MBJ_Mar08_2019

INSIDE — Sanderson stops antibiotics use but lawsuit still active — Page 5

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JACKSON

YEARS

1979

www.msbusiness.com

March 8, 2019 • Vo. 41 No. 10 • 12 pages

EDUCATION

LAW

MADDUX NAMED CHAIRMAN-ELECT OF BUTLER SNOW

State’s only Whole Foods is ‘changing the way people shop’

By MBJ STaff

— Page 2

MBJ FOCUS

Courtesy of Lobaki Inc/MBJ

Agribusiness {Section begins P7}

» Mississippi Farm Bureau Woman of the Year helps grow knowledge of agriculture

{The List P9} » Manufacturers & Producers

Deontay Williams (far left) and Shalin Jewitt (far right), employees of the Virtual Reality company Lobaki, Inc., are shown working with students Reed Kellum and Nina Sun at the Extended Reality Lab at Jackson Preparatory School.

Jackson Prep makes history and other subjects come alive with virtual reality programs

By BECKY GILLETTE mbj@msbusiness.com

TECHNOLOGY {P2}

» Graphene ‘summit’ to be held in D.C.

2019

The Jackson Preparatory School is doing some unique things with its virtual reality (VR) laboratory. The school is using VR programs to enhance teaching while also training students

in the rapidly-growing industry that is expected to have an economic impact of $100 billion by 2021.

Adam Mangana, director of the Extended Reality Lab at Jackson Preparatory School, has been invited to go around the country and See VIRTUAL REALITY, Page 6

Butler Snow has announced the election of Christopher R. Maddux to succeed Donald Clark, Jr. as chairman effective Jan. 1, 2020.

Clark has served as chairman since 2006 and will continue in the role until the end of the year.

“I am thrilled to welcome Chris as our next chair after an extensive Maddux search process by our nominating committee. He is eminently qualified and experienced in a variety of areas of firm management, and he will make a great chair. Chris will bring new energy, innovation and fresh ideas that will continue to move Butler Snow forward in a rapidly evolving legal marketplace,” Clark said.

Maddux currently serves as chairman of Butler Snow’s business department and served on the executive committee from 2016-2018. He also served two terms on the firm’s equity committee, leading the committee during his first year. He has focused his practice on bankruptcies, business reorganizations and distressed transactions.

“I am excited to have the opportunity to continue this great legacy of success guided

by Don and other leaders over the years, and am eager to advance the vision for future growth and direction of our firm. I look forSee MADDUX, Page 2

http://msbusiness.com/mississippis-top-tech-awards/

2 Q Mississippi Business Journal Q March 8, 2019 JACKSON

State’s only Whole Foods Market is “changing the way people shop”

By BECKY GILLETTE mbj@msbusiness.com

The fonly Whole Foods Market in Mississippi, located in Highland Village in the heart of Jackson, recently celebrated its fifth anniversary. Billed as “America’s Healthiest Grocery Store,” Whole Foods has become an even better shopping destination since being acquired by Amazon, said Masa Liles, general manager of Highland Village.

“When you see what Amazon is doing, they are bringing some exciting innovations to retail,” Liles said. “They have brought together the best of both worlds, the brickand-mortar experience combined with the Amazon online shopping experience. They are kind of changing the way people shop. But they have kept to the core values of Whole Foods bringing healthy choices to the community.

Amazon is just an additional benefit, really.”

Liles said having first Whole Foods in Mississippi brought a whole new wave of shoppers to Highland Village. She said people often say once they visit a Whole Foods, they are hooked.

“They are adding experiential elements to the shopping experience,” Liles said. “People are going there for other reasons other than to shop. This is where a lot of people get their coffee every morning, and they have an amazing hot breakfast bar. They have an olive bar. They have homemade guacamole. They have a community room where you can have meetings. On Friday afternoons, people often bring their dogs and sit out on the patio to have a craft beer. That has become a popular thing with people and their friends.”

Store Team Leader Ben Wallace said every single Whole Foods Market is built with the community it serves in mind.

“Because of that, you get a very vibrant community feel,” Wallace said. “People like to hang out, or grab a cup of coffee. At the café upstairs, they often read or do homework.”

Wallace said there is an overwhelming sense of pride by team members in providing an exceptional customer

experience. He said when he became Store Team Leader a year and a half ago, they made an effort to listen to the team member base concerning their passions.

“We tried to take all the assets we already had in the store and make sure they were in the right places,” Wallace said. “We spent a lot of time listening to our team and finding the perfect placement for them. When we made sure people were in the right jobs, the sense of ownership and pride really exploded. We were able to see immediate dividends in the quality of work, the quality of customer service, and the passion team members brought to their job every single day. We really love what we do.”

In addition to working to source the best quality ingredients they can get, Wallace said they also put an emphasis on value with their 365 private label offerings.

“Now with the joint venture between us and Amazon, Amazon Prime members get an additional ten percent off sale items every day,” he said. “And they are also privy to Prime member deals where items are anywhere from 35 to 60 percent off.”

Wallace was accepted to law school after college. But he had worked for Wild Oats (acquired by Whole Foods Market in 2007) in Nashville, throughout high school and college. He came to realize that becoming a lawyer wasn’t going to make him truly happy. So, he went to work for Whole Foods in Memphis.

“From this point on, I was in love,” Wallace said. “I helped transition the existing Wild Oats Market to a Whole Foods Market location and eventually opened a brand-new store unlike anything the Memphis market had even seen. From Memphis, I moved to Hilton Head Island, S.C. to open another new location and got married to my amazing wife, whom I met at a Whole Foods Market. After Hilton Head, my wife and I have lived in Knoxville, Tenn., Memphis (again) and now Jackson. Along the way, we have made a ton of amazing memories and have two beautiful daughters to accompany us.”

Wallace said he feels very fortunate in his choice of a profession. “It has never felt like a job because what I do is

Courtesy of While Foods/MBJ

Store team leader Ben Wallace.

so close to my heart,” he said.

Wallace said his deep love for food that inspires experiences and creates memories began at an early age. Both sides of his family produced their own crops and had the farm-to-table mentality before it was the hottest culinary trend.

“Food can transform our lives because of the nutrients it contains or because of the moment in time that we experience it,” said Wallace. “Some of my most amazing experiences in life have been shared over a glass of wine or one perfect bite of food that was the expression of someone else’s passion. And we will do everything we possibly can to ensure that Jackson has a place that can help provide that for anyone who seeks it.”

Jackson is his first location as a store team leader, and he said it has been an amazing opportunity.

“Our goal is to provide the best shopping experience in Mississippi and do whatever it takes to get there,” Wallace said. “The teamwork, drive and dedication that I get to see every day is absolutely inspiring. I could honestly mention a hundred team members by name and give examples of what they do well and how they have personally inspired me. This is an absolute testament to how blessed I am to work with this particular group of individuals.”

TECHNOLOGY

MADDUX

Continued from, Page 1

Graphene ‘summit’ to be held in D.C.

By JACK WEATHERLY jack.weatherly@msbusiness.com

American business and industry leaders will join U.S. government officials and international graphene leaders for the American Graphene Summit to be held in Washington, D.C., May 21-22.

Sen. Roger Wicker (R., Miss.), chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, will be the keynote speaker.

Participants will focus on shaping the architecture surrounding graphene technologies and evaluating its potential impact on the U.S. and the global economies.

At a thickness of only one atom, graphene is the strongest and thinnest

FILE/MBJ

Graphene is only one atom thick.

material in the world.

Two researchers at University of Manchester in England the researchers were awarded in 2010 the Nobel Prize in Physics for their work that led to graphene.

“Graphene is a material with enormous potential,” Wicker said in a news release.

Participants will discuss its use in markets such as automotive, aviation, oil and gas, telecommunication, health care, and electronics.

An Oxford-based company, New Media Lab LLC, formed the National Graphene Association two years ago.

“For the first time ever, we are creating a platform where current and future stakeholders in graphene will convene to identify focus areas critical to the national U.S. objectives—from security, infrastructure, and economic standpoints—and how graphene can significantly impact these focus areas,” Dr. Zina Jarrahi Cinker, executive director of the NGA, said in the release.

ward to working with Don and the members of our executive committee as we prepare for the official transition in January 2020,” said Maddux.

Maddux’s broad experience, leadership and dedication to collaboration and teamwork complement a unique culture at the firm – and will continue a vision of strong client service; talent development, inclusivity and diversity; and practice development and service offerings for clients.

Maddux has been recognized by Best Lawyers for bankruptcy and creditor debtor rights/insolvency and reorganization law, by Super Lawyers as a Mid-South Rising Star and Mid-South Super Lawyer for bankruptcy: business and

by Chambers USA for corporate/commercial: bankruptcy (Mississippi).

Maddux is a member of the American, Tennessee and Capital Area Bar Associations, The Mississippi Bar and the American Bankruptcy Institute. He received his bachelor’s degree from Vanderbilt University and his Juris Doctor from Vanderbilt University Law School.

A member of the Mississippi Press Association www.mspress.org

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MBJ PERSPECTIVE March 8, 2019 • www.msbusiness.com • Page 3

» THE OUTSIDE WORLD

» OTHER VIEWS

Website: www.msbusiness.com March 8, 2019 Volume 41, Number 10

Mississippi needs rural health solutions

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» INSIDE MISSISSIPPI

BECKY GILLETTE Contributing Writer mbj@msbusiness.com • 364-1018

The new Republican reality: Debt, debt, and more debt

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“The national debt has passed a new milestone, topping $22 trillion for the first time,” reported the Associated Press. “The Treasury Department’s daily statement showed Tuesday that total outstanding public debt stands at $22.01 trillion. It stood at $19.95 trillion when President Donald Trump took office on Jan. 20, 2017.”

“It looks like a $9 trillion time bomb is ready to detonate, a corporate debt load that has escalated thanks to easy borrowing terms and a seemingly endless thirst from investors,” CNBC reported.

“For the first time ever, consumer credit has risen above $4 trillion,” said news accounts citing a Federal Reserve release. Since 2013 there has been a $1 trillion increase in the amount of debt Americans are carrying.

“Student loan debt in the U.S. more than doubled in the past 10 years, hitting an all-time high of $1.36 trillion in the third quarter of 2018,” according to consumer credit reporting agency Experian.

All these debt bubbles pose high risk for another economic meltdown. The New York Times quoted 76-year-old influential fund manager Jim Rogers predicting a crash

that will be “the biggest in my lifetime.”

Shhh. All these peak debt levels have occurred with Republicans in control of the Bill Crawford Congress and White House.

No surprise really. Take the national debt. Republicans like to talk “eliminate the deficit” and “reduce the debt” and “balance the budget,” but since George H.W. Bush was president have never followed through with the walk. It’s really the height of hypocrisy these days when they talk down Democrats about spending and deficits.

Remember Donald Trump’s campaign promise to eliminate the debt?

In a March 31, 2016, interview with The Washington Post, he promised to eliminate $19 trillion in debt in eight years. Instead it has gone up $3 trillion.

Rising interest rates and escalating debt are a formula for economic turmoil if not collapse. Debt watchdog, the Peter G. Peterson Foundation, reported in December that interest on the national debt “will nearly triSee CRAWFORD, Page 4

ississippi must take meaningful action to preserve rural hospitals that face strengthening financial headwinds.

And that action must include some form of Medicaid expansion to cover the working poor – following the model of other conservative states that have expanded the program.

A recent report said 31 of Mississippi’s 64 rural hospitals, or 48 percent, are at “high financial risk,” according to a story from Mississippi Today. That data comes from a report on the health of national rural hospitals compiled by independent consulting firm Navigant.

Rural hospitals are a particularly important piece of the healthcare fabric in a state like Mississippi, where most residents live a significant distance from an urban center. They provide geographically isolated individuals quick and convenient access to critical care. Their closure creates another burden in the nation’s least healthy state.

Yet, such facilities face unique financial pressures.

Rural populations are older, sicker and poorer, Mississippi Hospital Association President Tim Moore said in a recent story by the Daily Journal’s Michaela Morris. Emergency departments are required to treat all patients seeking care – even those who can not pay – meaning hospitals often bear the strain of unreimbursed services.

That’s where Medicaid expansion would make a difference, providing coverage to a greater number of the working poor who do not earn enough to purchase private insurance. That allows hospitals to be reimbursed for their care.

In Mississippi, the push for Medicaid expansion has largely been mired in politics and the unpopularity of the Affordable Care Act. But the fact is, the law is on the books, and Mississippi’s expansion would predominantly be covered by federal funds.

A number of traditionally conservative states – such as Kentucky, Arkansas, Indiana and Louisiana – have opted for expansion. And they have each used various creative approaches to cover people who make up to 138 percent of the federal poverty level. Those include work requirements or small premiums for some recipients.

Arkansas actually uses its Medicaid funding to buy private insurance through the marketplace for low-income individuals. Mississippi should study these ideas, learn from them and tailor an approach that works for it.

Medicaid expansion alone won’t eliminate all of the pressures faced by rural healthcare systems. Other strategies include greater use of telemedicine and restructuring hospitals to focus more on outpatient services. Those changes also will require funding and shifts in regulations.

Mississippi leaders must creatively and urgently seek an array of solutions to save the state’s rural hospitals. The problem is too important to ignore. And a smart plan for Medicaid expansion must be part of their approach.

— The Daily Journal

Perspective

4 Q Mississippi Business Journal Q March 8, 2019 » RICKY NOBILE

CRAWFORD

Continued from, Page 3

ple over the next 10 years, soaring from $315 billion in 2018 to $914 billion in 2028.” Soon interest payments alone with top $1 trillion annually.

“Unless we make the hard decisions to close the structural imbalance between spending and revenues, federal debt will climb to unsustainable levels and put America’s economy and future prosperity at risk,” the foundation declared.

Those decisions include uncomfortable spending cuts matched with undesirable tax increases. As we learned from the failed Obama-Boehner “grand bargain” that followed the failed Simson-Bowles plan, such decisions will not happen. The politics are too tough for our elected officials. Republicans can only cut taxes, not raise them, and Democrats can only increase spending, not cut it.

Sigh. As Pogo told us, “we have met the enemy and he is us.”

P.S. Mississippi is not immune to the debt dilemma. State financial reports show our public debt continues to grow. The two largest components, bonds and notes payable at $5.6 billion and the PERS unfunded pension liability at $16.9 billion, total $22.5 billion. That’s up from $19.7 billion in 2012.

Shhh. This occurred, too, with Republicans in control of the Legislature and Governor’s Mansion. » Bill Crawford (crawfolk@gmail.com) is a syndicated columnist from Meridian.

» UNDER THE CAPITOL DOME

Mississippi will see big turnover of state offices

M

ississippi this year will have its biggest shake-up of statewide offices in a generation, no matter who wins in November.

Five of the eight current statewide elected officials are not seeking re-election, so there are open races for governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, secretary of state, and treasurer.

That’s a contrast to 2015, when all eight statewide officials were re-elected.

Since 1991, no more than four statewide offices have changed hands in any given election cycle.

That is a good year to start looking at political transition because voters in 1991 elected Mississippi’s first Republican governor since Reconstruction. Kirk Fordice, a blunt-spoken contractor from Vicksburg, unseated Democratic Gov. Ray Mabus, who was trying to become the first to win back-to-back terms since the state lifted its ban on gubernatorial succession.

Fordice was one of three new statewide officials elected in 1991. Republican Eddie Briggs unseated Democrat Brad Dye to become lieutenant governor, and Democrat Steve Patterson won the open job for auditor.

In 1995, voters chose three new statewide officials. Democratic state Sen. Ronnie Musgrove unseated Briggs in the lieutenant governor’s race. State Rep. Eric Clark won an open race for secretary of state to succeed fellow Democrat Dick Molpus, who lost the governor’s race to Fordice. And, veterinarian Lester Spell was

elected to succeed fellow Democrat Jim Buck Ross, who didn’t seek another term as agriculture commissioner. Patterson resigned in 1996, and Fordice appointed Republican state Rep. Phil Bryant as auditor.

The 1999 election brought two new statewide officials: Musgrove as governor and Democratic former state Sen. Amy Tuck as lieutenant governor. In an odd twist, the governor’s race was not decided until January 2000. With two lesser-known candidates also running, neither Musgrove nor the Republican nominee, former U.S. Rep. Mike Parker, won a majority of the popular vote. Musgrove and Parker tied in Mississippi’s version of the electoral college: The state requires gubernatorial candidates to win in a majority of the 122 state House districts, and Musgrove and Parker won 61 each. Musgrove

finished 8,342 votes ahead in the popular vote, and the Democratic-controlled state House of Representatives decided the race in his favor.

In 2003, voters chose three new statewide officials. Musgrove lost the governor’s race to Republican Haley Barbour, a Washington lobbyist and former Republican National Committee chairman. Jim Hood was elected attorney general to succeed fellow Democrat Mike Moore, who didn’t seek re-election. Republican Tate Reeves won the open race for state treasurer. Hood and Reeves are among those running for governor this year.

The 2007 election brought four new statewide officials. Tuck, who had become Republican in late 2002, was term-limited and couldn’t run in 2007. Bryant won the open race for lieutenant governor. Repub-

lican attorney Delbert Hosemann won the open race for secretary of state. Republican state Sen. Stacey Pickering won the open race for auditor. And Republican state Sen. Mike Chaney won the Emily Wagster Pettus open race for insurance commissioner.

The 2011 election also brought four new statewide officials. With Barbour capped at two terms, Bryant was elected governor.

Reeves won the race for lieutenant governor. Republican attorney Lynn Fitch won the open race for treasurer. And Republican state Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith won the open race for agriculture commissioner, succeeding Spell, who had been elected as a Republican in 2007 after switching parties two years earlier. This was the first time two women had won statewide office at the same time in Mississippi.

Although all eight statewide officials won again in 2015, two moved to other jobs in 2018. After Bryant chose Hyde-Smith to fill a vacant U.S. Senate seat, he appointed Republican state Rep. Andy Gipson as agriculture commissioner. Pickering became head of the state Veterans Affairs Board, and Bryant named Republican attorney Shad White as auditor.

» Emily Wagster Pettus covers Capitol matters for the Mississippi Associated Press in Jackson.

March 8, 2019

Q

Mississippi Business Journal

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5

AUTOMOTIVE

AGRIBUSINESS

Mac Haik buys Watson Quality Ford

By MBJ STAFF

FILE/MBJ

The Mac Haik Automotive Group has purchased Watson Quality Ford.

The dealership will operate under the name of Mac Haik Ford and Robert Watson, longtime owner and operator of the dealership bearing his name, will oversee daily operations.

Mac Haik Ford will join Mac Haik Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram in Jackson, Mac Haik Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram in Flowood and Mac Haik Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram and Mac Haik Chevrolet in Madison.

Mac Haik Automotive Group is the 15th largest independent automotive group in the United States, with stores in Mississippi and Texas. The group sells approximately 46,650 vehicles per year.

Sanderson ads dating to June 2017 extol its ‘honest chicken.’

Sanderson stops antibiotics use but lawsuit still active

By JACK WEATHERLY jack.weatherly@msbusiness.com

Sanderson Farms Inc. said it would on March 1 stop using antibiotics in its poultry that are vital to fighting infections in humans.

The Laurel-based firm, the nation’s third-largest poultry producer, has fought a lawsuit brought by consumer groups in June 2017 against use of such antibiotics.

Sanderson is the last major producer to stop using the antibiotics.

It commissioned an independent study that led it to decide that the change “could represent a responsible compromise to better preserve efficacy of antibiotics important for human health,” the company said in a prepared statement, according to Reuters.

But that decision might not be sufficient to end the litigation in federal court.

Sanderson was sued by Friends of the Earth and the Center for Food Safety in the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court for Northern California.

An official for the Center for Food Safety was quoted in a publication called Animal Pharm that “Sanderson Farms is taking a good first step toward eliminating the use of medically important antibiotics in livestock production.”

“We hope Sanderson will utilize a third-party certifier to verify these production practices so that consumers can be assured that these chickens are raised without the routine use of antibiotics.”

Mike Cockrell, Sanderson’s Chief Financial and Legal Officer, said in an email to the Mississippi Business Journal tha he had no comment on the Center For Food Safety statement.

Sanderson has long advertised its poultry as “natural.”

However, the term “natural” is not strictly defined or regulated by the government agencies that oversee the public food supply, according to research by The New Food Economy, an independent nonprofit publication.

The publication reported in December that “last year, the plaintiffs in the suit made headlines after they unearthed testing records that revealed the company’s chicken tested positive for residues of drugs like ketamine, and powerful antibiotics like chloramphenicol, which can trigger a deadly form of anemia. The presence of the club drug [ketamine] was a surprise; the point of the data was to show that Sanderson had deceived consumers when it proclaimed, on its website, that ‘there’s only chicken in our chicken,’ and, on TV, that there were ‘no antibiotics to worry about here.’”

“Sanderson said in its defense that when it uses those phrases, it isn’t saying that it doesn’t use antibiotics, but that they must be “cleared of antibiotics before they leave the farm,” Judge Richard Seeborg rejected that reasoning in denying the company’s motion to dismiss the case.

ECONOMIC DEVEOPMENT

ABB TO INVEST $36 MILLION, ADD 50 JOBS IN SENATOBIA EXPANSION

By JACK WEATHERLY jack.weatherly@msbusiness.com Global manufacturing technology leader ABB announced Tuesday it will expand its advanced manufacturing operations in Senatobia two and one-half years after it began operations in Tate County.

The $36 million corporate investment will create 50 jobs, bringing to 150 of the 300 projected jobs announced in September 2016.

ABB, which is based in Zurich, Switzerland, occupied the 85,000-square-foot plant after Twin Lake Technologies closed in 2012 after failing to produce marketable solar panels, ABB will build a 200,000-square-foot addition for full production of ABB Tmax XT circuit breakers. Other productions manufactured in Senatobia include the company’s Emax 2 Breakers, TruONE Automatic Transfer Switch assemblies and other electrical switches.

ABB plans to begin construction on the addition this spring with operations beginning in the new facility by the end of the year, the company

said in a release.

“Since 2010, ABB has invested over $14 billion in the United States, and the U.S. represents the largest market for our products,” President of the Americas for ABB Greg Scheu said in the release.

“We will continue to invest in the products we make here, as well as the people who make them, as we expand to meet customer demand.”

ABB employs approximately 1,400 in Mississippi throughout its locations in Senatobia, Byhalia, Columbus and Crystal Springs.

The Mississippi Development Authority is providing $750,000 for infrastructure and building improvements on the expansion. The city of Senatobia and Tate County are providing property tax exemptions.

“We salute the Tate County Economic Development Foundation, the city of Senatobia and Tate County for their teamwork with MDA, which was instrumental in bringing this economic development win to our state,” MDA Executive Director Glenn McCullough Jr. said in the release.

MANUFACTURING

Taylor Machine Works adds dealer

By MBJ STAFF Taylor Machine Works, Inc. has announced a new dealer, NMC Material Handling, in the Taylor and Sudden Service, Inc. dealer network.

Located in Omaha, Neb., NMC Material Handling is, like Taylor, privately owned.

Taylor Machine Works Inc., founded in 1927, manufactures heavy-duty lift trucks, fork lifts and container handlers. It has 18 Factory Direct Stores across 11 states.

6 Q Mississippi Business Journal Q March 8, 2019

VIRTUAL REALITY Continued from, Page 1

present programs about the VR program at Jackson Prep. There have also been representatives from schools from New York to California interested in visiting to learn how VR is being taught and integrated into the school community at Jackson Prep.

VR uses electronic equipment such as a headset with a screen inside and gloves fitted with sensors to mimic real life. One interesting use of VR is called body transfer where you are an avatar who can actually have a different color skin and experience something from a different perspective.

“We are doing a lot of cool things,” Mangana said. “It is easier to explain when you have a headset on. During the Martin Luther King holiday time, all of our 11th and 12th grade history class students went through a VR experience, ‘I am a Man,’ where they went back to Memphis in 1968 in the context of the assassination of Martin Luther King. It is one of the best ways to teach empathy. We are using this technology to bring more social cohesion.

There is an intersection between cultural competency and VR.” It is also being used to teach engineering.

The engineering class used VR to visit the bottom of the Hoover Dam to explore how hydroelectricity is generated.

“When the kids read about certain things, it isn’t that they are apathetic,” Mangana said. “But it is so distant. When

they walk through the experience, it is emotionally relevant. Kids are very responsive to the relevancy, which is a different perspective on walking a mile in someone else’s shoes. Our kids are already connected globally and it is the goal of the school to teach students how to deal with people not only virtually, but in person. At Prep, we are a place committed to fostering leadership.

And we find that it is just as important to develop EQ (emotional quotient) as it is to develop IQ (intelligence quotient).”

Mangana said what VR really does is hack time and space. He can’t take students to see the Northern Lights in Norway. It would be price and time prohibitive to fly them there. But in VR, students can be completely immersed in an experience like seeing the Northern Lights.

“The learning becomes a lot more relevant,” he said. “It gives kids exposure to

things that in the past would have been price and distance prohibitive.”

Jackson Prep is also creating a VR curriculum for students and teachers. The intention is to create an institute where teachers can be trained and equipped to run VR programs across the state.

“We see it as a very important emerging technology,” Mangana said. “One of things we are trying to pull off is we want to curate already existing VR experiences and make learning more efficient.”

Students at Jackson Prep have been working with two graduates of the VR Academy in Clarksdale. They are employees of the VR production company Lobaki, Inc. Deontay Williams and Shalin Jewitt initially began to tutor Jackson Prep students in VR development.

“A relationship developed from that,” Mangana said. “Now they are working building 3D projects together. We have been doing some really interesting work partnering with the students from Clarksdale who have moved to Jackson.”

There are important business applications for VR. Mangana said it can help solve some human capital problems for business. Training happens much more easily and more efficiently in VR and there is a higher level of engagement. You can’t be on your cell phone in VR. “If you are trying to train people how to cook chicken properly at a chain restaurant, you can put the participant into an escape room,” he said. “They have to go through

the proper steps cooking the chicken to get out of the escape room. Let’s give people skills in a much more deliverable format.

Instead of a two-dimensional video, with VR you can be actually work in the same space and be on different sides of the world.

You can shake hands in virtual space and work collaboratively. You are going to see a lot more training and education happen in the metaverse (the virtual universe).”

In terms of investment, currently there is a lot of business-to-business and business-to-government applications being developed. Mangana said the technology is a few years from having a lot of business-to-consumer applications. But there have been a couple of breakthroughs with hardware now that make VR more affordable. And there are ways to speed up the development process.

“Instead of writing code for a tree or neighborhood, you can take existing things from games,” Mangana said. “What is amazing about VR development versus traditional coding is so many types of learners can be involved. It is much more like making a movie than making code.

For example, you need folks who write the scripts and lighting specialists. You do need some pure code. But so many more types of kids can be engaged in the technology.

That is what is so compelling about VR versus traditional app development.”

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March 8, 2019 • MISSISSIPPI BUSINESS JOURNAL • www.msbusiness.com

AN MBJ FOCUS: Agribusiness

The Tabb farm covers 2,500 acres in four counties.

Mississippi Farm Bureau Woman of the Year helps grow knowledge of agriculture » Cala Tabb embraces ag education

By BECKY GILLETTE mbj@msbusiness.com If there was ever a superwoman of agriculture in Mississippi, it has to be Cala Tabb of Eupora, who was named Mississippi Farm Bureau Woman of the Year in 2018. She and her husband, Billy Tabb, recently spent four days lobbying on trade and farm policy in Washington D.C. Several years ago, the couple won the Young Farmers & Ranchers Achievement Award from Mississippi Farm Bureau and then went on to compete against winners from other states to win the national award from the American Farm Bureau Federation. Cala was named Monsanto Southeast Farm Mom of the Year in 2017.

Cala has a full-time job as the librarian at the Eupora Elementary School and the Eupora High School. Billy farms about 2,500 acres in four counties growing cotton, corn, peanuts, soybeans and wheat. The couple has four children, ages 6, 11, 12 and 14.

Cala feels one of the main reasons she got picked

for Farm Bureau Woman of the Year is that she does a lot of ag education in her libraries. She formerly taught fifth grade reading and language. But teaching in the classroom, there is a set curriculum designed to help students meet state proficiency exams.

“I can do so much in my library because I don’t have a certain lesson plan,” she said. “I have a lot more freedom in the library. We live in a heavy ag area. Some of our fields are in the city limits. The headquarters for our shop is right behind Fred’s in town. The school kids see my husband working in the fields. We take it for granted because we live in a farm community that kids understand farming and know what it is. But not all of them do.”

Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation President Mike McCormick said Cala is an excellent representative of the Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation.

“Educating our communities about agriculture is very important, and we need people like Cala See TABB, Page 8

Photos courtesy of Cala Tabb

Cala Tabb was named Monsanto Southeast Farm Mom of the Year in 2017.

Agribusiness

8 Q Mississippi Business Journal Q March 8, 2019

TABB Continued from, Page 7

teaching our students and neighbors about where their food comes from and how their clothes are made,” McCormick said.

“Through her role as Farm Woman of the Year, she is able to tell agriculture’s story as farming moves into the future.”

Cala is originally from Vardaman. Her parents farmed sweet potatoes when she was growing up.

“My mother was very much involved in the farm,” Cala said. “She didn’t just pay the bills. She drove the tractor. She did

everything. Then my grandparents, my daddy’s parents, farmed a little, and my mother’s parents have always had cattle and still do.”

She was involved with Future Farmers of American while in high school.

“I loved it,” she said. “I loved my ag teacher. I thought it was great.”

There is a joke that some kids think chocolate milk comes from a brown cow.

Cala doesn’t think it is that extreme, but many children just don’t understand the process of what it takes to get food to your table.

“I try to educate them on that,” Cala

said. “I have some books I bought from the American Farm Bureau. There is a book for each school month. Each one has a commodity like peanuts, corn and cranberries. Even I feel like I’ve learned a lot from the books.”

A favorite exercise is, “How did that get in my lunchbox?” It is an overview of different types of food and where they came from.

“Everything connects back to a farmer,” she said. “If you wear clothes and eat, you need to be thankful for a farmer. And the kids love learning about agriculture.

They like something a little different and

Publish Date: March 22 Lists: Largest Architectural Firms

FOCUS ON: Architects & Engineers Stories this week: » CORPS OF ENGINEERS — The U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center, one of the premier engineering and scientific research organizations in the world, is top employer in Vicksburg and Warren County with around 1,700 employees. » PROFILE — Hunter Engineering in Durant. They manufacture tire changes, wheel balancing, lifts, brake lathes, etc. ** NOTE — All stories are subject to change

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Courtesy of Cala Tabb

One of Tabb’s jobs is librarian at Eupora High School and Eupora Elementary,

outside of the box. With the farm in town, these kids have seen Billy on a tractor. It makes it relatable. You can teach someone anything, but if you don’t make it relatable, they can’t understand. I feel like I’ve done a good job making farming relatable to them. I don’t think I will have all these kids become farmers, but it makes them appreciate farmers which is important because they will all be consumers one day and decide what food to buy and what they believe about farming and farming practices.”

If you get on social media, farmers aren’t always portrayed in the best light.

While Cala doesn’t push her ideas on students, she tries to get them to be critical thinkers who make their own choices.

“If they are hit with negative information about Roundup or genetically modified crops maybe, if they are concerned, they will ask about it instead of jumping on the bandwagon and sharing everything on Facebook,” she said.

Cala and Billy’s recent trip to Washington D.C. involved meeting with Mississippi Senators and Representatives, talking to them about trade and asking if anyone knew what was going to happen with the trade wars. What are commodity prices going to do? They also talked to their representatives about the new farm bill.

“It is hard for us to take time away from our farm and my job to lobby in D.C.,” Cala said. “But we feel it is so important to know firsthand what is going on and that we talk to the people who represent us so they know that farmers care. I’m busy with my job, helping on the farm and our kids play all kinds of sports. We are very busy. I feel like when we go to D.C. or do things for the Farm Bureau, it is not about us. We feel like we are doing this for future generations so maybe they don’t have to fight as much of a fight. If we can help them down the road, that is what we are trying to do.”

Cala is also vice president of the Webster County New Century Club, a woman’s organization.

Agribusiness

March 8, 2019

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MANUFACTURERS & PRODUCERS

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Newsmakers

10 Q Mississippi Business Journal Q March 8, 2019

Carol Ann Hughes joins Right Track Medical Carol Ann Hughes has joined Right Track Medical Group as Director of Outreach. Her role will focus on helping patients and referral partners access care at Right Track Medical Group’s outpatient mental health clinics.

Right Track Medical Group provides psychiatric evaluation, Hughes medication management, and individual and family therapy at locations in Oxford and Tupelo.

Hughes’s role will include educating physicians, nurses and other staff on services available at Right Track Medical Group. She will also be working with acute-care facilities to assist in transitioning patients into outpatient care. She will also serve as a resource for businesses in North Mississippi, as mental-health needs often affect employee well-being and productivity.

Hughes was previously business development manager for Parkwood Behavioral Health System. A native of Ripley, she holds a business degree from Mississippi State University.

Decker elevated to AIA College of Fellows Roy Decker, principal of Duvall Decker Architects, a Jackson architectural firm, been elevated to the American Institute of Architects (AIA) College of Fellows.

Elevation to the College status is awarded by a jury of peers and recognizes achievements of national significance in advancing the architectural profession. Roy Decker was granted Fellowship in the category of Design.

Decker

Entergy Mississippi announces promotions Three experienced Entergy Mississippi leaders will move into new roles with the company: Jeremy Vanderloo, vice president, regulatory affairs -- Vanderloo joined Entergy’s legal department in 2009, with primary responsibility for representing Entergy Mississippi before the Mississippi Public Service Commission. He previously practiced electric utility regulatory and employee benefits law with Wise Carter Child & Caraway, P.A. Vanderloo graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy with a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering, and went on to serve in the U.S. Marine Corps, attaining the rank of major.

Vanderloo earned both his Juris Doctor and MBA from Mississippi College.

Tianna Raby, managing counsel, regulatory affairs -- Raby joined Entergy as senior counsel in the legal department in 2014 and was named managing counsel in 2017. Prior to joining Entergy, Raby was a partner in the Jackson office of a civil litigation defense firm where she defended clients in a wide spectrum of claims. Raby obtained her Juris Doctorate from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., and graduated magna cum laude from Howard University in Washington, D.C. with a degree in Human Communications

Member Exchange’s Lee completes leadership development program

• Managed Security 100, which recognizes MSPs focused primarily on remote, cloud-based security services.

CRN said MSPs are integral to the success of small and large businesses everywhere. “Capable MSPs enable companies to take their cloud computing to the next level, streamline spending, effectively allocate limited resources and navigate the vast field of available technologies,” said Bob Skelley, CEO of The Channel Company, which owns CRN. “The companies on CRN’s 2019 MSP 500 list stand out for their innovative services, excellence in adapting to customers’ changing needs and demonstrated ability to help businesses get the most out of their IT investments.”

Lucien Bourgeois joins Crews & Associates

Courtesy of Members Exchange Credit Union

Members Exchange Credit Union recently recognized Prinette Lee (right), Member Service Center Supervisor, on completing the 2018 MECU Leadership Development Program. She has earned the Members Exchange Certified Leader (MECL) designation. Presenting the honor is CEO Mitzi Tate.

Studies. Active in her community, Raby volunteers with the Mississippi Volunteer Lawyer Program and is a member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., The Links, Inc. and the Junior League of Jackson.

Katrina Dawson Huttie, manager of regulatory affairs--Huttie joined Entergy in 1984 and was the first female certified public accountant to be employed by Entergy Mississippi. She has held management roles in accounting, auditing, risk management, government and oversight. Huttie is certified as an internal auditor, fraud examiner and information systems auditor. She is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and Mississippi Society of Certified Public Accountants and serves as vice president of the Jackson chapter of the Institute of Internal Auditors. Huttie graduated summa cum laude from Mississippi College with a degree in accounting.

Waste Pro Hattiesburg’s Lockwood recognized Chris Lockwood, Divisional Vice President of Waste Pro’s South Mississippi divisions, has received the Waste 360 40 Under 40 Award. Also known as the Rising Star Award, the program “recognizes inspiring and innovative professionals under the age of 40 whose work in Lockwood waste, recycling and organics has made a significant contribution to the industry.”

Lockwood began his career with Waste Pro in 2013 as a Junior Financial Analyst in the corporate office, located in Longwood, FL. The following year, he joined the Management Development Program, which provided him the opportunity to further train in leadership and business administration. In 2015, he was promoted to Division Manager in Hattiesburg.

A graduate of Florida State University with a bachelor’s degree in finance and real estate, Lockwood

was a member of Waste Pro’s inaugural Leadership Initiative program, a mentorship program designed to develop a vibrant second generation of young leaders.

C Spire Business named to CRN’s MSP 500 list for sixth straight year C Spire Business has been named one of the leading managed information technology service (IT) providers (MSPs) in North America for 2019 by CRN, a brand of the Channel Company and a top technology news and information source for solution providers, IT channel partners and value-added resellers (VARS).

A subsidiary of C Spire, the Mississippi-based diversified telecommunications and technology services parent company, C Spire Business was included in the annual list under the Elite 150 category for the sixth consecutive year. The list recognizes providers who use innovative, cutting-edge approaches to deliver managed services.

CRN editors said C Spire Business is among an elite group of managed services firms that help companies and enterprises navigate the complex and ever-changing information technology landscape, improve operational efficiencies and maximize business’ return on IT investments.

In today’s fast-paced business world, MSPs play an important role in helping companies leverage new technologies without straining their budgets or losing focus on their core business. CRN’s MSP 500 list shines a light on the most groundbreaking and innovative firms in the managed services sector.

The list is divided into three categories: • MSP Pioneer 250 recognizes companies with business models geared toward managed services that cater and focus largely on the small and medium-sized business market; • MSP Elite 150 recognizes large, data center-focused MSPs with a strong mix of primary and remote services and

Lucien Bourgeois has joined Crews & Associates in Jackson.

He will serve as a director of business development for the state.

Bourgeois has a broad range of experience in bond financing and has been recognized by Best Lawyers in America and MidSouth Super Lawyers. His prac- Bourgeois tice areas include governmental relations, public finance and economic development.

Bourgeois is a member of the American Bar Association, National Association of Bond Lawyers, Mississippi Bar Association and Capital Area Bar Association.

He holds a bachelor of science degree in biology and master of arts degree in urban and regional planning from the University of Mississippi, and the juris doctor degree from Mississippi College.

Manuel elected VP of ABOTA’s Mississippi Chapter

Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP has announced that J. William Manuel, a partner in the firm’s Jackson office, has been elected vice president of the Mississippi Chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA). He will serve a one-year term and then serve as president in 2020.

A member of Bradley’s Litigation Practice Group, Mr. Manuel focuses his practice primarily on commercial and employment litigation. He has handled various disputes for both large and small businesses in Mississippi and other jurisdictions. His clients include numerous manufacturers and commercial interests as well as various insurance and financial services companies. He has worked to defend these clients in both MDL litigation and individual actions brought in Mississippi. His experience also includes advising businesses on issues involving age discrimination, sexual harassment and wage/overtime disputes.

In addition to his involvement with ABOTA, Mr. Manuel is president of the Capital Area Bar Association and a member of the Mississippi Board of Bar Admissions. He also has served in leadership roles with the Mississippi Bar Young Lawyers Division Board of Directors of the Fellows and Jackson Young Lawyers.

ABOTA is a national organization of trial lawyers with 97 chapters in all 50 U.S. states. Selection for membership into ABOTA carries with it considerable prestige among attorneys, judges and legislators.

Newsmakers Jodi Penn Rives joins Argent Financial Group Argent Financial Group announced that Jodi Penn Rives has joined the company as a business development officer for Shreveport, Louisiana and Oxford, Mississippi. She will report to Chief Development Officer J. Aaron Jack.

Rives will be responsible Rives for new client outreach and strengthening current customer relationships.

A native of Shreveport, Rives has spent the past 24 years in numerous leadership roles in the public and private sectors in North Louisiana. Most recently, she was business development director for Heard, McElroy & Vestal, the largest CPA firm in North Louisiana.

Prior to joining Heard, McElroy & Vestal, she worked alongside her late husband, Mike Penn, at Penn Homes, a family-owned business honored as a top ten Small Business of the Year by the Greater Shreveport Chamber of Commerce.

A seasoned volunteer, Rives has been a member of the Junior League of Shreveport-Bossier for 25 years serving as president in 2005 and is currently a member of the Sustainer Advisory Panel. From 2012-2015, she was on the board of directors of The Association of Junior Leagues International, serving on the finance/audit committee and chaired the Issue Based Collective Action committee. The association supports its members in the fulfillment of the Junior League’s Mission serving 140,000 women in 291 communities in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada and Mexico.

Rives also has volunteered with The Cotillion Club, Ark-La-Tex Ambassadors, Red River Revel, chaired the Feist-Weiller Cancer Center Life Savers Gala benefitting cancer research and served on numerous PTA boards.

In addition, she completed a two-year appointment

by Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal as Residential Subcommittee member at the Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors, and is currently serving a second term on the board of directors for Friends of Louisiana Public Broadcasting.

Although a lifelong Louisianian, Rives has family ties to the Oxford community -- her daughters graduated from the University of Mississippi. She enjoys entertaining, attending art openings, supporting Ole Miss athletics and playing tennis.

Rives received her bachelor’s degree in accounting from Louisiana State University in Shreveport and is a graduate of Leadership Shreveport.

Statewide HR society presents Johnson with service award The Mississippi Hospital Association Society for Human Resources Administration recently presented Brenda Johnson, director of human resources for North Mississippi Medical Center-West Point, with its Distinguished Service Award.

The award is given each year to a society member in recogni-

Johnson

March 8, 2019

MORA holds groundbreaking ceremony for Donor Tribute Garden

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that they will offer him valuable professional experiences that he will carry throughout the remainder of his career.

ASSET Engineering is recognized as a specialist in power system design and analysis for utility companies, independent power producers, and large industrial and institutional power users. They are dedicated to providing clients with principles of integrity and quality electrical engineering solutions through a focus on innovations in the engineering industry.

Kelly joins Hattiesburg Clinic Dermatology

Courtesy of MORA

Mississippi Organ Recovery Agency held a groundbreaking ceremony for “Garden of Hope”, a reflection and memorial garden set to open in April at MORA’s Flowood office. The garden will be a place of remembrance for donors and a place of inspiration to those touched by donation. Namesake bricks and pavers may be purchased at msora.org/gardenofhope. Pictured are, from left, Bill Carruth, William Carruth, Leslie Carruth, Vicki Shoemake, Cynthia Camel, Timothy Lewis, Annie Lucious, Carrie Deese.

tion of outstanding contributions to heath care human resources in Mississippi. Tim Moore, MHA chief executive officer, presented Johnson with the award during the MHA Human Resource Society Spring Conference during February.

“Brenda has been an icon in the Society of Human Resources Administration. She has exemplified leadership and character in not only her facility, but also in the society and industry as a whole,” Moore said.

“Personally working with Brenda for several years made the privilege of presenting this Distinguished Service Award a very special honor to me.”

Johnson has been with the West Point hospital for 34 years. She holds a bachelor’s degree in business from Mississippi University for Women in Columbus and an MBA from Mississippi State University in Starkville. She attained her Professional in Human Resources certification in 1995. Currently, she serves as president of the Mississippi Hospital Association Human Resource Society as well as serving on the board of directors for the Golden Triangle Human Resource Society. She is also active with United Way of Clay County (which she serves as a board member), Take a Swing at Cancer and Make a Wish Foundation .

ASSET Engineering hires Gary Scott ASSET Engineering welcomes the newest addition to their electrical designer team at their office in Canton, Mississippi. Gary Scott brings 23 years of work experience and 18 years of drafting and design experience to ASSET. Prior to joining the ASSET team, Scott worked for GE Digital Energy as an electrical designer on multiple substations, wind farms, and other similar projects. He has experience in developing 3D detailed layouts, pilot drawings, and construction documents for projects.

As a Jackson, Mississippi native, Scott earned his Bachelor of Sciences in Mathematics at Jackson State University where he is also currently working on his

Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering. Gary Scott enjoys a host of personal activities in his spare time, some of which include watching and attending sporting events, concerts, church activities, and spending as much time with family as possible.

Gary Scott has a proven track record of being an efficient team member who supports Project and Protection Engineers. ASSET Engineering is proud to include Gary Scott on their roster of team members at their growing engineering firm. As a Design Engineer, ASSET has no doubt that Scott will become an invaluable addition and will make for exceptional employee.

ASSET Engineering is recognized as a specialist in power system design and analysis for utility companies, independent power producers, and large industrial and institutional power users. They are dedicated to providing their clients with principles of integrity and quality electrical engineering solutions through a focus on innovations in the engineering industry.

ASSET Engineering Hires Jeff Jeffreys ASSET Engineering hires Jeff Jeffreys, a recent graduate from Louisiana Tech University. Having completed his Bachelor of Science Degree in Mechanical Engineering, Jeffreys is working to become a licensed Professional Engineer (PE) and believes that ASSET Engineering could be the company to help him gain hands-on experience.

Jeff Jeffreys will be responsible for learning and implementing the design processes given by the Professional Engineers. He has a proven reputation of being a hard worker who yearns to expand his knowledge and is adaptable to new projects.

Jeff Jefferys grew up in New Iberia, Louisiana, which located 21 miles southeast of Lafayette, Louisiana. He enjoys watching and playing sports, listening to music, and spending time with his friends and family. ASSET Engineering is glad to have Jeff Jefferys as an addition to their team as a Graduate Engineer. ASSET believes

Sarah Kelly, CNP, joined Hattiesburg Clinic Dermatology – South, where she provides evaluation and treatment for skin disorders.

Kelly relocated from Hattiesburg Clinic Dermatology – West earlier this year, where she provided dermatology care for Kelly nearly 10 years. She received a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and a Master of Science in Nursing as a Family Nurse Practitioner from The University of Southern Mississippi. She is board certified as a family nurse practitioner by the American Nurses Credentialing Center.

Kelly is also board certified as a dermatology nurse practitioner by the Dermatology Nursing Certification Board. She holds memberships in multiple professional organizations, including American Nurses Association, Mississippi Nurses Association and Dermatology Nurses’ Association.

Kelly has more than 13 years of experience in health care and the last 10 years as a dermatology provider with Hattiesburg Clinic.

“I have had the pleasure of working as part of a care team at Hattiesburg Clinic for nearly a decade now, and I look forward to continuing my career with my new team at Dermatology – South,” said Kelly. “I enjoy providing care to patients and plan to continue helping patients achieve optimal skin health at Dermatology – South.”

Wadley to lead Neel-Schaffer’s Georgia Operations Neel-Schaffer, Inc., has announced that Aaron Wadley, PE, has joined the firm and will manage our Georgia Operations.

Wadley has nearly 20 years of engineering design and management experience. He comes to NeelSchaffer from Gaskins Surveying & Engineering, where he managed that firm’s Gwinnett County office. His experience includes two years as an Assistant City Engineer for the City of Covington, Georgia, and three years as the Director of Transportation and Public Works for Newton County in Georgia.

Wadley will be based in Neel-Schaffer’s Atlanta office and oversee all facets of the firm’s growing Georgia operation.

Wadley is a licensed Professional Engineer in Georgia, Texas, Virginia and North Carolina. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering Technology from Southern Polytechnic State University.

12 Q Mississippi Business Journal Q March 8, 2019 THE SPIN CYCLE

U.S. Trust, Merrill Lynch brands ride into sunset post Bank of America Merger T wo of the most iconic names in banking are galloping into the sunset!

Recently, Bank of America said it will gradually retire the U.S. Trust brand to become the Bank of America Private Bank.

The move is part of CEO Brian Moynihan’s “one-company” strategy to more closely align the bank’s various businesses and branding.

The company will also no longer use the Merrill Lynch brand for its investment banking, global markets and capital markets group.

Bank of America purchased U.S. Trust from Charles Schwab in 2006 for $3.3 billion, calling it “one of the largest and most respected” wealth management firms.

U.S. Trust, founded in 1853 in New York, is the first and oldest trust company in the United States, and became synonymous with America’s wealthy elite. Its founders included Marshall Field, Erastus Corning and Joseph Lawrence, then mayor of New York, while its early clients included Tycoons such as William Waldorf Astor and Oliver Harriman.

Bank of America will also retire the Merrill Lynch name from its investment bank and trading units, shortening the name to Merrill for its wealth management division – preserving its brand equity.

The company said – in a news release – it had already begun a multiyear advertising campaign to highlight the changes. It launched a new corporate logo in November.

The Charlotte, N.C.-based bank acquired Merrill Lynch a decade ago in the midst of the financial crisis. It used to be known by its brokers as “Mother Merrill.”

But the name stuck with the firm even after the Bank of America merger where other storied Wall Street names, including Smith

Barney and Bear Stearns, faded away.

The investment bank and trading business will now be called BofA Securities, while the units working with corporate clients will be called Bank of America.

Costco tops Amazon in Internet retail satisfaction survey Costco has outscored Amazon in a recent survey to determine the most satisfying name in Internet retail.

According to the American Customer Satisfaction Index, which interviews 300,000 customers annually about more than 400 companies in 46 industries to measure customer satisfaction for the quality of products and services.

Costco garnered an ACSI score of 83 this year in the first time it’s been scored in the Internet retail category on the report.

It received the same rating for the in-store department/discount and supermarket categories. Meanwhile, Amazon scored 82, dipping three points from the previous year.

Amazon had been the leader on the index since 2010. But, the report found “its retail business growth has slowed with the acquisition of Whole Foods,” which Amazon purchased for $13.7 billion in 2017.

While consumers were the most satisfied with Internet retail, the overall level of satisfaction across the category dipped from an ACSI score of 82 in 2017 to 80 in 2018.

Overall, 21 new companies made their debuts in the Internet retail category.

Among these brands, the best-performing ones after Costco were Etsy, Kohl’s, Nike and Nordstrom, which each had an ACSI score of 81. However, not all new companies in this section performed well: Sears and Walmart took the lowest positions

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with scores of 73 and 74, respectively.

According to the report, of all the vehicles for online shopping, mobile apps are highly favorable among customers – scoring an 86 Todd Smith for quality and an 85 for reliability. While the ease of a desktop checkout and payment process is at an 85 that is down two points from last year when it was at an 87.

Oscars broadcast a hit For ABC The 2019 Oscars broadcast rebounded for ABC, notching a solid 10 percent bounce in the ratings.

The awards ceremony averaged 29.6 million viewers, an 11.5 percent gain over a year ago. The show also scored a 7.7 rating among adults 18-49, a 13 percent gain over last year.

The broadcast was the most-watched entertainment telecast on TV since the 2017 Oscars and the highest-rated nonsports program since the post-Super Bowl This Is Us in 2018.

The 2018 awards hit an all-time low of 26.54 million viewers and a 6.8 rating in the 18-49 demographic.

However, this year’s ratings are still the second smallest on record for the Oscars.

Prior to last year, the previous low was a slightly more than 32 million viewers in 2008.

Earlier, the Oscars posted a 21.6 rating/36 share in metered-market households, up about 14 percent over the early figures from a year ago.

This year’s broadcast clocked in at 3 hours, 13 minutes – 41 minutes shorter than last year’s show. Along with not having a host, the show did not feature any montages or mid-telecast comedy routines.

Black Panther and Bohemian Rhapsody, the two biggest box office draws among the best picture nominees, each won multiple Oscars, but Green Book took home the night’s top SIEGEL SUITES honor.

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Globes and Grammy Awards were fairly steady year to year, although the Grammys hit a low in the 18-49 demographic.

Following the Oscars and late local news, a preview of ABC’s dramedy Whiskey Cavalier drew 4.2 million viewers and a 0.8 rating in adults 18-49.

Dropped Mic | New York pens open letter to Amazon The Big Apple still wants to dance with Amazon!

Like a ditched date to the prom, leaders and officials from the state and the city of New York signed an open letter recently published in The New York Times begging CEO Jeff Bezos to reconsider pulling Amazon’s HQ2 project out, a decision it announced in mid-February.

The letter rehashed events, reiterated the boon that Amazon was projected to offer the city and the state, and offered reassurances that the second-headquarters project would move forward if Amazon gives the go-ahead.

The letter said Gov. Andrew Cuomo would “take personal responsibility for the project’s state approval,” while Mayor Bill de Blasio would “work together with the governor to manage the community development process, including the workforce development, public education and infrastructure investments that are necessary.”

Dozens of New York civic and business titans, including religious, education, union, political, and tech leaders signed the letter.

Cuomo has spoken with Amazon executives, including Bezos, on multiple occasions over the past few weeks to try to get the company to reconsider, according to The Times.

Amazon has given no indication that it is reconsidering its New York HQ2 decision. In the meantime, it is full-steam ahead on the other HQ2 location in the Washington, D.C. market – and its Center for Excellence plans, which will bring some 5,000 jobs to Nashville, which could get even more jobs in wake of the New York divorce.

Each week, The Spin Cycle will bestow a Golden Mic Award to the person, group or company in the court of public opinion that best exemplifies the tenets of solid PR, marketing and advertising – and those who don’t. Stay tuned – and step-up to the mic! And remember … Amplify Your Brand!

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.