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INSIDE — New buyer interested in Jackson’s Landmark Center

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June 20, 2014 • Vol. 36, No. 25 • $1 • 24 pages

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WHO’S BEST FOR BUSINESS » THE FIRST MISSISSIPPI coastal wind residual market was created by the Legislature in 1972 stemming from a lack of voluntary market options partially as a result of Hurricane Camille losses incurred in 1969...

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Around town {P 8} » Technology Solutions Group is open for business Publisher’s Column {P 3} » Forewell to the Orange and Blue Strictly Biz {P 20} » Compromise is not a four-letter word

MBJ Focus {P 11}

» Insurance & Employee Benefits Lists {P 16} » Property & Casualty Insurance Co.

SPLIT PERCEPTIONS …

» Mississippi businesses see different stakes in GOP Senate runoff Page 2

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2 I Mississippi Business Journal I June 20 2014 MISSISSIPPI POLITICS

Mississippi businesses see different stakes in GOP Senate runoff » There’s a divide just like you see in the general population, analysts says By TED CARTER I STAFF WRITER ted.carter@msbusiness.com

Size really does matter when breaking down how Mississippi’s business sector will vote in Tuesday’s Republican senatorial primary runoff. The larger the business the more likely the sentiments will fall to incumbent Sen. Thad Cochran, who has been in Washington longer than 42-year-old tea party challenger and Mississippi Senate member Chris McDaniel has been on the planet. Cochran can pull the levers of government in a way that few other Washington lawmakers can match, his supporters in business say. It’s the pullers of those levers, on the other hand, that small business owners blame for the squeeze they feel, says Dr. Marty Wiseman, recently retired executive director of the John C. Stennis Institute of Government & Community Development at Mississippi State University. “Those that have the bigger operations and more of a presence beyond one county and one town have a pretty good understanding that Cochran brings money and projects to the state,” Wiseman, who has observed an analyzed Mississippi politics for decades, said in an interview Monday. “When you get to the mom-and-pop type thing they don’t like the difference in the gross” receipts they bring in and what the government takes out, he noted. “I do think there is a divide there that is just about like what you see in the general population.” A Washington Post analysis earlier this month noted that the GOP’s national leaders are generally close to business interests, but both libertarians and tea party activists within the Republican Party are suspicious of those interests. Randolph-Macon College economics professor Dave Bratt, a tea partier who took down House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, said as much after his June 10 victory. “I will fight to end crony capitalist programs that benefit the rich and powerful,” he pledged in the same Post article. Rick Santorum, a McDaniel supporter and former GOP presidential primary contender, emphasized the split in an address of 2012’s Iowa State Republican Convention, saying big business and the interests of

rank-and-file Republicans have gone their separate ways. “Years ago, when I was growing up, the Republican Party was the country club set,” the Post article reported he told the Iowa audience. “If you look at the surveys right now, those folks aren’t voting Republican anymore.” Crawford But the GOP leadership has not noticed, said Santorum, who recently campaigned in Mississippi for McDaniel. In Mississippi, said Wiseman, the sector in which a business operates often determines the political loyalties of its executives. If the business relies on federally funded projects or infrastructure, it’s likely to fall in behind traditional GOP leaders such Wiseman as Cochran, he said. For instance, noted Wiseman, “highway contractors and constructors that benefit a great deal from big dollar projects understand where the money comes from.” Add shipbuilders to that list as well, says Bill Crawford, a Meridian-based syndicated columnist and former deputy director of the Mississippi Development Authority. Crawford has filled his columns of late with warnings of the bad things in store for Mississippi businesses should McDaniel prevail Tuesday. He has put a special emphasis on the risk a McDaniel victory could pose for the future of the state’s largest private sector employer, Ingalls Shipbuilding in Jackson County. He notes the House Appropriations Committee this month dropped funding from its 2015 defense appropriations bill for the next amphibious warship (LPD 28) to be built by Ingalls “That puts approximately 3,000 Ingalls’ jobs on the firing line,” Crawford wrote in a recent Mississippi Business Journal column. Crawford says he thinks voters in Jackson County played Russian roulette with their economic future by voting for McDaniel over Cochran, whom he calls “the only member of Mississippi’s congressional delegation with enough seniority to fund ships for Ingalls Shipbuilding.” Wiseman said the irony is that “the guy at the shipyard leaving the 4 a.m. shift is saying,‘It’s time for See

STAKES, Page 5

Cochran photo from NBCnews.com / McDaniel photo from Associated Press

Who would be better for Mississippi in the U.S. Senate, incumbent Thad Cochran (top) or challenger Chris McDaniel (bottom)? It depends on who you ask.

June 20, 2014

Mississippi Business Journal

FROM THE PUBLISHER’S DESK

Farewell to the orange and blue of Southwest Airlines

s we reported previously, Southwest Airlines has left Jackson for greener pastures. Most of us in Jackson are probably sorry to see those orange and blue planes fly away and not return, because it’s bound to limit our travel options, potentially increase costs, and generally take away some measure of convenience. A great airport is essential to the growth and prosperity of any market, and Jackson is no exception. Even before the loss of Southwest, however, there were clearly underlying challenges with respect to our airport, as my own experience attests. I’ve made several air trips in the past 9 months, and none of them were from Jackson. On the search tabs for the online travel site I use, there is one option which shows me the fares and schedules from “nearby airports.” Utilizing that option, on two of my trips, I chose to fly out of Gulfport. Why? Because the airfare was approximately half the cost of basically the same schedule from Jackson. In one case, I saved more than $450; in the other case, it was close to $500 less from Gulfport. For another trip, I discovered that I could save $400 by flying from Monroe, La. The savings don’t stop there. Long-term parking in both Gulfport and Monroe was more than $30 less for a week than parking in Jackson. Furthermore, having rented cars frequently at the Jackson airport, I can attest that the airport fees and taxes have gone up in the past couple of years. Way up. Now, it’s certainly not convenient to have to drive 2 or 3 hours to catch a flight, but for a savings of as much as $500 plus low parking costs, many of us will opt to make the drive. If you’re flying as a couple, the savings could be as much as $1,000. That obviously makes up for a lot of inconvenience. We’re not pointing this information out from a critical perspective, but rather to ask “why?” We fully understand that there are serious issues confronting Jackson, and that includes the airport. But the problem is: if we can’t be competitive with other markets, what does that mean for the long term? I’ve pointed out in other columns that the cost of living in Jackson, or perhaps I should say, in the

In one case, I saved more than $450; in the other case, it was close to $500 less from Gulfport. For another trip, I discovered that I could save $400 by flying from Monroe, La.

Jackson suburban areas, is not low. Comparable homes cost more in many areas here than they do in similar suburban communities in Atlanta, Dallas and Memphis. Food costs more at some of the suburban Jackson supermarkets than it does in other states, and even within our own state. Plus, we tax food and many other states do not. We are bullish on Mississippi, a great state with manifold resources such as adequate water, some of

the best agricultural land in North America, a great coastal region and port facilities, great people and much more. Jackson lies at the hub of the state for transportation, bisected by two major interstate highways, and we sit in a great geographic location convenient to the Southeast, Texas and the Midwest. But with all of that, still the challenges remain. If we can’t compete effectively with other markets, they’ll wind up capturing ground that should belong

to us. None of us wants to see that happen. Alan Turner If you have thoughts or ideas on how any of our challenges can be met, we’d love to hear from you. » Contact MBJ publisher Alan Turner at alan.turner@msbusiness.com

Congratulations

2014 class of Best Places to Work honorees from the

This magazine will proﬁle all AWARD RECIPIENTS and pay tribute to their excellence in business and community achievements.

Adams and Reese, LLP All American Check Cashing Atmos Energy Corporation Baker Donelson Business Communications Inc. Camellia Healthcare CF Industries Inc. Community Bank Fast Enterprises, LLC Gilmore Memorial Regional Medical Center

Haddox Reid Eubank Betts, PLLC Harrah’s Gulf Coast Hol-Mac Corporation Jackson Municipal Airport Authority KeyStaff Source May & Company, LLP Metropolitian Bank Navigator Credit Union NewSouth NeuroSpine Ross & Yerger Insurance Inc.

Rushing & Guice, PLLC Southern Pipe & Supply Company Inc. State Street Group, LLC Synergetics Diversiﬁed Computer Services Inc. Tempstaff Inc. Think Anew, LLC Tower Loan Venture Technologies Viking Range, LLC

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For more information on Best Places to Work and other events please visit www.msbusiness.com/events or call Tami Jones at (601) 364-1011

4 I Mississippi Business Journal I June 20 2014 REAL ESTATE

New buyer interest in Jackson’s Landmark Center after UMMC drops deal the Landmark could fill. The Board of Trustees of the Mississippi Institutes of Higher Learning approved the A potential new buyer is ready to seek a purchase of the building in November. UMMC was looking to pay between $6.1 deal on the vacant office building. The Hertz Investment Group, owners of million and $6.5 million and planned im1.2 million square feet of metro Jackson of- provements such as a new roof for the fice space, wants to be 100 percent sure seven-floor structure. The deal’s demise is “a big disappointUMMC is out of the deal before approaching representatives of the 366,500 ment to a lot of people in Jackson and lot square-foot Landmark, said Jim Ingram, of people here on campus,” UMMC Hertz executive vice president and chief spokesman Jack Mazurak said. “It is just not financially responsible right now.” investment officer. The pending purchase helped ease the “We would do anything to help UMMC get to buy the building. But if that can’t pain downtown proponents felt when state officials selected Clinhappen we might step ton’s SouthPointe in and be a player ourBusiness Center over selves,” he said. the Landmark as the Ingram said the new home of the Deprice would need to be partment of Revenue. right, though he did But without an occunot say how far it must pant for the Landmark, drop below the $6.1 downtown’s office million to $6.5 million space vacancy will rerange UMMC was main in the high 30 negotiating. percent range. “At some point we The Landmark has may reach out to been empty since the Johnny Lamberson,” a departure of former broker in the CB main tenant AT&T. Richard Ellis Memphis Commercial real estate office who represents brokers had estimated Landmark owner U.S. that once the LandBancorp, Ingram said. mark regained a major Hertz had an option tenant, vacancy in the to buy the seven-story Central Business Disbuilding at 175 E. trict would drop to the Capitol but let the opmid- to high-20s. tion lapse after state Believing the Landofficials passed over mark would get the Landmark as the UMMC as an owner new Department of “is why we didn’t raise Revenue headquarters. too much hell” about The Landmark carlosing the DOR to ried a price of just over Clinton, said Ben Allen, $14 million as recently president of Downas 2011. town Jackson Partners, UMMC officials say a public-private entity they ceased negotiaresponsible for promottions with owners of ing and enhancing the building after downtown as a destinaother needs arose, inJim Ingram tion for working, shopcluding the cost of Hertz Executive VP ping and living. moving nearly 2,000 The arrival of 300 or unmarked graves from so new workers downland off Lakeland Drive north of the campus needed for ex- town, and the likelihood of more to follow pansion. Also contributing was a decision as space in the Landmark filled — was to not to do a public-private hotel project that bring a significant economic boost to would have displaced a significant number downtown. Mississippi Main Street has of UMMC workers on campus and cre- statistics that show the average worker ated a need for additional office space that downtown spends a $125 a week, including By TED CARTER I STAFF WRITER ted.carter@msbusiness.com

“We would do anything to help UMMC get to buy the building. But, if that can’t happen, we might step in and be a player ourselves.”

FILE / The Mississippi Business Journal

parking, eating, happy hours and miscellaneous expenses such as dry cleaning, according to Allen. “It could put $30,000 a week into the downtown economy,” Allen said last year after UMMC confirmed it wanted the Landmark to provide office space and a home to its rapidly growing Tele Health Services. Tele Health Services has since signed a lease for additional space in its current home in the UBS building at Interstate 55 and County Line Road. Tele Health provides rural emergency rooms voice and picture two-way linkups to medical specialists at the Tele Health ops center. The inaugural office market report for metro Jackson prepared by the Jackson office of CB Richard Ellis Commercial Real Estate firm put the fourth quarter 2013 Central Business District office vacancy rate at 34.9 percent, but based its prediction for occupancy increases in 2014 partly on the sale of the Landmark going through. The CBRE report, released late week, noted that Rentable Building Area for the Central Business District totaled 2,950,224 square feet at the end of 2013. The CBD’s average asking lease rate was $16.88, with net absorption for the final quarter of last year standing at 16,452 square feet. The report noted that demand for residential space downtown has developers to convert many vacant older office buildings in the CBD to multi-family housing. Richard Ridgway of the CBRE’s Jackson

office said it would be wrong to describe the CBD office market as flat. “We’re seeing new tenants and existing tenants expanding,” he said in an interview Friday. But the “game changer” for the CBD won’t come until the Landmark begins to regain occupants, Ridgway predicted. The Hertz Group’s Ingram said he agrees. “If we can find the right user for the Landmark and we complete the redevelopment of the Regions building to residential, it would essentially take 500,000 square feet of vacant office space off the market,” he said. The California-based Hertz Group has applied to the U.S. Park Service for placement of the circa 1928 Regions Building on the National Register of Historic Places. The placement would make the building eligible for federal historic tax credits, said Ingram, who added that with the tax credits “we’re off and running” in doing the conversion of the 18-story Regions Building to residential. On the government side, state Sen. Blount has tried for the past two years to persuade lawmakers to approve moving many of the state’s far-flung offices into downtown. He has said the relocations would not only lower CBD vacancy rates but also save the state over $5 million annually in office space rents. Blount’s legislation has passed the Senate unanimously the past two years but failed to get a vote in the House either time.

June 20 2014

STAKES

To say â&#x20AC;&#x153;we will do all in our power to make sure the farmer is treated wellâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; shows a lack of understanding by McDaniel on how things workâ&#x20AC;? in keeping farm prices sound and within reach of the average Americanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s budget. Recently retired executive director of the John C. Stennis Institute of Government & Community Development at Mississippi State University

Mississippi Business Journal

Continued from Page 2

Thad to go.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;? McDanielâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s promises to go to bat to save Ingallsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; contracts but otherwise cut every federal dollar he can, including the vast sums that come into Mississippi, leave Wiseman skeptical. The vow to protect the shipbuilding jobs, Wiseman said, was â&#x20AC;&#x153;just a way to get himself out of the room.â&#x20AC;? Much the same occurred in the Delta in a talk with farmers when the subject of crop price supports and crop insurance subsidies arose, according to Wiseman. To say â&#x20AC;&#x153;â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;we will do all in our power to make sure the farmer is treated wellâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; shows a lack of understanding by McDaniel on how things workâ&#x20AC;? in keeping farm prices sound and within reach of the average Americanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s budget, he said. Joel Bomgar, a self-made millionaire, job creator and McDaniel backer, would say such federal meddling only distorts the nationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s farm economy. He would call the price supports and subsidized insurance â&#x20AC;&#x153;earmarksâ&#x20AC;? that only â&#x20AC;&#x153;divert economic activity to whatever has been earmarked.â&#x20AC;? His view, Bomgar said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;is that Mississippi wins when we have the most free market, vibrant economy possible,â&#x20AC;? and added he thinks a lot of the stateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s business leaders simply want â&#x20AC;&#x153;the autonomy to do what is best for them and their businesses.â&#x20AC;? The chairman of the board and founder of Ridgelandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Bomgar Corp., a worldwide provider of remote computer network security support that employees more than 200 workers locally, said he thinks McDaniel is riding a wave. The wave is propelled by citizens who believe government has slipped far too deeply into the control of special interests, he noted.

Marty Wiseman

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Mississippi wins when we have the most free market, vibrant economy possible,â&#x20AC;? and added he thinks a lot of the stateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s business leaders simply want â&#x20AC;&#x153;the autonomy to do what is best for them and their businesses.â&#x20AC;? Joel Bomgar

See

SENATE, Page 9

Chairman of the board and founder of Bomgar Corporation

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Website: www.msbusiness.com June 20, 2014 Volume 36, Number 25

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

MBJPERSPECTIVE June 20, 2014 • www.msbusiness.com • Page 6

OTHER VIEWS

Barbour, Bayh join forces to aid US manufacturing

ormer governors Haley Barbour, R-Mississippi, and Evan Bayh, DIndiana, have put their names and reputations as economic development advocates behind a report released Monday by the University of Virginia on creating American manufacturing jobs, which the report casts as “an engine of wellpaying, middle-class employment throughout US history.” The bipartisan leadership of the commission producing the report suggests what almost everyone in leadership understands: Agreement on important issues for the common good isn’t a surrender of principle.

The UVA report is described as “innovative, nonpartisan, and actionable ideas on creating manufacturing jobs.” The report, “Building a Nation of Makers” would help restore the United States’ preeminence as a manufacturer, with emphasis on accelerating the pace of innovation for America’s small and medium-sized manufacturing enterprises (SMEs.) Its focus is strikingly similar to the goals and strategies employed by Mississippi development leaders, including the Community Development Foundation in Tupelo/Lee County. The report builds its momentum on six ideas:

BOBBY HARRISON Contributing Writer mbj@msbusiness.com • 364-1018 TAMI JONES Advertising Director tami.jones@msbusiness.com • 364-1011

See VIEWS, Page 20

» MBJ LETTER TO THE EDITOR

» THE OUTSIDE WORLD

Cochran right choice for farmers

MELISSA KILLINGSWORTH Sr. Account Executive

melissa.harrison@msbusiness.com • 364-1030 VIRGINIA HODGES Account Executive virginia.hodges@msbusiness.com • 364-1012 TACY RAYBURN Production Manager tacy.rayburn@msbusiness.com • 364-1019 CHARINA RHODES Circulation Manager charina.rhodes@msbusiness.com • 364-1045 MARCIA THOMPSON-KELLY Business Assistant marcia.kelly@msbusiness.com • 364-1044 SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES (601) 364-1000 subscriptions@msbusiness.com Mississippi Business Journal (USPS 000-222) is published weekly with one annual issue by MSBJ 200 N. Congress St., Suite 400, Jackson, MS 39201. Periodicals postage paid at Jackson, MS. Subscription rates: 1 year $109; 2 years $168; and 3 years $214. To place orders, temporarily stop service, change your address or inquire about billing: Phone: (601) 3641000, Fax: (601) 364-1035, Email: charina.rhodes@msbusiness.com, Mail: MS Business Journal Subscription Services, 200 N.Congress Street, Suite 400, Jackson, MS 39201 POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Mississippi Business Journal, Circulation Manager, 200 North Congress Street, Suite 400, Jackson, MS 39201 To submit subscription payments: Mail: MS Business Journal Subscriptions Services, 200 North Congress Street, Suite 400, Jackson, MS 39201. No material in this publication may be reproduced in any form without the written consent. Editorial and advertising material contained in this publication is derived from sources considered to be reliable, but the publication cannot guarantee their accuracy. Nothing contained herein should be construed as a solicitation for the sale or purchase of any securities. It is the policy of this newspaper to employ people on the basis of their qualifications and with assurance of equal opportunity and treatment regardless of race, color, creed, sex, age, sexual orientation, religion, national origin or handicap. The Mississippi Business Journal, is an affiliate of Journal Publishing Company (JPC), Inc.: Clay Foster, president and chief executive officer. Entire contents copyrighted © 2014 by Journal Inc. All rights reserved.

» Talent investment loans to expand human capital, using government-backed loans to hire the workers necessary to expand businesses, as well as to up-skill new and current employees. » Upside-down degrees to connect classroom learning with on-the-job learning, allowing “students to transfer accredited technical training, work experience, military training, or community college coursework as credit toward a bachelor’s degree.” » A skills census to build a more efficient

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

>> All letters are subject to editing, and become the property of the Mississippi Business Journal. >> Letters can be sent to The Editor, The Mississippi Business Journal, 200 North Congress, Suite 400, Jackson, MS 39201, delivered to the newspaper during regular business hours or e-mailed to editor@msbusiness.com. They may also be faxed to Ross Reily at (601)-364-1007.

» CORRECTIONS The Mississippi Business Journal takes seriously its responsibility to provide accurate information, and will correct or clarify articles produced by the editorial department if we have made an error or published misleading information. The correction will be placed in the perspective section. If you see inaccuracies in Mississippi Business Journal news stories, please report the mistake via email at editor@msbusiness.com.

Editor: Mississippians, and in particular rural Mississippians, have long benefitted from a steady and unwavering champion in Washington — Thad Cochran. In a town that so often doesn’t work, Sen. Cochran has worked diligently on behalf of Mississippi’s farmers, cattlemen, poultry growers, timber owners, and small businesses and rural communities across our state. In just the last year, as Ranking Member on the Senate Agriculture Committee, Sen. Cochran carefully shepherded the 2014 Farm Bill through a gridlocked Congress, across the President’s desk and into law. While reducing the deficit by nearly $23 billion, the Farm Bill still provides the risk management Mississippi farmers need to deal with variability in weather, markets and changing regulations. Sen. Cochran understands that Mississippi agriculture isn’t just about row crops. The Farm Bill includes important disaster provisions for livestock and poultry producers, as well as private timber owners. Thanks to Sen. Cochran’s foresight and leadership, those affected by the recent tornadoes in Mississippi will be eligible for assistance to help them recover from their losses. But right now, it’s Sen. Cochran who needs Mississippi farmers. Farmers for Thad urge you to be proactive and remind your family, your coffee shop friends, and anyone else who depends on farmers for three meals a day, of the countless ways Thad Cochran has served and must continue to serve Mississippi. Farmers for Thad , c/o Danny Murphy Canton, MS

Cochran right choice for education Editor: I am deeply concerned by media reports of U.S. senatorial candidate Chris McDaniel’s support for abolishing the U.S. Department of Education and eliminating nearly $800 million in federal funding from our Mississippi schools. I would rather not become a part of any political battle between candidates for office. However, the serious nature of these statements by state Sen. McDaniel leaves me no reasonable choice but to speak up on behalf of the students in our public schools. As a former school district superintendent, I have been a lifelong proponent of public education. I believe it offers the greatest opportunity for students to succeed in life, and as a result, improve the state’s See LETTERS, Page 7

PERSPECTIVE

June 20, 2014 I Mississippi Business Journal

» RICKY NOBILE

LETTERS

Continued from Page 6

economy and our quality of life. The nearly $800 million in federal funds Mississippi receives accounts for 24 percent of the state’s overall education budget. From these funds, the state received more than $117 million in Fiscal Year 2014 and is expected to receive $122 million in Fiscal Year 2015 for special education services in school districts. Additionally, millions of dollars are used for all Title programs, School Improvement Funds, Professional Development, Child Nutrition and Career and Technical Education programs.

Dr. O. Wayne Gann, Chairman, Miss. State Board of Education Jackson and Corinth

Community Colleges on block

»FINANCIAL TIMES

Ingalls’ next ship depends on clout

ho knew the House Appropriations Committee would rush to load the gun for Jackson County voters? Last week I wrote that Jackson County voters played Russian roulette with their economic future by voting for challenger Chris McDaniel over Senator Thad Cochran, the only member of Mississippi’s congressional delegation with enough seniority to fund ships for Ingalls Shipbuilding. Days later, the House Appropriations Committee — going against the House and Senate Armed Services Committees – dropped funding from its 2015 defense appropriations bill for the next amphibious warship (LPD 28) to be built by Ingalls. That puts approximately 3,000 Ingalls’ jobs on the firing line. Saving these jobs now depends on Cochran’s ability to revive funding in the Senate next month, then having the clout to push funding through a House-Senate conference committee later this summer. That would take significant clout in usual circumstances. If Jackson County and other Mississippi voters shoot down Cochran in the June 24th runoff, he may not retain enough clout to get it done. You saw how quickly House Republican Leader Eric Cantor lost his. This is a case study for all counties with military-related jobs. The Navy and Marine Corps drastically need more amphibious warships as older ships retire faster than new ones get built. “If you asked me, ‘What’s your biggest shipbuilding concern,’ it’s ‘get the amphibs out,’” Navy CNO Admiral Jonathan W. Greenert told reporters after testifying before Congress,BreakingDefense.com reported. The Navy is already planning next generation amphibi-

ous warships, labeled LX(R)s, that would use a variant of Ingalls’ LPD hull. “It’s a very flexible hull, particularly from the main deck on down, Bill Crawford [that] can easily be transitioned to LX(R),” said Brian Schires of Rolls Royce-North America, chairman of the Amphibious Warship Industrial Base Coalition. The House and Senate Armed Services Committees included LPD 28 in the 2015 Defense Authorization Act last month as “an industrial base bridge” to LX(R) production. Building ships on an uninterrupted schedule provides stability and predictability “that allows you to keep your costs down and your quality up,” said Schires. The House Appropriations Committee action would interrupt production and supply chains, eliminate jobs, and cause significant delays and costs to start-up LX(R) production. Worse, it would destroy Ingalls’ competitive advantage to land the contract for the new warships. Jockeying among senior Republicans on the House Armed Services and Appropriations Committees on what to fund and what not to fund demonstrates the great value of seniority. McDaniel appeared in Jackson County last week boasting he would “fight for Ingalls.” His willingness to fight would mean nothing until he could gain meaningful seniority 12 or more years in the future. For several years yet, Thad Cochran is the only one with enough clout to get ships funded and protect Ingalls jobs. » Bill Crawford (crawfolk@gmail.com) is a syndicated columnist from Meridian.

Editor: I am head of a company in Fulton that does business across several southeastern states, and I am also chairman of the Mississippi Community College Board. I am writing because I care deeply about the future of our state. If you value education in Mississippi, whether in kindergarten through 12th grade, community colleges, or universities, PLEASE VOTE FOR SENATOR THAD COCHRAN ON JUNE 24. Sen. Cochran has supported federal funding for education in Mississippi for the entire time he has served in Congress. He recognizes that educating our citizens is essential for our state’s future, and that we need the federal tax dollars that come from wealthier states to help us finance our public schools, community colleges, and universities. On the other hand, Chris McDaniel has said in his campaign that “The word ‘education’ is not in the Constitution; it’s none of their business.” He believes that the federal government should have nothing to do with education—not even helping to pay for it. When asked how our state could make up for those lost federal dollars, Mr. McDaniel said, “I think Mississippi, if it’s allowed to keep more tax revenue, could offset those losses.” In other words, our state and local governments could just increase spending to fill the budget holes left by his cutting out those federal dollars. That is an unbelievably wrong, uninformed and dangerous opinion for someone who wants to be our U.S. Senator. Please consider these facts: For every $1.00 Mississippians send to our federal government in Washington, we get back more than $3.00. Every year our state’s 15 community colleges receive the benefit of $248 MILLION IN FEDERAL FUNDS, in direct aid and through Pell grants to our students. That is almost as much as the $258 million that we will receive from our state government all next fiscal year. So Mr. McDaniel casually advocates cutting out a huge percentage of our community colleges’ yearly budgets. In fact, if our local and state government did make up that difference, they would have to raise MORE THAN 3 TIMES the amount of taxes that Mississippians now send to Washington in order to generate the same amount of money. That is an unbelievably silly and irresponsible proposal. And of course that would not happen. What would in fact happen is that we would see devastating cuts to our community colleges, with slashed faculty, staff and courses offered. Our community colleges would not be able to give the ¼ million Mississippians each year the education and job training they get now, to prepare them to make a living in the 21st century economy. And that proposed $248 million cut is just to Mississippi’s community colleges. The lost federal funds to our K-12 schools and universities would be even more than that. We do not need a U.S. Senator who is reckless, uninformed and dangerous in his ideas. We do not need Chris McDaniel. We do need Senator Thad Cochran, a wise and good man who has the good judgment and the seniority, influence and power to protect and help our state and our citizens. As with most runoff elections, turnout will be key. So, I urge you to vote for Senator Thad Cochran on June 24.

Sincerely, Chip Crane Fulton

8 I Mississippi Business Journal I June 20 2014

INSIDE MISSISSIPPI

Technology Solutions Group open for business Âť HIPAA compliance firm finding clients across the nation BY WALLY NORTHWAY I STAFF WRITER wally.northway@msbusiness.com

Health care providers and businesses across Mississippi and the nation now have a new option when choosing a Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) compliance service firm. Technology Solutions Group (TSG) has formed in Jackson, offering compliance services to meet the security policy standards set forth by the HIPAA. TSG, headquartered at 236 East Capitol Street, conducted a soft opening last fall, and officially opened for business in March. The new company, which employs a staff of 11, enters a competitive industry armed with an array of state-of-the-art tools and nearly 90 years of combined experience, but the strategy is simple â&#x20AC;&#x201D; provide a personal touch to its services. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It is our mission to serve clients with specialized solutions that will enhance daily work procedures and overall company performance,â&#x20AC;? said Joey F. Garner, TSG executive vice president and for-

â&#x20AC;&#x153;There are many (HIPAA compliance) options out there â&#x20AC;&#x201D; you can even buy service online. But, can you figure the findings report out? Can you apply it?â&#x20AC;? Mark Chmielewski TSGâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s compliance consultant

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mer Mississippi Business Journal Business Woman of the Year. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We accomplish this ever-growing endeavor by offering enterprise assessments and recommendations for compliance, risk assessment, IP networking and other technological advancements.â&#x20AC;? Mark Chmielewski, TSGâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s compliance consultant, said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;There are many (HIPAA compliance) options out there â&#x20AC;&#x201D; you can even buy service online. But, can

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you figure the findings report out? Can you apply it?â&#x20AC;? Chmielewski pointed out that the price for noncompliance is steep. Just last month, New York and Presbyterian Hospital and Columbia University, which are not TSG clients, settled HIPAA noncompliance charges for a reported $4.8 million, the largest such settlement to date. In that case, a physician, in an attempt to deactivate a personally owned server left thousands of patientsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; electronic protected health information (ePHI) accessible via Internet search engines. In addition, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights (OCR) found that neither entity conducted a proper risk analysis, had no risk management plan in place nor did they have proper policies and procedures to safeguard information. Alan Callison, TSGâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s compliance supervisor, said the case illustrates the challenges of staying compliant with HIPAAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s security requirements. Some entities might have no risk analysis or policies and procedures while others might just need a review to assess their vulnerability to noncompliance. â&#x20AC;&#x153;You canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t use a cookie-cutter approach,â&#x20AC;? Callison added. While TSG treats every client differently, it does have a standard operating procedure in place. It begins with a free baseline evaluation, which is a preliminary assessment. Following OCRâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s recommen-

dations, TSG personnel then conduct a risk analysis, which consists of two parts â&#x20AC;&#x201D; an in-depth onsite review and a vulnerability scan. The analysis is then pulled together into a findings report emphasizing areas of concern both from a policy and Callison procedure standpoint as well as a technical overview. At this point the process moves to the remediation phase. TSG works with clients to develop the policies that they need to be HIPAA compliant under the Se- Chmielewski curity Rule. TSG also offers training, both on-site and web-based, to assist each company in keeping their current and future staff well-versed in the HIPAA Security Rule and the policies and procedures that their company has established. From a technical stand- Garner point, TSG is prepared to help its clients bring any IT deficiencies up to the proper levels. An example would be having proper off-site backup of ePHI, such as a co-location storage facility. It also offers network penetration testing of computer systems. Other services include social engineering where TSG tests to make sure a companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s staff is doing as they were trained to do. TSG, which was in the planning stage for nearly a year before it opened, has a written goal that states â&#x20AC;&#x153;â&#x20AC;Śif any business is selected for an OCR audit that they would have a completed risk analysis, appropriate policies and proper trainingâ&#x20AC;Śâ&#x20AC;? Garner said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;We understand the importance of keeping sensitive information secure. It is an aspect of business that is not only expected, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s demanded. Regardless of the business, security and regulatory non-compliance can have a devastating effect on companiesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; reputations.â&#x20AC;? It would seem TSGâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s strategy is a winner. The young firm has found clients not only in Mississippi, but also Arkansas and Louisiana â&#x20AC;&#x201D; even as far away as Oregon. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are very happy with the response we have gotten,â&#x20AC;? said Callison. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are not limited to Mississippi, and we have a goal to grow.â&#x20AC;?

June 20 2014

SENATE

Continued from Page 5

He said he’s betting McDaniel can help initiate a reversal by working with other independent thinkers in Congress. The challenger, he said, “is the one who stands for less government and free markets.” Though still in his early 30s, the Belhaven University graduate and tech sector entrepreneur said he has paid attention to politics and policies long enough to know “the principles I believe in are not being reflected in the incumbent.” The coveted access to Washington that Cochran offers Mississippi’s businesses creates “incredibly high incentives to distort a free market to your benefit.” The fastest way to accomplish that is to get close to politicians who control the rules, Bomgar said. He said he sees a lot of effort going into slicing up the pie when “a lot more focus is needed on making the pie bigger.” Often it’s regulators who determine the degree of difficulty getting a piece of the pie involves. If you have an advocate who can put you in front of the regulatory decision-maker, the better your chance of avoiding hardships, says Indianola petroleum businessman Walton Gresham. He has relied on Cochran to fill that role, said Gresham, who took over as Delta Council president in May but em-

phasized his praise of Cochran reflects his own views and not the Delta Council’s. With Cochran’s help, he said, a petroleum marketer can go to Washington and meet with a key federal Department of Transportation official to Bomgar explain the obstacles new DOT rules have on truck drivers in Mississippi. “He can get you into that meeting and help explain your point of view,” Gresham said. “From a petroleum marketer’s point of view, I have been a supporter of Gresham Thad Cochran forever.” Continued access to Washington decision-makers is of equal concern in the Golden Triangle, where defense-related manufacturing and a major Air Force flight training base have helped to spur economic growth across a region that includes Columbus, West Point and Starkville. Thirty-year Columbus lawyer Gordon Flowers said his clients in manufacturing have expressed “a real concern that we in Mississippi continue to have access to a senator with seniority.” Added Flowers: “We are appreciative of

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what Sen. Cochran has done.” Wiseman, the former Stennis Institute of Government chief, says his analysis of the Republican senatorial primary has led him to conclude that many voters do not fully grasp the reality of Mississippi as the nation’s poorest state. “The basic thing is that if people could realize this, they could deal with it in a much more upfront fashion,” he said. “Federal dollars coming into a state like Mississippi circulate several times. It is money they won’t have in their pockets” if Washington falls into tea party hands, he added. Wiseman noted Mississippi gets back $3.17 for each dollar it sends to Washington. Further, federal money funds just short of 49 percent of the state’s budget, he added. If Mississippi were a private enterprise, “we would case being a going concern” without the federal money, he said. Bomgar, the McDaniel backer, would call Wiseman’s lament an overstatement. “The vast majority of the dollars that come into the state are independent of who is in the United States Senate,” he said. He added, however, that he thinks all states would benefit by becoming less dependent on federal spending. “A lot of the spending is not helpful.” Nor is it sustainable, he added. “That which is not sustainable will stop. It will stop because it implodes under its own weight.”

Mississippi Business Journal

“The vast majority of the dollars that come into the state are independent of who is in the United States Senate. ... “A lot of the spending is not helpful. ... That which is not sustainable will stop. It will stop because it implodes under its own weight.” — Joel Bomgar

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June 20, 2014 • MISSISSIPPI BUSINESS JOURNAL • www.msbusiness.com

AN MBJ FOCUS:

INSURANCE & EMPLOYEE BENEFITS MISSISSIPPI WINDSTORM UNDERWRITING ASSOCIATION

It all changed with Katrina By LISA MONTI I CONTRIBUTOR mbj@msbusiness.com

HE FIRST MISSISSIPPI coastal wind residual market was created by the Legislature in 1972 stemming from a lack of voluntary market options partially as a result of Hurricane Camille losses incurred in 1969. The first version covered both fire and wind/hail perils, but the plan was amended in 1987 to include wind and hail only while the voluntary market accepted fire and other perils. “It was basically a small plan until Katrina,” said Brad Little, assistant manager of the Mississippi Windstorm Underwriting Association. “For Hurricane Katrina, we had $1.8 billion in insured coastal values in the plan and we experienced a $720 million loss. The carriers were assessed $545 million of that loss and because of that the voluntary carrier market more or less dried up for both personal and commercial coverage.” See KATRINA, Page 14

12 I Mississippi Business Journal I June 20, 2014

INSURANCE & EMPLOYEE BENEFITS

PROFILE: KIMBERLA LITTLE

Not looking back after career change By LYNN LOFTON I CONTRIBUTOR mbj@msbusiness.com

ORKING IN HUMAN resources was not Kimberla Littleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s plan. However, when a door

opened for the Jackson native to work for Regions Bank, she took the opportunity and hasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t looked back, rising to become assistant vice president, human resources for Regions Financial Corporation. â&#x20AC;&#x153;My desire was to establish a career in

! " # # $ # % & ' $ $ $ ( !!) **)++!! #

pharmaceutical sales,â&#x20AC;? she recalls. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I was working in a medical sales role for a medical staffing company when I was contacted about working as a senior recruiter for Regions. That was nine years ago and I am still thanking God that He had a

better plan for me.â&#x20AC;? In South Mississippi, Little is responsible for providing human resources consultation for 400 managers and associates with an emphasis on recruiting, employee relations, performance management and employee development. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Working in human resources certainly has its challenges but it is also rewarding,â&#x20AC;? Little said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;What I enjoy most is making a positive difference in the life of someone else. Whether that be through recruitment, training and development, or associate relations, I look for Kimberla Little ways in every situation to build relationships that will be effective towards the common goal of both our company and the individual.â&#x20AC;? Although the challenges for human resource professionals depend on many different variables, as a whole Little thinks retention and developing a culture that is attractable to candidates are the main ones. â&#x20AC;&#x153;To stay competitive in a challenged job market, human resources professionals will need to have a strategic approach to cultivating an environment that is attractive to current associates and potential hires,â&#x20AC;? she said. The Regions associates and customers keep Little motivated. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Our customers depend on our associates to provide them with exceptional customer service, and our associates depend on Regions to provide them with tools and resources that will assist them with their job responsibilities,â&#x20AC;? she said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I consider myself one of the resources for associate development so my motivation lies within my desire to serve them.â&#x20AC;? This busy 38-year-old professional says others might be surprised to learn that she attributes everything sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s accomplished to her strong faith in God â&#x20AC;&#x153;In my own strength, I can do nothing but with God, I can do all things. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not to say that my life is perfect or that I have not made mistakes but I believe that even with my imperfection, I am perfectly made in His eye.â&#x20AC;? Little is single and currently her teacup Yorkie, Twinkie, is the love of her life. When not working, she enjoys watching football and is involved in a number See

LITTLE, Page 13

INSURANCE & EMPLOYEE BENEFITS LITTLE

Continued from Page 12

of community organizations. “I love football,” she says with enthusiasm. “I wish it could be year round. Whether it’s the mighty Callaway Chargers, the Jackson State University Tigers or the Steel Curtain Pittsburg Steelers, I am in my happy place during football season.” The daughter of Willie and Gertha Little, Kim Little is a graduate of Callaway, Jackson State and Belhaven Univer-

Silver Snoopy award goes to 5 Stennis Center employees BAY ST. LOUIS — Five of NASA’s Stennis Space Center employees have won Silver Snoopy awards. The Silver Snoopy is the astronauts’ personal award and is presented to less than 1 percent of the total NASA workforce annually. The awards were presented June 11. Ron Snyder of Long Beach is a construction manager with the Jacobs Technology Facility Operating Services Contract Group at Stennis. He was recognized for leadership and dedication to the construction activities of the B-2 Test Stand Restoration Buildout Project in support of the core stage testing for NASA’s Space Launch System. Bob Pair, a native of Biloxi and resident of Picayune, is an instrumentation technician with Aerojet Rocketdyne at Stennis. He was recognized for 15 years of support to NASA. His efforts have played a key role in successful accomplishment of the center’s propulsion testing activities. Stan Hogue of Long Beach is a mechanical technician with Aerojet Rocketdyne at Stennis. He was recognized for more than 20 years of dedication and service in support of space shuttle main engine and J2X testing projects. Gerald Norris of Gulfport is the Program Management Support Division chief for the NASA Office of Procurement at Stennis. He was recognized for his dedication, leadership and contracting expertise in support of multiple NASA and commercial propulsion testing activities that play an instrumental role in the successful accomplishments of the agency’s mission. Paul Foerman, a native of Nahunta, Ga., and resident of Ocean Springs, is the public affairs lead for the NASA Office of Communications. He was recognized for outstanding contributions and efforts in sharing the journey of space exploration with the public and inspiring the next generation of explorers. The award is presented by a member of the astronaut corps representing its core principles for outstanding flight safety and mission success.

sity, where she earned a Master of Science in Leadership in 2012. Her community activities include a provisional membership in the Jackson Junior League, membership in Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Incorporated and Leadership Jackson 2012-2013. She serves on the boards of Dress for Success Metro Jackson, Jobs for Mississippi Graduates, Mississippi Faith Based Coalition and Destination Jackson. Little is also a member of the Mississippi Business Journal’s Top 40 Under 40 Class of 2014.

June 20, 2014

Mississippi Business Journal

“What I enjoy most is making a positive difference in the life of someone else. Whether that be through recruitment, training and development, or associate relations, I look for ways in every situation to build relationships that will be effective towards the common goal of both our company and the individual.” Kimberla Little Assistant vice president, human resources, Regions

14 I Mississippi Business Journal I June 20, 2014

KATRINA

Continued from Page 11

In 2007, House Bill 1500 changed the MWUA from a member association to a private, nonprofit organization. The plan was restructured to place some caps on admitted carrier loss exposure while allowing insurers the opportunity to recoup loss assessments. Little said these changes were designed to help prevent the loss of voluntary carriers that were extremely concerned about the previously uncapped loss assessment potential. Before the change, Little said, if there

INSURANCE & EMPLOYEE BENEFITS

was an MWUA plan shortfall after reinsurance kicked in, the shortfall was spread among all admitted property insurers. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The carriers had to pick up the tab after covering their own direct losses,â&#x20AC;? he said. Now carriers are still making up the difference but there is a cap on the assessment: no more than 10 percent of the deficit in any one loss or no more than 10 percent of the total statewide property writings. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Statewide property writings currently total approximately $1.2 billion,â&#x20AC;? said Little. Additionally, each carrier can potentially recover the loss assessments levied if they meet the Plan of Operation required vol-

untary coastal writings requirements. With the plan revisions implemented in 2007, the admitted voluntary property carrier assessments can be recouped with a policy surcharge applied to Mississippi policyholders statewide. Post-Katrina to further help bring the market back, the MWUA came up with a new rule to allow for multilocation blanket coverage. A company that operates in all six coastal counties is able to bundle coverage and buy up to $1 million in coverage that is spread across all the locations. Little said this allowed the MWUA to become the â&#x20AC;&#x153;first layerâ&#x20AC;? of a layered pro-

! ! ! "

gram, allowing the owners to go to other insurers for additional layers of coverage. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It worked really well,â&#x20AC;? Little said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It helped bring the commercial market back.â&#x20AC;? Little said the commercial market in the coastal counties is â&#x20AC;&#x153;extremely healthy right now. There is ample competition for commercial risks both voluntary and surplus markets.â&#x20AC;? Starting this year, changes to the multi location commercial rules will kick in for new business and next year the changes will affect policyholders up for renewal. The changes will impact large businesses with several locations, not a small business such as a sandwich shop. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Those large commercial risks are hitting the modeling pretty hard and that impacts our whole book of business including the dwelling risks, so weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve changed the way we are handling the commercial risk.â&#x20AC;? The change to the rules attaches the deductible for commercial risks to the total value. This year the change goes into effect on renewals due in November and December. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The real impact will be in 2015 for the January through October expirations,â&#x20AC;? Little said. The MWUA operates under the direction of the state Department of Insurance and is governed by an 11-member board of directors. Almost every dollar of premiums collected by MWUA goes back into purchasing reinsurance, Little said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are working to get the reinsurance as high as we can get it as a buffer for not only the carrier from assessments but the policyholders from surcharges.â&#x20AC;? While the commercial insurance market has returned, things on the dwelling side arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t as good, Little said, especially south of Interstate 10. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We see a little drop year over year but we havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t seen the tremendous voluntary market improvements on the dwelling side like youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve seen on the commercial side,â&#x20AC;? he said. MWUAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Scott Jerome, the coastal services director based in Biloxi, is working to coordinate the programs run by IBHS, MEMA and MWUA to get enough dwellings mitigated to attract the attention of the voluntary insurance carriers. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are one of the few insurance organizations who would like to see our business go away to the voluntary market,â&#x20AC;? Little said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re doing everything we can to help that as much as possible while striving to provide excellent service to those risk with no voluntary market options.â&#x20AC;? One of the things MUWA will begin doing in November is updating surveys of coastal homes that havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t been inspected in the last five years to see if there have been structural changes and to make sure there are no maintenance issues such as a blue tarp roof. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We will potentially be looking at 17,000 homes in addition to approximately 6000 homes related to new applications,â&#x20AC;? Little said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The update inspections on the in force policies are needed and will be well received by the reinsurance markets providing plan protection.â&#x20AC;?

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16 I Mississippi Business Journal I June 20, 2014 Firm Premiums Written

PROPERTY & CASUALTY INSURANCE CO.

Market Share

Losses Paid

Premiums Earned

Losses Incurred

Mississippi Farm Bureau Casualty Insurance Company 11,575,469 8.99%

$6,924,414

$11,134,773

$6,683,441

Factory Mutual Insurance Company 8,163,336 6.34%

$183,633,485

$7,706,703

$191,032,952

QBE Specialty Insurance Company 6,720,872

$10,545

$6,740,277

$85,756

Westchester Surplus Lines Insurance Company 6,115,381 4.75%

$316,592

$6,537,194

$706,821

Standard Guaranty Insurance Company 4,399,319 3.42%

$232,856

$1,110,403

$385,364

AXIS Surplus Insurance Company 4,247,960

3.30%

$1,738,648

$4,136,069

$2,255,654

Landmark American Insurance Company 4,078,258 3.17%

$7,007,047

$4,443,032

$8,182,536

Safeco Insurance Company of America 3,628,999 2.82%

$4,517,362

$3,518,111

$4,424,549

5.22%

Source: Mississippi Department of Insurance. All numbers are as of Dec. 31, 2013, and ďŹ rms are ranked by market share. For questions or comments, contact Wally Northway at research@msbusiness.com.

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PROPERTY & CASUALTY INSURANCE CO. Firm Premiums Written

June 20, 2014

Mississippi Business Journal

Market Share

Losses Paid

Premiums Earned

Losses Incurred

Lexington Insurance Company 3,574,283

2.78%

$5,655,265

$3,947,738

$7,648,263

RSUI Indemnity Company 3,144,119

2.44%

$2,724,691

$148,092

Zurich American Insurance Company 3,083,853 2.40%

$229,057

$3,009,635

<$544,933>

Scottsdale Insurance Company 2,972,741

$1,291,693

$2,820,912

$1,114,365

American Security Insurance Company 2,693,297 2.09%

$7,028,645

$3,951,963

$6,990,606

The Travelers Indemnity Company 2,633,243

2.05%

$1,892,427

$2,594,396

$2,829,303

Westport Insurance Corporation 2,539,011

1.97%

$524,063

$2,558,862

<$3,552,338>

$1,781,111

$2,290,028

$1,794,019

2.31%

Union National Fire Insurance Company 2,289,070 1.78%

Source: Mississippi Department of Insurance. All numbers are as of Dec. 31, 2013, and ﬁrms are ranked by market share. For questions or comments, contact Wally Northway at research@msbusiness.com.

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18 I Mississippi Business Journal I June 20, 2014 Firm Premiums Written

Market Share

Losses Paid

Premiums Earned

Losses Incurred

Alterra Excess & Surplus Insurance Company 2,195,419 1.71%

$364,697

$1,838,821

$906,377

Employers Mutual Casualty Company 2,033,454 1.58%

$4,597,289

$1,806,099

$4,598,456

GuideOne Mutual Insurance Company 1,844,054 1.43%

$2,242,560

$1,842,525

$2,703,797

National Security Fire and Casualty Company 1,781,672 1.38%

$1,593,585

$1,648,884

$1,214,199

First Specialty Insurance Corporation 1,780,632 1.38%

$116,113

$1,488,397

$228,502

Continental Casualty Company 1,722,523

$3,877,974

<$806,768>

$2,565,751

$1,657,631

$2,552,745

1.34%

Nationwide Property and Casualty Insurance Company 1,645,144 1.28%

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NEWSMAKERS Jungkind purchases company Local businesswoman Lynda Jungkind, along with 12 other associate publishers around the country, recently purchased the Premier Bride Corporation from Scott Brown Media Group. In 2001, Jungkind became an associate publisher with the company and started Premier Bride of Mississippi. Jungkind serves as secretary of the board of this newly formed company, PB Publishers Jungkind Association. In addition, she serves on several committees to over-see the future of Premier Bride locally, nationally and internationally. In addition, to publishing Premier Bride, Jungkind also produces The Premier Bridal Shows across the state. Jungkind has been producing bridal shows since 2004 and has produced 36 shows throughout Mississippi. Jungkind, who resides in Ridgeland, has served on many boards and been involved in many local civic and business organizations having served as president of American Advertising Federation of Jackson, Kiwanis of Rankin County, Career Forum for Women, and Council of Presidents for the Seventh District of the American Advertising Federation. In addition, Jungkind was selected as one of the top 50 business women in 2004. She was awarded the Silver Medal in 2006 by the American Advertising Federation of Jackson. She has served as a board member for the Ronald McDonald Charities, the YWCA, Soroptomist and the Capitol Club of Jackson and as a state director for the Seventh District of the American Advertising Federation. Currently, Jungkind is a member of the Bridal Show Producers International, the Ladies Civitan, Metro Jackson Attractions Association, American Advertising Federation of Jackson, Mississippi Cursillo and the Ridgeland, Flowood, Madison the City and Greater Jackson chambers of commerce. Jungkind is also a diplomat for the Ridgeland Chamber of Commerce. She and her husband, Johnny, are communicants of St. Philip’s Episcopal Church where she heads Children’s Christian Education and is active on the Altar Guild’s Wedding Guild.

Buys joins MAFES staff David R. Buys is a new Mississippi State University Extension Service health specialist and researcher with the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station. He previously worked as instructor of medicine at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Buys is very familiar with the Extension Service. As a young person, he attended homemakers meetings with his grandmother in Rankin County. He also partici- Buys pated in 4-H’s Rankin Youth Leadership program as a junior in high school and in 4-H program development as a graduate student at Auburn University. Buys received a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Mississippi College, a master’s degree in sociology from Auburn University and a Ph.D. in medical sociology from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He earned a graduate certificate in gerontology and a master’s degree in public health from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, where he completed a postdoctoral fellowship in health services

June 20, 2014

and outcomes research funded by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and National Institutes of Health.

Cohen gets new role The Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT) has named Ben Cohen of Clinton as director of the Information Systems Division. Cohen, a Clinton native, previously served as a systems manager for MDOT, and has been with the state agency since 2001. Cohen received his bachelor’s degree in computer science from the University of Southern Mississippi and a master’s de- Cohen gree in computer science from Mississippi College.

Kyle comes to Belhaven Jack L. Kyle has joined Belhaven University as senior director of arts development and chair of arts administration. Kyle served as chairman of the Mississippi Commission for International Cultural Exchange Inc. He organized international exhibitions including Palaces of St. Petersburg: Russian Imperial Style, Splendors of Versailles, The Majesty of Spain: Royal Collections from the Museo del Prado & Patrimonio Nacional and The Glory of Baroque Dresden. Kyle Kyle’s international influence has lead to accolades such as a knighthood by the Republic of France, a decoration by King Juan Carlos I of Spain and the President of the Federal Republic of Germany. His experience in the development of international exhibitions dates back to his work in Memphis, Tenn., with the development of such exhibitions as Rameses the Great, Catherine the Great, Splendors of the Ottoman Sultans and Napoleon. Two of the exhibitions organized by Kyle received the prestigious

"Top Event in the United States" award by the American Bus Association. House Beautiful magazine selected Kyle to receive its Giants of Design Award as an Arts Ambassador, and the Daughters of the American Revolution awarded him its Medal of Honor. Kyle has been a guest panelist for the American Association of Art Museum Directors and has appeared on national television and radio in conjunction with the exhibitions including "Good Morning America," CBS News and National Public Radio. His exhibitions have been featured in major articles in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today and leading magazines including Veranda, Architectural Digest and Town & Country. Kyle holds a bachelor of vocal music education from Delta State University where he received both the Distinguished Alumnus Award and Outstanding Alumnus Award and was inducted into the Alumni Hall of Fame. He served in the United States Navy and on the staffs in Washington, D.C., of Mississippi Congressman G.V. "Sonny" Montgomery and California Congressman John H. Rousselot.

Smith wins another Eagle Natalie Moses Smith, senior account manager for 16WAPT has been awarded the prestigious 2013 Eagle Award by Hearst Television. Hearst Television honors one sales representative annually at each of its 29 television stations for sales excellence. This is Smith’s second Eagle Award. She was previously awarded this honor in 2010 when she was also named one of Mississippi’s 50 Leading Business Women by the Mississippi Business Journal. Smith has been a leader in the television advertising industry since 1992 when she started with Love Communications Company in the local cable advertising business as an account executive. She joined the Hearst Television family in 2005. A Jackson native, Smith holds a bachelor of business administration degree from Mississippi State University. She, who serves on many community boards, is the wife of Chuck Smith and the mother of two children, Avery and Denton.

Mississippi Business Journal

Keenum elected to committee Mississippi State University President Mark E. Keenum has been elected to the Southeastern Conference (SEC) Executive Committee. Keenum, who since 2009 has served as MSU's 19th president, will also continue to serve on the SEC's Content Committee. It is the league's oversight committee in the development of the new SEC Network.

Keenum

City hires Parker David L. Parker has been hired and unanimously approved by the Gulfport City Council to serve as the director of economic development for the city of Gulfport. Parker is currently senior vice president in the economic development department at Electric Power Associations of Mississippi, where he has worked since August 2009. He previously worked at Waste Management Inc. in business development for Parker Mississippi, Arkansas and Louisiana. While employed as executive director at the Pearl Chamber of Commerce from 2002-2004, he helped recruit the minor league Mississippi Braves and Bass Pro Shops. Parker, a Mississippi native, was the youngest recipient of the International Economic Development Council's certified economic developer designation. Parker holds a master's degree in economic development from the University of Southern Mississippi. He'll start work July 1, but has already been familiarizing himself with the city.

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20 I Mississippi Business Journal I June 20, 2014 GUEST COLUMN

FROM THE GROUND UP

Commencement speeches we will never hear he 2014 graduation season will be remembered for speeches not made. And that is not a good thing. It is not new for students to protest against the selection of graduation speakers. During the 1960’s, students spoke out and criticized at graduation ceremonies to protest the U.S. involvement in Vietnam. Things settled down for a decade or so, but lately the protests have become news again. This time the result is that invited commencement speakers are saying no thanks to the colleges and universities that invited them Let us begin with Former Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice and Rutgers University, “The State University of New Jersey.” She withdrew her acceptance to be this year’s commencement speaker after weeks of protests by some faculty and students, who argued that she should not Phil Hardwick have been selected because of her involvement in the Iraq War during the Bush Administration. Students even staged a sit-in. They confronted the university president with chants of “Cancel Condi.” Shades of 1960’s war protests. On May 12, International Monetary Fund Managing Director Christine Lagarde withdrew as speaker at Smith College amid protests over IMF policies. She is considered one of the most powerful women in the world who broke the glass ceiling. An online petition, which garnered approximately 500 signatures read, "By selecting Ms. Lagarde as the commencement speaker, we are supporting the International Monetary Fund and thus going directly against Smith's values to stand in unity with equality for all women, regardless of race, ethnicity or class.” Robert J. Birgeneau, former chancellor of the University of California, Berkeley withdrew his invitation to deliver the commencement speech at Haverford College. Students and several professors protested concern over his leadership during a 2011 incident when University of California police used force on students protesting college costs. Students and faculty at Brandeis University forced the administration to withdraw plans to award an honorary degree to Somalia-born women’s rights activist Ayaan Hirsa Ali because of her controversial remarks about Islam and its treatment of women. Greg Lukianoff, president of the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, labeled this time of year as the “disinvitation season.” He says that what has changed is not so much the protests themselves, but the willingness of colleges and speakers to give in. On the other side of the coin, Harvard University did not rescind its invitation to former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg in spite of protests from the students, faculty and alumni of the Graduate School of Education for his stance of education reform. Here’s a snippet of what Bloomberg said at the commencement ceremony: “Intolerance of ideas, whether liberal or conservative, is antithetical to individual rights and free societies, and it is no less antithetical to great universities and first-rate scholarship. There is an idea floating

See HARDWICK, Page 23

VIEWS

Continued from Page 6

and skilled labor force, commissioned by state governments, with data freely available to the public, allowing decision makers to tailor programs in real-time. » A “national supply chain initiative” to fully map America’s manufacturing ecosystems, so businesses and policymakers can cost-effectively fill gaps in infrastructure, and

Compromise is not a four-letter word

guest column in this paper recently contended that federal spending and its detrimental effects was the most important issue in Mississippi’s Republican primary election for United States Senate. I absolutely concur on the importance of this issue. As the father of two children under four and another due in August, I am greatly distressed thinking of the deficits and debts with which our children may be left and utterly dismayed by the lack of leadership in Congress to do anything about it. Yet as vitally important as federal spending surely is, even more important is electing someone who can actually do something about it

perfect the enemy of the good, that policymaking is not a zero-sum game, and that, as Russell Kirk, the intellectual architect of modern American conservatism, often said, “politics is the art of the possible.” And the result of Reagan’s approach was some of the most conservative policy-making in the twentieth century. On the other hand, and as recent history Spencer Ritchie demonstrates, an unwillingness to work across the aisle when necessary to achieve important policy goals leads to gridlock and government shutdown. Gridlock and government shutdown constitute irresponsible governance, and results in increased rancor, national instability, public disdain for Congress, and disillusionment with government. Sound familiar? The ultimate flaw with one of the candidates in the Republican primary race, as I see it, is that not only does he eschew compromise, he has made his unwillingness to compromise a central part of his platform. While such an approach may make for rousing speeches to those understandably eager for a “fighter” in Congress, it is not an approach that bodes well for successful problem solving in Congress. Indeed, such an approach will only further paralyze Congress’ ability to address our nation’s problems. What we need more of in Congress are legislators who will rise above

It must be remembered that the United States Senate is made up of men and women with vastly different backgrounds and political viewpoints. For every Rand Paul or Ted Cruz there is a Chuck Schumer or Bernie Sanders (a self-described socialist from Vermont). And the Senators on the far-left have just as much power to block legislation as those on the far-right. Moreover, the Senate, currently controlled by the Democratic Party, is only one of three components in the federal policy-making process, along with the House of Representatives and the President. and the other problems facing our country. It is one thing to diagnose our nation’s problems in a vacuum; it is quite another to make progress towards addressing them in the context of the United States Senate. It must be remembered that the United States Senate is made up of men and women with vastly different backgrounds and political viewpoints. For every Rand Paul or Ted Cruz there is a Chuck Schumer or Bernie Sanders (a self-described socialist from Vermont). And the Senators on the far-left have just as much power to block legislation as those on the far-right. Moreover, the Senate, currently controlled by the Democratic Party, is only one of three components in the federal policy-making process, along with the House of Representatives and the President. The cold hard fact is that in order to actually accomplish anything of substance, United States Senators, especially Republicans at the present, must sometimes work across the aisle, they must be willing to give and take, they must sometimes — gasp! — compromise. The most consequential conservative of our time, Ronald Reagan, understood this well. Reagan wrote in his autobiography that “[i]f you got seventy-five or eighty percent of what you were asking for, I say, you take it and fight for the rest later, and that’s what I told these radical conservatives who never got used to it.” Although firmly committed to conservative principles, Reagan was just as committed to addressing the nation’s problems and avoiding gridlock. This is why he forged relationships with key Democrats in Congress, most notably Tip O’Neil in the House and Ted Kennedy in the Senate. Reagan understood that a successful legislator never makes the

The cold hard fact is that in order to actually accomplish anything of substance, United States Senators, especially Republicans at the present, must sometimes work across the aisle, they must be willing to give and take, they must sometimes—gasp!—compromise.

keep up with rapid changes driven by emerging technologies. » Up-skilling high school students with expanded technology and engineering certification programs, precisely the idea behind advancing high school education in the PUL Alliance counties in Northeast Mississippi. » A “big trends-small firms” initiative to diffuse the latest technologies to manufacturing SMEs. This initiative, implemented through the Commerce Department’s Manufacturing Extension Partnership, would connect small and

the rancor, the name-calling, the “my way or the highway” mentality (as often demonstrated, ironically, by our current President) and focus instead on legislating, on getting the job done. Sadly, for a variety of reasons, these sorts of legislators are becoming harder to find. Fortunately for Mississippi, however, one of the candidates in this race, the incumbent, fits and indeed embodies this description. The other candidate, regrettably, does not. » Spencer M. Ritchie is an attorney for Watkins and Eager in Jackson, Mississippi.

medium-sized manufacturers with the latest innovations. Barbour and Bayh, in a statement from UVA, said the main goal is producing quality employees for our workforce so SMEs can grow, prosper and provide more jobs, higher pay, better benefits in a more competitive American economy: “That is the social benefit, first and foremost.” The greater challenge may be in kicking aside partisanship to seize prosperity. — Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal

June 20 2014

Mississippi Business Journal

» MISSISSIPPI LEADERS by Martin Willoughby

Career investment Dale ﬁnds success as shareholder at Security Ballew

uthor and speaker Denis Waitley noted, “Never become so much of an expert that you stop gaining expertise. View life as a continuous learning experience.” One of things I have noticed in interviewing leaders is a common trait of a thirst for knowledge. They realize that learning is a journey and not a destination. As Albert Einstein said, “I have found the more I learn, the more I realize how much I don't know.” In today’s competitive marketplace, one of the real keys to success is continually building your expertise. Regardless of your role, if you are on a path to becoming a true expert then you are in a better position to contribute and add value to the organization. My interviewee this week, T. Doug Dale Jr., has been committed to building his expertise in the field of wealth management. Dale, a shareholder at Security Ballew in Jackson, regularly appears in the financial media as an expert on trends in the financial world. Dale has appeared on Fox Business News, CNBC, CNN and Bloomberg and been quoted in media outlets such as Reuters and The Associated Press. Dale is a native of Jackson and rather than follow in the family trade of architecture, he knew as early as high school that he wanted to work

Up Close With ... T. Doug Dale Jr. Title: Shareholder, Security Ballew Inc. Favorite Books: Bible; This Time is Different (Kenneth Rogoff and Carmen Reinhart) First Job: Cutting yards Proudest Moment as a Leader: “I was really proud of our team’s approach with our clients pre the 2008 recession. We took a very conservative approach and help our clients avoid signiﬁcant losses.“ Hobbies/Interests: ”Time with my wife and children”

in the realm of finance. Dale earned his business degree from Ole Miss and while in college, he interned at Security Ballew which is a wealth management firm founded by Matt Ballew. Upon graduation, Dale returned to Jackson and earned his M.B.A. from Millsaps College. Dale took a full-time position at Security Ballew in 2005 and has been there ever since. He started as an associate with the firm calling on companies to help them with their retirement plans. Dale noted that Matt

Ballew encouraged him early on to truly learn the fundamentals of wealth management. Dale did just that and has dedicated himself over the last 20 years to being a continuous learner in his profession. He noted, “I would have never guessed it in high school, but I have spent a large amount of time studying history in my career.” We discussed the famous Mark Twain quote, “History doesn't repeat itself, but it does rhyme.” As a history major myself, I appreciate his approach. When we see the bubbles and

Dale took a full-time position at Security Ballew in 2005 and has been there ever since.

busts that cycle through our economy, it important to learn from the past. As George Santayana said, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned Martin Willoughby to repeat it.” In addition to their wealth advisory services, Dale and his partners created their own fund, Consillium Capital Fund, LP for accredited investors in 2013. Consillium means “advice” in Latin. Dale regularly writes newsletters and updates for his clients and investors where he shares his observations based on his research and study. I asked him what has contributed to his success as a wealth advisor and he shared, “We have tried to stay conservative in our approach and to help our clients avoid the extremes in their investing.” As advice for future leaders, Dale said that he would encourage them to not be afraid to call people to learn about what they do. When he was in college, Dale visited with many professionals to learn about their work. He also said, “I would encourage people start wherever they can in the organization and be willing to work hard to earn the right to move up.” Dale also emphasized the importance of building and maintaining relationships. Who you know” really does matter in the business world. Dale’s commitment to his craft was inspiring to me. We all can beneﬁt from becoming “experts” in our chosen work. We just have to be willing to pay the price. 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.

Story of Japanese brides told with pathos and beauty

» The Buddha in the Attic By Julie Otsuka Published by Anchor Books, a division of Random House $13.95 softback

ublished in 2011, this book is a gem and at only 129 pages can be quickly devoured and enjoyed. It may be small in length, but it's big on thought-provoking pathos. Otsuka uses the plural ﬁrst-person voice — not an easy writing mechanism — to convey the collective, and yet individual, experience of a group of young Japanese women brought to San Francisco as “picture brides” nearly a century ago. No individual's name is used; it's always “we” and “our.” Still, the vast array of different experiences encountered by these women as they navigate their new world is told with beauty, clarity and empathy. As in poetry, there are no spare words in this tight prose. The story is told in eight sections, beginning with the women's arduous journey across the ocean. They are met by the men they are to marry and ﬁnd that many of them do not look like the photos they've supplied or match the rosy

letters they've written. The young brides must adapt to life with a strange man while coping with a new culture and often backbreaking work. The years unfold with homesickness and tragedy sometimes and children are born who later reject the Japanese culture and language. The fear of everything and everyone Japanese with the arrival of World War II does not spare these Americanized women and their children.

A passage on the ﬁnal page of the book is especially poignant. “Mr. Harada is no longer with us, and the rest of the Japanese are gone. We speak of them rarely now, if at all, although word from the other side of the mountains continues to reach us from time to time — entire cities of Japanese have sprung up...But this is only hearsay, and none of it necessarily true. All we know is that the Japanese are out there somewhere, in one place or another, and we shall probably not meet them again in this world.” The Buddha in the Attic won the Pen Faulkner Award for Fiction and was a National Book Award ﬁnalist and a New York Times Notable Book. Otsuka was born and raised in California and is also the author of When the Emperor Was Divine.

— Lynn Lofton, mbj@msbusiness.com

22 I Mississippi Business Journal I June 20 2014 THE SPIN CYCLE

Google takes a bite out of the Apple — supplants top technology company as Most Valuable Brand oogle has taken a big bite out of the Apple – and has knocked the Cupertino, Calif. tech giant off as the most valuable brand in the world, according to a recent branding study. Millward Brown, a national brand and marketing research company, has ranked Google as the top brand in the world in its annual rankings, as the shining Apple loses a bit of its luster to the search behemoth. According to the survey results, Apple’s brand value has diminished by 20 percent to $148 billion in the last year. Meanwhile, Google's has vaulted 40 percent to $159 billion. Here are the Top 10 brands as ranked by Millward Brown: 1. Google – $159 billion brand value 2. Apple – $148 billion brand value 3. IBM – $108 billion brand value 4. Microsoft – $90 billion brand value 5. McDonald’s – $85 billion brand value 6. Coca-Cola – $81 billion brand value 7. Visa – $79 billion brand value 8. AT&T – $78 billion brand value 9. Marlboro – $67 billion brand value 10. Amazon – $65 billion brand value All brand categories were up, and 10 of them increased value by more than double digits. While tech brands dominated in the top of the chart representing nearly a third of all brands, apparel business lead growth overall with a 29 percent rise, followed by cars, up 17 percent, and luxury and technology up 16 percent each. The geography of the brands is quite diverse. Brand value of two thirds of brands originates in North America, and all of the Top 10 brands are from the U.S. European brands grew brand value 19 percent, outperforming any other region, and brands from other regions like China, Russia, Brazil, Colombia and Mexico are also gaining strength. New brands on the list include Twitter, PayPal, Ford and LinkedIn among others. The report also reveals 13 cross-category trends that are now influencing the growing value of brands. These are: » Trust – brands are to keep their promises » Share of life – to be present in more ways in a consumer’s life, making it simpler and easier » Seamlessness – to make transition between physical and digital » Personalization – celebration of a consumer’s uniqueness » Customization – to enable consumers unleash their self-expression » Authenticity – selling goods in the regions where they originate from

» Convenience – to make shopping truly convenient » Multi-functionality – adding extra benefit » Healthiness – responding to consumer concern with health » Localization – adjusting to local tastes and sourcing local ingredients » Technology – adding a tech twist to just everything » Payment options – diversity of payment methods, shifting to pay-as-you-use model » Male shoppers – turning to male consumers in each of the categories. The report has also revealed 10 “takeaways”, insights for growing brand value. These include “standing for a purpose beyond profit,” “being meaningfully different,” “being agile,” and more. How Twitter Prepared For The World Cup Twitter was all atwitter as it prepared for this year’s World Cup – the world’s biggest sporting event. The offices of the San Francisco-based social media company had a countdown to the global shindig. Because the event consists of fewer matches than the Olympics, it generates more Internet traffic, in shorter bursts. More than 3.2 billion people watched at

least a minute of the World Cup live in 2010. For Twitter, Facebook, ESPN, YouTube, and a host of regional social media sites from Brazil to Russia, the World Cup means engineers frantically working overtime to prevent outages and site overloads. Twitter learned this the hard way in 2010. Facing an unprecedented surge of user traffic, in amounts of more than 150,000 tweets per hour, Twitter crashed repeatedly during the 2010 World Cup. Users constantly encountered the “Fail Whale” (to be

fair, Twitter has crashed a lot less so far in 2014) and Twitter’s engineers admitted to “periodic high rates of errors.” In a nowdeleted post on Twitter’s engineering blog, the popular social networking service said the huge traffic influx from the 2010 World Cup created unspecified network issues. A big goal in this year’s World Cup is to prevent another replay of the 2010 World Cup tech troubles. They’re a publicly traded corporation now, and one that wants to take on Facebook and even SMS text messages as the way the world communicates. According to social media experts, Twitter’s engineering problems are incredibly specific and difficult because they occur in real time. While a service such as Facebook or Reddit can get away with having messages posted 30 seconds or even a few minutes late, Twitter has built their service model (and business model) around real-time communication. This means setting up a system of “shock absorbers” – redundant servers designed only for service when the network is extremely busy – around the world that kick in during extremely high traffic periods, and lots of planning at Twitter headquarters for different scenarios. Twitter performs tests to figure out which

process now includes the option to select your favorite team and choose national flags and patriotic header photos to represent your team on your profile. Twitter rolled out new notifiTodd Smith cation features leading up to the games. New, customizable Cup and game-specific timelines are also being rolled out. Teams are getting their own Twitter web profiles which will include player and scorecard information. During the last World Cup, Twitter unleashed "hashflags" – hashtags that include a corresponding country flag icon – and is making the feature available during the 2014 games, as well.

Sick Mic | V.A. Hospital Waiting List Is Poor Rx For Veterans According to an audit of 731 Veterans Affairs hospitals and clinics, 57,000 patients are still waiting for their initial appointment, and 64,000 who have enrolled over the past decade have never actually been seen. V.A. hospitals and clinics are dealing with a massive backlog that makes the 14day goal for seeing first-time patients unreachable, the V.A. Department admits. The audit also states that 13 percent of staffers reported they were told by supervisors to falsify appointment dates to make wait times seem shorter. This makes The Spin Cycle ill, and if this is the way the government handles our health care, we will be looking for another doc! For this continued failure to the men and women who have fought for freedom around the world, the V.A. Hospital system gets a quarantined Sick 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 servers best serve specific users, and how to don’t. Stay tuned – and step-up to the mic! scale out their global server infrastructure to And remember … Amplify Your Brand! serve new markets. Beyond bracing for an onslaught of traffic, Todd Smith is president and chief communiTwitter is also embracing the World Cup cations officer of Deane, Smith & Partners, a fulland its swarm of users during crucial points service branding, PR, marketing and advertising firm in games as a marketing and growth opportunity. To this end, it has implemented new with offices in Jackson. The firm — based in Nashville, touches and updates designed to attract and Tenn. — is also affiliated with Mad Genius. Contact him retain new soccer-loving users. For example, at todd@deanesmithpartners.com, and follow him Twitter's sign-up process has been retooled @spinsurgeon. for the World Cup, primarily with fans in non-U.S. markets in mind – the sign-up

SALES MOVES

June 20, 2014

Mississippi Business Journal

Âť JEFFREY GITOMER

You cannot ignore the present. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s where your sales are!

y sales perspective flies in the face of traditional selling. And itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not just a disruption, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the new way of sales. Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s your perspective? Here are seven realities to get your thinking started: FIRST REALITY: Traditional selling is aggressive â&#x20AC;&#x201C; telling, pitching, manipulating, and closing. This old-world approach to sales is over and has been for more than a decade. SECOND REALITY: The first sale thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s made is the salesperson. If the prospective customer does not by you, they're not buying anything. THIRD REALITY: The customer is as smart or smarter than you are. The internet has provided them with competitive savvy and social media has provides proof. FORTH REALITY: Your customers and prospects are busy with THEIR stuff and may have little or no time to be bothered by you and your stuff. It's so much more powerful when they find you in time of need. FIFTH REALITY: Customers and prospects want intellectual engagement about how THEY WIN, not a sales pitch! They do not care about your urgency to make quota. They only care about their urgency to make profit. SIXTH REALITY: The prospective customer must perceive value in your sales offering, trust you as a person and as a company, perceive that they win as a result of purchase, and be able to visualize outcome after purchase (maybe with the help of your video testimonials). SEVENTH REALITY: You better have a social

HARDWICK

Continued from Page 20

around college campuses, including here at Harvard, that scholars should be funded only if their work conforms to a particular view of justice. Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a word for that idea: censorship. And it is just a modern-day form of McCarthyism. Think about the irony: In the 1950s, the right wing was attempting to repress leftwing ideas. Today, on many college campuses, it is liberals trying to repress conservative ideas, even as conservative faculty members are at risk of becoming an endangered species. And perhaps nowhere is that more true than here in the Ivy League. â&#x20AC;Ś â&#x20AC;&#x153;Requiring scholars â&#x20AC;&#x201D; and commencement

presence and a social reputation that proves your worth to others, and provides peace of mind to the prospect. Look at this list â&#x20AC;&#x201D; carefully â&#x20AC;&#x201D; and see if what you do, the actions you take, or any of the strategies about how you sell are contained here. If they are, you will consistently lose to the â&#x20AC;&#x153;new way.â&#x20AC;? Âť Cold calling. If selling has a dark side, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the cold call. Total interruption of others (the prospect), and predominantly a waste of salespeople's time. Higher than 90 percent rejection rate and the major cause of sales failure. Âť Hunting and farming salespeople. This is basically a sales specialist making a sale and then running away. Leaving behind the service department, or inside sales, or the delivery guy, and the customer to feel deserted. Hunting and farming is the worst case for relationship building ever created. Âť Find the pain. Perhaps the rudest of all sales processes, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x153;probingâ&#x20AC;? to make prospects feel uncomfortable. This is an old-world tactic, where the salesperson miraculously proposes a solution to an issue that the prospect has. The solution is not the issue. The issue is that finding the pain is the focal point of the sale. No value, no engagement, no connection â&#x20AC;&#x201C; simply manipulation. The only thing more idiotic (and more rude) than â&#x20AC;&#x153;finding the painâ&#x20AC;? is cold calling. Âť Pitch the product. Telling your prospective customer stuff about your product that they could've found online in three seconds, or that you could've emailed them in advance of your meeting. Customers do not care what you're selling, unless

you're showing them how they win as a result of purchase such as how they will produce more, and how they will profit more. Start there. Âť Overcome objections. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Your price is too high.â&#x20AC;? Really? You still dealing with Jeffrey Gitomer that? Where's the value? Where's the testimonial? Whereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the relationship? Whereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the trust? Where's the social proof? Âť Close the sale. Manipulative closing is a thing of the past. The sale is made emotionally, not manipulatively. Âť Proposals and bidding. This part of selling will never go away, but can be significantly reduced with loyal relationships and proven quality. Âť Insincere follow-up. Call looking for money. Âť Customer satisfaction. J.D. Power and Associates gives â&#x20AC;&#x153;customer satisfactionâ&#x20AC;? awards to airlines. Do I need to say anything more about how ridiculous customer satisfaction is? Âť Ask for (beg for) referrals. If you ask for a referral once, and the customer does not give you one, and you call again reminding the customer that they promised to give you a referral, and the customer still does not give you one, they will never take your call again. Instead of asking for referrals, why donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t you give one? Âť Low or no social media presence. Failure to understand the fact that social media is a combination

of attraction, proof that you are you say you are, and a sales tool. Âť Low or no social media awareness. Inability or refusal of salespeople to participate gives your competition an ability to use it and dominate. Âť Low or no relationship. The quality of the relationship allows you to make multiple sales, earn more profit, earn referrals, and gain their testimonial proof. If youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re lacking in these four areas itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s your relationship report card, and loss of sales or profit, or both. Me? I prefer to be assertive. Assertive salespeople ask. Aggressive salespeople tell. Assertive salespeople go for the customer. Aggressive salespeople go for the sale. Which one are you? It's the difference between the old way and the new way. The â&#x20AC;&#x153;new wayâ&#x20AC;? is next week â&#x20AC;&#x201C; stay tuned!

speakers, for that matter â&#x20AC;&#x201D; to conform to certain political standards undermines the whole purpose of a university.â&#x20AC;? In my management class I have students watch Steve Jobsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; 2005 commencement speech to the graduates of Stanford University. It is powerful, it exhibits many insights into Jobsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; life and it is inspiring. Afterwards, our class discusses various aspects of the speech. I ask what the students liked and did not like about the speech. It does not take long before a student will bring out something negative, either about the speech, about Jobs or about Apple. Often it is a student who will opine that he or she doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t like Jobs and that Apple is evil. That leads to a lively discussion. It never fails that at the end of the discussion some

students will say that they learned something about Jobs because of watching the speech and discussing it afterwards. They also say that had they not seen this speech they never would have considered the other perspectives they heard from other students. The classroom discussion illustrates the negative aspect of a minority of students or faculty or the public imposing their will on the opportunity to hear opposing or disagreeable views. Of course, they will say that by having the speaker not speak is their way of expressing their own views. How does that square with this statement from the Rutgers University student handbook: â&#x20AC;&#x153;We embrace difference by cultivating inclusiveness and respect of both people and points of view.â&#x20AC;?

All of which reveals the division our country has gotten itself into. The question now is very simple: Are we willing to listen to opposing views?

PMI shows stateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s manufacturing sector expanding Manufacturing activity in the Southeast is still growing at a healthy level in spite of its first decline in the last three months, according to the Southeastâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) report released by Kennesaw State Universityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Econometric Center in the Michael J. Coles College of Business. The Southeast PMI decreased 3.4 points to 59.8, while the National PMI gained less than a point to 55.4. A PMI reading above 50 indicates that manufacturing activity is expanding; a reading below 50 indicates it is contracting. Mayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new orders and production remain at strong levels of 69.6 and 67.4, respectively, which should continue to support growth for manufacturing, according to Don Sabbarese, director of the Econometric Center at Kennesaw State. Despite slight drops in new orders and production for May, the largest decrease for the Southeast PMI components was finished inventory, with a drop of 7.6 points.

Jeffrey Gitomer is the author of â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Sales Bibleâ&#x20AC;?, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Customer Satisfaction is Worthlessâ&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Customer Loyalty is Pricelessâ&#x20AC;?, â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Little Red Book of Sellingâ&#x20AC;?, â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Little Red Book of Sales Answersâ&#x20AC;?, â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Little Black Book of Connectionsâ&#x20AC;?, â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Little Gold Book of YES! Attitudeâ&#x20AC;?, â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Little Green Book of Getting Your Wayâ&#x20AC;?, â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Little Platinum Book of ChaChingâ&#x20AC;?, â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Little Teal Book of Trustâ&#x20AC;?, â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Little Book of Leadershipâ&#x20AC;?, and â&#x20AC;&#x153;Social BOOM!â&#x20AC;? His website, www.gitomer.com, will lead you to more information about training and seminars, or email him personally at salesman@gitomer.com.

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

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