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INSIDE — Cotton House names GM, is taking reservations — Page 2

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Fred’s closing 49 more stores, 18 in Mississippi

2019

June 28, 2019 • Vo. 41 No. 26 • 24 pages

2019

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MBJ FOCUS

Special section begins page 13

Real Estate & Construction {Section begins P8} » With tornadoes increasing in

frequency in Mississippi, storms shelters can be a good investment

{The List P11} » Commercial Real Estate Firms

COLUMNS

» REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK: A high-stakes game {P3} » LAW ELEVATED: How companies can subsidize project costs with The New Markets Tax Credit Program {P2}

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2 Q Mississippi Business Journal Q June 28, 2019 LODGING

Cotton House names GM, is taking reservations

By JACK WEATHERLY jack.weatherly@msbusiness.com The Cotton House hotel has hired James McAfee as its first general manager for the upscale lodge to open soon in downtown Cleveland.

McAfee comes to Mississippi from Mongomery, Ala., where he was director of services at the 345-guestroom

Renaissance Hotel and Spa, a Marriott property.

“After working in Montgomery . . . at the Renaissance Montgomery Hotel & Spa at the Convention Center for several years, it’s been a transition relocating to Cleveland,” McAfee said in an email. He has been employed by Marriott for 15 years.

“From the beginning, I’ve been drawn to the people and the heritage of the area. The hotel embraces the history of the region with a modern, energetic twist. Cotton House has long been a vision for many people. The hotel is truly an example of the hardworking, hard-playing people of the community and we are looking forward to welcoming locals and tourists alike to enjoy it.”

Room bookings for the Cotton House, a Marriott Trib-

ute Portfolio hotel, are available starting Aug. 1.

On Monday, there were only five of the 95 guestrooms left for that date, according to hotels.com.

The rooms that were available were $189, not including taxes and fees.

The $17.6 million hotel is part of the Oxford-based LRC2 Properties portfo- McAfee lio, which also includes The Graduate in Oxford and other properties. Flowoodbased MMI Hotel Group will operate the hotel.

LAW ELEVATED

How companies can subsidize project costs with The New Markets Tax Credit Program

B

y now most Mississippians have at least heard of the New Markets Tax Credit (“NMTC”) Program.

On May 23, 2019, the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund (the “CDFI Fund”) awarded 73 Community Development Entities (“CDEs”) $3.5 billion in NMTC allocation authority in the calendar year 2018 round of the NMTC Program. To date, a total of 114 businesses and revitalization projects in Mississippi have received NMTC financing resulting in the creation of more than 22,000 direct and indirect jobs. Given that project financing is difficult to secure in rural, low-income communities, most Mississippi businesses are forced to seek a combination of various incentives to fill financial gaps.

Obtaining certain subsidies, credits or grants in connection with commercial development projects can often times be the financial difference maker for an otherwise viable project. While NMTC transactions involve a competitive marketplace for allocation and sometimes require complicated structured finance, the net benefits are worth the hard work. In fact, state and federal NMTC’s can generate as much as a 35 percent subsidy to the project after payment of fees associated with the financing.

The NMTC Program is a federal tax incentive authorized by Congress under the Community Renewal and Tax Relief Act of 2000 (P.L. 106-554) and most recently extended through calendar year 2019 under the Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes (PATH) Act (Division Q of P.L. 114-113). Jointly administered by the CDFI Fund and the Internal Revenue Service, the NMTC Program is designed to encourage commercial investment in low-income communities (“LICs”).

Investment vehicles known as CDEs, certified by the CDFI Fund, are eligible

to apply to the CDFI Fund for NMTC allocation authority. Through a competitive application process, the CDFI Fund allocates tax credit authority to CDEs, which allows CDEs to raise investment capital from private investors in exchange for the right to claim a federal tax credit. In the 15 rounds to date, the CDFI Fund has made 1,178 awards totaling $57.5 billion in NMTC allocation authority.

The NMTC Program attracts private investment by allowing corporate taxpayers to receive a credit against federal income taxes for making qualified equity investments (“QEIs”) in CDEs. The credit received is equal to thirty-nine percent of the QEI and is claimed over a seven-year period (5 percent annually for the first three years and 6 percent for years four through seven). QEIs may be leveraged with various types of secured debt (i.e. conventional lending or bond financing) or affiliate debt, which allows the tax credit investor to receive tax credits on the equity/debt combination. The NMTC Program has proven to be an effective means of stimulating economic growth in LICs, and high-impact real estate projects such as redevelopment projects, retail developments, and mixed-use and transit-oriented developments throughout the country.

In most cases, the NMTC Program utilizes geographic qualifications based on the census tract location of the project. In other words, the first step to identifying if your project qualifies for NMTCs is to determine whether or not the project is located in a “qualified census tract.” Qualifying LICs include census tracts with at least one of the following criteria: (i) a poverty rate of at least 20 percent; (ii) if located in a metropolitan area, a median family income below 80 percent of the greater statewide or metropolitan area median family income; or (iii) if located outside a

metropolitan area, a median family income below 80 percent of the median statewide family income.

NMTC financing can be used to pay for real estate acquisition, site prep, substantial rehab, new construction, tenant build out, equipment and soft costs. Typically, projects need to have costs of at least $5 million in order to attract adequate interest from CDEs and investors. In a typical transaction, an investor provides an equity investment into a special purpose investment fund in exchange for 100% of the membership interests. A third party or affiliate lender provides a leverage loan to the investment fund. This debt/equity combination generates sufficient funds for the investment fund to make its QEI as a capital contribution to a CDE. The applicable credit allowance for the benefit of the investor is calculated based upon the QEI. The CDE(s) use the proceeds of the QEI to make loans to a qualified active low-income community business (“QALICB”). The loans are generally structured to mature or be refinanced in seven years and can be subordinate to senior debt as necessary. The “A” loan usually mirrors the terms of the Leverage Loan. The “B” loan (which is derived from the tax credit equity less CDE fees) is generally at a below market interest rate with favorable terms such as full or partial loan forgiveness. Both loans are interest only during the seven-year compliance period. The QALICB uses the proceeds of the loan to finance all or a portion of the project.

In addition, many projects financed in Mississippi utilize the Mississippi Equity Investment Tax Credit Program, which was created as a “piggy back” credit to the NMTC Program. This state credit is a credit against income or insurance premium taxes in an amount equal to 24 percent of the QEI, and it is utilized over a three-

Hollingsworth

year period (eight percent per year). The maximum amount of state credits that can be generated from a single project is $2.4 million or $800,000 per year.

Purchase prices vary depending on the current market, but generWatson ally speaking, borrowers can expect (assuming a maximum project cost of $10 million) to generate an additional $1.2 million of subsidy.

In summary, the NMTC is a non-refundable tax credit designed to encourage private investment in eligible LICs. Every dollar generated in equity from the NMTC is a dollar saved for the project borrower.

Many of the health care, manufacturing, educational and commercial development projects that have taken place in Mississippi since the early 2000’s have benefited from the NMTC Program. Since State and Federal NMTCs provide a substantial current and long-term subsidy to the construction, development and operation of a project, commercial development projects should consider the NMTC Program and Mississippi Equity Investment Tax Credit Program as alternative sources of financing.

For additional information on NMTCs, the NMTC Program, the Mississippi Equity Investment Tax Credit Program, or to learn whether a potential development qualifies for NMTC financing, visit butlersnow.com.

Jetson G. Hollingsworth and Anna H. Watson are attorneys in Butler Snow’s Ridgeland office. They are both members of the firm’s public finance, tax incentives & credit markets practice.

June 28, 2019

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REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK

RETAIL

A high-stakes game to save a paper

W Fred’s closing 49 more stores, 18 in Mississippi

By JACK WEATHERLY jack.weatherly@msbusiness.com

With its history dating to 1947 in Coldwater, Miss., Fred’s Inc. is closing 49 more stores as it tightens up its balance sheet bleeding red ink.

Eighteen of the stores are in Mississippi. That means that since April, the chain has announced the closing of more than half of its stores, 260, leaving 240.

The announcement was made on Friday, two days after the Memphis-based discount retail chain released its fiscal first quarter financial statement.

Gross profit fell 16.2 percent, to $74.6 milion, in the quarter, compared with the year-earlier period.

Net sales for the period ending May 4 were down 5.2 percent to $319 million from $366.4 million. Comparable store sales – looking at stores that had been open at least one year – were down 8.5 percent.

“The sales decline was primarily the result in weak sales of consumables cause by the reduction in store traffic due to out-of-stock issues in certain categories,” the company said in its earnings report.

The company’s annual report filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission stated that “there is substantial doubt about Fred’s ability to continue as a going return.”

Its stock n the Nasdaq stood at about 38 cents per share when market opened on Wednesday. The 52-week range is 33 cents to $3.58.

Reports hold that the stock will be del-

isted from the Nasdaq, further hobbling its chances of being solvent.

The underperforming stores in Mississippi that are being closed are in Rolling Fork, Okolona, Calhoun City, Clarksville, Macon, Richton, Tylertown, Newton, Wiggins, Mantachie, Lexington, Woodville, Taylorsville, Indianola, Pelahatchie, Houston, Ackerman and Durant.

Rumors persist that Fred’s will move its headquarters from Memphis to Dallas.

Fred’s is not alone in its struggles. Yet another chain that caters to rural communities and low- to-middle income consumers, Dollar General, has benefited because of the “uneven recovery” in the national economy, which leaves many consumers looking for rock-bottom bargains.

The company in March it will open 975 new stores in the United States this year. Dollar General will remodel 1,000 older stores with new queue lines to drive last-minute impulse buys, according to CNN. Dollar General has been growing for years in rural America. It opened 900 stores in 2018 and 1,315 the year prior. It has more than 15,300 stores across the country and sales have increased for 29 straight years.

Fred’s had hoped for a lifeboat with the purchase of of 865 Rite Aid pharmacies after a planned merger with Walgreen’s, but the merger was scrapped.

Meantime, Fred’s says its pharmacies will remain open at the otherwise shuttered locations.

hat do you do if the newspaper you own is losing money?

Cut costs? Sure. Limit scope of coverage.

And if that doesn’t work, sell everything and enjoy the money?

How about spending more? A lot more.

Well, um . . . . that is what Walter Hussman is doing with the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.

He is investing $12 million in buying iPads for its subscribers so that it can go digital six days a week, along with a printed Sunday edition. If need be, an agent will come to your house and show you how to use the tablet. No cost.

This is not the first time Hussman has stared into the abyss and not lost courage.

Back in the day, he gambled, resorting to the unthinkable – converting his Little Rock-based Arkansas Democrat from an afternoon paper to a morning paper to go head to head with the dominant Arkansas Gazette – and even giving away classified ads, then a staple of revenue.

Toward the end of the war, both papers reportedly were losing about $10 million a year. Yes, so Hussman knows that to make money, to survive, you have to be willing to go all in, as they say in poker.

Gannett, which a few years earlier had bought the once-dominant Gazette blanched and closed.

In 1991 – irony of ironies, as it turns out, the year that the World Wide Web was rolled out – Hussman bought the assets, including the name of the competitor, which was the oldest paper west of the Mississippi, founded 200 years ago in 1819.

A decade after the purchase, the Internet was a force to be reckoned with. It was cutting deeper and deeper into the revenues of traditional, and costly to operate, newspapers.

The old saying used to be that any idiot with a printing press could make money.

With the advent of the Internet, newspaper owners generally were acting as if the Internet was a pet that just had to be cared for and fed.

By and large, they gave away the news online, assuming Rover would fetch the ads.

Bad dog, it just ran away and wouldn’t respond to whistles.

The legendary Washington Post was a strong candidate for the ultimate poster child for the idiocy, standing at the brink

of extinction before putting up a paywall.

Jeff Bezos, owner of Amazon, the richest man in the world, saved the day by buying the paper.

Hussman said when Jack Weatherly he hired me in 2002 as business editor of the ADG that he just didn’t think publicly traded newspapers were a good business model.

I had a hunch he was right.

I was coming from a Gannett-owned paper, The Clarion-Ledger (hyphenated and capital T) – or as it sometimes calls itself these days, the Clarion Ledger (no hyphen, no cap T) or Mississippi’s Clarion Ledger, a member of the Gannett network (it’s like, you know, one of those media things). Once you lose your identity, you’ll answer to any name as long as they throw you a bone.

Hussman didn’t ignore the Web, he just didn’t give away the news, maintaining a paywall from Day One. Meantime, aggregators Facebook and Google started gobbling up more and more news, without having to produce it themselves. In 2017, they grabbed 77 percent of the local digital advertising revenue and 58 percent of the national revenue, according to The Wall Street Journal, citing a recent University of North Carolina study.

Nearly 1,800 newspapers closed between 2004 and 2018, the study says.

The ADG lost money in 2018, Hussman said.

Now Hussman is trying a new tack.

Well, not totally new. The Philadelphia Inquirer tried something akin to Hussman’s plan, with no success, according to Rick Edmonds, media business analyst for the Poynter Institute.

Though Edmonds said he is a bit skeptical, he acknowledges that Hussman has proved naysayers wrong in the past.

Sounding a bit evangelical, Hussman said in a recent ADG article: “We lost money last year. We are going to lose more money this year because this one-on-one [iPad instruction] is expensive. But, if we can convert people, we are going to be profitable again in 2020. That’s our hope.”

» Contact Mississippi Business Journal staff writer Jack Weatherly at jack.weatherly@msbusiness.com or (601) 364-1016.

Newsmakers

4 Q Mississippi Business Journal Q June 28, 2019

Stroble, Saulters and Moody elected to HORNE LLP’s Board of Directors

HORNE LLP announced the election of Anna Stroble, J.D., Jason Saulters, CPA, CGMA and Kade Moody, CPA, CHFP to HORNE’s Board of Directors.

Stroble is a government services partner at HORNE where her primary focus is helping disaster-impacted communities Stroble realize the numerous opportunities available under federal recovery programs. She joined the firm in 2015 after practicing law for more than 10 years. Stroble earned a Bachelor of Science in Marketing from Mississippi College and a Juris Doctorate from the University of Mississippi.

Saulters also elected to serve as the secretary/treasurer of the Saulters board, is the partner in charge of franchise services for the firm. He specializes in helping clients grow their businesses through financial outsourcing, tax strategy and consulting. Since joining the firm in 2005, Saulters has remained driven and devoted to serving franchise clients. He earned his Bachelor of Science Moody in Business Administration with a major in accounting from the University of South Alabama.

He is a licensed Certified Public Accountant in Alabama and a Chartered Global Management Accountant.

Moody is a healthcare partner at HORNE and serves as the leader of healthcare assurance services. He is also the firm’s Audit Bobo Quality Partner as designated by the Governmental Audit Quality Center and is a Certified Healthcare Financial Professional. Moody joined HORNE in 2002 after beginning his career with an international accounting firm and has nearly 30 years of experience in public accounting.

He earned his Bachelor of Science in Accounting from the University of Southern Mississippi.

The board also elected Partner in Charge of Construction, Joel Bobo, CPA, to serve as the chair of the board. Bobo provides assurance and advisory services to large, privately-owned companies. He also serves as a financial advisor to several other boards in the state. Bobo joined the firm in 1992 and has more than 35 years of public accounting experience including specific knowledge of construction, nonprofits and small businesses. He earned a Bachelor of Accountancy from the University of Mississippi.

Coastal Mississippi’s Beau Rivage wins award The ninth annual Atlanta Food & Wine Festival (AFWF) has announced that Beau Rivage Resort & Casino’s Executive Chef Kristian Wade is this year’s winner of the PNC “Best of the Fest” competition.

Wound Care Center recognized as Center of Excellence

Courtesy of Merit Health River Oaks

The wound care center at Merit Health River Oaks has been named a Healogics Robert A. Warriner III Center of Excellence. Pictured members of the Merit Health River Oaks Wound Care Department, holding the Center of Distinction Award, are, from left, Anna Wilson, RN; Kirby Orme, MD, medical director; Michael Smith, HBO tech/safety director; Michelle Harper, clinical nurse manager; Nelda Neal, Wound Care Program Director; Bebe Head, office coordinator; Richard Yelverton, Sr., MD. As part of a collaborative effort between Coastal Mississippi, Visit Mississippi, and Beau Rivage Resort & Casino to showcase the destination, Chef Wade delighted attendees with his Land Mass Burger. The savory sampling was complete with a smoky, grilled double-patty, American cheese, Mississippi tomato fondue, caramelized onions, crispy bread and butter pickles, a succulent blend of New Orleans barbeque sauce and Alabama white sauce, all topped with a fried oyster.

“Thousands of attendees from across the country were drawn to this year’s festival, which provided a great opportunity to bring the community together to experience one of the South’s leading culinary arts festivals,” said Eddie Meyers, PNC regional president for Greater Georgia. “PNC is proud to be the presenting sponsor of the Tasting Tents and to support this unique culinary experience in our community.

The Best of the Fest gives us a wonderful opportunity to recognize the talent and creativity of phenomenal chefs such as this year’s winner, Chef Kristian!”

“We enjoyed participating in this year’s AFWF with so many talented chefs and are honored to be voted ‘Best of the Fest’ by its participants,” said Wade. “The response to Beau Rivage and the Land Mass Burger was overwhelming, and we look forward to featuring this award-winning burger in our new TAP Sports Book, Bar & Bistreaux when it opens in July.”

“We are so proud to see one of our Coastal Mississippi chefs win such a prestigious award, and Chef Wade, our staff, and our Mississippi partners did such a phenomenal job of representing and showcasing what The Secret Coast has to offer,” said Milton

Segarra, CEO of Coastal Mississippi. “As we strive to increase visitation to Coastal Mississippi, strategic partnerships and collaborations such as this one with Beau Rivage and Visit Mississippi are vital to the promotion of this region. We look forward to many more future opportunities to deepen our partnerships and broaden our horizons.”

ICBA Independent Banker names 40 Under 40 Independent Banker® magazine, the award-winning monthly publication of the Independent Community Bankers of America® (ICBA), announced the 40 Under 40: Emerging Community Bank Leaders. The first-annual award recognizes up-and-coming innovators, influencers, and civic servants that represent the future of community banking.

“ICBA congratulates these exceptional community bankers on their well-deserved recognition,” ICBA President and CEO Rebeca Romero Rainey said.

“Their thoughtful and creative approach to serving their customers and communities are hallmarks of the community banking industry and illustrate the bright future that’s ahead for these leaders and the community banks they serve. I hope they continue to tell their story and encourage others to consider a future in this great industry.”

Ensuring tomorrow’s leaders are well-positioned to address today’s real-world challenges is central to ICBA’s mission to create and promote an environment where community banks flourish. This focus is also the

genesis behind ICBA’s LEAD FWD Summit, a two-day conference designed to cultivate bank talent and help supercharge bank efficiency. This year’s event, set for Sept. 16-17 in New Orleans, will feature the latest thought leadership on a range of topics that offer market-tested strategies that attendees can implement immediately for improved bank performance and enhanced customer service.

“Education and the advancement of community bank leaders will always be a driving force for ICBA,” said ICBA Group Executive Vice President, Community Banker University® Lindsay LaNore. “We will continue to create relevant education and training in service to our members who so boldly represent our industry.”

HOPE Receives Housing Visionary Award HOPE (Hope Enterprise Corporation/Hope Credit Union) received the 2019 Housing Visionary Award from the National Housing Conference at a Washington, D.C., gala honoring organizations and individuals making significant contributions toward advancing affordable housing.

HOPE, based in Jackson, started a quarter of a century ago as a business loan fund serving 55 counties in the Mid South Delta region.

Newsmakers Dilley joins Neel-Schaffer Neel-Schaffer, Inc., has announced that Jessica Dilley, PE, has joined the firm and will serve as a Transportation Engineer based in the company’s Jackson office.

Dilley has more than eight years of experience and joins Neel-Schaffer from the Mississippi Department of Transportation, Dilley where in her most recent role as an Assistant State Planning Engineer her responsibilities included identifying transportation planning and feasibility project needs throughout the state.

Dilley will provide transportation and traffic engineering and planning services for clients across Neel-Schaffer’s nine-state footprint. She has extensive experience in transportation planning and modeling, using TransCAD transportation models. She is also experienced in conducting traffic analysis using Vissim, Synchro, Corsim, and HCS to analyze traffic operations.

Dilley is a Registered Professional Engineer in Mississippi. She holds two degrees from the University of Mississippi, a Master of Science in Environmental Engineering and a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering. In 2018, Dilley was presented with the Distinguished Alumni Award by the Ole Miss Civil Engineering Department, and in 2017 she received the Young Engineer of the Year award from the Mississippi Engineering Society.

Chambers USA 2019 ranks 12 Bradley attorneys and 2 practice areas in Mississippi Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP announced that 12 attorneys in the firm’s Jackson office and two firm practice areas have been highly ranked in Mississippi in the 2019 edition of Chambers USA, the independent legal industry referral guide. Across all the firm’s offices, 94 attorneys and 27 practice areas at Bradley have been highly ranked.

The firm’s Jackson attorneys who were ranked among the leading lawyers for business in Mississippi are: Kelly R. Blackwood (Environment) Roy D. Campbell, III (Litigation: General Commercial) W. Rodney (Rod) Clement (Real Estate) W. Wayne Drinkwater (Litigation: Appellate, Litigation: General Commercial) Ralph B. Germany, Jr. (Litigation: Construction) J. William (Will) Manuel (Labor & Employment, Litigation: General Commercial) Wendy R. Mullins (Corporate/Commercial) Alan W. Perry (Litigation: Appellate, Litigation: General Commercial) William R. (Bill) Purdy (Litigation: Construction) Alex Purvis (Litigation: General Commercial) Stephen L. (Steve) Thomas (Litigation: General Commercial) Stephen M. (Steve) Wilson (Corporate/Commercial) Chambers ranked Bradley as one of the top firms in Mississippi for the following practice areas: Corporate/Commercial Litigation: General Commercial

June 28, 2019

Memorial Hospital names first DAISY Award recipient

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Mississippi Manufacturers’ Association and the Mississippi Department of Education, Office of Workforce Development and Vocational Education. She serves as Vice President of the Rankin County Chamber of Commerce Education Committee. She is also a graduate of Leadership Rankin and the Mississippi Community College Leadership Academy.

Capital Area Human Resource Association given award

Memorial Hospital at Gulfport has named Amy Wade, RN, Medical/Surgical, as the first DAISY Award honoree on June 6. Wade was presented The DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses for the exceptional compassion and skill she displayed to her patient, who nominated her.

“We are thankful for the compassionate care Amy and our other nominees provide our patients every day,” said Jennifer Dumal, RN, BSN, MPH, Chief Operating Officer - Clinical/CNO. “It is important that our nurses know their work is highly valued, and The DAISY Foundation provides a way for us to recognize them.”

The program was established in memory of J. Patrick Barnes, by members of his family. The care Patrick and his family received from nurses while

Bennett, Killebrew and Rhodes Re-Elected to Southern AgCredit Board Stockholders of Southern AgCredit re-elected John “Van” Bennett of Spearsville, La., Larry W. Killebrew of Lexington, Miss., and Kevin Rhodes of Pelahatchie, Miss., to the lending cooperative’s board of directors.

Each will serve a three-year term.

Bennett and his family own a 300-acre cattle and timber farm that he and his wife operate as Rainbow Hill Farms.

Killebrew is the owner/manager of Larry Killebrew Farms, a 3,000-acre farming operation consisting of row crops — cotton, corn and soybeans — and cattle.

Rhodes owns KDR Farms Inc., a 300-acre farming operation consisting of 80 head of beef cattle, two sixhouse poultry farms in Rankin County and a five-house poultry farm in Scott County.

Southern AgCredit’s 2020 nominating committee consists of the following: Tim Clements, Delta region; Alan Ezelle, central region; Chris Stockman, southern region; James Marsalis, Louisiana region; and J. Blake McCartney, Louisiana region.

The Southern AgCredit 10-member board also includes Reggie Allen of Brookhaven, Miss.; Scott Bell of Lena, Miss.; Gene Boykin of Rolling Fork, Miss.; Steve Dockens of Ocean Springs, Miss.; Allen Eubanks of Lucedale, Miss.; T.C. Hall of Gloster, La.; and Linda Staniszewski of Hattiesburg.

he was ill inspired this unique means of thanking nurses for making a profound difference in the lives of their patients and patient families. Nurses may be nominated by patients or their families who want to express their gratitude, and to recognize them for the extraordinary skillful and compassionate care they gave.

Each Honoree receives a certificate commending her or him as an “Extraordinary Nurse.”

The certificate reads: “In deep appreciation of all you do, who you are, and the incredibly meaningful difference you make in the lives of so many people.” Honorees also receive a DAISY Award pin and a beautiful and meaningful sculpture called A Healer’s Touch, hand-carved by artists of the Shona Tribe in Zimbabwe.

Hinds CC names new vice president for Utica Campus Hinds Community College named Sherry Franklin as vice president for the Utica Campus.

Franklin, of Brandon, has been with the college since November 2004 and has served in many roles, including Career and Technical Education Director, Dean of Students and Career and Franklin Technical Education Dean for the Rankin Campus. Since 2015, she has served as Associate Vice President of Career & Technical Education and District Director of Career & Technical Education.

She holds undergraduate and graduate degrees in business education from Jackson State University.

Prior to her work at Hinds, she taught business and computer technology at the Jackson Career Development Center and then worked with the State Department of Education as program coordinator for business and computer technology.

In 2018, Franklin was named recipient of the 3E Award, Emphasis on Excellence and Education, which is the highest honor given by the college. Additional recognitions for her work include being named in 2007 as Tech Prep Exemplary Site Coordinator by the

The Society for Human Resource Management awarded the Capital Area Human Resource Association its prestigious EXCEL Platinum Award for the chapter’s accomplishments in 2018.

The EXCEL award aligns individual chapters’ and state councils’ activities with SHRM’s aspirations for the HR profession. The award recognizes major accomplishments, strategic activities, and tactical initiatives that elevate the profession of human resources.

CAHRA’s accomplished objectives under the leadership of 2018 chapter president, Lindsey Hoskinson, included developing a strategic plan during a strategic planning workshop held for HR professionals. The chapter promoted inclusiveness by having a “Diversity Minute” discussion during monthly luncheons and written articles on diversity within the monthly newsletter. In addition, CAHRA’s Workforce Readiness Committee, led by committee chair, Joe Johnson, helped groups of students prepare to enter the workforce by partnering with a local college to conduct mock interviews and provide feedback on their resumes and interview skills.

Hinds CC names new vice president for Raymond Campus, NAHC Hinds Community College named Dr. Keri Cole as new vice president for the Raymond Campus and the Jackson Campus-Nursing/Allied Health Center.

Cole, of Clinton, is a 1998 Hinds alumna and has been employed by the college since 2005, Cole most recently as district dean of Instructional Technology and eLearning.

Cole earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Mississippi State University. In 2017, she received her Doctorate of Education in Professional Studies of Higher Education from Delta State University.

She is involved in a number of internal and external committees and organizations, as well as being an integral part of many college-wide initiatives. Those include serving on the Instructional Pathways Task Force and as co-chair of both the Pathways Logistics committee and the Pathways Effectiveness & Sustainability Committee. She has received numerous awards and recognitions throughout her career. In 2012, she completed the Mississippi Community College Leadership Academy. Cole was also named to the Mississippi Business Journal’s Top 40 Under 40 and 50 Leading Business Women and has served as a MSVCC Online Facilitator for the Mississippi Community College Board.

She replaces Dr. Theresa Hamilton, who is retiring from the position. Cole will also have the title of director of College Parallel Programs, which oversees academic transfer programs throughout the Hinds district.

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Charter school suit exposes state overreach

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The Mississippi Business Journal, is an affiliate of Journal Publishing Company (JPC), Inc. Entire contents copyrighted © 2019 by Journal Inc. All rights reserved.

“People, not the government, know best how to take care of their own money,” is one of Gov. Phil Bryant’s favorite themes.

You can see it reflected in his consistent opposition to federal government laws and regulations attempting to dictate public policy to Mississippians – on abortion, health care, gun rights, school standards, EPA rules and more. It was there in his published piece supporting Brett Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court nomination, praising the judge’s opinions rejecting “agency overreach.”

It has its roots in Thomas Jefferson’s perspective that “the will of the people… is the only legitimate foundation of any government.” And, by that, he meant the will of the majority.

It is a corollary to longtime Republican public policy – dating to Barry Goldwater – that “The government closest to the people serves the people best.” In other words, since state government is closer to the people, it will serve them better than the federal government.

The governor is not the only conservative Republican on board with this notion. In the past session of the Legislature, by a vote of 31 to 17 in the Senate and 70 to 46 in the

House, Senate Concurrent Resolution 56 was adopted. This is the resolution whereBILL CRAWFORD by Mississippi joined 13 other states calling for a convention of the states to amend the U.S. Constitution to “limit the power and jurisdiction of the federal government.”

The rationale, in part, is “the federal government has invaded the legitimate roles of the states through the manipulative process of federal mandates.”

How ironic, then, that Mississippi government acts just like the federal government when it comes to local government.

This is my very most favorite government hypocrisy. The same complaints state officials use against the federal government can be used against them by local officials.

Ask a mayor about home rule. Ask a supervisor about unfunded state mandates. Ask a school board member about policy flexibility. Indeed, state overreach into local affairs far exceeds federal overreach into state affairs.

Let’s take a look at the lawsuit See CRAWFORD, Page 7

id you know that it’s possible for a candidate to receive the majority of the votes cast in one of Mississippi’s statewide elections and still not be declared the winner?

It’s startling, but it’s true thanks to an antiquated election law most Mississippians do not even know exists. And it’s time for the state to change it.

At issue is a clause from Mississippi’s 1890 Constitution that requires candidates for statewide office to not only obtain a majority vote but to also receive the most votes in a majority of the state’s House districts. If no candidate meets both thresholds, the election is thrown into the state House, where lawmakers will select a winner from the top two vote-getters.

The provision is not an issue in most elections, which is why many voters don’t even know it exists. But it certainly is conceivable that a candidate can win by a large margin in a heavily populated area, while losing numerous small, rural districts. In fact, it happened during three straight elections during the 1990s, as Mississippi Today’s Bobby Harrison has pointed out in recent reporting.

During the 1991 and 1995 lieutenant governor races, the candidate with the lower vote total wrote a letter to the state House conceding the election. The most high profile instance, however, happened in the 1999 gubernatorial contest between Democrat Ronnie Musgrove and Republican Mike Parker. Musgrove won a plurality of the votes, but the two candidates spilt the state’s 122 House districts, throwing the election to the House, where the Democratic-controlled chamber declared Musgrove the winner.

Mississippi is the only state in the nation where a candidate can win a majority of the vote and not win a statewide office, and the reason is dubious. Multiple historic documents from the framers of the 1890 Constitution indicate Mississippi’s unique rule was created as a safeguard to ensure African Americans, then the majority in the state, were not elected to statewide office.

It’s a revolting, but true, remnant of our history, and it must be changed. In fact, a group of residents has currently filed a lawsuit to change the current system, saying it dilutes black voter strength.

In a sense, Mississippi’s system resembles the federal electoral college model, something we have defended in this space. And we continue to believe that such a model is needed on the national level to ensure candidates pay attention to rural states, rather than expending all of their focus on a handful of urban centers.

Such a model is not needed on the state level, where politics are much more localized. In a small state like Mississippi, there is no proper justification for such a system that takes power away from voters and gives it to state lawmakers.

Mississippi voters speak loudly when they cast their ballots for statewide officials. The state’s electoral system must always hear their voices.

— The Daily Journal

Perspective » RICKY NOBILE

June 28, 2019

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Mississippi Business Journal

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7

CRAWFORD

Continued from, Page 6

against charter schools now pending in the Mississippi Supreme Court.

The state established charter schools outside the normal public school domain. They do not answer to local elected school boards and have their own state agency, not the Mississippi Department of Education. In setting them up, the state mandated that local schools transfer funds to charter schools, so much per local student attending the charter school. This includes a share of local tax revenue as well as state revenue.

Now, remember that local elected school boards set property tax millage rates based on what the regular public schools need to operate. Maximum millage and annual increases are also limited by state mandates.

Parents of students in Jackson public schools have sued the state for taking their local tax money and giving it to charter schools in the city.

The state contends school money, state and local, should follow the students.

Local school advocates contend, since neither local voters nor local school boards had a say in the establishment or operation of these charter schools, just the state, tax money local school boards authorized should stick with the schools for which the money was intended.

Hmmm.

Sure looks like state government overreach to me. Local school boards are a lot closer to the majority of their people than state government. » Bill Crawford (crawfolk@gmail.com) is a syndicated columnist from Meridian.

» FROM THE GROUND UP

Making small business grow and flourish O ptimism among small business owners is near an alltime high, according to the May 2019 Small Business Optimism Index of the National Federal of Independent Business Research Foundation. Small businesses surveyed reported that they plan to increase employment, make capital outlays, expect to see sales increase and that they believe now is a good time to expand. If you’ve been thinking of going into business for yourself, now might be a good time.

There are plenty of questions to ask yourself before you make the final decision about going into business for yourself. Please allow me to throw one more in the mix: Why are you going into business?

This question is prompted by what seems to be a plethora of messages thrown about that seem to say that one reason to open your own business is because it is always what you wanted to do. You should be doing something you are passionate about, not just working at a job.

Television commercials toss these messages at us regularly, showing people leaving their seemingly boring jobs to spend time in the garden, become adventurers, open a winery or go back to school.

Best-selling books reinforce this message of self-achievement and self-bliss. The “seven habits” are not good enough in this knowledge economy. We now need an “eighth habit.” We must find our voice and inspire others to find theirs. And this will be so easy to do because we now know “The Secret,” which is to simply visualize it and it will happen. Can’t you just see yourself there running your own business?

I love this stuff. I am inspired by it. I am into positive imaging and having a positive mental attitude. I cannot

stand to be around negative people. I’m a fan of the noted psychologist Dr. Abraham Maslow who said, “A musician must make music, an artist must paint, a poet must write, if he is to be at peace with himself. What a man can be, he must be.” Goal-setting, visioning and self-motivation are important. Many great companies have been built because of people pursuing their dreams.

I’m also a realist. Just because I can dream it does not mean I’m going to achieve it. Although the above philosophy is motivational and inspiring, it is not what will make you a success in business. Take a moment to stop and consider another philosophy. It basically says, “Do the best you can with what you’ve got” and “You play the cards that you are dealt.”

So what will make you a business success? The reality is that the most successful businesses are the ones that are best at providing products and services that the market wants, not what the business owners want.

Some statistics from the National Association of Small Business’s 2017 Economic Report would be useful to consider.

Reason for starting business: » Ready to be his/her own boss: 26 percent; » Wanted to pursue his/her passion: 23 percent; » The opportunity presented itself: 19 percent; » Dissatisfied with corporate America: 12 percent; » Laid off or outsourced: 6 percent; » Not ready to retire: 6 percent; » Other: 5 percent; » Life event such as divorce, death, etc.: 3 percent.

Of all small businesses started in 2014: » 80 percent made it to the second year (2015);

» 70 percent made it to the third year (2016); Phil Hardwick » 62 percent made it to the fourth year (2017); » 56 percent made it to the fifth year (2018).

Top 5 causes of small business failure: » No market need: 42 percent; » Ran out of cash: 29 percent; » Not the right team: 23 percent; » Got outcompeted: 19 percent; » Pricing / Cost issues: 18 percent; Before you make the leap into entrepreneurship I strongly suggest that you develop a thorough business plan. You can find useful templates online at the Mississippi Development Authority and the U.S. Small Business Administration websites. Go to www.mississippi.org, and click on “New Entrepreneur Planning Tool,” and www.sba. gov, and click on “See the Guide.”

Finally, there is a wave of people who have discretionary assets and who are considering retiring or otherwise leaving the workforce to open their own businesses. Some are chasing their dreams and will open businesses for the primary purpose of fulfilling their passion. Others are chasing their dreams and will open their businesses for the primary purpose of fulfilling a need in the marketplace for a product or service at a better price. Then there are those few – those very few – who will be able to combine both.

May you be one of those. » Phil Hardwick is a regular Mississippi Business Journal columnist. His email is phil@philhardwick. com.

June 28, 2019 • MISSISSIPPI BUSINESS JOURNAL • www.msbusiness.com

AN MBJ FOCUS: Real Estate & Construction

With tornadoes increasing in frequency in Mississippi,

Courtesy of GroundZero

Installation of in-ground shelter by Ground Zero.

Courtesy of GroundZero

Showing in-ground shelter placed inside garage.

Steps lead into the shelter

Real Estate & Construction

June 28, 2019

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Mississippi Business Journal

storms shelters can be a good investment

By BECKY GILLETTE mbj@msbusiness.com According to a study published in the journal Climate and Atmospheric Science, the tornado belt is shifting, with Mississippi being one of 13 states where tornado activity is increasing. With the state experiencing a spate of more severe weather, installing a storm shelter or safe room is a good investment, said Rick Maradiaga, office/logistics manager with Torshel Storm Shelters and Safe Rooms, Ridgeland.

“Lately the weather has been so erratic,” Maradiaga said. “It doesn’t follow the usual patterns. This is the tornado season. It goes through a cycle. Normally the curve should be going down, but it doesn’t seem to be headed that way. It has been a very unusual year. It surprises me.”

Considering the total cost of a house, and the importance of protecting yourself and your family and possibly neighbors, as well, Maradiaga said a storm shelter or safe room is a good investment.

“The shelters or safe rooms offer security for your family,” Maradiaga said. “From every angle you look at it, it is a win-win situation. Hopefully you don’t have to use it. It is just like buying car insurance. You hate to go through the expense, but it gives you peace of mind. If you have to use it, you hope it is for only a brief period of time.”

Torshel offers different types of units including safe rooms inside. Safe

rooms outside on top of the ground are placed on concrete pads at least 12 inches thick and two feet larger than the safe room. In-ground units require digging a pit either outdoors or in a garage.

“You prepare the hole and then put in gravel, concrete and rebar in the bottom,” Maradiaga said. “Then you insert the unit into the pit and fill around the unit with concrete and gravel. Now, in order to make a decision if you are going to get an inground unit, you have to take into account the groundwater levels. If you in an area where water is close to the surface, the inground unit wouldn’t work. But they are appropriate for higher ground.”

If there are elderly or handicapped people in your household, the inground unit is not recommended. A better option might be a safe room in the house.

Maradiaga said they offer a number of different size storm shelters or safe rooms ranging from one that will hold six people to 15.

One advantage of using a company that specializes in storm shelters is that issues like the door being blocked by storm debris have been taken into consideration. Maradiaga said their units come with a five-ton hydraulic jack so you can pop up the lid in case there is something blocking the door.

“And they come with air intake openings,” Maradiaga said. “Also, we throw in battery-operated fans to keep the air circulating so it doesn’t get stuffy.

See STORM SHELTERS, Page 10

Courtesy of GroundZero

Another option in above-ground shelters: Easier access for elderly or handicapped persons.

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10 Q Mississippi Business Journal Q June 28, 2019

Real Estate & Construction

STORM SHELTERS Continued from Page 9

The inground units are prone to become rusty. In order to delay that process, we attach a magnesium anode that delays the rusting process of the unit.”

An important consideration with modular units is making sure the company providing them has had them tested in a laboratory for safety up to an EF5 tornado.

Another company that installs shelters and safe rooms in Mississippi is Ground Zero Storm based in Perry, Okla.

Company spokeswoman Debbie Schaefer said her son, Richard Crow, started the business after an EF5 tornado hit nearby and the family had nowhere safe to go.

“In 1999, we were at my grandson’s kindergarten graduation when that big tornado tore through Moore, Okla.,” she said.

“The tornado area is shifting and being more frequent in states that didn’t used to have any. There are also tornadoes at times of the year when there didn’t used to be tornadoes. There was one on Christmas Eve this past year and some in January and February. It doesn’t matter what time of year. Tornadoes are everywhere. When they blow that siren, everyone needs to be aware. They need to start watching.”

Ground Zero Shelters has about 70 employees and installs 30 to 34 shelters per day. Four generations of the family are involved in the business. The company’s slogan is: “Let our family protect your family.”

“We work in 28 states now,” Schaefer said. “We’re getting customers from states we never thought we should be getting like South Carolina, North Carolina, Ohio, Indiana and Colorado. We don’t have anything that will take more than a half day to install unless you have solid

Courtesy of Torshel

Enrique Maradiaga shown next to an above-ground shelter.

rock and we have to jackhammer. We have installed more than 91,000 shelters so far.”

Good questions to ask when shopping for a storm shelter or safe room include if the structure has been tested to meet FEMA standards 320 and 361 in the ICC

(International Code Council) 500. The size depends on the number of people in your family and if you are going to include neighbors and pets.

Schaefer said many people like the in-ground shelters that can be installed in a pit dug underneath the garage.

“It places it where it is out sight and out of mind under your car until you need,” she said. “Plus, you don’t have to go outside in bad weather to get into it. If you would prefer a safe room inside, it depends on what kind of floor you have. Concrete is preferable and it needs to be at least four inches thick. You usually put it up against a wall, but we anchor it to your concrete with bolts that will withstand 10,000 pounds of sheer pressure. The door opens to the inside so you will never get trapped by a safe room.

For in-ground shelters, if there is debris on the top, you can winch it open and still get out. And we give you your GPS coordinates so you can tell emergency responders where you are and that you are in a shelter. If you want to have one outdoors in the yard, you must have the necessary width and height for our semi to get into the space.”

The company feels very rewarded by customers who call after a tornado and report that they were saved.

One family put several neighbors and a puppy into their shelter, and the tornado missed them by only two houses.

In another case, the safe room was the only thing left standing after a tornado. They provide t-shirts that say: “We survived in a Ground Zero Shelter.”

Since starting the business, they have had a tornado a half mile from her son’s house that took out several barns and one house. A foreman had the roof taken off his new house.

Schaefer said prices for their shelters start at $3,000.

We’ll help handle the finances so you can focus on what matters.

As a leader, your time is best invested in big picture thinking. Count on Trustmark to help you do just that by getting to know your business inside and out. We provide online banking, lending, card services, and other tools that free you to leave your mark.

Visit trustmark.com or stop by your nearest branch to speak with an expert.

MEMBER FDIC

Real Estate & Construction

June 28, 2019

Q

Mississippi Business Journal

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12 Q Mississippi Business Journal Q June 28, 2019 May 2019 sales tax receipts/year to date, July 1 MISSISSIPPI STATE TAX COMMISSION Here are cities’ earnings through sales tax collections. Sales tax has a three-month cycle.

Month 1 — Tax is collected by the retailer. Month 2 — Tax is reported/paid to the Tax Commission by the retailer. Month 3 — Sales tax diversion is paid by the Tax Commission to the cities.

This report is based on the month the tax is collected at the Tax Commission (Month 2).

May May Year to date YTD CITY 2019 2018 2019 2018 Abbeville $4,664.75 $8,878.27 $50,898.10 $52,371.86 Aberdeen 69,891.35 69,226.28 753,670.38 753,434.07 Ackerman 23,328.72 24,881.92 264,041.41 265,186.82 Alcorn State University 7,729.61 Algoma 3,740.30 3,409.74 30,805.44 26,728.09 Alligator 265.18 622.74 3,284.34 4,184.30 Amory 164,737.16 156,519.92 1,821,591.49 1,758,599.37 Anguilla 1,719.34 2,276.03 18,460.52 22,440.67 Arcola 827.54 1,963.49 7,566.76 13,908.96 Artesia 715.69 1,026.07 8,027.26 9,097.44 Ashland 13,682.71 12,820.53 137,719.77 141,829.96 Baldwyn 41,938.07 47,595.23 472,439.39 483,540.16 Bassfield 13,111.84 13,600.79 145,039.82 145,867.07 Batesville 381,393.54 381,396.78 4,129,502.89 4,162,049.80 Bay Springs 58,011.41 57,282.20 638,728.53 617,665.37 Bay St. Louis 143,889.36 145,400.13 1,517,901.25 1,499,147.91 Beaumont 9,662.62 10,065.24 101,842.38 100,711.10 Beauregard 297.21 405.64 2,412.04 2,464.62 Belmont 27,467.81 27,134.71 302,859.89 294,600.66 Belzoni 33,929.62 37,594.57 373,926.76 392,259.02 Benoit 1,887.52 3,275.05 23,942.42 25,012.22 Bentonia 11,294.18 14,042.59 123,407.26 138,734.28 Beulah 276.35 760.68 3,370.97 4,163.69 Big Creek 295.69 654.98 3,440.11 3,786.82 Biloxi 1,091,137.48 1,073,528.35 11,731,025.12 11,182,457.46 Blue Mountain 11,053.08 14,511.15 112,710.11 117,589.49 Blue Springs 1,472.04 2,961.36 20,697.20 24,447.77 Bolton 13,331.02 13,803.15 143,710.58 142,340.93 Booneville 154,965.03 159,954.52 1,756,469.24 1,756,723.85 Boyle 22,287.53 19,510.82 238,198.16 183,566.10 Brandon 488,812.64 557,110.26 5,461,202.79 5,388,276.25 Braxton 1,135.54 2,072.21 15,043.62 17,365.82 Brookhaven 507,176.92 464,932.25 5,269,703.21 5,200,381.83 Brooksville 10,787.51 10,709.89 101,700.95 106,455.32 Bruce 41,479.43 48,738.17 429,883.96 463,500.98 Bude 11,017.45 11,743.83 122,596.79 134,023.31 Burnsville 13,881.46 15,236.18 156,998.41 162,323.89 Byhalia 62,103.62 58,341.43 725,455.98 662,748.39 Byram 251,547.65 236,249.95 3,362,916.20 2,444,685.89 Caledonia 14,714.58 15,567.66 164,558.09 163,692.51 Calhoun City 22,694.59 22,910.46 255,360.58 265,601.68 Canton 246,869.42 272,688.31 2,726,305.60 2,787,351.55 Carrollton 5,641.74 6,825.61 70,433.13 72,815.25 Carthage 149,212.60 151,118.49 1,604,601.98 1,593,770.93 Cary 942.18 2,380.35 14,361.23 12,487.66 Centreville 16,923.14 23,300.65 210,781.09 218,544.47 Charleston 28,763.46 28,181.55 338,839.92 318,493.42 Chunky 731.18 1,035.99 7,839.04 7,901.59 Clarksdale 220,752.93 232,704.96 2,361,978.64 2,419,009.78 Cleveland 319,800.38 320,902.42 3,467,511.86 3,452,918.81 Clinton 402,392.55 411,146.04 4,480,519.88 4,257,586.98 Coahoma 400.99 800.55 5,059.45 6,645.96 Coahoma Community College 27.53 10.30 1,657.90 1,967.67 Coffeeville 9,976.68 10,259.08 116,708.45 113,455.38 Coldwater 21,766.89 21,931.41 226,835.97 211,003.48 Collins 146,786.53 143,542.77 1,563,873.33 1,497,597.06 Columbia 281,634.16 279,517.95 2,974,243.41 2,922,697.96 Columbus 821,146.03 850,491.13 8,831,876.45 8,920,204.13 Como 18,502.62 16,797.83 200,880.57 177,774.80 Corinth 540,959.84 510,365.80 5,717,547.39 5,473,092.65 Courtland 1,086.04 1,677.82 14,015.73 16,134.05 Crawford 1,457.96 1,771.85 15,783.53 16,601.09 Crenshaw 5,490.55 5,893.66 57,861.30 54,541.31 Crosby 933.79 626.08 9,123.59 11,526.21 Crowder 1,919.39 2,657.37 22,049.21 21,581.68 Cruger 290.23 420.51 3,795.94 4,373.24 Crystal Springs 66,239.31 66,534.90 711,841.76 717,344.93 D’Iberville 663,387.78 600,025.77 7,249,095.36 6,884,193.94 D’Lo 1,457.04 2,115.26 52,991.23 17,535.58 Decatur 13,154.47 14,647.41 151,719.77 135,439.21 Dekalb 15,937.40 16,902.94 196,217.22 211,213.33 Derma 8,263.87 7,194.48 96,205.51 93,877.97 Diamondhead 57,728.30 48,806.99 622,132.93 542,106.72 Doddsville 607.49 1,078.00 7,646.36 7,294.47 Drew 6,195.40 7,177.72 69,740.81 79,414.07 Duck Hill 3,163.51 4,396.97 45,848.33 44,707.09 Dumas 2,201.44 1,652.81 13,135.76 12,007.77 Duncan 452.18 828.67 7,816.53 5,761.55 Durant 34,836.92 34,401.92 404,005.21 387,161.86 East Mississippi CC 36.33 30.27 2,203.99 2,560.72 Ecru 10,446.40 10,191.36 118,865.69 110,254.53 Eden 254.04 371.48 1,031.09 1,118.09 Edwards 5,767.51 6,766.59 67,644.94 72,519.68 Ellisville 88,911.48 82,633.16 906,140.83 871,668.34 Enterprise 5,539.06 6,624.17 60,081.25 66,120.94 Ethel 2,131.35 2,594.41 25,050.65 26,631.60 Eupora 31,931.76 34,298.68 375,419.79 387,522.38 Falcon 102.49 607.90 1,514.75 2,957.37 Falkner 4,990.49 5,888.89 60,162.85 60,629.24 Farmington 5,433.37 6,982.08 59,173.42 134,488.23 Fayette 15,523.93 15,604.37 172,066.36 185,584.08 Flora 29,225.52 33,091.03 340,609.01 337,130.41 Florence 67,293.55 77,872.26 784,961.19 790,601.39 Flowood 1,020,989.11 974,316.60 11,230,788.63 10,921,157.24 Forest 188,053.14 183,785.38 2,095,375.36 2,104,634.28 French Camp 1,792.78 1,429.40 15,502.61 14,344.44 Friars Point 2,074.38 3,527.08 35,791.28 28,582.26

Fulton 128,753.33 Gattman 86.71 Gautier 202,793.11 Georgetown 3,489.95 Glen 4,168.65 Glendora 439.41 Gloster 12,896.93 Golden 3,870.14 Goodman 7,558.34 Greenville 506,688.17 Greenwood 396,542.41 Grenada 378,670.42 Gulfport 1,922,954.04 Gunnison 671.70 Guntown 16,266.88 Hatley 1,483.47 Hattiesburg 1,884,599.01 Hazlehurst 112,273.51 Heidelberg 14,713.69 Hernando 317,728.02 Hickory 5,757.31 Hickory Flat 6,049.62 Hinds Community College 809.45 Hollandale 13,791.26 Holly Springs 111,799.86 Horn Lake 468,960.73 Houlka 7,830.94 Houston 89,894.97 Indianola 148,092.58 Inverness 4,645.99 Isola 1,852.62 Itta Bena 11,622.21 Iuka 71,836.59 Jackson 2,325,959.28 Jonestown 3,452.59 Jumpertown 2,010.09 Kilmichael 5,588.83 Kosciusko 180,963.36 Kossuth 3,880.67 Lake 22,132.88 Lambert 2,389.37 Laurel 771,439.68 Leakesville 27,741.40 Learned 911.50 Leland 44,563.41 Lena 2,334.07 Lexington 31,740.72 Liberty 20,349.63 Long Beach 130,816.80 Louin 2,872.80 Louise 10,998.81 Louisville 152,167.52 Lucedale 192,432.55 Lula 1,004.23 Lumberton 12,873.72 Lyon 1,444.19 Maben 7,541.42 Macon 47,558.37 Madison 723,569.88 Magee 184,600.44 Magnolia 41,655.10 Mantachie 27,452.79 Mantee 1,921.00 Marietta 4,455.12 Marion 19,751.80 Marks 14,776.85 Mathiston 17,326.26 Mayersville 552.26 McComb 452,907.09 McCool 511.88 McLain 3,343.66 Meadville 10,119.96 Mendenhall 55,645.90 Meridian 1,184,294.09 Merigold 8,340.33 Metcalfe 847.87 Mississippi Gulf Coast CC 228.56 Mississippi State University 41,604.63 Mississippi Valley State Univ. 366.95 Mize 12,780.90 Monticello 42,524.51 Montrose 341.48 Moorhead 6,816.13 Morgan City 432.11 Morton 37,915.31 Moss Point 181,399.68 Mound Bayou 3,729.93 Mt. Olive 7,690.23 Myrtle 4,204.14 Natchez 427,583.20 Nettleton 33,577.45 New Albany 297,545.62 New Augusta 12,100.97 New Hebron 6,503.05 Newton 80,987.23 North Carrollton 1,939.18 Noxapater 7,169.37 Oakland 6,697.07 Ocean Springs 461,601.05 Okolona 23,225.38 Olive Branch 919,025.46 Osyka 5,002.07 Oxford 856,149.14 Pace 339.05 Pachuta 3,343.88 Paden 152.61

124,267.99 450.59 195,687.43 3,931.99 4,083.13 1,225.90 11,497.13 4,764.25 3,590.92 501,864.34 381,544.94 363,756.87 1,754,010.57 1,001.89 16,493.76 1,663.68 1,903,190.33 126,614.81 16,829.17 334,574.55 8,061.38 6,715.66 800.12 18,664.21 119,391.80 471,871.89 8,329.88 87,188.64 150,605.73 6,299.87 2,175.66 14,179.00 70,474.76 2,359,082.18 3,658.95 2,112.32 6,319.73 175,881.19 4,038.16 20,302.37 2,632.25 710,819.54 27,460.86 1,012.84 61,590.12 2,836.42 33,466.63 21,296.33 135,869.94 1,985.70 2,114.37 154,934.45 184,842.81 1,207.55 13,151.54 2,145.00 8,802.37 45,531.46 682,978.63 185,246.00 45,865.21 19,122.57 2,571.17 5,003.60 21,713.49 16,838.22 17,603.51 1,169.98 472,341.34 659.22 4,088.44 11,355.80 53,652.97 1,197,513.89 7,545.76 1,596.42 244.34 43,181.26 376.05 12,109.21 40,893.83 387.40 9,700.19 1,011.89 38,732.77 190,838.28 4,169.24 8,839.29 4,919.13 439,575.82 33,086.83 287,835.54 11,274.21 9,380.20 89,526.27 4,227.35 10,041.32 6,948.67 435,974.03 25,059.33 947,300.92 4,796.88 832,112.78 787.06 1,937.02 240.08

1,437,003.33 1,304.87 2,064,563.20 41,155.70 53,900.54 4,276.66 137,774.99 43,990.70 41,767.12 5,480,345.39 4,206,841.83 4,083,790.46 20,785,219.09 8,039.35 189,522.37 17,984.00 20,864,210.66 1,271,227.36 176,774.63 3,415,909.80 84,781.88 71,429.84 7,291.02 155,808.69 1,242,685.38 4,924,569.72 89,290.81 972,755.78 1,671,187.42 48,333.46 20,508.98 127,725.06 817,571.14 25,731,460.46 34,619.61 18,651.75 63,923.24 1,993,810.68 51,293.48 245,276.96 22,982.19 8,328,182.64 294,094.51 9,593.80 521,088.82 24,441.66 342,836.68 227,555.72 1,363,965.91 29,731.12 28,432.96 1,617,586.09 2,096,957.15 11,590.05 150,232.55 19,623.57 84,127.99 528,287.01 8,129,398.58 2,025,082.38 447,868.18 207,459.38 22,480.17 49,174.56 216,723.87 172,502.69 213,987.90 6,923.23 5,175,696.67 6,074.25 41,435.07 121,831.49 600,667.02 12,843,198.79 79,696.43 10,652.51 4,320.79 431,859.78 7,488.36 125,732.53 456,011.47 2,103.97 82,911.07 5,191.39 434,289.25 1,922,190.16 44,378.96 94,713.14 45,995.62 4,733,313.24 342,434.52 3,212,750.07 128,164.87 76,420.70 910,265.68 30,743.71 86,317.29 75,336.20 4,815,073.06 262,193.06 9,848,475.11 57,353.50 9,113,073.28 4,626.15 38,066.80 792.62

1,406,605.90 1,843.33 2,023,748.33 42,192.64 38,677.66 5,157.93 129,343.35 48,107.99 37,123.65 5,515,227.09 4,184,683.45 4,051,371.76 19,781,818.43 9,400.23 183,451.67 16,682.48 20,561,153.92 1,252,655.41 186,161.69 3,315,977.03 75,062.05 72,590.00 10,376.32 166,557.31 1,241,338.71 4,602,466.62 92,540.96 969,541.26 1,671,208.30 57,722.07 22,487.22 126,380.32 766,032.14 26,499,038.71 23,380.92 15,716.59 64,364.45 2,045,613.22 46,378.01 208,268.30 26,200.10 8,030,529.18 299,336.13 7,386.07 461,801.61 24,257.42 365,927.53 235,616.16 1,356,698.75 16,946.90 13,575.16 1,651,784.44 2,005,639.35 10,899.69 152,058.97 22,759.77 89,915.89 524,476.76 7,659,157.96 1,956,613.91 461,028.96 204,189.54 23,675.53 50,008.08 210,856.49 175,063.74 169,466.11 8,735.43 5,227,078.37 7,492.78 41,844.19 129,521.58 580,236.95 12,657,545.67 77,252.30 10,171.75 4,720.74 520,927.58 7,362.37 107,908.89 452,080.02 6,765.70 84,456.88 6,234.33 430,774.69 1,856,814.08 41,756.50 100,273.41 49,768.28 4,789,700.90 338,351.42 3,096,942.24 123,967.57 73,852.33 907,240.96 36,255.12 84,833.51 73,238.52 4,624,096.54 256,677.71 9,628,256.58 60,233.45 8,878,472.74 5,569.07 18,870.21 904.58

Pascagoula 471,753.33 465,504.47 Pass Christian 124,041.92 116,734.50 Paulding 57.41 398.53 Pearl 919,125.39 865,817.09 Pelahatchie 31,963.13 32,421.20 Petal 239,567.85 252,141.60 Philadelphia 356,104.54 334,249.23 Picayune 425,754.34 411,433.08 Pickens 12,166.01 8,930.59 Pittsboro 1,622.14 1,769.93 Plantersville 4,892.58 7,856.71 Polkville 1,210.62 1,585.19 Pontotoc 208,141.50 206,136.05 Pope 5,035.73 5,512.85 Poplarville 86,436.06 78,308.27 Port Gibson 26,336.67 32,290.81 Potts Camp 6,854.90 7,077.68 Prentiss 33,944.09 33,432.26 Puckett 9,122.44 8,687.09 Purvis 77,228.22 77,114.00 Quitman 47,993.17 45,953.80 Raleigh 16,946.47 16,676.18 Raymond 17,578.37 20,108.79 Renova 3,113.20 3,722.43 Richland 523,164.38 477,700.73 Richton 30,352.95 29,036.40 Ridgeland 1,055,796.57 1,054,822.16 Rienzi 3,125.66 3,752.35 Ripley 129,665.55 119,705.40 Rolling Fork 41,270.79 31,263.47 Rosedale 9,596.66 10,321.54 Roxie 2,992.25 1,929.98 Ruleville 22,005.21 22,647.02 Sallis 1,232.50 1,457.23 Saltillo 79,929.81 74,835.20 Sandersville 10,183.83 14,723.71 Sardis 30,192.16 30,339.62 Satartia 95.82 813.50 Schlater 1,173.73 1,426.24 Scooba 7,313.41 7,637.22 Sebastopol 15,597.03 17,087.68 Seminary 13,204.49 13,977.75 Senatobia 196,010.83 202,861.63 Shannon 12,472.77 11,778.61 Shaw 5,407.74 6,948.23 Shelby 9,377.86 9,822.16 Sherman 44,570.05 31,434.16 Shubuta 3,579.61 3,588.62 Shuqualak 6,614.04 2,533.90 Sidon 373.88 845.55 Silver City 326.30 780.41 Silver Creek 2,019.66 2,792.09 Slate Springs 141.23 159.85 Sledge 1,210.93 2,273.78 Smithville 5,438.45 5,918.27 Snow Lake Shores 116.66 353.38 Soso 10,565.43 10,020.28 Southaven 1,233,068.94 1,206,912.65 Southwest Mississippi CC 63.08 67.54 Starkville 621,263.97 576,637.48 State Line 8,932.27 10,147.14 Stonewall 5,699.82 5,955.13 Sturgis 2,774.50 2,709.83 Summit 40,063.61 39,534.83 Sumner 3,023.04 5,185.92 Sumrall 49,907.55 49,892.19 Sunflower 2,598.93 3,509.55 Sylvarena 205.28 421.40 Taylor 2,474.03 3,090.27 Taylorsville 24,876.24 24,597.11 Tchula 5,260.47 6,421.63 Terry 25,433.04 27,660.66 Thaxton 3,434.31 4,139.63 Tishomingo 14,328.18 14,035.63 Toccopola 564.73 857.19 Tremont 1,900.14 1,488.23 Tunica 40,126.08 34,133.23 Tupelo 1,777,827.81 1,752,687.04 Tutwiler 5,239.60 4,687.70 Tylertown 53,222.28 53,151.75 Union 23,500.47 25,195.47 University Of Mississippi 12,228.52 9,003.53 Utica 7,614.22 8,854.87 Vaiden 11,705.24 8,650.07 Vardaman 10,355.36 10,501.32 Verona 21,768.73 24,182.39 Vicksburg 643,826.36 674,777.54 Walls 8,078.14 8,393.75 Walnut 21,855.15 29,192.99 Walnut Grove 4,586.79 5,257.96 Walthall 2,484.48 2,384.73 Water Valley 45,019.27 42,409.24 Waveland 227,985.14 203,569.22 Waynesboro 181,098.57 178,587.99 Webb 6,607.58 7,121.83 Weir 3,002.47 3,234.86 Wesson 14,609.42 13,481.82 West 6,317.71 1,541.06 West Point 166,087.10 176,293.02 Wiggins 162,293.57 158,773.35 Winona 82,837.68 78,381.15 Winstonville 962.06 599.61 Woodland 4,430.54 5,840.53 Woodville 26,594.08 31,758.21 Yazoo City 159,880.21 159,251.50 Total $37,605,089.75 $37,174,026.17

4,954,773.29 4,912,388.13 1,369,028.92 1,257,810.40 1,078.13 1,657.46 9,297,403.38 9,097,956.89 344,185.17 342,429.67 2,516,543.62 2,414,449.45 3,901,808.31 3,958,690.97 4,438,104.32 4,387,077.60 76,318.23 67,113.33 18,747.39 18,592.29 81,478.47 66,689.95 15,984.84 14,446.78 2,281,833.82 2,252,641.58 52,765.94 35,540.89 891,872.98 822,904.60 316,331.03 315,592.31 77,379.28 79,716.31 356,050.86 369,867.86 92,553.80 100,126.24 761,678.71 907,059.66 514,247.97 501,442.34 196,171.72 183,100.72 218,574.95 215,870.81 44,603.04 48,305.72 5,551,647.66 5,222,918.76 318,112.05 315,378.14 12,212,263.84 12,304,132.96 41,555.76 44,337.46 1,342,529.11 1,283,275.56 366,936.24 342,783.66 108,925.23 113,868.14 37,980.22 17,554.88 225,096.70 218,101.24 14,642.75 17,034.77 818,289.98 795,831.42 221,665.81 195,907.92 304,241.23 285,165.86 2,320.38 3,740.32 11,671.76 11,528.16 82,511.77 87,411.45 175,902.75 170,548.80 153,243.58 149,481.55 2,105,049.08 2,050,735.39 121,231.64 124,617.23 68,274.16 71,692.52 105,927.96 103,932.14 419,953.39 373,121.25 39,403.62 41,645.79 24,670.64 25,190.75 6,152.10 5,764.73 3,788.88 4,528.45 25,866.36 29,330.53 2,368.06 1,866.09 16,677.35 16,674.02 64,072.37 62,578.65 1,479.90 1,442.15 115,280.79 109,115.95 13,809,772.76 13,317,296.60 940.57 938.96 6,781,855.12 6,398,027.05 105,117.72 112,570.44 61,422.11 64,032.69 32,140.62 32,687.37 387,011.11 415,706.69 36,996.88 42,060.79 536,503.61 526,697.59 28,528.07 32,909.25 2,368.38 2,333.63 24,549.65 24,958.38 262,004.35 280,292.13 67,922.14 64,147.83 272,115.81 298,397.90 41,687.36 38,395.25 149,889.50 175,270.22 7,206.89 17,854.20 22,342.40 13,542.46 399,218.10 381,265.00 19,545,656.59 19,038,414.76 54,285.52 44,488.10 582,543.37 602,722.84 259,748.50 273,950.79 327,544.38 428,837.60 83,747.34 90,539.49 118,314.66 100,034.73 123,015.83 120,511.85 221,220.57 284,836.49 7,158,095.92 7,279,402.58 86,852.97 84,285.18 233,674.93 228,530.16 55,451.58 58,446.91 37,115.04 14,374.90 472,994.07 473,730.50 2,351,844.53 2,232,810.85 2,006,747.01 1,903,282.32 71,439.86 77,175.52 36,450.80 36,656.40 151,323.44 148,756.19 15,550.33 11,344.36 1,846,746.33 1,817,735.97 1,785,781.84 1,742,019.90 851,084.75 979,262.83 3,475.53 3,111.48 61,151.62 62,498.16 309,105.43 323,728.07 1,862,333.49 1,796,969.84 $409,863,843.25 $401,840,391.57

2019

Special event of the Mississippi Business Journal

Photos by Stegall Imagery

Top in Tech

14 Q Mississippi Business Journal Q June 28, 2019

2019

TABLE OF CONTENTS 2019 CLASS Brian C. Alford, AGJ Systems & Networks ...........................................................15

Joseph D. Lichtenhan, Hybrid Plastics Inc. ..........................................................19

Richelle Anderson, Lighthouse Web Designs LLC ................................................15

Antonio Shon Myatt, Babel Street ......................................................................19

Cathy Bailey, BCI ...............................................................................................15

David Palmer, Synergetics DCS, Inc.....................................................................19

Jill Beneke, Pilieum Corp. ...................................................................................16

Ashley Phillips, C Spire Home Services ..............................................................20

Kirby Boteler, Soigne Corp. ................................................................................16

James L. Phipps Jr., BeCloud ............................................................................20

William B. Breckenridge III, MSU High Performance Computing Collaboratory .....16

Tara Poolson, Pearl River County School District ................................................20

Bruce Deer, Neopolis Technology Inc. .................................................................17

Cory Price, LEC .................................................................................................20

Mark DiBiase, Infinite Concepts ..........................................................................17

Mike Skinner, HORNE ........................................................................................21

Brent B. Fisher, TEC...........................................................................................17

Richard A. Sun CFA, Sun and Co. ........................................................................21

Thomas D. Griffin, P.E., Franklin Telephone Co. ...................................................18

Clayton T. Walden, MSU Center for Advanced Vehicular Systems ........................ 22

Ken Ivey, TechSource Solutions ..........................................................................18

Brian Walker, InCare Technologies ..................................................................... 22

Sarah B. Lee, Mississippi Coding Academy ..........................................................18

Photos ..............................................................................................................13

Michael Lenoir, Matrix Solutions ........................................................................19

Past winners..................................................................................................... 23

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Top in Tech

June 28, 2019

Q

Mississippi Business Journal

Brian C. Alford

Richelle Anderson

AGJ Systems & Networks

Lighthouse Web Designs LLC

B

rian Alford serves as the President of AGJ Systems & Networks, Inc., a Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned small business and is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operations of the business.

Brian attended Mississippi State where he majored in Computer Science. After a few years of college Brian enlisted in the United States Air Force where he served for 9 years and then worked as a GS-11 overseeing the Air Force Network Operations Center at Keesler Air Force Base for five additional years.

In 2002, he and partners Arthur Jones III and Ryan Giles formed AGJ Systems & Networks and opened an office in the Gulf Coast Business Technology Center. AGJ has received numerous awards and recognition at the local, state and national levels and has quickly grown to be one of the largest information technology companies on the Mississippi Coast.

Brian is married to Graceanne and currently spends most of his off-work time shuffling his 4 children from place to place. He is a board member for Biloxi High Baseball Booster Club, Biloxi Youth Baseball Board member & coach, an active traveling baseball team coach, former soccer coach and now a cheer dad most weekends.

Cathy Bailey BCI

C

athy Bailey is the Chief Executive Officer and co-owner of Business Communications, Inc. Cathy took over the company’s reins from her husband – Tony Bailey – where she continues the drive to deliver complex solutions with unparalleled customer satisfaction, recruit and retain the highest level of talent, and to treat the employees like family in an effort to make BCI the best place to work. Throughout the years, BCI has been the recipient of multiple “Best Place to Work” awards from several publications including the Mississippi Business Journal.

BCI is an IT Solutions Provider and a Managed Service Provider that has been in business for over 25 years. BCI’s headquarters are in Ridgeland BCI has another office in Little Rock, Arkansas.

BCI has 65-70 employees spread across Mississippi, Arkansas, Texas, and Tennessee. BCI employs over 30 engineers with over 600 years of combined experience. These engineers hold many of the industry’s most prestigious certifications.

Bailey is a 1984 graduate of Mississippi State University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Finance. Prior to BCI, Cathy spent 21 years in the banking industry.

R

ichelle Anderson, the owner of Lighthouse Web Design & Marketing, has more than 20 years of web design and online marketing experience. She started Lighthouse in late 2006 after seeing a need for small business owners to have an affordable way to build and promote their companies online.

Since opening the agency, Lighthouse has helped more than 450 businesses in the United States establish and maintain a presence online. It works with a wide variety of small businesses in website design, search engine optimization, social media management and consulting, as well as online marketing. Lighthouse specializes in online marketing for e-commerce, home services, attorneys, and real estate.

Their goal has always been to advocate and partner with their clients to help them establish and grow their businesses online.

Richelle was raised in the Houston, Texas area and moved to North Mississippi in 1995. She is married to Tom and has 2 grown daughters. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her family, photography, and has a passion for her fur-kids, including 2 dogs and 3 cats.

Q

15

Top in Tech

16 Q Mississippi Business Journal Q June 28, 2019

Jill Beneke

Kirby Boteler

Pilieum Corp.

Soigne Corp.

J

ill Beneke is the Chief Executive Officer and President of Pileum Corp., an engineering and management consulting company.

She has held executive management positions at three of the largest financial institutions in the South and has served on the Graduate Schools of banking at; Ole Miss, LSU, and the University of Colorado. She is a recognized speaker on various financial services and technology topics.

Beneke received her Bachelor of Business Administration degree from the University of Mississippi and her Masters of Business Administration degree from the Else School of Management at Millsaps College. She is currently serving or has served on the Boards of the Metro Jackson Chamber of Commerce, BancorpSouth Mississippi, Millsaps College, Else School of Management, the Business Law Advisory Group, among many more.

Beneke has been recognized as one of the MBJ’s “50 Leading Business Women” and she holds a variety of licenses. Jill is married to Richard Beneke and they are the proud parents of four children.

K

irby Boteler founded Soigné Corp. in Jackson in 2015.

Bottler earned his accounting degree from Mississippi College and completed masters work in Computer Science and Business/Finance from Millsaps College.

In 2000, Boteler began working for Waggoner Engineering, Inc, a regional engineering consulting firm. While working as Director of Technology he saw the need for a Business First IT company that integrated smart business solutions and information technology. As the CEO of Soigne Corp., he continues to use his technology skills and focus on innovative ideas to stay ahead of the ever changing world of IT.

William B. Breckenridge III MSU High Performance Computing Collaboratory

T

rey Breckenridge is the Director of High Performance Computing at the Mississippi State University High Performance Computing Collaboratory, where he is responsible for the oversight of computing, data storage, data communications, and general operations.

Breckenridge is a member of the IEEE Computer Society, the Association for Computing Machinery, and InfraGard. He serves on the IEEE/ACM Supercomputing Conference executive committee, is MSU’s representative for the Coalition for Academic Scientific Computation, is the MSU Campus Champion for the NSF XSEDE program, and serves on the Board of Directors for the Cray User’s Group.

Breckenridge is also MSU’s appointee to the Starkville Municipal Airport Board, where he serves as president. He is a former commander of the Civil Air Patrol’s Golden Triangle Composite Squadron and currently holds the Director of Flight Operations and Director of Information Technology positions for the Mississippi Wing.

Breckenridge’s hobbies include aviation, hunting, and golf. He is also an active member of the Starkville Rotary Club.

Top in Tech

June 28, 2019

Bruce Deer

Mark DiBiase

Neopolis Technology Inc.

Infinite Concepts

B

ruce Deer is President and Chief Executive Officer at Nepalis Technology. He has always been a visionary and progressive executive for companies with national and international operations with a focus on emerging business opportunities. He has extensive experience in strategic planning, business development, product development, technical operations, engineering, software and systems development, management consulting, and development of consumer products and services.

Deer’s specialties include: Strategic Planning, Business Development and Product Development He is also a entrepreneur in residence for Innovate Mississippi, having been involved with Innovate Mississippi in several capacities in the past, including as a mentor and board chairman of the Mississippi Seed Fund. Deer has also been involved with Innovate Mississippi as an entrepreneurial client. He brings both an entrepreneurial perspective as well as corporate-management background.

Brent B. Fisher TEC

B

rent Fisher joined TEC in 1999 bringing twenty-three years’ of experience in the Information Technology and Network Communication fields. He currently serves as Director of Network Technology & Development.

Fisher’s experience includes designing and maintaining large LAN / WAN infrastructures utilizing state of the art routers and switching equipment. Through his administration of ISP facilities he has garnered vast knowledge and experience of lnternet Protocol switching and Network integration.

Using this experience and knowledge, Fisher was instrumental in building TEC’s ATM “Core” backbone. Working closely with TEC operations group, Brent led this effort that made TEC the first ILEC to inter-work its network through a carrier’s cloud. This backbone is used to transport Frame Relay, DSL and VoATM traffic destined for other TEC holdings and traffic bound for the internet gateway.

Fisher earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Business from Belhaven College and holds many certifications in the Computer and Networking industry. He also holds credentials as a Project Management Professional and a Certified Data Processor.

M

Q

Mississippi Business Journal

ark DiBiase originally became a partner with Infinite Concepts in 2002 and is now President.

He is a 1988 Magna Cum Laude Bachelor of Science Degree in Engineering graduate of Grove City College, Grove City, Penn., where he graduated with the highest rank in his curriculum, achieving Highest Honors in both Electrical Engineering and Computer Systems.

DiBiase has more than 25 years of manufacturing and computer networking experience, holding a variety of computer, engineering, maintenance and production management positions with Milwaukee Electric Tool, James Hardie, USG, Armstrong and, of course, Infinite Concepts. He has extensive project management experience and electrical process control design experience using Allen-Bradley® and Siemens® PLC’s.

Q

17

Top in Tech

18 Q Mississippi Business Journal Q June 28, 2019

Thomas D. Griffin, P.E.

Ken Ivey

Franklin Telephone Co.

TechSource Solutions

T

om Griffin is Vice President of Franklin Telephone in Bude, Mississippi and has been in that capacity for nearly four years. However, he has been with the company for almost 13 years.

Griffin graduated from Mississippi State University with a degree in engineering in 1999.

K

en Ivey is responsible for the business administration, sales, and application development divisions for TechSource.

Ivey was a founding partner of RightWay Technology prior to Techsource’s inception. He previously served as Chief Operating Officer of Knobias, Inc. beginning in June 2007 and served as the company’s Chief Information Officer from 1999 to June 2007.

He was responsible for the design and implementation of all IT technical aspects of Knobias’ operations and product lines. Prior to Knobias, Ivey served as Manager of Network Support at the University of Mississippi Medical Center for six years. He graduated with a Masters of Engineering Science in Computer Science degree and a B.A. degree from the University of Mississippi.

Sarah B. Lee Mississippi Coding Academy

D

r. Sarah Lee is the Assistant Department Head and Associate Clinical Professor of Computer Science and Engineering as well as the Director of Golden Triangle Mississippi Coding Academy.

Since 2011, Lee has regularly taught multiple courses at the undergraduate and graduate level with high enrollment while balancing her research and extensive service responsibilities. She consistently has above average teaching evaluations from her students each semester.

She is the Director of the Mississippi Computing & Cybersecurity Equitable Education Space, through which K-12 student and teacher education is facilitated in addition to undergraduate learning. Lee serves as Executive Director of the MSU Affiliate Mississippi Coding Academy Golden Triangle campus.

Her belief in servant leadership is evidenced through her service activities. Through her work in building the Mississippi Alliance for Women in Computing, she helped found Code MS. She is also the co-founder and co-director of the Bulldog Bites program at MSU.

Top in Tech

June 28, 2019

Q

Mississippi Business Journal

Michael Lenoir

Joseph D. Lichtenhan

Matrix Solutions

Hybrid Plastics Inc.

M

D

ike Lenoir is the owner and senior engineer at Matrix Solutions in

r. Joe Lichtenhan created Hybrid Plastics to commercialize POSS Chemical additives 20 years ago. These additive have many industrial uses. Lichtenhan is now pioneering the advancement of POSS into medical markets. The following example illustrates the need and life-saving effort that is underway.

While hemorrhagic bleeding is often associated with battlefield trauma or acts of terrorism, uncontrolled hemorrhages can also occur in a wide range of incidences, from automobile and plane crashes, to recreational and home repair accidents. A leapfrog advancement in hemostatic devices for non-compressible bleeding injuries to arteries, internal organs, and lung punctures is desperately needed. Currently, such hemorrhages require surgical intervention, which often cannot occur before tragic loss of life. POSS chemical additives has the aptitude to become the first easy-to-apply, instant hemostat for non-compressible, traumatic injuries.

The POSS viscoelastic hemostat is progressing through FDA registration and if allowed will become the first and only hemostat for non-compressible, traumatic hemorrhage.

Jackson.

Lenoir formed Matrix in 1992. He provides software development services and network consulting services, and is the primary provider of practice management software consulting services.

He has two engineering degrees; an MS in Computer Engineering from Ole Miss and a BS in Electrical Engineering from Mississippi State. He resides in Brandon with his wife Rachael, son Seth, and daughter Clara.

In a recommendation letter for Lenoir is was said, “Mike and his team at Matrix Solutions go well beyond the standard ‘network service and support’ offerings of most tech providers. We use Mike’s mobile app platform NTOUCHAPP to create ratings APPs for our agents and Apps for our Annual Conventions. He provides us tools to geocode our homeowner policy addresses and view them together on a map. In addition to the innovative VOIP phone system Matrix sells and supports, they provide custom programming and consulting services. Mike and his team are the complete TECH Package”

2019

Antonio Shon Myatt

David Palmer

Babel Street

Synergetics DCS, Inc

S

hon Myatt, Co-Founder and CTO of Babel Street, is a rare technologist who is able to create powerful technology from a nugget of an idea. Formulating code was just the starting point for the significant impact he has at Babel Street where he has built, grown and led a strong team. Under Myatt’s strong leadership and direction, his team has created an entire SaaS platform and a suite of products to drive home Babel Street’s mission by allowing organizations to easily discover and analyze the wealth of data around them and turn it into power.

Babel Street is a technology company in Starkville that provides intelligence from online and private sources that accurately detected the 2015 Paris terrorist attacks before they happened.

Myatt has both his BS and MS from Mississippi State University.

He is also a musician, having played in the U. S. Collegiate Wind Band in 1999, where he was able to tour seven countries in Europe and perform in some of the most prestigious venues in the world, including St. Paul’s Cathedral in London.

In his spare time, Myatt enjoys diving, hiking, playing recreational sports, reading and spending time with friends and family.

D

avid Palmer received his bachelors of science in mathematics, with a minor in education, from Mississippi College in 1991. He received his master of science in industrial engineering from Mississippi State University in 1996.

For the past 18 years, Palmer has served as CEO of Synergetics Diversified Computer Services Inc. Synergetics is a Starkville-based Systems Integration Consulting firm. Prior to joining Synergetics, he served as a project engineer for Sovitec, S.A., in Fleurus, Belgium.

Palmer is a member of the Mississippi State University Alumni Association and a contributor to the Mississippi State University Foundation, Larry Brown Scholarship Fund. He is a past president of the Starkville Optimist Club. Palmer and Synergetics actively support local community organizations including the American Red Cross, Salvation Army, among many others.

Palmer was born and reared in Vicksburg. He currently resides in Starkville.

Q

19

Top in Tech

20 Q Mississippi Business Journal Q June 28, 2019

Ashley Phillips

James L. Phipps Jr.

C Spire Home Services

BeCloud

A

J

s General Manager of C Spire Home Services, Ashley Phillips is leading one of C Spire’s major growth engines for the future – fiber-based residential broadband services featuring the company’s next-generation, ultra-fast Gigabit speed internet access, award-winning live streaming TV and digital home phone services.

Phillips, a 31-year veteran of the telecommunications industry, has spent most of his career at EATEL, a Louisiana-based firm that offers internet access, TV, home phone and smart home services to consumers, where he served in a variety of senior management roles, most recently as Chief Operating Officer.

During his stint with EATEL, Phillips served on the Louisiana Broadband Advisory Council and led efforts to deploy one of the first and earliest Fiber-to-the-Home networks in the state and the country in 2004.

Since joining C Spire in 2016, Phillips already has made a mark as a technology leader. He has continued the momentum begun in 2013 when the company launched the first Gigabit-speed Fiber-tothe-Home initiative.

ames Phipps was born in Natchez. A year or so later his parents moved to Jackson. His parents raised four children there and his parents instilled in their children the importance of God, family, education and community service. After graduating from Pearl High School, Phipps used the G.I. Bill to pay for college. Phipps is a life-long learner and has accumulated several degrees and IT Certifications over the last 20 years but he is most proud of his family. James has enjoyed 19 years of marriage to Regina and they have two wonderful boys Justin and Jaylon. They currently reside in Madison.

In 2011, Phipps started BeCloud LLC. As President and Founder, James seeks out ways to help his customers through technology, his employees through positive leadership, and his community by giving back time and money to local nonprofits such as SpringBoard to Opportunities, His Heart Ministries, Mississippi Volunteer Lawyers Project and the Boys and Girls Club of Mississippi.

Phipps is also a member of Faith4Life church in Jackson.

2019

Tara Poolson

Cory Price

Pearl River County School District

LEC

T

ara Poolson is the instructional technologist for the Pearl River County School

System.

As an instructional technologist, She is responsible for researching and purchasing new technologies for the school district, then training all employees on the use of those technologies and implementation. She also serves as a Certified Google Trainer, and travels around the state and nation delivering training on the use of Google Products in both educational and business settings. She designs and maintain our district website and all software renewals.

Before working as the Instructional Technologist for the Pearl River County School District, Poolson served as a pre algebra teacher in the school system for five years. Prior to her employment with Pearl River, she worked in Bogalusa City Schools as an Educational Technologist, training teachers in that school system.

Poolson graduated from William Carey University and then went on to earn her Master’s in Education Technology at Western Governor’s University.

A

s LEC’s lead Computer and Development Engineer, Cory Price is responsible for the design and development of I/O devices for remote monitoring over wireless mediums. Price’s expertly implemented methods for sensor network data acquisition over cellular radio has helped LEC clients reduce their data usage by 80 percent when compared to traditional methods.

His expertise in industrial automation design, implementation of control systems, PLC programming in conjunction with HMI devices and software development for hardware combine to produce success results for LEC’s clients.

Top in Tech

June 28, 2019

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Mississippi Business Journal

Mike Skinner

Richard A. Sun CFA

HORNE

Sun and Co.

M

ike Skinner is the partner in charge for HORNE Cyber. His primary focus is to enable clients to fully leverage technology innovations by providing the insights critical to safeguarding their business, customers’ critical data and brand reputation while gaining return on investment from IT regulatory compliance activities.

Skinner has been with the firm for more than five years and has ten years of additional experience working with organizations in a variety of sectors, including a national retail telecommunications firm and a Fortune 500 international transportation provider.

Skinner earned his Bachelor of Accountancy and Master of Accountancy, both with emphasis in information systems, from the University of Mississippi. He is also recognized by the AICPA as one of the top technology assurance professionals under the age of 40.

2019 Top in Tech

the POSS® Hemostat visco-gel collaboratively developed, proven, and commercialization by

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ichard Sun of Jackson earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Princeton University and a Masters of Business Administration from New York University. He has also earned the esteemed designation as a Chartered Financial Analyst. He has served as an investor, adviser, senior executive or board member in over 30 startup and early stage high-potential companies. Additionally, Sun was a banker for 22 years with Bankers Trust Company (now Deutsche Bank), Goldman Sachs, First Boston (now Credit Suisse) and UBS (once Swiss Bank Corp.). From 1994 to 2001, he was a private equity investor with Emerging Markets Partnership, a $6 billion firm backed by AIG and the Government of Singapore. He has arranged, advised on or made over $11 billion of private debt and equity investments.

Sun is currently a member of the Board of Directors of Innovate Mississippi (and its Executive Committee) and past chairman. He has also served as Innovate Mississippi’s Entrepreneur in Residence and on its Seed Fund Investment Committee. He is co-founder of the Mississippi Coding Academies and the Director of the Jackson cohort. He is co-founder of EasyKale Brands with Bilal Qizilbash.

• The 1st visco-gel hemostatic device.

• 1st device that can stop arterial bleeding without the use of compression!

• Designed to save lives in presurgical environments.

• Utilizes natural biological processes to seal and heal a wound.

• It works in a manner similar to that of tree sap.

POSS visco-gel

Tree Sap

*The device is undergoing an FDA preclinical evaluation of claims and treatment indications. It is not yet available for sale to the public.

Top in Tech

22 Q Mississippi Business Journal Q June 28, 2019

Clayton T. Walden

Brian Walker

MSU Center for Advanced Vehicular Systems

InCare Technologies

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agley College of Engineering alumnus Clay Walden is the Executive Director of the Center for Advanced Vehicular Systems at MSU. CAVS is an interdisciplinary center comprised of research, engineering design and development, and technology transfer teams serving industry and government partners.

Walden has more than 25 years of experience implementing quality and productivity enhancements for a wide range of companies, including Mueller Industries, Nissan, Faurecia, PFG Optics, Dover Elevator, Tower Automotive, Herman Miller, Northrop Grumman Ship Systems and others.

At MSU, he has managed more than $20 million in externally funded contracts primarily focused on improving manufacturing performance around the state.

A three-time graduate of MSU — earning bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in industrial engineering — he also is Six Sigma Black Belt certified.

Walden most recently served as director of CAVS Extension in Canton.

B

rian Walker, CEO, started in the I.T. industry in 1985 as an Operation Officer with AmSouth Bank. In 1992, Brian had the opportunity to become a partner in Tekshop, Inc., a local I.T. consulting firm. InCare Technologies acquired Tekshop, Inc. in 2008 and Brian joined the organization providing an array of expertise and experience within the manage service market place.

In 2013, Brian was selected from the board of directors to become the Chief Executive Officer of InCare Technologies. Under his leadership, the company has continue to grow year over year while providing a leadership promoting a team oriented atmosphere. Client loyalty is at an all-time with an impressive renewal rate of product and services. He is a graduate of Birmingham Southern College earning a B.A. degree in business administration.

ssalutes alutes its its

Trey Breckenridge Director, High Performance Computing Collaboratory

Clay Warden Executive Director, Center for Advanced Vehicular Systems

Sarah Lee Associate Clinical Professor & Co-founder, Mississippi Coding Academies

FBLLBLLBIIB L E>:=BG@ K>L>:K<A NGBO>KLBMR Mississippi State University is an equal opportunity institution.

Top in Tech

June 28, 2019

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Mississippi Business Journal

PAST WINNERS CLASS OF 2018

CLASS OF 2017

SHEENA ALLEN, CapWay and Sheena Allen Apps

HUNTER ADKINS, Techsource Solutions

J. STAN BURTON, Burton Computer Resources, Inc.

ALICIA BARNES, BC3 Technologies, LLC

STEPHEN BYE, C Spire

GARY D. BUTLER, Camgian

DAVID FONTENOT, Liquid Creative

GEOFFREY E. CARTER, Hyperion Technology Services

JAMES W. GARNER, TEC

RUSS DAVIS, SchoolStatus, LLC

CARRIE GOETZ, Paige DataCom Solutions

LIZ DENSMORE, LEC Incorporated

BRAD GOFF, Huntington-Ingalls

MAYO FLYNT, AT&T Mississippi

GARRET GRAY, Next Gear Solutions

W. COY GAUTHIER, SCS, LLC

KIM GRIFFIN, Clinton Public Schools

HANNAH BERRY GAY, MD, UMMC

JAMES HARROD, Liquid Creative

GERARD GIBERT, Venture Technologies

VICKI B. HELFRICH, Mississippi Wireless Communication Commission

CHANDLER GRAY, Corinth School District

CHRIS HENDERSON, Camgian Microsystems

TRAVIS Y. GREEN, PFG Precision Optics

JUSTIN A. HOGUE, LEC Incorporated

ELI HARTNETT, Aerial Productions Photography, LLC

JONATHAN HOLLINGSHEAD, Business Communications, Inc (BCI)

CRAIG A. HARVEY, Nvision Solutions

MICHAEL LENOIR, AmFed Insurance Services, LLC

ERIC ALAN HILL, Sportsnax

CARLA LEWIS, C Spire

TONY JEFF, Innovate Mississippi

ROBERT LOWERY, The Taylor Group

HARPER MADDOX, EdgeTheory

GARY MATTHEWS, Tishomingo Development Foundation

WES MCGREW, HORNE Cyber

SUSAN MCDANIEL, St. Dominics

BRAD MCMULLAN, bfac.com

J.P. MCINNIS, Copiah-Lincoln Community College

HU MEENA, C Spire

BARBARA MILLER, C Spire

CRAIG P. ORGERON, PH.D., Mississippi Department of Information Technology Services

BENJAMIN MONCRIEF, C Spire

W. WHITAKER RAYNER, Jones Walker

DAVID J. SLIMAN, USM

KATIE ROBERTS, Citizens National Bank

CHAD WALLACE, Belhaven University

TRENT TOWNSEND, Next Step Innovation

NICHOLAS WILLIAMS, USM

JAY VANLANDINGHAM, Bruce Telephone Company, Inc.

KEVIN YEARICK, UMMC

AARON VICK, Cicayda, LLC

JONATHAN YOUNG, Members Exchange

GARY WATTS, fuse.cloud DR. LAKIESHA WILLIAMS, Bagley School of Engineering JOEL YELVERTON, Yelverton Consulting

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24 Q Mississippi Business Journal Q June 28, 2019 THE SPIN CYCLE

Advertisers form coalition to thwart unsafe digital media M edia companies, ad agencies and big brands have banded together to combat the surge of unsafe and misleading digital media.

Some 16 of the world’s biggest companies have formed the Global Alliance for Responsible Media.

Marketers that have signed on include Procter & Gamble, Unilever, Nestlé, Adidas, Bayer, BP, Danone, Diageo, General Mills, GSK Consumer Healthcare, LVMH, Mars, Mastercard, Mondelez International and Shell.

Media companies and platforms include Facebook, Google/YouTube, Teads, TRUSTX, Twitter, Unruly, and Verizon Media. Executives from agency holding companies Dentsu, GroupM, IPG, Publicis Media, and Omnicom Media Group are also on board.

The initiative – the subject of a panel at the recent Cannes Lions festival -- is spearheaded by the World Federation of Advertisers, and supported by industry groups including the Association of National Advertisers, 4A’s, Interactive Advertising Bureau, ISBA, Mobile Marketing Association, Coalition for Better Ads, and Effie Worldwide.

In its announcement about the Alliance, WFA said that an immediate focus will be “to form and empower an inclusive working group charged with developing a set of initial ideas and prioritizing next steps.”

WFA added that the new organization is “underpinned by a working group committed to meeting regularly and reporting back on its progress to members and the industry.”

“Media and advertising are fundamental forces that shape how we connect, make key decisions, and shape our world view,” summed up Robert Rakowitz, global head of media for Mars. “The status quo is untenable, and our work through the Alliance will allow us to shift from driving reach at all costs to building reach with responsibility. The uncommon collaboration and shared accountability we are starting here is essential.”

Writing tips from Strunk and White “The Elements of Style” – the stalwart tome thin book penned by William Strunk, Jr. and E.B. White long ago and a go, to writing source for journalists, English profs and pithy purveyors of prose the world over – influences wordsmiths to this day.

Often referred to by the industry simply as “Strunk and White,” the short book has always had a lasting impact on this recovering journalist!

PR Daily is highlighting some of the best from the book throughout the year. Here’s a sampling of some of the most valuable counsel: ‘Avoid a succession of loose sentences.’

As a writer, one often feels that shortening sentences can aid pithy prose. In their section on rules of composition, however, Strunk and White show that this can also carry the risk of choppiness.

“A common violation of conciseness is the presentation of a single complex idea, step by step, in a series of sentences which might to advantage be combined into one,” the sages write.

They show how a collection of short, mostly chronological sentences can be reworked more felicitously, even at the cost of a sentence longer than those it replaces. » Macbeth was very ambitious. This led him to wish to become king of Scotland.

The witches told him that this wish of his would come true. The king of Scotland at this time was Duncan. Encouraged by his wife, Macbeth murdered Duncan. He was thus enabled to succeed Duncan as king.

(55 words.) » Encouraged by his wife, Macbeth achieved his ambition and realized the prediction of the witches by murdering Duncan and becoming king of Scotland in his place. (26 words.)

This leads directly to the next rule (No. 14), in which one can almost hear Strunk emphatically exclaim, “Avoid a succession of loose sentences.”

This means sentences consisting of two co-ordinate clauses, the second introduced by a conjunction or relative. Such a series

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“soon becomes monotonous and tedious.”

The authors provide this example: » The third concert of the subscription series was given last evening, and a large audience was in attendance. Mr. Edward Appleton was the soloist, and the Boston Symphony Orchestra furnished the instrumental music. The former showed himself to be an artist of the first rank, while the latter proved itself fully deserving of its high reputation.

They go on, but you get the idea. “Apart from its triteness and emptiness, the paragraph above is bad because of the structure of its sentences, with their mechanical symmetry and sing-song,” they stated.

‘Express co-ordinate ideas in similar form.’

Echoing forms cause recognizable patterns in content and function, Strunk and White say, citing the Ten Commandments (“Thou shalt…”) and the Beatitudes (“Blessed are … for theirs is”).

‘Keep related words together.’

“The position of the words in a sentence is the principal means of showing their relationship,” Elements intones. “The subject of a sentence and the principal verb should not, as a rule, be separated by a phrase or clause that can be transferred to the beginning.”

Bad: Writing manuals, when flung at the teacher, can hurt.

Better: When flung at the teacher, writing manuals can hurt.

‘Place the emphatic words of a sentence at the end.’

Strunk and White remind us that words can carry a different impact depending on their position.

“The kangaroo boxer KO’d the clown with his clenched paw” ends the sentence with more punch than this: “With his clenched paw, the kangaroo boxer KO’d the clown.”

This tip comes with seemingly contradictory advice: “The other prominent position in the sentence is the beginning. Any element in the sentence, other than the subject, becomes emphatic when placed first.”

Example? “Deceit or treachery he could never forgive.”

Lemonade Mic: Iconic drink brand takes legal stand Talk about making lemonade out of lemons!

I bet you didn’t know that lemonade stands – that annual rite of summertime – are illegal in 36 states!

With all the craziness of our terror-filled, crime-riddled – and yes, litigious society – I thought lemonade stands were a sacred and innocent celebration of youthful entrepreneurship, accepted the world over.

Apparently not! And Texas Gov. Greg Abbot finally took matters into his own hands, officially legalizing kids’ lemonade stands in the state, a law he described as “common sense” after police had reported-

ly shut down enterprising children in the past.

But wait, this lemonade caper gets even better. The iconic lemonade brand, Country Time took a big time stand on all this lemonade biz.

Todd Smith It mounted an awareness campaign to let the thirsty and parched masses know that, yes, lemonade stands can be shut down in the vast majority of states across the country – and they are out to legalize lemonade once and for all.

The “Take a Stand for Lemonade Stands” initiative squeezes the lemon, uh, shines the light on the unconscionable fact that unpermitted lemonade stands are actually legal in only 14 states: Massachusetts, Connecticut, Vermont, New York, Illinois, Missouri, Louisiana, North Dakota, Nebraska, Texas, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, and California.

It’s a list the brand knows well because, last year, they launched their Country Time Legal-Ade campaign that sought to help kids pay permit fees and fines incurred by their stands. This year, inspired by changes like the one made in Texas, Country Time is hoping to be a catalyst to get new legislation passed in the remaining 36 states.

“This summer, Country Time wants to legalize lemonade stands across the country by giving parents and kids the tools to start changing the laws in their state,” the brand writes.

“Simply go to www.countrytimelegalade. com to learn if lemonade stands are legal in your state without a permit. If they aren’t, Country Time is helping you start the process by giving you the information to contact your local state representative and providing a downloadable Legal-Ade support yard sign.”

In the meantime, Country Time wants kids under 14 years of age to know that Legal-Ade is still up and running, giving their parents the chance to get reimbursed for permits and fines up to $300.

Let’s face it, folks. This is no red state or blue state issue – it’s a yellow state stand!

It’s precisely the kind of lemon aid we all need! So sit back, America, take a big sip, draw in a deep breath – and may cooler, more refreshed heads prevail! Lemonade workers of the world, unite!

Todd Smith is president and chief communications officer of Deane, Smith & Partners, a full-service branding, PR, marketing and advertising firm with offices in Jackson. The firm — based in Nashville, Tenn.

— is also affiliated with Mad Genius. Contact him at todd@deanesmithpartners.com, and follow him @ spinsurgeon.