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INSIDE — WEATHERLY: Belhaven was a crossroads for Graham — Page 2 TECHNOLOGY

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Graphene association touts success in ﬁrst year — Page 6

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SMALL BUSINESS {Section begins P9}

» Tax break might mean relief for craft brewers » SBA’s executive training program is designed to increase proﬁts, growth

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March 2, 2018 • Vo. 40 No. 9 • 16 pages

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FORCRAFT BREWERS

» Savings will allow Mississippi small brewers to reinvest in business

— Page 9

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2 Q Mississippi Business Journal Q March 2, 2018 REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK

Belhaven was a crossroads for Graham

illy Graham and C.S. Lewis couldn’t be further apart in some respects. But in one all-important respect there is harmony: Jesus. Billy Graham descended from the mountains of North Carolina and preached the gospels to the world for more than a half-century. He died last week at 99. His small tent meetings grew to gatherings of hundreds of thousands, and even millions with the advent of television. He met in private with world leaders – including Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II and especially U.S. presidents. His body will lie in state in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda on Wednesday and Thursday. (Yes, the separation-of-church-and-state complaints have already been voiced.) Lewis, the Oxford University professor who is considered the preeminent Christian apologist of the 20th century, passed away in 1963. The two men actually met in 1955 and shared dinner and conversation in Lewis’ scholarly quarters.

Lewis told Graham, “You know, you have many critics, but I have never met one of your critics who knows you personally.” Years later, Lewis described Graham as a “modest and very sensible man, and I liked him very much indeed.” Lewis was asked whether he approved of “men such as . . . Billy Graham asking people to come to a point of decision regarding the Christian life.” Lewis said, “I feel that everyone has to come to terms with the claims of Jesus Christ,” a point made abundantly clear in his book “Mere Christianity,” the most accessible of his books in defense of the faith. David Payne portrayed Lewis in “An Evening With C.S. Lewis: My Life’s Journey” at Belhaven University here in Jackson last Friday, regaling a thousand or so of his fans. Graham appeared at Belhaven College (before it reached university status) in 1952 and was quoted by the United Press wire service at the outset as saying there was no place for segregation in his crusades,

though he subsequently told the local press that he had been misunderstood, according to Dr. Charles Westmoreland Jr., professor of history at Delta State University. Yet his timidity gave way to the conviction that, as he would emphasize later in his career, God does not see a person’s color. “It was in 1953 in Chattanooga when he took the ropes down that segregated white and blacks in the audience,” Westmoreland said in an interview. Graham was not affiliated with any denomination during his ministry. He was ordained a Southern Baptist, but eschewed such affiliations to open more doors. Some credit him with the explosive growth of evangelicalism, which accounts for much of Christendom. Lewis is considered the greatest Christian apologist, or defender, of the 20th century. An Oxford don, Lewis found his way to belief in Jesus as the biblical messiah and savior after he had rejected it for much of his life.

Like Graham, he felt discrimination. That was because of the intellectual climate at Oxford, where it was a given that Christianity was a quaint myth. So he and a handJack Weatherly ful of friends formed a small circle at Magdalene College at the university and called themselves “the Inklings.” They would read their manuscripts to each other. Thus, Lewis was introduced to J.R.R. Tolkien’s “Lord of the Rings” that way. Likewise, Tolkien listened to Lewis’ “The Chronicles of Narnia” and his other writings and gave his critiques. Payne’s portrayal reveals the man behind the books, a warm and sensible man who was very likeable indeed.

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

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Graham leaves legacy for all

Website: www.msbusiness.com March 2, 2018 Volume 40, Number 9

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» INSIDE MISSISSIPPI

Reeves’ BRIDGE Act would endow his governorship

ove him or hate him for it, Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves stays true to his autocratic ways. He dropped his complex $1.1 billion “Building Roads, Improving Development, and Growing the Economy (BRIDGE) Act” on the Senate one day last week and passed it the next. He also stuck in the bill provisions that would allow him expanded autocratic power as Mississippi’s next governor. In addition to the imaginative funding it would provide, the bill would shift certain authorities from the Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT) to the Governor. The big money in the bill, estimated at $800 million, comes mostly from diverting money from the state rainy day fund into a new “Economic Development and Bridge Repair Fund” under the control of the governor, not MDOT. The governor would get to choose which bridges to be repaired from a list prepared by the State Aid Engineer, but would have total discretion to choose projects that “support economic development.” Notably, most of the money going into the fund would not be available to spend until the next governor takes office. There is an extraordinary policy provision in the bill that would shift

Bill Crawford

from MDOT to the governor approval authority for all future right-ofway acquisitions for the state highway program. Reeves’ bill also creates another new fund called the “Strategic Infrastructure Investment Fund.” The governor would control expenditures from this fund too. Initial state funding would be limited to revenues generated by a new tax on electric and hybrid vehicles. But the fund could potentially access millions from the $1.5 trillion infrastructure program proposed by President Donald Trump. Altogether, this could provide extraordinary discretionary money and power for the next governor. Could. Reeve’s five-year funding scheme is imaginary not only because of the many existing sources he taps to capture funds, but also because much of it may be illusory. The projected rainy day fund transfers depend on annual state revenues exceeding expenditures by 2 percent of the total budget. That hasn’t happened in recent years. There is no certainty that President Trump’s turn-$200-billion-into-$1.5trillion infrastructure scheme will See CRAWFORD, Page 5

he evangelical world doesn’t have saints, but if it did, the most revered of them all went home last week. Billy Graham died last week at his home in Montreat, N.C. The minister was 99 years old. Frequently called “America’s Preacher,” perhaps no one has served as a more signiﬁcant religious leader in the past century than Graham. The pastor gave spiritual counsel for each president from Harry Truman to Barack Obama. During the Civil Rights Movement, he crusaded for integration, even once bailing Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. out of jail. It’s hard to believe as a youngster, Graham was turned away from a local youth group on account of being “too worldly.” After becoming a believer, he was almost expelled from the religious college he attended. The school’s evangelist founder, Bob Jones Sr., saw potential in Graham. “You have a voice that pulls,” Jones told him. “God can use that voice of yours. He can use it mightily.” In 1947, Graham began holding “crusades,” where he would rent a huge venue and where he would recruit people to sing. Graham would preach the Gospel and invite folks to come down and speak directly with a counselor. Graham held more than 400 crusades across the world, drawing crowds of over 150,000. In 1950, Graham founded the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association that featured his “Hour of Decision” radio broadcast that played weekly for more than 50 years. Popular evangelical publication “Christianity Today” began in 1956. Graham’s syndicated newspaper column, My Answer, was printed in publications across the country. Graham was outspoken against communism and anti-war demonstrators during the Vietnam War, and was a visible player in the Civil Rights Movement. Occupying a role on the national social and political scene, Graham felt, was the biggest megaphone by which to spread the Gospel. However, his relationship with Richard Nixon, amid the Watergate scandal, hurt Graham’s ministry and reputation. In 2011, he told Christianity Today that if he could have done differently, he’d have “steered clear of politics.” “I’m grateful for the opportunities God gave me to minister to people in high places; people in power have spiritual and personal needs like everyone else, and often they have no one to talk to. But looking back, I know sometimes I crossed the line, and I wouldn’t do that now.” Graham was a man whose faith America watched evolve alongside its own faith. He laid the blueprint for ministers working today, and showed us all that if you listen and follow, God’s plan for you may be bigger than you could have dreamed.

In 2011, he told Christianity Today that if he could have done differently, he’d have “steered clear of politics.”

— Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal

PERSPECTIVE

March 2, 2018 I Mississippi Business Journal

» RICKY NOBILE

CRAWFORD

Continued from Page 4

come true either. Even if it does, it may not be suitable for Mississippi to do much. As proposed, states would have to match each federal dollar four-to-one. Also, another $125 million projected to fund a new Municipal Sales Tax Diversion Infrastructure Fund will only occur in years when state sales tax collections exceed the prior year’s by 1 percent. That’s another iffy prospect. Growing online sales and retail store closures have been slowing sales tax growth. Sales tax collections for 2017 were flat compared with 2016. It will be interesting to see how the House and its burgeoning autocratic leader, Speaker Philip Gunn, react. Will they want to put so much money and power into the hands of the next governor (Reeves is the wellfunded favorite)? Will they want to sign on to a $1.1 billion scheme that may actually generate far less money? Still and all, it could happen. All the money could come true, Reeves could become governor, and infrastructure spending bliss could descend upon the parts of Mississippi he favors. Hard to bet against autocrats these days. Bill Crawford (crawfolk@gmail.com) is a syndicated columnist from Meridian.

»INSIDE MISSISSIPPI

Book raises questions about criminal evidence

t’s not just about Steven Hayne and Michael West. That’s one message from a new book examining the influence that Hayne, a pathologist, and West, a dentist who specialized in matching bite marks, had on Mississippi’s justice system. “The Cadaver King and The Country Dentist,” which goes on sale Tuesday, examines the work of Hayne and West, as well as prosecutors and judges who did little to stop or question their output for years. “There’s a lot of blame to go around, and a lot of responsibility,” said co-author Tucker Carrington, a University of Mississippi law professor who leads the Mississippi Innocence Project, which seeks to exonerate people who have been wrongfully convicted. He wrote the book along with journalist Radley Balko. The book details how coroners and prosecutors helped Hayne perform most autopsies in Mississippi. The authors conclude that Hayne was — at best — sloppy and overworked. At worst, they suggest he shaped his testimony to help convict people suspected of crimes by the police, instead of hewing to the science of what a dead body could tell him. The authors question “outrageous” claims that Hayne offered in some cases, such as a trial in a 2002 death when Hayne made a “death mask” of a boy’s face and then claimed he had determined that the mask indicated that a man with a large hand had suffocated the child. The mother’s boyfriend was convicted in the case. The book is even harder on West. Former state attorney general and supreme court chief justice Ed Pittman is among those quoted questioning the two. “I wish now that I had been more courageous,” Pittman

told Carrington in an interview. “A couple of those old cases embarrass me now. We should have been less accepting of Hayne and that culture.” But the book asks why Attorney General Jim Hood and judges didn’t do more to stop Hayne and West, or at least re-examine cases once their work came under fire. Chief Justice William Waller Jr. declined comment, while Hood didn’t respond to a Friday request for comment. The authors think there needs to be a systemic re-evaluation of the cases where testimony by Hayne and West led to a conviction, but there’s not even a good list of all such cases. When the Innocence Project filed public records requests to compile such a list in 2008, none of the state’s district attorneys complied. Hood’s office, meanwhile, has continued to defend work by Hayne and West. “They just have this reflexive, defiant posture that they were going to defend every case,” Carrington said. The Mississippi Supreme Court, though, has begun to overturn or send back some cases, on a one-by-one basis. In

Jeff Amy

October, justices overturned the murder convictions of Sherwood Brown in three 1993 killings, one case in which West testified. Since then, DNA evidence has shown that blood on the bottom of Brown’s shoe didn’t match the blood

The authors think there needs to be a systemic re-evaluation of the cases where testimony by Hayne and West led to a conviction, but there’s not even a good list of all such cases. of any of the murder victims. In Columbus, a circuit judge has yet to rule after the Supreme Court granted a new hearing for Eddie Lee Howard, who has been twice convicted of the murdering an 84-year-old woman by stabbing her. At Brown’s initial trial, prosecutors argued a bite mark on his wrist matched the bite mark of one of the victims. However, DNA testing later showed none of Brown’s DNA was in the victim’s mouth. JEFF AMY has covered politics and government for The Associated Press in Mississippi since 2011. Follow him at http://twitter.com/jeffamy . Read his work at https://www.apnews.com/search/Jeff_Amy.

6 Q Mississippi Business Journal Q March 2, 2018 TECHNOLOGY

Graphene association touts success in ﬁrst year By JACK WEATHERLY jack.weatherly@msbusiness.com

Graphene, the one-atom-thick miracle fabric, has found itself on the fairways. Callaway golf balls now tout it as giving more distance and control. Current Masters champion Sergio Garcia has his drives are 19 yards longer than in the past. “I love this ball and it allows me to hit a variety of shots while gaining yardage from the tee,” he said on the Callaway website. The Oxford-based National Graphene Association, formed last April held its ﬁrst conference in October. The association now has 14 corporate sponsors and graphene has found its way into a number of applications, according Dr. Zina Jarrahi Cinker, executive director. “All the major stakeholders” were at the conference, she said. While the association had nothing directly to do with Callaway’s innovation, its corporate members have had similar successes, with the material, called the strongest and lightest in the world and for which was the Nobel Prize was awarded. One of the members at the conference

that drew a lot of attention was Deewear, graphene-enhanced sportswear that draws heat way from users. Others who participated at the conference were manufacturers of an ultra-light

Courtesy of NGA/MBJ bicycle, which can be lifted with one finger, water filters, bicycle tires and water filters. Graphene fabric, the strongest and thinnest material in Cinker said there are 250 to 300 indi- the world, is only one-atom thick. vidual members of the associations.

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GOVERNMENT

SENATORS TWEAK REWRITE OF MISSISSIPPI SCHOOL FUNDING FORMULA State senators are moving a rewrite of Mississippi’s school funding formula a step closer to passage. However, changes made to House Bill 957 in the Senate Education Committee Tuesday mean any plan must return to the House for approval, or a conference will be needed to reconcile differences between chambers. The new formula would replace today’s Mississippi Adequate Education Program. The bill envisions increasing funding by $107 million over seven years. But even then, it would spend $157 million less than the current formula legally mandates next year. Committee Chairman Gray Tollison, an Oxford Republican, says lawmakers have lost conﬁdence in the current formula, saying the new plan will be simpler and more predictable. Opponents say Republican proposals leave schools worse off and that the public hasn’t been sufficiently consulted.

TRANSPORTATION

TRANSPORTATION BILLS ALIVE; EQUAL PAY AND FAKE URINE DEAD Tuesday marked the Mississippi Legislature’s third deadline of the 90-day session. It was the ﬁnal day for House and Senate committees to pass general bills that originated in and already passed the opposite chamber. Here’s a look at the status of selected bills, with HB to designate a House Bill and SB to designate a Senate Bill:

certain crimes to automatically regain their voting rights without having to seek legislative permission. UTILITY LAWSUITS – SB 2295 would block the attorney general from suing over certain utility matters.

DEAD EQUAL PAY – HB 1241 would have required equal pay for equal work by some female and male employees. ATTORNEY GENERAL POWERS – HB 1238 would have prohibited the attorney general from suing private businesses under the state consumer protection law for actions allowed by state or federal laws or regulations.

March 2, 2018

GANG PENALTIES – SB 2868 would have added penalties for gang members who are recruiting children to the criminal organizations. FAKE URINE – HB 1080, the “Mississippi Urine Trouble Act,” would have set penalties for selling fake human urine that’s designed to defeat drug tests. FERTILITY TREATMENTS – HB 1198 would have required private insurers to pay for up to $20,000 to treat married people who are having trouble conceiving children. WIND POOL – HB 948 would have required the insurance commissioner’s approval before the Mississippi Windstorm Underwriting Association, known as the “wind pool,” could buy more backup coverage, known as reinsurance, above a certain level.

Mississippi Business Journal

SEXTING – SB 2803 would have prohibited people younger than 18 from sending, receiving or possessing sexually explicit images of other minors. CIVIL SERVICE PROTECTIONS – HB 355 would have removed civil service protections from Mississippi Department of Transportation employees for two years. JACKSON COUNTY REAL ESTATE – The Senate Finance Committee killed HB 1166, which would have subsidized a real estate development in coastal Jackson County.

— MBJ Staff & Wire Reports

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ALIVE

TRANSPORTATION – SB 3046 would divert some future revenue and borrow money to spend on roads and bridges. The House has passed a number of bills meant to divert current or future revenue to transportation spending. OIL SPILL MONEY – SB 2176 originally sought to create a separate account in the state treasury for the state’s $750 million economic damage settlement from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill. House amendments would try to put someone else besides lawmakers in charge of spending the money. MEDICAID RULES – Both the House and the Senate are considering proposals to renew parts of the state’s Medicaid health insurance program, as they’re legally mandated to do this year. SB 2836mandates studies of whether more spending should be controlled by managed care groups and whether payments to health care providers should be cut. The bill would change current limits on doctors’ office visits and prescriptions for Medicaid recipients. TOBACCO TAX – SB 3048 makes no change to current taxes, but could be amended to change taxes later. FELON VOTING – HB 774 requires a study of whether the state should allow people convicted of

For More Information on CCIM Mississippi Chapter, Contact Glenda Gilmer email: ggilmer@msrealtors.org, Phone: 601-932-5241 Visit ccim.com

8 Q Mississippi Business Journal Q March 2, 2018 EDUCATION

$67 million MSU housing plan could become model for state The idea for Mississippi State University’s upcoming $67 million apartment-style student housing began on the golf course. “I was playing golf with the president of University of Kentucky, Eli Capilouto, and they were having issues not unlike what we were having in Mississippi with concerns about needing to upgrade their facilities – particularly their housing facilities,” said Mark Keenum, president of MSU, during a ﬁnance committee meeting for the State Institutions of Higher Learning. The University of Kentucky, Keenum said, was also running into problems with being able to issue bonds to

build new residences. Instead, they brought in a private developer to build a hybrid facility that combines apartment-style housing, retail and restaurants in one facility on campus. “I was fascinated by it to the point where when I got back to campus I asked our provost at the time and others to send a delegation up to University of Kentucky just to see what all they’re doing up there,” Keenum said. Because of a provision in state code, public universities do not have to go through an open bidding process when leasing to private companies in a public-private partnership. In this case, the $67 million project went to Education Realty Trust (EdR), a Memphis-based company specializing in university housing management and development. The company has ties to MSU, with its chief accounting officer having graduated from the university. Last week, the IHL board approved the agreement between MSU and EDR, making it the first time that a university within the IHL system has utilized a public-private partnership to build a hybrid on campus residence facility. During the financial committee IHL meeting, this arrangement was hailed as what future arrangements on Mississippi campuses could look like. “This should be the gold standard and I hope if anybody else does it, [they do] it this well,” said IHL board member Alan Perry. Don Zant, vice president for finance and chief financial officer at MSU said that going through EDR cost the university about 15 percent less than what it would have cost for the university to construct it. “So a $67 million dollar project (would) be about a $79 (million) – $80 million project. And the whole point of this process is to avoid this hitting our equity. We do not want to bond this. That’s the reason we went through this process,” Zant said during the finance committee meeting. The development will go on an empty 35-acre lot, where Aiken Village apartments were located before they fell into disrepair. It will include 656 residential beds (each coming with its own room and bathroom), 46,000 square feet of retail, restaurants, an outdoor entertainment zone, a daycare center and recreational amenities. Freshmen will not be allowed to live in this facility, Keenum said. “We’re seeing more and more of our upperclassmen are wanting to live on the campus, and we’re not able to accommodate them and their needs,” Keenum said. “We just think this will be a real transformational addition to us.” MSU spokespeople have not said whether the facility is technically classified as a residence hall, but it will have resident assistants and a community director located on site. “We worked out with our developer, our partner, that all of the student life activities will still be under the authority of Mississippi State University. So a student would have the benefits of apartment life but also, from a parent standpoint, under the direction and oversight directly of the university,” Keenum said. The university will lease the land to EDR for 40 years with a 10 year option to renew at the end, so the total lease could be up to 50 years, said John Pearce, associate commissioner for finance and administration for IHL. EDR will set the rates for the facility while MSU will receive five percent of all gross revenue.

— By Kelsey Davis / Mississippi Today

March 2, 2018 • MISSISSIPPI BUSINESS JOURNAL • www.msbusiness.com

AN MBJ FOCUS: SMALL BUSINESS

TAXBREAK M MEANRELIEF I G H T

FORCRAFT BREWERS

» Savings will allow Mississippi small brewers to reinvest in business By BECKY GILLETTE mbj@msbusiness.com

ere’s news you can lift a mug and do a “cheers” to. In late December the U.S. Congress passed a two-year version of the Craft Beverage Modernization and Tax Reform Act, which cuts the federal excise tax for craft breweries in half from $7/ barrel to $3.50/barrel for domestic brewers producing less than two million barrels annually. The legislation reduced the federal excise tax from $18/barrel to $16/barrel on the ﬁrst six million barrels for all other brewers and all beer importers while maintaining the current $18/barrel rate for more than

six million gallons. “This savings will allow Mississippi small brewers, including many manufacturers and entrepreneurs, to reinvest in their businesses, expand their operations and hire more workers,” said Mississippi Brewers Guild Executive Director Matthew McLaughlin. Mississippi has come late to game with the hot national trend toward the popularity of microbreweries. Before July 2017, it was one of only two states in the U.S. that didn’t allow sales of beer at breweries. Even today only an estimated .3 to .5 percent of the beer consumed in Mississippi is made in Mississippi, McLaughlin said. “Without question, the biggest challenge the Mississippi Brewers Guild faces in Mississippi is that most beer is manufactured out of state,” McLaughlin said. “It is a high priority trying to get more Mississippians drinking Mississippi-made beer.” Microbreweries bring manufacturing jobs home. “Microbreweries create more economic

impact,” he said. “They have an incredible impact on the communities where they do business. I would prefer a large number of craft breweries positively impacting a large number of communities than three or four large breweries that positively impact three or four communities.” McLaughlin said the microbreweries are considered a kind of an economic\ community development holy grail for a community because they involve manufacturing, are capital intensive, employ people and are a place where the community congregates. “Microbreweries are very much a tourism draw,” he said. “Other states in the country have really experienced a wave of tourism around craft brewery. For example, state and local economic development groups have made it a priority for Asheville, N.C., and the state of North Carolina. The See BREWERS, Page 12

Small Business

10 Q Mississippi Business Journal Q March 2, 2018

Emerging to the next level » SBA’s executive training program is designed to increase proﬁts, growth

“The most important thing it did for me was make me focus on the essentials to a successful business. It made you take that time off to look at your ﬁnances, look at your hiring practices, and look at your goal setting – things you don’t always do when you are mired in the day-to-day operation of the business.”

By BECKY GILLETTE mbj@msbusiness.com

The SBA Mississippi District Office is currently seeking small-business owners who want to improve their proﬁts and help create economic growth by participating in the SBA 2018 Emerging Leaders Executive Training Program. Emerging Leaders is an intensive executive-level entrepreneurship training program for small-business owners who want to take their businesses to the next level of success. “This will be the fourth consecutive year that Jackson has been selected for the Emerging Leaders Program,” said SBA Mississippi District Director Janita R. Stewart. “We are pleased that our capital city has been included yet again in this highly-sought after executive level entrepreneurship training program amongst 60 other cities throughout the country. We strongly encourage business owners who qualify for this program to submit their application for consideration. There are many phenomenal businesses within/ around the Jackson metro area that, with the assistance of this training program, could take their businesses to the next level and beyond.” The program has been around since 2008, with the ﬁrst class held in Jackson

Jason Thompson, principal at Fahrenheit Creative Group

in 2015. To qualify, the small business must have been established for at least three years, be located in Hinds County or surrounding areas and have at least one other employees besides the owner. The type of businesses involved differ. They need to have annual revenue between $400,000 and $10 million, but firms are not disqualified solely on the basis of annual revenue. SBA Mississippi District Office Deputy District Director Gary Reed said the program begins in April and runs through October with three-hour classes meeting twice a month. The class meets with different groups and also individuals work with each other. John Brandon, formerly of the Mississippi Development Authority, will serve as the instructor for the classes that will be held at the Mississippi District Office Conference Room (10th floor) in Jackson. What they have found is that participants may represent far different business

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categories, but they still learn from each other and benefit from interacting. “We choose not to have two businesses too close to what they do so it is easier to share ideas regarding that effort,” Reed said. Jason Thompson, principal of Fahrenheit Creative Group, LLC, a marketing and communication firm in Jackson, said taking the Emerging Leaders course in 2017 was definitely a benefit to his business, which does work primarily for non-profit and government agencies in the Southeast and Washington, D.C. “It was definitely a time commitment, but throughout that process what I gained and fellow participants gained was a more expansive of network of peers we can rely on to work through higher-level business decisions,” Thompson said. “We gained access to leaders at the state levels and also some at the federal levels, and then some private business leaders who could unlock

capital. The program helped us understand how we can engage to continue to get better, which is essential for small businesses who want to not just sustain their growth, but increase their growth every year.” Thompson encourages other small business owners and entrepreneurs to consider the program. “The most important thing it did for me was make me focus on the essentials to a successful business,” Thompson said. “It made you take that time off to look at your finances, look at your hiring practices, and look at your goal setting – things you don’t always do when you are mired in the day-to-day operation of the business. It helps you think about things that will help you be successful in the long term.” Earl Washington, owner, U.S. Coating Specialists & Supplies, who took the course in 2015, said he got a lot from it. “One of the things I was able to take what I learned and go on a trade mission to Germany,” Washington said. “I also invented a product called the StayCool Cap (www.consumerproducts.us) and right now have it patented. It looks like it is going to be a pretty good product for keeping the head and neck cool during outdoor activities like work and sports.” Washington said the program covers all the basics teaching people how to market and manage a business for success. Another program graduate, Carolyn Evers Cockrell, president/CEO of Premiere Shredding Inc., Jackson, said a lot of the things taught in the class she already knew. But the participating in the initiative gave her motivation and re-energized her in moving her company up to the next level. “I have learned that being a ‘bottleneck’ can only hurt my business and stiffen the growth potential it has,” she said. “Delegate, delegate, delegate.” Reed said the program has trained thousands of small business owners nationally. He said proof of the success of the program is that graduates have created about 3,000 full-time jobs since the program’s inception. About 72 percent of graduates surveyed have maintained or created new jobs in their communities. Graduate businesses have secured more than $73 million in financing. And Reed said the program also helps increase confidence and competence when competing for government contracts. Program graduates have received more than $1 billion in federal, state, local and tribal contracts. For more information, email gary.reed@ sba.gov, Jeremy.sanford@sba.gov or call (601)-965-4986. Applicants may register at http://www.interise.org/sbaemergingleaders.

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© 2018 Regions Bank. Subject to terms, fees, conditions, documentation requirements and credit approval. Available for qualifying loans greater than $350,000 and up to $5 million. Regions and the Regions logo are registered trademarks of Regions Bank. The LifeGreen color is a trademark of Regions Bank. (02/18)

Small Business

12 Q Mississippi Business Journal Q March 2, 2018

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BREWERS Continued from, Page 9

community and state put a lot of money into assuring those breweries can operate, thrive and become sustainable industries because they are manufacturing and they are a big tourism draw, too.â&#x20AC;? Why are craft beers so popular? McLaughlin calls them â&#x20AC;&#x153;creative expression of liquid art. They provide ďŹ&#x201A;avor proďŹ les that traditional macro manufacturers donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t provide. There is an inďŹ nite number of beer styles, so there is the variety of it. You can always access something new. It is very much a creative economy manufacturing industry.â&#x20AC;? One popular offering at some microbreweries is called a â&#x20AC;&#x153;ďŹ&#x201A;ightâ&#x20AC;? of beers. Patrons get three or four two- to threeounce beers to compare tastes and ďŹ nd their favorites. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It is an exciting thing to do at a brewery,â&#x20AC;? McLaughlin said. Microbreweries can be a good investment. â&#x20AC;&#x153;A thoughtful and methodical business strategy for a particular market can be a very good investment,â&#x20AC;? McLaughlin said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;There is a lot of investment money both locally and nationally that is moving into the industry.â&#x20AC;? Jon Alverson, founder of Greenvilleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Mighty Miss. Brewing Company, said any reduction in monetary outlay for a very

young business is a welcome change. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The per-barrel tax on beer was a tax on production items and not on sales,â&#x20AC;? Alverson said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Thus, it was an expense on an item yet to generate revenue.â&#x20AC;? Lucas Simmons, president/brewmaster of Lucky Town Brewing Company in Jackson, said the CBMTRA gives a competitive advantage to small manufacturers in the beverage sector. But the savings are small potatoes representing a savings of only about .25 cents per case sold (24 12-ounce servings). â&#x20AC;&#x153;For a brewery of our size, these cuts will not be quite enough to make any real changes in how we operate, but will help us overcome the rising costs of raw materials and packaging supplies,â&#x20AC;? Simmons said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The breweries of the state have seen a rise in popularity. But we are still under a percent of beer drank in Mississippi, so we have a long way to go.â&#x20AC;? The Brewers Association, which represents about 4,000 brewers across the country, and state guilds across the country have been working for about 10 years to get federal excise tax relief to small brewers. Bob Pease, president and CEO, Brewers Association, said they were pleased that Congress enacted the Act. He said their expectation is that small brewers will use their savings related to lower taxes to invest in their breweries, expand their operations, create more jobs and hire more American workers.

Newsmakers M-Braves name front office

The Mississippi Braves, Double-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves have hired Chris Harris as the new Director of Communications, Media & Broadcasting and Nancy Minevas Suites, Catering & Special Events Manager. In other front office moves, Dave Burke was promoted to Assistant General Manager, Tony Duong was promoted to Assistant Stadium Operations Manager, Zach Evans was promoted to Concessions & Stadium Operations Manager, Jeff Flinn was promoted to Ticket Manager, Christy Shaw was promoted to Director of Community Relations & Office Manager, and Jan Williams was promoted to Director of Operations. Harris enters his 10th season in minor league baseball and first with the Mississippi Braves as Director of Communications, Media & Broadcasting. The two-time Southern League Broadcaster of the Year served the past three years as the Director of Media Relations and Broadcasting for the Southern League’s Biloxi Shuckers. He previously was Manager of Media Relations and Broadcasting and eventually Vice President of Communications for the Jackson (Tenn.) Generals from 2009-2014, earning his first Southern League Broadcaster of the Year award in 2013. Harris graduated from Bethel University in Tennessee, where he also played baseball, with a business management degree in 2007. Harris lives in Flowood. Minevas, a Florida native and two-time graduate of Florida State University previously was a promotional and marketing event manager for five years in the North Florida area. In 2013, Nancy began working for Florida State as an academic advisor where she worked one-on-one with students for nearly three years. In 2016, she transitioned into alumni affairs as the Senior Program Coordinator for Seminole Clubs with the FSU Alumni Association, allowing her to partner with FSU graduates and fans across the nation. Minev recently moved to Brandon from Tallahassee, Fla., with her fiancé and dog. The Mississippi Braves are the Double-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves and will open their 14th season on April 5 against the Tennessee Smokies at Trustmark Park.

PRAM Central honorees

Courtesy of PRAM Central

The 2017 PRAM Central award winners are Morgan Miller (left), digital media manager at Mississippi Department of Transportation, who was named Emerging Practitioner of the Year, and Matt Westerﬁeld, APR, associate communications officer for the Mississippi Division of Medicaid, who was presented the President Award. Miller manages MDOT’s social media, websites and digital advertising program. Westerﬁeld was recognized for going over and beyond as treasurer on the 2017 PRAM Board. Not pictured is Practioner of the Year Erin Barham, APR. She was communications director for the Mississippi Division of Medicaid for about to six years, and recently moved to her hometown of St. Louis.

Ross & Yerger hires 2 Ross & Yerger, a privately held insurance agency in Jackson, recently added Ann Wooten and Clois R. Hill to its team. Wooten joined the agency as a Claims Account Manager. She is a native of Florida and comes to Ross & Yerger with several years of experience as a Personal Lines Account Manager. Hill joined the agency as a Commercial Risk Consultant. He is a native of Brandon, MS and comes to Ross & Yerger with over 20 years of safety-related experience in General Industry, Manufacturing, Construction, Transportation and Oilﬁeld Services.

Soto joins Hattiesburg Clinic Keesler selects Donald Eduardo Soto, MD, recently

joined Hattiesburg Clinic Critical Care Medicine, where he provides treatment to patients with life-threatening medical problems. Soto received his medical degree from Universidad de Ciencias Medicas de Centro America in Soto Costa Rica. He completed an internship and residency in internal medicine and a fellowship in critical care medicine at Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis, Minn. Soto is board certiﬁed in internal medicine by the American Board of Internal Medicine. He is a member of the Honduras College of Physicians and the American College of Physicians. His special practice interests include airway management and ultrasound. He also has expertise in the placement, management and monitoring of invasive lines.

March 2, 2018

Winners are: Conservationist of the Year – Dr. Jack Killgore, Vicksburg; Fisheries Conservationist of the Year – Dr. F. J. Eicke, Ocean Springs; Wildlife Conservationist of the Year – Dr. Daryl Jones, Starkville; Forest Conservationist of the Year – Chester Hunt, Columbia; Conservation Educator of the Year – Adam Rohnke, Clinton; Conservation Officer of the Year – Master Sgt. Sheila Smith, Brookhaven; Soil, Air and Water Conservationist of the Year – Robin Whitﬁeld, Grenada; Elected Official of the Year – Mayor Gene McGee, Ridgeland; Hunter Education Volunteer Instructor of the Year – Kevin Owens, Booneville; MWF President’s Award – Michelle Blair, Brandon; MWF Scholarship Recipient – Alex Davis, Searcy, Ark.; and Catch-A-Dream Volunteers of the Year – Gordon Jones, Valley Head, Ala.

Keesler Federal Credit Union has named Ben Donald as Regional Manager of Retail Operations for the Pine Belt Region. He will oversee all daily operations for the Hattiesburg and Petal markets. Donald will continue as branch manager at the Turtle Donald Creek branch in Hattiesburg, in addition to his regional manager responsibilities. Donald is a graduate of the University of Southern Mississippi where he earned a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and Marketing. He is a member of the Rotary Club of Hattiesburg and Pine Belt Young Professionals.

Lemmons to lead MWF

Wildlife group honorees

SOS websites recognized

The Mississippi Wildlife Federation has named the recipients of the 2017 Conservation Achievement Awards. The awards are presented to individuals and organizations that have made a signiﬁcant contribution to conservation in Mississippi over the past year.

Two websites operated by the Secretary of State’s Office have earned recognition for excellent web content. Y’all Vote, www.yallvote.sos.ms.gov, and Charities Online, www.sos.ms.gov/charities, are Silver W3 Award

Lindsey Lemmons is the new Executive Director of The Mississippi Wildlife Federation. Lemmons will oversee all aspects of the MWF’s operations including issue development and advocacy, administration, fundraising, staff supervision, event planning, membership, communications, and program activities. Lemmons worked for the Mississippi National Guard for over 10 years, where she identiﬁed deﬁciencies in environmental performance and strategically advised on issues for large-scale implementation, positioning the organization to secure $20M for wastewater infrastructure improvements. Before joining MWF, Lindsey spent over 2 years with The Nature Conservancy of Mississippi

Mississippi Business Journal

winners. The W3 Awards honor creative excellence on the web and recognize the people behind award-winning sites, marketing programs, social content, mobile site/apps, and online video. The Charities Division completed its process to move all registration forms online in April 2017. Charities and other entities required to register in the State can also verify and approve their information online before submitting it. Currently, more than 3,700 charities are registered in Mississippi, and more than 4,200 charities have ﬁled exemption paperwork. The W3 Awards are sponsored and judged by the Academy of Interactive and Visual Arts (AIVA), top-tier media, interactive, advertising, and marketing professionals. Additionally, Russell Walker, the Agency’s Chief Technology Officer, was recognized by McAfee for his attention and dedication to cybersecurity in its annual Digital Government Cybersecurity Leadership & Innovation Awards. A native Mississippian, Walker has worked for the Secretary of State’s Walker Office for six years facilitating the virtualization of the Agency’s infrastructure, modernizing outdated policies, and enhanced the overall security of the network.

Peterson joins BMA Wyatt Peterson has joined Brown, Mitchell & Alexander, Inc., as an Engineer Intern in its Gulfport office. Peterson obtained his Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering from the Mississippi State University in December 2017. He participated in the Engineering Peterson Cooperative Education Program during his studies at MSU and worked for BMA as an Engineering Co-Op in 2016 and 2017. Wyatt is a lifelong resident of Hancock County.

AGC board selects Fountain

Brad Fountain of Fountain Construction Co. in Jackson was recently installed as the Associated General Contractors of Mississippi’s President of the Board for the 2018 year. Joining Fountain as Vice President and 2019 President-elect is Matt McWilliams of Thrash Commercial Contractors in Brandon, and Secetary-Treasurer Cornel Clement of Dan Hensarling, Inc., in Gulfport. Two new Board positions representing the Subcontractors were announced: Robert Pooley of South Central Heating and Plumbing Co, Inc., in Jackson, and Nic Parish of Burns Dirt Company in Columbus. Other AGC Board of Directors are Immediate Past President, Jim Hardin, Aladdin Construction, Biloxi; Richard Rula, Hemphill Construction Co, Inc., Florence; Christopher Albritton, Chris Albritton Construction, Laurel; Kevin Nall, Nall Construction Co., Madison; Tony Head, Mid State Construction, Jackson; David Marsh, Benchmark Construction Co., Jackson; Mark McDaniel, Roy Anderson Corp, Gulfport; Hank Torjusen, Fletcher Construction Co., Pascagoula; Robert Starks, Starks Contraction Co., Biloxi; Charles Stacy, Capitol Hardware Co., Jackson; Lance McCarty, Fletcher Construction Co., Pascagoula; and Billy Ware, Mid State Construction Co., Jackson.

March 2, 2018

Mississippi Business Journal

THE SPIN CYCLE

Operate your crisis response like a newsroom

longside 24/7 reporting, articles published in real time require the modern newsroom to always be open. So when incidents happening across the world reach newswires and social media in mere moments, crisis teams must take action immediately. Regardless of industry, crisis and PR staff can adopt newsroom practices to achieve dynamic and timely responses to developing events that can have immediate and long-term impacts, according to a Dataminr report.

Bringing newsroom agility to your brand Most news teams share a common structure: individual assignment desks track specific issues and topics, editors provide guidance and escalate stories, and an editorial lead determines timing, tone, and direction. Though variations of this structure exist, its basic form allows for flexibility to cover emerging stories, while prioritizing in-depth, hard-hitting reporting. Crisis and PR teams can adopt a version of this newsroom structure to increase effective response time. Executing this transition can require new roles: » Field reporter: In place of an employee at an assignment desk, a team member can be tasked with tracking relevant news. » Managing/assignment editor: Another employee can build from his or her colleague’s work by following specific topics of interest and bringing them up to the PR head for further investigation. » Deputy editor: The PR head can then rapidly structure an organization’s real-time response when and where needed, or develop a posture for more delayed reactions. By adopting this workflow, PR teams are better able to make swift decisions about the content and timing of responses, and more rapidly adapt to market news relevant to its business and brand mission.

Social media adoption is increasing Social media are driving both emerging stories and conversations that can impact brands. A 2017 Pew Research study found that 67 percent of Americans retrieve a portion of their news from social media. This trend is similarly reﬂected in newsrooms: A Cision survey found that 42 percent of participating journalists use ﬁve or more social media channels when reporting. In effect, crisis response and PR teams should follow these statistical leads and establish plans to tap into social media and other forms of real-time information in order to react to events as they occur. They can also use more than one channel to gather information, staying on top of longterm trends and stories alongside real-time emerging news. This leads to better awareness, as PR teams know when exactly to join the narrative and control, substantiate, or contribute to the story.

Similarly, PR and crisis teams can use social media to learn of breaking news and mitigate potential reputation damage quickly, or keep employees and facilities safe and secure. While both teams traditionally have strategies in place in order to react to breaking stories or brand-related issues, these plans are often delayed due to lack of story clarity, confirmation, and/or internal bureaucracy. By adopting social media in their approach, however, teams can begin to execute plans directly in response to emerging stories as they happen, in effect launching strategies when they’re needed and not when it’s too late. Execute measured responses News editors can choose to break a story with a fast response or slowly gather facts and perspectives to avoid risks and mistakes. Google adopted this approach when the company waited to aggregate information and impacts before reacting to a potential extremist content crisis. Following the trending story, Google took immediate steps to ban selected content, without overextending its reach. Simultaneously, by gathering all the details before acting, Google was able to limit backlash from advertisers and content creators. This treatment of emerging stories can help crisis response and PR teams best respond and adapt. A team that structures itself like a newsroom, with defined roles to find and elevate relevant news and plans for interaction, can make more informed decisions. Pairing this awareness with social media empowers teams to use all the information at hand in the moment, define a plan, and decide if or when to enter the public conversation. Incorporating social media tools to protect and propel your brand will ensure that you are prepared to handle virtually any situation. Disney opened the ad wallet for ‘Black Panther’ Walt Disney spent significant media dollars on national TV advertising for its Marvel action movie “Black Panther.” More than $37 million in national TV advertising was placed for the movie to date, according to iSpot.tv. According to Disney company estimates, the Marvel-produced movie earned $235 million in U.S. box-office revenues over its debut holiday weekend, making “Black Panther” the fifth movie to debut earning more than $200 million for its opening weekend. Major networks that have benefited so far include NBC, with $9.3 million; ABC, with $6.3 million; ESPN, with $5.0 million; CBS, with $2.6 million; Nickelodeon, with $1.3 million; and Fox, with $1.1 million. In terms of actual airings of national TV commercials for the movie, Disney XD was tops at 380, followed by Disney Channel at 342; Nickelodeon, 195; Cartoon Network,

192; NickToons, 178; NBA TV, 165, ESPN, 163; Freeform, 137; BET, 120; and E!, 118. Total national TV airings are now at 3,473. The national TV campaign began in earnest in late December -- with NFL Football programming and the College Football Playoff series getting major media buys. More recently, there was major ad exposure for the movie during the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics. Reverent Mic | Rev. Billy Graham Evangelist Billy Graham, who counseled presidents and preached to millions across the world from his native North Carolina to communist North Korea during his 70 years as a pastor, has joined his maker in the most revered pulpit on high. Graham, 99, preached for everyone, from farmers to soldiers to presidents to queens. His Christian message crossed the divides and united the world in the peaks and valleys of life. His message resonated with a calm confidence that connected the generations. Graham was a towering figure who more than anything loved the Lord and his precious Jesus. And he helped heal a broken world. He was a hero who earned the title “God’s Ambassador.” He preached Christianity to more people than anyone else in history, reaching hundreds of millions of people either in person through crusades or via TV and satellites. His message raced across the airwaves to quench a world’s thirst for forgiveness, grace and redemption. Graham became the White House chaplain to numerous presidents, perhaps most famously Richard Nixon. And he met with scores of world leaders, the first known evangelist to take his message behind the harrowing Iron Curtain during the height of communism. In his heyday Graham had a thunderous, quick-burst speaking style that earned him the nickname “God’s Machine Gun.” Through his “Crusades for Christ,” Graham sowed fields of devotion across the Amer-

ican heartland that would become fertile ground for the religious Todd Smith growth. He was a master of the media, and his inﬂuence was fueled by an organization that carefully planned his campaigns, putting on international conferences and training seminars for evangelical leaders from around the globe. Graham’s command of the media was pioneering. In addition to radio and publishing, he used the power of the telephone, television and satellites to deliver his message to homes, churches and theaters around the world. He brought religion into the TV age. Graham started meeting with presidents during the tenure of Harry Truman. He played golf with Gerald Ford, swam in the White House pool with Lyndon Johnson, vacationed with George H.W. Bush and spent the night in the White House on Nixon’s ﬁrst day in office. George W. Bush gave Graham credit for helping him rediscover his faith and in 2010, when it was difficult for Graham to travel, Barack Obama made the trip to the preacher’s log cabin in North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains. He touched the multitudes with his commitment to Christ, shining like a beacon for the downtrodden, the weak, the oppressed – and the famous. Graham connected with all. From his early years when he preached in tents dubbed “canvas cathedrals” to the largest stadiums in the land. I know he’s got a revival going on beyond the Pearly Gates, the likes of which have never been seen before!

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

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