. Please direct questions or comments to Wally Northway at research@msbusiness.com.

Mon.-Sat., 10 a.m.-4 p.m.; Sun., 1 p.m.-4 p.m.

Mon.-Sat., 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

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

Mon.-Fri., 8 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sat., 9 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sun., 1 p.m.-5 p.m.

Tues.–Sat., 9 a.m.–5 p.m.; Sun., 1 p.m.-5 p.m.

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

Mon.-Sun., 8 a.m.-5 p.m. (Visitor Center); 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. (U.S.S. Cairo Museum) Mon.-Sat., 9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.; Sun., 12:30 p.m.-4:30 p.m.

TRADE ASSOCIATIONS

July 11, 2014

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TRADE ASSOCIATIONS

TRADE ASSOCIATIONS

July 11, 2014

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NEWSMAKERS

24 I Mississippi Business Journal I July 11, 2014

TEC appoints Thornton TEC has appointed Terry Thornton as telecom network supervisor at TEC of Jackson. In this role, Thornton will be responsible for coordinating the installation, proper functioning, and maintenance for the voice packet switching services systems. He brings with him several Thornton years of experience in the telecommunications industry.

Thornton currently resides in Clinton with his wife, Stacey, and children.

Cannon named general manager Cannon Ford Lincoln in Cleveland has appointed Tyler Cannon as its new general manager.

Cannon’s grandfather started Cannon Motor’s in 1959.

After graduating from high school, he played baseball at Mississippi College. Cannon then transferred to and graduated from the University of Mississippi. He majored in human resources and marketing.

Cannon

Andress made Fellow P. David Andress of Brunini, Grantham, Grower & Hewes, PLLC was recently selected as a Fellow in the American College of Mortgage Attorneys. Andress has been with the firm since 1991, and during his career he has narrowed his practice to focus mainly on commercial real estate including the acquisition, sale, leasing and financing of commercial properties.

Along with receiving this honor of being selected as a fellow, Andress has also been recognized by Best Lawyers in America, Chambers USA and Martindale Hubbell “AV Preeminent.”

Martin elected to board Dr. Maureen K. Martin, director of the DuBard School for Language Disorders at the University of Southern Mississippi, has been elected to serve on the board of directors for the Academic Language Therapy Association (ALTA), a national organization that certifies dyslexia therapists and practitioners.

Martin has served as the director of the DuBard School for 38 years, and has served on many other boards including the Mississippi Speech-LanguageHearing Association, the International Multisensory Structured Language Education Council and more.

She worked under the DuBard School founder Dr. Etoile DuBard, has assisted on the development of the DuBard Association Method, co-authored Teaching Language-Deficient Children: Theory and Application of the Association Method for Multisensory Teaching (2000) with DuBard and authored the newest edition, Oral and Written Communication Disorders: Identification and Multisensory Teaching (2012).

MSU’s Keith made Fellow Interim dean Jason Keith, interim dean of Mississippi State University’s James Worth Bagley College of Engineering, has been named a Fellow of the American Society for Engineering Education. A professor in chemical engineering, he holds the Earnest W. and Mary Ann Deavenport Jr. Chair, an endowed position in the Bagley College. Before becoming interim dean earlier this year, he directed both Keith the Dave C. Swalm School of Chemical Engineering and MSU Energy Institute.

Keith holds bachelor's and doctoral degrees in chemical engineering from the University of Akron and the University of Notre Dame, respectively. Before coming to Mississippi in 2011, he spent more than a decade on the faculty of Michigan Technological University.

Keith also currently chairs the education division of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers and is a member of the Tennessee Valley Authority's Energy Resource Council.

Roadeo winners announced

Tyler named police chief

The first-place winners of the recent Mississippi Department of Transportation Equipment Operators Roadeo State Championship held in Meridian have been named. These operators will team up to compete in the regional competition against 10 other states later this year. The winners are: Tommy Perkins (bushhog); Thomas Goode (backhoe); Matthew Thorne (tandem axle dump); Billy Coward (lowboy); Cody Justice (single axle dump); and Jeremy Hankins (motor grader).

The Ridgeland Board of Aldermen has named Randy Tyler as the city's new police chief. Tyler, who is currently the city's assistant police chief, will take over for the retiring Jimmy Houston on July 25. Tyler began working for the department in 1987 and served as the interim police chief for several months in 2011.

Houston announced his retirement in May and will teach criminal justice classes at Hinds Community College after his term as ended.

Reno succeeding Orr Rick Reno is the new executive director of the Mississippi Fair Commission. Originally from Louisiana, Reno, who is a certified facilities executive recognized by the International Association of Venue Managers, is an experienced arena and facility manager with over 40 years of experience. He joins the Fair Commission from VenuWorks located in Dodge City, Kan., where he was the executive director. He has also managed at other venues around the country that include facilities in Oregon, North Carolina, Kentucky, and Virginia.

Reno replaces the retiring Billy Orr, who has served the State of Mississippi for 27 years in that capacity until his recent retirement. Orr will work with Reno in the transition process and will remain on staff as the public relations director for the Mississippi Fair Commission.

Bank welcomes Hansen Jeff Hansen has joined The Citizens Bank as assistant vice president and branch manager of the Biloxi Lemoyne Boulevard Branch located in St. Martin. Hansen has over 15 years of experience in the financial services industry. He is a charter member of the Gulfport Lions Club where he has served on the board of directors for the past six years. Hansen also serves as a Planning & Zoning Board commissioner in his hometown of Hansen Long Beach.

Hansen graduated from the University of Southern Mississippi, and is a member of the USM Athletic Foundation.

Ellis to replace Gillis Mississippi Supreme Court Clerk Kathy Gillis has retired after 33 years of service to the court. Gillis, 63, grew up in Jackson and earned a bachelor of arts degree in history from Mississippi University for Women in 1972 and a master of arts in history from MUW in 1978. She taught ninth-grade English in Columbus in 1974, then worked in the office of the registrar at MUW from 1976 to 1978. She is married to Walter Gillis. They have two daughters and a grandson.

The court will appoint Muriel B. Ellis, a veteran of 23 years of work in the clerk’s office, as the new clerk of the Supreme Court and Court of Appeals. She will be the first African-American clerk of the state’s highest court. Ellis also was the first African-American deputy clerk and chief deputy clerk of the Supreme Court.

Gillis and Ellis both worked through the ranks of the clerk’s office. Gillis joined the office May 1, 1981, as a legal clerk. She was a deputy clerk for four and onehalf years, and was chief deputy clerk for 17 years.

She became clerk of the Court on June 1, 2009.

Ellis, 54, of Jackson, joined the Supreme Court Clerk’s staff as a legal clerk on Feb. 4, 1991. She became a team leader in 2000 and a deputy clerk in 2007. She became chief deputy clerk June 1, 2009.

Ellis is a graduate of Phillips Business College. She previously worked for the city of Jackson Water Department and for St. Dominic Hospital. She is married to Leonard Ellis Sr.

Weir tenders resignation Simon Weir, who represents the State Supreme Court District 3 on the Mississippi Board of Education, has resigned from his position. In his resignation letter, Weir stated that professional commitments have required more of his time, and he was unable to continue to serve on the board.

In 2012, Gov. Phil Bryant appointed Weir to the State Board of Education. A native of Hernando, Miss., Weir serves as CEO and president of Community Bank, North Mississippi, and he has worked in the banking industry for more than 20 years.

MAFES adds Rushing The Mississippi State University Extension Service and Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station recently welcomed Brett Rushing as plant materials specialist. Rushing a native of Alabaster, Alabama, holds a bachelor’s degree in biological sciences from Jacksonville State University and a master’s Rushing and doctoral degrees in agronomy from MSU. Rushing will research native grasses and forages for livestock, concentrating on the needs of central Mississippi landowners and livestock producers. He also will study plant materials suitable for biomass production.

Boone chooses Carpenter Todd H. Carpenter is the new chief executive officer of the Alabama-based Boone Newspapers Inc. The 44-year-old Carpenter will succeed James B. Boone Jr., who will continue as chairman. Carpenter has been the corporation's chief operating officer for 10 years. In the new role he will continue as president and director of Boone Newspapers.

The 44-year-old Carpenter will work from Natchez where the company owns and operates The Natchez Democrat.

Koerber makes presentation Jim Koerber, CPA/ABV/CFF, CVA, CFE, recently presented a program titled “Personal Injury and Wrongful Death Economic Damage Calculations” to CPAs and consultants attending the National Association of Certified Valuators & Analysts’ 2014 Annual Consultants’ Conference, which was held at Encore at the Wynn Koerber Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Koerber is a shareholder with The Koerber Company, PA in Hattiesburg.

Boyce goes to IHL Glenn Boyce, president of Holmes Community College, has stepped down to become associate commissioner for academic affairs with the Institutions of Higher Learning. Boyce had been president at Holmes since 2005. Before being named president of Holmes, he was the school's vice president for community and workforce development and the district director of career-technical education.

Boyce is a former assistant superintendent for secondary programs for the Rankin County School District and high school and attendance center principal of the Northwest Rankin Attendance Center. He has a bachelor's degree and doctorate from the University of Mississippi and a master's from Mississippi College.

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

July 11 2014

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» MISSISSIPPI LEADERS by Martin Willoughby

Back to school

Walton leading Jackson Prep

W

hether in art, sports, academics, or business, we are inspired by excellence. We celebrate those who have the commitment to achieving the highest levels of success in their respective fields.

Aristotle once said, “Excellence is never an accident. It is always the result of high intention, sincere effort, and intelligent execution; it represents the wise choice of many alternatives - choice, not chance, determines your destiny.” His statement reminds us that excellence is truly a choice.

We can choose the level of commitment we are willing to give to a task. Colin Powell once noted, “If you are going to achieve excellence in big things, you develop the habit in little matters. Excellence is not an exception, it is a prevailing attitude.” We see that it is striving for excellence in the little things that has the compound effect of creating a life of excellence.

My interviewee this week, Dr. Jason L. Walton, brings that kind of passion for excellence to his new role as the sixth head of school at Jackson Preparatory School, which he assumed July 1, 2014. He succeeded Susan Lindsay, who served in the role since 2004, and retired this June after 40 years of service to the school that has founded in 1970 and is one of the leading private schools in the state.

Walton is a fourth-generation Mississippian who grew up in Greenwood and Her-

Up Close With ... Dr. Jason L. Walton

Title: Head of School, Jackson Preparatory School Favorite Books: Rumsfeld’s Rules: Leadership Lessons in Business, Politics, War and Life by Donald Rumsfeld. “Set aside your politics and whatever you think of Donald Rumsfeld. Read this book. And when you reach the final page, go back and read it again. It will teach you how to work for someone else. And one day, when others work for you, it will teach you exactly what you should expect from them.”

First Job: ”My first job was working as a grocery store sacker and stocker at Pretti’s Big Star #97 on Commerce Street in Hernando, Mississippi. It was an invaluable experience. You can learn a lot about people observing what they buy and take home (and how they treat the people who help them to their car).”

Hobbies/Interests: ”Boating, travel, inland and offshore fishing, hunting, recreational cycling with my family and voracious consumption of all forms of content: books, magazines, music, movies, television, web and social media.”

nando. After getting his associates degree from Northwest Mississippi Community College in Senatobia, Mississippi, he went on to earn his undergraduate and master’s degrees from the University of Mississippi and a Ph.D. from Vanderbilt University in Education Leadership and Policy Studies.

Walton’s work experience includes serving as a classroom teacher in the DeSoto county schools, associate editor for the Peabody Journal of Education and a legislative staffer. Prior to joining Jackson Prep, Walton served as chief of staff/staff liaison to the board of trustees at Lynn University in

“Excuses are the nails used to build a house of failure.”

Dr. Jason L. Walton Head of School, Jackson Prep

Boca Raton, Florida.

Inspired by the Presidential debate held at his alma mater Ole Miss in 2008, he personally pitched, built internal institutional support for, and orchestrated the strat- Martin Willoughby egy that brought the third and final 2012 Presidential debate between President Barack Obama and Gov. Mitt Romney to Lynn University. This debate, held on Oct. 22, 2012, was viewed by 59.2 million households, had a $13.1 million immediate economic impact on Palm Beach County, and yielded a combined $63 million publicity value for the university, Boca Raton, and Palm Beach County.

Walton shared with me that his educational philosophy is best captured in one simple axiom... excellence without exception. He emphasized, “Excuses are the nails used to build a house of failure.” His philosophy aligns well with Jackson Prep’s mission, which is “Striving to educate and inspire students toward academic, athletic, and artistic excellence.” For future leaders, he encourages them to maintain a sense of wonder. He noted, “I encourage them to cultivate a restless curiosity about everything that fascinates them in the world and then endeavor to search out and consume all the content you can about those things.” I am excited about Walton’s return to his home state, and I know that he will make a positive impact on the students at Jackson Prep and the community in the years to come.

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.

Tuscan tale blends history and mystery

I » The Light in the Ruins

By Chris Bohjalian Published by Random House $15.95 softback

t's hard to classify The Light in the Ruins. Is it a thriller, a war story, a love story, a murder mystery? It's all of the above. It's a gripping tale that takes readers back and forth between the last years of World War II and 1955 with the perspectives of a young girl in war torn Tuscany, her family and German lover from 1943-45 to updates from those same people in 1955, but with the addition of a maniacal killer and a war damaged female police detective in Florence. The different scenarios and dates might be confusing in the hands of a less talented author, but Bohjalian makes the transitions flow.

The book begins with the brutal murder of a member of the Rosati family, a Tuscan family of noble lineage. The killer is not content to merely take her life but cuts out her heart and leaves it in an ashtray on the vanity. Another family member is soon

murdered the same way and others are clearly in danger.

It's perplexing, and the reader as well as the police quickly decide there's a connection to events that happened at the Rosatis' villa as German and Italian soldiers brought the war to the family's peaceful home. An ancient Etruscan burial site on the family's property is of great interest to the invading Germans who're intent on pillaging the region's art and artifacts.

It's a time of gut wrenching moral dilemmas and struggles with

some heart breaking results.

This book is well written and fast paced. You will want to race through it to learn who the fiendish killer is as your mind considers first and then another suspect, but the identity is not revealed until the end.

Bohjalian is the critically acclaimed author of 17 books, including nine New York Times bestsellers. His books have been chosen as Best Books of the Year by numerous publications and translated into 25 languages. He has won many awards and has written for a variety of newspapers and magazines.

Among his best known books are The Sandcastle Girls, Skeletons at the Feast, The Double Bind and Midwives. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa and summa cum laude from Amherst College and lives in Vermont.

— Lynn Lofton, mbj@msbusiness.com

26 I Mississippi Business Journal I July 11 2014 THE SPIN CYCLE

Top green brands: The blue oval is really green ust about every major corporation today understands the importance of running a sustainable business.

Generally speaking, this means one in which water gets conserved, energy and materials come increasingly from clean sources, and the social impact of the business is positive. The trouble is, until now there have been few ways to measure not only how brands are performing environmentally but also how the public perceives that performance. And how the public perceives a company’s greenness is becoming increasingly important.

That’s especially true of the millennial generation. In general, they prefer to buy from companies who share their worldview – especially when it comes to the environment.

In the decade ahead, those companies that invest in initiatives that help people and the planet as well as their bottom line and who can communicate those efforts effectively will have a competitive edge.

Fortune recently published the 50 Best Global Green Brands for 2014 in conjunction with consulting firm Deloitte and Interbrand. The list was first created in 2011.

This year’s nominees were drawn from Interbrand’s annual Best Global Brands report, which ranks the world’s 100 most valuable brands. The 50 companies on the Best Global Green Brands list were ranked in two ways: on the strength of their sustainability initiatives and on how the public perceives those efforts.

The surprise on this year’s list was that Ford replaced Toyota as the No. 1 brand. Ford’s philosophy is that sustainability issues should be integrated into the business. The automaker now offers seven electrified models. Six are hybrids. The seventh, the Focus Electric, is a pure battery electric car.

The two brands that jumped the most this year were IKEA (No. 19) and Zara (No. 34), each rising 14 places from last year. The Swedish home furnishings chain announced that it would be teaming up with Nissan (No. 5) and energy provider Ecotricity to install electric car charging stations for customers at all U.K. stores. IKEA is one of the first major retailers to offer electric charging points – a proactive strategy to help meet the growing demand from their customers. Spanish retailer Zara is committed to implementing sustainable practices across it operations, from introducing a waste management policy across its flagships, using organic cotton and ecological fabrics, and educating staff on sustainable practices, such as limiting energy consumption. By 2020, all its existing stores around the world aim to be 100 percent eco-efficient.

J

Key findings in the rankings: » Sony (No. 7) and Adidas (No. 8) enter into the top 10 for the first time, while Johnson & Johnson falls six places to No. 12 and Volkswagen falls nine places to No. 16. » Top Risers: IKEA climbed 14 spots to secure the No. 19 position while Zara also climbed 14 places to claim the No. 34 position. Philips moved up nine places to take the No. 14 spot and Adidas jumped up seven places to No. 8. » Automotive, electronic & technology brands occupy nearly 50 percent of the overall ranking; 10 brands hail from the automotive sector, while 12 brands come from the electronics and technology sectors. » Brands within the financial services sector struggle to become sustainability leaders: Allianz and Citi fall off this year’s ranking, while AXA falls one place to take the No. 45 position and Santander moves up two places to No. 44.

Todd Smith » Three new brands joined the 2014 ranking, including 5,000, which is interesting.

Many companies measure PR efChevrolet (No. 32), Disney (No. 49), and Heineken (No. 50). forts cumulatively, which is certainly a good diagnostic for the overall success of a campaign – more articles over time Top 10 Greenest Brands of 2014 drives audience and ad value. However, you should go a step 1.

Ford further and begin looking at their PR strategies as snapshots 2.

Toyota in time and consistency is the best media policy. How does 3.

Honda one PR effort, social media initiative, blog post, or news ar4.

Nissan ticle look at a given moment? If done right, PR should re5.

Panasonic sult in heartbeat visuals – steady spikes of conversation that 6.

Nokia tends to look more like a heartbeat. Those bursts of chatter 7.

Sony drive awareness about your company and your brand – and 8.

Adidas ultimately result in greater ROI. 9.

Danone 10. Dell

Media Pitching Tips For PR Pros Like a major league pitcher warming up in the bull pin for the World Series – us PR practitioners and media pros are constantly striving for inventive ways to ad sizzle to our media pitches to notch more home runs for our brands.

AirPR, a leading firm that tracks the performance of PR initiatives by measuring media coverage, web traffic, number of articles written, social media conversation and how online interactions drive sales, recently released a comprehensive report on the best ways to grab headlines. This caught The Spin Cycle’s eye. Here are some useful tips for PR pros, companies trying to use the media to their advantage and journalists covering brands,

» Set your embargos for early-morning hours Traffic on websites spikes between 6 a.m. Central and 9 a.m. Central, even though half as many articles get published during those times than at 3 p.m. Central. (People also, more predictably, read a lot during the 12 o'clock lunch hour. Instead of setting that embargo for 3 p.m. Central – not really sure the logic of that time-stamp anyway. Plan on media distribution in the mornings or around lunchtime.

» Forget about Fridays

Golden Mic | Tim Howard’s Super-Human World Cup Performance

As Team USA battled through an ulcer-inducing overtime against Belgium, one thing was clear: Tim Howard single-handedly carried America through its bittersweet World Cup adventure. More than a dozen times he rescued the U.S. from the Belgian onslaught, improbably blocking shot after shot. It cannot be overstated how devastating Kevin De Bruyne's game-changing goal for Belgium was but neither can Howard's super-human performance. Howard had the most saves in a single game, 16, in World Cup history. America owes an improbably large thank you to Howard for leading us. And it seems with Howard’s heroics, Americans are officially caring more about soccer. We watched the game in record numbers, eclipsing both baseball’s World Series – our national pastime – and the NBA finals. But Howard single-handedly kept the U.S. afloat, and in the process took soccer awareness – and fever – to new heights. For that, he takes this week’s Golden Mic. Each week, The Spin Cycle will bestow a Golden Mic Award to the person, group or company in the court of public opinion that best exemplifies the tenets of solid PR, marketing and advertising – and those who don’t. Stay tuned – and step-up to the mic! And remember … Amplify Your Brand!

Big bumps in readership happen on Mondays and Wednesdays. People are too busy actually working on Tuesdays to read, it seems. And Fridays? Fridays basically don't exist on the Internet. (Which is one reason companies often release damaging or negative news late on a Friday afternoon, like no one will notice.) " The most optimal time to pitch news stories are Mondays and Wednesdays, either first thing in the morning, or in time for lunch on the East Coast.

» Your own blog can be the best platform Relying on media alone to tell a story can be tricky. Unless working with certain pressrelease distribution outlets, you will definitely not get the stories of your choosing. Lucky for companies, a company blog can drive a lot of traffic and sales – when done right.

» The ideal post length is 1,500 words It's a little difficult for a company to ask a journalist to pen an article of a certain length, but media professionals, take note: posts between 1,000 and 2,000 words drive the most traffic, and result in the best social media attention.

Engagement drops off at 4,000 words and picks back up at

(Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)l

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

SALES MOVES

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» JEFFREY GITOMER

The NEW TRUTH about closing the sale E

very salesperson is looking for the fastest way, the best way, and the easiest way to “close” a sale.

More than human nature, for salespeople, closing the sale is both a desire and a need. And the results are totally measurable. Either you win, or you lose.

There is no second place in sales.

Many people think that “closing the sale” is the fulcrum point of the process. All of those people are wrong. Closing the sale begins when the sales presentation begins.

A sale is not “closed.” A sale is earned.

In my career I have learned two powerful words that complete the selling process. They allow me to complete the sale without a feeling of discomfort or hesitancy. When it’s time to deliver those words, I know in my heart of hearts the sale is mine.

The two words are: fair enough, and they are delivered to the prospect in the form of a question.

“Fair enough?”

“Fair enough” are the most powerful words to affirm the prospect’s intention to buy. You may be erroneously referring to the prospect saying “yes” as “closing a sale.” Not good.

“Fair enough” asks for a commitment and vali-

dates the value and the fairness of your offer. If your offer is valuable, or perceived as valuable by the prospect, then the words “fair enough” will always be followed by the prospect’s affirmative answer.

And vice-versa.

The words “Fair enough” are also a self-test. Do you perceive that your offer is so valuable, that when you ask the prospect, “Is that fair enough?” you know in your mind and in your heart that in fact it IS fair enough. Always ask yourself the “fair enough” question BEFORE you give a sales presentation. If you can answer “yes” to your own offer, it’s likely the prospect will answer “yes” as well.

The words “fair enough” ask for a “yes” and a confirmation to move forward. They are direct, completely understandable, and are non-manipulative. They don’t contain the phrases, “Can you see any reason not to move forward?” or worse, “Is there any reason you could not do this today?”

Those are old-world, BS sales expressions of the worst order.

“Fair enough” is pointed, powerful, and positive.

And you don’t have to wait until the end of your presentation to ask. You can slip it in once or twice as you’re presenting to make certain you and the prospect are in agreement and moving forward.

“Fair enough” gives you a transition from your presentation to earning the business.

THINK ABOUT THIS: If you have a bunch of presentation slides and offer to send some kind of proposal at the end of your presentation, you can never use the words “fair enough.” Your job as a salesperson is to figure out how your presentation can culminate with the words “fair enough” and that there’s enough perceived value in your presentation for the customer to say, “Yes, that’s fair enough.”

If the prospect says, “That sounds fair enough,” or gives you some form of yes, that’s not just a purchase, it’s also a report card that your offer was perceived as valuable enough to move forward.

START HERE: Review your entire sales presentation and see where the words “fair enough” fit into it. If there’s no place for them, then your offer is most likely not fair enough, and will be met with some kind of resistance or stall.

This review process requires work on your part, and may mean you have to revise your sales presentation. This is a good thing! It will most likely mean you have to ask more questions, discover what the buying motive of the prospect is, and make certain you have value offerings that are in

Jeffrey Gitomer harmony with their true needs and motives to buy.

If you are able to give prospects the answers they’re hoping for, you will have created the ultimate buying experience.

Asking the question “fair enough” will become a joy. A financially rewarding joy.

I just provided you with a major secret of selling — a secret that, when mastered, has the potential to double your sales and increase your earnings significantly. All you have to do is create a strategy to incorporate it. Fair enough?

Jeffrey Gitomer is the author of “The Sales Bible”, “Customer Satisfaction is Worthless” “Customer Loyalty is Priceless”, “The Little Red Book of Selling”, “The Little Red Book of Sales Answers”, “The Little Black Book of Connections”, “The Little Gold Book of YES! Attitude”, “The Little Green Book of Getting Your Way”, “The Little Platinum Book of ChaChing”, “The Little Teal Book of Trust”, “The Little Book of Leadership”, and “Social BOOM!” His website, www.gitomer.com, will lead you to more information about training and seminars, or email him personally at salesman@gitomer.com.

MERGERS & ACQUISITIONS

HEALTH CARE

Builders and Contractors purchases AmFed group

Hospice facility approved for Hattiesburg

An investor group led by the Builders and Contractors Associations of Mississippi SelfInsurers Trust has purchased Ridgeland-based AmFed Companies from Companion Property & Casualty Insurance Co. of Columbia, S.C. This purchase includes two Mississippi insurance companies.

BCAM board Chairman Donnie Massey indicated that AmFed has served as the third party administrator to BCAM for the past 17 years making this transaction virtually invisible to its producing agents and customers.

“This purchase allows BCAM to expand the

scope of insurance products and services it has distributed through selected independent agents for the past 23 years,” said Massey. “It will be led operationally by investor group members Billy Roberts and Greg McLemore.”

Rob Rhodes, chief legal officer of Companion, added, “The AmFed group is a perfect strategic fit for BCAM and we look forward to working with them through this transition.

The Builders and Contractors Associations of Mississippi was founded in 1991 and is the largest workers’ compensation insurance Fund of its type in Mississippi. It is located at 811 East

River Place, Suite 201, in Jackson.

Headquartered in Columbia, S.C., Companion Property & Casualty Insurance Group does business in 49 states through a network of independent agents, brokers and business partners.

AmFed National and AmFed Casualty Companies provide insurance solutions. Amfed Companies is located at 576 Highland Colony Parkway, Suite 300, in Ridgeland.

GOVERNMENT

Meridian changes rule on alcohol and restaurants MERIDIAN — Some restaurants in downtown Meridian can legally start serving beer, wine and cocktails to customers dining at tables on sidewalks.

The city council recently changed the rules that regulate alcohol consumption on public streets.

The new policy allows alcohol to be served at tables that restaurants put on sidewalks just outside their buildings, said Michael Goggans, a former city attorney.

City Council president Dustin Markham said this does not mean people can walk up and down a street with a drink in hand.

"Restaurants that are near a heavily populated area where there is consistent pedestrian traffic or an area where people want to sit outside and eat, I think they

will take advantage of it and they'll start adding that to what they provide as a restaurant," Markham said.

Markham said that the change will apply to restaurants that join the city's right of way and have immediate access to a public sidewalk.

Charles Frazier, owner of Weidmann's Restaurant, said although the change won't affect his restaurant now, it is good news for downtown dining. Weidmann's has tables on its balcony but not on the sidewalk.

"The effect on our business would be negligible, except for the fact that more people might come downtown. It certainly won't change the way we are conducting business at this point," Frazier said.

— from staff and MBJ wire services

— from staff and MBJ wire services

HATTIESBURG — Forrest General Hospital in Hattiesburg has been given state approval to build a freestanding facility for hospice care.

The Mississippi State Department of Health issued a certificate of need for the project in June. Mississippi requires a CON in a process designed to avoid duplication of health care services and control costs.

The 20,000-square-foot building will be operated by Asbury Hospice House.

The project will cost $6.4 million.

— from staff and MBJ wire services

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